the precious little things in life

Audrey is growing up so fast (she's already 14 months old!) and there are so many little things that she's doing lately. Almost every day brings a new thing so I worry I will forget about them if I don't write them down. I was telling a friend a while ago that it's difficult to describe the things she's doing now. Most of what she's doing involves certain sounds and facial expressions and I don't think the words exist to describe them. I know this list won't mean much to most of you, unless you've been around her lately and have experienced these things firsthand...so this list is for me, so I don't forget.

-the way she pats my shoulder with her little hand when I'm holding her

-the look on her face when I get her favorite snacks out of the pantry

-her reaction when daddy walks through the door after work

-the way she leans her forehead in close to mine and smiles, then she leans back and comes in close again, the second time her smile turns into a giggle

-she's a hoarder, she carries as many things in her hands as she can, when she comes across something else interesting that she wants to hold, she takes a few seconds to look at the things currently in her hands and chooses which item to leave behind


-when she's sad and wants me to hold her, she'll stand in front of me and hold both of my legs, and look up at me with the most pathetic little face...how can I resist?

-the times she walks toward me with a book she wants me to read to her. even if her attention span only lasts for 2-3 pages, it's so sweet

-the sound she makes when she's holding her sleepy bear and she's sucking her thumb, right before I lay her down for bed. and she will not make the sound unless she's holding her bear and her thumb is in her mouth

-the "give it back" game she plays with us (and Walter)

-she LOVES toothbrushes

-When we get back home from our morning walks, I sit on the living room floor and stretch. When I reach for my toes, she touches my toes and smiles at me. When I lean forward, she gets low on the ground turns her face toward me and wiggles her way in close to my face and giggles.

-she could be outside all day and be happy

-the way she dances/bounces naked outside of the tub until we pick her up and put her in and then when she's done, she runs around with just her hooded towel over her head after her bath and we have to chase her down to dry her off, then wrestld her put on lotion and then her pajamas


-the way she pats her belly (or sometimes her chest) when we say "Audrey, where's your belly?" and then the adorable little grin that shows how proud she is of herself for knowing

-the way she shakes her head "no" at certain things she knows not to touch, but she still looks at us to see if we're paying attention. if we're not, she'll take that as permission to touch what she knows she's not supposed to

-when I ask her if she wants her milk, I better have it for her soon because once she hears that word, she doesn't wait very patiently

-when she is eating a new food, she always takes the first bite out of her mouth and looks at it, then puts in back in her mouth, then chews and swallows it. every time.

-the way she squeals with excitement and then other times growls with excitement

-the way she inhales (very loudly, almost like she's gasping for air) and smiles and tightens her face into a super-cheesy smile when she's really excited

-she says hi to me at least 112 times a day and each time it makes me smile. it never gets old.

*sigh* Life is so sweet.