All About Aubrey!

Aubrey Judith Pantuso
August 2, 2016
8lbs 10oz
21 inches long
Born at 7:00am

I'm feeling guilty that our newest addition does not have a blog post yet (she's almost a year old already), but I guess that's the blessing of being a third child (sorry Aubs!)

Aubrey Judith Pantuso completed our little family on August 2, 2016. My pregnancy with her was the toughest out of my three. I had really bad morning sickness and terrible heartburn. She was our little surprise baby and it was so fun to watch Andrew and Alli (especially Andrew) anticipate her arrival. Andrew was SO excited that she was a girl baby. We had fun announcing her arrival and it seemed as if my pregnancy flew by.

Our announcement for Baby #3

Aubrey's due date was August 9th. She was born a week early on August 2nd. I was at home and had just had Bill take pictures of me for my 39th week of pregnancy. I had just finished packing my hospital bags that day and finally was feeling ready for Aubrey to join us. I went to the bathroom and my water broke! We called Bill's mom to come and watch Andrew and Alli and we headed to the hospital. The hospital was PACKED. We waited for over an hour before we even got to go back to triage. Apparently, many babies were ready to be born that day! It was after 11pm when we got back to triage and my contractions were becoming closer and closer together. Finally, I was admitted to a delivery room. I thought Aubrey would be my quickest delivery, but I was not progressing as fast as I wanted. We waited for a few hours, and once I switched positions, things started to progress. I didn't need any Pitocin to get contractions going, but I did get an epidural (which was SO painful this time around!)

39 weeks pregnant!

Brand new Aubrey- just a few minutes old!

Andrew listening to Aubrey's heartbeat

Proud papa

First pic as a family of 5

Alli listening to Aubrey's heartbeat

I had some complications after Aubrey's birth due to my blood pressure spiking and being really high, so I was under observation for a few hours before I was deemed okay and moved to a recovery room. It was so fun introducing Aubrey to her big brother and sister. They were immediately smitten with her and just couldn't believe how little she was. She had no trouble nursing and loved snuggling. We loved the professional pics that the hospital took, Aubrey was so cooperative and mellow.

Everything with Aubrey has just seemed easy. As a newborn she was a good eater, she slept good, and she has just been so easy-going...your typical third child that has to roll with the punches and go with the flow. She's been my cuddly baby and I already miss her little neck snuggles when she was an infant. Bill and I would both always remark about how soft her head was when she snuggled into our necks.

Little snugglebug

Some of Aubrey's "firsts" and milestones:
~First smile (around 3 months old)
~First time trying oatmeal cereal (5 months old- she liked it!)
~Rolled over from back to belly (3.5 months old)
~Started sleeping on her belly when she could roll both ways (5 months old)
~Mommy nursed/pumped for just over 6 months
~Sitting up without support (7 months old)
~First teeth- bottom front (8 months old)
~First word "dada" (10 months old)
~Crawling (10 months old)
~Cruising (11 months old)

               

Currently, Aubrey weighs in at 21lbs 11oz and is 28.5 inches long. She is such a happy baby and adores her big brother and sister. She has the best squeal and we love to make her belly laugh. She's my baldest baby and people often mistake her for a boy (even when she is wearing "girly" clothes). She takes after her mama in that respect, since I'm told I didn't have hair until I was two!

We've been seeing the dermatologist for two hemangiomas, one on Aubrey's scalp and one in her diaper area. The dermatologist is hopeful that these will fade with time, and as of right now we're not too concerned.

Summer cutie

Fourth of July at Uncle T's house

I also started teaching Aubrey baby sign language and she is able to sign more (claps her hands) and all done (looks like she's waving bye-bye). She loves to eat and gets so excited for puffs (she squeals "puff" when she sees the canister). Her favorite fruit is banana and she doesn't seem to love veggies, but will eat carrots and sweet potatoes. She's realized that we all eat "real" food and she loves trying what we are eating. Current faves are taco meat and anything with noodles. She's like her daddy- shoving huge bites of food in her mouth... it scares me sometimes how much she can fit in her mouth!

Aubrey has had the luxury of not having to go to daycare...yet. Daddy worked a special schedule to be home with her 2 days each week and Grandma Pantuso watched her the other 3 days during the week. It has been a blessing. Bill is back to working a "normal" M-F schedule, so after this summer, Aubrey will be joining Alli at Small Wonders 3 days out of the week. She's just growing up so fast and I feel like time is flying so much faster for her than it did for Andrew and Alli (hence the reason why this blog is coming now, almost a year after her birth).

I've been having fun planning Aubrey's first birthday celebration, which will be a very small and intimate family celebration this time around. More on that later, but I'll end this blog with a sneak peek picture from our "DIY" photo shoot in the backyard.

Allison's Cupcake 1st Birthday

I had SO much fun planning Alli's first birthday party. I had all summer to think of a theme and hand-make decorations for both of her birthday parties. Knowing this was my last baby to plan a first birthday party for, and the fact that it was a "girlie" party... I might have gone a little overboard. Ahhh, cuteness overload!!!

My only regret is not giving myself enough time to set up for both parties, so I never got a "complete" photo of the whole room decorated.

The invitation

Cake made by my Aunt Jan

Smash cake

Homemade cupcake liner garland and cupcake birthday banner

Monthly photo banner

Cupcake liner "1" to hang on door

Yummy cake! 

The sign of a successful cake smash: cake everywhere! 

Allison=ONE + a couple months :)

I have really fallen behind on blogging (so sorry, Alli, if you are reading this in the future...) I have had very good intentions of writing all about Allison turning one... and now she's almost 14 months old. Whoops... totally dropped the ball. Better late than never, though!

Sweet, curious, mischievous Allison is currently weighing in at 22lbs 10oz and measuring 31 inches, placing her right around the 75th percentile for both height and weight. Finally, within the last week, her first tooth started poking through! I have so enjoyed her gummy grin, but am looking forward to seeing what she looks like with teeth.

We held two birthday parties for Alli when she turned one (one for my side, and one for Bill's side). Alli did great with both parties, with her favorite part of both being the cake smash. She was a little hesitant to dig in at first, but once she started smashing, she smashed with gusto. It was really cute to watch. Big brother Andrew was a huge help in opening Alli's gifts, instantly claiming several toys as his own. Alli is so laid back that she doesn't really care, and in most cases she will choose to play with Andrew's toys (specifically cars) over her own toys.

Family shot at Alli's birthday party #2

We also did a one year photo shoot with yet another cake smash session for Alli about a month ago, followed up with some family photos in the park. We loved our photographers and thought that they captured some great moments of the kids. Alli was captivated with the autumn leaves fluttering to the ground and Andrew was Mr. Photogenic, smiling at the antics of the photographers behind the camera.

Alli is soooo close to walking and has gotten really good at walking all over the house with her little push toy. She will stand up on her own in the middle of the room and I'll tell her, "Walk, Alli! Take a step!" What does the little stinker do? Crawl to her push toy, stand up and begins to walk with the toy.

Speaking of little stinkers....oh my goodness is she a curious and mischievous child! There have been countless times where I am thanking the Lord that we did a good job babyproofing the house. Andrew was never really one to get into things and I could leave outlets untouched, bedroom doors open, cabinets unlatched, etc. Alli, on the other hand, gives me a daily workout chasing her around. I've found her playing with the garbage can, splashing in the dog's water, exploring in the pantry, and climbing up on her brother's bed. She is a little spitfire and her crazy antics cause me to constantly be on the alert, but to laugh at the same time because she's so quick at getting into things before you can catch her.

"Lemme in there!"

Alli has become pretty vocal too, with her first official word being "Mom" (ahhh melts my heart!) She also calls Bill "Mom", which makes us laugh. She says "ba-ba" (brother) for Andrew, and also says "Uh-oh". We've been teaching her sign language too, so she can sign "milk", "more", and "all done". She knows where her nose, eyes, and mouth are and enjoys finding them on anyone who holds her, too. She's not much of a cuddler these days, but would much rather be down on the ground exploring everything around her. She's very aware of her surroundings, just like her mama.

Having fun riding her "Docmobile"

We are definitely looking forward to what the next few months bring, as she starts walking and talking more. Alli and Andrew adore each other, and it has been adorable to watch their relationship develop. Andrew has become very good at telling me when Alli is into something she shouldn't be and he has become very protective of her already, which I just love. I'm hoping to get back on the blogging train again, but with the holidays right around the corner we'll see! :)

Cuddling her "wolfie"- favorite stuffed animal

Fall daycare pictures- 13 months old

Fall daycare pictures
Andrew-3.5 years, Allison- 13 months

Halloween 2014- Andrew the fireman

Halloween 2014- Alli the 80's workout baby

Allison's 9 and 10 month update!

Yikes! I forgot to post Allison's 9 month update, so I'm just going to "lump" months 9 and 10 together. Poor, second child. ;-)

9 months old (6-11-14)

10 months old (7-11-14)

Alli is a thriving, happy baby. The last two months have been a blur, as it seems that she learns a new "skill" every week! She is crawling now, and is a little busybody- always wanting to get into big brother Andrew's toys. He's mastering the art of quickly grabbing toys out of his sister's hands before she gets the toy into her mouth.

About to eat Andrew's puzzle :)

Andrew and Allison ADORE each other. I love the rare moments that they both just stop what they are doing and giggle with each other. Best sound in the world. I always wanted a big brother, so my hope is that Andrew grows into Alli's protector and that Alli learns from and trusts her big brother. Andrew loves going into Alli's room to get her up every morning, stating "I'm going to get my baby Alli, mama!" and Alli's face lights up the moment she sees him. Pure bliss!

Besides being on the move, Alli has learned to wave "hi" and "bye-bye" and will say "mamamama" and "dadada". We like to think she says it with meaning, but I'm sure that will come soon enough. Alli loves "talking" to anyone who will converse with her, especially during car rides. She'll make a noise, we "copy" her noise, she echoes back, and so the game continues.

Waving "hi"

It has been so nice to get both kids outside into the fresh, summer air. They love being outside, and Alli loves to watch Andrew blow bubbles or watch him play tball. They both LOVE water, so it's been fun to play in the kiddie pool on warm afternoons. Alli splashes and squeals and just enjoys being in the water so much.

 First time in the baby pool (6-27-14)

First time swinging at the park (6-28-14)

Fun in the sun!

Drying off in her sun-shade tent

We're still playing it safe with food. I'm really nervous to give her anything with grains, in fear that she will not be able to stomach it. Luckily, we have a doctor's appointment later this month, and I'll be interested to see what her pediatrician thinks. I've tried to give her small pieces of whatever we're eating, but she still has a gag reflex and so I'm just paranoid that she's going to empty her stomach every time she gags. She still loves all her pureed fruits and veggies (she's not really a fan of the green veggies), and loves yogurt, too. She likes cheese and has tried cottage cheese (the jury is still out on that one). She really seems interested in everything we're eating, so that's good. Now, I just need her to get some teeth so she can try some of the chunkier stuff! Those teeth are taking their sweet time!

Alli continues to be a great sleeper. Bedtime is usually between 6:45-7:15pm and she will sleep a solid 12 hours before waking. She takes two naps, one morning nap for about 1-2 hours and an afternoon nap, again about 1-2 hours. We're pretty lucky to have a great sleeper. I've got it timed to where Andrew takes his afternoon nap the same time as his sister so that this mama can have a little peace and quiet (which usually means washing bottles, folding laundry, and hoping to get in a quick nap myself before it starts all over again!) I'm definitely a big proponent of keeping kids on a schedule, which can stink sometimes when trying to make plans with people who don't really understand my obsessiveness with a sleep schedule.

Sound sleeper

Bill and I always marvel at what a good baby Alli is. People in restaurants will even stop by our table to tell us how good she is. She's just so mellow and mild-mannered. She is curious and observant and has such a happy personality. She's the perfect completion to our little family. :)

Happy Father's Day!

Visit from Auntie Wen (7-1-14)

4th of July- our little firecracker!

Peek-a-boo!

Snootie face (7-12-14)

At Andrew's ENT appointment (7-15-14)