Attitude

I may be in trouble....Audrey is already giving me the finger. Maybe she wasn't pleased with her dinner that day. lol

Welcome Audrey Jolie Cotnoir!

Early Thursday morning, Benoit and I welcomed Audrey Jolie Cotnoir to our family. She is a precious, sweet little girl with dark hair like her daddy and curious eyes just taking in this big world. She eats like a champ and sleeps so peacefully. I'm in love with her little sighs and grunts. I could just snuggle all day! With Sophie, I was so overwhelmed I almost forgot to just take it slowly and enjoy the simple pleasures of having a newborn. I remember being so tired and unsure of myself I don't think I relaxed into motherhood for a few months. This time, I'm going to enjoy each moment - even the grumpy, sleepless ones....


Things I want to remember so far include:

• How Audrey brushed my face with her tiny, but long, fingers right after she was born while lying on my chest.


• How she calmed instantly when she heard her Daddy's voice for the first time after she was born. It was as if she just knew him and found his voice soothing.


• How proud Benoit was when he first saw her and how eagerly he watched her during her first checkup.


• How she and I fell asleep together this afternoon after breastfeeding in the bed. We just snuggled peacefully together and enjoyed mommy/daughter time.


• How tiny she is right now - she'll never be this small again. I love how curled up she is and how she just balls up in your arms. Precious.

Also, I would like to explain the meaning of her middle name. Benoit and I loved the name Sophie Belle, as Belle refers to my Southern heritage and also translates to 'beautiful' in French. For Audrey, we debated over several middle names but settled on Jolie since it also translates to 'beautiful' in French. It is a simple way to connect the sisters. We hope that both of our girls learn that they are beautiful to us and that their beauty begins from within. We've been calling Sophie 'ma Belle', or 'my beauty' for a while and now we have a 'ma Jolie' in the family. We are so blessed and thankful for it!

The first expanded Cotnoir Family photo!

Take me out to the ballgame

On Memorial Day, we took Sophie to her first baseball game to see the Frisco RoughRiders. It was a hot afternoon game, but we had a great time. Sophie enjoyed her first pretzel and hot dog, though she mostly just ate the bun. She was hot and sweaty (as were Benoit and I) but seemed to really enjoy it. She's like me and loved the non-baseball parts of the game perhaps more than the sport itself. Each time the music came on between innings, she would dance in her chair and giggle! And she clapped with the crowd when the team would score or catch a fly ball. She just liked walking around and checking everything and everyone out. Here are a few cute pics of our afternoon.

Heat Wave

So for a very pregnant woman deep in the heart of Texas, it's HOT! The spring wasn't so bad, but it seemed to jump overnight to the 90's and it's not cooling off anytime soon. This week, Sophie and I busted out the new kiddie pool and had a blast. She had fun splashing around, and I was cracking up. Cody got in on the action too! I'm sure she'll be annoyed at the booty shot one day, but it's too cute!

Anniversary Weekend

I'm so blessed to be married to Benoit. I can't quite believe it's already been 5 years! We went to Wildcatter Ranch in Graham, TX for the night to celebrate - a fabulous surprise planned by my dear hubby. It was a really cool resort-style ranch and we had our own cabin with a porch overlooking the Brazos River. It was hilly, green, and so peaceful. Our fabulous neighbors were so kind to keep Sophie for the night so we could truly relax and spend some time together. It was a perfect quick getaway! Here are a few pictures of our time at the ranch.

Visiteurs du Nord

Two weeks ago (has it been that long!) Pappy and Mammie visited from Rouyn to spend time with our growing family. It was so nice to see both of them and share our life in Texas. Sophie had so much fun and just laughed and played all weekend. Here are a few pictures from our weekend together.

We visited the Dallas Arboretum and enjoyed seeing all the spring flowers. Sophie liked the bunnies on display.
Mammie and Pappy taking a stroll with Sophie.

We visited the Fort Worth Stock Yards to have some Texas sized fun.

Sophie had fun watching the longhorn parade at the Stock Yards.

She also enjoyed carrying around Mammie's purse all weekend.

Swings, Potties, and Bellies - Oh My!

By special request, here are some new photos of Sophie the past few weeks. We went to Gattitown recently, which is like a kids' version of Dave and Busters. She had fun 'dancing' with her friend, Liam.

Sophie LOVES to be outside and LOVES swinging with her daddy. Can't you tell from her little expression how much fun she's having!

Here is a pic of the bow board I made to hold all Sophie and Audrey's bows. I'm still making more, so will have to add another board behind the door. Welcome to the world of little girls!She is starting to learn about the potty and enjoys sitting on it fully dressed. We spend lots of time talking about pee pee's and poo poo's and how fun it is to sit on the potty. Not really dinner conversation, but perhaps one of the most important skills she will learn in her life. No pressure.... We are not pushing potty training until after Audrey gets here to minimize the stress in Sophie's life. Hope that's the right move!

And finally, here is a pic of momma bear in all her glory at 8 months preggo! Benoit and I had a date night this weekend and I figured it was a good night for a picture. Not too bad for 32 weeks! :)