The Adventures of the Ireland Family

Baby girl has a name!!!!

2012-02-16T14:18:00.001-06:00

..... and you only get the initials again!!! Her first name will begin with a "K" and her middle name begins with an "R". My Uncle Andy was the first to guess Avery's name correctly; let's see if he can do it again... or if someone else guesses it first! Of course, you won't know your answer until she is born, but have fun guessing!! We liked hearing everyone's guesses last time around and I'm sure this time will be just as fun!

(Sorry, Jordan Howell--- maybe next time we'll pick the name Jordan!!!)

KIR

OH! We're half way there.... again!

2012-02-10T15:20:00.000-06:00

That's right, folks, I'm 20 weeks already! (Actually, I'll be 21 weeks on Sunday!!!) I cannot believe how fast this pregnancy is going by. It's so different the second time around- everything happens sooner than it did the first time. I'm feeling great at 20 weeks, though pretty exhausted by the end of the day due to chasing a one year old all over the place. :) I'm still working out about 3-4 times a week, but that is getting a little more difficult. My lungs can't quite handle the high intensity work-outs as much as they used to and I'm feeling the baby put a lot more pressure on my lower abdomen already. These things didn't start happening with Avery until I was closer to 30 weeks, but this time around I'm experiencing these things 10 weeks earlier!!! I'm still not giving up on my work outs, though I am not giving it 100% anymore either. I'm okay with that as long as I keep it up... it's frustrating at times though! I don't like going to my classes and not giving it my all, but I just keep reminding myself that I have a baby growing inside of me! I'm doing more abdominal and back strenghtening excerises this time around than I did when I was pregnant with Avery, so I'll be interested to see how big of a difference it makes later on in the pregnancy and even post-partum.

We went for our 20 week anatomy scan on Tuesday and are happy to report that baby girl is very healthy and measuring right on track. My due date is still June 24th! She is a very active little girl and was kicking and moving all over the place during the u/s. Avery never moved that much during our ultrasounds. I've been feeling her move for several weeks now, and so has Chris! Avery, of course, has absolutely no idea what is going on...

Here is a look at the belly bump just one day shy of 20 weeks.

To see what the bump looked like with Avery at 21 weeks, click here

And for a look back at what was going on at 20 weeks with Avery click here.

It's a .....

2012-02-08T14:08:00.001-06:00

GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!

Avery is so very proud to announce that she will have a little sister in June! (Really, she has no idea what's about to hit her....) We couldn't be happier about our new additon being another girl. Avery has been such an incredible blessing in our lives and we have no doubt that our second daughter will be a blessing as well.... she already is!!! Now on to picking a name....

15.5 months

2012-02-06T14:50:00.001-06:00

I can't believe how quickly our baby is turning into a little girl. Avery is already 15.5 months! She is by far the sweetest little girl ever and is our little social butterfly.... though she does have a shy side, as well.

Avery at 15.5 months:

- a wonderful helper.... she loves to help with the laundry, put things in the trash, carry items to where they need to be... you name it, and she will help!

- still LOVES bath time and goes speed walking to the bathroom as soon as she hears the word "bath"
- has 10 teeth!! (two of which are molars, which made for some horrible teething days!!!)
- is quite a picky eater.
- can feed herself with a spoon/fork as long as someone puts the food on the utensil first!
- She is really into books these days... her favorite books are currently Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Baby Peek-a-boo.
- Bailey is her best friend :) and she thinks it is hilarious to get Bailey kisses (even if Mommy and Daddy think it's disgusting!!)

- loves loves LOVES to be chased
- stomps her feet and twirls in circles when she dances
- Is a social butterfly with her peers, but with adults she has a shy side
- Avery is very smart, and though she isn't saying any words yet, she knows how to tell us what she wants by pointing and definitely understands the things we tell her. (she does say Mama, dada, Dat (that) and Da (dog) )
- Can sign "more", "all done", and as of this week, "please"
- Blows kisses
- no longer wants to sit in her high-chair, but wants to sit at the table like a big girl!
- Is growing up so fast! She can now reach the door knobs and knows how to get down a step by crawling down backwards!

- has been to her first college basketball game-- go Ragin' Cajuns!
- is going to be a big sister in June!
- wears size 3 diapers during the day and size 4 at night
- is in that awkward stage where 12 month clothing is almost too small, but 18 month is still too big.

Today we had her 15 month well check-up and she is as healthy as can be!

Stats:
Weight: 19 lbs (5%)
Height: 29.5 inches (25%)
Head circ.: 17 1/4 in (5%)

Big Girl!

2012-02-02T21:25:00.000-06:00

This is how Avery ate all of her meals today-- in a big girl chair. She refused to sit in her high chair. Our girl is growing up....

18 weeks

2012-01-22T19:59:00.000-06:00

I am 18 weeks today and cannot believe how quickly this pregnancy is going by. I know it's because I'm chasing a one year old around all day as opposed to sitting at a desk daydreaming about our future baby like I was during my pregnancy with Avery. I am feeling great these days and am glad the nausea has passed. Every now and then I will feel a little queasy, but it is nothing like it was! I'm also feeling baby kick more and more every day. This is one of my favorite things about being pregnant and something I missed so much after Avery was born. Chris even felt the baby move for the first time on Friday night!!! He was so excited and I loved watching his face light up every time he felt movement.

Play date

2012-01-20T15:30:00.000-06:00

Today we had a play date with Kate, Asher and baby Kenyon!!! Avery LOVED watching the big kids play and followed them everywhere!! Kate wanted to drive the jeep and Avery was chasing her all around the cul-de-sac. Finally, I put Avery in with Kate (as long as Avery stayed seated and Kate drove VERY slowly... I'm not paranoid at all!!) and she had a blast. I wish I could have recorded the delight on her face and the sound of her sweet laughter, but I only had enough time to snap a picture with my phone before it started raining. We love the Nelson family and cherish the memories we make with them!!

Asphalt vs. Face

2012-01-15T11:14:00.000-06:00

Asphalt won......

"Stay-cation" January 2012

2012-01-09T15:08:00.000-06:00

My wonderful and amazing husband surprised me with a "stay-cation" this weekend! This was in celebration of our 4th anniversary (back in December) and just a relaxing time for the two of us with all the craziness we have going on in our lives this month. My parents kept Avery and Bailey for us beginning Saturday just after lunch through Sunday morning. Chris and I enjoyed our Saturday afternoon together by doing whatever we wanted on absolutely no schedule at all! We explored areas of Destin that we've never been before and enjoyed driving through the different neighborhoods. Chris then took me to my surprise "stay-cation" which was the beautiful Henderson Beach Bed & Breakfast! We checked in and then spent time on the patio overlooking the ocean and enjoying happy hour.... well, Chris enjoyed Happy Hour :) We sat on the patio playing scrabble and eating the delicious food brought out to us. It was a beautiful spring-like day by the water. Once happy hour was over we walked along the beach and watched the most beautiful sunset. That night we enjoyed a scrumptious (and quite filling) dinner at the restaurant there at the inn. For all of you foodies out there who are interested in what we ate: my dinner started out with a crab cake for an appetizer, then a house salad and a petite filet. Christopher had french onion soup, wedge salad, and venison. This was all after our bread and complimentary appetizer! Of course we had to follow it up with bread pudding for dessert. YUM YUM!
We were so stuffed by the end of our dinner we didn't think we could even roll ourselves back to our room! That's the price you pay for some good food, I guess! We watched a movie then went to sleep only to be awaken at 1:30am to the blaring fire alarm! SERIOUSLY!??! We didn't have a child to be up for in the middle of the night, but yet we were still up in the middle of the night. What.are.the.chances...

Our room

The view from our balcony.

another view from our balcony

ready for dinner!!!!

Sunday morning we enjoyed a breakfast buffet and then got ready to check out. Chris and I spent the morning walking on the beach and soaking our feet in the hot tub before picking up Avery and Bailey. It was the most wonderful "stay-cation" and I'm so thankful that Chris thought of doing that! We both really needed some time relaxing and some time together. If you ever have the chance to have an overnight "stay-cation" we strongly encourage you to do so!

another beautiful day! 65-70 degrees in January! AMAZING!

Sunday marked my 16th week of pregnancy! I seriously can't believe how quickly it is going by. My nausea seems to be gone for the most part and I've noticed my energy level has picked up some. Oh how I love the 2nd trimester- now if I can just clear up my face!! I mean, whatever happened to that motherly glow??

The BUMP at 16 weeks!!!!!

Here we go again!

2012-01-06T14:33:00.000-06:00

I'm PREGNANT!!!! Chris and I are expecting baby #2 on June 24th and could not be more excited about our new addition! That makes me 15.5 weeks pregnant already! Of course, Avery has no idea what's going on, but we know that she will be the BEST big sister ever-- and poor Bailey has absolutely no idea what's coming. She was pretty depressed after Avery arrived and we can only imagine how she will react when we bring another baby home. I found out on October 18th (just a week before Avery's first birthday) that I was pregnant and couldn't wait for Chris to come home from work so that I could share with him the exciting news. I found the "big sister" shirt that Bailey wore when I told Chris that I was pregnant with Avery and of course thought it would be so sweet for Avery to be wearing the same shirt when Chris got home from work that day. It took him a few seconds to realize what she was wearing, but was ecstatic when the reality hit him! :) Having Avery help share the wonderful news was such a fun and special time for us both.

Questions people keep asking us:

1. Were we trying or is this baby a surprise?

This baby is NOT a surprise... We were trying!

2. Will we find out the sex of the baby?

ABSOLUTELY! I am a planner and the baby and Avery will share a room so if it's a boy we will

have to get rid of a lot of the pink in Avery's room now. :)

3. Are we going to keep the name a secret again?

Honestly, we haven't even talked about it, so I have no idea.

4. Am I showing yet?

Yes, I think I am showing, but I'm not sure it's enough for others to see yet. I think I am a lot bigger now than I was this time with Avery (if that makes sense?) though!

The BUMP the day after I found out... about 4.5 weeks here.

The BUMP at 13 weeks!

God is so incredible and we cannot give Him enough thanks for allowing us to be parents to another child of His.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T14:46:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas, everyone!!! I hope that you all had as great of a Christmas holiday as the Ireland household has. Really, these past few days have been absolutely wonderful spending time with family and enjoying our second Christmas with Avery. My grandmother, Judy, came into town on Wednesday from Georgia and stayed with my parents. Chris, Avery and I met them at Bonefish for dinner on Wednesday night and then on Thursday she and my parents spent a few hours at our house so she could get some quality Avery time. Friday was a great day because Chris got off work at noon!!! I always love when he has short work days and we get to spend an afternoon together as a family. It's always a special gift for me!! :) Avery and I met Chris at Chili's for lunch and then we took Avery to see Santa at the Bass Pro Shop. This was our third attemt at taking her to see Santa and it was finally a success! (that story is for another post!) Avery was TERRIFIED of Santa and cried the second Chris handed her to Santa. We snapped a few pics and the second Chris picked her back up she stopped crying. It wasn't like she gradually stopped crying- it was as if someone flipped a switch and she just stopped. Are we bad parents for thinking it was hilarious!?!?!?

Friday evening Chris' parents, Ed and Cheryl (and their dog, Holli) came into town. We enjoyed a night of catching up and eating pizza- my favorite!! On Christmas Eve day we just hung around the house and enjoyed eachother's company. Chris and I decided to host our very first Christmas at our house and my wonderful, amazing husband was the chef. So, he spent most of Saturday morning preparing all of our dishes for Christmas dinner. That afternoon we took a long walk through our community and down to the marina. We could not have asked for a more perfect day. There was not a cloud in the sky and the temperature was about 65 degrees- not really Christmas weather, but it was still so very nice. That evening we went to our church's Christmas Eve candlelight service. My parents and grandmother met us there. It was a wonderful service and I'm so glad we were able to go this year. Growing up, we would always go to the Christmas Eve service with my mom's side of the family- it was always a favorite tradition of mine. I miss being with all of my cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents during the holidays, but I am enjoying starting our own traditions. After the Christmas Eve service Ed, Cheryl, Chris, Avery and I drove around looking at all of the Christmas lights in our community. It was so much fun!!! Avery enjoyed looking at the lights, but I think she will understand and enjoy it more next year.

Avery looking absolutely beautiful in her Christmas Eve dress!!!

Christmas day was a fun and busy day. We started the day off with breakfast and then Chris put the ham and turkey into the oven before we opened gifts. Avery had SO many gifts and I think Chris and I only gave her one! She really got in to opening the gifts once Chris and I started them for her. She was great at ripping off the wrapping paper. I think she was slightly overwhelmed by all of the gifts, but we were glad she enjoyed herself. I have to take a minute to brag on my baby girl.... she really is the BEST little girl ever! With all of the excitement of opening gifts and taking a few breaks so Chris could work on dinner she missed her morning nap and was an hour late in eating her lunch. Not one time did she fuss!

Bailey loved getting her new toys and treats out of her stocking, too!

Daddy excited about his stationary bike attachment

Avery LOVED her new red wagon and sat in it all morning with her new toys.... so cute!!

Round two: My parents came over at 11am and we had round two of opening presents. Again, Avery enjoyed all of her new clothes, books and dvd's. Keep in mind, she still hasn't napped or eaten lunch and she was an angel! After opening presents from my parents Chris hit the kitchen full force and I fed Avery lunch and finally put her down for a nap around 1:10pm. She didn't move an inch for her entire nap- the poor girl was worn out!!!

I love her Santa outfit from Mimi and Granddaddy!

My mom made this beautiful blanket for Avery for Christmas this year.... I'm so proud of her!!!!

Round three: Grandmama and Aunt Tara came over at 1:30pm and we all enjoyed a delicious Christmas dinner of ham, turkey, corn souffle, sweet potato casserole, broccoli casserole, apple and sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes and so much more-- all prepared by the incredible chef, my husband!! Chris slaved all day in the kitchen and it was well worth it! Dinner was incredible! I'm so proud of him for all of his hard work. He truly loves to cook and this was the biggest meal he has prepared to date. I think he was pretty whooped afterwards, but it was fantastic! Avery continued her 2 hour nap while we ate. Round three of gifts began with Aunt Tara and Grandmama and again- Avery enjoyed all of her new gifts and did so great with the overwhelming amounts of toys and gifts surrounding her. We played a couple rounds of apples to apples and then enjoyed Chris' homemade pumpkin swirl cheesecake. YUM!!!

Preparing the last of our Christmas dinner.... YUM!

The delicious spread....

The family enjoying a wonderful Christmas dinner together

Giving her first baby doll a kiss....

Avery received her very first baby doll on Christmas day and she LOVED it!!! It was a huge hit!

Great-Grandmama

Aunt TaTa!

Me and my Aunt Tara

Mom and Dad!!!

The Archer family

Avery riding in her new red wagon from Poppy and Grandmommy!

The Ireland Family

missing Amanda and Brock....

They really do love each other!

The day also included ichatting with Justin, Adriane, Micah and Jackie.... facetiming with my sister Amanda and her boyfriend Brock, and some facetime with Chris' grandmother, Nanna and his cousins David, Andy and their dad, Uncle Dick.

Christmas with Justin, Adriane, Micah and Jackie via iChat!

It was an incredible Christmas and I would say that our first attempt at hosting Christmas at our house was quite the success!!! Merry Christmas to you all!!!!!

A Lake Martin Weekend

2011-12-13T14:19:00.000-06:00

Chris' mom turned the big 6-0 this past week (and I'm sure she'll kill me for posting her age for all to see!!!) and to celebrate, Ed rented a house on Lake Martin. Justin, Adriane, Micah, Chris, me, Avery, my parents and Adriane's mom all spent the weekend together just relaxing, playing games, and eating delicious food. Cheryl was so suprised we were all there waiting for her on Friday night and even more surprised that my parents and Jackie were there, too! Ed, Justin and Christopher pulled off an awesome weekend for Cheryl and we created many memories that will last a lifetime. I am so thankful that our families get along so well and that we had the opportunity to spend a weekend together with nothing on the agenda. Avery and Micah had a blast playing... well, let's just say, Avery had a blast chasing Micah around while he crawled as fast as he could away from her. Maybe one day soon he will enjoy playing with her! haha.

I love this sweet nephew of mine!

Avery is a full time walker these days!!! She has officially left the crawling behind....

I seriously can't get enough of Daddy/Daughter photos!

The beautiful sunset Saturday night over Lake Martin

Avery loves being chased!

and then captured by daddy!

We loved playing with Micah all weekend, too!

gotta love Avery's new facial expression!

One of my favorite moments was reading these two precious babies a book!

Aren't they so cute?!?!

Justin and Christopher had a blast lighting all 60 candles on Cheryl's red velvet cheesecake cake! YUMMY!

Grandmommy and her babies

Avery and Uncle J

Just before we left we gathered all of the balloons in a corner and put the kids in the middle. Though they both love to play with balloons, Micah wasn't too sure about being in the midst of them all. Avery, of course, loved it!

cutest smile ever!

It was a wonderful weekend and as soon as I can get a group picture from Ed I will be sure to post it. Happy birthday, Cheryl!!!!

Thanksgiving in Seattle 2011

2011-12-01T21:09:00.000-06:00

We spent Thanksgiving with our good friends, The Howell's, in Seattle this year. You might remember reading about the Howell's in some of my previous posts. They lived here in Niceville and we grew very close during that time. Kim and I went through our pregnancies together and sadly, they were stationed just outside of Seattle just a month before their daughter, Adalynn, was born. Avery was born 4 weeks after Adalynn. We have all kept in touch throughout this last year and Chris and I really wanted to visit them before Jordan deploys next year.

We flew out early Thanksgiving morning and Avery did fantastic on both of the flights. Kim cooked a delicious Thanksgiving dinner for all of us and we got to meet two of the LT's in Jordan's command.... small world- my sister, Amanda knows the brother and sister of one of the guys we met! Crazy!

Friday we spent the day at Pike Place Market. Chris and I LOVED this market. They had so much fresh produce, fish, flowers for super cheap.... it was amazing. We shopped around all day and enjoyed some yummy chowder at Pike Place Chowder Co.

Saturday was a lazy day for us. We enjoyed playing with Avery and Adalynn and walking around their community. It was also a big day for college football, so we went to a pizza place to watch the Alabama/Auburn game.

Sunday morning before the rest of us woke up, Jordan left for training. The rest of us just enjoyed hanging out and playing until it was time to go back to the airport. It was so sad having to say good-bye and I have to admit that I cried walking into the airport. Chris and I are so blessed to have Kim, Jordan and Adalynn in our lives and we hope that one day we can live close to eachother again. Sunday proved to be a LONG day. After 6 hours of flying we finally walked in our house at 12:30am. Again, Avery was terrific on our flights. She really is the best traveler.

Avery and Adalynn- BFF's!

Thanksgiving 2011

Pike Place Market............

Though the sun was shining and it wasn't raining- it was still FREEZING for us Floridians! Sweet Avery didn't know what to think of all those clothes, hats and mittens we stuffed her in!

Chris was on baby duty while the rest of us made a restroom run! Great practice for the future! haha!

in front of the original Starbucks

I loved loved loved seeing the snow capped mountains. It was also so clear on our drive back to their house that we were able to see Mt. Ranier- sadly, no picture!

Daddies and their girls!!!

Adalynn being sweet and giving kisses

Adalynn talking on the phone

Photo shoot in their matching Christmas pj's.................

KISSES

Bath time................

Adalynn was not fond of sharing her bath with Avery...

seriously, not happy!

gotta love the toddler bath photos!

We had the best visit and are so thankful that Kim and Jordan opened up their home to us for Thanksgiving. The weather could not have been more beautiful-- it only rained the day we flew in and the day we flew out! Chris and I are so thankful for our frienship with Jordan and Kim. Love you guys!!

Avery's One Year Photo Shoot

2011-11-22T15:26:00.000-06:00

Our friend, Sarah, has started her own photography business called Deans List and she did an amazing job photographing Avery for her one year photo shoot. Thank you Sarah!

Here are just a few of the pictures from that chilly November day in Florida. Avery wasn't really full of smiles that day, but Sarah was still able to get some great shots!

"enough with the pictures already!!"
This picture makes Chris and me laugh out loud!

"is this how you want me to sit??"

Avery's first steps!

2011-11-12T21:06:00.000-06:00

Last night some friends had us over for dinner. They have a 2.5 year old and Avery loved playing with her and chasing her all through the condo. At one point I was helping Avery walk when she let go and took about 2-3 steps by herself! She then froze and stood there for about a minute before sitting down. We were shocked!! I am so glad that Chris and I were both able to witness this first for Avery. It was fun to have our friends there to share in our excitment as well. Unfortunately, we weren't quick enough to pull out our phones to record it, but she did it again today and we were able to capture it! I can't believe our little girl will be WALKING by herself soon! AHHHHH!!

SNOW WHITE

2011-11-07T11:30:00.000-06:00

For Halloween we dressed Avery up as Snow White! She was the most adorable little princess.... and I'm not biased at all!! ;)

Justin, Adriane and Micah were here Halloween weekend for Avery's party and since they weren't going to be here for Halloween Day, they brought Micah's costume so that we could get pictures of them together in their outfits. They were the most adorable princess and monster that I have ever seen!

On Halloween, we went to Cantina Loredo, our favorite Mexican restaurant, with my parents and then took Avery "Trick or Treating" at Baytowne Wharf in Sandestin. Obviously she didn't do any trick or treating, but we all had a blast walking around the village and seeing all of the creative costumes.

She also got to swing for the first time! She wasn't too sure what to think of it... there was laughing and crying....

Halloween was also her first time on a Merry-go-Round. She really seemed to enjoy it, but I have to say that it was the FASTEST merry-go-round that we have ever been on. Chris and I both thought we would be sick and felt bad for her because she doesn't know how to focus on an object to keep from getting dizzy or sick.... she still seemed to like it though!

It was a great second Halloween with Avery! Hard to believe that she was just a few days old this time last year! Hope you all had a fantastic Halloween!

Avery's First Birthday Party

2011-11-02T15:17:00.002-05:00

We celebrated Avery's first birthday with a Lemonade party on Saturday, October 29th. Family and friends gathered at our home to help us celebrate Avery and we couldn't be more grateful for the love they continually show to Avery.

We had lots of lemonade and everyone drank out of mason jars to go along with our lemonade theme

Our sweet nephew, Micah

I made the Lemon Drop cupcakes, too!

Chris' co-workers, Jack and Lachlyne

Avery loved opening presents!

"Please take this hat off of me...." (She doesn't really like things on her head)

Reading her birthday card

How cute is she!?!?!

It's smash cake time.... she didn't really get into it- maybe because there were 20 people staring at her??

at least Micah enjoyed it, though!

She LOVES the balloons though!

Avery and the boys! Thanks to Keller, Kenyon and cousin Micah for coming to the party!!

The PT group!

The party was a huge success!! Happy Happy 1st birthday sweet girl!

ONE YEAR OLD!!

2011-11-01T14:38:00.000-05:00

Avery turned one year old last Tuesday, October 25th. Chris and I cannot believe we are parents of a one year old... are we old enough for that!?! haha. Seriously, though, this last year with Avery has been the most rewarding year of our lives. We are so grateful that God has allowed us to be Avery's parents and we cherish every moment with her.

It's hard to even remember her being this tiny.....

She looks like such a big girl in this picture... bitter-sweet.

On Avery's first birthday, we went to Chris' clinic to eat lunch with him. They have this awesome outdoor area on the roof of the clinic where we hung out for an hour or so. We didn't really celebrate too much on her actual birthday but had a great party planned for her on Saturday the 29th.

Birthday lunch with Daddy!!!

Things Avery is doing at 1 year old!!!

-eating table foods 3- 4 times a day

-drinking whole milk (3-4times a day)- NO MORE FORMULA!!!

-cruising and crawling everywhere. The girl is constantly on the move.

-she has 4 teeth (top and bottom centrals) with both top laterals about to break through

-is losing her first nail on her right index finger. (We have no idea what she smashed her finger with, but the nail is almost off)

-Still in size 3 diapers

-Wears 12 month and 6-12 month clothing.

-can sign "more" and "All done"

-Waves hi and bye

-says mama and dada, duck, bye bye (sometimes) and Bob (as in Bob the Tomato from Veggie Tales!)
- Loves to play outside and to show us things that she collects

- Met characters for the first time and did surprisingly well- as long as Mommy was holding her! :)

Bob and Larry from the Veggie Tales at our local christian book store

-Doesn't watch much T.V (because Mommy and Daddy won't let her...) but when she does it's usually a Veggie Tales DVD- which she loves! She also watched some of the Lion King with Daddy the other day and was fascinated by all of the vibrant colors.
-is getting brave and will let go of something for a few seconds and stand all by herself... again, it's only for a few seconds before she plops down on her bottom.

-Loves to dance to music

-Is very ticklish

-Likes to play peek-a-boo or hide and seek around the ottoman in our living room
-Fell into a nightstand while trying to pull up on it... she was a little bruised by her left eye for a day or two...

-can finally hold her bottle on her own!

and prefers to do so while lying on her back and Mommy/Daddy hold her toys over her so she can still look/play with them while eating....

but occassionally she will do this!

STATS at 12 months:

Weight: 17.8 lbs (5-10%)
Length: 28 inches (10-25%)
Head Circ.: 17 1/8 (10-25%)

Avery is still very small and petite and her weight even dropped a curve... The Doctor said it is nothing to worry about but we do need to feed her fatty foods. She is just very active and doesn't have much desire to eat. As long as she continues to grow there is nothing to worry about.

Her 12 month well check-up was quite different than the previous well check-ups. Avery has a much better understanding of what was going on and she started crying.... or screaming, rather.... as soon as we walked into the exam room. I could barely take off her clothes to have her weighed she was so hysterical. We finally calmed her down and then it was time for the shots. FOUR of them... poor thing screamed and screamed. It gets worse. After the shots they sent us to the lab so they could draw blood to check for anemia and lead levels. Apparently this is something new for 1 year olds, but all of my friends said their pediatricians didn't do this for their child.... hmmm???? Anyway, there I am trying to hold Avery still and comfort her while to lab techs are trying to stick the inside of her elbow to draw blood. YEAH RIGHT! She was hysterical and after trying to draw blood from both arms they concluded that she was too stiff and upset and that we should go back in a month to try again.... I felt horrible for my sweet baby girl. I'm sure she felt tortured and will refuse to even go into the building next time we are there! She was asleep in the car before we even got home. Poor thing.

Happy first birthday sweet girl- we love you more than words can express and are so very proud of you! We have all come a long way in this past year and look forward to many many many more years to come!

Pumkin Patch

2011-10-17T15:48:00.001-05:00

We took Avery to her first pumpkin patch on Saturday! It's a little different going to a pumpkin patch in 80+degree weather, but it was still fun! Avery was so excited when she saw all of the pumpkins and bounced up and down when we let her play with them. Enjoy the pictures!

Not a fan of the prickly straw!

My favorite picture of my two favorite people!

Love this!

Pink Cadillac

2011-10-11T10:56:00.000-05:00

I tried to tell her it's not okay to get behind the wheel when she is so sleepy....Let's hope she listens and obeys when she is 16!

4 new posts!!!

2011-10-06T15:43:00.000-05:00

I finally had some time to update the blog today! There are 4 new posts below or you can simply click on the following links. I'm still way behind and promise to blog about our trip out to Arizona soon!

Spaghetti

Pensacola Beach Triathalon

Beautiful Flowers

Organizing the kitchen cabinet

Happy reading!

Organizing the kitchen cabinet

2011-10-06T15:37:00.002-05:00

I'm hooked on the iheartorganizing blog and am now trying to de-clutter our home with new organizing ideas. Today I decided to conquer the kitchen cabinet where I keep all of Avery's food, bowls, plates, sippy cups, etc. It's still a work in progress, but I am happy with the outcome thus far.

This was constantly driving me crazy!!!

A meat thermometer was even stashed in the cabinet.... really!?!?

starting over....

I lined the shelves with fun, girly scrapbook paper!

The almost finished product... still have a few things left to do, but I'm SO happy with Avery's organized kitchen cabinet!

Beautiful Flowers

2011-10-06T15:29:00.000-05:00

Chris surprised me with 3 bouquets of flowers yesterday when he got home from work! He is the sweetest husband ever!!!!

Pensacola Beach Triathalon

2011-10-06T15:24:00.001-05:00

Chris participated in his second triathalon on Saturday, October 1st. Since the race was an hour and a half away in Pensacola Beach we decided to go Friday and stay the night. We left Avery with my parents so that she didn't have to get up at 5:30 Saturday morning. Chris and I split a hotel room with Jack and Lachlyne, Chris' co-workers, who also participated in the race. Race day was cold and windy. I think it was in the low 50's that morning, which is chilly for Florida in October! I stayed in pants and a sweatshirt until about 10:00 that morning and was cold even in my sweatshirt! Thank goodness for hot chocolate to help keep me warm while watching the race! Fortunately for the participants (all 1,200 of them!) the water was a warm 81 degrees. Of course, getting out was a bit chilly. They also had to swim through hundreds of JELLY FISH.... Chris said his entire body was stinging through half of the bike ride after the swim.... Glad I wasn't the one in the water! hehe.

Stats for the race: swim = 600 yard, bike = 18 miles, run = 5k (3.2miles)

Love seeing the sun rise over 1200 participants by the ocean!

Danny (purple cap) and Chris (white cap)

Danny, Jack, Lachlyne and Chris waiting for the race to begin- and freezing!!

Chris is the one on the left in the white cap

finishing the 18 mile bike ride

starting his 3.2 mile run

feeling good!

finishing the race!!!!

2nd triathalon complete!!!!

I am so proud of him!

Danny and Gwen
So glad I had Gwen to hang out with during the race- love that woman!!

Chris did fantastic and finished the race in 1 hour 40 minutes (approximately.... I actually don't know his exact time...) I am so proud of Chris and can't wait until next year's triathalon season!

Spaghetti

2011-10-06T14:58:00.000-05:00

Avery had spaghetti for the first time the other night and LOVED LOVED LOVED it! Thankfully, I had already been planning on giving her a bath after dinner because that is exactly where she ended up.

Spaghetti = MESS!

11 months

2011-09-28T12:49:00.002-05:00

Avery is 11 months!!! It's so strange to think that this time last year we were anxiously awaiting her arrivale, and now she is nearing the end of her first year of life. It amazes me every single day that time goes by so fast. These past 11 months have been the most incredible months of our lives.

Things Avery is doing at 11 months:

-saying "dada" all of the time with the occassional "mama" thrown in....

-crawling

-cruising on the furniture

-loving on Bailey... seriously, she gives Bailey so many kisses and hugs throughout the day- it's so sweet!
-Speaking of Bailey- Avery obviously spends a lot of time with her because she carries toys, bibs, socks, etc. in her mouth while crawling all through the house... just like big sister Bailey! haha
-says "naaa naa" which I think means "NO"

-can wave "hi" and "bye"

-can give a high-five

-is very tickleish

- will eat whatever we put in front of her- though I'm still feeding her a lot of baby food because it's so convenient!

-refuses to feed herself her bottle. We know she can do it, we've SEEN her do it. Now she will not hold her bottle at all! I know I should take the time and just let her figure it out and know that she will feed herself if she gets hungry enough, but that takes time and the formula leaks out of the nipples if she holds it upside down and then I'm left with a big mess to clean up!

-walks while holding onto our fingers but is not quite ready to walk by herself yet.

-had her first high fever of 102 last weekend followed by roseola

-weighs 17 pounds 5 ounces... she's a tiny one!

-still takes 2 naps during the day.

-sleeps 12 hours at night

-doesn't use a paci at all... but sucks her thumb constantly

-spent a week at Mimi and Granddaddy's house while mommy and daddy were out of town

-cut her 3rd tooth on Friday Sept. 23 (top L)

-she's a mommy's girl for sure- though I'm sure that will change to being a daddy's girl in the future.

-Loves to look at herself in the mirror or in pictures

-has the best laugh

-likes to play hide and go seek with mommy and daddy

-understands the what "no" means- but doesn't exactly obey when we say no!

-has so much energy and is constantly on the go

-wears size 3 diapers

-wears 9-12 month clothing

-have I mentioned that she NEVER stops moving!?!

Avery is truly the best baby. She is so happy and energetic. I have to admit, the tenth month has probably been the hardest for me. She would never sit still and laughed any time we tried to discipline. The word "no" has become my most used word....

Avery, I love you. No matter how difficult or how easy the days are, you are my true joy and I would never trade my time with you for anything. I'm so blessed to be able to stay at home with you every day. I enjoy our time together and want you to know that your Mommy and Daddy love you very very much!

SCUM

2011-09-19T15:21:00.001-05:00

Water and soap scum, that is! So here's the deal. Our master shower has two glass walls and they are nearly impossible to keep clean. It absolutely drives me CRAZY!!! I literally cannot stand it. No matter how often I scrub and how diligent I am about using the squeegie (sp?) after showering, the water/soap scum continues to build up. I've had enough! So, today during Avery's afternoon nap I decided I would try to conquer the irritating scum once and for all. I did some research and found that scrubbing the wall with a lemon and then spraying it down with a mixture of water and vinegar should help to break down the scum. Then use a dryer sheet for the scrubbing. Afterwards, I cleaned the shower like normal. It actually helped! It sure isn't perfect, but I can tell a huge difference and feel better about the looks and cleanliness of our shower. Any other cleaning advice is welcomed!!! :)

A week in Melbourne, FL

2011-09-15T14:41:00.000-05:00

So, back in August (yes, I realize I am way behind on blogging...) Avery and I left Chris and Bailey behind for a week in Melbourne, Florida. My mother-in-law always goes to her brothers condo for a week or two during the summer and we try to go with her whenever we can. This year, Chris wasn't able to go because he didn't have enough vacation time and he also started his new position just 6 weeks before and didn't feel like it would be appropriate to take a week off so soon. We were sad to leave him and really wished he could have been there with us.

Friday, August 13th, Justin, Adriane, Micah, Avery and I loaded up the car and began our 8 hour drive from Niceville to Melbourne. I wish I had taken a picture of just how loaded down we were with 3 adults and 2 babies.... we had quite a lot of stuff packed into one car!! The babies did fabulous on the drive down and we only stopped twice for feedings and diaper changes. Cheryl was already in Melbourne and was so excited when we finally arrived Friday afternoon. The entire week was full of fun, laughter, great food and some great memories of Avery and Micah playing together on the beach or in the pool. One evening, Adriane and I even had the opportunity to go see a movie while Justin and Cheryl watched the babies! (We saw The Help- which I strongly encourage you all to see...and READ the book, too!!!) It was nice being able to get out and actually go to the movie theater. We had great weather, but just like typical FL weather, we had afternoon storms almost every day. Adriane and I would put Micah and Avery down for their afternoon naps and hurry to the pool and as soon as we would get all lathered up and relaxed with a book in our hands it would start to storm. Oh well.

My cousin Shelley lives in New Smyrna Beach, which isn't far from Melbourne, and was able to drive down for a few hours on Thursday. Aunt Debbie came with her and I was absolutely thrilled to spend time with them. We ate lunch and played with Avery and really just enjoyed catching up. We are all so busy these days and rarely get to see one another that I was soaking it all in.

The next morning we were up early and back on the road as the sun was rising. It was a wonderful week and I really enjoyed spending time with Cheryl, Justin and Adriane. I'm so very blessed that we all get along so well. Micah and Avery are a blast and I just love it when we get them together. Hopefully next year Chris and Ed can join us!!!

All lathered up for the beach!

Avery in the water with her Uncle J!!!
She is very much a water baby- she would play in the water all day if we let her!

Our beach set up

Grandmommy loving her time with the babies

The condo

Waiting to get in the pool

Seriously the cutest cousins ever!

Do they look alike or what?!?!

Playing with cousin Shelley

Aunt Debbie!

Love my sweet family!!!!

look-a-likes

2011-09-13T13:15:00.004-05:00

Does she get her cheeks from her Daddy, or what?!?!

Cheeks? YES!

Hair? NO!!!!!

10 months

2011-08-25T10:35:00.000-05:00

Our sweet girl is 10 months old today! Welcome to the double digits, Avery!! :)

As you can see from the pictures above; Avery is literally all over the place and sitting still is NOT an option for this little girl!! I struggled to get a decent 10 month picture of her and the paper obviously didn't stand a chance this month!!

Avery at 10 months old:
-crawling
-walking with support
-pulling up on everything
-is learning how to clap her hands
-waves "hi" and "bye"
-can sign "more"- it's very similar to clapping her hands
-is a water baby for sure! Whether it's the ocean, pool or bath tub, if you put her in water she is a happy baby!

-has had two accident reports filled out for her at the gym's child care.... in the last month! The first was because she lost her balance and fell into a book shelf. The second (Tuesday Aug 23), was because an older girl hit her in the head with a toy. NOT COOL!

If you look closely you can see a red line on her head from where she was hit.

-she is all smiles!

-is getting used to independent play time in her pack 'n' play- though she still cries when we first put her in it.
-never sits in her swing anymore...we should probably pack it up
-loves her new convertible car walker!

-separation anxiety is beginning to set in...
-she is still a very content and laid back baby
-mommy and daddy are having to learn how to discipline when it comes to teaching Avery safety around the house because she is into everything!
-learned how to open cabinets and drawers yesterday! Oh Dear.....

Avery is truly a blessing in our lives and we continue to thank God daily for allowing us to be her parents. It's so hard to believe that she will be one year old in just two short months!! Happy 10 months baby girl! We love you!!!!!

SanDestin Triathalon

2011-08-23T21:13:00.001-05:00

Chris participated in his first triathalon on Saturday, August 20, 2011. It was such a great day full of lots of energy and excitement. Chris has been training for about 3 months for this race and we cannot believe that it has already come and gone. I think we are both still on a high from the experience. We woke up at 4 am on Saturday morning and were out of our house by 4:50am and on our way over the bridge to SanDestin. Seeing all 800 participants and all of their gear crowded in one area as the sun was rising was really quite a sight. The race began at 6:15am with a half mile swim, followed by a 20 mile bike ride and lastly, a 4 mile run. Chris and five of our friends participated in the triathalon and had all done a practice run the weekend before. Chris had finished his practice run in 2 hours and 15 minutes and therefore set himself a goal of completeing the triathalon in 2 hours or less and I am so proud to announce that he accomplished his goal!!!! Chris swam half a mile, biked 20 miles and ran 4 miles in 1 hour 57 minutes! I couldn't be more proud of him. As a spectator of the race, I was completely enthralled by the energy and adrenaline surrounding the race. I can't wait for his next race!

Thank you to Cheryl, Mom, Amanda, Justin, Adriane, Micah and Mrs. Karen for coming to support and cheer Chris on for his first triathalon. We know it was an EARLY morning, but your support means so much to both of us. It was a great morning and we hope you all had as much fun as we did!

Getting set up for his first tri! It's about 5:30am at this point.

Chris' youngest fans! Avery and Micah did SO well for waking up before 5am!

Chris' biggest fans!!!!!

Chris, Jack and Lachlyne getting ready for their swim

and they're off!

running up the beach to the transition point

Transitioning from the swim to the 20 mile bike-- still feeling good!

Mrs. Karen, Cheryl, Mom, Amanda, Avery, Justin, Adriane and Micah waiting for Chris to come back from his 20 mile bike ride

PT significant others!!
Gwen, Regina, me and Brian cheering on our PT group!

Entertaining themselves...

coming back in from his 20 mile bike ride- he did this in exactly one hour!

Starting the last part of his race! The 4 mile run!!!

off he goes!

We woke Avery up at 4:30am and she stayed awake until the very end. She fell asleep about TWO minutes before Chris finished his race! She was a trooper!

The first of the PT group to finish the race! Here he comes!!!

He was in the second heat, so he really finished in 1 hour 57 minutes!!!

I am SO proud!!!!

Chris and his fan club!

Love this picture of Chris and his mom!

Our family after Chris' first triathalon!!!

WAY TO GO, CHRIS!

as always... you can click on each picture to enlarge it!

9 MONTHS

2011-08-01T16:02:00.000-05:00

Avery is now 9 months old! How crazy is that?!!? I didn't have the same feelings of sadness and shock as I did when she hit the eight month mark, but am definitely well aware that we will have a one year old before we know it. Avery is so much fun at 9 months. She interacts with us (and Bailey) so much more than she used to and has such a wonderful personality-- she could be the definition of the words content and laid back. Seriously. We are so in love with our little girl and continue to thank God for allowing us to be her parents.

she even tries to eat Bailey.... that's a "no no" in our house!!

Avery's 9 month stats (July 25th):

weight: 16lbs 4oz (25%)

height: 26.5 in (25%)

Head Circ.: 17in (25%)

She weighs the EXACT same as she did on June 27th- not an ounce more! I'm guessing it is just because she got really active in the last month... I was thrilled to see that her head was now in the 25th percentile after being in the 10th percentile for so long! So, even though she didn't gain any weight I know that she is healthy and growing.

Things Avery is doing at 9 months:

- scooting all around the house! We call it the army crawl.

- "walking" with help all around the house!

- can get into a sitting position from her belly

- is learning to crawl on her hands and knees

- she and Mommy have begun the weaning process and now only nurses 2 times (morning and night) and takes 2 bottles of frozen breastmilk during the day

- is loving table foods and can feed herself

- is able to grab and hold her food with her thumb and index finger

- has 2 bottom teeth

- wears size 3 diapers

- wears 9 month clothes from Carters and 6-12 month clothes from most other shops! She has always been right on par with clothing sizes for her age.

- waves hi and bye (though not every time)

- clapped her hands for the first time on July 31st

- thinks Bailey's toys are more fun than her own... GROSS!!

- she is learning to enjoy playing in her pack n play throughout the day

- would rather be standing/walking than sitting or lying down

- is ALWAYS on the go- seriously, we never stop!

- went to story time at the library for the first time

- played at the children's park

going down the slide with her friend, Kate!

going.....

so much fun!!! They are going to be great friends!

- finds the washer and dryer to be really fasinating and entertaining.

Happy 9 months little monkey!! Mommy and Daddy love you very much!

cleaning house

2011-07-21T15:20:00.000-05:00

It's never ending, especially with a baby and a dog! Some of you may know that I am a neat freak and I cannot stand for things to not to be in there place. I hate going to bed at night knowing that there are dirty dishes in the sink or a pile of unfolded clothes on the couch. It absolutely drives me crazy! However, I am learning that with a baby I cannot always have a spotless house. There will be toys (both Avery's and Bailey's) scattered throughout the house and I have to be okay with that. For a while I would spend Avery's nap times picking up all of the toys off of the floor, only to bring them right back out when she woke up. What was I thinking?!!? I no longer feel the need to constantly be picking things off the floor; though after she goes to bed at night I do try to straighten up a bit.

Our house is also all tile.... no carpet, just a few area rugs... and I never knew just how difficult it would be to keep it clean. Of course, I try to vacuum and mop once a week, but now that Avery is scooting all over the place, I have learned that my once-a-week floor cleaning is just not enough. Avery literally scoots all over our house and when I go to pick her up she is covered in dirt, dog hair and who knows what else... It's so frustrating because Chris and I do not wear shoes in our house in hopes of not tracking in a lot of dirt and germs. I know Bailey tracks in a lot of dirt, but I can't keep wiping her paws every time she comes in from outside- not with a baby in my arms! SO, I've been completely grossed out by all that Avery picks up on her outfits as she is scooting around in our house but am NOT ok with having to lug out a huge vacuum cleaner every single day. I am proud to say that I have discovered my new favorite cleaning device. The Swiffer Max! Seriously, it.is.amazing. It literally grabs everything right off the floor like magic! It's so much lighter and even gets the job done quicker (and better) than the vacuum cleaner. Obviously, I can only use it on the tile, so I still have to keep up with vacuuming the rugs on a regular basis, but now I can rest assured knowing that the floors are clean enough for Avery to scoot around on!!

Now on to laundry. Does anyone else feel like that is ALL they do? I am usually pretty good at staying on top of all of our laundry, but that typically means having to do a load-or two- each day (or maybe every other day). I can't even imagine how much laundry I will be doing when we have another child (no, that is not an announcement). This week I have fallen behind and am trying to play catch up in one day. This is what my living room looks like-- and there is still a load in the dryer, washer and I'm not even going to THINK about washing Bailey's beds and toys today!

at least I have a great helper!!

SO, cleaning the house is a never ending process. I am learning that I cannot keep our house spotless- a house is supposed to look lived in! It's ok if the sink has a few dishes in it when I go to bed... There are so many other more important things in life than trying to keep our house spotless. Avery will only be this age once and I don't want to miss a minute because I'm stressing over the messiness of our home. Plus, it just takes 5 minutes at the end of each day to tidy up the house enough that I don't go too crazy!

In all seriousness, I count it a true blessing to be able to stay at home with Avery and spend her nap times cleaning and cooking. I'm so blessed to be able to do my dream job- a stay at home mom!!! I really do have the best job in the world! :)

A Different Point Of View

2011-07-15T15:17:00.001-05:00

Avery has discovered that she can pull the bumpers down on her crib for a better view....

Avery learning to walk with Daddy

2011-07-13T14:46:00.002-05:00

Avery is so mobile these days and wants to be on the go all of the time. Here she is practicing her walking skills with Daddy on July 12, 2011. I didn't think to grab the camera when she first started on her journey from the living room to our bedroom, but I was able to capture most of it!

Please excuse our messy house... I don't really have the time or motivation to keep it spotless like I once did pre-child! :)

Avery makes Micah cry

2011-07-13T14:22:00.001-05:00

Avery and Micah have been around each other several times and have always done great together. Well, the weekend of Avery's dedication was quite a different story. Every time Avery would "talk", Micah would start to cry. Seriously, he did this all weekend long. We made several attempts to catch it on camera, but this is the best that we got....

a heavy heart

2011-07-11T09:31:00.002-05:00

Last night, Chris and I received a devastating email that an entire family in our church had been killed tragically in a plane crash on Saturday evening. The father, Fred, was piloting the plane when he lost one of the engines and tried to make an emeregency landing in Alabama. Fred, his wife, and 5 of their children were all killed in the crash. They have a 16 year old daughter who was not on the plane. Please pray for their family and for our church family and Niceville community as everyone learns of their passing.

We never knew the Teutenberg's, but knew Fred's face as he played the bass guitar every Sunday morning in our worship service. From everything that we have been told, he was an amazing man of God and will be terribly missed. Praise the Lord that he (and prayerfully, his family) are now in the presence of our God.

Life is so short.

Please continue to pray for those left behind.

4th of July weekend

2011-07-09T16:05:00.002-05:00

Chris had a three day weekend so we took the opportunity to go up to Douglasville and spend the weekend with his parents. We spent both Saturday and Sunday on the boat at Lake Allatoona- even Bailey and Holli got to experience the fun! The weather was absolutely beautiful, a little hot, but still so nice. Avery is such a water baby and loved floating around in the water with us. She also really enjoys riding on the boat; she is full of giggles and it even puts her to sleep sometimes. :)

Bailey is not so fond of the water.... Chris would have to pick her up and jump into the water while holding her. She is not a graceful swimmer as she tries to climb on top of the water rather than swim in the water. It's actually quite hysterical. The way she enlongates her neck to keep her head from getting anywhere near the water makes me think of a swan- not the gracefullness of a swan, but the long neck! She didn't last too long on Saturday. That night Christopher and I bought Bailey a life jacket. We tried it on her and she completely froze. It's like she forgot how to walk! We couldn't wait to try it out on Sunday and we were STUNNED at the difference it made. Bailey actually swam with her paws under the water and even tried to play fetch in the water. We couldn't believe it! (Ed caught it all on video, so I'll post it when I get it!)

Avery and Grandmommy hanging out on the boat

Both Bailey and Holli are petrified of the water. They couldn't stand it when we were all in the water and they were left on the boat!

Napping on the boat on Saturday, July 2nd

hanging out on Grandmommy and Poppy's new living room furniture

blurry, but cute!

Bailey learning how to swim with a life jacket on!

Family picture on the boat! Happy 4th of July!!! :)

July 3rd... wearing her patriotic bathing suit and refusing to nap!

As soon as we started our ride back to the car, Avery fell asleep- what a sweet picture of Avery and her Grandmommy

Monday, July 4th, was our travel day, but before we got on the road back to FL we made a stop in Newnan to see our friends, Mario and Katherine and to meet their precious 4 week old, Colin. It was so great catching up with them and I'm so glad that we got to meet Colin while he was still in the newborn stage. He was SO tiny and looks just like his daddy, Mario. Avery has a little bit of hair envy-- the boy has a head full of dark hair! Seriously, he is so cute!

Chris and Mario were in PT school together... here they are 2 years later with their kids!

We made it back home before all of the 4th of July festivities, but honestly, we stayed home. Avery was exhausted and truthfully, so were we! We put Avery down for the night and then we watched the New York fireworks on t.v. then went to bed ourselves. Next year we will make it a bigger deal since Avery will be older and will be able to enjoy it.

We had such a wonderful time getting to relax and spend time with Ed and Cheryl. It's always so nice to go home and we always enjoy going out on the boat. It's one of our favorite things to do! :) Of course, the weekend went by way too fast, as always, but we are so thankful for the long weekend and time with family and friends.

Can't believe I don't have any pictures of Ed.... I do have video of him though- I'll post that soon!

Lots of posts

2011-06-28T22:40:00.000-05:00

Be sure to catch up on all of my latest posts!!

The Army Crawl

Avery's Baptism

8 months

WE DID IT

Father's Day

The Army Crawl

2011-06-28T22:26:00.000-05:00

This morning Avery surprised me with a new talent- she can now "scoot"! I'm still in shock!! On Sunday afternoon we were just hanging out at home with Justin, Adriane and Micah. The babies were playing on the floor and we saw Avery do a little scoot forward. Well, this morning she decided she would take it to the next level and showed me that she really knows how to scoot! Seriously, I cannot believe it.... it's so strange watching her move around so much! My days are about to change drastically!!!

Avery's baptism

2011-06-28T15:52:00.001-05:00

Avery was baptized on Sunday, June 26th. It was such a special time in our lives as her parents and we are so thankful for our home church where we could dedicate her to the Lord. It was a busy week leading up to her baptism with family coming in town throughout the week. We were able to spend time with our family at the beach, enjoying delicious dinners and just spending quality time together. Avery is loved by so many and has a wonderful family that is always here supporting her and praying for her.

The baptism was very special to both Christopher and myself. We are constantly praying for Avery and it was very important to us to present her to the church and ask for their prayers and support as we raise her up in the Lord. We pray that she will come to know God at an early age and that she will devote her life to following Him daily. Having Avery baptized was something that I had to really come to grips with. I grew up Southern Baptist and was dedicated as an infant and then baptized after I made the decision to follow Christ. I wanted to have Avery dedicated, but we are members at a Methodist church where they do infant baptisms. After a lot of prayer and discussions with Chris and our pastor, I learned that the infant baptism symbolizes being covered with the Holy Spirit. Though the Methodist's do not believe in being "re-baptized", Chris and I both feel that if Avery one day has the desire to follow the Lord through believers baptism after accepting God into her heart, then we will support her 100%.
Again, this was a very special time in our lives as Avery's parents. It was important to us to have her dedicated and to ask our home church for their support and help as we raise Avery. This is the church that we have decided to raise Avery in while we are living here and we desire their commitment in helping us teach Avery the love of our wonderful Savior.

Avery did fantastic.... she was so good on stage and sucked her thumb the entire time. She didn't make a peep. When we were walking off the stage everyone was clapping and she gave the congregation the biggest grin. She is such a ham! Almost immediately after we made it back to our seats she fell asleep and slept through the entire service. She must have known that something big was going on because it completely wore her out. She was absolutely exhausted.

Following the church service, our family came over to our house for lunch from Jim n Nicks- YUM! It was a wonderful afternoon celebrating our little girl and the importance of her dedication to the Lord.

Changing Avery into her gown at the church- Cheryl's friend, Sandy, made Avery and Micah's gowns. They were both gorgeous! (Micah was dedicated on May 15th)

Our pastor, Jeremy Smith

Avery in her bonnet! Cheryl's friend, Sandy, made Avery's gown and bonnet. It was absolutely beautiful!

Aunt Adriane and Micah

Avery's yummy cake- it was beautiful

Avery with Aunt Sheri and Mimi- the two peas in a pod

Avery and Micah playing together after the baptism

Thank you to all of our family who made the trip to be here to support not only Avery, but Christopher and myself as well. I know that there were several family members that wanted to be here but weren't able to make it and we want you to know that we missed you, but are thankful for your love, prayers and support, even though you weren't able to make it. We love you all very, very much!

8 months

2011-06-28T15:01:00.001-05:00

For some reason reaching the eighth month really got to me. I haven't been emotional or anything, but I am now realizing that our baby girl isn't a baby anymore. She is a pre-toddler who will be a year old in a blink of an eye. Saying that I have an 8 month old is just beyond crazy to me. It's been by far the best 8 months of our lives and like I've said before, every stage has been my favorite, and this new stage is no exception. For Chris, however, this is by far his favorite stage thus far. Avery is so much more interactive and social and he loves being able to play with her.

Avery at 8 months:
-has the most infectious laugh
-cut her first tooth while on vacation in Miami on June 11th
-waved for the first time (and to her Daddy!!!) on June 14th
-says "mama" all of the time and we knew she was directing it towards me on June 20th. (I will never forget that moment!!! ) -- My friend, Kim, was right- months ago she guessed that Avery's first word was going to be "mama"
- was baptized on Sunday June 26th
-is learning how to master the scoot (which is crawling, but with the belly still on the ground)
-weighs 16 pounds 6 ounces
-thinks it is funny when I tell her "NO"-- I have to turn away from her so that she doesn't see me laughing- too funny!
-is learning how to use a sippy cup. It's only been about a month and a half, and she is finally figuring out how to suck on the spout instead of just chewing on it
-cheerios, puffs and bananas are the only finger foods she has tried so far and she loves them! The Dr. told me yesterday to begin expanding her finger foods.... any suggestions from you moms out there?
-likes to eat sand at the beach
-is a fantastic traveler- which is good, because traveling is the story of our lives these days.
-can stand while holding onto furniture- mommy and daddy are always very close by because she still topples over!
-still takes 2- two hour naps and 1- thirty minute nap
-still nursing 4 times a day
-wears 6-12 month clothing... depending on where the clothes are from. Mostly in 9 month clothing though.

WE DID IT!!!

2011-06-27T11:29:00.000-05:00

Caution: if you are easily offended by the breastfeeding topic, please do not continue!!! :)

That's right, ladies and gents, Avery and I have reached our goal of breastfeeding for 8 months! Many of you know that in the beginning I really was not sure we would ever reach my goal. During the weeks and months leading up to Avery's birth I had set a personal goal to breastfeed her for 8 months. Then she was born and everything changed. When my milk came in she immediately stopped nursing from both sides during one feeding... I guess she was just full after the first side. I couldn't stand to feel so lopsided, so I began my long journey of pumping. Nursing did not come naturally to Avery and I literally threatened to quit nursing every single day. Needless to say, my goal of 8 months seemed impossible and I quickly set a new goal of 2 months. It was torture! I suffered through the pain for the first 9-10 weeks until Avery finally learned how to latch on and suck properly. We then had good nursing periods and bad. The majority of the time she would only nurse from one side and then was full, but on occassion she would actually nurse from both sides during a single feeding! My goal then became a monthly goal.... hoping I could make it to 6 months. By this time it was no longer hurting, I was just having to deal with my own frustrations of trying to get my child to eat and eat well. I finally made it to 6 months and was so happy. Once I made it to 6 months I knew that I could easily meet my original goal of 8 months. WOO HOO! Over the past two months I have given up on pumping the second side and am a little more used to being lopsided. Pumping is just a very frustrating process and it is so time consuming. I was pumping up to 3 or 4 times a day for a while and that was AFTER I nursed Avery. It was just too much and now I only pump before I go to bed at night or if I need to have a bottle ready for Avery. It has made such a huge difference. Avery is still not a fantastic eater-- or maybe she is just a very efficient eater??-- I'm not really sure. Sometimes she will nurse for 10 minutes, other times I can only get her to nurse for about 4 minutes and that drives me crazy! I know she will eat if she is hungry, but it has been so hard for me, the provider of her nutritional intake, to not know if she is getting enough. I also have to nurse in complete silence. No T.V., no phone calls, no sitting there and talking to my husband... nothing! The girl is so easily distracted and so very social that I have to be sure no one disturbs us while we are feeding. I just know that she will be my child that sits down at the dinner table and takes two bites of food and then asks if she can go play. I see that in her already!

I am so proud of myself for persevering and reaching my goal of 8 months! I couldn't have done it without the love and support of my wonderful and amazing husband who has been on the receiving side of my venting moments and even the moments when I just couldn't take it anymore and just cried and cried. Chris, you helped me make it to my goal and I thank you so much for your support! Thank you to all of my dedicated readers for your encouragement, especially in the beginning... you know who you are! :) Your personal stories, prayers and encouraging words really helped me through those first 9 weeks. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Happy Father's Day!!!

2011-06-23T09:26:00.000-05:00

This is for all you Dad's out there! Hope you had a wonderful Father's Day!

Hoke S Archer, Sr.

2011-06-20T22:03:00.000-05:00

Last Tuesday, June 14th, my great-grandfather passed away. He would have been 95 years old on Christmas day. Granddaddy was such a special man and he was loved by so many people. His wife, my Mamaw Archer, is still living and is really having a difficult time with the loss of her husband of 75 years. I cannot even begin to imagine what she is going through. For the last year Granddaddy has been living in a nursing home and Mamaw would spend each and every day sitting by his side, going home only to sleep. That has all changed now and I'm not sure how she is coping with being at home and not having the opportunity to visit Granddaddy anymore. Over the Christmas holidays, Chris and I were able to take Avery to meet her Great-Great-Grandparents and were thrilled to be able to take a 5 generations picture. How cool is that!? It is very rare to be able to experience 5 generations in one room together. We are so glad that Avery was able to meet Granddaddy before his passing. I look forward to one day being able to explain the significance of that day to my sweet baby girl.

5 generations!!!
Mamaw and Granddaddy Archer, PawPaw, Dad, me and Avery
A moment I will always cherish!

The viewing was held on Wednesday, June 15th and the funeral was Thursday morning. It was a very special time with family as we remembered and celebrated Granddaddy's life. It's strange how a funeral can be some what of a family renunion at the same time. I was able to see so many family members that I haven't seen in a very long time and they were able to meet Avery for the first time... it's just sad that we had to reunite because of Granddaddy's passing away.

His legacy will remain living on-
75 years of marriage
4 children
14 grandchildren
22 great-grandchildren
3 great-great children

We will miss you, Granddaddy!!
December 25, 1916 - June 14, 2011

out of my comfort zone...

2011-06-14T11:21:00.001-05:00

This past weekend I nursed Avery in public for the first time in 7.5 months. Sure, I've nursed her on an airplane before, but that is still fairly secluded in the back of the plane and next to the window. This weekend I nursed her in a Starbucks and in the Fontainebleau Hotel Lobby. Don't worry, I still tried to find to most private area in both locations and was quite successful. I found the back corner of the Starbucks and was able to turn the chair away from the rest of the store and nursed Avery there. The next day, we were walking around the Fontainebleau hotel and Avery decided she didn't like the thawed milk I took, so again, I had to find a somewhat secluded area to nurse. Thankfully, the Fontainebleau is HUGE and the lobby was so spacious and had a bar area, so I went to the side of the bar behind a big column and nursed her there. I just kept reminding myself that I was in Miami and nursing your baby is public is probably NOTHING compared to everything else you see in public.... which turned out to be true when we saw a very plus sized lady walking through the lobby in a thong. (No offense to Miami!!) SO, there is my story of finally having to step out of my comfort zone and nurse Avery in public for the first time. It wasn't that bad, but I still prefer privacy when I can have it!

7 months

2011-05-31T17:50:00.001-05:00

7 months.... a week late!

I say it every month, and I'll say it yet again.... our little girl is growing way too fast! These past 7 months have been so incredible and every day we are amazed at how much Avery changes. Have there been difficult times in the past 7 months? Absolutely. Especially in the nursing department.... but my frustrations are so easily forgotten when our little girl looks up at me with those big blue eyes and sweet toothless grin. Chris and I are both loving this stage and every day we fall more and more in love with Avery. We have been so incredibly blessed and our cup overflows!

Avery at 7 months:
-you had your first ear infection
-you are rolling all over the place
-you have the most infectious laugh
-you can't crawl yet, so you roll yourself back and forth and gradually inch your way to the place or object you want to be near.
-you love to sleep on your tummy
-you are still the most content, laid back baby ever
-you love Bailey and try to interact with her more every day
-you have mastered sitting by yourself and are learning how to lunge yourself forward onto your hands- though you still face plant quite a bit. We have no doubt you will be crawling soon.

trying to crawl- notice the bottom in the air and her face on the ground...

trying to push off with her leg- again, bottom in the air and chest and head still on the ground...

trying......

-you are currently still taking two long naps and one catnap during the day, but I think you are about ready to drop that catnap....
-you actually jump in your jumperoo now and love it!
-you hold your arms up when we go to pick you up
-you now eat an entire gerber pack (about 2.5 oz) twice a day- yummy!
-when you get bored you lay your head down and suck your thumb, only for 30 seconds or so, before you continue whatever it is that you were doing... but that is your way of letting us know you are bored and ready to move on.

-you no longer need to bathe in your bath sling... you can sit up like a big girl!!

-you are wearing size 3 diapers
-you wear 6-9 month clothing (and the occassional 3-6 month dress)

Avery, we love you!!!!! Happy 7 months, baby girl!

I guess it was time...

2011-05-19T15:12:00.000-05:00

Sweet little Avery will be 7 months next week and has never been sick.... until now. She woke up really congested on Sunday morning and it has grown progressively worse. Tuesday she developed a cough and by Wednesday she was fussy, coughing, sneezing and had snot all over the place. So, I took her to the Dr. this afternoon and sure enough, she has her first ear infection. We have to give her an antibiotic for 10 days, but on the bright side, she isn't contagious! I just feel so bad for her...The poor girl is absolutely miserable and not herself at all. I do have exciting news about her doctor appointment... she now weighs 15 lbs 6 oz!! She has gained 1 lb in the last month thanks to all of those solids and a continuation of nursing!! :)

It's obvious she doesn't feel well since this is how I found her during play time this morning.

6.5 months

2011-05-11T15:36:00.002-05:00

Yes, I blogged two weeks ago about all of the things Avery was doing at 6 months, but she is growing and changing every day and I don't want to forget the new things she is learning at 6.5 months!

--May 7th- rolled from her back to her tummy! She has been working on this for months now and she finally figured out how to do it! This is how I found her when I went to wake her up Saturday morning....

Two days went by before she rolled herself over again and it happened during one of her nap times. She would roll onto her belly and try to roll herself back onto her back but would only roll towards the bumper, causing her to get really frustrated. She would cry, I would roll her back onto her back and five minutes later she was back on her tummy crying. This went on for 20 minutes.... I was so worried that this week would be miserable trying to let her CIO (cry it out) and get used to sleeping on her belly. Thankfully, our 20 minute "game" only lasted for those 20 minutes! She hasn't given us any troubles at all!

Apparently she LOVES to sleep on her tummy now!

--Now that she can roll over to her tummy she can find her paci while in her crib and put it in her mouth
--She is really doing great with sitting up on her own and rarely topples over anymore
--She can reach and play with the mobile on her swing
--She is making new sounds and I know she is working on forming a word... maybe "mama"??? hehe.
--Most of her solids end up in her mouth rather than all over her mouth. She is getting the hang of eating!
--May 8th- her first time sitting in a high chair at a restaurant! (Picture to come!)
--Avery is still nursing!!! I seriously cannot believe that I've made it 6.5 months! Way to go us! :)

A visit from the Howell's

2011-05-10T18:35:00.011-05:00

Jordan and Kim came back to Florida for a visit last week! Well, Jordan was here for work and they turned it into a family vacation, which made us SO excited!! Chris and I were in a small group with Jordan and Kim last year and they quickly became some of our best friends. Not only were we in small group together, but Kim and I were also pregnant with just one month separating our due dates. Adalynn was born on September 23 and Avery was born on October 25th. It was so much fun going through our pregnancies together and having someone else to talk to through those 9 months.... and the months to follow.... :) Sadly, the army stationed Jordan in Washington just one month before Kim's due date and we had to say good-bye to our friends.

...Kim and me two days before she and Jordan moved across the country...

(This picture was taken at my shower just one month before miss Adalynn was born and two months before Avery was born.)

The four of us have kept in touch and this past week we were finally able to get our baby girls together for the first time! Of course, we took about 1000 pictures of our sweet little girls. They love each other and are definitely BFF's!! :)

....Avery and Adalynn's first meeting....

....I just love me some baby feet....

....they interacted with each other right away....

....Adalynn trying to figure out Bailey....

....Tuesday night we went to dinner at the Back Porch in Destin....

...Adalynn sitting up like a big girl in her high chair...

....Jordan gave Adalynn a mohawk....

...Auntie Kim and Avery...

.... sweet little Adalynn....

...Best Friends Forever....

....the dads and their little girls....

Wednesday morning Avery and I went to the hotel where Jordan and Kim were staying. We were hoping to hang out at the beach, but it was cold and windy so we settled for the indoor pool. This was Adalynn's first time in a pool and she did great! Both girls were kicking and splashing and having a grand ole time! I'll have to steal Kim's picture of the girls "swimming" since I didn't get one with my camera.

On Thursday we had Jordan, Kim and Adalynn over for dinner just like the good ole days. It was so much fun watching the girls play together!

....after Avery was born Jordan sent her this onesie- we are so glad he got to see her wear it!...

.... Uncle J and Avery wearing her Uncle J onesie....

...the girls always went for each other's eyes- here is a great action shot of Avery getting Adalynn... (click on the picture to enlarge it for a better view!! haha!)

{Sorry Adalynn!!!!}

...Adalynn learning to crawl (or hop) her way to Avery... (video to come later)

...sweet friends....

....the mama's and their babies...

....saying good-bye... :(

Jordan and Kim, we are always talking about how sad we are that you don't live here anymore. We miss you both and are so thankful to have you in our lives. We loved getting to meet little miss Adalynn last week - she is absolutely adorable!! It was so much fun seeing our little girls play together.... next time they will be crawling/running all over the place and we'll spend most of our time chasing them around! haha! We are planning our trip out West to see you all hopefully sometime sooner rather than later. We love you both and had a blast last week! Thanks for being such wonderful friends- we are so thankful for you!

Sarasota Beach wedding

2011-05-03T15:26:00.007-05:00

I have to brag for just a minute.... the drive from our house to Sarasota is 8 hours and I have to tell you that Avery did absolutely FABULOUS being strapped in her carseat for such a long period of time. She hardly fussed at all and is such a great little traveler. We have learned to be flexible with her schedule and she adapts very well. I love her laid back, content and happy personality.

she slept holding her foot like this for quite a while... so funny!

{hanging out at the hotel pool in Sarasota!}

...exhausted...

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Jake Toomer who just got married on Sunday, May 1st! The wedding was on the beach in Longboat Key, FL and though it was HOT and we were surrounded by love bugs, it was absolutely beautiful. I love barefoot beach weddings! After the ceremony, we went to the reception and enjoyed the coctail hour while the wedding party stayed at the beach to take pictures. Everything was so perfect! The bride, Libby, lookedgorgeous and we could not be happier for she and Jake. (Libby and Chris were in grad school together at MCG and Libby is one that we have kept in touch with since they graduated two years ago.) We have enjoyed watching her and Jake get to know each other and grow in their relationship.

We made a little road trip out of the wedding weekend and brought my parents along as babysitters since we were not taking Avery to the wedding. I've never been to Sarasota and I must say that I fell in love with the area. It's so beautiful down there! Sarasota is not far from Anna Maria Island, where Chris grew up vacationing. His Granddad built a house on the island back in the 80's (I think) and every year the Ireland's would spend a week or two of their summer vacation with their Granddad. Sadly, his Granddad sold the place just a few months after Chris and I started dating, so I was never able to visit. This weekend we drove by the house and Chris was able to show us a little bit of his past. Unfortunately, the new owners were not home, but Chris was able to show us the outside of the house. It was so great seeing his face light up and to see how excited he was to be back at that house. He has so many wonderful memories at that place and he loved being able to share some of those with us.

New posts!

2011-04-29T08:16:00.002-05:00

I added two new posts this morning so be sure to scroll all the way down!

New Posts:

6 months

Easter 2011

6 months

2011-04-29T07:46:00.004-05:00

Happy "half" birthday, sweet girl! Mommy and Daddy love you so much and are so incredibly blessed to have you in our lives.

Things you are doing at 6 months old:

-you can sit all by yourself! Mommy and Daddy have to stay close by because you will topple over, but every day you are able to sit for longer periods of time without support.

-you are eating solids 2 times a day. So far you've tried carrots, sweet potatoes and squash. Squash is your favorite and you aren't too fond of the sweet potatoes

-you suck your thumb all of the time

-you are always happy and very content

-you love Bailey and smile and laugh whenever she walks up to you

-you enjoy sitting in your high chair

-you have to be entertained all of the time... otherwise you get bored and just lay there and suck your thumb.

-you have been "swimming" twice and seem to really like the water.

-you've been on your first boat ride

-you've traveled to 5 states in your 6 months of life

-you've been on a plane

-you are wearing 6-9 month clothing

-you are in size 2 and/or 3 diapers

-you roll over from your tummy to your back and it's nearly impossible for us to keep you on your stomach for tummy time

- you want to be on the move so badly, but haven't quite figured out how to crawl... you will push with your legs and face plant- it won't be long, though!

-you love to stand... with support, of course!

-you don't have any teeth breaking through yet, but you drool ALL of the time and you chomp on everything!

-you have the cutest little leg rolls we've ever seen!

6 month stats:

weight: 14 lbs 6 oz (10-25%)

Height: 25 in (25-50%)

Head Circ.: 16 1/4 in (25%)

You did fabulous at your doctor appointment. You received one oral vaccine and two shots. Last time you took the oral vaccine with no problems, but this time you put up a fight and made it difficult for the nurse to administer the vaccine to you. The nurse also had to give you a shot in each thigh and you only cried for about 5 seconds and stopped as soon as Mommy picked you up. You always do so wonderfully at your appointments and I am so proud of you.

Avery, thank you for bringing so much joy into our lives. We love you, little Monkey!!

Easter 2011

2011-04-28T14:41:00.019-05:00

We had such a wonderful first Easter with Avery Nicole. I'm seriously loving all of these "firsts" and am overflowing with so much joy as Chris and I get to experience these things with eachother and with Avery.

Our small group had an Easter party on Saturday complete with an Easter egg hunt for all 20+ kids that were there. Obviously Avery did not participate, but she did get to be a part of the big group picture with all of the kiddos. What a fun memory (for Chris and me, since she obviously won't be remembering it *wink*)! Brad and Amy were so sweet to have us all over to their house and we enjoyed some delicious food and great fellowship with eachother. We are so blessed to be a part of this small group and look forward to the many more memories we will make with them.

(Don't forget you can click on each picture to enlarge them!!)

On Easter Sunday we went to our home church here in FL. Avery hung out in the nursery with her friends while Chris and I enjoyed a really wonderful Easter service. Our pastor's message was really great and was followed by the cardboard testimonies. If you've never heard of this or seen it done I encourage you to research it. The idea is that on one side you write one of your struggles and on the other side you write how God has saved you from that pain. A number of our congregation participated and I don't think there was a dry eye in the entire building. God works in each of our lives and uses different circumstances to ultimately bring us closer to Him. Those that shared their cardboard testimonies on Sunday had suffered from a great deal of pain in their lives, but in the end they have found faith and hope in God and have turned their pain into a means to glorify our God. It was so impactful.

After the service we went to my parents house where Avery got to have her first Easter egg hunt! She was very interested in how the eggs tasted. hehe. After her Easter egg hunt we all changed and headed to the marina where my parents rented a pontoon boat for my sister's 23rd birthday and Avery's half-birthday- both of which were on Monday the 25th. Aunt Tara also went with us and we had a very fun and relaxing 4 hours out on the water. Chris took his paddle board and it was so fun watching us all try it out. Bailey also got to go out with us and we put her in the water to try and improve her swimming skills.... she is absolutely TERRIFIED of the water and was shaking all over. She prefers to be on the boat instead of in the water.

...Avery with her Easter goodies....

...isn't our little bunny so precious?...

{family pictures}

...I love my baby girl oh so much....

....Avery with her Aunt Amanda...

...Avery with her Great-Aunt Tara (aka. Aunt TaTa)...

...I loved, loved, loved her Easter dress-she is so beautiful!...

...Mimi, Avery, and Granddaddy...

...mommy's favorite....

...Avery's first Easter egg hunt...

...Easter goodies from Mimi, Granddaddy and Aunt Amanda...

....Aunt Tara trying out the paddle board for the first time...

...she did it!!!...

...sister, sister... (ewww, I'm so pale next to her!)

...even Bailey tried out the board...

...happy birthday!!!...

...Avery's first time on a boat....

...love them....

There are a lot of pictures from our time on the boat, but I guess they are all on my parent's camera. I'll have get them and post them later for you all to see!

It was a wonderful Easter weekend and I'm so glad that we were able to celebrate Amanda's birthday as well. I hope you all have a wonderful time with family or friends as you celebrated our risen Savior.

We have a SITTER!!!

2011-04-23T10:12:00.005-05:00

Over the past few weeks we've really been working with Avery in helping her to sit on her own. She has always had great head/neck control and has been learning to sit in her bumbo seat from an early age. We have also used her boppy pillow as a means in supporting her as she learns how to sit. She started out in a reclined position on her boppy and then moved to a seated position with surrounded support from her boppy. Just in the past week she has been able to sit without any support for a few seconds before toppling over. On April 21, I say she truly sat for the first time without any support because it was the first time I was able to snap a few pictures while she remained sitting! We still have to be close by in case she begins to fall over, but every day she is able to sit for longer periods by herself. It is unbelievable that our little girl is already sitting on her own.... when did she grow from a newborn into a sitter?!!?

{Practicing sitting with her boppy pillow}

{April 21, 2011- sitting for the first time without any support!!}

{It is so wierd to see her from this new angle!}

Avery laughing while chasing Bailey Video

2011-04-21T11:19:00.001-05:00

Avery LOVES Bailey and laughs anytime Bailey is near. I recorded this video for Christopher, but Avery's laughter just had to be shared with the rest of you. It truly is the best sound in the entire world!