Halloween and Other Fun Things

It is hard to believe that we just celebrated Avery's last "first" holiday on Sunday. I remember how big I was last year at this time (so big that Josh put a pumpkin up his shirt at a party last year so we could be twins!), but this year has flown by so fast. I can't believe that our little angel will be one next week. This post, however, is not about that. It is about Halloween and other fun things we have been up to the past couple weeks!

Avery and I took another trip to Midland. This was her second time to see everyone and made me realize how I wish we lived closer! I LOVE going to Midland, always have, and I hope Avery does as she grows up. I only took a few pictures, and I am so mad at myself for it. I was planning on taking many more, but I did get a really cute one of Avery playing in the front yard with my Mir and Grandad. I am so thankful that Avery has four great-grandparents that love and spoil her!



Last weekend was Halloween, and we had a little costume fiasco. Let me preface this by saying - I don't really care about Halloween. I really never have. Of course as a kid I loved the candy, but I don't remember ever caring about dressing up. You just had to dress up because that was how you got the candy. Well, I got all excited about dressing Avery up. I think as a parent you have all these expectations of how things will be with your kids; however, I am finding out that those expectations are rarely met but always exceeded in other ways you never thought. I was such a good mom and got Avery's costume 4 weeks before Halloween. For me, that was pretty darn good. I found the cutest bumblebee costume for her. I was so excited about - she was going to be the cutest bumblebee ever, and of course she would have been EXCEPT the week before Halloween I discover this costume is missing wings. Please don't ask me how I didn't realize that a bee should have wings, but I didn't. Long story short, I got very upset, Josh calmed me down, and Avery had to settle for the leftover costumes that are only available the week before, so she was a pink bunny. Oh, how she was the cutest bunny ever!! I ended up really liking the costume; she was really adorable. We went to our church's Fall Festival and let her walk around. It was a bit warm (thank you Houston), but there weren't many things for her to do anyway so we just stayed a few minutes. It ended up being a great Halloween, but I learned an important lesson - costumes are not important; my child is going to be the cutest in the world no matter what she wears!









Other than that, we have just been playing and having fun. She is still on the brink of walking; I really don't think it will be long. She can walk holding just one of our hands but then she gets scared and sits down. I think she would be walking if she thought she could. She likes to "read" which means turn the pages in one book while Josh or I read from another. She also LOVES her swing in the front yard and likes daddy to throw her up in the air so she can fly.









I will post her official "1 year old" post next week; I just wanted to give an update. We are having her party on the 13th, so I am sure I will have lots of pictures of that as well. It is just going to be family, but I am still busy trying to get all the details together. We love our Avery and can't believe she has been blessing us with her presence for almost an entire year!

Eleven Month Update

Saturday was Avery's 11 month birthday! Oh how the time has flown! I think she has grown and changed more over the last month than any before. She is becoming more and more like a little girl and less like a baby. I love it and hate it, if that is possible. It is so fun getting to see her experience and learn about the world. You can tell she is constantly trying to figure things out. It really is amazing to see how much a child can absorb in such a short period of time.

Avery is crawling and pulling up on EVERYTHING now. I predict that she will be walking by her first birthday, but I don't really know how fast all these things play out so I could be way off. Her favorite thing to do is walk around the house holding mine and/or Josh's hands.





She loves playing with anything that has something in it, i.e., mommy's purse. She would sit there all day and take stuff out of my purse. She is starting to put stuff back, but she would much rather make the mess than clean it up. I have high aspirations of teaching her that when you take something out, you put it back; however that might not sink in for a few more years.



She loves to laugh at her daddy. As I have said before, she is a daddy's girl big time and thinks he is the bee's knees. He can just look at her and she will laugh. It is so funny. We have caught a few of her laughing fits on video or recorded on our phones. When she gets going, she can hardly catch her breath. It's the most wonderful sound in the world.

She still hasn't said her first word. She is babbling more and more these days, so I think it is just a matter of time before she makes the connection between what she is babbling and the thing she thinks she is talking about. We'll see.

Her eating habits are about the same. She is either a picky eater, or she just doesn't like to try new things because she has a few staple foods that she will eat consistently, but other than that it is hit or miss. A new favorite we discovered - black beans.

She can drink from a sippy cup all by herself now, so we are about ready to make the transition from formula in a bottle to milk in a sippy cup. Our doctor told us we could do the transition at 11 months, but I am a little hesitant. Don't get me wrong, I will LOVE not buying formula and not washing bottles all the time, but that will officially mean she is not a baby anymore and I am not quite ready for that.

Avery is such a sweet girl, and I love getting to watch her personality continue to grow. I love this little girl more than I ever thought I could. What a wonderful blessing she has been to our life!

Showing off our pearly whites & our cheesy side


Chillin in the stroller at the County Fair


Playing in the grass



Family picture after church



With Grandma at the County Fair



With Grandpa at the County Fair

Pumpkin Patch

We took Avery to the pumpkin patch on Saturday. I found one online that was close to our house, so we thought we would give it a try. It wasn't the greatest, but thankfully we didn't have to pay and we know not to go back there next year. I had these visions of getting all these great pictures of Avery with all the pumpkins around her like you see in magazines; however that didn't quite happen. We did get some cute pictures, just not one that makes you say, "Wow, what a great picture of a cute baby in a pumpkin patch." Instead we got a lot that make you say, "What an adorable baby who doesn't want to smile in an OK pumpkin patch with not a lot of pumpkins around." Either way, here are some pictures of our day!

Tractor ride to get back to the pumpkins


Not sure what to do with all these pumpkins










Good try mom - I don't' want to wear a bow!


Family picture to commemorate the occasion


There were pony rides and a petting zoo there as well. We didn't go behind the fence, but surprisingly, Avery really liked the animals. Maybe we have a farm girl on our hands!

Not 10 Months Yet!

Since we haven't hit the 10 month mark yet, I can still report on Avery's ninth month. I realize I haven't posted in about a month and a half, but we have been busy! Avery has changed so much of the past month; it is crazy. A few things she is doing now:

Crawling: it took her quite a while to master this skill; she didn't start until about two weeks ago. And she does it with her belly on the ground. It is pretty funny. She knows how to do it correctly, yet she chooses to do it the otehr way. I think it is too much trouble to lift herself up. Either way, she is on the move and we are spending most of our time trying to keep up with her. She is discovering a whole new world now!

Pulling up: She has actually been pulling up for quite a while now. She mastered that skill back in July, but she can do it anywhere she wants now since she can crawl there. Everyday when she wakes up we go in her room to find her standing up patiently (sometimes) waiting on us to get her out. She has just started to take a few steps around furniture and tries to stand without holding on to anything.

Feeding Herself: Again, she has been doing this for a while now, but she is getting where she prefers to feed herself rather than be fed baby food. She is still not a great eater; she never really has been. Her favorites are toast, Cheerios, cheese, Gerber Puffs and Gerber yogurt bites. We have been trying to expand her finger food horizons, so hopefully she will come around. She is almost 10 months and should probably be eating more finger foods, but she would rather throw most food on the ground rather than eat it. As you can tell from the pictures she is not malnourished, so I try not to worry too much.

Talking: She is starting to say more and more syllables which is so fun. She still hasnt' officially said her first word because most of what comes out is incoherent. She does know her name and will respond when you call her. She also knows that Daddy refers to Josh, and she gets so excited when I say his name which is really cute.

Waving: My personal favorite. She is so cute and LOVES to wave at everyone and everything. She loves the response it gets from everyone. She has been known to wave at a blank wall and herself in the mirror. She might be Miss America one day, so maybe she is just practicing.

Clapping: She also loves to clap. She knows that you clap when something good happens, so when she gets excited she claps. It is also really cute.

One major milestone this past month was her first Astros game. If you know our family, you know Josh is a huge Astros fan and has loved them all his life. It was really fun to get to take her to the game. Of course it helped that we were in the Chevron suite, got free food, had a carpeted floor for Avery to play on and didn't have to sit in the stands. I hope Avery doesn't think that is how all her Astros games will be spent. It was fun and a great way to be able to let Avery experience a game.



We went for her 9 month check-up last week and she is starting to let the other babies catch up to her. She is now in the 60th percentile in height (28"), weight (20 lbs), and head circumference (17"). We also found out that she had an ear infection in both ears! I felt like a horrible mother, but she had not let on that anything was bothering her. Thankfully my parents had been in town that weekend and seen her, or my mom would have been quite upset with me thinking that I was neglecting her sweet girl. The doctor prescribed some antibiotic which we will take through Friday and that has hopefully cleared it up. We are going back in a week to make sure since she apparently wasn't bothered by it. She is a tough girl!

As you can see we experienced a lot of new things and had a great ninth (and part of the tenth) month. Avery is such a sweet girl and I love getting to watch her grow. She truly is such a blessing to our family; I can't remember life without her!

I will leave you with some cute pictures of my girl that are a culmination of all the fun we've been having!


Bath time fun in the duck



Fun at the park



Swimming in the backyard



Playing in her room



Daddy's 28th birthday



We also went to the Children's Museum which was so much fun. Here are some pictures from our visit. If you are in Houston, this is a GREAT place to take your kiddos - even young ones. Avery LOVED it, as you can see.













What she looked like when we got home from a long day!

8 Months

Well, we hit the 8 month mark last week. I know I should be excited about how much she is growing and changing, but it is going too fast! She is not a sweet little cuddly baby anymore – she is becoming a big girl. This past month definitely brought about more changes than any others.



She is starting to try to talk even more. She can say “mama” and “baba” – she has no idea what either of these mean, not that I even know what “baba” means, but it is definitely another step towards her first word. I realize I should count “mama” as her first word, but she has no idea that I am mama, so I am hesitant to count it. I want to know she is actually talking to me, not just saying random syllables. We are working on “dada” and, as of last week when my parents were here, “CC”. I don’t think anything would make my mom happier than if “CC” was Avery’s first word, but I really don’t think that is going to happen. I guess we will wait and see.

She is eating so well now. I am still making all her food and trying to keep up with her. She is eating three times a day – usually fruit with cereal for breakfast, a veggie for lunch, and a little fruit and a little veggie for dinner. We started eating Cheerios last week, and she can pick them up all by herself! She has some challenges getting them into her mouth, but she is getting better and better. We have also tried a little cheese and some avocados. The best part about eating is that now she can sit at the table while Josh and I eat. Hallelujah! We don’t have to wait until 8 or 8:30 to eat after she goes to bed anymore! What a wonderful step for our family! I am anxious to continue giving her finger foods because I love watching her pick them up and try to put them in her mouth. She is so cute!



Our girl is also on the move! Well, sort of. She can crawl backwards. I don’t even know if you can call it crawling. She is up on her hands and knees but only pushes with her arms which causes her to go backwards. She gets very frustrated, but Josh and I think it is hilarious. She wants to go forward so bad but just doesn’t know how to do it. I think it is only a matter of time before she is completely mobile. Until then, I guess she will just keep rolling wherever she wants to go. She is getting pretty good at that!



Since she hasn’t mastered the art of crawling, she has decided that standing is much more fun anyway. She pulled up all by herself on Saturday! Don’t worry, we got it on video. We knew she was getting close but didn’t know she was actually strong enough to do it. Who knows, maybe crawling is for babies and my big girl will go straight to walking. Haha, I know I am definitely not ready for that!

I told you we were experiencing many changes around here, and I wasn’t lying. We even had a family change – we moved into a house. We have been there two weeks now and are really loving the extra room. The apartment was feeling smaller by the day. We didn’t buy it, just renting, but it is still so nice to have some room to spread out. We even hosted my parents and Josh’s mom and sister for the 4th! It was so fun to be able to have people over without feeling on top of each other the whole time.



The past 8 months have been WONDERFUL! We are truly blessed in so many ways. I hope to never take for granted all the things God has given us, but most of all to never forget to thank Him for a happy, healthy child who continues to amaze me everyday.

My Baby's Daddy

This post - long overdue - is a tribute to my baby's daddy in honor of Father's Day. I think I knew the moment we found out we were pregnant that Josh was going to be a good dad. I freaked out; he stayed calm. I was scared that we wouldn't know what to do; he was confident we would figure it out. Well, he was right. We are figuring it out and doing the best we can. What I don't think I knew at the time was how great of a father he would actually be. He LOVES Avery so much. I capitalize that because he really does love her. He lights up when he sees her. He makes her smile and laugh more than anyone. They have such a special relationship that I am so thankful for. I can already tell that she is going to be a daddy's girl BIG TIME.

I could tell many stories of their sweet relationship, but I think the best illustration happened last night. Josh and I are playing in an ultimate frisbee league at church. We keep Avery outside with us until it is time for us to play and we take her inside to the nursery. When we went to pick her up after we were finished, there were a few other kids in there, one little girl in particular who is about 4 and super cute. Avery was sitting on the floor playing while I was getting her bag and Josh started chasing the other little girl around the room. Avery did not like that - she lost it. It was so funny. Josh stopped playing with the other little girl, came over and picked Avery up, and she immediately started smiling. It was hilarious. Even the nursery workers couldn't believe it. She was not going to have her daddy playing with another girl!! When we decide to have another child we might have some problems, but until then, Avery can have her daddy all to herself!

I am so thankful that Avery has a daddy who prays for her, loves her, protects her, and will always be there for her. Josh - you are a rare gift to Avery and me, and we love you SO much!