On Sunday Avery turned 14 months old – I can’t believe how fast the time has flown! She has definitely changed more over the past month or so than ever before. It is so fun to see her grow and learn everyday. Some things we have been up to lately:
Talking: She is really developing a little vocabulary. It is so fun! She can say mama, dada (her favorite word), thank you, hi, bye, ball, night night, and no. She doesn’t always say the correct word at the correct time, but she does say them and gets right about half the time. She can understand many more words but hasn’t mastered the art of saying them yet. She will repeat animal sounds which is hilarious. She can moo, baa, quack, ruff and cock-a-doodle-do. Of course, none of them sound anywhere near what Josh and I are saying, but they are so cute!
Walking: She can go ANYWHERE now. She loves to walk around the house and “guide” us to where she wants to go. She will leave a room, then poke her head back around to make sure Josh or I are following her. She sometimes gets going too fast which results in bumping into walls or tables, so that part has not been fun. We have had one bloody lip and a few small bruises. I guess that is to be expected when they get going and build their confidence.
Eating: She is becoming a better eater. She will try new things more often now when she is in the mood. Her favorites still include: black beans, cheese, peas, yogurt, toast, and grapes. We try to eat dinner as a family most nights, so she will usually eat what Josh and I have if she notices us enjoying it. One night she ate more than half of my pork chop! I told Josh he was going to have to start making her her own!
Sleeping: She still sleeps like a champ. Usual bedtime is 7 and she wakes up between 6:30 and 7. Unless she is sick or getting teeth, we don’t hear a peep out of her all night. She is down to one nap a day – usually between 1-2 hours but has been known to sneak in a 3 hour nap here and there when life gets really tiring!
Playing: She LOVES to play outside. She will sit in the yard and pick up leaves and move them around for as long as we will let her. She likes her swing in the front yard and lasts 5-10 minutes on average until she decides she needs to be walking around exploring. She got so many new toys for Christmas and has enjoyed them all. Her favorites are a cooking pot with veggies in it from Aunt Sandy (hoping that will mean she will cook for us one day) and a purse from Josh’s Uncle David and Aunt Maureen. It has a tube of lipstick in it and she loves to pretend like she is putting it on. It is funny because I don’t know if she has ever seen me put lipstick on, but Josh showed her how it worked and she loves it. CC and Pop Pop got her a tent that she can crawl through which offers lots of fun. She has a lot of stuffed animals and dolls but she still is not very interested in them. Maybe she is still too young; I don’t know.
That is our 14 month update. She gets to be more fun with every month that passes. She is such a joy and good-natured little girl. I can’t wait to continue to see her little personality develop. We sure do love our baby girl, and I can’t imagine life without her!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
13 Week Check-up
Josh and I went to the doctor yesterday and were able to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time. It was just as exciting as the first time we heard Avery's! Everything else checked out good, and little baby #2 is developing exactly on pace. It will be 6-8 weeks before we go in for the BIG ultrasound, which is not very big to us since we aren't finding out the sex, but it will be good to have all the measurements and things they do to ensure the baby is healthy and developing normally. Every night I pray for the health and development of baby #2 (we don't have anything more exciting to call him/her). I never want to take a healthy pregnancy and baby for granted and want to always remember that when things go well it is because God has allowed them to be that way.
I am thankful for a good 13 weeks and praying for another good 27 to follow!
I am thankful for a good 13 weeks and praying for another good 27 to follow!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Christmas 2010
Christmas this year was so much fun with Avery. Well, every day is fun with Avery, and Christmas was no exception. We spent Wednesday-Sunday in Dallas with my family and really had a wonderful time. It is so funny that when you have kids going home is like a vacation because all of a sudden someone else will get up early, run around the house, and keep Avery entertained. Most days, I love those things but it is nice for a few days of relaxation and rest!
Avery was not too concerned with presents this year. We would get her to open one, and then she would want to be running around the house again. Opening presents requires too much sitting! I think next year she will probably understand that each gift she opens is another toy, but this year she just wasn't that interested. She did get many wonderful things, and I am sure they will all be used and played with as time goes on.
It was really cold while we were there, so Avery didn't get to play outside as much as she wanted, but she did convince CC and Pop Pop to take her outside a few times! Josh and I were particularly thankful for that because we were not prepared for (nor do we like) the cold weather. I bought her a cute little hat to wear and was she ever adorable!
To pass the time indoors, we had some dance parties. Avery is a great dancer, and CC was a great partner! She cracks me up with her moves. Jeff got a video of one dance, but it was on his phone so I don't think I can upload it. One of my New Year's resolutions is to video Avery more, so maybe I will have a dancing video soon!
It really was a great and relaxing Christmas. It is weird that this is our second and last Christmas as a family of 3, but next year we will have another little bundle of joy to share the season with! As a parent, it really does put into perspective the fact that God sent his Son to come into the world, live the perfect life we were incapable of, and die a brutal death so we wouldn't have to. I am thankful for that baby in a manger and never want to forget that is truly what the Christmas season is about.
Avery was not too concerned with presents this year. We would get her to open one, and then she would want to be running around the house again. Opening presents requires too much sitting! I think next year she will probably understand that each gift she opens is another toy, but this year she just wasn't that interested. She did get many wonderful things, and I am sure they will all be used and played with as time goes on.
It was really cold while we were there, so Avery didn't get to play outside as much as she wanted, but she did convince CC and Pop Pop to take her outside a few times! Josh and I were particularly thankful for that because we were not prepared for (nor do we like) the cold weather. I bought her a cute little hat to wear and was she ever adorable!
To pass the time indoors, we had some dance parties. Avery is a great dancer, and CC was a great partner! She cracks me up with her moves. Jeff got a video of one dance, but it was on his phone so I don't think I can upload it. One of my New Year's resolutions is to video Avery more, so maybe I will have a dancing video soon!
It really was a great and relaxing Christmas. It is weird that this is our second and last Christmas as a family of 3, but next year we will have another little bundle of joy to share the season with! As a parent, it really does put into perspective the fact that God sent his Son to come into the world, live the perfect life we were incapable of, and die a brutal death so we wouldn't have to. I am thankful for that baby in a manger and never want to forget that is truly what the Christmas season is about.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Coming July 2011...
Baby #2! Avery is going to be a big sister!! We were a bit surprised by the news but so excited. I am 12 weeks today; the official due date is July 12. We have a lot to figure out in the next 7 months, but we know that God will guide our steps and lead us where we are supposed to be. We have known for over a month now and are so excited to finally be able to share the news with everyone!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
I Have My Reasons
I realize that Avery turned 13 months today, and I haven't posted her birthday pics, but I have some good excuses. Right after her party, she got a bad cold and was sick for a week. It was no fun that she wasn't feeling very good, but I did get to stay home with her 3 days that week and all she wanted to do was cuddle! That doesn't happen very often these days! After she was well, we went to Dallas for the week of Thanksgiving. We had a great time, but back in Houston our house got robbed - not once, twice - so we have been dealing with that. Now, we have no computer to upload pictures or to blog, so I have had to wait for Jenn's pics and some free time at work to finally get this together.
Having said that, Avery's party was lots of fun. It was just family but it was so great to celebrate Avery's first year and the blessing she has been in our lives. She is such a sweet girl, and it is hard to remember life without her. She is walking now, so she is constantly on the move. She LOVES to be outside, so we spend a lot of time exploring the yard and picking up leaves on the ground. She talks non-stop, although most of it is incomprehensible. Her favorite word is "uh-oh" which is so cute. She says it every time she drops (or throws) something on the ground or every time she falls. Those two things seem to happen a lot at our house. She is still on the higher end in weight (65th percentile) and height (75th percentile), but she doesn't seem to be growing much these days.
Every month is more fun than before, and we can't wait to see what she will do next!
Here are some pictures from her birthday (she didn't like the cake) and a couple we took at Thanksgiving with the fam.
Having said that, Avery's party was lots of fun. It was just family but it was so great to celebrate Avery's first year and the blessing she has been in our lives. She is such a sweet girl, and it is hard to remember life without her. She is walking now, so she is constantly on the move. She LOVES to be outside, so we spend a lot of time exploring the yard and picking up leaves on the ground. She talks non-stop, although most of it is incomprehensible. Her favorite word is "uh-oh" which is so cute. She says it every time she drops (or throws) something on the ground or every time she falls. Those two things seem to happen a lot at our house. She is still on the higher end in weight (65th percentile) and height (75th percentile), but she doesn't seem to be growing much these days.
Every month is more fun than before, and we can't wait to see what she will do next!
Here are some pictures from her birthday (she didn't like the cake) and a couple we took at Thanksgiving with the fam.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
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!
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