Pass a Tissue, Please

No one informed me that upon entering motherhood I would need to stock up on the Kleenex. I am not an emotional person most of the time. I don't cry at movies, and I rarely cry in real life. I just don't like to cry.

Until motherhood... I think I have cried more in the past 3 1/2 months than in my previous 27 years. Well, probably not THAT much, but you get the picture. I have cried so many tears - tears of fear when Avery's heartbeat dropped while in labor, tears of joy when I saw her for the first time and got to hold and kiss her, tears of pain as I recovered from a C-section that I was not expecting - and all those tears came in her first few days of life! Since that time, I have cried many more tears - tears of happiness as I have watched her grow and change right before my eyes, tears of heartache as I head off to work in the morning, tears of joy as I watch how she lights up her daddy's life.

I know my tears will not stop as Avery continues to grow. I will cry when she takes her first step and when she says her first word. I will cry the first time I drop her off at school and when a boy breaks her heart. I will cry when she is in pain and when she scores the winning goal (or basket or run - whichever sport she happens to be dominating at that time!).

I am not trying to sound like all I do is cry, but being a mom has changed my emotional state. I love that little girl so much that she has completely changed the way I see the world around me - for the better. I never knew one little person could have such a big effect on you. What a wonderful (and sometimes wet) journey motherhood has been, and it has only been three months!

I will leave you with some pictures of my sweet little angel.

We take so many pictures of her that sometimes she just doesn't want to look at the camera! The truth is, she is probably watching TV. It is her favorite pastime.



She is getting very good at holding her head up, and she likes to sit up on our kitchen table (with mommy or daddy keeping her balanced, of course).



My two favorite people!

Three Months

My sweet Avery,

I can't believe you are already three months old. It seems like yesterday that your daddy and I were bringing you home from the hospital, terrified with what we were going to do with this sweet little baby they let us take with us. Now it's three months later and we are still terrified sometimes but are starting to figure things out. :)



I have learned so many things from you over the past three months. You have truly changed your daddy's and my life; it is hard to put into words how wonderful our life is with you. The past month you have changed so much. You are smiling a lot more now, and your smile lights up the room. You are starting to laugh at me and your daddy which we love. You discovered your hands and are constantly putting them in your mouth or clasping them under your chin. We think it is funny because it looks like you are trying to pray. You still hate being on your tummy but are getting very good at holding your head up despite that fact. You have started talking to us and making the funniest noises. We love to have conversations with you; you will go back and forth with us for a long time. I want to remember exactly how you are right now because I know how fast you are going to grow and change.



I love being your mommy and couldn't have imagined it would be this wonderful. Your daddy and I have many things we pray for you nightly, but mostly we pray that you will one day give your life to Christ and follow Him everyday. Every other prayer flows from that one.



We love you so much & are blessed to have you. You will always be our sweet angel baby no matter how old you get. Your daddy and I look forward to watching you grow and loving you the best way we know how.

Sweet Story

I have to brag on my husband for a moment. He is a wonderful father & loves his little girl. He helps me with EVERYTHING, from washing bottles every night to changing diapers to middle of the night feedings. He lights up every time she looks his direction and he truly loves her. All that said, here is my story.

Avery was sick yesterday. She did not have a fever but was all congested and had a little trouble sleeping Sunday night. I stayed home from work yesterday, and we took her to the doctor. He cleaned her little nose out and showed us how to keep her clear. When we got home, we knew she was exhausted because she slept so fitfully the night before and hadn't really had a good nap yet. We swaddled her up, and I rocked her for a few minutes. It didn't take her long to fall asleep, so I put her in her bed. I waited for a minute to make sure she was really asleep because Josh was trying to get some school stuff done, and I didn't want to disturb him. When I thought she must really be asleep, I went out for a quick jog. When I got home from my jog, Josh was on the couch holding Avery. He was sitting there with the biggest smile on his face. When I asked him what happened, he said that after I left Avery started fussing. It was just a little bit at first but then turned into a cry. He said he let her cry for a minute to see if she would just calm down and go back to sleep. (Side note: We aren't really "cry it out" parents but do want her to learn how to calm herself down. We really aren't doing a very good job because we only let her cry for about two minutes before we rush in there and pick her up, but we're working on it.) He said he went into her room and the second she saw him she stopped crying and gave him the biggest smile he had ever seen. He told me it was one of the best moments of his life.

Is that not the sweetest story you have ever heard? I love watching Josh with Avery and love how much he loves her. I know that love will only grow as she does. I am sure he would have been just as good of a first time father if we had had a boy first, but man does he love his little girl. She already has him wrapped around her finger, and I know I will have to be the one to discipline her because he may never tell her no. I am so thankful Avery has a daddy that loves her more than anything and will be an example of the kind of man I pray she finds one day.

Here is a picture of Avery from a few weeks ago. It has nothing to do with the story, but she is so cute and needs to be admired!

CC & Pop Pop's Visit

This past weekend my parents came down to see Avery. My mom (CC to Avery) flew down on Thursday afternoon, and my dad (Pop Pop to Avery) came on Friday. My mom came on Thursday so she could stay with Avery while Josh and I went to work on Friday. Avery & CC had a wonderful time together and got in some important bonding time.

On Friday night, we went to Amigo's, a Mexican restaurant near our house. We frequent this restaurant because it is never crowded, so it is easy to get Avery in and out and have a place for her car seat. Helen (Josh's mom, Grandma to Avery) came out to Amigo's and met us. It was a fun time for everyone (minus Grandpa who was traveling for work) to get together.

On Saturday my mom and I got up and did a little shopping. It was fun to get out and try on clothes again - it has been a while. I wish I could say everything I put on looked great & I look better than I did before I got pregnant, but that would be a lie. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, however, I do have some work to do. Avery stayed home and took a nap on the couch with Pop Pop.

When we got home, we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and go to the zoo. It was a lot of fun to be out, but Avery slept most of the time. It will be fun when she can really experience what is going on, but for her, it was just a nice day to be napping outside.

Here is Avery when we arrived at the zoo.



Here she is a few minutes later & how she remained the rest of the trip.



We went to dinner that evening at an Italian restaurant down the street and called it a day. CC & Pop Pop got up and left the next morning when we were leaving for church. It was such a fun weekend. Josh and I got three nights of uninterrupted sleep (thanks to CC for getting up with Avery) and were even able to get our closet cleaned out while taking advantage of someone else entertaining Avery. We can't wait to see CC & Pop Pop again! I failed to get any pictures of Avery with CC & Pop Pop, so here are a couple more random ones.

This is how I like to spend my evenings when I get home!



I love this picture! As you can see, she is well nourished & healthy!

2 Months

I cannot believe it, but our little girl is already 2 months old. She has grown and changed so much already. We took her to the doctor on Tuesday for her check-up and first round of vaccines. She was such a champ. She let the doctor toss her around and poke & prod her and did not make a peep. She weighs 11 pounds 10 ounces which is in the 75th percentile, so she is a bit of a chunk. Her head circumference and height were both 50th percentile, so she is normal in that respect. When it was time for the shots, I was so scared. I made Josh come with us which I am so glad I did because I did not handle it very well. Josh was holding Avery's hands while the nurse gave her the shots. I was in the corner across the room. When she got the first shot, Avery screamed and her face turned bright red. It was horrible. I almost lost it in the corner, and the nurse told me I could leave if I wanted. I figured at that point I had already heard the worst so I could tough it out. I made it through the next two shots, and Avery did as well. Before the nurse even left the room she was back to smiling, so I don't think she was that traumatized. I sure was. It took me a little longer to get it together. She was a little fussy the rest of the day, but all in all, she did great. We are so thankful to be blessed with a healthy little girl who seems to be growing and developing wonderfully. We love her so much!!!

Here are a few pictures we have taken in the last few days. I love the one of her in the hoody - she looks like such a gangster.

Such a sweetie!

Caught the end of a smile.

Josh got a picture of a good smile!

Don't mess with Avery! She will beat you up.

Smiles

I never thought they could make me so happy. Avery has started to get very good at smiling, and Josh and I can't get enough of it. Every time she starts, we come running in and stare at her until she decides she has indulged us enough. I am going to attempt to attach a short video so everyone can see how wonderful her smiles really are. This was taken at my parents' house over Christmas. My mom really had her going, and we caught the tail end of it with the Flip. Enjoy!

Avery's First Christmas

Christmas with Avery was so fun. Although she was not able to really experience it and know what was going on, it was so special to have her here with us. I can't wait until next year when she will be old enough to partake in fun Christmas events and begin to learn the true meaning of Christmas. Josh and I were discussing the change in us this Christmas. As a parent, there isn't anything we would not do for Avery. Even at this young age, we don't want anything to hurt her or bring her any pain. During this Christmas season we really had a new appreciation and understanding of the love God has for us that He would send His Son to this earth to die. I could go on about this, but I believe any parent must have the same feelings and emotions this time of year. The challenge is to remember throughout the rest of the year.

One of the best things about this Christmas was that we were able to spend a week with my parents. It was such a fun and relaxing week. Avery was shown more love and attention than she could handle. She was able to meet her uncle Jeff for the first time, and they became fast friends. They took naps together and really bonded. It was funny to see how fast he was taken with her. I am excited to watch how their relationship grows as she gets older. She is going to adore her uncle Jeff.

I wish I could recap everything we did over the holiday in detail, but it would take too long. Avery met lots of new friends, including Abby, Betty, Leslie, Mark, and Kelly. She also got to meet her Mema (my grandmother), and CC (my mom) got to introduce her and show her off to everyone at the MAC and in the church office. We had such a great time and can't wait to get back.