Much Needed Update

We are still alive, just busier these days it seems. Keeping up with a very active almost 16 month old can be a challenge. Avery is changing like crazy and is becoming more and more fun by the day. I posted pictures at the bottom, but I will give a quick update on our daily life.

- She is eating better and better these days. She will continue to try new things but definitely still has her favorites - grapes, spaghetti, cheese, Cheerios, goldfish, and yogurt. She would live off the above menu if we let her, but we squeeze new foods in when we can!
- She is still sleeping from 7-6:30 every night. She goes down like a champ and is such a great sleeper. This has been true since she was very tiny, so we hope this gets passed on to the next child!
- Her vocabulary is exploding. It is so fun to watch her learn. The words she can say now are: mama, dada, ball, done, touch down (with her arms up which is super cute), thank you, uh oh, whoa, oh no, no, mo mo (code for Elmo), and Pop Pop. She is starting to be able to repeat everything which is fun (and scary) to see.
- She still loves to do her animal sounds and always makes us laugh with those. She also knows where her ears, nose, mouth, feet, elbows, and belly button are located. When you ask her where something is, she finds it on herself, then goes to everyone in the room to show them theirs as well.
- She almost has all her teeth. I don't know if that is early or not, but we are 4 shy (from what I can tell) of a full set, and those seem to be close to breaking through.
- Her hair is still very curly. I kept thinking as it got longer it was going to straighten out a bit, but it seems to just get curlier. It is so cute but hard to tame. She still won't wear bows or clips, so some days it just gets a little out of control.

I could go on and on about her, but I will just post some pictures from the past two months. She is still such a sweet girl and we love her more and more each day. On a quick side note, baby #2 is growing and doing great as well. We had an ultrasound last week and got to see him/her pretty well, so it was fun. Due date is 4 months away; I know it will be here before we know it!

Note: these are not in chronological order. She may appear to get younger, but don't worry she is growing!!





Had a fun trip to the zoo with mommy & daddy.



She is getting very fast - we sometimes struggle to keep up with her!



She loves to read before bed and loves her little Sesame Street books.



Fun at the park with CC & Pop Pop!



Went to the Houston Rodeo parade and enjoyed the view from Daddy's shoulders.



Apparently we did not feed her what she wanted; she will just get it herself!



Playing in the yard at Grandma & Grandpa's.



Flying high with Daddy!



See above comment regarding crazy hair! I wasn't exaggerating. Luckily it does not look like this all the time, but it can get a little out of control. The funniest part is that she is still so cute, even with her crazy hair!!!



You have to earn your keep at the Tidwell house.





Having fun playing with bubbles with Grandma.



My girl looks good in green and gold - what can I say? Also, note that she let me put a bow in her hair and kept it in for about 30 minutes - progress!!!

14 Months - Pictures

Josh uploaded the new pictures from our camera last night, so here are a few of Avery playing over the last month. And, in case you are wondering, she is still too young to enjoy finger painting. That activity, which I thought was going to be so fun, lasted about as long as it took me to take those pictures. Maybe next year... Also, you will notice, she likes to do things with her mouth open - I think it helps her concentrate!

14 Months

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!

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!

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.

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!

She Makes Me Smile

Just a few cute pics of my sweet girl.