Avery's First Christmas!

The Friday before Christmas was the start of the best little 6 day vacation we've had in a while!  Avery went to school with her teacher gifts in hand (she was naturally way more excited about putting them in her mouth than handing them over.  She's got to learn the art of "giving"...)

 Jacob took half a day at work the Friday before Christmas so he could get everything loaded up.  We literally had the Tahoe filled to the brim...he couldn't even see out of the rear-view mirror because things were packed so high.  Since becoming more mobile, Avery has absolutely loathed riding in her car seat for longer than 10 minutes...which makes traveling to DFW interesting.  She did well until we hit Waco.  4.5 hours after we left Round Rock, we were at Gigi and Granddad's house!

Saturday morning Avery helped Gigi and Momma do some last minute Christmas lunch shopping at Sam's.  Girlfriend loves her some bulk bargains too.

Saturday evening we went to the Candlelight service at Gateway church where Avery's Uncle Jeremy and Miss Valerie work.  Avery did really well sitting through the service.  She lasted a little over half way through before Jacob and to leave with her because she was "helping" Pastor Robert preach.

(She discovered her tongue earlier this date...and this is literally the face she made all day.)

Photobomb...level: Momma

Uncle Jeremy and Miss Valerie

Candlelight service.  I may or may not have dripped hot wax all down my hand....and on the seat in front of me.

Monday morning we sent Dada off bright and early to get in line for tickets to see Santa at NorthPark Center in Dallas.  I'm entirely convinced that he is actually the real Santa therefore we were willing to do whatever it took to get Avery an audience with him.

Granddad bought Avery her first red & white Minnie Mouse

Seriously people...he's real.  Don't tell me otherwise.

Seeing Santa and shopping with the rich and famous can wear a girl out pretty quick.

Tuesday was focused on spending time with family.  Granddad is a pro at getting Avery to laugh  cackle. 

Her newest trick...clapping.

Wednesday was THE day.  Christmas day!  Avery had more toys to play with than she knew what to do with.  In all actuality, we totally could have just gotten her empty boxes and bows and she would have been just as happy.  :)

Christmas evening Gigi and Granddad offered to watch the Little Miss while Momma and Dada got to go on a double date to ICE! at the Gaylord Texan resort.  I had never been before, the thought of spending any amount of time in a room that was purposefully set to 9 degrees isn't my idea of a good time, but- it was fun.

 

Thursday morning we woke up and started that monstrous task of re-packing the Tahoe to head home.  It was sad to say goodbye to everyone, but, it just makes us want to come back soon!

Avery with her Great-Great Aunts Faye and Mary Lou

Jacob and I have both decided that Christmas was waaay more fun with Avery around.  We can't wait for next year!

8 Months!

Stats:  19.5 lbs.  No clue how long she is.  I'll know officially at her 9 month appointment.

Milestones:  Cruising around like there's no tomorrow.  Avery has also started eating more and more solid food.  She tried her first bites of mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving and wasn't really a fan....she'll learn....eventually.

Her top 2 teeth have finally broken through.  Finally.

Behavior:  Still a goober and I love it.  She's a comedian at heart, I'm convinced.  I've repeatedly heard her laughing at herself.

Sleep:  We went back to normal and then she started cutting her top 2 teeth and regularity went flying out the window.  How long does it take for all their teeth to come in?  I'm ready to have my good sleeper back.

Clothes:  9 month everything.

Likes:  Exploring, standing up, reading books, bath time in her big girl rubber ducky tub, school, Ellie, and Sophie the Giraffe.

Dislikes: Staying still, getting into her car seat, getting dressed (it's like trying to lasso a cat.), riding in her car seat, being told "no".

Favorite Moments: First Thanksgiving, first taste of mashed potatoes, gaining independence, wearing shoes (!), increasing interactiveness.

Most Challenging:  Sleep regression, teething, ....gaining independence (it's a double edged sword, really).

Looking Forward To:  First Christmas at GiGi and Granddad's house!

7 months!

Stats:  Around 19lbs and somewhere in the neighborhood of 26 inches long.  No doctor's appointments this month (can I get a hallelujah) so no official weight/length.

Milestones:  We're now crawling AND pulling up.  Oh- let's not forget walking while holding onto momma or dada.  The speech therapist in me is super proud of the variegated babbling happening since around the 7.5 month mark.  This kid is on the fast track.  Slow up sister.

Still no top teeth.  We've been "expecting" them for almost a month now.  Hopefully soon.

Behavior:  Avery is a ham.  A Christmas ham.  She cheeses it up when a camera is brought out, she laughs at herself, she mocks us laughing at her, and she'll do just about anything to get someone to smile at her.  She's continued with the displeasure scream/whine too.  Avery is super friendly and has yet to meet a stranger.

Sleep:  We went through some sleep regression over the last month, however, she's almost back on track.  Her internal clock is forever messed up because of daylight savings.  What used to be acceptable (6am) as a wake up time has morphed into a "begin to stir" at 4:45, up ready to go by 5:15 type of behavior.  Yeah.  Not happy.  We've started keeping her up a little bit later thinking that would adjust everything, but no.  We're still the earliest of birds..

Clothes:  9 month everything.

Likes:  Exploring, standing up, reading books, bath time in her big girl rubber ducky tub, school, and Sophie the Giraffe.


Dislikes: Staying still, getting into her car seat, getting dressed (it's like trying to lasso a cat.)

Favorite Moments: Reaching a ton of milestones, going to a football game, and celebrating dada's birthday, and our first Halloween!


Most Challenging:  Sleep regression.

Looking Forward To:  First Thanksgiving and growing!

Trick or Treat!

Avery was the cutest little pumpkin I've ever seen for Halloween....

...I mean really.  

Avery's First Pumpkin Patch!

Avery's First (of many) Baylor Homecoming!

1. At the parade!  Avery loved the big inflatable bear.  Like loved it enough I'm looking into getting one for her room.  

2. Family picture at the parade!  Don't let her smirk fool you...she was having a great time.

3.  Decked out in Baylor gear!  Her bow was seriously larger than her.

4.  Taking a break from the cold wind in the library where her momma worked all through college.  

1.  Brunch with Aunt Staci and Uncle Chris!  Right before this picture she took her bow off her head and threw it across the room.

2.  Obligatory momma/dada picture in the mirrored ceiling of the Texas Collection elevator.

3.  Tailgating!

4.  Not a fan of the cold wind.  Not.a.fan.

1.  Yay for football!  She was THE hit in our section.  Everyone wanted to see her dress (courtesy of Aunt Staci [online here...].

2.  Someone loved people watching during the game!  

3.  Snuggling with dada during halftime.  

4.  Momma and Aunt Staci ran into Holly Tucker from the Voice in the concourse of the stadium!  

We had such a blast this past weekend.  It was much MUCH needed "break from the real world" from the previous week.  Now we can tell Avery that she was at the very last homecoming game at Floyd Casey Stadium!  Next year...bigger and better things at the new Baylor Stadium!

Can You Hear Me Now?

Last Tuesday Avery (hopefully) completed her journey through ear infection land with the placement of tubes.  I thought I would be more anxious about the tubes than I was.  I think that Jacob and I had reached a point of "anything is better than this" in regards to her constant ear infections and crankiness.  Also....we've had enough of antibiotic diapers.  ....you fellow mommas know exactly what I'm talking about.

Our arrival time at the surgery center was 6am and we were there with 10 minutes to spare.  Avery was in a good mood all morning even after having to wake up about 30 minutes earlier than normal.  Even though she's an early riser, she's not a fan of getting up earlier than 5am.  Sorry sister...new ears are waiting for you.

We couldn't give her any formula that morning and could only give her Pedialyte.  She totally knew it wasn't the norm.  Luckily, by the time she finished the bottle in the car, we were at the surgery center and there were people to watch.  Avery is a people watcher at heart....just like her momma.

Getting vitals on a squirmy 6 month old is comical.  The nurse eventually just gave up and said, "As much as you're moving and laughing, I think you're converting enough oxygen to be within normal range."  I agreed and decided to let Avery roll around and play in the hospital crib while we waited for the doctor to come by.

Oh, did I mention tube day was Jacob's birthday too?  Happy birthday- let's get tubes.  :)

Dr. Clark came by and went over the procedure with us.  She said it would take about 15 minutes.  I'm not sure why I translated that to 15 minutes per ear so a grand total surgery time of 30 minutes.  That's not what she meant at all.  She meant 15 minutes start to finish.  Done.

After they took Avery back to the OR, I decided to stretch my legs and go to the bathroom.  I stopped in the waiting room where one of my many "Austin Mommas", Kariss, had come to sit with us.  I told her that they had taken Avery back.  We chatted briefly about getting breakfast after surgery.  I went to the restroom, waved at Kariss as I walked back through the waiting room and then made my way back into the recovery section of the surgery center.  Jacob had been waiting in the room the whole time and when I got back, he said, "The doctor just came in and said everything went well.  They'll have Avery back in a minute."  Wait.  Hold your roll sir.  What?  Done?  They just took her like 3 minutes ago.  Well, it had been 11 in fact.  For some reason I envisioned one of those people doing cattle roping for a time and they clap their hands together and raise them above their head to call for time to stop.  I'm not sure why I pictured Dr. Clark doing that, but it totally popped into my mind.

Avery was cranky when she got back to us, probably because she remember the Pedialyte lie we attempted to pass off as formula.  We gave her a bottle and she calmed down quickly.  When we got home, she slept for almost 3 hours.  She never does that.  Ever.  ....except at night.  I digress.

By that evening, she was "talking" and making more sounds than Jacob or I have ever heard her say before.  The next morning she had a clear-as-a-bell moment of screaming "momma" at me when I took something away from her.  I was so impressed I gave her back the tube of Butt Paste she was trying to eat.  :)  We are believers in ear tubes.

6 Months!

Stats: 25.75 inches long; 17.5lbs

Milestones:  Someone is a sitter!  She literally started sitting up the night of her infamous ER visit.  She's been getting better and better at it each day.  We are literally days away from crawling.  Like hours.  Minutes.  Seconds.  She's gotten the opposite hand/knee movement down in isolation, she's just got to put the 2 together and BAM! we've got movement.

Avery is doing well with her "big girl food".  This kids looves sweet potatoes like they're going to stop making them yesterday.  She definitely prefers vegetables over fruits.  Go figure.

This month Avery became the proud owner of 2 bottom teeth.  Poor kiddo didn't know what hit her during teething.  Hopefully the rest of her teeth will come in easier.....I'm assuming they won't.

Behavior: We've entered the realm of "I'm really mad that you took that away from me, now I think I'll scream".  Case-in-point: We were getting our Christmas card pictures made and I was wearing a really fantastic necklace.  Avery figured this obviously had to taste as good as it looked therefore she needed to eat it.  I took the necklace away from her and you would have thought I told her that Disney World was closing forever.  She screamed and cried and threw herself onto my should in disbelief of such actions towards her.  Drama.  The kid is drama and I love it.  :)

Catching up on her email.

Sleep:  Avery graduated from her rock-n-play back to full time crib sleep after we woke up to her attempting to pull herself out of it at night.  She's got muscles...let me tell you.  So far so good.  It's funny to watch her via video monitor at night.  She'll start at one end of the bed and squiggle and squirm her way to the complete other side of the bed within minutes.  She still wakes herself up talking or singing.  I like to think she's talking to her stuffed animals about what she dreamed about.  She has great conversations with those guys.  Oh to be a fly on that wall.

Being a princess and traveling is realllly hard work.  Naps on GiGi are are must.

Clothes: She's leaving 6 month old clothes land just about as quick as she got into it.  Some of her 6 month stuff is getting small.  I'm dying a little on the inside about it.  Just stay little please.

Likes:  Still loving school, she'll drop whatever she's playing with when Mickey Mouse Clubhouse comes on, attempting to crawl, Ellie, bath time has a whole new allure now that she can sit up and splash around without falling over.

(They have a mutual love and it's awesome.)

Dislikes: Staying still.

Favorite Moments: First trip to Louisiana, first plane ride, pooping and laughing at 20,000 ft in the air (more on that here...), meeting her Great Aunt Darleen and second cousin Morgan, going to DFW to see DeDe, Memaw, Pops, Gigi, and Granddady!

Visiting her DeDe.

Most Challenging:  Still the ear infections.  She's scheduled for tubes tomorrow.  I'll be updating as soon as I get a chance to.  She's on her 5th double ear infection since August.  The pediatric ENT told us that the basic criterion for tubes is 4 infections in a 6 month period.....Avery has had 5 in a 2.5 month period.  Looks like we've got an over-achiever on our hands.

Looking Forward To:  First Halloween!  Dada's birthday, first Baylor homecoming (bonfire, parade, football game, you name it- we're doing it.), and crawling!