Halloween & Thanksgiving Professional Pictures

Last week Melinda  came with us to Stanley Ranch to take pictures for Thanksgiving and Halloween. I got the pictures back last night! Here are a couple of my favorites. 

12 weeks!

MONTH: 3

WEEK: 12

WEIGHT: Probably closer to 13lbs now.

LENGTH: I would estimate 23 1/4 inches

HEAD: Perfect!

MILESTONES: She is thisclose to rolling over from her back to her belly. She gets up to her side and then moves her arm and falls back to her back.

OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: This picture was actually taken at 12 weeks 2 days.

EATING: 24-26oz per day this week!

SLEEPING: We are so lucky to have a good sleeper. She sleeps from about 9:30pm until 6:30am. Every once in a while we get a morning to sleep in until 8:00am!

VISITS/OUTINGS: Avery has officially been on her first shopping trip! We went to the mall in Concord to find me some new clothes for work and she did so well! She's a natural. 

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Playing on her mat. She can even make the toys make noise all by herself now!

MOMMY FEELS: Conflicted. I am supposed to go back to work on Monday and I am not looking forward to it, but we have been talking about it and it won't be for long.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Some big changes in the next few weeks! Be on the lookout for some exciting announcements!

Sneak Peek - Halloween Pictures

Today Justin and I took Avery to Stanley Ranch Pumpkin Patch to get her first pumpkin. Melinda came with us to take our Halloween & Thanksgiving pictures.

She is a much better photographer and the pictures we saw on the camera look fantastic. Here is a one I snapped really fast on my cell phone while she was adjusting her camera.

More to come soon!

My Lucky Day

Last week I entered a contest on one of my favorite sites Baby Steals. They were giving away a great new product call the GoCrib by Guava Family. A couple of days later I got an email that I was a winner!

I have been waiting to receive the package so I could test it out. Today it arrived and I opened it up immediately.

I comes in this compact backpack for easy portability and inflates in just 5 minutes. I swear each side only took 5 pumps!

I put Avery in it and she had a blast! I love it because she can play in it by herself while I get things done around the house and I don't have to worry about the dog stepping on her or licking her in the face! 

I am so excited to be able to take this with us on trips this summer! It's going to be so convenient to just toss it in the car and go!

Changes!

Justin has been miserable at his job for some time now. When he took the position it was never meant to be a long term job, so he has been searching for something that really appealed to him.  Last week he applied for a new job with Culligan. This Wednesday he had his first interview, then yesterday afternoon he had a second interview over the phone with the Western US Sales Manager. That night they called and offered him the position.

I am so happy for him. It has better hours, better benefits, a better working environment, and the best part? More than twice the salary. This job is going to provide so many more opportunities for our family. Since our plan has always been to move back to Idaho, this job will allow us to save money faster so that dream may be able to become a reality sooner than we thought.

I am so thankful for this opportunity. We are so blessed.

11 Weeks!

MONTH: 3

WEEK: 11

WEIGHT: 10lbs 15oz (at last Dr. appointment)

LENGTH: 22 3/4 inches (at last Dr. appointment)

HEAD: 15 3/4 inches (at last Dr. appointment)

MILESTONES: It hasn't surfaced yet, but it seems like Avery might be starting to get her first tooth. (ALREADY?!) She's been pretty fussy, drooly and gnawing on her bottle nipples and pacifier. From what I hear she could be doing this for months and months before a tooth ever shows up though. 

OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: Avery's weekly picture sitting in Daddy's recliner. She was trying - unsuccessfully - to grab her little toes!

EATING: Still 24-28 oz a day

SLEEPING: Avery has slept through the night for the last two weeks! We are so lucky!

VISITS/OUTINGS: We went to Avery's first football game last Friday. She met all kinds of new people and did great! She will be able to sleep through anything if she could sleep at the stadium!

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Avery has been loving her swing this week. She's been a little sleepier than usual and has been taking extended naps in her swing.

MOMMY FEELS: Nervous. I have to go back to work on Nov. 1 and I am so not looking forward to leaving my little punky. Luckily Justin will get to be home with her and have his bonding time, so that will be good for them. 

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Tomorrow our friend, Melinda, is going to do pictures for us. We are planning on going to Stanley Ranch Pumpkin Patch - if the weather allows - for Halloween/Thanksgiving pictures and then back to our house for Christmas pictures. If it rains, we will just do the Christmas ones at the house. Crossing our fingers that the rain holds out!

Go Team!

On Friday Justin & I took Avery to the new Memorial Stadium with Justin's mom since his dad has been helping the varsity team during home games. It was the first game for Vintage High in the stadium since it's remodel. Avery was so good!

Before the game Avery decided to take a pregame nap while we went and bought sandwiches. While we ate, grandma gave her a bottle and then she watched for a while.

Avery all bundled up and ready to go.

She got to meet a few people and at the end of the junior varsity game she even took a nap in the Ergo. She was all bundled up and toasty. She was my little space heater.

Napping in the Ergo.

We left during the varsity game and left Justin there because he had gone down onto the field with his dad. Once we got home after all those naps she was wide awake. Luckily she had this snazzy new sleeper I put her in and we hung out into the living room until he got home.

Wide awake after the game.
(Her shirt says "I love the nightlife"... and she does!)

October 15th

is a day to promote support, education and awareness for those who are suffering or may know someone who has suffered a miscarriage, an ectopic pregnancy, a still birth, or the loss of an infant.

Today I lit a candle in our home to honor the baby we lost to miscarriage last year. While if we had not lost that baby, we would not have Avery, that doesn't mean we didn't and don't love that baby too.

I hate that miscarriage is such a taboo subject. It deserves recognition so that women going through it don't feel alone. It's a sad fact that 1 in 4 are touched by pregnancy or infant loss.

Aside from Avery the one other bright spot that has come out of this journey has been the amazing friends I have found who have and are going through the same thing.

Sew-cute!

I have decided that I want to learn to sew. Unfortunately no one in my own family knows how to sew. Luckily Justin's sister, Stacy, has taught herself how to sew, so she came over yesterday to help show me the ropes.

Last week Avery and I had walked to the fabric store which is just around the corner and bought fabric and a pattern I thought would be an easy enough first project. It definitely wasn't the easiest project, but I feel like I got a good challenge!

Here is the final project:

And Avery modeling it for us:

10 weeks!

MONTH: 3

WEEK: 10

WEIGHT: 10lbs 15oz

LENGTH: 22 3/4 inches

HEAD: 15 3/4 inches

MILESTONES: Laughing regularly and officially in 0-3 months clothes and size 1 diapers!

OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: Avery's weekly picture sitting in Daddy's recliner. Look at her with her arm on the chair like such a big girl.

EATING: 24-28 oz a day

SLEEPING: Avery is a super sleeper. She sleeps in great stretches and even slept 9.5 hours last night! It feels amazing to get a good night sleep.

VISITS/OUTINGS: Aunt Stacy visited us yesterday and helped teach Mommy how to sew. It was fun to spend almost the whole day just us girls.

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Avery's number one favorite activity is sleep! Other than that we like to play a lot on the blanket Mommy made and on her new activity mat.

MOMMY FEELS: Blessed. I can't believe it's been 10 weeks already. I am so sad to think I only have two weeks left until I have to go back to work. I am so grateful that Daddy will get to stay home with Avery and get his own bonding time.

For the love of a child

Dear Avery,

I had always heard how the love you feel for your child cannot be compared to anything else. How it's different than the love you feel for your parents, your siblings, even your partner. How it is immeasurable.

I never knew how true this would be until I had you. The love I feel every time I look at you is astonishing. It fills my heart to a degree I never knew possible. I would go to the end of the world and back just to make you smile because your happiness is my happiness now.

Love,
Your Mommy

9 weeks!

Wow. Where has the time gone? I can't believe it's been 9 weeks. So much has changed in such a short time.

This week we took Avery to her 2 month check up. She is 10lbs, 15oz (30th percentile) and 22.75 inches long (45th percentile) with a head circumference of 40cm (15.75 inches). She got 3 shots which I couldn't be there for (that's an entirely different story too!), but Justin says she took them like a champ! He said she cried the saddest cry but only for a minute and once he gave her snuggles she was okay.

On Wednesday she started laughing. Like real laughs in reaction to something I've done. I make silly faces and weird sounds at her all day trying to get her to do it again and every time she does it's the best sound!

Here is a picture I took on Wednesday.

9 weeks

Avery's TWO Months!

Avery turned two months yesterday. She is so big and already starting to get a little personality. She smiles all the time and even babbles at us. Her little noises are so funny and adorable.

Here is Avery in her onesie with the cute stickers I bought. Unfortunately though I did not buy them soon enough and I missed the 0 and 1 month.

Craft Mama!

Friday's craft project - no-sew fleece blanket

Sunday's craft project - Tutu!

ETA: Next project: learn how to actually sew something. If only I could figure out how to thread Denise's 60 year old sewing machine!