2011: Best of!

This year has been a whirlwind and I can't believe it has flown by so quickly. Here are our top 10 from 2011. *Note: These are in no particular order. 

1. Avery turns 1!











 
2. Brenda becomes a stay-at-home-mommy.
3. Cousin Kayla visits.













4. Finding out Avery will be a big sister in 2012!

 

5. Avery starts walking.

6. Auntie Mandy visits.












7. We took our first family vacation to Monterey, CA.













8. Justin and I celebrated great 3 years of marriage.

9. Aunt Audra & cousin Jess visit.

10. Avery took swimming lessons.










To bring everything full circle, here is "then and now" of Avery. We can't wait to see what 2012 brings us and meet Avery's baby sister.

23 weeks!

How far along? 23 weeks
Weight gain/loss: +9
Maternity clothes? Yes.  
Stretch marks? None yet.  
Sleep? Last night was a glorious night. Avery slept from 7:30pm until 8:15 all the way through. In her own bed!
Best moment this week? A full night's sleep is always a bonus, but Christmas was by far the best.
Movement: She has the hiccups all the time just like her big sister. Right now she is having a rave.
Food cravings: Birthday cake from Costco. Mmmm!
Gender: Girl!
Labor signs? Not yet and hopefully not for a while yet.
Belly button in or out? Still in.
What I miss? Eating by myself.
What I am looking forward to? Finding a new place to live and bring this little girl home to.
Weekly wisdom: If something doesn't work out the way you want you just have to trust that something better will come along.
Milestones: Avery's 2nd Christmas has come and gone and we survive.

Ho Ho Ho

Yesterday was Christmas and I have to say while Avery only sort of understood the concept of presents and opening she was mostly overwhelmed with the gifts. By about half way through she decided she was done and wanted to eat her bacon instead, so Justin and I opened the rest of her gifts and she was more than happy to play with them all once they were out of the wrapping.

In the afternoon she got to play with her cousins from Alabama and thought they were pretty cool -- especially Tessa who is just about a year older than her. We only had one fight over a toy between the two of them and I think that was pretty successful.

All in all I think Christmas 2011 was a hit!

22 weeks

How far along? 22 weeks
Weight gain/loss: +9
Maternity clothes? Yes.  
Stretch marks? No new ones so far.  
Sleep? It comes and goes. I wish it would come more often though.
Best moment this week? Baby girl has been moving up a storm and has had hiccups frequently just like her big sister.
Movement: I can feel her all the time. Now we are just waiting for it to be strong enough that Justin can feel it on the outside.
Food cravings: Sour cream.
Gender: Girl!
Labor signs? No, but I had my first braxton hicks contractions this week.
Belly button in or out? Still in... for now
What I miss? Being able to go more than an hour without eating or feeling nauseated.
What I am looking forward to? Still looking to find a bigger place. We have a few prospects though!
Weekly wisdom: I have nothing wise today. Just enjoy the moment.
Milestones: Feeling hiccups.

21 weeks.

How far along? 21 weeks
Weight gain/loss: +9
Maternity clothes? Yep.  
Stretch marks? Not that I can tell.  
Sleep? I am starting to need to be propped up by pillows.
Best moment this week? Nothing really exciting this week.
Movement: There's a rave going on in there. 
Food cravings: Marshmallows.
Gender: Girl!
Labor signs? Nope.
Belly button in or out? Still in!
What I miss? Sleeping well.
What I am looking forward to? Moving into a bigger place so I can start nesting.
Weekly wisdom: You will be tired at the end of the day regardless of how much you sleep.
Milestones: Nothing spectacular this week.

Forward Roll

Also known as a somersault.

Avery has been able to do these at gymnastics for a while now, but only on the wedge mat which gives her the leverage to get her booty over her head. She has been quite frustrated that she cannot do them on flat ground at home.

Until tonight. She successfully figured out how to push her legs up and over and do a forward roll. Actually, it looks more like a diagonal roll, but a roll nonetheless. She is quite proud and so am I.

20 weeks!

How far along? 20 weeks
Weight gain/loss: +9 (?!?!)
Maternity clothes? I have finally had to let my button out on my favorite pre-pregnancy jeans. I cans till wear them fully zipped and just cover the open button with my nifty BeBand.  
Stretch marks? I haven't seen any new ones, but I realized I probably won't be able to tell the difference between the ones I've had and any new ones anyways.  
Sleep? Even though sleep has been great I am still thoroughly exhausted at the end of the day.
Best moment this week? Today baby girl 2.0 is half baked!
Movement: This baby is a mover and a shaker. 
Food cravings: Nothing in particular, but I don't have an aversion to pork this time like I did with Avery.
Gender: Confirmed she is all girl with an ultrasound at my appointment today.
Labor signs? None yet.
Belly button in or out? Still in!
What I miss? Laying on my belly. It's already too big. <--- still true
What I am looking forward to? Christmas is coming and I am so excited to see Avery and how she will react. She has already done so well with the tree and all the decorations. I'm just afraid what she will do when we put wrapped gifts under it.
Weekly wisdom: If your doctor isn't worried about your weight gain you shouldn't be either.
Milestones: Being half way through this pregnancy.

Avery and Payton

This week Justin's best friend's wife came to visit with their daughter. We hadn't met Miss Payton yet, but Avery and I were lucky enough to get some time with her and her mama, Daniella today. She is just a doll. I can't figure out who she looks like, but she seems to be the perfect blend of her mom and dad.




Avery was so interested in the little baby and was so sweet to her. She wasn't jealous at all and let me hold and snuggle Payton for a good 15 minutes. She even gave her lots of gentle kisses. It was heart-melting.

Christmas Tree 2011

Today we went to the Christmas tree farm and picked out our Christmas tree. We love this place because it's the only place around here that you can still cut down your own tree. We took Grandma Nunley with us and it was so fun! Once we got home Avery took a nap since she was exhausted while Justin and I put the tree up and got it all set with lights. Once she was up she alternated back and forth from helping me decorate and watching the football game with Daddy. After the tree was all set up Lola snuggled under it to take a nap.

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