52 Weeks!

MONTH: 12
WEEK: 52
WEIGHT: 24 lbs +
LENGTH: 31-ish inches
HEAD: 18 Inches +
MILESTONES: She says mama!!!!!!! Like for reals. To me. mama. Ahhh!
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: Avery loves to clap and will do it on cue when you say, "yaaaaaaay!"

EATING: My foodie baby has turned into a picky toddler. We are still trying to figure out why she won't eat foods she once loved. I've found that if I eat some first she will eat a little. And forget trying to get her to eat something I'm not eating.
SLEEPING: We are back to one full waking a night and a couple of paci replacements. It's a vast improvement from the 3-4 full wakings we had so I'll take it for now.
VISITS/OUTINGS: Avery has been loving the park so we try to go a couple times per week.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: She loves to pull ALL the tupperware and sippys out of the one cabinet we left un-childproofed.
MOMMY FEELS: So shocked that it's been 52 weeks. It's so surreal.
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Tomorrow is her actual 1st birthday and Avery's party is on Saturday.

51 weeks!

MONTH: 12 
WEEK: 51 
WEIGHT: 24 lbs 
LENGTH: 31+ in 
HEAD: 18+ in
MILESTONES: Avery can now tell us to "shhh" except instead of putting one finger in front of her mouth she puts her whole hand. It's pretty hilarious. She's also added a third dance move to her repertoire. She can now wave her hands frantically, bounce her little tushy and stomp her feet.
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: Taken on Friday at 51 weeks 2 days. She was not very cooperative, but her little half smile is still adorable.
EATING: I've heard toddlers can be picky, but I didn't believe it would happen to us... until now. She is now refusing most veggies and almost any grain. I've taken to putting cheese on the veggies to make them more appetizing. Also, I've found that she doesn't mind being fed most foods. What a diva. 
SLEEPING: The night before last we got 8 hours. EIGHT whole hours. I am so refreshed and feel much more equipped to handle the wakeups for the next few weeks. 
VISITS/OUTINGS: Tomorrow we are going to the State Fair. It will be Avery's first fair and is supposed to be 90+ degrees. Wish us luck!
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Avery has become a fast fan of climbing stairs. Now we have to be on the lookout for any before she makes a beeline for them and is halfway up the flight.
MOMMY FEELS: Overwhelmed with the fact that my baby will be a toddler -- next week. :::breathes into a paper bag:::
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO: 

Boo boo

Last week we took an trip to the park one morning. I like to take Avery to the park early in the day before all the big kids get there because they are rough and fast and I don't like her to get trampled. Well even with my good intentions she still ended up with a boo boo. Luckily she had some fun before running into the bench.

There's Something About...

Mary Avery.

Grandpa's Girl

 Last week while we were at Grandma and Grandpa Nunley's house Grandpa and Avery were outside playing golf. Grandpa showed Avery how to put the ball on the tee and how to swing her little club to hit it. She didn't quite understand but it was adorable to watch her try -- especially when she tried to take the ball and run away with it.

50 Weeks!

MONTH: 12
WEEK: 50
WEIGHT: 23lbs 15.5oz -- according to the doctor's scale on Monday. I will note that this was fully clothed and with a wet diaper, so while she is a big girl, she's not that big!
LENGTH: 30+ lbs 
HEAD: 18+ in.
MILESTONES: Avery has her first ear infection. Poor baby has to take Amoxicillin twice a day for 10 days. So far she has been a trooper. She's also learned to clap with sound and use a sippy. It's been a busy week!
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: Justin always has the magic touch when it comes to getting her to sit semi-still and make a face other than sticking her tongue out. Luckily he was home today when we took this photo. It's actually one of my favorites of the year.
EATING: We are not introducing any new foods for a couple of weeks since she is taking this antibiotic for the first time. If she has an allergic reaction we need to know that it is the medicine and not a new food.
SLEEPING: Now that she has been on the antibiotic for a few days she seems to be sleeping a little better. On Tuesday she took a 4 hour nap at Ma'am's house. She also only woke twice on Monday night which meant I slept from midnight until 5 am solid. I felt like a whole new person!
VISITS/OUTINGS: Avery has been visiting with her cousin Kayla a lot since she has been here. She's also going to be visiting Ma'am three days a week for the next 6 weeks since I enrolled in a fitness bootcamp to hopefully get myself back into shape!
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Avery has become a huge fan of emptying every single cabinet in the kitchen, so we have had to babyproof the ones that are not safe for her to play in. I put locks on all but one cabinet which has the tupperware and sippy cups. Those she can throw about the kitchen as she pleases.
MOMMY FEELS: Refreshed. Just the one great night of sleep gives me a fresh outlook. 
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO: I am looking forward to these last two weeks with my baby. After that I will have a toddler. For that I am just not ready.

My kid, the bully, makes friends!

Today Justin and I took Avery to the mall. At our mall they have this awesome play area for kids. Avery has never been old enough for it until now. There is a tunnel to crawl through, a slide to climb and slide down, and these huge statue-like things that they can climb on. They are all made out of this soft, rubbery material so it's super safe.

Avery had a blast! She even had to learn to wait her turn, that not everyone plays nice and that she is actually little so to watch out for the bigger kids! The boy in the blue shirt was so nice. He even let Avery go in front of him because she didn't quite understand the way it works.

Cousin Love.

On Tuesday Stacy & I brought Avery with us to the airport to pick up Ma'am and Avery's cousin Kayla. She will be here in California for 9 whole days! Yesterday we got to hang out for the whole afternoon just Avery, Kayla and me.

First we had lunch and then visited Aunt Stacy at work. Aunt Stacy works at the Town of Yountville and they have this awesome gymnasium that was empty when we got there so Avery and Kayla got to play with the balls, hula hoops and jump ropes all they wanted.

After that we went swimming at the pool in Yountville. Avery and Kayla are so cute together. They are both little fishes. Avery kept wanting Kayla to hold her in the pool, but since Kayla wasn't able to reach the bottom I held her and she held Avery then I wrapped my arm around the both of them.

After swimming we went to dinner, the bookstore and to frozen yogurt. All in all it was a great day. Kayla is so helpful in the car keeping Avery occupied and happy when we go places. It's much nicer to hear them babble to each other than to hear Avery fuss because she is unhappy being strapped down. 

49 Weeks!

MONTH: 12
WEEK: 49
WEIGHT: about 23lbs
LENGTH: 30+ inches
HEAD: 18+ inches
MILESTONES: Avery has been working on perfecting her other tricks this week. She's also learned how to open our cabinets and drawers. Time for Phase 2 of baby proofing. 
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: Today this was the first picture taken. She was very cooperative.
EATING: She is a champion eater... mostly only at lunchtime. Today she ate half a huge chicken breast, a few broccoli florets, and a couple pieces of steamed carrots. If I had made more she would have eaten that, too. 
SLEEPING: It has not really improved so we are starting a new method as outlined in The No Cry Sleep Solution
VISITS/OUTINGS: Yesterday we drove with Aunt Stacy to Sacramento to pick up Ma'am and Cousin Kayla. Today we had fun all day with Kayla and we are so glad she will be here for another week!
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Avery is a little fish. She loves swimming almost as much as her Cousin.
MOMMY FEELS: Proud of her baby girl. I love watching her grow and learn and become an independent person. 
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Spending time with Avery's cousin, Kayla, while she is here on vacation for the next week.

Reunited.

Today we had Justin's family reunion on his mom's side. Avery had not met most of them (honestly, neither had I!) so it was nice to get together. Avery was especially friendly with the family she did recognize and I got some awesome pictures.

Auntie Mandy

This week my sister, Amanda is in town visiting. Yesterday we went to breakfast and took some super cute pics!

Avery sure loves her Auntie Mandy. We wish she would visit more often!

48 weeks!

MONTH: 12
WEEK: 48
WEIGHT: 23+ lbs
LENGTH: 30+ inches by my estimate
HEAD: 18+ inches
MILESTONES: Avery has added a few new ones! My favorite is the random hugs with pats on the back she is giving. She has also learned how to climb out of the bath. Oye!
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: Look how long those legs are!
EATING: Today we tried a new recipe for Braised Balsamic Chicken and Avery devoured it.
SLEEPING: We are working on it, but lately we've been getting some great naps. 
VISITS/OUTINGS: On Friday and Saturday we had two playdates with our friend, Ashlee, and her adorable daughter, Madison. Avery and Madison are going to be BFFs!
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Avery loves swimming. We are so lucky to have a pool in our complex.
MOMMY FEELS: Tired. Please let's get it down to maybe two wakeups a night by 1 year.  
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Celebrating Avery's birthday!

Happy Fourth of July!

We celebrated the holiday over two days. On the 3rd we had a BBQ at Grandma & Grandpa Nunley's with Uncle Trevor. Avery got to play and chase around her bubble bug. After dinner and a rousing game of Spades we came home and Avery, Justin and I watched the fireworks from Silverado Country Club on the balcony. We could barely see them through the trees over the shopping center, but it was 10x better than trying to brave that traffic and risk having a crankypants baby.

On the 4th we just hung out at home, ran some errands and had BBQ for dinner. Avery went to bed early and I caught up on my blogging while Justin watched a movie or tv or something -- I'm not really sure since I wasn't exactly paying attention!

Both days Avery wore her super cute 4th of July dress which I had to wash between days because she, of course, couldn't go a whole day without spilling, spitting up, or falling in water and then subsequently rolling in dirt.

11 Months!

Avery, my Avery.
Only four more weeks until you are a whole year old. It is unbelievable. Where has the time gone? In the last four weeks so much has changed. You have some awesome new tricks. 

- You love to babble to inanimate objects. It's so fun to hear you use the ebb and flow of conversation with just random sounds. It' pretty hilarious.
- You've learned to point and smile at things you want like a specific toy or the dog. It's much easier having some form of communication to help decipher what you want/need.
- You are a little dancing queen. You have this frog that sings the song Shake It by Metro Station. It's so cute to see your little diapered booty shake.
- You are now a copy cat. Any time we sneeze or cough you like to make the coughing sounds back to us. It's pretty funny. I just hope you grow out of it by kindergarden or your classmates will think you are makeing fun of them!
- One not so fun trick is biting. With each new tooth the bites get harder and more frequent. It's getting more and more difficult not to react, but according to "the books" this is the best way to help this phase pass quickly. Tell that to teeth marks on my shoulder.
- My absolute favorite new trick is the hugs and kisses. You have become so affectionate. My favorite part of the day is when I am sitting on the floor and you come running up just to lay your head on my shoulder, wrap your arms around me, pat my back and make the "ahhh" sound. It seriously melts my heart every.single.time.

THIS MONTH YOUR BABY MAY BE ABLE TO:

• cry when scolded, as she matures emotionally: You are definitely a sensitive girl. It's so sad (and funny at the same time) to see that little quiver lip whenever I take something away that you shouldn't have -- like the dog food you so love to play in.
  
• begin to stand without assistance You have been standing since around 9 months!
• repeat actions to get attention You definitely try to make a scene to get a reaction and if we can't seem to keep a reaction under wraps you love to repeat it until we move to a different location. We are trying very hard not to react.
• manipulate an object to get it out of a tight space I love watching you try to get the wood blocks from out of the wood box with a lid. It seems much easier to get them in than it does to get them out.
• place objects into a container, as her understanding of spatial relationships continues to develop You are especially proficient at taking laundry out of the basket, but have also learned to put it back. I just wish you would do it when I ask instead of when the mood strikes.

Copy Cat

Recently Avery has picked up a new favorite trick. Whenever we cough or sneeze she has started to mimic us. It's pretty hilarious.

(Please ignore the yellow tint, the lighting in Avery's bathroom is not so good.)

A Month in Photos: June 2011

My little gymnast.

Last week we tried gymnastics. It starts with free play for the kids to get used the equipment. Then there is circle time. It includes stretching and singing then follow the leader around all the equipment. After that there is parachute time where they all sit in the middle and we twirl them around singing ring around the rosey.

I was not a fan of the group on Wednesday so we decided to try Thursday. Avery seemed to liked to this group better and the mothers were much friendlier. I think we will try a couple other days, but probably stick with Thursdays.

47 weeks!

MONTH: 11
WEEK: 47
WEIGHT: roughly 23lbs fully clothed with shoes.
LENGTH: 30" by my estimate
HEAD: 17"+
MILESTONES: Avery has added a new word to her vocabulary. She now says Hi while waving. It's adorable. We also have a fourth tooth!
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: It's getting harder and harder to get a good one of her sitting still, smiling, facing the camera, etc.
EATING: What can I say? She's a foodie. 
SLEEPING: Some days I long for the days when she would sleep for 3+ hours soundly in her My Little Lamb swing and I could actually get a little sleep too. Lately it seems that 3 hours is only achieved if we are awake. Withing the first hour of us going to bed she stirs and must be soothed. We are I am regularly getting up to replace the paci, rock, soothe, etc at least 3 times per night. I hope now that this last tooth has broken through we might have a few nights of decent sleep. please.
VISITS/OUTINGS: Avery spent today at Ma'am's while Justin and I shopped for her birthday party. We got tons of stuff and even had a grown up lunch! Tomorrow we will be going to our second installment of gymnastics. Last week we went on a Wednesday. The mamas and babies were nice but not too friendly, so we'll be trying Thursdays to see if we like that group better. 
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Avery has taken a liking to babbling incessantly to random objects. It's quite hilarious, actually. 
MOMMY FEELS: tired. Hopefully we get some better sleep this week. 
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Planning Avery's birthday party has been quite the event, but we are so looking forward to celebrating this first year with our family and friends.

Daddy's girl

One of my favorite things about being able to stay home with Avery is that most days Justin can work from home. He is able to take off with us to the park and on Monday's that's just what we did.

I love the way Justin can make her laugh like no one else and how much fun they have together.

Curtain bling.

In our new apartment Avery's room faces East and in the morning it is very bright. It's especially bright right around the time of her morning nap. A couple of weeks ago I bought some blackout curtains that do a great job of darkening the room. Unfortunately once she is up I had been having a hard time finding a way to keep them open so she didn't continuously think it was naptime.

I decided I would make some curtain ties. I printed out a flower shape in four different sizes, pinned the patterns to felt in fuchsia, light pink and white. Once I cut out all eight -- two in each of the four sizes -- I put them together with a dab of hot glue between each layer. Then I took some embroidery floss and stitched a spiral in the center.

Once the flowers were done I stitched a piece of hook & loop to opposite sides of a piece of 1/2" grosgrain ribbon on either end. Then I hot glued the finished flower to one end of the ribbon on the opposite side as the hook & loop.

I love how it dresses up her otherwise blase curtains.

So big!

Avery has mastered a new trick.

When asked, "How big are you?" she lifts both arms over her head to which we respond by saying, "So big!" in a sing-songy tone.

I cannot justify it's cuteness in words, so here is a video taken this morning to show you.