Rub-a-dub-dub

fun in the tub!

Ever since Avery was little she has loved the bath. It is so fun to play and laugh as a way to wind down from the day.

The tale of two pigs

or more commonly referred to as a pigtails. Avery's hair is finally long enough all over to be tied up into these cute little pigtails. They sort of look like horns which I find quite fitting for my bully of a kid. I can't wait for her first french braid.

Her father's daughter

I think Avery has been watching Justin for too long. This morning as soon as she woke up she ran into the living room, grabbed the remote and climbed into Daddy's recliner. She was so proud of herself.

What goes around comes around

For Christmas Grandma and Grandpa Nunley bought Avery this Jumperoo. Since she started crawling and subsequently walking shortly after she got very little use out of it. It had been stored away in her closet until recently when it caught her eye once again.

I pulled it out and put it together and put her in it. She was less than thrilled to be confined to one place after having such freedom for so long, so I took it apart again and while putting away the legs she took a fancy to playing with the seat part on the ground.

Ever since then the seat has been in our living room and floor and she loves to climb all over it and play with the toys on it or play with other toys while sitting in it.

Patio Party

Recently I made a few improvements to our tiny apartment patio so that we would have an outdoor area to play. Last week I put down the new rug so we could get started and as soon as Avery woke up from her nap I took her out there. She absolutely loves it and now that the patio is pretty close to being done she loves it even more. 

Baby no more.

Since turning 1 somehow Avery has turned into a full-fledged toddler. She even looks like a big kid. The day after her birthday I took her to the park.

My fair lady

On Thursday we took Avery to the Napa Town & Country Fair. We had gone to the state fair a couple of weeks ago, but this time we got to see all the farm animals up close and she had a blast. She even got to touch a pig!

Then today the fair wrapped up with a traditional, small town parade. Avery and Daddy waited for the parade to start each looking their own way. Then all the way through the parade she would drop her bottle and clap for all the passing floats.

Happy Birthday, Avery!

On Saturday we had Avery's birthday party. We were joined by so many family and friends and had a blast. She received so many wonderful gifts including a kitchen stool hand made by my dad so that she can stand up to counter height and cook with me and the doll that Justin and I gave to her. She loves that she can see what is going on up there on the stool and she loves to fling to doll around and run it over with the play stroller she also received.

These are some of the party photos

"DA DA DA DA DA!"

"What are these?!"

Loving playtime with Uncle Trevor

Don't mess with the birthday girl!

12 Months!

52 weeks. 12 months. 1 year.

Holy moly. Where did the time go? I can't believe she is 12 months old. Avery has accomplished some awesome things this month.

- Hi fives: Avery can now high five and low five. We're working on the simultaneous hi ten next.
- Mama: She says Mama. To me, about me and for me. It's the best noise I've heard since I heard that first cry the day she was born.
- Pony ride: Avery had her very first pony ride this month when we went to the state fair.
- Shhh: Avery loves to tell you shhh. I really like that she understands what shhh means and actually does it!
- Sippy: Avery mastered the sippy early in the month and has been using it like a champ ever since.

THIS MONTH YOUR BABY MAY:

• develop an attachment to a comfort object, like a teddy bear or a blankie, as she continues to find new ways to soothe herself Avery has had an attachment for a while to a particular type of fabric. Luckily we have three blankets that have this fabric and so far they are interchangeable to her.
• explore away from parents in a safe environment, as her confidence grows She loves to play independently, but frequently looks for one of us to make sure we are watching and especially loves when we talk to her as she is playing about what she is doing.
• begin to walk more steadily on her own She's been walking for two months now! A lot of people are shocked to know that she is only 1 because of how well she walks (and how big she is compared to other kids her age).
• begin to grab up small crumbs or pieces of food with two fingers She has been doing this since the start, but has recently become more picky by wanting to be fed with a fork or spoon. She's quite the diva.
• learn how to stack two blocks and scribble on paper Avery can stack her blocks and loves to knock them back over. I've never offered her a paper and crayon or marker to scribble, so I am not sure she could.
• begin to expand beyond her one-syllable vocabulary She says what sounds like hot and dog. I am not sure it's a coincidence or her obsession with the "Hot Dog Song" on the Mickey Mouse Club House.
• begin to imitate animal sounds She makes noises back at the dog, but it doesn't really sound like a bark.
• continue to search for hidden objects as her understanding of permanence grows There is no hiding things from this girl. If you take something away and try to put it behind your back or in your pocket she knows where to find it and usually isn't happy until she does. We are becoming very adept at distraction techniques.
  
• begin to point to things and look at pictures as her curiosity about her world increasesing Avery is definitely a girl. She loves to stare at herself in the mirror and look at pictures of herself.

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!