Avery Turns 5 Months Old!

Avery turned 5 months old on September 10th! Boy is she growing. She has had a few notable advancements this month.

1st, she got two teeth. They popped up on the bottom after weeks of heavy drooling and a few sleepless nights. Apparently, not only do I produce large children, I also produce early teethers. Connor got his first teeth by 5 months and so did Avery. Unfortunately, as you can imagine, babies don't like when sharp teeth poke through their baby gums, so it's not always pleasant, but mostly it doesn't seem to affect her sunny disposition.

She also has really increased her rolling and can roll from front to back and back to front. It's actually funny, because sometimes I put her under her play gym and go into the kitchen and then come back and she's rolled off of it onto the floor. This has become a bit of a problem during naptime though, because I can't get her to stop rolling onto her tummy and then because she's in a sleep sack, she can't get back over so she starts to cry. I have to go in and flip her back over. I am starting to let her stay on her tummy if she isn't fussing though and that seems to help.

We are working on sitting up on her own, but she's still pretty wobbly. That's a six month skill supposedly, so we're in no rush, but she does seem to be getting stronger and more stable every day. 

We don't have a doctor appointment at 5 months so I don't know her stats, but I'm guessing she's about 18 pounds. She is wearing 9 month and 12 month clothes. She's a big girl with lots of snuggly rolls. I love them and her so much. 

She still gets up once in the night, sometime between 2 and 4am and then when she wakes up for good in the morning changes. For about 10 days she was getting up at 5:50 am for the day and that was pretty harsh, but the last three days she has been getting up closer to 7:15am, so who knows. I wish she would get on more of a schedule so I could plan her naps and such, but she just doesn't seem to be cooperating in that regard. Some days she is ready for a nap by 8am and sometimes she can make it until 10am. Who knows.

She does still give me a good afternoon nap from maybe 3:30 to 5 or 6. The good news with that is that time is when Connor typically naps, so that is a lovely time in my day. When the naps don't align it's not as easy, and it does happen more than I'd like.

She still tends to be a very happy baby. People tell me that all the time. She'll smile at strangers and is generally very happy. She is laughing more and that's pretty awesome. I love her little smile. It melts me every time.

For now, she only drinks breast milk, but this next month, we plan to start solids. Very exciting. Stay tuned.

Our jolly Avery at 5 months.

Hello everyone, I'm 5 months old!

Avery has grown out of her swing already, but we tried it one day and she looked cute so I snapped some pictures.

Sweet girl, big cheeks, wild hair.

Avery constantly has her hands in her mouth and sometimes she actually sucks her thumb, but usually she just stuffs 4 fingers in her mouth at once.

Showing off her tummy time strength. Looking at her all pushed up.

Wearing her Aggie dress and getting in on the football action.

Just a little photo shoot of our little girl with her mommy. These may be the first pictures I'm actually in since she was born. 

I am such a sweetie!

I love this little sly face she's making.

She still loves her pacifier.

Showing off her length and her leg rolls.

For those people who don't ever see her cry. She does cry, I swear. Also, if you zoom in, you can probably see her two little teeth on the bottom.

Avery's pretty blue eyes.

Now here is a video of Avery being silly and giggling in the bath tub. You'll hear Connor walk in and ask why she's in his tub. It's funny. She grew out of her baby bath tub and likes the big tub to kick in. Connor by the way, continues to be an AWESOME big brother. We couldn't ask for more.

http://youtu.be/s0BQrjJwU60

Bryan fun and the Michigan Game

We have visited College Station twice recently. First was just our immediate family as my parents are still traveling and then the second time was with my Dad and my sister's family over Labor Day (My Mom was still in Colorado with my sister Julie and her new baby boy Dixon). Connor always has a ball with his cousins and it's just so fun to see. 

The Saturday of Labor Day weekend also kicked off college football season, so Jeff and I drove to Dallas to see Michigan take on Alabama at Cowboys Stadium. Michigan lost badly, but it was still a really cool experience.

Enjoy our pics.

Baby Avery swimming with Daddy during our family visit to Bryan. I will say, it was nice having a pool for a weekend.

Connor having fun in the spa.

Um, you can't have a beer yet Miss Avery.

During this weekend, Connor got really into using goggles and looking underwater.

On Sunday afternoon, we decided to have lunch over at the Miramont pool. Connor loved the pizza and the swimming.

Avery liked kicking her legs in the shade.

Our little water baby after some pool time.

Now this was taken Labor Day weekend. I just wanted a shot of her in this all pink outfit.

Happy girl.

Showing off her kicking skills.

The gangs all in the pool.

It was cute, the kids liked to sleep in the same room. In here we've got Martin, Winnie (on the floor), and Connor.

Avery dressed in her Michigan cheerleader outfit. While Jeff and I attended the game, Avery stayed with my Aunt and Uncle in Dallas, and Connor stayed in College Station with his cousins.

Michigan girls.

Avery looking quite at home at my Aunt and Uncle's house in Plano.

Admiring the huge Cowboys stadium when we first arrived.

Me and two of my lacrosse teammates at a pre game tailgate.

Standing in front of the huge jumbotron from our field level suite. We actually got on it 3 or 4 times. Very cool.

Watching warm ups from our suite.

Admiring our view. It really was a cool experience despite the loss.

Avery rocking her water hat before some pool time.

Cousins and Erin eating and drinking smoothies by the Miramont pool.

Grandpa and Avery poolside.

Night time swimming. The video below is of the night swimming. It's dark but you can get a sense of the fun.

 http://youtu.be/LI4UPwKBXXM

Connor and Libby are best buds. It's really cute seeing them interact. Here they are in the tub and the video below shows some of the fun.

http://youtu.be/FMscxOUseKQ

The D'Andrea kids loved their baby cousin. Here Libby gets to hold Avery and Martin (second grade this year) is being silly.

Avery is 4 Months!

Avery turned 4 months old on August 10th. The following Tuesday we went to the doctor for her 4 month appointment. Well, I guess I should have known that Avery was growing "well" since at 4 months old, little Miss Avery is already wearing 9 month clothes. My goodness. She remains in the 97th percentile at 16 pounds 6 ounces and 26 inches tall.

The doctor examined her and all is well. She is rolling over, so that's really the only "skill" she needs to have at this point. Otherwise she just asked about her habits and her attitude. Of course I said she was a sweetie, because she totally is.

She is getting up once in the night around 3AM and then goes back to sleep until about 6:45 or 7am. During the morning she usually takes a few cat naps and eats about every 3 hours. I have sort of worked it out that I can get her to take a long afternoon nap from about 3:30 to 6. It's especially nice if Connor is napping too. Yay for some Mommy time.

For naps and bedtime, we've weaned her off the white noise, which is nice and we've officially moved her into her own room with the crib. She seems to be adjusting well and hasn't had to do very much "crying it out" as she was already a pretty good little napper and could sooth herself to sleep alright as it was. We still swaddle her, but seeing as though she's so big and strong, it's hard to keep her from wiggling herself free. I'm thinking the swaddle won't last much longer. We shall see. 

She is still only drinking breast milk, but I guess in a month or so we'll start her on rice cereal. I can't believe it is happening already. Apparently my milk is pretty fattening though, because she seems to be growing just fine. She is already getting cheeks like Connor. Of course Connor is the king of cheeks, but she's trying to earn the title of Miss Queen Cheeks.

She seems to really be moving more and more and getting stronger every day. Often, when I put her under her play gym she'll roll to her side or roll over, right away. She also has become a skilled "grabber" and will grab at anything in sight. She can't quite figure out how to put things she's grabbed, directly in her mouth, but she's working on it. Sometimes she'll pull her pacifier out and actually manage to put it back in. It's surprises her every time she does it. It's cute. She still kicks up a storm too.

She is still very drooly, but not nearly as spitty as Connor. She'll spit up after a meal, but doesn't continue to spit up all day. Thank goodness. She is drooling a lot though and her pediatrician thought her gums looked swollen, so we may have another early teether on our hands. Speaking of hands, her hands are always in her mouth if her pacifier isn't. She constantly wants to chew. I see teeth in our future, don't you?

She is also getting stronger as far as holding her head up and holding her chest up when she's on tummy time. I don't see her crawling in the near future, but she's working on the proper position. She also is starting to sit unsupported for a few moments before falling over. That is a 6 month skill, so she has plenty of time to work on that, but she's getting there. Since she can keep her head up, we tried her in the excersaucer and she did pretty well. She liked looking around at all the neat toys attached to it. I hope she continues to like that thing.

She is still very drooly, but not nearly as spitty as Connor. She'll spit up after a meal, but doesn't continue to spit up all day. Thank goodness. She is drooling a lot though and her pediatrician thought her gums looked swollen, so we may have another early teether on our hands. Speaking of hands, her hands are always in her mouth if her pacifier isn't. She constantly wants to chew. I see teeth in our future, don't you?

She is also becoming more and more social. Unlike her brother, "Mr. Serious", Avery seems to be a lot more outgoing. She will smile at strangers very often, something Connor never did and still doesn't do. We can also get her to giggle if she's in the right mood. 

Of course Avery does have her fussy moments, but it's usually just because she wants to be held or is over tired. Typically if she is getting held, she is happy as a clam. What a sweet girl. I can't wait to see what's in store for us next month.

Avery trying out her excersaucer for the first time. "Wow Mom, this thing has a lot going on. Cool."

Nice form Avery. She looks like she's standing on her own here.

Avery showing off her sitting skills.  Look Mom, no hands.

Another angle of the sitting.

Big girl Avery at 4 months.

My Big Brother is so silly.

Happy Girl

This time without the pacifier. I feel like she looks huge here. 

Just snuggling with Daddy.

Avery finding her thumb.

Avery "standing" strong. What a big girl.

Avery lifting up during tummy time.
http://youtu.be/jhILn1dc3sE

Circus, Bow, and Big Boy Bed Oh My!

The Ringling Bros. Circus was in town so we decided that Connor would probably enjoy it this year, especially since he is still fond of elephants, including his stuffed elephant "Trunky."

It was a two hour show, so Avery was a little tired by the end, but Connor seemed to really like it. He liked the clowns the best, which doesn't really surprise me, because he still laughs the hardest when people do silly things like trip, fall, get water splashed on them or other slapstick type comedy. What can I say, he's got a three year old sense of humor.

He also loved the treats like popcorn, cotton candy and lemonade. I think he'll want to go back to the circus just for that.

Also, we finally moved Connor into the guest room so that Avery can sleep in the crib instead of being in our room. I'll be glad when the pack n play and all her clothes and diapers, etc. aren't taking up half our room. Ugh. It is also nice that Connor gets to move into a twin bed. He was previously in a toddler bed (his crib converted) and now he's in a real twin bed.

It worked out great, because a friend of mine was selling her teenage sons old stuff that was in great shape from a really nice company so we got a great deal. It has a few dings, but overall, I am really happy with it. We probably would have taken a lot more time choosing a new set and spent a lot more money, plus this way it gave us a deadline, because we had to get a storage unit, move the queen bed and the armoir out so we'd have room for my friends stuff. We needed a kick in the butt on this, otherwise Avery might be in our room until she was one years old. Ha!

We haven't moved Avery yet, but Connor has already slept in his new bed for the last two nights and so far so good. He seems to really like it. He looks so small in it and the first night Jeff and I walked out of his new room we both looked at each other and reminisced about how it feels like we just moved him into a crib himself and now he's in a real bed. They grow so fast.

Oh and unfortunately this means that until we move to a new house (we're aiming to do that within a year), we no longer have a guest bed. Sorry guests, I guess we'll just have to make due for a year. I think we can do it.

Connor and Daddy posing before the circus started.

In our seats at Reliant Center. We had great seats and had no trouble seeing all the action.

So much to see.

Connor with his cool circus hat and treats. The circus is awesome.

Avery has a lot of hair, but it is so fine that bows just slide out. I tried one day to put one in and took a mini photo shoot. Enjoy!

Mommy, I look silly.

I'm such a happy girl.

I love to kick my feet.

Avery's hair is always sticking up, so Jeff smoothed it down during bath time. She hardly looks like the same girl.

Connor snuggled up in his big boy bed.

Having fun during story time.