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.

Rainy Day Fun and Visiting Daddy

A few weekends ago it was very rainy. We decided not to let the rain stop us from having a fun day. See the photos for proof.

Also, recently, Avery, Connor and I drove into Houston to meet Daddy at his office and go to lunch. Of course Jeff's coworkers were very impressed with Avery's hair. See below.

Daddy, Connor, and Avery watching the rain.

They were all fascinated by the storm.

Rainy day arts and crafts.

Avery and Maizey watching and listening to the rain.

Alright, enough of this indoors stuff, let's go jump in some puddles. Why not? He's in my arms in this picture, but most of the time we were jumping and kicking the water. It was silly and fun.

Having fun and getting very wet.

What's better than a rainy day nap?

Our visit to Comerica Bank.

Hanging out in Daddy's office. It was a treat to see him during the day. We miss you when you're not home Daddy.

Avery is 3 Months!

Avery turned 3 months old on July 10th. What a big girl. She doesn't have another check up until she's 4 months, so I don't know her stats, but she still seems to be growing well.

She's wearing 6 month clothes now and still eats like a champ. She eats about every 3 hours, but sometimes 4 if she takes a longer nap.

Speaking of naps, she is really impressing me with her napping skills. If we swaddle her, put on some white noise, and give her her pacifier she'll drift off to sleep on her own. When Connor was 3 months old, we were still putting Connor in the swing or bouncer for naps, if we tried to lay him down in his crib for naps, he'd wake back up. He didn't nap in a real bed until we did sleep training after he was 4 months old. She wants to sleep after about an hour and a half to two hours of awake time. She usually naps for about 45 minutes to an hour, but in the late afternoon while Connor is sleeping, I can usually get her to take up to a two hour nap. That's been a total game changer as I can finally either get a few things done while Connor is napping or FINALLY get a nap in myself. Feww.

She seems to be moving around a lot more, not necessarily rolling much anymore (maybe she's over that), but she kicks a lot and moves her arms. She is starting to open her hands a bit more, versus always having them in fists, but they are still mostly in fists. Her neck seems stronger and she can hold her head up pretty well. She is still wobbly, but she's getting stronger every day.

She is also starting to grab at things more. Supposedly they can't really hold toys and things until around 5 months old, but she is starting to intentionally grab. She'll grab her bib or her clothes or her pacifier strap. She also seems to be noticing her hands more and sort of noticing that they are hers. It's funny to look at her watch them come into her eye line. 

She still coos and gurgles, but her cutest new trick is a little giggle when she smiles really big. She just started this, so I'm hoping she actually laughs in the next month or so. It's so sweet to get her to smile and she seems to hand out smiles pretty often these days. She is still a very sweet girl. She has her fussy moments and days, but for the most part she is a happy little girl.

I can't wait to see what's in store for us next month. It's funny, because today Jeff asked when she starts eating rice cereal and baby food and I said between 4 and 6 months. We started Connor at 5 months and that's not far away. Man, time really is flying. Enjoy the month picture and a video of Avery on her play mat being sweet. 

I'm a cute 3 month old.

I like grabbing things. Wait, are those my hands?

http://youtu.be/IzhMuCQmGvI
Our little baby girl at 3 months old. 

Fun Trip to Loon Lake

We headed to Loon Lake over 4th of July week and we had a great time. While our day of travel was long (12 hours door to door), it was honestly about as good as can be expected. Connor was pretty pooped by the end, but we made it in one piece and Avery was a trooper too. She slept for a majority of the time and seemed to do alright. At just three months of age, she's already been on an airplane twice. Wow! The Houston airport didn't board our carseat, so we had to rent one, but they delivered it to my parent's house the next day, so all was well. They let us borrow one in the meantime. 

When we first arrived, my sister Julie and her new husband Brian were there with his son John. They left the next afternoon, but while they were there Connor and John were like two peas in a pod. It was adorable to see them play together. It was really nice for me to have my sister even if it was just for the night. 

Once they left, we still had some family in town who were staying in the area. We got to see my Aunt Joan, Uncle Dave, and my Aunt Linda. That's always a nice part of being at Loon Lake, since it was always such a fond family location for me growing up. 

The weather while we were there was fantastic. The highs were in the 80's and the lows were in the 60's, but it was never too cool or too hot. The one day it was a big muggy, we fixed that by spending the day in the lake. It was perfect and it made me feel so happy to see Connor playing outside all day long. In Sugar Land, that is just not an option in this terrible heat, so it was just so nice to see him explore and play outside again. 

Avery was having a bit of a fussy evening on the 4th of July, so we missed out on fireworks, but Grandpa, Jeff, and Connor went down to the lake to watch the fireworks go off. They said it was great and if the mosquitoes weren't so bad they would have stayed even longer. 

We managed to fit in everything we wanted to do in one week. We ate a lot of yummy and sinfully delicious food, we swam, skiied, tubed, and floated around the lake, we climbed Stewart Mountain, we played miniature golf, we had campfires, and we relaxed. It was a great trip and it flew by. We all miss it. Now enjoy the many photos and a few videos I included from the trip. I had trouble deleting any since we packed in so much fun.

When we arrived Friday night, we were greeted by the Noyles and my parents. Immediately, Connor and John had a blast.

We had a little birthday celebration for John and Connor. Ice cream cake...yummy.

Connor was cold after getting in the lake on the first day so he wore Jeff's shirt. Somehow he pulled his arm through the neck hole and wore it like a toga. Ha! Luckily, the lake warmed up each day so he was never this cold again.

Brian, John, Connor, and Jeff go on the Super Mable tube. It is really fun.

A happy sailor.

Meanwhile, my Aunt Joan got some quality snuggle time with a sleeping Avery.

John and Connor decided to use Jeff as a pillow as he laid on the boat.

My Dad discovered that if you sing to Avery and rock her gently at the same time, she calms down. He even created a little song just for her. It goes, "Avery, Avery, you are so wonderful. Avery, Avery, you are incredible. Avery, Avery, you are a beautiful girl...you are a beautiful girl." You just keep repeating it over and over again. Below is a video I took of my parents singing the song. It's a bit quiet, but turn up your volume and you'll hear it. Avery loved it. 

http://youtu.be/zkfPXOYcRnk

It was my parents wedding anniversary so we had them go out to dinner, so we were on our own. Jeff found this nearby pizza place and it turned out to be a bit hit, even with Connor. It is amazing how happy seeing Connor eat makes me and Jeff. So sad really.

On another beautiful morning, we went over to the town little league field so Connor could play some baseball. He probably ran the bases 10 times and still had energy to burn.

The water was still a little too cold for Connor early in our trip, so here he is on dry land throwing a football to Jeff and Grandpa. My Mom was the catcher. He is still happiest when throwing some type of ball.

Sweet sailor Avery. She seemed to like the rocking of the boat. She took some good naps on the boat.

Enjoying a boat cruise.

I thought this picture was pretty cool with the blue sky and the boys sitting on the back of the boat taking it all in as we floated in the lake.

We found a good spot for Avery on the floor of the boat sort of snuggled up in the front. She happily kicked and cooed.

Pretty girl.

Taking a nap on the boat all swaddled up.

We had many meals outside on the patio. We really tried to enjoy the weather as much as possible.

Avery was forced to sit at the kids table. Hee hee.

My tough mountain men gathering wood for campfires.

The baby whisperer strikes again. Grandpa could somehow always get Avery to calm down and go to sleep.

One afternoon we went to Lake George to the Pirate Cove miniature golf course. Connor had been talking about this place since last summer and it didn't disappoint. We all had fun and he even managed to get a hole in one!

Of course he loved the eye patch and flag he got at the end too. Doesn't he look like a happy pirate?

Afterwards, we went to one of my favorite restaurants, Friendly's. It is kind of like Chili's but it is known for it's ice cream sundaes. Connor was in heaven.

Mommy looks pretty happy too. Poor Avery didn't get any. Maybe next year sweet girl.

Fun times with Grandpa.

Grandpa and Avery are having a heart to heart as my Aunt Linda holds Avery. We had my Aunts over for dinner one night and we all had a great time.

On one of our lunchtime boat floats, Connor had a good time "pushing" Daddy into the water. It made him laugh every time.

The boys kicking their feet in the water.

A sweet patriotic baby on the 4th of July.

Avery was being sweet so Jeff took some pictures and the video below. She had some fussy days while we were at Loon Lake, so this was a nice moment.

http://youtu.be/4XcZ1sO4D9s

Hanging in the shade on the 4th of July.

Now it's nap time. We set up a towel on a tube as her "bed."

Hiking up Stewart Mountain.

This tree at the top of the mountain has a hole in it. This is a traditional photo op.

As the days continued to be warm, Connor liked swimming more. Here he is smiling a silly smile right before he jumped off the dock. The video below is of Connor jumping into some pool noodles.

http://youtu.be/1m1fitwBl5Q

We took a row boat ride one morning and Connor pretended it was a pirate ship.

Avery chilling in her bouncer and smiling. Her hair is still pretty wild.

Jeff water skiing like a champ on our last day. It was a little rough, but we both skied.  The video below is of me skiing.

http://youtu.be/4jJEey6npqA

Avery with a hat on (looking a bit like a boy), as we went back to that yummy pizza place on our last night.

Waiting for our pizza.

Connor giving his little sister a hug. He continues to be a great big brother. I'm so proud.