Dear Avery, 10 Months

Dear Avery,
You have hit double digit months! You have been settling well back into life in North Carolina. We have met some really nice new people and you are loving all the playdates you are getting!

This past month you got two teeth, almost at the same time! I thought at this rate you would never get them, but finally they showed up. You look so cute with your new teeth, but waking up three times a night again is not so cute. Daddy says you look like a reverse bunny rabbit.

You are getting more and more confident with your standing every day. You stand for many seconds at a time and have even taken a few tiny stutter steps if Daddy or I coerce you. I hold my breath every time I see you take one of these little steps just waiting for you to take off. In my head I say you aren't walking until you do two steps in a row without falling, so as of now I have only seen one! (This may just help me feel better. My little baby is getting so big!)

You are doing a lot of screaming and babbling.You like to mimic Daddy & if he makes a lot of loud babbling noise; you do it right back. You also play your little piano together. Father/daughter band coming in the future? ;-)

This month we went to Mike's Farm to your first pumpkin patch. You had fun swinging all the pumpkins around and eating them. Also around your ten month birthday (well a day after) was your first Halloween! We went to a fun Halloween playgroup in the morning and you got to wear your costume. Then we had lunch with a friend, and lastly went to a little pre-party across the street which ended with Trick or Treating around the neighborhood.  More like Daddy bringing you up to the door and saying Trick or Treat, while Mommy stayed at the end of the driveway a tad bit embarassed at his enthusiasm, haha. It was a fun and busy day!

We also left you with your first babysitter's here in NC so Mommy and Daddy could go to a Chinese Auction at Daddy's work. Vicky and Aaron did awesome and we love them so much for taking such good care of you!

I LOVE YOU!
Mama

 Standing for longer periods of time.

Happy First Halloween to the cutest little elephant around..

Dear Avery, Months 8 and 9

Dear Avery,
You are getting so big!! Since your Daddy came home a week before you turned 8 months old, things have been a whirlwind. I didn't get a chance to write your 8 month post so I figured I would just combine the two. Well month 8 was a big one for you! You started to crawl very early in the month, almost right after I wrote your 7 month post. The first time I saw you crawl, you and I were out on the deck with the dog. Bailey's toy was a few feet away from you and the next thing I knew you were scrambling for it! You were clunky and awkward at first, but isn't every baby? I was so excited and immediately took a video.

Since you started crawling, you really haven't stopped. You are already into everything! You would pull all the dirt out of Grandma's plants and head straight for underneath the coffee table. You figured out quickly how to crawl through them and the house became a jungle gym. You began to pull up on ANYTHING you could get your hands on...people, couches, TV stands...decorative vases....It was all just a means for you to stand up. You do the same thing still. You love to be upright!

As you progressed on to almost 9 months, you have started clapping. A few days after we arrived in NC, you began to do the clapping motion and you made your Daddy and I get a little teary eyed. We were so proud to see you do that! You clapped for an hour in your crib that night instead of sleeping because you loved your new skill so much.

You also began eating actual "food"! We started with those baby mum mum crackers and you moved on to the little cheerio like pieces you can buy in the store. I was so scared you were going to choke so I would still break them up into tiny pieces. One day when I wasn't looking you grabbed a whole piece and ate it on your own, (without dying like I thought may happen) and I knew from that moment on you were way ready for bigger pieces of your own food!

Since Daddy came home we made lots of visits to family and got to see some of our favorite couples get married. We made a big journey to Michigan for some of our very close friends Katie and Josh, and this was your first long car trip. You watched Elmo on repeat for 9 hours there and home. You loved it! It was the reason we got through the trip. Mommy and Daddy listened to Elmo for 10 hours there and home. Not so much love to Elmo at that point from us.

Finally, in the middle of September it was time to leave our wonderful family in NY and head back to our home in North Carolina.  Our family was so wonderful to us while your Daddy was deployed and we all miss them terribly. We did another 12 hour drive back to NC with a U-HAUL. And more Elmo...

It has been so nice having our family together again and your Daddy has loved spending this last month with you. You say da da da to him a lot and it is the cutest thing ever. We are glad to be your parents and you make every day a wonderful adventure.

We love you!
Mama AND Dada (finally) :)

 Standing in your room in NC!

 Reading with Daddy when he came home

 Happy 8 months!

Car trip back to NC with your bff Bailey

9 month pictures to come!

Dear Avery, 7 Months

Dear Avery,
      On July 30th you turned 7 months old. It is crazy to think that you are now closer to your first birthday then you are to when you were born. This post is going to be short and sweet since I was a little late on getting it done.

     As you finished up your sixth month,  you weigh 16.8 lbs according to Grandma's bathroom scale. You have really been showing your strength this month, too. You are sitting up really well, and we even tried a restaurant high chair for the first time. You can also pull yourself up to your feet if you are leaning on something strong. You also have started scooting around on your bottom. You even crawl backwards a little before you tumble over. I think by next month you will be crawling all over the place. You are already almost there! You also enjoy eating anything out of a pouch. Your favorite flavor is Plum Organic's blueberries, pears and purple carrots. YUM!

  Oh and big news coming up.... right after I wrote your six month post, you started sleeping in your actual crib! Before this you would only sleep on an incline.Yay for you :)

     Your Daddy will be here by the time I write your month 8 letter. I am so excited for us all to do fun things together like go to the zoo and to the park. But I am more excited for the normal day to day things like bedtime stories together and eating dinner as a family. He is going to be blown away when he sees how big you are. I can't wait to watch him see all the things I have seen these past 7 months. You are a strong and beautiful little girl and I love you more than anything!

Love,
Mama

Dear Avery, 6 Months

Dear Avery,
On June 30, you turned a half of a year old!  If time goes by this fast, you are going to be so big in no time. At your six month check up you weighed in at 15 lbs 4 oz and measured 25 inches long. You were in low percentiles in weight and height, but the doctor says you are SO healthy and just petite.

I know I have said you were strong since the beginning, but I can't believe your strength sometimes. You are now sitting up without any support. And you LOVE to sit. Gone are the days when you would play nicely on your back and look at your toys. You want to be upright all the time. You also love to be pulled up by your arms and stand on your feet. You even try to pull yourself up from sitting on the couch. The other day when we went out to eat, you were sitting so nicely in the booth next to me. The next thing I knew, you were using the table for support to stand up by yourself! I think you may possibly walk before you crawl.

Over this past month you have started blowing bubbles and grabbing your feet and putting them in your month. You can roll in both directions. One of the biggest accomplishments was that you started sleeping in your crib right around the time you turned six months. Your sleeping is still not perfect, but it is getting better. You wake up a few times in the night to eat still. We are working on it and I know you will stop when you are ready. This makes me so happy that we are making progress with your sleeping. You also take 2-3 naps each day. You love to cat nap!

We brought up your pack and play and you love to play with your toys in there. You also love to sit in your high chair and watch everyone do things around you. You are eating two meals a day. Usually fruit in the morning and veggies for dinner. You still hate rice cereal but we'll see if that changes. You love when Grandma sings "Little Bunny Fufu" to you. You love when anyone sings to you for that matter! You also went in your first big girl swing this past month at Davis Park.

This past month you have become weary of people you don't know. You love to be with Grandma and Grandpa, but if other people try to hold you sometimes you get scared, stick your lip out and cry.  We need to work on this lip thing or I can already hear your Daddy telling me that I taught you that.

My favorite thing about this month is you starting giggling. When I say "mamamama" to you or do an exaggerated laugh I can usually get you to laugh too. It is adorable to hear you laugh and talk. You love to talk to your "sister" Bailey!

I am SO happy to tell you that in about a month your Daddy will be home to be with us. I can't wait until he can experience all of the things I tell him about you doing. He loves hearing what new things you are accomplishing and he always tells me how cute you are. I can tell he is so proud of you! I can't wait until we can all go do family things together. And I think he has lots of Daddy/Daughter time coming...:)
I love you so, so much my sweet girl.
Mama

 Hanging our with your bff!

 Climbing!

Dear Avery, 5 Months

Dear Avery,
   On May 30th you turned 5 months old! It feels like just the other day you were born. Time is going fast.
   This month has not been short of changes. I am starting to see your personality come out more and more every day. When you wake up in the morning and I peak over at you, you have the BIGGEST smile on your face. It is so cute!
   Well our cute little girl used to only take naps in her swing. Until recently. A few weeks ago, you just decided you didn't want that swing anymore. You cried and cried when we put you in like usual, and overnight you decided you hated that swing. Not since that day have I successfully been able to get you in there! You are beginning to nap in your crib finally now. Hopefully we can transition you in there for all your sleeping soon, but for now you won't give up that rock and play without a fight. ;)
   Also this month you continue to show us how strong you are. You are kicking your legs like crazy and just beginning to actually jump in your jumper. You love to stand up on your feet too when we hold your arms. You are very grabby, and anything we are holding you think should be yours. You especially like to grab for plastic water bottles and paper towels.
    Some exciting news to share is that you are beginning to sit up already! I can let you sit up by yourself for a few seconds before you begin wobbling all over the place. You love to be involved in everything going on. In fact, you are the happiest when you are sitting with Grandpa, Grandma or I.
   Another big moment this month was your big debut in your big girl high chair! It attaches right on the counter top island at home. It is nice because you get to be a part of dinnertime. It also rotates so I can turn you every which way. You are still a little small for it, but you love sitting there with us while we eat and talk. You love to bang your toys around and have started the ever so fun game called drop your toys on the ground and watch everyone pick them up.
   You are beginning to eat solid foods more and more. Usually you eat a little bit every day. You have tried and loved sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, pears, apples and bananas. You have tried and disliked peas. But I think you will come around.
   You just starting wearing your six month clothes, so the trend seems to be you wear clothes a month before. You started wearing three month clothes at two months and now six month clothes at five. We will see if this continues or if you have a major growth spurt!
   All I know is that no matter how hard the days can be, I thank God everyday for entrusting us with protecting and caring for your little life. Like I always tell you, you are the smartest and most beautiful little girl in the world.

I love you so, so much.
Mommy

P.S. Your Daddy should be home the month after next!!!!

Dear Avery, 4 Months

Dear Avery,
You are four months old! Every day is a new and exciting day with you. I am really starting to see your personality more and more. I have seen you smile more this month then ever before. You are cooing and "talking" to me as well.
I love that I can now put you in the jumper for a short period of time each day and you actually play with the toys on it! You are even beginning to jump a little! I almost cried (ok maybe I did cry) when I saw you start to really push off your feet in that jumper for the first time the other night. What was really cool was that I was skyping with your Daddy and he got to see it too! With him being gone I thought he would miss every one of those "firsts" so it made me really happy we could all experience that together. You were so proud of yourself!
This month you started to eat a little real food. You have tried sweet potatoes and bananas. We decided to skip rice cereal and go straight for the healthy stuff. You like to shove the spoon in your mouth which is really cute.
You are also really discovering EVERYTHING now. You reach for objects and everything goes right into your mouth.  Your favorite toy is Sophie the Giraffe. You also love music and watching the glow worm play songs and light up when I change you. You even figured out how to pull down your toy to play music. You are so smart, and SO strong!
 I carry you around in the baby carrier and you love exploring. You especially like watching Bailey play fetch outside. This was even one of the very first times I started to hear a little giggle from you was watching Bailey play. You love to be outside!
 I have two favorites from this month. The first is the fact that you actually turn to look at people now. I will be holding you and you literally turn and stare right at me and smile. This has been so neat to see you do. I really feel like you understand what is going on sometimes.
My other favorite moment happened when your Daddy called us on Skype the other day. I was holding you in my arms and as soon as I maximized the screen you lit up with this HUGE smile.  You recognized your Daddy.  This made me overjoyed. My heart melted right then and there.

You are getting bigger and stronger every day. I love watching every new thing you learn.
Love always,
Mama

You Know You Have A Baby When...

Things I have found after having a little one...

1. You have mastered eating with one hand.
2. You have formula/baby food/breast milk on your clothes on a regular basis.
3. You don't really care about the formula/baby food/breast milk on your clothes.
4. You may or may not have used the bathroom with a baby on your lap.
5. A shower becomes an anticipated break
6. You would rather use baby's nap time to sleep instead of eat.
7. You have accidentally used baby talk to people who aren't babies.
8. The car seat with baby inside has become attached to your arm. When you go out without that bulky thing you feel like you are forgetting something.
9. People want to talk to you about how cute your baby is, which can make errands take forever
10. Pj's get worn wayyy longer than ever before. 
11. There are more baby clothes than clothes for you. You would rather buy a cute baby outfit then a cute outfit for yourself. How did this happen?!!?
12. Baby gear is slowly taking over your house.
13. Coffee is a must have, Coffee becomes breakfast.
14. You discuss baby poop. It becomes a normal part of conversation.
15. You have used your nice J Crew shirt to wipe baby drool.
16. You've made impressive wagers with your husband on whose turn it is to get the baby.
17. You get sucked into baby gadgets you will never use.
18. You realize you MUST avoid Target.
19. It takes an hour to leave the house.
20. You wouldn't trade any of these things for anything in the world.

Dear Avery, 3 Months

Dear Avery,
   Happy 3 months to my beautiful little girl! Every day that goes by I am noticing new and wonderful things about you. Right now you are about 12 pounds, and 23 inches long. You are wearing three month clothes perfectly. It has been fun because I have been able to dress you up in cute little summer outfits, since Rochester has had some really warm days this past week.
   At three months old you are almost a pro at holding your head up. I still can't get over how strong you are, and you loved to be pulled by your arms up to your feet. You smile so proudly when we do this with you! Everyone jokes and says you are going to walk before you crawl. Grandpa calls you superbaby.
   You also love to hold on to my fingers when I feed you a bottle. You have the funniest little expressions when you eat. Your hair is getting a little lighter, and I am starting to think you might end up with reddish brown hair. Every time we go out, people stop to smile at you and tell you how adorable you are. One waitress even said she felt like crying because of how beautiful you were. This is interesting to me because most people (who know him) also say you look like your Daddy. :o)
   You love to be up on your changing table and you smile like crazy when you're up there. You do NOT like to put your undershirts on though and you through a fit.
   I have noticed this month how intently you stare at everyone. You are noticing me and your Grandpa and Grandma. You will track objects with your eyes and love bright colorful toys, especially the Lamaze Mortimer the Moose toy. You also are batting and holding objects. It is really so amazing how everyday you are getting stronger and doing new things.
   Sometimes at night I wake up and you are sleeping so soundly and I think how lucky I am. I wish your Daddy could be here to see you do all these new things. I try to take a lot of pictures so he feels like he is right here with us. I know you miss him, and seeing you smile at him when you saw him on Skype melted my heart.
   I cannot wait to see what this next month has in store for you! I bet you'll be going crazy in your new jumper in no time.
I love you  so much!
Mama

Baby Must Haves

So I decided to put together a list of my favorite baby things since I had Avery. I wish I had a list like this when I was shopping so hopefully it will help someone out there who is expecting or buying a baby gift.

1. Fisher Price My Little Snugabunny Cradle and Swing: This was our second swing purchase. Avery only sleeps for long periods of time when there is motion so I highly suggest buying this model swing because it PLUGS IN! The comparable Fisher Price model swing (My Little Lamb) is about the same price at the baby store and runs on batteries. We were buying batteries every other day with this swing. Big waste of money!
Snugabunny Swing

2. Fisher Price Rock and Play Sleeper: Great for hanging out. Especially good for babies with reflux and the rocker rocks from front to back to mimic motion of Mom. It also folds up flat with the push of a button for easy travel! Awesome reviews on this.  Rock and Play Sleeper
3.Homedics Sound Spa Lullaby: This tiny sound machine has great volume! Love the rain and heartbeat sounds. It also has an awesome projection on it so when baby gets older they can watch projection movement on ceiling. They sell this at Bed Bath and Beyond too.




 Homedics Sound Machine

4. Lamaze Space Symphony Motion Gym: This was the only playmat I could find with motion. Awesome because it keeps little ones attention. The age says 0-6 months which is perfect for little babies. This is one of my favorite baby purchases. Lamaze toys are great. Also sold at BRU online.Lamaze Playmat
5.  Lamaze Octotunes: I don't know why, but Avery LOVES staring at this toy! It also plays songs, each arm (apparently octopus don't have tentacles?!) is a musical note. One of the first toys she has looked at with interest!

Lamaze Octopus

6. Aden and Anais 4 Pack Swaddle Blankets: MUST HAVE! I registered for these thinking they seemed nice (but expensive)..... but did not realize how much I would love them. We use them almost every night. They are light, stretchy and long enough for baby. Best Blankets ever!! I think this is one of my favorite baby things; there is really no other blanket like them. So many cute patterns too!

Best Swaddle Blankets

7. Dr. Brown's Bottles: Prevent spit up and help with colic. I researched bottles SO much when pregnant. I know people say you have to try a bunch to see what your baby likes but these worked from the first time we tried. There are more parts to clean then traditional bottles but worth it for a happy baby, I know so many who love these bottles and I am one of them. :) If you choose them, get them at the MCX (14.99 there!) or even Babies R Us had them for 18.99, cheaper than Amazon for once!

Dr. Brown's Bottles

 8. Nosefrida Nasal Aspirator: OK I know it seems weird but it works so much better then normal ones! It is also more gentle and as weird as it seems it is hygienic! Started being used in Sweden. Just look into it.

Nosefrida

9. I See Me! Personalized Name Book: My friend Ashley got this for Avery and I love it. It spells her first and last name associating each letter with an animal that starts with the same letter. Love this book and it will be great when she is learning to spell her name. Other great choices for personalized books too.

I see me name book