Avery

The Big Sister Promotion

2011-10-08T21:46:00.001-04:00

Avery's new job description now includes, but is not limited to, the following...
Handing me the: boppy | rag | bottle | pacifier | diaper | wipe | remote control | cell phone | blanket | pillow
Singing to Ellie when she is upset [usually twinkle twinkle little star, occasionally an itsy bitsy spider]
Transporting dirty clothes from Ellie's room into the washer machine
Folding blankets and burp cloths
Moral support and entertainment from 8 to 10pm during prime colic time [hugs, kisses, cuddling and dancing]

On Sept 3, 2011 Mimi said:

2011-10-08T21:45:00.001-04:00

As scheduled, Avery became a big sister on Thursday, September 1st at 8:21 am. Mommy and Daddy finally decided on the name Ellie which seems to fit Ellie perfectly...funny how that works! Ellie weighed 7 lbs, 6.5 oz. and was 20 inches long. Avery doesn't seem too concerned with Ellie just yet but I know when she gets home from the hospital things will change. I can't wait to watch you two grow together!

JUNE 7, 2011 [an older post/comment from Mimi]

2011-10-08T21:42:00.001-04:00

Yes, Mimi and Papa are here full time now and there is nothing on earth that could make me happier. I'm enjoying catching up on everything that I have missed the last three years. Your third birthday was grand to say the least! You sure had a ball...just ask anyone who watched you and Jadyn riding your F150 for the first time...I laughed till I cried. You are so amazing to me and surprise me every day that I spend with you. I am so glad we are finally together as a family should be.

The day that I left Florida I walked around our "Florida house" as you call it and started to get sentimental as the memories of your mommy and Uncle Jacob and Papa stirred. As I walked from room to room I relived so many memories and realized how much I loved the home itself and all the work that we put into it over the years. Then upon reaching the last bedroom it occurred to me how quiet it was...it was completely silent... no laughter, no music, no crying, talking, doors slamming, pots clanging or toys creating their noises...it was silent and then and there I realized that home isn't a house at all, it's where your family is.

I am where my family is now. I am home.

I love you Avery Lee

[Mimi]

Her Summer

2011-08-22T10:33:00.003-04:00

This summer Avery has been going to Florida, the water park, Mimi & Papa's house a lot, and too many daily adventures to list. Lately she's loving writing her own name, watching Care Bears and Tangled, feeding her chickens, and reading Curious George stories. One of her favorite games is Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, a board game from her friend Jessi. This afternoon we're going to the Library to get some books then going to her cousins Dylon and Jadyn's house for pizza. In a week and a half she'll welcome her baby sister, who she only wants to name Carly Fishy Elephant.

Bonanza Jellybean & Third Birthday

2011-06-01T05:09:00.004-04:00

Avery's new sibling is a little girl. She'll likely arrive at the end of August and Avery can't wait to play with her. According to her, this new kid will come out walking and talking and should be named Carly or Shirley.. neither of which are in the actual running. Names I would go for are Hanna, Mollie, Indiana, and Bonanza Jellybean. Although, Avery has Casey's middle name and we're thinking this second girlie will take my middle name ;)

Avery turned three last week and amazes me all the time with her personality, appetite, and ability to draw letters really well. For her birthday she got a play kitchen, a Ford F150 Power Wheels, a Daisy BB gun, a doll house, lots of arts supplies, a doctor kit, and she had a Strawberry Shortcake birthday cake. Her party was at her Mimi and Papa's new house; she is happy they live up here now and can see them any time she wants.

big sister

2011-03-24T16:15:00.002-04:00

September 1 or sometime thereabouts, Avery will become a big sister :)

one, two, three, five, seven & Huck!

2010-11-06T19:29:00.007-04:00

I want you to remember how good you counted at age 2.5! It's usually followed by w, x...it's all brilliant to me! You got your first very own puppy and what a cutie! You wanted to name him Jack & Judy, but "Huck" won over. I'm glad you have a dog like Huck to grow up with...he'll be your best friend at times! You spent the first night last weekend at Papa and Mimi's new house...it took us a while but I promised you one day we'd be closer. It won't be long now. I've missed so much already, but those days are short lived!

I love you.

THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER :(

2010-08-18T20:48:00.002-04:00

No pictures to post this time :(. Mimi and Papa have been very busy tryin to keep the florida place up and the rest of the time is spent looking for a way to get closer to you. We love and miss you and so cherish our skype time. Be good for mommy and daddy...see you in a few weeks...xo

terrific two's

2010-06-14T15:31:00.005-04:00

How can anyone call this "eyes wide open", amazing age the "terrible two's"? Avery is such a joy to be with and she is so smart. Her Papa asked her the other day how old she was and she said, while holding up two fingers mind you, "two old"! You are getting "too" old!! Slow down some, ok? You are so good at hide-n-seek and playing puppys! She got her first pair of water wings last week and insists on swimming "all by myfelf"! She was a natural!! Avery made me laugh till I cried so many times over the last three weeks, those are my favorite memories. She's on her way home now and I'm sad as usual but it won't be long...we'll see you soon. Keep watching out that window for us.

I love you little fish lips! ...xo

Vacation

2010-06-04T16:30:00.004-04:00

Avery is in Fort Myers with her Mimi and Papa for two whole weeks and is having the time of her life!

Last stretch before the terrible twos..

2010-04-24T07:37:00.003-04:00

In one month Avery will be two! Her vocabulary is huge and her sentences have more and more words all the time. She has been sleeping in big girl panties almost every other night (without accidents yet) and wearing them for most of the day at daycare. She is happy to use the big potty and says bye-bye to her poop when she flushes. This week she has been able to hang out with her new cousin Emma (almost 2 months old). Her new favorites are riding her bike outside, helping (with anything), counting with mommy or daddy, and singing the happy song. She likes eating trees (broccoli), cheese, raisins, lima beans, eggs, chicken, noodles, ice cream, and popsicles. Next weekend we'll all being going to Merlefest in North Carolina and Avery will get to go to her first bluegrass festival!

one heart...

2010-03-13T20:27:00.002-05:00

...just isn't big enough to hold all the love I have for you.

Mimi

Stuck

2010-02-17T10:52:00.002-05:00

Last night Avery positioned two pillows on our bed so that there was just enough room for her to fit in between them, then she laid on her back and squeezed her arms against her body like she didn't have room, reached up and yelled "I'm stuck!" She did this over and over again as we kept rescuing her.

"It's told!"

2010-02-15T14:40:00.001-05:00

This weekend it snowed; here is Avery with snow.

Slack Mom + Words

2010-01-19T09:30:00.003-05:00

A slack mom hasn't posted in about 2 months!
In those months we have been compiling a list of words Avery can say. Here is what she knew as of December 7th:

Apple
Cheese
Hi Hey
Bye
Nite Nite
Pink Pig
Mommy
Daddy
Papa
Mimi
Annie
Grandma
Dylon
Duck
Hot
Cold
Shoes
Socks
Bubble
Elbow
Owwie
Uh-oh
Mine
Toes
No!
Up
Down
Pee pee
Poop
Off
Ball
Puppy
Arlo
Baby
and Out

By January 2 these were added to the list:

Yellow
Blue
Jack
Judy
Bottle
Diaper
Tractor
Butt
Eggs
Toast
Please
Thank You
Turtle
Button
Eyeball
Eye brow
Ear
Nose
Hand
Pie
Cupcake
Milk
Juice
Truck
Luke
Potty
Cow
Nana Booboo
Silly
Slide
Swing
Oh No
Cup
and Titty

the gift of gab

2010-01-03T21:40:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year! It seems so strange when I stop to think that you were born "year before last"!!! That makes you seem so old, yet so very young. Avery is so smart and that's not a proud Grammy talking either! Fortunately, Avery's day care was closed on New Years Eve so we had to take her to North Carolina with us to visit Jack and Judy. She got to see snow and to get to know Jack and Judy real well. We had a lot of fun. It's funny, no matter how short or long of a visit we have with Avery, she grows right before our eyes in some way or another. With this visit I would have to say it was vocabulary. I noticed a list that her Daddy made stuck to the fridge that was dated 12/7/09 with all the words she knew as of that date and there were quite a few. I started a new list dated 1/2/10 and the list had more than doubled.She's become quite the little chatter box! She now excels in "pretending" also. She's quite the little mommy to her baby's.

We love you more every day...thank you for a wonderful Christmas Avery...xo

what makes Christmas fun!

2009-12-08T19:49:00.003-05:00

I can't believe Avery's second Christmas is just around the corner. Time has flown by like Santa and his reindeer!! She has grown so much this past year. Now she says anything and everthing that you say and she's on the verge of being potty trained!! I look back and it's like watching my own grow up all over again...fast! Enjoy it mommy and daddy...every day only happens once.

#2

2009-11-30T09:56:00.001-05:00

Last night Avery pooped in her potty for the first time. High fives were flyin' all over the place.

compassion, determination & just plain silly!

2009-11-20T20:48:00.004-05:00

A preview of the personality to come....she loves Annie, although she calls her her "arlo" but only as a game, she has the cutest little face when you correct her with the name "Annie" followed by the "gift card" holder that she insisted on wearing even though there was not a matching shoe and looking back between her legs, which reveals her true character! She's so entertaining...we just sit back and watch her all day.

PaPa and I miss you so much! The house is so quiet without you. When are you coming back?

xo...grammy (mimi)

YESSS

2009-11-17T08:49:00.001-05:00

Avery finally went pee pee in her tiny potty this morning. We've been putting her on it for months now and she has finally done it. I know it's hardly progress and we probably have another year of potty training.. but BABY STEPS!

The "Up Close and Personal" tour

2009-11-15T15:05:00.006-05:00

Sorry I didn't post while Avery was here. I know mommy and daddy missed her and would like to have heard more of what she was doing but I promised her my full and undivided attention and that's what she got. I wouldn't of had it any other way. I miss her so much already and she only just left. I feel like I really got to know her these last two weeks. Not only was it the longest time that we've had together in both our whole lives so far but she's at that age where her personality is really coming out. She got to spend time with her cousins, learned a few new words but didn't pick up any bad finger jestures (thank you Gracie!). She's so smart and one on one time is so calm and laid back and cherished. Thank you so much Casey and Lindsay for the gift that is Avery.

Grammy loves her Avery Lee. xo

I want my baby back...

2009-11-06T16:55:00.003-05:00

I miss you, turd!

Florida Vacation

2009-11-05T09:43:00.001-05:00

Since Monday the 2nd Avery has been in Fort Myers with her grandparents. That's a total of 11 days we'll be without her! We'll head to Fort Myers on the 13th for Morgan's wedding on the 14th but until then it's 'round the clock Grammy & Grandpa time. Maybe one of them will post something....!

SICKO

2009-10-30T12:56:00.002-04:00

Daycare just called and my baby's got a fever and is "leaking ear wax..." so much that it is sticking her hair to her face. She has not eaten breakfast or lunch let today and has been up since 4am. Her Daddy picked her up and her Grammy is taking her to the doctor at 4:25. She will miss her Halloween party at daycare this afternoon.. all of this mess on her Grandpa's birthday =(

Karate & Pilates

2009-10-22T15:08:00.001-04:00

Avery, the big copy cat that she is nowadays, is perfecting her karate and pilates poses. She's also into balling things up into tiny balls, eating boxes of raisins, and giving her mommy really big hugs.

I miss my baby.

2009-10-15T08:17:00.003-04:00

I'd really rather just spend today at home with Avery. Not being home this weekend and two late nights at the gym this week have really made it seem like I haven't seen her for so long. I just want to sit and watch her play. That's all.

Ladies Weekend

2009-10-12T14:10:00.002-04:00

While Casey and I went on a fun adventure trip, Avery got to spend the weekend with her Grammy and her Great Grandma. They went to the grocery store twice, downtown Statesboro for the farmer's market, and had lunch with Nana. Insanely wild weekend, I know. They will be talking about it for years.

2009-09-23T09:26:00.001-04:00

Monosyllabic Girl

2009-09-22T15:56:00.001-04:00

I take her to the aquarium, she says shark
I take her to the planetarium, she says dark
I take her to the seaside
Where she likes to spin and twirl
She says sure and cool and yeah
She's my monosyllabic girl

I take her to the university, she says huh
I take her to an anniversary, she says one
I take her to jewelry store
I say diamonds, she says pearl
Oh everyone knows I'm in love
With a monosyllabic girl

[NOFX]

HOT

2009-09-16T14:08:00.002-04:00

Monday Avery had a fever of 102 at daycare. That afternoon her Grandma Lynn and I took her to the doctor where they took her blood and her snot and concluded she didn't have strep or any form of the flu, but rather a simple cold. Tuesday I stayed home with her and she was mostly miserable, crying and just wanting to cuddle. Her temperature got high a couple of times throughout the day and I gave her some infant's Motrin. She was excited when her daddy came home and they played for a little bit then both went to sleep at about 9:30. Avery woke up screaming at 1am and had a fever of 104. Earlier in the day I looked up things to do if a baby starts having a seizure so I felt kind of prepared if that was going to happen. (It didn't.) We were pretty worried and gave her some more Motrin and talked about taking her to the emergency room. I guess babies have seizures when they run too high of a fever and that it is also hereditary.. which also scared me because it has happened to my dad and happened to me when I was a baby. But she got back into a deep sleep very quickly so we let her sleep. At 6am her fever had gone down. Although I really really didn't want to, I took her to daycare and came into work today.. knowing that I would get a call by lunch time about her feeling sick or her temperature getting too high again. (By law a child cannot be at daycare with a temperature over 101 and has to be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to daycare.) However, this Friday her Grammy and Grandpa will be in town and are sure to chase away all of her nasties.

Emma Elaine

2009-09-04T17:42:00.002-04:00

SPEAKING of Roxann.....!

Avery is excited to announce that her cousin Emma Elaine Kruger will be comin' out in February next year. She is so excited, in fact, that she has just pooped and peed her pants.

Congrats to Roxann & Steve =)

She Rocks.

2009-09-04T17:36:00.003-04:00

Wednesday night we started watching A Bug's Life and Thursday night we finished it. We temporarily have Casey's mom's rocking chair in the living room because it's going to Roxann soon and Avery loves it. For some reason she hasn't taking as much of a liking to her own rocking chair (also wooden and the same size). During the last twenty minutes or so of A Bug's Life last night, Avery climbed into the rocking chair herself and rocked and rocked back and forth while she watched Flik and Atta defeat the Grasshoppers for GOOD.

Avery has climbed into my lap and has something to say:

heehhhhhhhhhhrhhrrhhrfhjvgvmnnmnmssd v

that's all folks.

The L Word

2009-09-01T15:05:00.002-04:00

New consonant of the week: L. Usually used to make the babbling "lah-luh lah-luh" sound with her tongue and top lip.

Other news:
She loves her new mega lego set and her new couch and love seat set.
She got a new (and first) pair of cowboy boots this week.
Last week, for the first time ever, she pooped in the bath tub then AGAIN the very next day.
Last weekend we got her a sweet inflatable pool with a canopy that she enjoyed Saturday and Sunday. It fits Avery, Mommy, Daddy, four inflatable butterfly toys, two beers, and a squeaky shark.

Hugs & Bubbles

2009-08-04T11:20:00.002-04:00

Avery's hugs now include a definite squeeze, followed by up to eight or so pats on the back. She gives these hugs frequently and any time we say hug, kisses, be nice, how sweet, i love you, and come here.

In the bath last night Avery said bubble. I was pretty amazed. She has also been saying duckie and is able to shampoo her own hair.

ZOO

2009-08-03T11:22:00.000-04:00

On Sunday we took Avery to the Jacksonville Zoo. She loved it and photos will be up eventually!

It's always SOMETHING!

2009-07-29T16:08:00.004-04:00

Pretty much each and every day there is something new about Avery. I guess that was the point of this blog if only I'd keep up with it! My most favorite new thing is that when I am carrying her it's like she is giving me a constant hug and pats me on the back the whole time with her head buried in my neck.

She's very good at knowing when her diaper needs to be changed. She will bring Casey or I a clean diaper and lay down in front of us. Avery cannot be on the 4wheeler for 10 minutes without passing out.. she loves the ride and it puts her right to sleep.

I'm pretty sure that she'll be getting some of those huge teeth soon. In May her doctor said to be on the look out for molars but they haven't made an appearance yet. Lately Avery has tiny fits and cries with both pointer fingers as far back in her mouth as they can go. She really loves brushing her teeth so I hope she gets some more of them.

She has been trying to drink out of a little plastic tea cup lately. If I give her more than a sip at a time it makes a mess but she has been doing very well at drinking from a cup. Since it's so small, only her first three fingers fit in the handle, forcing her pinkie to stick out. This is pretty hilarious because she sips very carefully and slowly so she appears very... proper.

when the thought of you catches up with me...

2009-07-24T19:37:00.003-04:00

you carry me away to a better place in time....yes... they're song lyrics and the best I've ever heard to relate to how I feel when I think about Avery. The time that mamma and daddy where in Ecuador was so much fun. Mamma failed to mention that she loves to see just how many crayons she can hold in one hand. We had it up to nine at one point. And Avery is so smart...she knows to give somthing to grampa or give it to me. She knows to close her eyes when we rinse hair. She insists on throwing her own diaper away (this requires a few wipes for her hands afterwards!!). She learned how to call the dog from the back porch every morning. She knows when you hear a bird and say the word "birdie" to look to the sky. And grampa sure can make her laugh! I could go on and on...I realized just how much she knows and how smart she is this past week. I'm ready to book a flight for mamma and daddy...where would you like to go?

Pony Tails...

2009-07-22T14:32:00.002-04:00

Avery's hair is finally long enough to put into a barrette, clip, pony tail, and into pig tails... very short and very thin pig tails.

She now knows her toes are called toes and can point to boo boos on command. She knows a bath takes place in the bathroom and what to do when told to "give it to daddy." Every day she is getting better at holding and using crayons and her creations are beautiful. She will not put a crayon in the box right side up. This isn't something that happens by chance.. she will turn all the crayons around and put them in point-first.

Lately she is pointing and calling everything mama: animals, daddy, even pictures of herself. She is also saying duck, climbing onto the rocking horse by herself, and strapping herself into her little booster seat.

Last week she got to spend with Grammy and Grandpa while Casey and I were in Ecuador. She had tons of fun fishing at the beach and playing with her cousin Gracie.

Hey Dada, Bye, Uh Oh Mom Nananananana

2009-07-01T09:37:00.002-04:00

Avery has moved up to two word sentences, "Hey Dada" being the most common.

She knows what NO means and she doesn't care. After Casey or I tell her no she just sings "Na na na na na na!" and shakes her head back and forth like we've queued her for the NO song as she continues to do whatever act we have determined she shouldn't be doing.

Every morning at daycare she cries when I leave. This part of the day sucks.

She still doesn't know what her potty is for. She lifts the lid and puts her feet in.

She knows the following questions and answers with body language:

Turn off the light.
Where's your belly?
Want milk?
Come here.
Give (insert person or stuffed animal or toy here) a kiss.
Brush your hair.
Brush your teeth.
Where's your shoes?
Put your shoes on.
Arms up! (for undressing for a bath)

Lastly, "uh oh" has made a tremendous come back.

Sirius Channel 116

2009-06-11T09:22:00.006-04:00

I came across a Kids Music station on satellite radio a couple days ago and keep going back because it's pretty interesting. This morning in the 15 minute drive to daycare, Avery and I listened to songs like "Chicken Joe" by a band called Trout Fishing in America. There was a They Might Be Giants song and a clip of Dennis Leary stand-up about how kids shouldn't feed Oreos to the dog. There was a song called "Dewey Decimal System" and one called "Chicken Wing Marinade" by The Bad Goods that included an entire recipe and cooking directions. We also heard a song by Uncle Jim called "I've Got A Butt." However, my favorite song this morning was by The Sesame Street Beatles called "Letter B." You can listen and watch here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmVd9F1fW00

Pee.

2009-06-09T12:27:00.006-04:00

1) Sunday Casey and I bought a tiny little potty to start potty training Avery. This particular toilet has a sensor that detects waste in the little bucket and a voice congratulates this with "YOU DID IT!" It's a high-end model. I opened it up at home and showed her all the parts (the lid, the fake flush handle, the toilet paper roll holder) and she was pretty excited about it. I even took her shorts and diaper off and sat her on it so that she will start to know that a bare butt is what needs to happen at this place. She got off the potty, on the potty, off, on.. she does this all the time with little stools and chairs so this wasn't anything new. Plus the back of the miniature toilet has a big smiling face so it's very welcoming. She was only diaperless for a minute before she squatted down next to the potty and peed all over the bathroom rug. Close, baby... so close.

2) Last night I gave Avery a great bath. After baths I let her run around the house completely naked to air dry. (You can see where this is going. If you can't, I might remind you of the post title.) She usually has a lot of energy at this point and is always excited to be naked, running from room to room, never spending more than 5 seconds in any one room. I follow her into our bathroom (not her bathroom, where her potty is) and she pees all over herself and the floor. It just keeps coming. She just keeps going. She stepped in her pee puddle, pee still streaming down both of her legs and slips and falls on her back. She isn't hurt but pretty confused about what just happened, so she turns over on her belly to try and stand up. Now she's soaked in her own urine. In trying to stand up she slipped again and fell on her belly, looking at the floor as if to ask it why it wasn't getting away from her already. So I immediately turn the water on in our bath tub since she is going to need another bath. In the three seconds it takes to do this Avery has managed to stand up, safely escape the pee slick, get to our toilet and lift the lid. I turn around and she has her hand in the toilet water swirling it around in circles. Now she has pee on her back, belly, all four limbs, and is playing in toilet water. Half a minute ago she was the cleanest one in the house. Now she is a dripping, disgusting mess.

So she had a second bath. All clean. Full belly. Bedtime story. Slept like a baby.

The News

2009-06-04T11:14:00.002-04:00

Avery's in a new daycare this week. It's closer to home, it's smaller, and it's cheaper. She's into separation anxiety now and it's sometimes hard to leave her at daycare.

She pretty much eats anything that we eat nowadays... minus beef, pork, anything with added salt... and she's getting really good at using a fork. Spoon- not as well- takes a lot more coordination and balance to successfully transport food on a spoon.

In addition to the left-to-right head swaying that she does to music (and when she disagrees with something) she has also learned the up&down to communicate "yes" or "mmm...mmm" when she eats something delicious.

Her new favorite toy is her fridge farm where she can match (or mismatch) pieces of animals and stick them to the fridge. The fridge farm then sings to her, she claps, bends her knees a few times, and dances.

...time and footprints...

2009-05-25T20:12:00.003-04:00

How much your little footprints have changed in a year! You're suddenly so grown up. feeding yourself, getting in AND out of the tub by yourself (well... certainly trying too!), dancing, talking, making friends and music and knowing family. And your personality is so unique...just like your mommy and daddy. It's been so much fun watching you grow this last year....it makes me realize how much fun the years to come will be and how unconditional my love for you is and will always be. I love you more than life itself...grammyxo

Keepin' up with the.. blog.

2009-05-21T10:10:00.003-04:00

D, N, and W are the consonant sounds of the week. M and Y may replace them by the weekend.

Avery has six teeth in her mouth.

She calls the dog (Luke) "Goo" or "Gook"

Her meals lately have been outstanding. Haven't used the magic bullet in over a month. Scratch that- Casey made strawberry milkshakes- but Avery's been eating chunks and pieces rather than purees and mushes. Rather than a bowl of greenish orangish brownish paste (which is actually usually delicious), she has moved on to pieces of asparagus, whole wheat penne, pineapple chunks, diced carrots, whole beans, and bite sized pieces of bread.

This Sunday she will be one year old and we are having a party. A birthday party. It's your birthday party, happy birthday darling. We love you very, very, very, very, very, very, very much.

MOUTH UPDATE

2009-05-07T16:59:00.000-04:00

There's five teeth in there.

Also, she likes PB&J sandwiches.

c'mon horsey!

2009-05-06T19:57:00.004-04:00

I spent the first weekend of May with my little angel and she has learned so much! I especially love the southern twang that she has chosen to use in her little "Uh-O"!! The "O" portion of this is actually two, sometimes three syllables. One afternoon she pulled out her little wooden rocking horse and drug it all over the kitchen and living room. She pulls it a little ways and then walks ahead of it opening and closing her little fist as if to say "c'mon horsey!" My favorite time though, is that hour or so in the morning that we let mommy and daddy sleep. She wakes up between 5:30 and 6:00 and I'm allowed to bring her in bed with me and give her a bottle. This immediatley puts her back to sleep for an hour, hour and half sometimes, but then when she wakes up she's ready to play and so happy and funny. She is so easy to please. The simplest things make her laugh and smile. She'll roll around in bed and play and laugh till I have to get up. Mornings without her just aren't the same.

Sock & W Soup

2009-04-30T15:27:00.001-04:00

A couple of nights ago I was holding Avery while I was stirring up some yellow squash on the stove. She was watching very closely, so I sat her down with an empty pot and a wooden spoon for her to play with. She found a sock of hers and the letter W magnet on the kitchen floor, put them in the pot, and starting poking at it with the spoon. She's such a show off smarty-pants.

This Just In

2009-04-24T09:34:00.002-04:00

Both top teeth.

DAYCARE SUCKS.

2009-04-14T14:16:00.004-04:00

At daycare today I was told that when Avery moves up to the Toddler Room they don't want me coming to visit her on my lunch break anymore. That's fine, I know I can't see her in the middle of the day EVERY day FOREVER. They said it would disrupt the flow of the day and the routine that the ONE toddler teacher has. There are a ton of toddlers and they only have one person watching them all day. AND they said that if Avery was going to eat lunch from home (which she IS because their terrible lunch menu is franks & beans, french fries, cookies, microwaved fish sticks... and their fruit is canned and drenched in high fructose corn syrup, and their vegetables are canned with added salt... the list goes on) that she would have to eat alone in a high chair because the other kids at the table would steal and eat all of her home-food if no one was watching them. THEN WATCH THEM. They also said that if I wanted to come during my lunch break to see her that I could park where she couldn't see my car, come through the back door and watch through the window if she wasn't able to see me. WHAT?

Since she started at daycare there have been an ever-increasing number of things arise that I don't like about this place and today was just about the limit.

So, some major life changes are needed- Casey and I are going to frantically look for a new daycare before she has to move up to the toddler room (a matter of weeks) OR maybe I'll just quit for now and hang out with Avery all day, every day. Other options include stealing Aunt/Cousin Kelli as a live-in babysitter or Grammy quitting her job and moving to Georgia to watch her.

It's Permanent

2009-04-13T13:50:00.002-04:00

Today I went to daycare on my lunch break, like every single day, and for the first time Avery tried to get a tattoo off of me. It was the fish hook one, she kept pinching it at different angles trying to get it off. I told her "Mine."

Who is counting, anyway?

2009-04-07T09:55:00.002-04:00

Not us. After counting 38 consecutive steps a few days back, we said that's it. No more records to break. Congratulations, you're a walking baby!

The Big Break-Up

2009-04-03T10:59:00.001-04:00

Avery and her pacifier had to go their separate ways; it just wasn't working out between the two. Avery was abusive, always chewing on or throwing her pacifier onto the ground, sometimes as if to say “I took 34 steps today damn it, I don’t need you!” Only to cry for it later, in the late night past-tired stages of tired. Her pacifier could not take this emotional rollercoaster ride and began to feel taken for granted. Everyone heals better in the long run if the break-up is cut and dry, cold turkey, none of this on and off business.. and so it was. Sure, Avery cried herself to sleep the first night. For so many nights she was used to falling asleep with a mouth full of warm, rubbery plastic and now she was alone, in the dark, with a big empty mouth. It was a hard cry. So hard, in fact, that I think it wore her out and made her sleep better throughout the night; she didn't stir until after 6am. The second night was much better- not even a whimper and out like a light.

And so it goes. She's moving on to bigger and better things, like chunks of tomato and shoes with laces.

Growing, growing, gone

2009-04-02T20:41:00.007-04:00

As all our children do, Avery is growing in leaps and bounds! She's so smart and we're not even biased! She is so into exploring and learning but yet slows down for that loving, cuddly time. She is a dream come true and amazes us each time we are with her....not to mention... she looks great in lavender!...grammy & grampa

Baby Steps (II)

2009-03-30T13:10:00.000-04:00

22 is the record for consecutive steps as of today. Avery has also learned a new trick.. making a humming sound with her mouth open and hitting it with her hand like an Indian (feather not dot).

Her Grammy would be so proud.

Baby Steps

2009-03-25T10:09:00.000-04:00

NINE is the current record for unassisted consecutive baby steps.

Most Recent Marathon

2009-03-19T10:09:00.001-04:00

This morning at daycare Avery took 4 steps. It took her a long time and she didn't really get anywhere, but there were four definite liftings and landings of alternate feet.

Hugs and LifeTouch

2009-03-18T13:21:00.001-04:00

Avery gave me a hug this morning, it was awesome.

School pictures are in and will be posted shortly.

In other news, TWO black cats crossed my path on Smith Road this morning.

In other other news, Avery is an inny; but that is old news.

Gnashers

2009-03-17T11:20:00.001-04:00

Last week Avery got bit by another baby at daycare.

The Two-Step

2009-03-11T15:43:00.002-04:00

Last night Avery took two whole steps by herself. In the kitchen. With no shoes.

"Aaaiieeeee!!!" -Jacob
"I knew it. She's going to be a break dancer." - Jessica W.

100 Things

2009-02-26T09:36:00.023-05:00

Road Trip to Seneca, South Carolina on 2/14
Hung out with Grandma
Hung out with Nana
Hung out with Dylon
Met Ruth
Met Woodrow
First time to Church
Disruptive in Church
Met a goat
Met a llama
Met four horses
Pet horses
Clapped at horses
Laughed at horses
Got her first "Daddy's Little Girl" Shirt in Seneca
Got her very own stack-the-colored-rings toy
First temporary tattoo ("Mom" banner on a heart, carried by swallows)
First tough tattooed-family photo
Got herself stuck under her crib at daycare; didn't even cry
Enjoys slapping the top of bath water, soaking mommy
Road trip to Florida
Visits cousins
Gracie shares regurgitated ham
Visits Jessi
Swings a lot
Lots of Grammy Time
Naked Rough-House session with mommy, Grammy & Great Grandma (Avery being the only one naked)
4wheeler ride with Grandpa
Grandpa makes yummy sweet potatoes for Avery
Helps Grandpa put corn out for pigs
Two teeth now instead of one
Loves strawberry, pear & granola snack
Pulls up on everything
Tries to walk
First stomp -not step
Loves playing with fridge magnets
Eats/gnaws cookie
Loves cookie
Trip to Fresh Market for her organic fruits and veggies
Played with the biggest cantaloupe I've ever seen
Sways shoulders and head when music starts
Loves chasing Uncle Jacob's dog Luke
Loves kisses from Luke
Ear Infection
103 fever
Blood drawn
HATES blood drawn
Extremely fascinated then annoyed with band-aid
White cell count "way too high" at 24,000
Out of daycare for two days
Antibiotics shot
Hates antibiotics shot
Liquid antibiotics
Hates liquid antibiotics
Blood drawn again
White cell count much better at 14,000
Powdered probiotics starts next week
Still has a cough
Cannot sleep because of ear infection
Constantly pulls at both ears
HATES ear drops more than anything
Got a "How old is he?" at the doctor's office
Waves hi (open/closes fist at you)
Waves bye
Sleeps 12 or 13 hours every other night
Stayed awake for 13 hours
Likes shoes
Came to work with mommy for half a day
Cried and screamed at mommy at work for half a day
Makes a motor boat sound; spit comes out
Ma-ma's and Ba-Ba's and Blah-Blah's accompany the Da-Da's in vocabulary
Drool MACHINE
Constant tonguing on her new teeth
Not so much into lunch lately
Loves breakfast
Reaches for me when I walk away from her
Cries if we leave the room
Loves being swung upside down
Loves being thrown onto the bed
Laughs uncontrollably at pillow fights
Waves at herself in the mirror
Walks across entire living room with assistance of shopping cart toy
Laughs hysterically while walking behind cart
Hangs out in huge (dry) tub with toys while mommy gets dressed in the morning
Weighs 18 lbs. as of 2/24
Still in size 3 diapers
Dances with mommy first thing when we get home almost everyday
New clothes from Great Grandma are awesome
New clothes from Great Grandma are too big
Lunchtime on 2/26 she's feeling better.
I fed her lunch today- squash.
She loved it; ate reeeally fast.
Friday is picture day again at school
Misses Grammy
Misses Grandpa
Misses Great Grandma, Melissa, Kelli, Austin, Tanner, Gracie, and Uncle Steve
Misses Jessi, Kira, and Meghan
Cannot keep up with her blog.

PEARLY WHITE

2009-02-16T09:07:00.000-05:00

You heard it here first, folks. Avery got her first tooth on Valentine's Day.

2009-02-13T10:27:00.004-05:00

Dear Diary,

Last week I got to hang out with my Aunt Shannon, like, ALL night. She came all the way out to my house and ate some chicken pot pie with mommy and daddy. It was pretty sweet cause she carried me around a lot and got to see all of my toys. My favorite part was when mommy and daddy got to sit down for a minute without having to constantly watch me to make sure I didn't fall on something or choke or break something. Maybe that wasn't really my favorite part. It might have been when Shannon washed my hair, or when she fed me.. mmm.. that might be my favorite part.

Spooning (from 2/6)

2009-02-06T10:50:00.003-05:00

Last night Casey fed Avery her dinner of zucchini, yellow squash, and cauliflower. Towards the end she gets a little uninterested in eating and wants to play. She hardly ever gets a dessert, but I still have a cup of pureed cantaloupe in the fridge, so last night she got dessert. I've been giving her spoons lately to play with so that she can get used to holding one and using it, but she usually bangs it on the ground or chews on either end. So, as Casey was feeding her dessert, to keep her hands from flailing around and knocking the spoon and food out of his hand, I gave her her own spoon to play with. She took her spoon and slowly put it in her mouth like one of us were feeding her, so Casey put some applesauce on it and she did the same thing, feeding herself a nice little bite without getting it on her face or in her hair or on her clothes. She did this twice. It was miraculous. The third time Casey put a bite of applesauce on her spoon it ended up on Casey, herself, the table, and floor. Can't win 'em all.

The Girl Likes Cantaloupe

2009-02-05T09:51:00.004-05:00

Avery's breakfast every morning is cereal with fruit. The cereal is either mixed grain, rice, or oatmeal. The fruit has usually been pears, bananas, applesauce, or apricots.

Yesterday I went totally crazy and magicbulleted a cantaloupe to mix with her cereal and she loved it. The End.

p.s. Casey loved it too.

p.p.s. "Going totally crazy" gets a different meaning when you become a mom.

What is Love!

2009-02-03T12:27:00.002-05:00

Move over Will Farrell and Chris Kattan; Avery has this move down and can perform it on cue. Last night her and I danced to a lot of songs (the Haddaway classic was not one of them) and she took what she learned right on into her dinner as Casey was feeding her, bobbing her head any time she saw me move or clap. This makes her incredibily happy which, in turn, makes us laugh until we cry.

With Bravery Comes Blood

2009-01-30T10:33:00.004-05:00

Poor little baby Avery hit the roof of her mouth so bad on the dishwasher yesterday that her perfect little mouth started bleeding. She didn't cry for long at all and felt a lot better after gumming on a frozen chunk of honeydew, which she quickly got excited about. This may have been the most painful moment of her life thus far- and it wasn't easy for Casey and I either! It was way worse than getting all of her shots or recent bumps to the head from falling.

Afterward she ate all of her dinner (carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower), climbed over daddy's guitar case and found a cabinet in new territory to open and explore, clapped a lot, played in her room, laughed a lot, drank some warm milk (formula), and went to sleep by 9. She didn't wake up until after 6:30 this morning when I was almost out the door.

Daddy is keeping her today instead of being at daycare.
(Full report later on today's adventures with "da da" -her first and favorite thing to say)

Falling Down

2009-01-28T09:09:00.003-05:00

She crawls, she pulls herself up, she falls down. Hard. Then cries. Hard. Last night she ate the coffee table and had a nice cry- I try explaining to her that her legs don't work right yet but she doesn't get it. Most of the time she will fall square on her butt, with her diaper padding her fall. Lately these types of falls have been followed by a nervous look around the room to see who was watching, a big grin, and two or three big claps. The bad falls result in ear piercing screams in between long, silent and red-faced, deep breaths. You can tell how loud the scream is going to be by the length of the deep breath and the redness of her little teary face.

Fight Club

2009-01-22T13:09:00.003-05:00

To show off her toughness, Avery has been sporting a pretty sweet bruise on her forehead. The ladies at school said she fell down and into the wall- but she told Casey and I that her and Tyler Durden have secretly been fighting each other in the social hall at daycare on a daily basis. She said they've even been recruiting other babies and even toddlers into their ring of aggression.

I had to sign an accident report stating I was made aware of the incident and gave a copy to Mrs. Linda Lamb, the Jasper Spring Childcare Director, while a battered Avery giggled on my hip.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!

2009-01-21T09:22:00.000-05:00

Avery copies Casey and I when we clap our hands together.

Then she smiles real big. It's one of the cutest things she has ever done in her life.

That's all!

Chunks, Sippy Cups, and Counting Calories

2009-01-19T09:31:00.001-05:00

Up until Thursday night Avery has only enjoyed liquids and pureed foods. I was cooking some sweet potatoes for her (one of her favs) and thought she might be able to try eating some soft chunks before I threw it in the magic bullet. No, she still doesn't have a tooth yet, but her little gums chomped away at the soft little sweet potato cubes quite well. She ate about 5 and that is a milestone.

Another milestone of Thursday night: sippy cup operation. For the first experiment we filled sippy cup number one with water and tried giving it to Avery like a bottle. She just chewed on the.. sippy part? until she realized what was going on, the proceeded to shake it all over her face, neck, and chest. Ok, who am I kidding, it didn't get on her neck. We actually are still not sure if she has a neck, Casey said he has seen it before, and I may have felt it once while giving her a bath I think... ...but anyway, for the second experiment we used a different sippy cup- one with grip handles on both sides and she got the hang of it quickly.

For now she has just had water. (Well, her aunt Patsy has given her a sip of cranberry juice - and she has had a little bit of green tea... and some prune juice...) But her pediatrician recommends (and I completely agree) that she should learn to love water, drink it every day, and not be given juice too often because of unneeded calories. She eats fruit every morning anyway, so she might as well get those calories from fresh fruit as a meal rather than juice. ..but we're really not counting her calories.

$1.9 Million

2009-01-16T09:49:00.002-05:00

Grammy,

All you have to do is buy that 100 acres and those farm houses mommy told you about and I could see you every day! I miss you and will see you next week! Give Grampa a big hug for me. I love you!

Love, Avery Lee

Chatter & Heartaches

2009-01-15T21:17:00.003-05:00

It's so hard being so far away from Avery. Seeing her on the web cam helps a lot and listening to her chatter on the phone does too. It only makes me want to hold her though, to smell her little neck and kiss her little rose pedal lips. She's so so sweet. I love the way she holds her mouth open when you kiss her as if she wants more or wants to kiss you back. I can sit and stare at her till my heart aches.xoxogrammy

Sleep, Stand

2009-01-06T08:11:00.002-05:00

Avery slept from 5:30pm yesterday afternoon until 5am this morning.

This morning she stood straight up, holding on to the laundry basket with one hand, for over 5 whole minutes.

Progress.

First Camping Trip and Words

2009-01-05T09:09:00.011-05:00

Saturday morning Casey, Avery, our nehpew Dylon, and I set out towards Okefenokee Swamp in search of some caches. We recently learned about geocaching since buying a hand held GPS. (you can read details about it here: www.geocaching.com) It's kind of like treasure hunting. We had six caches on the list, all of our camping gear, and plenty of batteries.

Avery slept through the first find, which was ok since it was right off of the road and took just a minute to find. Dylon kept a boy scout badge from it and we left some baby temporary tattoos (purchased here: http://www.perpetualkid.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2202)

We found 5 out of the six caches. Dylon took some kind of prize from all of them execpt one and we left some tattoos at each one. Avery came along on most adventures of the trip strapped to her daddy's chest in a little carrier. We went to four caches on Saturday, set up camp at Laura S. Walker State Park, then went to the last two caches on Sunday at the Okefenokee Swamp.

Avery liked being at camp. We didn't have room to pack her pack 'n play so she tumbled around on the ground and in the tent. I wasn't sure how much she would move arond in the tent and I didn't want her to roll off of her little palette we made her, so we brought the car seat in the tent and she slept pretty good for a long time. The campsite was a lot more luxurious than we expected, with a spickot and electrical outlets in between each campsite, so we were able to wash our bowls and utensils and Avery's bottles. We used the outlets a couple of times to heat up water for Avery on a small burner we have, but if we had a fire going we warmed her water in a pot over the fire.

On Sunday at Okefenokee Avery got to ride a train and pet a baby alligator and a lot of snakes at the nature show. She got to see deer, goats, chickens, an otter, and two black bears. In the middle of the nature show she blurted out DA DA. I'm not sure if we're counting that as her real first words or not. The day before we were on a hiking trail at the state park and Avery talked the whole time, most of the words sounded like aaayy bllmem eh ya or something, but there were times when it was definitely ma ma ma ma. Casey might claim this one, but it's still up in the air. The ma ma's were during a babble, and the da da was an isolated proclaimation. However, the da da was directed at the man giving the nature show holding an alligator. I can see how she'd get the two confused, but she definitely wasn't calling Casey. More developments in this case are sure to arise this week.

In other news, she is pulling up on everything and taking steps while holding on- sometimes with one hand. Little show-off.

Teeth & Doggies

2008-12-29T10:54:00.003-05:00

No teeth yet; we're still waiting for them. I've heard that late teeth = healthier teeth and healthier baby. Her newer habits consist of chewing and sucking on her own tongue, and the machine-gun-laugh. She bites anything she can get close to her mouth. Sometimes she bites so hard she hurts her gums and cries.

This weekend we visited my cousin who has a great dane, and Casey's sister who has a large pointer. Avery does her hard laugh at these pups and loves when they get really close to her face. Her and the great dane, Petri, even got to exchange some drool. I'm not too worried about this since it's been determined that dogs mouths are cleaner than humans'.

p.s.
Avery got a webcam for Christmas and can now video chat with anyone in the free world.

crawl-steps

2008-12-17T08:34:00.002-05:00

We've just started calling them that. She can take up to four or five crawl-steps before she's on her belly again and scooting rather than crawling. The times they are a-changin.

We're all getting our colds back. Avery eats 3 square meals a day with 4 to 5 bottles in between. She loves the Christmas tree skirt and her own shadow on the living room floor.

Remind Me to Tell You About the Grocery Store Killer

2008-12-05T09:01:00.010-05:00

Avery wakes up in between 3 and 5 every morning. It is hard to describe what happens during the first few moments of hearing that little chirp on the monitor. Usually I just roll over and in a sad little voice ask Casey if he will get up to go get her. Lucky me, he always does, but not before a few groggy sounds or grumbles- and both of us have still not opened our eyes. We don't know what time it is, just that it's dark and we are getting farther away from sleep.

The night before last, this routine happened again and before getting up to go to Avery's room, Casey tells me to remind him to tell me about the grocery store killer. Ok, I said.

We have both been having very long and detailed dreams and it has become a normal part of the morning to share these crazy subconscious movies we star in. Last night Avery was sitting on a bar stool calling me Lindsay and forming complete sentences in perfectly enunciated English. Casey's dream involved a crazed lunatic who lived in a grocery store that he used to lure people in and murder them. Once they had their carts full they were sent to the back where there was a man selling tickets to a carnival, their shopping cart was taken from them and all of their items returned to the shelves for the next customer/victim. I have been wondering if we've always dreamed this much or if waking up in the middle of every dream lately has just helped us be able to remember them.

In other news, Avery seems to be getting bored with breast feeding. The nipples on all of her bottles have big holes that allow her to inhale 6 ounces of milk in no time flat. Breast feeding takes at least twice the time, and about two minutes into it she ends up getting distracted by other sounds or movements in the room. She'll be seven months old this month so perhaps it's time to completely ween her of teet privileges.

She holds her own bottle when she eats, is pooping three times a day - which usually dirties at least one outfit per day (daycare calls this a "blow out"), and has become an expert at Yoga's downward dog position.

2008-12-04T19:40:00.003-05:00

I think this to be my favorite picture of our week with you Avery. From chin to posed little hands and all stripes in between! Thank you for a most wonderful Thanksgiving, Avery, Lindsay and Casey. We are so looking forward to your first Christmas.

Oh, and you know, if mommy didn't let you skip school so much your keyboard skills might improve! XO Grammy & Grampa

2008-11-24T14:24:00.003-05:00

{at daycare last week}

Skipping School

2008-11-24T13:53:00.004-05:00

This week my parents are in town and Avery doesn't have to go to daycare. This brings many conveniences for myself in particular, not to mention the quality time Avery will get to spend with her grandparents instead of other screaming babies.

These days Avery's breakfasts consist of mixed grain cereal mixed with pears. Lunches have either been sweet potatoes, yellow & zucchini squash, and the latest addition: green beans. In between those big meals she either has Good Start formula or breast milk. Since her food now is a variety of colors and textures, so are her poops. It's always a surprise.

She sits up completely unsupported on her own but does not crawl quite yet. She moves across the floor like she's crawling under a fence and gets pretty far doing so. Today is her 6 month birthday.

Aavery's Keyboard Skills

2008-11-22T16:23:00.000-05:00

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhgb6hn mo,ok nnnnnnnnnnnnmmmmmmmmm mnnnnnxz11111111111111111111111111111zZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZc ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZWSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS sssss cx b jmn liuj m c knjjmmmmmm ikkij7bhn n878.jsassssss56666666666666h8uu v98o878uiuuuuuuu mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
mmmmmmmm9 m788

Sharing

2008-11-19T08:12:00.003-05:00

Avery has already begun to learn this very important life lesson. She has generously shared her cold with me and I am miserable. However, she does not share the humidifier with eucalyptus oil and hogs the entire thing in her room at night. It has helped with her congestion and with her sleep since she is able to breathe better.

At noon today I'm taking her to the doctor since she has had a rough cough for a week now and her head is pretty snotty at times.

2008-11-18T16:59:00.001-05:00

Petit Nez

2008-11-14T10:13:00.002-05:00

After talking to the doctor we got some Little Noses for Avery. She does not like having a snotty nose at all. It seems as if she is trying to rub her nose off of her face altogether and her cough sounds like hkkkruguskskuhhikfhhckhckskutogkc. She slept for quite a while last night, there was a good 6-hour stretch in there somewhere. A few random coughs were heard here and there, but nothing that woke her up until about 5am this morning.

She is going to visit her Grandma again this evening and next weekend will get to see her Grammy for a whole week for Thanksgiving.

We are having Thanksgiving at the hunting club this year. I am pretty excited to take Avery there since she has never been and since she loves being outdoors.

Today she is sporting a long-sleeved blue, brown, and white onesie with a brown corduroy overall/skirt thing and for breakfast she ate a ton of breastmilk and her own foot.

Chamomile

2008-11-13T12:27:00.008-05:00

Last night Avery's cough was not any better so I gave her some hot (well, warm) chamomile tea with a splash of natural apple juice for flavor. I usually put honey in my chamomile tea because it's a little bitter, but honey isn't safe for little babies so I thought apple juice might be a good idea. She washed that little treat down with some breastmilk and slept from about 8:00 to 4:45 this morning. Not bad at all.

For dinner her daddy fed her some pears that I made for her. So far I have made her carrots, sweet potatoes, and pears. For carrots you just steam them until they are mushy, add water and put them in the magic bullet. It makes really good baby food. For sweet potatoes I boiled them in a little bit of water until they were mushy then blended them in the magic bullet. Fruit is really easy because you don't have to cook it first, just blend it as is. With the sweet potatoes you can use the water that you boiled them in to make them creamier, but with carrots you can't use the water that is left after steaming them because of the nitrate levels. Making baby food saves money; we bought a huge sweet potato for 89 cents and it will make 10 or 11 servings for her without having preservatives or other added ingredients. MMM.

metal? really?

2008-11-12T10:42:00.004-05:00

Recalled: Mylicon Infant Gas Drops

Tue, Nov 11, 2008 (BabyCenter News) — Johnson & Johnson and Merck & Co have announced a recall of about 12,000 bottles of Mylicon infant anti-gas drops in cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

The drops may contain metal fragments. The potential for serious injury is low, and any effects are expected to be temporary and resolved without medical treatment. No injuries have been reported.

The recall involves Infants' Mylicon Gas Relief Dye Free (simethicone-antigas) non-staining drops sold in one-ounce plastic bottles with the lot numbers SMF007 or SMF008. The recall does not affect any Original Infants' Mylicon Gas Relief products (1/2-ounce or 1-ounce size) or Infants' Mylicon Gas Relief Dye Free drops non-staining (1/2-ounce size).

The infant drops were distributed nationwide after October 5.

Eh Hem

2008-11-12T09:22:00.005-05:00

Avery coughs. Avery wakes up. Avery eats. Avery talks herself to sleep. Avery coughs again and wakes up again and eats again.

She hasn't been running a fever, which is good, but her cough sounds pretty bad. I read that sage and thyme tea will help, along with other witch-doctor remedies involving herbs and essential oils. I gave her half of a dose of tylenol last night to hopefully tackle whatever is coming but her cough is worse today than yesterday. And I read that the sugar in cough syrups and baby medicines aren't good for them and can actually prolong their cold. I cannot remember the last time she slept through the night. This morning she got to swing for about 2 hours... 1 of which she slept, the other she spent talking to herself, grunting, and coughing.

Last night she got to hang out with Grandma and even got to take a bath and a nap over there. She was happy about that.

She has been really good in the car lately. She plays with toys most of the time and ends up falling asleep by the time we get to where we're going. When we're not listening to NPR we sing this Strip Club Moms song:

Fresh water is cypress trout and faded out jeans
lily pads and turtle submarines
large mouth bass and lots of grass
and a cold beer to steer.

Cormorants and anhingas
leopard gar and large mosquitos
lots of minnows that love dorritos
they'll even eat your spit.

Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like bananas.

2008-11-11T10:24:00.004-05:00

I know we've only known each other for four weeks and three days, but to me it seems like nine weeks and five days. The first day seemed like a week. And the second day seemed like five days. And the third day seemed like a week again. And the fourth day seemed like eight days. But the fifth day, you went to see your mother and that seemed just like a day. But then you came back and later on the sixth day in the evening when we saw each other-- that started seeming like two days. So in the evening it seemed like two days spilling over into the next day and that started seeming like four days. So at the end of the sixth on into the seventh day that seemed like a total of five days. And the sixth day seemed like a week and a half.

Night Crawler

2008-11-11T08:49:00.008-05:00

Here is a photo of Avery I took with my phone this morning when I dropped her off at daycare. Her eyebrows are hilarious. Her footie pajamas say "I <3 MOM" and "I <3 DAD" all over.

Avery woke up three times within 4 hours last night. The 4th time she woke up, at 4:00am, she was up for good. Breast milk production is on the rise lately and she eats a pretty hefty midnight snack so I'm not sure why she is waking so frequently other than just to move around. She gets so excited that she can get up on all fours but gets frustrated when, instead of moving herself forward, she is only able to scoot her forehead across the floor or mattress, eventually running into something and crying. Her favorite things is to practice this ritual in between 1 and 3am.

She has also become quite fond of her pacifier, which lately is used only in getting her to sleep or if she is uncontrollably fussy. Now if she finds a pacifier she examines all sides of it (to check for dust or dirt, she is very germ-conscious), tastes the back side (to make sure it's the right flavor), then turns it around and uses it correctly. Her father and I have been wondering when we should stop giving her a pacifier completely, as this type of behavior would not be acceptable, say, on her first day of middle school or in 16 years while on a date at the National Grits Festival in Warwick, Georgia.

This afternoon Avery will be spending some time at her Grandma's house so that Casey and I can get some big chores done. Hopefully Grandma will work some sleep-all-night magic.

Better Late Than Never

2008-11-10T10:07:00.015-05:00

Even though Avery will be 6 months old in a couple weeks and has gone through one million changes already, I figured it'd give the grandparents something to do if I posted new things about Avery all of the time, so here it is.

She woke up I don't know how many times last night.. quite the change from a few months ago when she'd sleep for 10 hours straight. At 4:30am this morning she was awake for good. (I am tired.)

This morning she had a cough, and it reminded me of when her cousin Gracie would fake-cough for no reason. Avery coughed this morning, then made a face which I'm assuming means "Did I make that noise?" after which she coughed again on purpose and make a face as if to say "Yep. All me."

Today Avery is sporting a black onesie with tattoo-like artwork on the front with red swallows and blue ribbons that say "PETIT BEBE" with pink fleece pants and white socks. It was 31 degrees this morning.