Yesterday afternoon, Avery giggled for the first time! She's kind of had the one noise she makes when she's happy, but this time she very clearly giggled. It was hands down the coolest part of being a mother so far. I'm hoping she's got lots more in store for today. It really came at the perfect time as we have a house full of sickos right now, including me. Hearing a baby giggle after a day of taking care of her while I'm sick was just what the doctor ordered. Thankfully, Avery seems to be avoiding the bug all together.
We're hosting Avery's birth mother, father and brother, as well as (hopefully) a few other family members, for a lunch next weekend. D and I are both really looking forward to seeing them again. We haven't been able to connect since Avery's placement. It's amazing how busy life has gotten!
I'll focus on getting some more pictures taken for the next post (no pun intended).
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Friday, March 7, 2008
2.5 Months
Avery rolled over again the other day. We think what happens is that she sees something that interests her, gets quite excited, and then the momentum just flips her over. She really hates being stranded on her tummy after a rollover. Fortunately Mommy or Daddy is always there to right her.
We now play a game where we lay next to each other on the floor. I put my legs in the air and then roll to one side. Then, I face her and encourage her to do the same, essentially rolling from her back to her side in my direction. I'd say she's about 25% at doing the same motions and rolling to her side. It's pretty awesome to watch her figure things out.
She's also starting to grab things now and making contact with them. The first time the other day when I had her on my lap and was at my desk. She managed to grab the cord to the camera. Thankfully for the camera, I caught it before it went tumbling off the desk. Today she was grabbing onto toys, which is a first.
We're also making a bit of progress with the car riding. I don't think she gets car sick because it doesn't happen every time we're in the car. My theory now is that she has to be really tired to be able to fall asleep in the car and if she's overtired, then she simply cannot fall asleep in the car, so she cries. Today I ran over to the grocery store and did it right after she woke up from a nap and had a bottle. She was happy the whole way there and most of the way back. Yeah for progress.
Her room is coming along a bit. Very slowly. It's hard to do stuff in there when she's napping and then when she's not napping, we tend to be playing downstairs. We'll get there ... eventually.
We now play a game where we lay next to each other on the floor. I put my legs in the air and then roll to one side. Then, I face her and encourage her to do the same, essentially rolling from her back to her side in my direction. I'd say she's about 25% at doing the same motions and rolling to her side. It's pretty awesome to watch her figure things out.
She's also starting to grab things now and making contact with them. The first time the other day when I had her on my lap and was at my desk. She managed to grab the cord to the camera. Thankfully for the camera, I caught it before it went tumbling off the desk. Today she was grabbing onto toys, which is a first.
We're also making a bit of progress with the car riding. I don't think she gets car sick because it doesn't happen every time we're in the car. My theory now is that she has to be really tired to be able to fall asleep in the car and if she's overtired, then she simply cannot fall asleep in the car, so she cries. Today I ran over to the grocery store and did it right after she woke up from a nap and had a bottle. She was happy the whole way there and most of the way back. Yeah for progress.
Her room is coming along a bit. Very slowly. It's hard to do stuff in there when she's napping and then when she's not napping, we tend to be playing downstairs. We'll get there ... eventually.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
San Diego
San Diego
Avery's Changes
We are back from our trip to San Diego. The weather down there is just lovely right now. We went for a business trip for D. I shouldn't need to tag along on the next trip, but this was easier than attempting several days/nights alone with Avery. Plus, it was another opportunity for Avery to see her grandpa.
Travel, again, went very smoothly. She did fuss a bit on the planes at various times, but is always easy to soothe and get back to an easy-baby state. The plane down there was one of those without a changing table. Thankfully we didn't need to change her on the flight. At this point, it's safe to say Avery is not a good car rider. Unless she is fast asleep (which does happen occasionally, but not often), she pretty much screams at the top of her lungs the entire ride. Since she is not unhappy in her car seat when we stroll around, I don't believe it is the car seat that is the issue. We're not sure what the issue is. I'll continue to try various things to minimize the crying when driving, but in the meantime, I've decided to be thankful that it is the car that brings out this ear piercing scream. It could be the plane or going out in public. Both of those would be considerably worse, so we can handle a little car screaming!
While down there, we took several strolls around the resort and enjoyed the weather. The second night, we joined D and his colleagues for dessert following the awards dinner he was attending. Avery got a lot of attention. She was fast asleep for most of it, but decided to wake up towards the end, thrilling several people who want to coo over an alert baby.
The third and final night, we joined the whole group at the dinner. I was a bit hesitant since it was in a large ballroom in which cries would undoubtedly echo loudly. We tried to pick an easy exit location, but were promptly blocked by the addition of another table. Fortunately, she slept most of the time, only waking up when they decided to give away an awesome not-yet-available-for-sale flat screen TV (it's only 1.5" thick!) The guys doing this were quite loud and Avery decided to listen in. She was quite content and didn't cause a stir at all. Again, she was quite a hit with lots of people coming over to meet her and congratulate us. Oh, we didn't win the TV. Bummer.
Also on the third day, Grandpa popped in for a visit. Unfortunately, Grandma Joy wasn't feeling well, so she wasn't able to make it. Avery did have a good time playing with Grandpa, though.
Avery's Changes
We also had a pretty big milestone as we were packing up on Monday. She rolled over for the first time! I put her in the middle of bedroom floor as D and I were running around frantically packing. She was flat on her back when I layed her down. I turned around and there she was on her tummy trying to get back onto her back! I'm quite sure this was just a fluke where she moved her body in the exact right way to roll over versus knowing how to roll over, but it was exciting nonetheless. And also a good reminder for D and I that these firsts happen unexpectedly, so we should be cautious about her surroundings.
In the past few weeks, she has discovered her hands and loves to munch away on them. Well, more like slobber away. It makes it a bit more difficult to swaddle since she loves to have them in her mouth. She is also so into sitting up. Putting her in the bouncy chair now involves more sit up attempts than kicking. She's also advanced to the activated setting on the bouncy chair. This means that when she kicks the chair, it changes/plays the music. When the music stops, she gets annoyed and kicks again. It's so amazingly cute!
Finally, I posted a few new pictures in the Daily Avery album. Until next time, enjoy!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
2-Month Check Up
Avery and I are just back from her 2-month visit at the pediatrician's office. She is doing just wonderfully! She is the 75% percentile for weight, the 75-90% for height, and the 75% for head circumference, so all is well there.
All of my answers to the various questions yielded an enthusiastic, "Good!" response from the doctor. Avery also did really well while getting her immunization shots. She wasn't happy about them, clearly, but she calmed down after about five minutes and then promptly fell asleep when we got home. Such a little trooper!
I also wanted to post this little video that RG's dad put together for us using footage that RG shot while visiting. Maybe we can bribe him into doing more of these for us!
My next post probably won't be until the beginning of March.
All of my answers to the various questions yielded an enthusiastic, "Good!" response from the doctor. Avery also did really well while getting her immunization shots. She wasn't happy about them, clearly, but she calmed down after about five minutes and then promptly fell asleep when we got home. Such a little trooper!
I also wanted to post this little video that RG's dad put together for us using footage that RG shot while visiting. Maybe we can bribe him into doing more of these for us!
My next post probably won't be until the beginning of March.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Hawaii
We're back from Avery's first major trip to Maui, Hawaii. We scheduled this vacation a while ago, before we knew Avery would be joining our family. At first we thought about canceling it, but when we mentioned it to various people (pediatrician and hospital nurses included), we always got the same, emphatic response of, "Go!" Everyone kept reassuring us that this would be the easiest time to travel with her. I am happy to report that everyone was right!
The flight out there could not have gone any smoother. Getting through security was a breeze. There were very few people, and since we'd been warned this is the most difficult part of traveling with children, we had thought through exactly how we would manage all the various luggage we'd have with us. Avery was terrific on the flight. She slept for the first half, then woke up and fed and then just sat happily on our laps for the second half. Nain (Megan's mom) bought Avery a flight vest to use in flight and that worked great when Avery wasn't in the sling.
Upon arrival, we had to wait about an hour for luggage to arrive and for Damian to fetch the rental car. Avery was awake this whole time, but was content to sit on my lap and look adorable for passers by. No fewer than four parties from our flight came up to me during this time and commented on what a good baby she was on the flight. I proudly said, "Thank you!" (as if I had anything to do with it - it was all Avery!)
Vic and Mike joined us later that night after their flight landed. Their patience during this trip was amazing. They were so flexible and willing to go with the flow. Most of the vacation consisted of the same things of past vacations: eating, lounging by the pool, Scrabble. Since Avery was with us, we got less lounging and Scrabbling in, however, thanks to the sun tent, we were able to spend a fair amount of time at the pool and the beach.
Avery did so well during all the dinners out. Her fussiest dinner was at the restaurant at the hotel, which was convenient for us. She did amazing at the two fancier places we dined.
In sleeping news, she slept very well while on vacation. We had our first 8-hour-long sleep. It was only one night, but I'll take it! The other nights she only woke up once during the night and then woke up a tad on the early side for some feeding since her stomach was on Portland time.
Our return flight went almost as well as the flight out. Avery decided to set the expectation bar low for the passengers around us by screaming before we took off. Turns out Mommy and Daddy took too long preparing her bottle. However, after that, she was very easy throughout the flight. I did the traditional aisle walk you see all parents doing and walked her to sleep in about 3-5 minutes, after which she slept for the rest of the flight.
Now, what you all really want: pictures!
Flower dress
Avery loves Hawaii!
Aloha dress
Mommy thinks she fits in my sun tent!
Avery napping in Daddy's arms
Uncle Mike keeps a watchful eye on Avery
The flight out there could not have gone any smoother. Getting through security was a breeze. There were very few people, and since we'd been warned this is the most difficult part of traveling with children, we had thought through exactly how we would manage all the various luggage we'd have with us. Avery was terrific on the flight. She slept for the first half, then woke up and fed and then just sat happily on our laps for the second half. Nain (Megan's mom) bought Avery a flight vest to use in flight and that worked great when Avery wasn't in the sling.
Upon arrival, we had to wait about an hour for luggage to arrive and for Damian to fetch the rental car. Avery was awake this whole time, but was content to sit on my lap and look adorable for passers by. No fewer than four parties from our flight came up to me during this time and commented on what a good baby she was on the flight. I proudly said, "Thank you!" (as if I had anything to do with it - it was all Avery!)
Vic and Mike joined us later that night after their flight landed. Their patience during this trip was amazing. They were so flexible and willing to go with the flow. Most of the vacation consisted of the same things of past vacations: eating, lounging by the pool, Scrabble. Since Avery was with us, we got less lounging and Scrabbling in, however, thanks to the sun tent, we were able to spend a fair amount of time at the pool and the beach.
Avery did so well during all the dinners out. Her fussiest dinner was at the restaurant at the hotel, which was convenient for us. She did amazing at the two fancier places we dined.
In sleeping news, she slept very well while on vacation. We had our first 8-hour-long sleep. It was only one night, but I'll take it! The other nights she only woke up once during the night and then woke up a tad on the early side for some feeding since her stomach was on Portland time.
Our return flight went almost as well as the flight out. Avery decided to set the expectation bar low for the passengers around us by screaming before we took off. Turns out Mommy and Daddy took too long preparing her bottle. However, after that, she was very easy throughout the flight. I did the traditional aisle walk you see all parents doing and walked her to sleep in about 3-5 minutes, after which she slept for the rest of the flight.
Now, what you all really want: pictures!
View from our hotel room - we were able to watch the whales from the balcony and saw several breaches and tail flaps.
Flower dress
Avery loves Hawaii!
Aloha dress
Mommy thinks she fits in my sun tent!
Avery napping in Daddy's arms
Uncle Mike keeps a watchful eye on Avery
Friday, February 8, 2008
Silent Night
As I stated in the last post, Avery is starting to coo and smile a lot more. She is particularly animated when I sing Silent Night to her. I was singing it tonight and she was so cute during my first rendition that I grabbed the camera and tried a second. She wasn't quite as animated (and lost patience with the activity half way through), but just try and tell me this isn't adorable! Apologies for my singing voice. I apologize to her on a daily basis.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Visit from Grandpa and Grandma
My dad and his wife left today after spending five days visiting us and getting to know Avery. Grandpa was just thrilled to meet little Avery. He brought a handmade tube plastered with pictures of D and I and Avery as a gift. Very creative indeed. The visit was terrific! Thanks for coming out, Dad and Joy!
Most of our time was spent lounging around the house. We did have one outing to the doctor. Avery needed to have an ultrasound on her hip since she was a breech baby (it's a standard thing done for all babies born breech, apparently). So the four of us loaded up into the minivan and headed over to the hospital. Avery was so good for the doctor and charmed the pants off her and the nurse. She also pooed in her diaper at an inopportune time, but hey, can't be perfect! All is well with her hips. Following that, we headed out for lunch. Once again, I was able to share my love of Marionberry Poppyseed cake with our visitors. They were both thoroughly impressed with the cake, as well they should be!
Some pictures from their visit ...
In other news, we received three beautiful, hand-knitted sweaters from Grandma Rosie in England. They are absolutely gorgeous! I admit I'm not overly into buying clothes for Avery - I'm more about function than fashion. But I cannot wait to go buy the perfect clothes to go along with these sweaters! Since Avery is the first girl in the family, this is the first time Grandma Rosie got to knit in pink. Click the photo to enlarge it and see the beautiful work.
The big news for us was that Avery had her first night with only one wake up! It was pure bliss! The past week or so, she wakes an average of 2-3 times per night, which isn't bad because it's typically once during D's shift and once during mine. For the most part, she seems to be a really good sleeper. While I can't say I'm thrilled to be woken from my lovely, much needed slumber, when I go into her room to feed/change/comfort her, my heart just melts. Those gorgeous little eyes peaking out from her burrito swaddle make me immediately smile.
Her personality seems to be developing a bit more. When I sing Silent Night to her (the only song I actually know the lyrics to - must remedy that situation!) she gets very calm and watches me sing and then at the high parts of the song she smiles and coos as if she's singing along. That's another heart melting moment for sure. She's also seems to be close to laughing. She smiles and kind of makes a noise along with the smile. It's not a true laugh, but pretty darn cute nonetheless. She smiled earlier than most babies, so perhaps she'll laugh a bit sooner, too.
Avery and I may be having her first play date out of the house on Friday. It depends on the schedule of a friend. Most of the rest of our time will be spent getting ready for our upcoming trip. I'll hopefully do another post before we leave, but just in case I don't get time, check back in a couple of weeks.
Most of our time was spent lounging around the house. We did have one outing to the doctor. Avery needed to have an ultrasound on her hip since she was a breech baby (it's a standard thing done for all babies born breech, apparently). So the four of us loaded up into the minivan and headed over to the hospital. Avery was so good for the doctor and charmed the pants off her and the nurse. She also pooed in her diaper at an inopportune time, but hey, can't be perfect! All is well with her hips. Following that, we headed out for lunch. Once again, I was able to share my love of Marionberry Poppyseed cake with our visitors. They were both thoroughly impressed with the cake, as well they should be!
Some pictures from their visit ...
Grandpa plays with Avery
Grandma & Grandpa feed Avery
In other news, we received three beautiful, hand-knitted sweaters from Grandma Rosie in England. They are absolutely gorgeous! I admit I'm not overly into buying clothes for Avery - I'm more about function than fashion. But I cannot wait to go buy the perfect clothes to go along with these sweaters! Since Avery is the first girl in the family, this is the first time Grandma Rosie got to knit in pink. Click the photo to enlarge it and see the beautiful work.
The big news for us was that Avery had her first night with only one wake up! It was pure bliss! The past week or so, she wakes an average of 2-3 times per night, which isn't bad because it's typically once during D's shift and once during mine. For the most part, she seems to be a really good sleeper. While I can't say I'm thrilled to be woken from my lovely, much needed slumber, when I go into her room to feed/change/comfort her, my heart just melts. Those gorgeous little eyes peaking out from her burrito swaddle make me immediately smile.
Her personality seems to be developing a bit more. When I sing Silent Night to her (the only song I actually know the lyrics to - must remedy that situation!) she gets very calm and watches me sing and then at the high parts of the song she smiles and coos as if she's singing along. That's another heart melting moment for sure. She's also seems to be close to laughing. She smiles and kind of makes a noise along with the smile. It's not a true laugh, but pretty darn cute nonetheless. She smiled earlier than most babies, so perhaps she'll laugh a bit sooner, too.
Avery and I may be having her first play date out of the house on Friday. It depends on the schedule of a friend. Most of the rest of our time will be spent getting ready for our upcoming trip. I'll hopefully do another post before we leave, but just in case I don't get time, check back in a couple of weeks.
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