Perfect Weekend

Last weekend we all got together with Ben's side of the family for a mini-reunion. Lynn and Barry rented a house on Lake Palestine and we had an amazing time!

Ella enjoyed all of the loving and cuddling she got, and Avery had a blast with all of the activities and attention she received. There was game-playing, pumpkin-carving, karaoke-singing (Fisher-Price style), s'more-making, and of course, fishing.

After practicing off the patio with Daddy, they tried out the lake to see how the fish were biting. Apparently those poor fish must have been desperate for any chance of a meal they could get. Despite Avery repeatedly slapping the water with her fishing pole, and the constant noise she made, she caught two fish (with the help of Grandpa)! When she reeled her first fish in, she immediately leaned over ...

... and gave it a BIG smooch!!

She was not at all afraid to touch it, hold it, or apparently give it some lovin'!

So excited!

helping with the bait

hanging out watching everyone

picking out music with Nemaw

cuddle time with Aunt Melissa

We had such a wonderful weekend. Thank you, Lynn and Barry! And thank you, Jake and Mel, for having a slumber party with Avery!!

Date Night

Last night after I put Ella to bed I noticed that Avery's door was shut and she and Ben were MIA. So when I peeked inside her room, this is what I saw:






They were having a picnic, complete with aprons and chef's hat, and Avery very methodically set up the whole thing. It was pretty cute!


As I walked away, they were about to start "eating", and then Avery said, "No wait! We have to say a prayer first! God...bless...us. Happy birthday, Daddy. Amen."



(Ben's birthday was last week.)

2 Sick Girls

Oh man, it's that time of year when germs fly and kids catch them. Both girls came down with colds this weekend.

Aside from a few grumpy days which were oh-so-fun, Avery is doing pretty well ... just experiencing the normal symptoms. She enjoys telling us, "I have too many boogies in my nose!" Or, "I have a headache," in this pathetic, sad voice while she points to her tummy.

This is Ella's first sickness though, and her body is taking it hard. She came down with a fever Sunday evening that lasted almost a whole day. She's congested, stuffy, coughing, has an eye infection, (and has a few other problems that I'll spare you the details on). She clearly doesn't feel well, yet hardly complains. Sometimes she even manages to smile at me through her mucousy eyes and snotty nose, with spit-up running out of the corner of her mouth, and I'm reminded of just how much I love her. (Maybe it's only a face a mother could love right now!)

Half-Birthday

Ella is 6 months old today and I am in disbelief! Aaahhh! I know you're probably thinking, "Six months old is still so young. Calm down!" I know, I know. But to me she was just a newborn yesterday.

I mean, really, wasn't it just the other day that I was complaining about how fat and pregnant I was? Wasn't it just the other day that I found out I was going to be induced in a matter of hours and she was finally going to join us in the world? Wasn't it just the other day that I held her in my arms for the very first time? Wasn't it???

April 9, 2008

April 10, 2008

October 8, 2008

Now, here she is, 6 months old, holding onto me, loving me, so much a part of me that I can't even remember life without her.

Yet it still seems like just yesterday...

Like a Weed

I thought I'd share some new pictures of Avery at gymnastics. She's been doing it now for almost four months, and loves it just as much as when she first started.

Four months doesn't seem like very long, but in "kid time" it's a lot! She's already outgrown the leotard she first started in, and it's this measurement of her physically changing right before my eyes that makes me realize how fast my baby is growing up. Often, I just want to hold on as tightly as I can and make time stop.

Don't even get me started on how fast Ella is growing ! That's another post that will be coming soon (since she'll be 6 months on Friday!! Boo-hoo!)

Army of Women

OK, I sent out a pretty big email about this after I saw it on t.v this morning, but I just had to post it on my blog, too, in the hopes that even more women can be reached. This is an incredible opportunity to help researchers find a cause, and cure, for breast cancer. If you're comfortable, I encourage you to volunteer for this program! Please pass this info on to any women you think would be willing to help.

Here's the link to sign up:
http://www.armyofwomen.org/


Army of Women goals:

• To recruit one million healthy women of every age and ethnicity, including breast cancer survivors and women at high-risk for the disease, to partner with breast cancer researchers and directly participate in the research that will eradicate breast cancer once and for all.
  


• To challenge the scientific community to expand its current focus to include breast cancer prevention research conducted on healthy women.

Below is some information from the Frequently Asked Questions section of their website.

Why should I sign up?
You should sign up for your sister, mother, daughter, granddaughter, best friend, and the woman you met last week. Breast cancer has been around for decades, but it does not have to be our future. We can be the generation that stops breast cancer once and for all by figuring out what causes this disease and how to prevent it! This is YOUR chance to be part of the research that will end breast cancer.

How does the Army of Women work?
Women who are interested register on the Love/Avon Army of Women website, providing very basic information such as name, age, city, and state of residence. Army staff notify volunteers via email about studies that need volunteers. These emails describe the study, criteria to participate, and what is involved. Women who fit the criteria respond to the email to express their interest. Army staff then contact these women to let them know how to take part.

Why do researchers want to study healthy women?
Most basic research in breast cancer has been done in the laboratory and on animals, or with samples collected and stored from women with breast cancer. Researchers use animals and samples from a “tissue bank” because they don’t have ready access to healthy women. But what we learn from animals doesn’t always translate into how cancer develops in women, and tissue only from women with cancer may not help solve the puzzle of what caused the cancer. The Army of Women will allow researchers to conduct a wider array of studies and to solve the puzzle as to how breast cancer starts and how to stop it in women!

What exactly will I have to do in a study?
It depends on the type of study. Studies may need women who will:
-Complete a questionnaire.
-Donate blood—this would typically involve having a blood sample taken from a vein in your arm.
-Donate urine, saliva, or even toenail clippings.
-Donate urine—this would involve collecting a small sample at a clinical laboratory.
-Donate a small sample of breast tissue—this would typically involve having a core needle biopsy done under local anesthesia as an outpatient. Your breast will look exactly the same as it did before the tissue was removed.
-Donate breast fluid—this would be done with a breast pump. You would be asked to massage your breast and squeeze your nipple prior to the pump being placed on your nipple. The procedure usually takes 1-15 minutes per breast.
-Donate breast fluid obtained through ductoscopy and/or ductal lavage. This procedure obtains fluid from the breast by washing out the breast ducts.

What if I don't want to participate in a certain study?
You are in control and are able to determine which, if any, research studies you would like to be involved in. You will never be asked to leave the Army of Women because you have not yet participated in a research study.

PLEASE consider what a difference this could make!

Tail End

Well, here we are on the flip side of Hurricane Ike ... with power!! We are so lucky! Apparently we're very much in the minority. We lost it around 3:00 am and got it back about 10:30 this morning. It was such a great surprise because we were prepared to be without it for the long haul!

Avery and Ella slept in our room. Unfortunately we realized a little too late that we were probably in the scariest-sounding room of the house. As the wind grew stronger and the rain pelted the window, it sounded extremely bad from our perspective. There was also a really loud thumping noise on the roof over our bedroom that grew louder with each gust. (Of course at this point I'm wondering just how much longer we have until we completely lose our roof.) I was feeling pretty terrified, but trying to be brave for Avery as she clung to me, telling her, "It's just a little rain." Ben went into the attic to investigate (against my wishes!) and found a leak, so he did some damage-control up there.

Finally, after a few hours, we decided to move the girls into Avery's room because it felt MUCH safer and quieter in there. That side of the house was more sheltered from the storm. Man, I wish we would have thought to do that earlier, and we might have gotten a lot more sleep! By this point Avery was awake, and having a lot of fun playing with the flashlights. I think she thought we were sitting in a pitch-dark house just for her light-shining enjoyment!

Mom and Dennis, who were in the front of the house, slept through most of the bad part.

Ike only scored a few points against us: Leak in the attic, loss of our little Live Oak in the back, some water that came in under the windows and door, and a strip of shingles that blew off the roof. We're feeling pretty blessed right now.

Speech

Those of you who have spoken with Avery know that she has a speech problem and has difficulty saying some of her sounds. For example, love is yuv, three is fwee, cat is tat, etc. I personally think it's adorable, but don't worry, I'm working on getting a speech evaluation.

Anyway, she has this Hello Kitty doll that has been part of her sleeping entourage for a couple of years. Last night she was running around the living room shirtless (as she usually is) and having us feel how soft Kitty is. As she was doing this she announced, "Evweebody yuvs to touch my titty!!"

I think Ben grew 20 more gray hairs on the spot.

Baptism

Our precious baby was baptised yesterday. She wore the same dress that Avery wore when she was baptised, and was just a doll throughout the whole service. She even fell asleep during the sermon (no offense to the pastor, who gave a great message!)

Avery, as usual, stole the spotlight away from her, though. During the praise and worship singing, she danced back and forth in our row, jumping, turning, and throwing her hands up in the air as if to say, "Hallelujah! Praise Jesus!" It was pretty cute, although if you asked the other members of the congregation, they might not agree. Then, as Ella was being baptised and the four of us were all up on the stage, Avery found Nemaw, Grandpa, Mimi, Pawpaw, and Aunt Pat in the audience and couldn't resist the urge to wave enthusiastically at them several times.

Thank you to our wonderful, loving family for being there in support of Ella, and for our extended family, Doug and Leanne being there, too. We love you all.

Big Girls

It was a weekend of firsts for the girls.

Ella had baby oatmeal for the first time Friday. We did this in an attempt to help her sleep through the night. (It didn't work. I am sooo tired!)




Ben has been itching to take the rail off Avery's crib so I finally let him do it this weekend. (Yes, I know what you're thinking: What the heck is a 3 year old still doing sleeping in a crib? Well, I figure, if it ain't broke, don't fix it! We were ALL getting great sleep with her in it, and for all I cared, she could have stayed in it until she was 13!) Anyway, she loves it and calls it her "new bed". But what I think she really loves is the freedom she now has to climb into our bed at all hours of the night. (Needless to say, I'm not loving it quite as much as she is. Repeatedly walking her back to her room is getting old. Did I mention how tired I am??)




Here's the one I'm really excited about. Avery wrote her name ALL BY HERSELF for the first time last night! We've been working on her letters, and they're usually all over the place. But this time, she spelled and wrote her name all on her own, left to right, with no prompting by us. She was so proud ... and so were we!

TGIF

I went back to work for the full five days this week. It's been crazy with school, daycare adjustments, lack of sleep, stuffy noses and coughs, potty issues, a visit to the pedi, and yes, pink eye ... again! And that's not to mention the pumping, pumping, and more pumping. I think I have spent as much time doing that this week as I have spent sitting in traffic ... and that's a LOT if you know this area! ;)

Daycare

If anyone said a prayer for Ella today...it helped! So, thank you! Apparently it was harder on me than it was on her. Jackie (the sitter) said things went great. Whew!

I have this mental image of God just holding her extra-protectively in His arms all day. I shouldn't have worried. (As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you. Isaiah 66:13) I should have had more faith!

Going back to work

Ella has fever today. I guess it's from the shots yesterday. Even with her not feeling well, though, she is still being the sweetest little angel, bless her heart.

If she feels better tomorrow, then she will have to go to her very first day of daycare. My chest is tightening and my heart hurts just thinking about it. We had such a bad experience when Avery was a baby in childcare, and I just can't stand the thought of Ella having to go through that, too. (Hmmm...Would I be being a bad mommy if I hoped she would still be too sick to go tomorrow?? OK, OK, never mind!)

Ella is 4 months old!

Time flies WAAAY too fast when you have a baby! Was she really just a newborn a few months ago? Of course I love seeing her healthy and thriving, but now I completely understand why my grandpa always used to say he wanted to put a brick on my head to stop me from growing.

We had her four month checkup today, and she's looking great except that she seems to be slowing down on her weight gain. The doc thinks it's probably because of her severe reflux (not acid, thank goodness), so we'll continue to monitor that closely.

She's also discovered that her fingers taste yummy! She usually has at least two of them in her mouth at any given time. I think she liked chewing on them because they made her gums feel better, and then realized they're great for sucking on, too. Hey, better that than the boob, if you ask me!

Sisters

Isn't it supposed to be the little sister that bothers the big sister??

I guess in our family it's the other way around:

A picture is worth a thousand words!

Splish, Splash

One of the best things about this summer has been our many visits to the pool. Avery puts on her little arm floaties and "swims" all over the place. She won't let us help her at all. "No! I can do it!" she says. Ben is one of those awesome, fun daddies (just like mine was) that tirelessly plays in the water with her like a little kid. She loves it ... and I love the memories that they're creating together.

Ella went "swimming" for the first time last week! She chilled out in her float and was as happy as a clam. She was so relaxed, she even fell asleep! Let me tell you, a chubby 3 1/2 month old in a tiny little bathing suit has got to be one of the cutest things in the world!

I LOVE summer!

Laughter

Ella (who's 15 weeks now) has started laughing! Well, really it's more like a chuckle, but it's sooo cute. I can't wait for the full-on belly laugh that I know is soon to follow.

Ben and I will never forget Avery's first laugh. We were playing with her one evening, and all of a sudden, she just burst out laughing. We were so thrilled that we, of course, started laughing right along with her. Our laughter made her laugh even more, which made us laugh even more, until we had tears rolling down our faces. I can still remember how light my heart felt.

I am so thankful for moments like these that God blesses us with.

Smiles

What is it about a child's smile that makes it so incredible?

It's just unadulterated joy, totally unguarded, totally innocent. And when a child smiles, it's not just with their mouth, but their bright eyes, their cute little cheeks, their scrunched-up nose. It makes my heart melt, especially when it's my own doing it.

Ella has been smiling for about 5 weeks now, but every day she seems more and more happy. No, exuberant is the right word. She doesn't just grin. She opens her mouth as wide as it will go and looks absolutely euphoric. Can you imagine being that happy?

Here are some of my favorite smiling pics of Avery:

And of Ella (notice how her smiles get bigger the older she gets):

More of Ella to come as she grows ...

Rolling Over

Having the life of a baby really does seem idyllic. You know, being held and cuddled all day, sleeping when you want to, eating to your heart's content, being celebrated for getting fat and dimply. Must be nice, huh?

On the other hand, think about it: You were in this warm, soothing, protected environment for 9 months, and then just shoved out into a cold, bright, harsh world. Your body is like a limp noodle. You can't even hold your own head up! You have so much to learn and overcome.

I think about this a lot as I watch Ella grow. Her newest achievement is rolling over, but it's a struggle for her to get there. It seems so simple: Baby on the floor. Baby rolls over. Yay, how cute. But it's HARD.

Step 1: Pushing up b/c being face-down is no fun

Step 2: Rolling to one side so I can see better

Step 3: I'm stuck, tired, and frustrated.

Step 4: I did it! This is great! Relief.

But then we flip her over and make her do it all over again...