Weeks 9 and 10: My precious baby during Thanksgiving, D&J's wedding and Mommy's flu!

Avaree with her Great-Grandmother (Brandon's grandmother) on Thanksgiving!
Avaree always laughs at Uncle Darrin! She thinks he's so funny and he obviously adores her!

Avaree on Thanksgiving in her cheerleading outfit!

Avaree on the way to the rehearsal/ rehearsal dinner. Ave slept through most of it and G-Pops kindly brought us home early so that Ave could go night night!

Sleeping Beauty...

Regretfully, I did not get a picture of Avaree with the bride and groom (Uncle Darrin and Aunt Jamie). I guess I was so busy with making sure she was fed and being a bridesmaid that we'll just have to wait for the professional shots.

Paige and Poppie, Pappa and Avaree at Darrin and Jamie's wedding!

Avaree's wedding outfit (that GiGi bought her)

pretty girl...

Avaree loves her Grandmama! Thank you, Mom, for keeping her! I always know she's well loved!

Brandon and I giving Avaree a manicure! My mom found an electric nail buffer for babies so that we wouldn't have to actually cut her fingernails! Avaree thought it was so funny!

Reading Avaree's new Christmas book that Gigi and G-Pops got for her!

Look at me!! I can hold my head up all by myself!

At the end of a long day... :)

Yes: She is smiling at her MUSIC! This little girl LOVES it. It is a little Baby Einstein toy that plays clips of four classical songs and she looooves all of them.

Look at that beautiful smile!! I feed Avaree between 4:30 and 5 am on school mornings, so she generally wakes up every day at this time and may or man not go back to sleep! This precious smile was Friday morning (Mama was home sick), when my Mom and I had some play time with Avaree bright and early! She is all smiles in the mornings (well, after she is fed!).

So...Mama felt pretty rotten all week and finally decided on Thursday morning that she just could not go to school. It turns out that I had/have the flu--they weren't sure if it was the swine flu or the seasonal flu (i had the symptoms for both) so the dr gave me meds for both as well as for pneumonia as I had my usual Christmas time congestion in my chest. It was certainly not a fun day, but the worst part was not being able to hold my baby! By the next night, though, I was able to be around her with my mask on. I'm pretty sure she thinks that I am wearing the blue mask for her entertainment, though, as she laughs at it every time. She loves playing in Mama and Daddy's bed! Grandmama and Daddy took care of Avaree and me! I know I am not a very good patient, but I am so grateful! I just needed some sleep!!!! I was so worried about Avaree, since I am breastfeeding, but so far so good. We are still praying for her to stay healthy!

Sweet girl...playing on the side of Mama's bed so that she can still see her even though she can't hold her!

Uncle Spencer said he had already been exposed to the flu, so he came over for some Avaree time!

Saturday, we were all three lounging around while Mama was trying to recover, soooo Avaree got to wear her favorite t-shirt: "What part of Princess don't you understand?" :)

Holding her head up and trying to crawl on Daddy whilel he was watching football!

It is hard to believe that we almost have a 3 month old. It has gone by so fast. Avaree changes and grows a little bit more every day.

Two Month Check-Up!

Avaree had her two month well-baby visit with Dr. Weiser today and scored another A+! She weighed TWELVE pounds, two ounces and was 23 1/2 inches long!! Her height an weight put her in the 90th percentile among her peers. The hard part of today was getting all of her shots and still being constipated. The doctor gave me some more ideas though, so I'm trying them all! You should have seen Avaree's face the first time she tasted apple juice. She didn't really like it! :)
We're taking our first road trip with Avaree tomorrow. We are going to College Station for Thanksgiving and Uncle Darrin and Aunt Jamie's wedding! I'm sure I'll post pictures upon our return!
Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you, Lord, for all of our many blessings, especially our sweet little girl.

This week in pictures!

Our sweet baby... :)

I LOVE THIS! Yesterday, Avaree batted at objects for the first time!! She LOVED IT! She played with it for 30 minutes, as wide-eyed and giggly as you see here!!! It was so much fun to watch :)

"Hold it, Mommy." My song is almost finished and then you can pick me up!" :) Avaree loves her mobile!

Uncle Spencer comes to visit us every Wednesday and Avaree was being fussy while I got her bath water ready (Daddy is gone to choir on Wednesdays). So, Uncle Spencer started whistling the Andy Griffith show tune and she immediately stopped! Too funny! He ran out of breath and she started again...it was the cutest thing!

I just love kissin' these sweet feet!!!

Brandon got her all situated right next to him for the game...too bad she fell asleep a few minutes after kick off. We told her that she didn't miss anything, ha! :)

You can't tell, but I am in my Aggie outfit too--ha!


She has a big mouth like Daddy! :)

Look at those cheeks!!! Perfect for kissin'!

Yes, Daddy taught her how to stick her tounge out! We have sooo enjoyed Avaree's smiles! She loves anything animated. I think she would love to be entertained all day--all you have to do is make up silly songs and funny faces! :)

Another recent Avaree development: She sticks her bottom lip (waaaay) out right before she cries! Brandon and I CRACK up. It is the cutest thing you have ever seen! :) Love her.

8 weeks and back to work..

Tummy Time and Talking to Mama...

Hello friends and family! You will notice a significant decrease in the amount of pictures and postings now that I am back at work. This week was the hardest week--mentally and emotionally--that I believe I have ever had. I felt so empty without Avaree and had all sorts of feelings once back at school as the last time I was there I had a big billy and was awaiting the arrival of our little one. On top of that, I was just physically tired (the most sleep I got was 3.5 hours one night) and frustrated that I couldn't give my best to anyone. I have a beautiful family, but I missed my little girl all day and then when I got home, Brandon had gone to work...so it just seemed like such a long week, especially without my partner. However, the Lord saw us through and now I get to spend a whole week with my beautiful (GROWING) baby girl. Thank you for your prayers this week. I am blessed by sweet friends and family.

Smiling at Mama...

The best part about this week was all the smiles that we received from Avaree! Her social smiling has really developed in the last week and it has been so fun to watch! She's also started making a new sound--the sweetest sound in the world. Enjoy!

Avaree loves the Aggies! :)

Okay, so clearly we are teaching her early that we have to love Aggies even when they lose (horribly). :)

Picture Perfect Princess :)

We were trying out a new format for our bath! It wasn't completely successful, but made for a precious picture! :)
" Hi, Dad!"

One of Ave's daily activities is to watch the lights and listen to the music of her rainforest! She loooves her music!

Another Target find! They had cuuuutttte long sleeve onesies for $1! Her shirt says "TA DA: Cuteness has arrived!"

After Daddy had just finished dressing her for her JCPenny's pictures...not happy!

I found Avaree this preciuos little pink velour track suit for $3 at Target! She didn't have any coats or jackets that fit her, and I was sooo excited to find this! Soooo cute on her! She was so tired of cameras by this point...

Her outfit without the jacket... :)

This cracks me up! Do you see how Avaree and Dex are looking at each other? It's almost as if they just noticed each other, even though they had been in the same room with one another for at least an hour before hand! :) Dex is saying..."Woh, this isn't your Mama!" Too cute!

Do you think she has a care in the world? :)

Avaree watching her mobile go round and round! Morning time with Avaree is the best. She is so alert and happy! I will miss that the most and will look forward to the weekends now more than ever!

"I Will Never Be the Same Again..."

Photos from the past 10 days or so...

Avaree giving Mema some lovin'! She'll make you feel better, Mema! :) We're praying for you!
Avaree gettin' in some Uncle D time before he's no longer a bachelor! :)


Paige Madelynn Parlin (Avaree's 3rd cousin, born Oct. 22!)

Brandon holding Avaree AND Paige! We got to go visit Whitney, Dane, Paige and Tawney on Friday and it was sooo fun! It is amazing to me how much difference a month can make! Avaree is only one month and one day older than Paige and look at her! :)

I see twins in Brandon's future! :) ha!

Daddy dressed me today! :)

Avaree staring out "her window!" She looooves to stare out the window in her room!

They do this every night and it cracks me up! You can really see how much Av looks like Daddy in this picture! :)

6 weeks old and already trying to roll over!!!!!!

I have loved getting to watch Avaree develop and her most recent accomplishment is being able to interact with her mobile or small rattles/toys that are about 6 inches from her face! My little baby Einsten! :)

Of all the toys...she would love the football! Oh well, at least it's pink! :)

Playing a Fisher-Price baby computer game with Daddy! ha!

Not only is this the title to one of my favorite worship songs (and Avaree's), but it is also the way I feel. Since God brought Avaree into our lives, my world has been so (amazingly and wonderfully) different. The little things mean more and I am more grateful every day for the many months that I spent crying over our pregnancy while God kept steadily reassuring me (in many miraculous ways) that this was his plan for our lives. Today I've been meditating on a verse that I used in my high school graduation speech, a time when life seemed wide open and the possibilites were endless. Now, seeing life through Avaree's eyes, life once again seems wide-open with endless possibilties, none of which I know (my struggle, spiritually). Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I go back to work one week from tomorrow. Please start praying for me now!

Enjoy the pictures! --Alli

Five Minute Fairy Princess!!

The next morning on our way to church! She was so tired from all the activities!
"I don't like Halloween, Daddy!"

soooooooooo cute! :)

Avaree Grace was not a fan of her Fairy Princess costume; therefore, it only lasted five minutes! I think it was worth it just for the pictures, though!! She's so cute!!! Enjoy!