12 months, 3 weeks!!

Avaree is now walking more than she is crawling. Her independence has really increased, even in the past few days.

Avaree can now say: "ball," "baby," "baat" (bath--she even uses the same inflection that I do!), "bye-bye," "mama," "da-da" and "da ee" (daddy). She is also becoming very good at copying the words that we say. :) It is amazing to watch her little world expand before her eyes.

Her favorite songs are: "Itsy Bitsy Spider" (she does the motions!), "The Tree Song," "He's Got the Whole Wide World in His Hands," "It's Night Night Time," "ABC song." Actually, this kid just loves music. period. She will dance anytime she hears it and looooves for us to sing to her.

Avaree is eating all people food and tries new things every day. She loves her YoBaby Yogurt, and I'm pretty sure her favorite flavor is blueberry! She looooooves cheese--almost as much as her puffs! Some of her other favorites are turkey, chicken, MACARONI (she is so much like Brandon), mashed potatoes, PEACHES, pears, tortillas, cinnamon toast, oatmeal, and anything that I have on my plate! :) Our only issue is that she has gone from looooving her vegetables, to not liking the textures. So, I'm currently working on sneaking them in again. Although, I can get her to eat green beans most of the time anyway.

Enjoy the pics!

 We love Uncle Spencer and Shannon visits!!!

 Walking!!!!!!!

 "What happened?"

Ave and Mama ready for the Aggie game!!!! :)

 Daddy: "Touchdown!"

 To the Aggies on television: "What is wrong? Why can't we win?!"

 Love...

 :).

 Playing pat-a-cake with Daddy!

Well..Avaree is finally WELL. We went through 2.5 weeks of the hand-foot-mouth virus. Last Monday, I had to take Avaree back to the doctor with fever near 102. They cathatarized her again and did bloodwork. It was an awful experience for her, but I was thankful (based on our past experiences) that they ruled out other things. We basically learned and though her immune system was clearly trying to fight the virus, all of her blood counts were very low and that she had a really awful strand of the virus. She is back at Mrs. Donna's and happy as a lark now. In fact, when Mrs. Donna opened the door this morning, Avaree started squealing with delight and kicking her legs. Then, she reached for Mrs. Donna and gave her a big hug. I will be eternally thankful for such a wonderful, precious soul to care for my baby when I can't!

In other news: Brandon's youth choir (Crossroads!) sang on Sunday morning and did a FANTASTIC job! I was so proud of the kids and of Brandon! This Sunday B will be leading worship and I can't WAIT!!!!!!! :) We are so blessed to be a part of such an amazing body of believers!

Please say a quick prayer for Brandon: He is sick right now and needs to heal quickly. He has flu-like symptoms, so Avaree and I are trying to keep our distance, but he's just so cute...you know? :)

Thank you for reading about our little family and for keeping up with us from wherever you are. May the remainder of this week find you and yours very blessed--as we all have so much to be thankful for.

Stay Tuned: In my next post, I will post pictures of Avaree's first trip to the zoo! :)

A chapter closes...

I didn't breastfeed Avaree today. I have fed her every day since she was born...until today. As a result, I am feeling many things--nostalgic, excited, sad, anticipation, etc. I came out of Avaree's room tonight--after not feeding her--and fell into my sweet husband's arms. He was so tender with me and told me that I was a good mom and that he knew it was hard. I really appreciated that. What a journey this has been.


Instead of singing Avaree to sleep tonight, I told her her story instead--the story of our journey with breastfeeding.


It did not begin well. I remember the very first time that I tried nursing--before Avaree had even gone to the hospital's nursery, and neither of us had a clue what we were doing. I remember going for weight checks four times in the first week of her life, as she was losing weight before my milk "came in." I remember driving with her by myself for the first time in order to go to our third lactaction consultation. I remember the shields, the pain, the tears...but then it became so easy and so beautiful. The first few weeks were hard. I remember crying in the pediatrician's office when she told me that I needed to switch to formula (as obviously my milk was not coming in), but then conceded to give me one more day. And then...miraculously, she had gained an ounce by the next day...and another ounce the next..and my milk had come in.


I believe that every mom has the right to choose what is best for herself and her child, but my desire was to breastfeed and I am so very thankful that we were able to do so. My original goal was 6 weeks, then 6 months, then 1 year. We made it for one year and 3 weeks. What a special, undescribable, precious time that it has been. Weaning was hard, but I know it is right.


*This blog is a journal for Avaree, so I am writing to her below. Feel free to read, or not, but know that it is meant for her.


Sweet Avaree--


Tonight was hard on Mama, but tomorrow will be easier--as will each day after that. I love you so much and am so proud of you. I have enjoyed our special time together, and even though I know that you will never depend on me as much as you have up to this point, I am filled with joy at your independence. I want you to know that every time I frustratingly sat on the floor of my classroom or in the closet to pump, I was doing it for you, and every time I couldn't take cough medicine and my symptoms lingered on, it was for you, and every time I made sure that each meal had a protein, a carb and a green, it was for you...and most of all baby girl, every time I prayed that the Lord would give me enough milk to make it through the next goal, it was for you. I love you, sweet girl.


I love you more than rainbows...
Mama

1 year check up, hand-foot-mouth disease, hit-and run, walking, and weaning...

I am sure that you can tell by the title that I am BEHIND (on everything). Oh well. Lately, I have been trying to be very purposeful in my time, but even with that...I just don't have enough of it. And...if there is ever any "extra" time, who can blame me for wanting to spend it with my sweet little family? Alas, with all of our family out of town, I do need to keep our blog as a priority and promise to do better. (I hope.) But in my defense, the past two weeks have been nothing short of crazy around here.

On September 22 (a day after Ave's 1st birthday), I took her for her one-year well baby visit! We received the following stats: She weighs 23 lbs and is in the 75-90 % for her weight; she is 30.5 inches tall and in the 95 % for her height; and she still has a large head (95% as well). :) At this same visit, I mentioned some symptoms that we were experiencing and upon examination, learned that Avaree had hand-foot-mouth disease. She just uttered the word "disease" and Mama melted into a thousand pieces. However, Avaree then had to get four different booster shots and her first flu shot, so then I had to get it together because she melted into a thousand (very mad) pieces. Sooooooo...we came home (Daddy works late on Wednesdays) and made the decision that Mama would stay home the following day. On Thursday she ran a pretty high fever all day and just wanted me to hold her and rock her all day--which I LOVE--BUT...it broke my heart that she felt bad and it was even worse the next day when I had to go back to work and Daddy stayed home with her. Every time I called to check, Brandon told me that everything was okay, but when I came home, I could tell that they had had a LONG day. She continued to feel bad over the weekend, so we stayed in all weekend. (We enjoyed our visits with Jamie and then Uncle Spencer on Sunday though!!!) Sunday night, Niecey came to town and she stayed home with Avaree on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday so that Brandon and I could go to work. (THANK YOU, NIECEY!) She was SUCH a huge help and we are so thankful that she was able to come. Not only did she care for my child, but she just makes my whole house look prettier! :) All of Avaree's grandparents are so wonderful about coming at a moment's notice if we need them! :)

Wednesday afternoon, on my way home after school, I was in a hit-and-run accident on the Tollway. It was terrifying and awful, but miraculously Avaree was NOT with me (since the driver hit me on her side) and I was/am only sore. I was going 65 and the drive that hit me was going much faster, so it could have been much, much worse. I am still dealing with insurance, rental car mess, and the whole nine yards, but feeling thankful that I was able to walk away from it, nonetheless. Now that I am able to step back from it a bit, it is actually a little funny that I followed the guy and got his license plate #, took a picture of the vehicle, etc., but initially...I just assumed he was driving on to find a "good" place to pull over. This wasn't the case, but my wise husband (through my shriekings over the phone) was able to make me stop, pull over, and call the cops...which is what I did. Needless to say, I was so happy to get home to my baby girl that night. Thank you, heavenly Father, for your protection and provision.

Avaree is continuing to learn to walk. She can go much farther and faster now, but she is still unsteady at times. She is currently sick again, and I'm still trying to figure out if it is something new or tied to all the other. Please pray for her--I just hate that she is so sick during the year, and, of course, I blame myself as I bring germs home with me--despite my most avid attempts at constant hand-washing/sanitizing.

Amid allllll of this, we are still weaning. We are down to only a morning and a night feeding. It is bittersweet and more difficult than I imagined, but I know that it will be easier now than later.

Daddy is still loving his job and school is going well. We are in love with our church and only wish that we lived closer so that Avaree and I could be more involved, and we could cut down on our gas bills, and we could be able to see Daddy more. However, we also know that all things are in His hands.
Now...to your favorite part (and mine too!), the pictures.... Enjoy!

Niecey and Poppa got Avaree this little Ladybug pillow for her birthday and she L-O-V-E-S it!!!!

 She looks like she's up to something... I love this! :)

 Did I mention that she LOVES this pillow?

 Her first taste of whole milk! (Still working on that one...)

 The pretty flower cake that Daddy sent me to school on Friday! Since Ave was sick, we couldn't go out to dinner, so Daddy just lighted the candles and sang to me that night! Can't wait till Avaree can join in! :)

 I just wanted you to know how talented my husband is. Who says that men can't multi-task? Here, he is watching one game (has another game on the recall channel too), listening to one game on his I-phone, and getting updates from other games...all at the same time! (love you, babe!!!)

 Dancing with Daddy...

 Loving on her Daddy... :)

 Avaree still LOVES her play room!!!

 Thanks to one cancelled class and Mama being too scared to drive (after the accident), Daddy drove us to school and picked us up on Thursday, so he was actually HOME and got to watch the Aggie game. (Let's not bring it up again...). Anyway, we all put on our Aggie attire and every time Daddy would cheer (aka do crazy things), Avaree would mimic him! It was soooooooo cute! :)

 We spend most of our time (when the three of us are together) just like this. Mama on one side, Daddy on the other, and Avaree WALKING!!!!! :)

 She gets sooo excited. Can you tell? :)

 Okay, I get excited too. :)

 Love her. I think she looks like me in this picture.

  

 But they look alike too... :)

 Playing with Niecey... :)

 Learning about decorating and reading Niecey's magazines!! :)

Happy FIRST Birthday, baby girl!

One year ago today, our lives changed forever...

A beautiful, precious angel came into our lives and stole our hearts.

Now...

Then...

Then...

...and now

Now...

...and then

Now... :)

Precious Avaree,

You are amazing. Your smile, your laugh, your giggles, and your personality...are just a fraction of what make you so special. You have grown into such a little person and being around you brings constant, overwhelming joy. What you have brought to our little family is so indescrible that Mommy has no words (you're shocked, right?) to even attempt it. I love you from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. I love fixing your hair, I love changing your poopy diapers. I love giving you a bath, I love that when I have to say "no, no" you listen. I love to take you to Target and see the world from your eyes! I love the look on your face when you see me--even if I have only been gone for two seconds. I love snuggling with you before "night night" and getting you out of your crib in the mornings. I love going into your room after you wake up from your nap. I love that even though your eyes are still closed, your arms are reaching up to me with all the trust in the world. I love that you trust me enough to fall into my arms. I love that you crawl all over me when I'm laying on the floor. I love that you have fulfilled a dream and desire of my heart so perfectly that I didn't even know how much I needed you until you were here. I love that you came in God's timing and not mine. I love that you love your Daddy. I love that you grin at penguins as if they are your best friends. I love that you love to read and be read to. I love that you cry before I even turn the last page in your favorite book because you don't want it to end. I love that you laugh at everything and think that Mama is funny. I love that you love the sunshine and fresh air. I love that you have given me a new perspective on life. I love that you have shown me a true picture of God's love for me. I love you for so many things, but mostly--my precious one--I love you for the sweet little person that you are.

To quote your favorite book..."I love you more than rainbows and beautiful blue skies, I love you more than buttercups and wings of butterflies..."

Love,
Mama

Our prayer for you is from Ephesians 3: 17-19 (one of my very favorite scriptures): "And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

We love you, Precious One, and cannot wait to watch you grow more each day. You are God's treasure...and ours too. Happy FIRST Birthday. What a year it has been.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Spencer!

For September....Avaree would like to wish a VERY special HAPPY BIRTHDAY to her Uncle Spencer on Sunday!!!

September 2010

September 2009

P.S. My mommy says you are the best brother in the whole wide world. :) We love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sneak Peak: Avaree's First Birthday Party!!!!!!!!!!

*These are pictures from my camera. The sweet and talented Kerri O'Neal took pictures during the party and I will share those later. :)

The party was wonderful. I can't believe we have already had her first birthday party. There couldn't be a sweeter baby girl in the whole wide world. Enjoy the pics...more to come! :)

The decor for our little princess party... :)

Avaree's cake and personal smash cake!

A picture from every month...

A picture from every month + the real thing on top... :)

Family pic... :)

:)

Uncle D, Aunt J and Avaree!

Practicing "Shake, Shake, Shake..." with Shannon! :)

Sweet Uncle Spencer.. :)

Ave with GiGi and G-Pops!

Ave with Granmama and Pop Pop!

Avaree with Popa and Niecey!

After everyone left, I gave Avaree a quick bath and a few bites of chicken before bed. She was soooooooo tired, she was acting delirious. (just like her Mama!) :)

The next day...Avaree pulled a book out of her very own bookshelf and read it! It made my heart soooo proud! :)

*If you LOVE Avaree's outfit, check out Kristal Parrish at "Couture Blessings" on Facebook! She is a precious Christian lady that makes "couture clothing for your little blessings" and this allows her to stay home with her precious ones.

*More to come... :)