Giving Thanks for our Blessings: January 2010

Friday, January 29, 2010

The Big 3-0

I turn 30 today, and it is a little bitter-sweet for me. Sad to see such a great decade of my life come to an end... but exciting to move onto the next step in my life, raising our family. Over the past few days, I have been reflecting on all the great memories I have of my 20's. I have decided to share some of my top 20 events/memories from this wonderful time in my life. I feel incredibly blessed to have accomplished and experienced so much in my twenties. If my 30's are even half as good as my 20's, I will be a very lucky lady. In no particular order....

1. Dating and marrying my best friend and the love of my life, Ted.

2. Graduating from UMHB and starting my career as a Registered Nurse.

3. Forming lifelong friendships with an amazing group of couples.

4. Going on some awesome trips with some wonderful friends, including a cruise, Ixtapa, Key West, Dominican Republic, and San Francisco.

5. Taking a few trips of our own, including St. Lucia, Banff Canada, Napa Valley, and San Diego.

6. Going on a family Cruise with the entire Wiethorn family.... Grandma's gift to us!

7. Purchasing our first dog (Bailey) together, followed by Shelby, then Cooper. Now we can't imagine life without our 4-legged friends.

8. Purchasing our first house, and making it our very own.

9. Purchasing my first car with my own money.

10. Turning 21 and celebrating with my friends.

11. Finding a church that we love, and growing in our walks with Christ.

12. Dancing with my Grandpa for the very last time, to Amarillo by Morning, at our wedding.

13. Growing closer to my parents, and becoming so much more appreciative for all that they have done for me.

14. Gaining new family members through lots of fun weddings.

15. Becoming an Aunt.

16. Graduating from TAMU-CC with my Master's degree, and beginning a career as a Family Nurse Practitioner.

17. Reconnecting with old friends.

18. Becoming Godparents.

19. Experiencing God's greatest miracle... my 1st pregnancy.

20. And to top it all off.... becoming a Mommy! Nearly 6 months ago, I was given the most precious gift of all.... our sweet little Avery. Life is good, and because of her, it's only going to get better.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Fun Times with Avery

We have had such a fun time with Avery over the past couple of weeks. She is starting to get more interested in eating, she is staying awake a lot more during the day, she LOVES playing with all her toys, and she is sitting up by herself! She is also getting more vocal... there is a A LOT less crying and more and more babbling, razzing, giggling, and squealing, Ted and I are pretty sure that this is the best age... she's cute and fun, but not mobile yet.
Here are some new pictures showing what she's been up to lately. Enjoy!

She's not so sure about the peas, but she likes playing with them!

Yummy sweet potatoes!

This is her favorite thing to do in the mornings... sit in her bumbo and pull out all her toys.

Hanging out with NaNa last weekend.

Napping on PaPa's lap.

Playing with her cousin, Courtney.

Garrett even got to hold Avery for the first time! They had so much fun together!

Look who's sitting up now!!!!

You just can't keep them apart....

She still loves her toes!!!

My happy girl!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Avery is 5 months old!

Wow! It seems like I was just posting Avery's 4 month stats, and now she is 5 months old! With Christmas and everything, this last month just flew by. At church on Sunday, there was an 11 week old baby sitting in front of us, and she was soooo tiny! Avery practically looked like a toddler compared to her! It's hard to believe that she was that small just a few months back. She continues to grow and stay healthy, which we are so thankful for. She is also learning so much, and starting to become just another member of the family.
5 Month Stats...
14 1/2 lbs 25 1/2 inches long (At home measurements)
Still wearing 3-6 month clothes
Eating breastmilk, along with rice cereal twice a day (And she LOVES it!)
Sleeping in her own room for most of the night (YIPEE!)
She is in the process of losing baby hair, and growing new light brown hair which makes for an interesting "hair-do" right now.
She is also teething like crazy, so I have a feeling that by next month she will at least have her first bottom tooth!

She continues to enjoy daycare a few days a week, and is learning how to sit up (with support). She also loves her baths, playtime on the floor with her toys, going places, snuggle time with Mommy and Daddy, and playing with her doggies (mostly Cooper). She is also babbling, smiling, and giggling more and more which we just love! Here are a few pictures from this week. Enjoy!

Avery and the dogs get along great! Shelby is more of the protector type, and Cooper is definitely the more playful one. Avery loves to pet them and watch them play.

She has gotten so good at eating her cereal this week!

It's a messy, but fun event for us every night.

Headed to church in her new warm dress from Brad & Shana.

Friday, January 8, 2010

New Year... New Life

2009 was such an exciting and amazing year for us. We were incredibly blessed by the arrival of our precious little Avery, and life as we knew it has dramatically changed. Being parents is the hardest job that we have ever had, but also the most rewarding. Avery has brought so much joy to our lives. There is never a dull moment around our house anymore. We wake up tired, and go to bed tired... but it's okay, because those sweet smiles and cute little giggles at 3am and 6am make it all worth it. We often wonder what the heck we did with our time before she came into our lives. As a new year begins, I know that we will continue to adjust to our new life with Avery, and I look forward to creating lots of great memories and sharing them with you. I hope that 2010 brings lots of joy and many blessings to everyone!

Happy New Year!!! (As you can see, our NYE parties have changed some. They now include our kiddos, but that's okay! It was still fun!)

All bundled up for the cold weather!

Avery has found her feet, and LOVES to hold onto them!

Teething is hard work...

Avery and Cooper are best buds....

SMITH PRODUCTION

Ted's Mom (Nana Smith) had this shirt made for Avery. I think we were supposed to take this picture in the hospital, but obviously it was a little too big for her at the time. I took these pictures today. She's gotten so big!

Another hat from NaNa Wiethorn.

My little cutie... I love this picture!

Friday, January 1, 2010

Christmas 2009

Wow! I am so far behind.... These past 2 weeks have been a blur around here. Work has been super busy, Avery has not been sleeping as well which makes for a very tired Momma, and Christmas came and went in a flash! Let's see... I'll try to do a quick recap of what we have been up to. We celebrated 5 family Christmas celebrations in 1 week, which was fun, but very tiring. Avery did great and loved every minute of it. She loved all the action and time with her family. Of course, I think she has gotten a little spoiled. She hasn't had to go to daycare in 2 weeks, and everywhere we have gone there have been family and friends just waiting to hold and love on her. Her routine has been a little off, plus she's still fighting a stuffy nose and cough, and I'm almost convinced that she is teething... which has meant less sleep for us. It has almost been like having a newborn again... waking up just about every 3 hours at night. She is so darn cute, though, so it's hard to get upset about it. We've just adapted to being a little sleep deprived. She loves to babble, smile, giggle, and play, especially in the morning. We are still working on the cereal... she hasn't quite mastered the art of eating yet. We are transitioning her to her crib at night, which has been nice. At 4 1/2 months, it's probably about time, don't you think? I'll write more later, but for now, I'll share some pictures and let them tell the story. Enjoy!