GIVING THANKS FOR OUR BLESSINGS...

"Children are a gift from the Lord, they are a reward from Him" Psalm127:3

Friday, April 15, 2011

Baby Shower

Last weekend, our sweet friends hosted a diapers and wipes shower for baby Natalie.  Our closest friends and some of our family celebrated with us, and all the little kids had a blast playing together! 
Unfortunately, I didn't take very many pictures, but here are a few....
 The kids had so much fun with all the water activities!
 They had fun on the playscape too!
 Avery and Addi swinging together.
 I think we're pretty stocked up on all the essentials now!
 Cute "Bling-Bling" Paci from Aunt Shana.
Cute matching outfits for the girls from Aunt Kathy!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Avery is 20 months!

Another month has flown by, and our sweet Avery is 20 months old!  It's hard to believe that in 4 months, we'll be celebrating her 2nd birthday.  And I thought the first year flew by! 
She has learned so much over the past month or two.  She probably can say at least 100 words now, and several three word sentences.  Her favorite phrases are "I want/like juice," "I got shoes," "Socks and Shoes," and "That's Momma's/Daddy's."  It's so cute listening to her talk.  She can point to and name almost all of her body parts, as well as those of others.  She can tell you what different animals say (Fish, Doggie, Cat, Horse, Sheep, Cow, Lion).  She loves to talk on the phone to Daddy and her Grandparents... she will say Hi and Bye Bye and kiss the phone.  She is starting to learn a few colors and numbers.  She will sing tons of songs from school.  She LOVES her books... right now she is hooked on the Brown Bear series, we have to read them EVERY night. 
She loves to pick out her food, she will go to the refrigerator when she is getting hungry and start pulling things out.  She is super independent, and wants to try to do everything herself, whether it's getting in her booster chair and buckling herself in, or putting on her clothes and shoes, or brushing her teeth. 
She is also fearless.  She continues to climb on everything, you have to watch her like a hawk...  She loves going to the park and going down all the tall slides, usually head first. 
She also has a very sweet side.  She has gotten very attached to her "babies."  She will cover them up with blankets and pat them, kiss the, and feed them bottles.  She has to have several of them in her bed with her at night.  She is also very attached to her "Blankie."  She loves to give hugs and kisses, she will blow you kisses, say thank you and bless you, she will kiss my belly when I tell her to kiss baby Sissy.  I hope that she will continue to be sweet when Natalie arrives. 
Her neck continues to heal very well from her little surgery.  She has a small scar, but hopefully it will fade.  She calls it her "boo-boo."  She wants us to kiss all her "boo-boo's" now.  It's sweet. 
We are so blessed to have such a fun, smart, playful, and loving little girl in our lives.  We are amazed at how much she has learned, and look forward to watching her grow and grow! 

 Enjoying the nice weather.
 Helping Daddy wash his truck.
 Bubbles!
 She found Daddy's drink!
 Yummmmm....  Cherry, Lime Slush! 

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

30 weeks!

I can't believe I'm 30 weeks pregnant today!  I've been a slacker... I haven't done a pregnancy update in 6 weeks, so lots to catch up on! 

How big is baby #2?  Natalie is about the size of a head of cabbage! (15-16 inches, 3lbs) My uterus is the size of a basket ball... you can't miss it!


How is Mommy feeling? Pretty good, just tired and a little uncomfortable.  I have daily contractions, but nothing regular.  Still getting weekly progesterone shots from hubby.  Definitely suffering with heartbearn, but Zantac and Tums help.  Going to the doctor every 2 weeks now.  Blood work, measurements, and cervical checks have all been normal. 

What is Mommy wearing? All maternity clothes! Finally getting some wear out of all my summer clothes from last time =) 

What is Mommy craving? Not really having any cravings at this point.  Just trying to eat healthy foods.  I think I'm running out of room....

Weight gain so far? About 25 lbs. 

Best part of this month? Feeling Natalie move like crazy and watching my belly move.  Starting to prepare for Natalie's arrival... we ordered her crib, dresser, and bedding, and bought some pink paint!  Now all we need to do is clear out the guest room, and put it all together.  We also did our 3D ultrasound, which was amazing! 

 30 week belly shot
Can't believe I will be holding 2 little girls very soon!
 Our sweet Natalie...
 Making faces...
 She liked having her hands by her face.
 She looks a lot like her big Sister Avery.
 Moving her hands and feet around.
 A hand and a knee.
 So sweet =)
 She did so good =)
Kicking herself in the head. 

What an amazing gift!  We can't wait to meet Miss Natalie in the next 10 weeks!

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Happy Birthday Grandma

We celebrated my Grandma's 85th Birthday last weekend with a big old party.  We are so incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful influence in our lives.  I am so thankful that Avery has gotten to know her and love her.  And Natalie will soon! 
Kathy was the photographer.... I hope she doesn't mind me sharing some pictures from the big day!
 The Birthday Girl!
 Our Family
 Avery chowed down on a couple pieces of cake.
 Playing with PaPa.
 She found a baby in the nursery to push around.
Me and My Girl...  

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Avery's Surgery

As many of you know, our sweet Avery had to have surgery on her neck last Friday....  We had been watching a little mass on her right neck for a few months, hoping it would go away, but when it kept getting more red and irritated, her doctor sent us to ENT.  After a CT-scan, he decided to explore it to see if it was a cyst that needed to be removed, or some sort of atypical infection from a lymph node.  So, our brave little girl went into surgery on Friday morning.  Everyone was so nice and the surgery went very smoothly, taking only about 45 minutes.  At this point, it looks like it was some sort of atypical infection that needed to be drained.  She has a little incision on her neck that is healing, and you would never know she had surgery.  She's doing great!  So, thank you all for your prayers for our little girl!  We are so glad this is over with! 
 Waiting to go into surgery...
 Her cute little fish gown.
 Recovering from the anesthesia on Daddy.
 Our sweet girl.
 Once she started to wake up, this was the first thing she wanted off!
 At home, finally enjoying some breakfast!
Donut holes fix everything!!!

Sunday, March 13, 2011

19 Months!

As of yesterday, we have a 19 month old!  These months just seem to fly by...
Avery now weighs 26lbs (50th percentile), wears 18-24 month clothes, size 6 shoes, and size 4 diapers.  She refuses to wear bows, and hates to have her nails cut or her diaper changed... I usually have to chase her around to comb her hair or trim her nails, and diaper changes sometimes consist of kicking and screaming.  She is so independent and strong-willed.  She wants to do everything by herself now, whether its putting on her socks and shoes, brushing her teeth, picking out her food from the refrigerator, or buckling herself into her booster seat.  Her speech has really taken off in the last month too.  She will now try to say any word you tell her to say... she is probably saying 50 words now.  She loves to tell you everything she is doing.  She can point out different people and body parts.  She continues to be very affectionate, giving kisses and hugs to everyone. 
Her favorite activites include playing at the park or doing anything outside, playing with play-dough, playing dress up with her box of shoes, hats, and bracelets, cooking in her kitchen, taking care of her baby dolls, and reading books. 
She is busy, busy, busy.... but so much fun! 
Playing after church.
Driving her car around the house.
Enjoying some indoor activities on a rainy Saturday morning.
Eating breakfast with "Bee-Bee" and "Blanky."
Me and My Girl before church.
Ted and Avery
Swinging!
Saying "All-done."
Saying "Bye!"