Watch Me Grow- Twelve Months

 I cant believe how much Avery has grown in the past 12 months. He started tiny and helpless, and now he's mobile, independent, and full of personality. He has 5 teeth, is on the verge of walking, eats almost everything, loves his grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles, his dog and cat and his mama and dada. He can say words like, Hi, Bye-Bye, Mama, Da Da, Ga Pa, Ball, Ba and know what they mean. He points at things, he claps and dances. He does so many amazing things it is hard to capture them all. It has been great to watch him grow these past 12 months, he has reached so many milestones, with some many more ahead, I can't wait to see and share the adventures of our ONE year old!

TWELVE months

Taste Tester

Our Happy Little Taste Tester

It all started with milk/formula, then some rice cereal, added fruits (in an almost liquid state), followed by vegetables (in the same state). Next added in some puffs, and gram crackers. Then increased the thickness of the fruits and veggies, added in other pureed things. Increased the thickness again. Added in more and more things. And Now......Avery is a regular taste tester, sampling almost everything that can be pureed or cut up in to small pieces. He is still eating pureed foods but recently has been showing his preference for table foods and feeding himself, last night’s dinner is a perfect example: Gerber pureed chicken & apples, Beechnut pureed corn casserole, applesauce, peas from the table, pieces of multi-grain bread, tuna, some Gerber cereal bar, some grapefruit, and a Christmas cookie. He is growing and changing everyday, I cannot believe that in a few days he will be 1!

"Hat-y" New Year!

Avery's many hats of 2011.......

First Hat!

Fun Hat!

Twins Hat!

Elephant Hat!

Shark Hat!

Flap Hat!

Blue Hat!

Swim Hat!

Plaid Hat

Warm Hat!

Ski Hat!

Hat-y New Year!

Hats off to 2011. Sure was a great year

New Years Eve

Ready to party on New Years Eve

2011 has been a great year for us. Can't wait to see what 2012 brings. 

Look Mom, No Hands

Last night Jon pulled Avery up on the cough to sit with him, of course that only lasted for a minute before Avery wanted back down. After climbing down from Daddy’s lap he stood holding to the couch and Jon’s leg, and then... he let go, and just stood there, not holding on to anything! He wobbled a bit but stayed standing, we clapped and cheered and I scooped him up for a big hug....

When we tried to get him to do it again so I could take a picture of this milestone he wasn’t interested in doing it again, so no picture of our little free stander....maybe next time.

Hand Made

As people flock to stores to return the gifts that were the wrong color, wrong size or just wrong, that their loved one lovingly purchased for them, I am glad to not be one of them, having given and gotten the best sort of gift. The best gifts are the hand made kind, especially when then are made from the little hands of the sweet baby boy.

The gift Avery and I made

The gifts Avery made at daycare

P.S......The tooth tally is now up to 5.The tooth next to his left front tooth just showed up.

Merry Christmas!

For Avery’s final Christmas celebration of the year we loaded Avery and some of his toys up and headed down to my aunt and uncles house for some more family time and food. 

Avery, Mark and Kathy

Dressed in a new “fancy” tee shirt, with a bow tie and suspenders, Avery was too cute. 

Fancy Tee Shirt

Check me out!

Avery again sampled some new foods, green bean casserole, pork chop, jello, ice cream and whipped cream. 

New foods

Twas Night Before Christmas...

Twas’ the Night Before the night before Christmas and all through the house all the creatures were stirring... Avery started his Christmas celebrations Friday night at GG & GT’s house. Food and family, with presents mixed in are the core elements for our holiday gatherings and Avery got to experience everything. Avery started his Christmas with some pictures, then a real treat, meatballs and lil’ smokies cut into small pieces....

First Christmas

Three Generations

Meatballs are so Yummy!

After the food came the presents. Avery started out helping unwrap his presents, but after opening one he wanted to play with his new toy and Dad opened the rest. He got so many great things. A Little People bus, "legos", tub toys, stuffed bear, and a blanket, a trike.

Opening gifts

New Toy Bus from Uncle Justin

Checking out his new tike

It wasn't too long after opening presents before it was time for Avery to put on his pjs and get ready for bed. He took a little snooze at GG & GT's house before we loaded up and went home for the night.

Ready for bed at GG & GT's

The morning came bringing us to Christmas Eve. Avery woke up and started his day out playing with his new toys, then it was time for a bath before a quick nap before getting ready for our next Christmas celebration.

Ready to play some more

Dressed in his new Christ-“moose” overalls we headed out for lunch with my side of the family.

Merry Christ "moose"

After lunch we headed back to my parents house to open presents, once nap time was over that is. After nap time it was present time, and the wrapping paper and bows came off revealing all the new toys, and with 4 kids, 3 years or under there were lots of new toys, all of which had to come out packaging to be played with right away.

Free the toys!

After playing with the new toys for awhile it was time to to eat again, after a few laps with his basketless shopping cart and “Bernie” riding along it was time for some dinner. Avery sampled some new foods again, including a frosted roll out cookie.

Rollin" with Bernie

My first Christmas Cookie

Then it was again time for pjs. 

Ready for Bed

We packed up and headed home, playing a little more when we got there before it was finally time for bed, and Santa to come! 

Playing before bed

Two celebrations down and one more to go. 

Merry & Bright

Happy Holidays from the Barbeau family - Jon, Lori & Avery

Spoon Skills

We have been working on Avery’s spoon skills recently. We put a small amount of something on his spoon and set it on his tray and let him pick it up and feed himself. He is actually pretty good at it, some times he misses his mouth and sometimes the spoon gets to his mouth but the food has slid off. Learning to use a spoon is a messy job, with some tasty rewards.

Missed...just low

Where did the applesauce go?  

I think I got it now. 

Nailed It!

Christmas Spirit

Finally with less then a week until Christmas, some Christmas Spirit finally arrived at our house, and our decorations are up. Not wanting to constantly be moving things out of Avery's reach or telling him not to touch I decided to just do the tree and stocking and skip some of the other things I usually set out. Because it took me so long to actually get the task to putting up the tree I debated several time of not putting the tree up at all, Avery wouldn’t remember if there was a tree his first Christmas or not, Right? But I just couldn’t not have a tree for his first Christmas. So after rearranging all the furniture in the living room three times (then ending up with everything back where it started, except 1 book case) I put the tree up and decorated it. I left off a lot of ornaments this year deciding that they were either too small or too breakable, and stuck to a theme of soft, safe ornaments. 

Our Tree

Both grandparents have had their trees up and decorated for some time now and Avery leaves those alone for the most part (except for the ornaments he has been approved to play with) but between Avery and Diesel I will always keep one eye peeled I incase one decides to play with the tree or any of the fun bobbles hanging from it. 

Oh look toys on a tree...

Once the tree was up and decorated  I finished off my holiday decorating by hanging our stockings.

The stockings were hung....

Avery's Stocking

Avery’s stocking was an early Christmas gift made by my talented aunt, who also made Jon, and my stockings for our first Christmas, along with our tree skirt. I am very excited to share the excitement of Christmas with Avery, even if he won’t totally get the concept for a few more years.

Avery's Chicago Bear

Avery and his new "Chicago Bear" 

Not wanting to come home empty handed I found the perfect stuffed animal for Avery from my trip to Chicago. A bear, not a “Chicago Bear” but a bear he already knows and loves, Brown Bear! While I was drawn into the book store by something else, I discovered Brown Bear Brown Bear hiding among the books and knew he had to come home with me. Avery got the book “Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?” from my aunt as a gift.  He loved the book from the first time we read it together, the pictures are big and bright, the words have a great rhythm and flow, it is just a really great book. And no, Avery has his very own Brown Bear.

Nice List

Avery & Santa

Sunday we met the grandparents at the mall so that they could be a part of a big milestone in Avery's life, at approximately 4:45pm  on December 11th, Avery met Santa for the first time! It went well, he wasn't scared at all, he sat on Santa's lap and smiled for some pictures. I don't think he asked for anything special this year but I know he has been a good boy and he will defiantly be on the "Nice" list!

Near & Far

Almost every night after Avery is done eating we play "Near and Far" while he is in his highchair. Grover (my favorite Muppet)  is famous for his "Near & Far" skit where he runs back and forth to demonstrate the concept. Our game is played the same way, I pull him close (his highchair has wheels) and say,"Near" and he laughs and smiles, then I push him back and say,"Far" and he laughs and smiles more, we love to play this game.

"Near"

"Far"

 This morning when I dropped him off at daycare I said "Near" and gave him a big hug and kiss. Then drove to the airport and boarded a plane for Chicago. So now I am far.  

Tis the Season for New Toys

Last night we opened a new toy Avery had gotten as a gift, the Playskool Busy Ball Popper. While we put batteries in his new ball popper Avery made due with the box as a new toy. 

I love my new toy...oh this is the box...I love my new box

When we were ready to play we set popper next to him in the off position so he could check it out. He noticed that there were balls inside and kept looking at the popper then us, as if asking us to get the balls out for him to play wtih.

Checking out his new toy

When we pushed the plunger down the music started playing and then the balls came popping out and rolled back down the ramp. It was really fun to watch him with it, he really seemed to enjoy it. It took us showing him a few times where to push before he knew how to start the popper by himself.

Busy playing with his Busy Ball Popper

He played and played finally we had to stop because you could just tell he was getting tired. So daddy scooped him up after the popper stopped and took him to his room for bed time. And that is when for the first time ever Avery cried because it was bed time and we had put his toys away, it was funny in a way, he was voicing his dislike for it being bed time before he was done playing with his new toy,  I am sure this will not be the last time we say it’s bed time and he doesn’t agree. But Avery was tired and went right to sleep it was just he desire to continue playing with his popper that lead to the tears. Guess he was in need of a new toy and this one was a big hit.