Happy Birthday Mommy!

To celebrate my birthday we went out to dinner with GG & GT at Famous Dave's, I wanted a corn muffin! It was the perfect semi low key night. Avery and I had chicken and broccoli and corn muffin, and ice cream with chocolate sauce and whipped cream for desert. For the evenings entertainment Avery played wtih a straw, his cup and it's lid.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Dinner Time!

This is my straw mustache

I am silly boy!

  Before dinner Jon and Avery gave me my birthday present, an iPhone, thanks guys.

my birthday card and present...love them both...

Slow Down Sunday

After a week of go-go-go it was nice to spend the day with my baby. Last week was sure a busy one for our house, it was a one parent house hold all week, first I was gone in the cities for a meeting Monday thru Wednesday and then Jon headed up north for a fishing trip Thursday morning. Thursday night is race night out at Mt. Kato and Friday night Avery had a sleep over at GG & GTs house because I had to leave for a ski race real early Saturday morning.  So today was my day to spend with my baby. We stayed in our pjs all day. We had breakfast and then got right down to business playing. We played with cars and balls and every other toy we have, and read books, and read more books. 

PJ Sunday!

Time to read some books

Let's read some more! 

And play with my new cars...you can set the ramp up later

Lunch Time!

We took some time off from playing to have chicken fingers and steak cut French fries for lunch played a little more then it was nap time....Avery took a nice long nap while I did some work and then like magic when he work up from his nap daddy was home! So we played some more, made pizza and cheese bread for supper and played even more before going to bed early. It was a great day, I love having a nice slow Sunday.

My Baby the Pin Cushion, Part 5

Yesterday was Avery’s 1 year Well-Baby visit. He weighed in at 23lbs and 11oz and was 30 inches long, putting him in the 65 percentile for weight and 58 percentile for height. He is happy and healthy (current ear infection and ruptured ear drum not included) and growing beautifully. Most of the appointment was spent discussing things like when and how to switch to cow’s milk and when to stop using a bottle and other development things like that. I feel like I had a ton of questions, and his doctor answered every single one. Through out most the Q&A and his entire exam Avery actually slept, it was his nap time and he wasn’t going to miss that. He did wake up at the end before it was time for his shots. He got three shots, two in one leg and one in the other. Like every previous time he has gotten shot he took them like a troop on crying out a little and letting a few tears roll, I think he was actually more upset that we pinned him down and he could roam around the office anymore. So all in all a great visit. Next scheduled visit is at the 15 month mark, but I am sure we will be in before that.

Waiting in the waiting room for his turn 

Checking things out

Waiting for his Doc 

Post-Shots (there is a little smile here)

Round and Round We Go

Avery’s day isn’t complete until he puts a few laps in with his mail cart. The way our house is laid out we have perfect race track for him. He starts by picking up his mail cart in the living room then heads out clockwise, going thru the extra room (it has two doors) in one door and out the other into and thru the kitchen and then it is back into the living room and repeat and repeat. It’s has been so fun to watch him improve his “driving” skills and see his “lap times” go down, last night was actually the fastest I have ever seen him go. We have also been working more walking along side the furniture and trying to get him to take some steps between us, but he is using a lot of energy to recover from his ear infection and doesn’t have too much left over especially after doing laps. I cant wait to see those first unassisted steps, but they will come in time and can wait until he is ready.

Time for some Laps!

Coming into the first turn.... 

Made it!

Thru the extra room.... 

Next up the kitchen....

Thru the kitchen.....

and back to the living room.

Three weeks of Mondays

The face of "sick" little boy

For the past three weeks on Monday Avery has gone to the doctor to have his ears checked out. The first two weeks his ears were clear, the days before we told him in those times he was pulling on his ears a little bit. He stopped doing after last week so I thought he was in the clear and we won’t be going to the doc until his 1 year appt on Thursday but after a call from daycare because his ear were draining and they wanted to make sure he hadn't gotten tubes and I forgot to tell them, which he didn’t . So off to the doctor he went with Daddy, third Monday in a row. He does have an ear infection and a ruptured ear drum. He is on an antibiotic, his ruptured ear drum doesn’t seem to cause him any pain and should heal on it’s own. As always he is a happy baby, and not letting this get him down. 

Happy Birthday Avery!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday Avery, Happy Birthday to You! Today is Avery’s first Birthday! We celebrated his birthday the best way we know how with a party, with cake and ice cream, food and family and friends!  We kept things real simple, a balloon themed party with some balloons tied to his highchair, some fun napkins, cupcakes laid out in the shape of a bunch of balloons and little cake for Avery to eat, and presents!
 

Avery's First Birthday - Balloon Theme Party

Checking out his decorations

Avery's First Birthday Cake

Cake Time!

Starting with a small sample

Having some fun now!

Time for two hands

Do I have something in my hair?

Frosting = FUN

Our birthday boy covered in frosting

What was left of the cake

Time for presents

New toys, books and clothes. What a lucky boy.

Avery riding his custom made rocking "horse" motorcycle.

Driving around his new firetruck....box said 3 & up....

It was a really great party we are so lucky to have such great friends and family to help us celebrate!

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