Forks & Spoons....Oh My!

More and more each day Avery has been asserting his independence buy showing us all thing he can do by himself. Meal time is no exception. Most of Avery’s diet is finger food, or at least its finger food to him. But some foods are just a little to difficult to eat without a folk or a spoon, and when those are the foods on his tray Avery prefers to run his own fork and spoon. We still need to “load” the food for him but Avery takes care of the rest. The fork is Avery’s newest utensil, he loves when we hand him his fork with a tasty treat on it, he eats it right away, they flashes us a big smile while we praise him for his new folk skills. Avery has been manning his own spoon for longer, but it does still sometimes arrive to his month empty, but not as often.

I got this fork thing mastered!

Else where on the “dish” front, Avery has become an expect at using a sippy cup and drinks (with some help) from an open cup like a champ (no sippy cups at daycare) and only has a bottle at bed time. So fork, spoon, cup......check.....next up straws and chopsticks :)

Colorado Souvenirs

Now that we are home again (from vacation and the hospital) we were finally able to give Avery his Colorado souvenirs. Since Avery has been born I have been getting him a stuffed animal from the place I have been Jon and I decided to continue that tradition and we got him a Mountain Goat from A-Basin (Arapahoe Basin), the goat is the critter they started using as a logo for the Montezuma Bowl when it opened in 07/08.  

What's in here?

Avery new Goat from AB

Jon also couldn’t resist the  Clydesdale from Budweiser so Avery scored big, getting two new fuzzy friends from one trip. 

I love my new horse!

Sharing with Mama

The stuffed animal souvenirs tradition might need to come to an end, Avery already has a good collection going, and I/we don't travel very often.
We also got him some socks, because someone who loves him did go to Colorado (two some ones actually). 

I love these socks

Tooth Tally: Avery got two more teeth while we were in Colorado, they are on the top in the back, one on each side!

Avery's Hospital Adventure

It all started Tuesday morning, early Tuesday morning Avery was running a fever of 102.5, so Grandma had to keep him home from daycare, she gave him ibuprofen and that brought the fever down. Again Tuesday afternoon his fever returned and again she gave him ibuprofen and again his fever came down. Avery seemed to be doing fine when we got back to town on Tuesday night so Jon and I stayed with our original plan of having Avery spend one more night with Grandma and Grandpa so we could unpack and do some cleaning around the house before we went to pick him up. Because of the fever on Tuesday afternoon Avery again needed to stay home from daycare. It was Wednesday afternoon at 2:00 o’clock in the afternoon Jon and I went to go pick up Avery. He had he had just woken up from a nap  when we got there, we were so excited to see him and he was excited to see us too, but he was warm, I mean really warm. His temp was 104.9 (105 in my book) we gave him some Tylenol and made an appt for him to go see a doctor. His appointment was a 4:00 pm, Avery’s doctor was on vacation so he saw someone new, by the time we got to his appt his temp was at 99.9. They did a strep test and took some blood. 

They took my blood but gave me a bandaid

The strep test was negative and the blood work came back that his white cells were elevated. We left with instructions to alternate giving him Tylenol and ibuprofen  as often as every two hours to break his fever, and an appt to come back on Thursday if things hadn’t gotten better. After a dose of Tylenol and ibuprofen Avery was sleeping fine and keeping him temp down.

3:00 AM rolled around and everything changed. Avery woke up crying and shaking, he wasn’t cold but he wasn’t hot either. When I took him into the light his skin looked grey and his lips were blueish. We were getting ready to take him to the ER when we decided to call 911 instead. When the ambulance arrived they took a look at him took his oxygen levels and decided that some blow by oxygen would do his some good. The EMT rigged up a teddy bear with an oxygen mask so all Avery had to do is hold the bear and the oxygen would blow by his face, it worked great. After Avery started to “pink up” we headed for the Hospital. 

Heading to the hospital

I rode with Avery and Jon met us there.  After the once over by the ER Doc, an RSV test and an x-ray, it was determined that Avery had pneumonia and was admitted to the hospital for observation. 


The rest of the day Tuesday Avery spend playing and reading books, and having visitors stop by  along with having his temperature and O2 levels measured. He started his antibiotic in the morning and had some nebulizer treatments in the afternoon. Avery is defiantly sick but he wasn’t going to let that get playing with all the new toys in the PEDS unit.

Avery favorite hospital toy 

Reading

Hospital isn't so bad

Avery rode up and down the hall in a push car and later when he found a ball he threw and kicked the ball around until bed time. Avery and I spent the night so they could monitor him some more. Only having taken a few very short naps during the day it was great (for all of us) to get a decent nights sleep.

Avery's cage for the night

This morning Avery was discharged after have no more spikes in his fever and his lung sounding clear. He will continue to take an antibiotic and will be on breathing med for a few months, he is already looking so much better and should be back to 100% soon. Through out this past few days Avery has been great, happy most of the time, laughing and smiling for everyone. He let all the doctors and nurses do what they need to do to take care of him. He charmed everyone he met, Jon and are so lucky!

Gone Skiing

We are currently on our way to Colorado to go skiing. Jon and I have been making this yearly journey for a few years now, and I made it for a few years without him before that.  Last year Avery made the trip with us but this year Avery is staying home and our friend Dick/Rich/Richard is coming with us. This will be Rich’s first trip to Colorado and I am sure he will have a great time. This trip is also another first, it’s the first time Jon and I have left Avery for this long, two nights has been the max that he has been without both of us and this trip will be 7 nights. I am not worried about leaving him, I know I will miss him and wonder what he is up to (that will be the worst part of the trip, worse then the drive across Nebraska) but I know he will be in good hands.  Avery will be staying with both sets of his grandparents (while Uncle J stays at our house with the dog and cat) while we are gone. It will be fun to get away and Avery always has a great time with his grandparents. But unfortunately the last few nights his teeth have been bothering making it hard at times for Avery to sleep, sorry grandparents......

It will be a few years before Avery joins us on the our ski trip, to actually ski that is, but that doesn’t mean we are getting him ready to love the sport of skiing. So here is a collection of Avery skiing related pictures before he can even ski..... 

Doing a perfect Tele turn with PaPa's Hangfires 

Modeling an old school USST Hat

Modeling an old school USST headband

Modeling his new helmet.

Grill Out

Eating some strawberry pie.

Avery got to have his first food from the grill this week. We had a grill out at GG & GT’s house. The weather wasn’t too great, it started down pouring the minute the food was done but the food was sure good.  We had hot dogs and brats, hash browns, beans, and chips. Avery had his fill of hash brown, beans and hot dog with Ketchup and mustard. Jon made me offer him mustard (ick), stating that just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean he doesn't, the same was true for the sauerkraut, (double ick). Avery also had some chip, although he liked them, one got stuck in his throat and cause a slight panic, so he wont be having those again for a while. For desert everyone (but me) had Strawberry Pie, Jon’s favorite, Avery really likes it too. After we finished eating there was just enough time to play before we had to put Avery’s pjs  on (easier for when we fails asleep on the ride home) and head for home.

A Cousin Play Date!

Cousins!

Avery got to have a long awaited play date with his cousins this weekend. We have been keeping our germs to ourselves these past “winter” months, so the adults haven’t even seen each other since Christmas or so and the kids haven’t been together since Thanksgiving. But on Saturday to celebrate St. Patrick’s and Uncle Chris’ birthday we had a play date. Everyone had a great time, the babies did baby things (looked cute, smiled, spit up, smiled and look cute some more), and Avery took every toy out of their toy box. Aunt Jen even joined in the fun via Skype. It was good to get together, cant wait until next time.

Skyping with Jen 

All tired out after his play date with his cousins

Pool Party

Friday night was a big night for Avery, he was invited to his first Birthday Pool Party.  Avery loves the water so of course he had a great time. Avery and 7, 7 year old boys (and Jon) splashed and played and had a great time in the pools and hot tub. The party was at the Holiday Inn Express in Mankato, and it was a great place to have a pool party, it has two pools, a big pool, a small wading pool (1’2” or so) with a water feature, and a large hot tub, they also have a private room off the pool which is where we ate and open presents. My only complaint is that the tile used around the pool is very very slippery when water got on it, which happened a lot since it was the pool area, lucky no one fell but it was close a few times. 

Avery & the Birthday Boy

Avery & Daddy having a good time

What a fun place to swim 

Avery & Daddy

Swimming!

Silly Boys!

I think Avery would have stayed and played in the pool all night with his dad. He had a really great time, and the timing of this pool party could not have been more perfect, it was almost a year to the day that we took Avery swimming for first time ever while on vacation in Colorado last year. See how much Avery has changed, check out Avery’s first Pool Party.

Outside

Let Us Out!!!

With all the nice weather we’re having there seems to be only one place Avery wants to lay.....OUTSIDE. It is so fun to watch him explore the outdoors, he stops and picks up sticks and licks rocks and has a great time. I keep trying to take pictures of him playing but usually he is too fast and all I get is a blur.

Keep up... I am going this way now

Can't catch me!

Blurry pictures and all I am still looking forward to playing outside in the sun.

Office Help

Avery at my desk

Earlier this week I brought Avery into my office to visit the people who were working late. I have only brought Avery in to the office a few times, first a few weeks after he was born, next 4 or so months later and then again this week. Avery has done a lot of growing and changing between each visit. First he was a sleepy newborn, then he was a curious sitter, and this time he was a shy toddler. More and more these days Avery is showing his shy side, if he doesn’t know his surroundings or the people in them he stays quite and still and it can take awhile for him to warm up to the new place and people before he starts to come out of his shell.  Bringing him to the my office was the first time I had really ever seen him have this amount of shyness. It was like a light switch as we walked towards my area he was talking and looking around and when we turned the corner and he saw people he didn’t know, mum was the word. At first he kept turning his head to the side, putting his cheek on his shoulder and bashfully looking around (it was actually pretty darn cute) but after a little time and some coaxing with a ball he finally started to come out of his shell . He wondered around a little bit and showed of some of his skills but he didn’t talk or smile too much and stayed pretty close to me. On our way out I put him on my chair at my desk to take a quick picture and once my coworkers were out of sight he started smiling and talking and being his usual self. So it looks like we have entered the “stranger danger” stage. I wish he would have shown my coworkers all the cute things he can do but that wasn’t in the cards. 

Forward Facing

Forward Facing!!

For years, parents have heard the same advice: Keep your child in a rear-facing car seat until he's at least 1 year old and weighs at least 20 pounds. Now the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is saying that for safety's sake, your child should face the back of the car until the age of 2, or until he reaches the maximum rear-facing height and weight for his car seat. When we got Avery’s new car seat, we purposely got a seat that he could use in the rear facing position and the forward facing position, with the plan of leaving him rear facing as long as possible (until 2 as now recommended). During a discussion with his doctor I mentioned that even though he did not exceed the maximum requirements for his new seat his feet/legs had to be bent or where up on the seat to fit and looked semi uncomfortable. His doctor suggested that we turn his seat around to be forward facing so that Avery could more comfortable. She also told me that I am not a bad parent for turning him around before he is two :) (Love his doc).  We did finally turn Avery around to foward facing last night, and he took his first forward facing ride this morning. I think he liked it, it was nice to be able to see him in my rear view mirror again and it was also nice not having to turn him into a tiny human pretzel to get him buckled in.

Plenty of leg room now

Driveway Days

Ready to mow!

It seems that Winter is over, and spring is on it’s way. With the weather change comes a whole new place for our toddler to play, OUTSIDE!!!!! Playing outside is fast becoming one of Avery’s favorite things. Saturday while Daddy worked on his Jeep at my parents Avery roamed the driveway with his lawn mower, played with a ball and pushed his stroller. For the most part he stayed on the clean dry cement of the driveway but he did occasionally find his way to the mud and grass of the lawn. He stayed clean for the most part while he played, I am glad he was wearing his “outside shoes” but I am thinking I might have to keep a spare set of clean, dry clothes in the car for when spring really comes, because I see a lot of days playing outside in our future!

Sorry mom cant stop now, gotta mow!

3 Wet Diapers before 4:30

Not acting totally like himself yet

Avery is 14 months old today, and to celebrate he got to go to the doctor. After staying home from daycare yesterday and resting Avery was a little better. His explosive diapers weren’t as bad and could play a little bit before getting too tired. But he wasn’t eating or drinking very much and that is what earned him a trip to the doctor this morning. Everything checked out, lung, ears both clear, heart was good too. The not eating thing is even okay, but it is the not drinking and no wet diapers that could end up earning him a trip to the hospital for observation. Avery has to have 3 wet diapers before 4:30 to keep him out of the hospital. Hopefully we are headed in the right direction, after his appointment he had a 6oz bottle and had a little wet diaper. One down Two to go.

Update: Avery did make his goal of three wet diapers. After a few days of extra rest and lots of fluids Avery is getting back to normal, he is still a little tired, napping twice a day rather then his normal once a day but I am sure he will regain all his strength and energy soon.  

Stomach Bug

Avery sporting his Fever Bugz

It seems that a little stomach bug has gotten a hold of Avery. Avery was at daycare all day yesterday but only made it half a day today before I got the call to come and get him. He just wasn’t himself this morning when I dropped him off, so I thought he might not make it all day. After a nap he felt a little warm so we tried out a Fever Bugz to see if he had a temp but he didn’t. A little more rest and some Tylenol and he seemed to be feeling a little better, or at least well enough to go outside in his stroller and enjoy the great weather.  

First Hair Cut

Saturday Avery got his first hair cut. Like his Grandpa and Uncle Lee, Avery’s hair curls when it is long enough. His curls were very cute and soft, and I was sad to know that they would have to go, but Avery’s hair was getting long in the back and really needed to be cut. We set up our little barber shop in the downstairs bathroom, after letting Avery check out the clipers for a little bit Jon went work on removing our baby’s curls. Avery did great and It was a painless process for everyone. 

Barbeau Barber Shop

Before

what are you doing to my hair?

Bye Bye Curls!

After 

Wonder how long before they grow back?

Busy Night

Last night Avery had a busy night, we met his cousins at the ECFE building for some play time. ECFE had a class room and their small gym space open to play in. Immediately after walking in the door and putting Avery down he received a hug from a little girl, he wasn’t quite sure about that, he just stood there and looked at Jon and I.  After a quick peek inside the class room we headed to the “gym”  where Avery’s cousins were already playing. Avery jumped on a trampoline, played on the swings, road in a cozy coupe, and tried to ride a three wheeler.  

Driving

Trying to ride a 3 Wheeler

Checking things out

The space was a little to small with too many big kids for Avery to be able to play safely so we back to the class room. Back in the class room Avery was free to roam and play with everything. We played with all sorts of toys, cars, books, puppets, and play-doh.

Kisses

Play-Doh! And he didn't even try to eat it.

We had only planed to stay a short time because Avery only had a short nap during the day and a snack before we went to play and we wanted to get him fed before he was too tired. He was playing so good, so we stayed longer then planed. When we decided it was time to go Avery didn’t not agree with this decision at all, I would say it was his first real tantrum. It was mild, he just cried and was upset, I  think it was part he wasn’t ready to go, part too tired and part hungry. He calmed down when we got outside, in the car he had some cheerios and feel asleep. It was something new to go and try, glad we did it but I am not sure if or when we will go again.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

Showing his Seuss Sprit

Today is NEA’s Read Across America day, a celebration of reading that takes place every year on or close to Dr. Seuss birthday! To celebrate Avery is wearing his One Fish Two Fish shirt and we read some Green Egg & Ham, and Foot Book by Dr. Seuss before leaving the house this morning.

Just enough time to read a bit before we go

Impressed

Having a good time with his ring stacker

As always I am impressed by the things Avery can do. I know he can stack things, but when I opened his new ring stacker  the other day he went right to work un-stacking and restacking the rings on the peg, and it’s not a big peg either, maybe a 1/2 inch around, I was impressed.  Another day last week he was sitting in his room “reading” by himself, I was watching from the doorway and when he pulled out Brown Bear it was upside down, he open it, started to look at it, realized it was upside down and flipped it so it wasn’t upside down anymore, again I was impressed.


And as a side note...Happy Birthday Barbeau Buzz! 1 year old today!