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Avery at 14 1/2 months:

23.5 lbs
31.5 inches
Walks, runs, climbs, dances (bounces), rides a little rolling turtle, climbs up her playhouse and goes down the slide on her own, kicks her soccer ball, makes baskets in her hoop, gives hugs and kisses all the time, walks peyton around on her leash in the house, uses a spoon and fork on her own, drinks from her sippy cup, loves reading books, climbs into mommy or daddy's lap to read books, empties mommy's clothes drawers everyday :)
Says: mama, dada, bath, ball, bubble, turtle, doggie, baby, bowl, banana(comes out ba), bow (although she stil won't wear one in her hair), still a ton of animal noises.
Signs: water, eat, again, all done
Favorite foods: Leek soup, bananas, pears, cheese, berries (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries), eggs, oatmeal, sugar snap peas, chili, pancakes, peach yogurt, milk, and tries to drink mommy or daddy's protein shake!
Takes one nap a day, about 1-4 (roughly)
Typical week:
Monday: open gym 10:30-11:30 (huge gymnastics gym is set up for kids so lots of running on trampolines, playing in the foam pit, climbing, and crawling! daddy has been able to go with us for the last few weeks which is awesome) and grocery store in the afternoon
Tues: We go to practice to hang out with daddy and the girls
Wed: Library story time 10:30-12 (stay for both classes for singing, clapping, reading, and playing with her friends)
Thurs: hang out at home, go to a game if there is one at home in the evening
Fri: hang at home, sometimes daddy gets off early enough to go to annapolis for dinner
Sat: hang at home, go to game if there is one. Thinking about starting a mommy and me swim class on Saturdays
Sun: usually a home game or hang at home, haven't tried any churches but want to start looking for one.

She is just the most wonderful baby girl, funny, curious, active, loving, fiesty at times, but overall just a blast to hang with! She is easy to take places, but needs to be around people often before she will warm up to them. She's finally starting to get used to the girls and will give them all hugs or high fives. She does not like anyone besides mommy or daddy to pick her up, so as long as new people don't try that she is great!

I can't tell you how much joy she brings me everyday. I love her so much and am amazed that this love continues to grow!

GO

Washington DC: Smithsonian Museums of Art and Natural History Highly suggest the Gallery of Art, but not so much with a baby! Lots to see but kind of expected to be quiet and not bother other patrons. Still, very interesting and lots of beautiful pieces of work. Also reccomend the cafe on the ground flood. Decent food, great ambiance with a beautiful waterfall display. The Natural History museum is great. A lot of cool exhibits, highlights are the Hope diamond, dinosaurs, and insect zoo. The sculpture garden which is directly in front of the National Archives building is very cool. Cafe inside which is very cute, but expensive. Now during the winter months they have an ice skating rink. I will not be doing that, but Avery had fun watching the skaters! For an afternoon snack, Au Bon Pain is a great bakery. I would have preferred something local instead of a chain, but I'm still searching for that! Avery ended the day by sleeping the entire metro ride home. Peaceful ride for mommy!

GET

I'm always looking for good books to read with Avery. I LOVE all of the books I've read by Sandra Boynton. They are simple, well illustrated, and even funny for adults! Avery now laughs at the pages that I laugh at! Great to check out from your library or to give as baby/birthday/holiday gifts!

One Year Old!

We have internet at home and I can get back to blogging! Avery is walking everywhere and is a busy, busy bee!

What's new: Avery is making a lot of new sounds. Her only words are baby and dada, but lately I've noticed her trying out many different noises. She makes the following animal noises and is learning new sounds daily: moo, meow, baa, neigh, bzzz, hoot, pants like a dog, quack, and does hand signs for monkey and seal. She can point out: nose, eyes, ear, hand, toes, head, tongue. I am amazed at how quickly she picks up things and I can't wait to hear some more words from her!

Thankful for: Friends and family who either travelled a long way to visit us or even just thought of us to say happy birthday to Avery. Reminds me that we are not alone out here and have many people who love us more than we know. Trust me, the feeling is mutual!

Wondering about: How long can we keep this lifestyle of Kyle working seven days a week, 12-14 hour days. I want a parenting partner and I don't know if this is the profession for that. He does love the job and maybe in time it will get easier and he will be able to spend less time doing the same amount of work.

Loving: My new sweats. $6 sweats from Target. Of course they are so soft before washing and then once washed, never the same! And having internet to blog!

Beach!

Spent the morning at the beach! What a blast!

Avery on the move!

Finally have a few days of decent internet at my parent's house. Here is a video of Avery crawling. She is literally all over the place. As soon as we got to my parents house, we had to do some quicky baby proofing. Literally everything within reach of crawling or standing is fair game for her. She is having a blast here, especially chasing after three dogs! She is also getting a mind of her own, and does NOT like to be told 'no'. Uh, oh for me! Our days are so fun, filled with her learning and exploring and at the end of the day we are both completely exhausted! Naps are still a struggle, way too many fun things to do everyday besides sleep :) Looking forward to a few days with Kyle and then headed out to Salinas for a wedding. Dreading the plan rides by myself, we change three times! Praying for a good day out of Avery, although best case scenario we just make it through the day in one piece!

Where we are

I have figured out how to post from my phone but still can't upload pics unless I can get wifi on my laptop. I have to say that after four years of struggling financially because of one of us being in grad school, it is frustrating to still be struggling. Kyle continues to work very hard, long hours and we are nonetheless happy where we are.

Now for some Avery updates!
Nine and a half months, crawling everywhere, standing up, cruising on furniture. Loves going to the library for story time, baths, pulling out the dvds from our movie drawer, playing with balloons and balls, and chasing Peyton. Dislikes getting changed, being in her stroller, and being left alone for even a second!

We are looking forward to upcoming trips to Charleston and Salinas, can't wait to show off our girl! She seems to charm the socks off anyone she meets, hopefully our travels go well!