Stuff no one ever told me BK (before kids):

1. That your sweet gem of a daughter would not only take a HUGE crap in the tub her brother and she had just settled into but then while Mommy frantically scrubbed the tub and refilled it...she would then continue to take another crap, and a pee, on the bathroom floor and clean outfits all while strutting around naked and dancing to Sarah McLaughlin. At least the kid's got good musical taste.

2.  That nothing would ever gross you out anymore, even your toe sliding into baby poop or your son projectile-vomiting on your clothes.

3.  That some days you would subsist on nothing but a handful of goldfish crackers, 3 cups of coffee and bites of your child's uneaten macaroni and cheese.

4.  That while one child napped and the other was transfixed by Mickey Mouse on TV, you'd have to scrub in the shower like your life depended on it in five minutes flat (and this from a former 30-minute-long-showering-chick).

5.  That you and your husband would now casually talk about children's bodily fluids and rashy-private parts as easily as you used to discuss what take-out you wanted for dinner or what movie you'd go see on a Friday night.

6.  That you would go to bed by 9:00pm every night...and LIKE IT.  Aaaaahhhhh, dear sleep, I will take you as I can get you!

7.  And while we're on the subject of it...that 2 years of lack of sleep would SERIOUSLY turn you into a crazy lady who should be locked up in a straight jacket in  padded cell. I scare my husband sometimes.

8.  That once you have kids, the days of browsing leisurely in a store are long gone. No more hours of window-shopping, trying on clothes, rubbing lotion samples into your well-moisturize d hands. Now it's Run-through-Target-with-a-one-year-old-hanging-out-of -your-arms-throwing-her-bottle-on-the-floor-as-your-two-year-old-leaps-from-front-of-the-carriage-to-back-as-you-hurriedly-through-diapers/formula/tissues/whatever-in-the-cart-and-race-out-of-the-store.

9.  That as soon as you get a gift card for your birthday/Christmas or an extra twenty bucks in your pocket, you instantly are thinking of ways to spend it on...your children.

10.  That you'd find yourself humming/singing/jamming out to a Mickey Mouse clubhouse tune in your head....WHEN YOU ARE ALONE.

11. That some days you would excitedly LOOK FORWARD to going into work...who knew??

12. That despite all the crazy, gross, silly, unbelievable things you may experience...you would NEVER, EVER trade it for anything else in the world!

Just a disclaimer, I didn't put them in the dog's cage. They went in willingly. The crazy kids LIKE IT.

Dear Avery,
What a difference a month makes!

You are now 11 months old, big girl!

And a lot has changed for you in this--what felt like--short month.  First and foremost, you are now a walking girl! You strut around the house like nobody's business.  It started with four simple consecutive steps, two days in a row, and you haven't looked back. You were wobbly for a few days and then it was like it just clicked and now you are super sturdy on those chunky legs.

You are no longer a breastfed baby. This one was super sad for Mommy but I need to take a medication that I can NOT take while nursing, so it was time. We are weaned down to one nursing a day, right before bed, and it's been hard to give it up. It's Mommy's favorite cuddly, quiet time of day with you! You are just as content to drink a bottle and we've even started mixing in 1-2 oz of whole milk now to see how you do with it.  You love it!

Also this month, you've gained at least TWO POUNDS! My little peanut is chunking up! You definitely can hold your own now sometimes when your brother picks on you. And pick on you, he does! Even though he loves you to pieces and quite often bear-hugs and kisses you, Hunter is also sometimes super rough with you.  You both vie for ownership of MANY of the toys now...one you
"argue" over quite often is the car you sit in. As well as big brother's matchbox cars!

You love to brush your teeth now. It's a fun way to prepare for "night-night" time. You imitate the way you see Mommy and Hunter do it and it cracks us all up! You are a big copy-cat now, Aves, especially when it comes to imitating your brother! You and Hunter often get into happy, giggling squealing matches together.  In the back seat of the car, buckled into your car seats, you both link hands and laugh your little hearts out.  I never, in a million years, could have imagined just HOW MUCH I'd enjoy seeing my sweet son and daughter interact together. It's a beautiful thing!

 We took you to the Rainforest Cafe for the first time today and you absolutely loved it! Admittedly, during the first "storm" you looked a little anxious and clutched at Mommy from the high chair but we all were smiling and clapping to show how much fun it was.

You "talk" so much. Not specific words, but you do try to copy your parents and brother often. Words that you DO say are: Mama, Dada, Nana, Hot!, bubba (which is what we call Hunter sometimes), tickle-tickle, and you have now tried to say "ball" within the past couple days.  No rush though, becuz even though you don't SAY a lot of words you most certainly understand them!

As always, lovey-girl, you brighten our days. If Mommy or Daddy has a crappy day, we can count on you to cheer us up instantly with your 100-watt smile and giggle.  You have become a huge Daddy's girl and one of your favorite spots is nestled on his lap, humming and trying to sing along to Daddy and the music playing from his iPad. 


We love you, Aves, more than simple words in a letter can say.  Hard to believe you turn one year old in one short month! Mommy is going to try to cherish each and every baby-second of it!

Love Always,
Daddy, Mommy and Hunter

Ok, I'm horribly behind. This is Avery's 10 month letter that I posting even though she is now...ELEVEN months old. Heh heh.  I promsie to post her 11 month letter before she turns one!!


Dear Avery,

It's hard to believe you are now ten months old!

You've accomplished SO much this month, baby girl.  You got so much better at standing and carefully lowering yourself to the ground, as well as actually being able to stand on your own! The first time it happened you were standing, holding onto Mommy's fingers and I let go and you stood for a few seconds all by yourself. The second time it happened completely on your own! You were sitting next to Mommy and just used her leg to steady yourself as you stood up all on your own and looked around the living room. We're so proud of you! And I realize, it's only a matter of time before you are toddling all over this house!  Who knows, maybe you will be walking by your 1st birthday, just like big brother was?

Another big first this month for you, Aves...you said "Dada" and "Mama" for the very first time!! Up until that point the only thing you said was your favorite sound of "ba ba ba ba" no matter how hard Mommy tried to get you to say something different.  We were sitting in the back of Grammie's new car, on the way to visit family the day after Christmas, when you looked directly at Daddy, smiled brightly and said "Dada!"  It was such a great moment! So of course, not to be outdone, I kept saying "mama" to you over and over and the closest you got was saying "MaDa". So Mommy gave up.  Once at family's house though, you were being carried around by your great-aunt Val when you looked right at me, and laughed and said "Mama!" in an excited voice! I practically melted on the spot!  Now, I'm working on "doggie" with you so we'll see how that goes.

This month we celebrated your 1st Christmas, Aves! It was amazing, full of lots of laughs, yummy food for you to try and "opening" up your gifts under the tree.  Even though you really didn't understand, your brother Hunter DID get it a bit, and you were so excited by HIS contagious enthusiasm.

The funniest part was you kept trying to play with all his toys while he played with all YOUR new toys, when we first opened them up!  And then a week later, we celebrated your 1st New Year's Eve/Day with great friends! We had two families over for dinner and lots of toy-playing by all the kids.

You are getting so big, Aves, and yet you still are my little peanut girl. I love that you aren't growing up too-TOO fast. Mommy wants to relish every sweet baby-moment with you, before you are a big girl.  Your peach fuzz hair is really starting to fill in. You won't be a bald baby forever! 

We love you so much sweet baby girl. Hard to believe in two short months you will be ONE YEAR old. *sniff*

Love you always, Daddy, Mommy and Hunter

Is it bad that this is my fourth night in the row with a

glass of wine in hand?

And truth be told, Saturday and Sunday night it was more than one glass. Heh heh.  In my defense, 'tis the season! Friends and parties and fun nonstop.

At least I'm almost done with all my Christmas shopping. I went to the store today after getting out of work and finished off the kids.  I still wish I had more to spend on them, but I'm still happy with my purchases! Honestly, my favorites for Hunter are:

What can I say, the kid LOVES to pretend to vacuum! And lately he's been messing around with my Dyson.

And...my other favorite....

Cuz now he will have somewhere to color (or do his crafty stuff) without litte missy eating his crayons!

Now...to get it all wrapped!

Anyway, it's been a sad week for some fo my family and friends. My MIL's old man doggie, Wookie, passed away yesterday.

He was very sick and in and out of the vet hospital and I'm still not sure if he passed DURING his exploratory surgery or after, but my poor MIL is devastated. She's had this boy for 13 years and swears he saved her during a rough time in her life.  And then last week, one of my bestie's, Carsa and her family had to put their doggie, Ace, to sleep after he was diagnosed (and very sick) with an inoperable tumor. Both dogs had a special place in my heart and I have fond memories of them. May they run freely over the Rainbow Bridge and stay young forever!

For as much as my yellow lab, Tucker may drive me crazy somedays with his intense separation anxiety, endless panting and water drinking and stinky breath...I'm SO THANKFUL for his furry butt. He's given me more love than I probably deserve and he makes the best foot rest. And most importantly he is the best dog ever to my kids, so gentle and patient. I couldn't ask for a better yellow boy!

Dear Avery,

Today marks your 9th month with us and it's crazy to me to think, for as long as I got to carry you in my belly, we've now had the pleasure of holding you in our arms!

What a big nine month old girl you are becoming! You still wear 12 months in clothes and size 4 in diapers but you seem to have gotten taller to Mommy! At your 9 month wellness Pediatrician appointment you weighed 18 lbs 11 oz, so not much of  a gain (from 17 lbs 6 oz at your 6 month check up), but the doctor said it's normal with how active you are. You really NEVER stop moving. And you are now 28 inches long, so an inch longer, my tall girl!  We also found out you have eczema so Mommy is going to have to start applying the lotion a lot more than I normally do!

You celebrated your first Thanksgiving this month and got to sample a little bit of everything on our dinner dishes: turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, corn and then a little bit of pumpkin pie w/cool whip for dessert! And like the little piggy you are, you gobbled up every bite we gave you.  Another first, the day after Thanksgiving we did our yearly tradition of going to cut down a fresh Christmas tree. You seemed to enjoy the fresh air (it was mild that day) and while you seem to like the pretty white lights Mommy put on the Christmas tree, you are a good baby who doesn't really try to touch the tree or ornaments!

You pull up to standing pretty regularly now, and no longer wobble while doing it! In addition, you can slowly lower yourself back down to a sitting position (while holding onto furniture, baby gate, etc). You seemed to have developed a tad bit of separation anxiety this month when it comes to Mommy, and you don't really let her leave the room, without loud crazy screams from you. And then you do the super fast, anxious crawl to catch up to me, shoving the baby gate aside to squeeze by it.

You are a now a pro holding and drinking out of your sippy cup.  You only drink water out of it. You are still nursed like 90% of the time. You get 1 bottle of formula at Nana's house Monday through Thursday while Mommy is at work and to drink it, you lay on the floor and hold the bottle yourself.  Avery, you've also tried all the "allergy" foods with no problems: strawberries, eggs and peanut butter. You love ALL of them!

Avery, as always you love your brother! And that love seems to grow and grow every day! You giggle and smile and chase each other around. You play with all his matchbox cars and trucks (which doesn't suit your brother, he hasn't quite grasped the concept yet of SHARING, so he often times rips them out of your hands).

Mommy's been noticing this month that your dry skin has gotten a bit more patchy and coarse lately. It could be from the cold weather, but it's definitely something we will be bringing up at your next pedi visit. And your soft, brown hair is slooooowly starting to thicken up. We especially notice it growing longer behind your ears. You also have SEVEN teeth now! Not too long ago, four popped through on top. And just last week or so, your third bottom tooth came out. The teething has been VERY bad at times but cuddles always help.  It affected your sleeping patterns as well. You wake up every night again, usually just once, and Mommy was nursing you back to sleep.  But now that the teeth are all through, and you are happier, we are weaning from nighttime nursing (four days in a row so far!) And then you are an early-riser so sleep is scarce in this house!

Avery, you are such a silly girl. A bit needier than your brother was at this age, but just as lovable and sweet and full of smiles and laughs. You are a very happy-go-lucky baby girl! You squeeze us and love to bury your face into our necks. Kisses are your specialty: both giving and receiving. If you could be kissed 24 hours a day, you'd be in heaven! 

Mommy had pictures done this month of you and your brother in preparation for Christmas. While your brother wasn't very cooperative, you smiled your way through the entire session. The pics came out SO adorable and you looked beautiful in your burgundy and black lace Christmas dress.

Avery, thank you for making us so happy.  For giving your Mom and Dad and brother so much love! It's hard to believe it's been nine months already but at the same time, it feels like you've been a part of our family forever.  In three short months you will be a one year old, and we are so not ready for that. Mommy is going to hold onto her sweet baby girl for as long as possible!

We love you always, Avery Irene,
Daddy, Mommy, and Hunter

I'm pretty darn tired today so instead of a wordy post,
here is a short and sweet post.  Enjoy!


My new precious, an early Christmas gift from the in-laws:

What I plan on baking this weekend, yummy:

Who would have celebrated his 61st birthday this week, and who I miss dearly every single day:

The adorable pj's my littles are wearing tonight, making me smile:

And my sweet loves, who gave me lots and lots of kisses today:

This is so strange to me.

Me...the girl who is jonesing mid-way through August for Christmas season. 

In the family who eagerly awaits Thanksgiving, not just for the turkey, but for the day AFTER the turkey so that we can go cut down our fresh tree!

April, the girl who will listen to Christmas carols all season long (and even has a slightly hard time saying "good-bye" to those cd's the day after).

The Mama who has been SO EXCITED to share Christmas this year with BOTH of her babies.

I am having a hard time feeling the

spirit of the season.

Our tree is up and decorated (and watching my son giggle and smile as he put ornament after ornament on the same branch--making us adults giggle) and it is beautiful to me, if a tad barren of ornaments. I couldn't find some this year, due to our move last January.

 

Extra lights are lit around the house. 

Stockings are hung by the chimney with care (well, the kids are anyway. Mom's and Dad's is still on order. Had to get new stockings this year cuz ours got ruined in a wet basement over the summer).

I'm already planning out which cookies and treats to bake this year.

But I'm just not feeling it, for some reason. And I have no idea why! Still lots of gifts left to get, and it's slow-going becuz as usual, we are broke. But honestly, that's not what's bothering me. I know that the gifts will all come together. They always do!

Maybe it's due to the depressing news on TV and online? The horrible stories I keep reading of mother's killing their babies, and criminals stealing from hard-working people trying to make ends  meet?  And knowing there are so many people out there without families or even homes this time of year?

That probably doesn't help the way I feel.

It's almost like a feeling of "unsettled-ness". I know that's not a word, but I'm coining it now so you get where I'm coming from. I know it's still technically early in the month so I can only hope that as the days fly by, some of the Christmas-y feeling starts to permeate my veins.

I can hope.