Surprise Party

So my birthday was Sunday, November 14th and I thought it was going to be a quiet day after church with lunch with my in-laws and dinner with my parents. Little did I know, Jason had called several special people whom later surprised me at the ring of my door bell. My mom, dad, Lindsey, Zach, Nancy, Tommy, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Lori, Rudy, Tucker, Aunt Kim, Uncle Wayne, Jennifer, Sarah, Ella, Josh, and Stephanie all came to celebrate with me. It was really special because I have not been around this many family and friends for my birthday since high school! I was in Lubbock then Houston for the last eight years, so this was really special for me. Jason always thinks of things like this and finds a way to make me the happiest girl in the world. Thank you babe for everything you do for me. Oh, and Avery helped momma celebrate too!

My sweet husband!
Mom, Me, and Nancy
Avery's new face! I call her my little gremlin when she does this. She is so stinkin' cute!

Happy Halloween 2010

What a doll!
Jason and I fell in love with this outfit!

Avery loved being Nemo

Happy Halloween 2010

Thriller

Trish, Maria, and Me

All the teachers did "Thriller" on Friday! We had a lot of fun and everyone got into. That is me in the scary mask wearing all black. The kids loved it!
The yummies I made for our Department and for Avery's friends' at Mrs. Holly's house.

Catching Up

Beautiful Eyes
Loving her some Daddy!

What a perfect little face! I cannot imagine life without this little thing.

"I found my Prince, his name is Daddy!" Headed to daddy's game.

So proud of Daddy's UNDEFEATED team! Go Wildcats!

Avery tasting Carrots for the first time. What a mess, but she LOVED them!

Go BEARCATS!

My parents bought this Bearcat Cheerleading uniform for Avery and the game that she wore it to it was like 500 degrees outside so we quickly changed her into something cooler. I did not want to let her grow out of it too soon before I got some good pictures. So here are my two favorites.

These two pictures are of some very dear friends of ours. They were getting to meet Avery for the first time. We LOVE the Hoppess Family. Their girls were in our wedding and I was their babysitter growing up. These are now our two future babysitters! Funny how that works. We are so glad to be close to them now here in Frisco!

Happy 6 Month Birthday

Happy 6 Month Birthday Sweet Baby Girl

This is the only faint smile I could get!

So Avery is now 6 months old, half-way to 1 year. It does not sound right saying that. I feel like yesterday I found out I was pregnant with her. What an amazing feeling to be so in love with your child. Jason and I feel very blessed to have such a happy beautiful baby girl. We both can not wait to get home from work to see her everyday. And even though we love Mrs. Holly, I have had some days this past two weeks that I have hated leaving her. I just want to curl up on the couch and cuddle all day long with Avery! She is super sweet in the mornings and I just want to soak up every minute I can with her.

She had her 6 month check-up October 28th and got a shot in each thigh. That explains why she is not smiling in her pictures above. She did not feel good and her little legs hurt. She is a growing little baby. She weighted 16.5 pounds and was 25.5 inches long which is in the 50% percentile for both. She got a great report card, A+ for physical exam and developmental exam. This always makes mommy happy. She is now starting solid foods and trying to drink a little water from a sippy cup. What a BIG girl! She has only had carrots so far and LOVES them. Jas took pictures and got her on flip video trying carrots for the first time. She is probably thinking, "FINALLY, these people realize I want REAL food. I try to get their food all the time at dinner and they keep moving the plate further from my little hands." She acts like we starve her, but she is not missing any meals. She is a healthy little squirt. She is now sitting on her own, but then will slowly fall over. She can roll from one side of the room to the other side of the room in no time and I think if she could walk she would be running! Her legs and arms NEVER stop moving.

Avery is still loving going to the football games and we have actually had to wear jackets the last couple of times. Good football weather! This month we went to the Pumpkin Patch and got some great pictures we already shared. Daddy also bought Avery a mobile walker which she loves to follow you around in. She is still sleeping through the night in our room, but is now napping in her bed upstairs. I know most kids are already in their beds by now, but with our room downstairs and hers upstairs it makes me crazy to think about her being that far. I know, momma needs to get over it, but give me time. She is NEVER in our bed, just in our room. I am slowly getting better, but it is just another one of those things that remind me of her getting bigger and I am really struggling with that.

BOO-ti-ful

This weekend we went to "The Big Orange Pumpkin Patch". We no more than pulled into the parking lot and the heavens opened up on us. We took cover for about ten minutes and let the first storm pass then headed out to the pumpkins to get some pictures. We feed the animals, ate our hotdog and got some super cute pictures for Avery's 1st Halloween. Hopefully next year we will have better weather and get to go on the hayride. No matter what Avery was the cutest little pumpkin there!

So glad to be home and dry!
I like this one

Family pic! Thanks Nana and Papa for going with us and taking this cute picture.

Mommy's favorite picture!

Too Cool for School

Sporting my Barbie sunglasses!!!!!!!
I am such a ham! Enough said.

I wish I could bottle up......

I wish I could bottle up.........

1. The smell of my mother
2. Hearing my dad tell me he loves me
3. The feeling I get at Christmas
4. The thought of my husband (Anything to do with him; smell, the look he gives me, his thoughtfulness)
5. The feeling I get when I think about being a mother
6. The sound of Avery's voice (Right now just unorganized noises!)
7. The feeling I got as a collegiate dancer
8. The feeling of having a clean house
9. The feeling I get as an older sister wanting to protect my little sister when someone is ugly to her (I can only imagine what that feeling will be when it is Avery)
10. All my childhood memories (I was blessed with amazing parents who made my life wonderful)
11. The feeling of knowing I am loved
12. The comfort of knowing that God is my Lord and Savior
13. The ability to better a child's life through education, more so as a Special Education Teacher
14. The feeling of standing atop a snowy mountain looking at what God created and what I am about to ski down (What incredible feeling!)
15. The few moments Maddie chooses to get in my lap rather than Jason's (Few and far between)
16. All my favorite smells (fresh cut grass, the smell you get when you turn on the AC in the car, the smell right after blowing out a match, Baby lotion, my mom's perfume, any holiday candle, Gio, Lysol (I know I am weird), Avery in general, etc. The list could go on and on. If you haven't already noticed, I have a thing with smells.)

I know this is a random post, but I have a mind that runs ninety to nothing all the time and memories are something I cherish. So this was an attempt at a creative way to summarize the things I wish to hold onto and the things I love the most.

Just a few.....

So it is almost the end of October and I cannot believe my sweet little baby girl is going to be 6 Months old next week. I get really emotional just thinking about it. I know it is the inevitable, but I want to be able to hold her in my arms for eternity. I cannot express what a sweet baby she is. I love her smell, her hands, her button nose, well.......everything. She is only fussy when she is tired or hungry and the rest of the time she is all smiles. I can look into her eyes and see the love that Jason and I give her radiate from her little face.

Speaking of hungry. We have had a fiasco with formula since all the Similac was pulled from the market. Everyone told Jason and I that the "off" brand was the same thing. I beg to differ. We tried the Target brand and the Sam's brand and with both brands Avery bathed me in throw up/spit up....whatever you want to call it, for days all while smiling. She never cried or fussed, but I know it had to bother her to spit up that much. We are talking projectile. So we have finally settled with Enfamil Gentle Ease and all I can say is hallelujah; after trying four different formulas. Thank you Similac. I absolutely loved nursing and I wish I had a job that was conducive to continue with it, but I would have had to shut down the bathroom just to pump. At the time I stopped, it was right after the move and I was so wore thin with everything going on, I just thought it was time. Boy, do I wish I could go back and change my mind. I nursed for four months and had a milk supply of two more months; which is good. I cried on the last bag of milk we used two weeks ago. It is just another reminder that Avery is getting bigger and that time has now passed.

It is football season and Jason has been hard at work with his kiddos. He loves his school and the guys he coaches with are awesome. His team is undefeated and we are so glad that daddy is at the Junior High level. He is home so much now and we love it. We get to go run and do on the weekends, work around the house, visit with our families, and most importantly be at home as a family a lot more than if he was coaching Varsity. We go to all his games and Avery loves being at the football stadium. All the parents want to take her home but it would be a hard fight to win for them. There is one little girl who always asks me if "your baby" can play; too cute. We love football season!

Life feels very balanced right now and we are really looking forward to the holidays. Thanksgiving is at our house this year so that is exciting, I think. I made Avery an adorable Halloween tutu and rhinestoned a little onesie and we are headed to the Celina Pumpkin Patch tomorrow if weather permits. It would rain all weekend. :( We cherish our time with ALL our family and still find it hard to believe sometimes that we are in McKinney! We miss our sweet friends in Houston but this is where our heart is and we are so thankful for the path that God has allowed us to take. I will post pics soon!

Just Pictures

Not sure of what to do!
Wrapping daddy around her finger a little tighter

Sweet little face

I love my baby girl!

Happy girl

Cutest little girl in the world!!!!!!!!

My little Red Raider-Bearcat

Our sweet friend, Nancy Sims, made this for us. Jason was #85 as a Bearcat, so it was only appropriate for Avery to sport his number.
Aunt Lulu is so proud of Miss Avery.

What does my Mama and Daddy have me in?????? So Avery is not a "Future Bearcat", but she can be one cute little cheerleader!

At breakfast sporting our Tech gear. We watched the game, but Avery just snoozed.

Such a happy little Red Raider!

Happy 5 Month Birthday

Happy 5 Month Birthday Avery

Avery you have changed so much in the last five months. You smile all the time, laugh deep down in your belly, and follow your mommy and daddy around with your gorgeous little blue eyes. You have mastered rolling from your belly to your back and from your back to your belly and you are attempting to sit up. Right now you lean over slowly fall over with a look on your face saying "help me, I'm falling and I can't get up".

You are getting so much better at eating your ceral. You like to grab the spoon and splatter it everywhere. You have been going to your sweet babysitters house now for three weeks and we love Mrs. Holly. When mommy is at work, all she thinks about is getting you and going home to daddy. I love our time together and now that daddy works at the Junior High level, he is home all the time. We have taken some gorgeous walks in this beautiful weather and we are loving our new neighborhood. I cannot believe how time flies and I have to admit that I cry everytime I look at your baby pictures and see the changes you have already made.

You love to grab anything and everything. We have to place our plates and glasses ten feet away from the edge of the table or we will be wearing most of it. Your hands are into everything. We have gone to three of daddy's football games and you LOVE it! You watch everything going on and you are the hit with the parents. They all want to take you home, but that will never happen. You are mama's baby girl! I look forward to the joy you will continue to bring into our lives and I cherish every minute I have with you. I love you baby girl and you mean the world to mommy and daddy!

Another Epidural.......I think NOT

So for those of you who know me close, you know I have been battling terrible headaches. I have always had migraines, but these headaches are the result from a epidural gone wrong while delivering Avery.

I went into the whole labor process with the mentality of not having the epidural. But since my labor hit me so fast and I was already a 6 by the time I realized I was indeed in labor, I was begging for it. Talk about an out of body experience. Any way, in the process the anesthesiologist gave me a post dural puncture(leaking spinal fluid), which cause a spinal headache that led to getting a blood patch (worse than labor might I add), which caused me to develop meningitis. I have seen a neurologist and there is nothing they can do. The headaches have gotten better but I still cannot bend over and let my head go past my knees and when I get onto the floor to play with my sweet Avery, it takes me a good minute or so for my head to stop pounding.

It brings me to tears to think that I had to lay in bed the first month of my daughters' life due to this stupid mistake and I am still not able to function 100%. I am tired of the headaches, the pain, and the inconvenience that these things have caused me. I am so angry about the entire situation. I have had so many people tell me to sue....Who has the time and the money. I am not that kind of person and what is suing someone going to fix. It will not take away the pain and will definitely not give me back Avery's first month. This is a VENT post and I needed to get this out. I deal with pain quite well, but this is getting old.

The situation was so bad that I do not want an epidural for my next delivery. I would rather be in that much pain then deal with the possibility of this happening again. I couldn't do it. Anyway, I got a beautiful healthy baby out of the whole process.

Avery has found her................

FEET!!!!!

Avery has found her feet! She started doing this on September 8, 2010. It is so cute. This morning I unzipped her pajamas and the first thing she did was grad those toes. She will lay and roll around and just smile ear to ear. Just thought I would share!

Lately

So we are settling into our changed life quite well. We are enjoying the space and changing the things we want to make our own. Jason asked me the other night, "Do you think we will ever come to a stopping point where we say 'ok we are done'." I said probably not. It is fun though. Both of us are really enjoying the people we work with. Everyone has made us feel very welcome. Frisco is a great district to work for and I am glad they chose us to work here. Being by our family has made life great. We have seen our family more in the last month than we have in the last three years. I am so glad Avery will get to grow up with her grandparents! Speaking of my sweet angel.........

Today was probably the hardest day of being a mother so far. I had to leave Avery at the babysitter for the first time. I cried so hard going to work and cried every time someone asked me if I was ok. The sweet lady we found is so patient and seems to just adore Avery. It is not an issue of trust it is just letting her stay with someone other than me or her grandparents. Avery is such a happy baby, but she is not the easiest baby. I fear that someone other than me will get impatient or frustrated. I just want her to happy and enjoy where she is during the day. I believe that Ms. Holly will take good care of her.

Avery is getting so big. She is 13 pounds and 11 ounces and is in the 50th percentile for height and weight. She is laughing and "trying" to talk back to me. I look forward to her getting more mobile but then I know I will want her back in my arms. I look forward to her 1st Christmas this year, her first time in the snow, and her 1st birthday party. I was already thinking about her birthday before she was two months old. She will be the cutest cupcake on the block! My mom bought her the most precious birthday outfit and we got her invitations when Swoozies went out of business. She changes everyday and I love her with all my heart.

We are looking forward to the Sherman Arts Fest, the Plano Balloon Festival, Oktober fest, and Jason's 10 year high school reunion. The amazing weather was so nice last week! Just the many reasons we are glad to be back in North Texas. With all the good, there is the bad and the things I pray for daily. My parents, my sister, my family.........I pray for good health, for kind hearts, and clarity in your lives. It was a rough day for me and I pray for each day to get better. It is so hard to let go in a sense but I know Ms. Holly will be wonderful.

One more thing. Avery cheered for her Red Raiders this weekend and she looked super cute. Go Red Raiders!

The sweet Pom Girls gave her the t-shirt and socks.

We love our Red Raiders!