30th Birthday

That's right - I turned 30. I usually don't really care too much about my birthday. I think after 18, it just became another year passing. But I was excited about this one because, selfishly, I was looking forward to kicking back and relaxing and not feeling guilty about it!

The celebration really started on Thursday. My mom was still in town so she watched Avery that morning while I went to Starbucks and got my favorite breakfast - chai tea latte and cranberry orange scone. Then I went and got a pedicure! I thoroughly enjoy my pedicures because I really only splurge on them twice a year. (Don't worry I don't let my toenails grow three feet the rest of the year - I just do it myself.)

Friday night we went to the Downtown Square in McKinney. It is one of my favorite places to go. Casey was in town so he came with us and two of my friends who live in McKinney - Natalie and Michelle - met us.  

On Saturday, Rustin woke up with Avery so I could sleep in. While I was sleeping they went to get me Starbucks and donuts. He also gave me a gift certificate for a manicure/pedicure at this spa in an old house in downtown Allen I've been wanting to try forever.

I know some people plan huge celebrations for their 30th, but I just didn't want that. When I thought of having something big, it stressed me out. So we stayed in town and did something small. 

I LOVE staying at hotels. Eventually I want to stay just one night at each of the "fancy" hotels in Dallas. So Andrea booked the Mansion on Turtle Creek for a few of us girls.

During the day we hung out by the pool. The only picture I got was at night - 

After the pool, we got ready for dinner. When I came out of the shower the girls had decorated the hotel room!

That night we went to dinner at Nick and Sam's Grill. They even gave us a champagne toast!

The next day we went to brunch at Oddfellows, which is this place in the Bishop Arts District that I've wanted to try for a while. The coffee there is supposed to be amazing and it did not disappoint in that area. It was the best chai latte I've ever tasted.

I'm very thankful for all my family and friends who made my 30th very special. Avery even had a surprise for me that day, but I'll save that for another post...

Father's Day Weekend

We had an action packed weekend! Avery was invited to a little girl's first birthday on Saturday. She is Neeraj, Rustin's former co-worker's, daughter. Rustin is learning to use his new camera so he took a few action shots -

Then for Father's Day we went to church and Avery went to the nursery for the second time. They said she did ok but I could tell she'd been crying when we went to get her. I think she was hungry but she has a hard time eating in those situations because she's too distracted by everything.

After church we went to Rustin's parents' house for lunch (another action shot) -

After lunch we went swimming! It was Avery's first time in the pool. I assumed she would like it since she loves her baths so much and I wasn't wrong. Rustin's parents got her a nice float with a shaded top. We put a few toys in there with her (we joked they looked like her cell phone and a wine glass - after her mom's own heart!)  and she was happy as she could be!

Then she had another "first" this week - library time! I've been wanting to take her to Baby and Me story time and just hadn't had a chance. Well my mom was here this week so we took her and met my friend, Natalie, and her baby who is about the same age as Avery. It was so funny to see them interact. Sophia kept crawling towards Avery and Avery would squeal and laugh at her. They both had their hands out touching each other at one point, but of course I couldn't catch a picture of it. This is the best I could do -

Avery 9 Months

Avery turned 9 months on June 7. She had her check up with the doctor on the 11th and she weighed 17 pounds, 13.5oz and was 27.25 inches long.

Here are pictures from her 9 month photo shoot. It's getting harder and harder to take these because she is now aware of her bow and sticker and tries to pull them both off. I know it will only get more difficult once she becomes mobile!

She has started making this face that seems like she's thinking "what are you doing??" -

Here is what has been going on...

Bottles: She drinks four 6oz bottles a day, but she drinks them in little bits. This used to stress me out because I read books that warned against "snacking" but that is just how she eats. Even when she wakes up from sleeping 11 hours at night she only eats 3oz. The doctor told me that was good for her though because of her reflux. Both Rustin and I like to eat little bits throughout the day rather than large meals, so she may just take after us!

Solids: She has a love/hate relationship with solids. Sometimes she gets super happy while eating and eats a ton, other days (most days) I can barely get her to eat anything and she fusses the whole time. But she does love her puffs! And to her Daddy's dismay, I gave her a taste of the pineapple sherbet I was eating and she loved it! She kept opening her mouth and fussing for me to give her more.

Milestones: Nope - still no teeth and she's not crawling either. I would worry, but I've finally realized that babies are so different and do everything at a different pace. I feel like she's a few months behind when they say she "should" do things, so I'm sure crawling is no different. She gets up on her hands and knees and wiggles back and forth so it's just a matter of time. But she has learned how to sit up by herself in her crib.

Nicknames: A-Shae and LP. Her dad made both of them up. LP stands for Little Princess. I thought that was cute :)

Sleep: Her naps are still short. She just loves the 45 minute nap. Every now and then she sleeps longer. Most babies her age are down to two naps, but she still takes three naps - I guess because they're so short. Sometimes she doesn't want to take her third one even though she's really tired. I used to take her walking during that time, but now it's too hot so we run errands or just go driving and she always passes out in the car.
She's been sleeping through the night for several months now. She usually goes to bed at 7pm and wakes up at 6:30am. I love our time before I put her down to sleep. I call it our "cuddle time." I hold her facing me and she talks to me and plays with my hair, nose, shirt or anything else she can grab.

Her favorite toy by far is her paci. We have the wubbanub kind with an animal attached to it. Sometimes when I look at her at night, she's not sucking on the paci but just holding and rubbing the animal part.

She loves animals, especially my parents' cat Willie. Whenever she sees him she squeals really loud. If he walks by, she tries to grab him. She likes our dog, Baloo, too but only sometimes. She will see him all day and not pay attention, but then she'll randomly get really excited about him. Here are some pics of her and her furry friends -

When she gets a toy in her hands, she gets excited and moves her arms up and down. She also has been making a funny noise like she's trying to whistle. She really likes it if you try to make the noise too.

I'll close with a few more pictures of her -

Broken Bow Trip

Last weekend we went on a girls trip to Broken Bow, OK to celebrate Annette's 30th birthday. Several months before, I kept going back and forth on whether or not I should go. Of course I wanted to, but the thought of leaving Avery for so long stressed me out (Friday night - Sunday afternoon). But in the end I figured she'd be ok with her Daddy and decided to go.

We joked and said we were "glamping." If you know me, you know this is the only way I prefer to camp :) Our "cabin" was huge (two stories) and super nice. It even had a hot tub outside! Here are a few pictures -

Us hanging out the night we got there -

The next day Sherrie cooked a delicious breakfast and we packed our lunches and headed to canoe. I've only gone canoeing three times in my life. The first time I was sick and my canoe capsized the moment we got in the river and all our stuff went floating downstream. I refused to canoe again, but when we went to Broken Bow for Andrea's 30th, I did (she should feel special) and it was a lot of fun so I wasn't too worried this time. We saw a lot of wildlife - fish, turtles, snakes, and more bugs than necessary.

That night we got cleaned up and went to the winery in town - Girls Gone Wine. I love that place! They offer free tastings and have great wines. All profits from one of their wines - Bark - benefits the local animal shelter, which I thought was really cool. We had a great time there as usual.

That night we went back to the cabin and Sherrie cooked another delicious meal then we got in the hot tub. They all stayed up later, but I went to bed. I was just so excited to get some sleep!

Then the next day we headed home. I was sad to leave but couldn't wait to see Rustin and Avery. As we were leaving the cabin, a cat came up to us. He was so sweet but didn't have a collar and looked really skinny. I was riding with Andrea and she wouldn't let me take him, but if I had my own car you can bet we would be cat owners! (I'm sure Rustin is thankful for Andrea's decision.)