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.)

Avery's 1st Day at the Nursery

So I didn't get up the courage to take Avery to the nursery until last week. She is just so difficult, I was scared to leave her with anyone who wasn't family. Plus our church only has one service at 10am and that is usually right in the middle of her nap.

Anyway when we took her we felt like total rookies. I tried to open the little half door and walk into the room. Apparently that is a no no. We had no idea what we were doing, and I (Rustin was ok I think) was super nervous. I told them several times to come get me if she got too fussy.

So we handed her off and she seemed fine.

I know this sounds ridiculous but when we went into the service I almost cried. I just kept imagining her in that room with strangers and being scared and wondering where her mommy was. I fought the urge several times to go check on her. At the end of the sermon I found myself shouting at the pastor (in my head) to hurry up and finish because I needed to go check on my baby!

Since it's a small building we could hear babies crying at the end and I was sure Avery was the ring leader. Well we walked to her room and she was sound asleep in a swing! The workers told us all the babies started crying at the end. But apparently Avery slept through it all. Perhaps she does love sleep as much as me :)

Also that night we went out to eat with a couple from our church who has a baby a month younger than Avery. They had fun eating their puffs together.

Sorry for the ton of blog posts lately. Don't unsubscribe! This usually doesn't happen. Avery has been randomly napping a long time the last few days (shocking I know) so I feel like I have TONS of extra time. When you're used to squeezing brushing your teeth, eating a meal, doing dishes, etc. etc. (or just taking a nap) into 30 minutes and all of a sudden you have an hour and a half, it's like an eternity!

Mother's Day 2012

This post is a little late, but at this point, I'm just happy if I ever post anything!

I think Mother's Day sort of snuck up on us. I didn't really think about the fact that I am a mother now so that day was also for me! My mom told me they were having a cookout at my Grandma's. But I had just been to Wichita Falls and my mom had just been here, and I knew Rustin wouldn't really want to make the "long" trip.

But Rustin's mom was in Seattle so we didn't have anything planned here, and I didn't want to spend my first Mother's Day sitting around the house. So I convinced Rustin to go to Wichita Falls.

I'm so glad we did. Almost my entire family was there, which was the first time we have been all together since my grandad's funeral, and we had a great time.

We were also able to meet my cousin Kenzie's husband, Eric Ward. He plays football for Tech and since Rustin went to school there (and is a huge Tech football fan), he was happy to meet him. I teased Rustin that he had a man crush on him haha. Here is the whole clan:

We wanted to get another picture with my grandma and her great grandbabies. We thought it would be best to hold them since last time when she tried to they were both crying! Soon we will have a third grandbaby!  My cousin, Lindsay, is pregnant with a little boy.

Avery is still a little wary of strangers - especially men. Uncle Bruce made her cry a few times. Then we tried to get her and Jayric to play. They were both sitting there all sweet so I decided to get a picture. The moment I got the camera, Avery started crying!

And then we had to do another four generations picture.

We had a great time! I was so glad we made the trip!

Confessions Part 1

Sometimes I feel like every other mom but me has it all together. It seems they have perfect babies who never cry and sleep all the time. What has been my saving grace is my ONE friend who had a baby as difficult as Avery. Hearing her stories make me think that maybe I'm not such a bad parent.

Anyway I thought I would write this post in case there's any other not-so-perfect moms out there in hopes it might make them feel better. So here goes...

- Avery cries. Not too long ago a friend said to me that she can't remember the last time her baby cried. Avery cries several times a day. Not for long periods anymore (the first few months it was non stop), but it happens. I don't think a day has passed since she came home from the hospital that she hasn't cried.

- For the first 5 months of her life I had to bounce her on an exercise ball until she fell asleep, then put her (swaddled) into her swing which was already turned on full blast. Usually she would wake up and the process would need to be repeated several times. If she didn't sleep in her swing, she slept next to me. And no, it did not create a bad habit. Now she sleeps unswaddled in her crib every night and for every nap just fine.

 - Her naps are usually only 45 minutes. This used to drive me insane. I read every book and Internet article I could get my hands on. I tried everything they suggested. Nothing worked. To go along with that - she is not on a perfect schedule. I tried it. I'm not anti-Babywise, it just didn't work for us. Avery just does not have the temperament to be on an exact schedule. I started enjoying life a lot more when I stopped obsessing about it. 

- I was a hermit until the last few months because she cried at the top of her lungs any time I took her somewhere. I just got the guts to take her to the church nursery last weekend...at 8 months old. People who don't have difficult babies probably thought I was anal. But I just knew that she would cry and wouldn't stop until I got her home and put her down to sleep.

- I'm not a health nut. Yes,  I try to eat healthy but my diet consists of more than just organic fruits and vegetables. Growing up I remember eating "sugary" cereals like Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Fruit Loops and loving them. We didn't go out to eat or eat fast food much - my mom mostly cooked- but to this day she still cooks veggies with grease. But neither my brother nor I have been obese or had health problems. I like to eat donuts on Saturday mornings every now and then and nothing tastes better on a hot day than an ice cold Coke. Having Avery has made me want to eat healthier and of course I'm not feeding her McDonald's or anything, but will she at some point eat a Happy Meal? More than likely. Will we go out occasionally on Saturday mornings for donuts? Absolutely.
If God chooses to let me live a long life but I go at 87 instead of 88 because of my meal choices, so be it. Enjoying my food was worth it.

- I feed her formula. I talked in a previous post about why she stopped nursing so I won't go into it. But I feel like that's the #1 thing moms judge other moms on.

- I failed at making my own baby food. All my friends talked about how easy it was, but it was stressing me out. Also (this may sound weird if you don't know me) but I have this disease where my esophagus is really small and I choke easily, and I think Avery has the same disease. I couldn't get the food pureed enough and she started choking. I also don't buy the most expensive organic baby food. It's all Gerber in this house.

- She has a pacifier. She probably will for a while.

- I hold her when she wants to be held. Some of the books say it creates a bad habit. All I know is that there will come a day when she won't want me to hold her anymore. She's only little for such a short time. I already miss when she would take naps with me.

- I watch TV. I don't sit in front of it all day (who has time?) but I have it on while I'm playing with Avery. I guess since we're home by ourselves, the noise makes me feel connected to the rest of the world. I haven't let her watch TV - as in shows for her like Baby Einstein. I'm trying not to until 2 years (not sure that will happen) but after that, yes she will watch some TV. When I was little, I had all Disney movies memorized. I don't have ADD and I know how to interact with others.

- If we're in a public place and she's not happy - anything goes. She can chew on whatever I can find in my purse if the toys aren't fun anymore. I have also been known to feed her tons of puffs. But one serving is like 80 pieces so that's ok right??

- I am usually wearing no makeup, workout clothes, and hair in a ponytail. I don't have the energy to get dressed up to just be at home or go to the grocery store. Showers usually happen at the end of the day when she goes to bed.

- I nap when Avery naps. I know I should be cleaning or doing laundry or some Pinterest project. I don't. I sleep. 

That's all I can think of for now. I'm not sure there will be other confessions but just in case, I wanted to leave it open. Hopefully this encouraged another "not-so-perfect" mom out there.