It's Her World....We're Just Living In It

Fun weekend

2008-10-07T07:34:00.006-05:00

My grandparents (G-ma and G-pa) came to town this weekend from Illinois. Avery really enjoyed having them here! We played a lot and even went to the park one morning to play and have a "picnic". Avery refers to them as "pas".....both of them......seperately and together.....who knows? Here are some pictures from the weekend.

Are you ready for some football??

2008-09-13T20:02:00.010-05:00

**Scroll down--I posted several blogs today**

Well it's that time of year again! FOOTBALL SEASON! Go Tigers!

Best Friends

2008-09-09T07:53:00.001-05:00

Avery and Andrew have been spending a lot of time together recently for one reason or another. They adore each other. There are many times that Avery wakes up and the first thing she says is "Ah-drew?" They play really well together.....sharing is always a work in progress at this age, though. His parents are 2 or our really good friends.....his dad and Louis were in a fraternity together at Clemson. I can't wait to see how their friendship grows over the years! It sure has been fun so far!

Hanging out with Daddy

2008-09-01T08:15:00.001-05:00

We have a great new park about 5 minutes from our house that Avery and I go to quite often. We took Daddy with us one Sunday afternoon. It was a nice day...not too hot and Avery loved showing her Daddy how she can slide all by herself! The park has a great fenced in/gated area for the little kids which is nice! There is a picnic shelter, a huge grass area and a little pond with a "stream" leading into it as well. Only thing missing are some ducks to feed!

Beach Vacation-Day 6

2008-07-04T23:45:00.001-05:00

HAPPY 1/2 BIRTHDAY, AVERY!!

Mimi, Abuelo, and Uncle Alan came up to spend the morning with us on the beach. It was another (final) great morning playing on the beach! Avery had the cutest little 4th of July bikini.....it was SO frustrating though! Her top was very small and kept riding up. Drove me nuts. I spent all morning pulling it back down. It just was not made for the toddler shape. But it was still cute! (Gotta love her buddha belly!!)

Fed Avery lunch and put her down for the nap and then we finished preparing our 4th of July feast! On the menu: ribs, pork tenderloin, hamburgers, grilled corn, grilled asparagus, honey mustard onions, watermelon, grape salad, and baked beans. YUM!

Back out to the beach after naptime. (in a different bathing suit this time!)

After her bath she had a super cute 4th of July dress to wear. Took a few pictures, but the wind was SO strong we didn't have a great backdrop (and I forgot to grab the flag we bought for those pics, too). Avery got to stay up VERY late this last night at the beach. She had to watch the fireworks for the first time (after all....not everyone gets fireworks on thier 1/2 b-day). For the first few minutes she was a bit scared but after that every fireworks got a round of applause. She finally hit the sack around 9:45pm (about 2 hours later than usual!).

All in all our beach vacation was WONDERFUL! Lots of great memories we will always cherish!

As always here are some pics! Enjoy! (I guess I never got the afternoon pictures off my mom's camera...sorry!)

Beach Vacation-Day 5

2008-07-03T20:38:00.007-05:00

Another morning on the beach for the girls. After Avery's nap we headed out to Broadway at the Beach. Hit up Ripley's Aquarium first.....Avery loved watching all the fish. She was not a big fan of the sharks, though. She's a quick learner. She picked out 2 stuffed animals on the way out. (Smart move making you exit through the gift shop) She picked out a baby seal (though she calls it "bear") and a frog. This child LOVES her stuffed animals!

After the aquarium we wandered around a bit and rode the big carousel. Avery wanted to ride on a "woof-woof" (dog) so we did. Halfway through she wanted on the "woof-woof" beside us. Oh my it is difficult to switch while going round and round! Luckily it was accomplished with no injuries. After the carosel we headed to find some food! Ate at a pizza joint (Avery had mac-n-cheese) and then sent her home with Grandma and Papa. Louis and I wanted a bit more and then headed home. We were home by 10:30. We are officially old married people now. haha!

Beach Vacation-Day 4

2008-07-02T20:43:00.000-05:00

This morning we decided to just move our chairs to the water's edge and hang out. Avery LOVED that! She had sand and water all at her disposal and she played hard! We taught her to look for seashells and put them in her bucket which was fun! This child has no fear! She would just walk on into the ocean without the slightest worry. She got knocked down by a few waves but never once cried. Coughed a bit (gotta get that saltwater out!) and kept right on playing!

We had our annual beach photo shoot this evening. Took over 300 pictures! I picked out some of my favorite to post......it was hard to choose! There are a lot of pictures again, but she's just too cute! Enjoy!

Beach Vacation-Days 1 through 3

2008-07-01T19:59:00.010-05:00

We are having a Blast! Playing in the ocean, digging in the sand, splashing in the pool, shopping.....SO MUCH FUN! Avery is loving everything about this place! Here are some pictures from the first 3 days here...

WARNING: There are way too many cute pictures so I'm posting A LOT! Grab a margarita, kick up your feet and ENJOY!

Heading to the beach

2008-06-28T08:58:00.001-05:00

We're off to the beach for a week!

Our weekend

2008-06-09T07:57:00.003-05:00

Mimi and Abuelo came into town for the weekend. I think they had a great time with Avery. Avery did great minus Saturday night dinner. Not sure what happened but she was just NOT in the mood to eat at Outback and I ended up getting my food to go and taking her home and putting her to bed. So out of the norm for her as she is usually so happy and well-behaved. She just looked exhausted even though she had had 2 great naps so who knows. All was well the next morning, though. I was so proud that she walked into her room at the church nursery and did not cry one bit! Whew! Usually she screams for a minute or 2 after we leave, but not yesterday. They said she just whined every now and then asking about us but other than that was happy!

I had to stay and keep nursery for the 1030a service so Louis and Abuelo took Avery home for her morning nap. I think Abuelo finally got some love from her before he had to leave so I know that made him happy.

Last night we had our LifeGroup over for an "end-of-the-season" dinner. The group had decided on having Salsarita's catered in instead of our usual potluck. It was kinda nice not having to cook for a change. We had a great time. The kids played well together and Avery went to bed without a problem. She is such a good sleeper.....7:30 rolls around and she's down for the count no matter what's going on in the rest of the house! After we put Avery to bed we played a couple games and just had some good fellowship with each other. I love being a part of this group....it has been such a blessing! I've got some pictures, but am hesitant to put pictures of other people's children on the blog without permission so I'll hold off for now.

Tomorrow Avery and I will go over to Amanda's and keep Andrew for a while. Avery and Andrew are 3 months apart in age and it is fun to see them interact. And, I'm glad that I can help such a good friend out b/c I can't imagine not having family in the area to watch Avery.

Into Everything...

2008-06-03T08:06:00.034-05:00

literally.

Anything that can be climbed into, will be climbed into.

Her drawer in the kitchen...

Her toy box.....

Her book "basket"....

My old cradle that now holds her stuffed animals....

Probably her favorite to get in and out of.......her old Bumbo!

Her language is really starting to explode. Her current words:
* Mama
* Dada
* Papa
* nana (banana)
* mimi (milk, sorry Mimi!)
* baba (this one is tough....it can mean ball, bow, sheep, book, or byebye....have to use context to figure it out)
* nightnight (her lovey)
* shoes
* frof (frog...one of her cribmates)
* bear
* dis (this?)
* dat (that?)
* meow meow (Bailey's new name apparently)
* bub bub (bubbles)
* ishhhh (fish)

She uses signs for eat, more, please, and cup. Her cup sign is unique to her, though. Not sure how what I signed turned into what she signs for that one but she gets her point across and that's what matters!

She is still riding rearfacing in the car at 17 months old and will be until she is atleast 2 years old. It is just SO much safer!

She has started blowing kisses and waving bye to us as we put her into her crib now. Crazy child! Another funny thing she does is she has started saying "shhhhew" and pulling at her clothes when she has a stinky diaper. Just this morning she did this but the diaper was just wet. I changed her anyway and not 2 min afterwards she did the "shhhew" again and sure enough she had pooped. So I guess she was telling me she was going to the first time. Smart kid, huh?

In other news....I may start watching a 4 month old for a couple months soon. His mommy is looking for a job and once she finds one I'll start watching him until Aug or Sept when his grandma is able to. Should be fun!

I'll end this long overdue rambling post with some summertime fun pictures! Enjoy! Leave a comment, too.....maybe if I realize people actually read my blog I'll actually start updating more!

Easter 2008

2008-03-23T20:10:00.004-05:00

We headed down to spend Easter with Mimi and Abuelo in Mt. Pleasant this year. We stopped in Summerville on the way down for lunch with Mimi, Aunt Suz and Bryan. It just so happened that Clemson was playing in the NCAA tournament that night so I had dressed Avery accordingly. I guess Mimi and Susan had the same idea.....

And she's off!

Somehow we talked Abuelo into letting the "kids" pick out a new TV before the Clemson game as the old one was on the fritz. So we headed to Circuit City and picked up a new 50 inch plasma! So much more fun to shop when it's not your money being spent! Haha! Uncle Alan came down late Friday night and on Saturday he bought Rockband. Now, Rockband is similar to Guitar Hero except there is a guitar, drums and a mic. Oh my it was hilarious! I must say that I think I'm a natural on the drums!

Here's a cool picture of 4 generations of hands. (Avery, Daddy, Mimi and Granny)

Went to church EARLY Sunday morning, home for a nap, then to a brunch. The food was wonderful, but Avery was not in the mood apparently b/c she was not a happy camper. I'm guessing it is because it was a beautiful day and we were sitting at a table outside and she didn't like not being able to run around. So, Louis took her to play in the grass and when I finished eating I took over so he could eat. Normally we would not have let her act out and then get her way, but since it was Easter and it was not just Louis and I whose meal was being affected by her crankiness we had to do what was in the best interest of the group. Other than her crankiness at lunch she did great! She still doesn't really like others to hold her, but heck.....she doesn't even like me to hold her! She's got things to do and places to go!!

The Easter Bunny brought Avery lots of goodies. She had a Boz DVD, touch and feel animal flashcards, a new book, a new hairbow, bubbles and a few plastic eggs with animal cookies inside. Here are some pictures from Easter......the rabbit is Rufus (Uncle Alan's pet). Enjoy!

Craft time!

2008-03-17T07:43:00.003-05:00

Friday night, my mom (Grandma) came over and we had some fun with arts and crafts! We started on a few new hairbows for Avery, but our main project was this.....

It's hung on the inside of Avery's closet door since it does not match her room. I think it turned out great! Now we have room for all the new hairbows we're making!

Ladies and Gentleman....

2008-03-13T17:03:00.001-05:00

We have a new word!

"nana" = banana

(and she LOVES her "nana"!!)

2 P's

2008-03-13T16:27:00.007-05:00

....Park and Playdate that is!

I decided I wanted to take Avery to the park f0r the first time Tuesday so I called up some other Mommy friends and was able to make a playdate with Andrew and his mommy Amanda at the park. I spent most of my time following Avery around as she was having a blast exploring. Most of my pictures look like this as a result....

Asked her to stop and look at Mommy.....

How dare I slow her down!

....and she's off again!

We went down the slide a few times but other than that we pretty much just walked and walked and walked around. She loves being outside and prefers to walk/run around rather than swing for now. I'm sure the new will wear off of walking outside and she'll be back to loving her swing soon!

After the park we headed back to Andrew's house to hang out while Amanda ran some errands. I put Avery down for her nap in their pack-n-play and she went right to sleep. (We had brought along her noise machine) Of course, Avery slept the entire time Amanda was gone so it was just me and Andrew hanging out. (Andrew is about 3 months younger than Avery) She woke up about 5 min before Amanda got back so we let the kids play for a bit then headed to Target for some shopping. The guys met us for dinner and my diet was broken REALLY good by some YUMMY Mexican! I couldn't resist.

It was a long, busy, but fun day!

Little Tiger

2008-03-13T08:03:00.017-05:00

On Sunday we took Avery to her first Clemson basketball game. She did great and really seemed to enjoy it! I was a bit worried b/c naptime is normally around 2pm and the game didn't start until 1:30pm but she did great! She was fascinated by all the sights and sounds and would clap and dance to Tiger Rag. We've trained her well!

Avery and I left the game at halftime and headed back to Gville. She slept about 30 min in the car and that was the extent of her afternoon nap. Oh my. Since she was awake by the time we got to Greenville we made a pitstop at Ulta and then headed home. I decided to put her in her crib to see if she would sleep anymore. Well, our child LOVES....and I mean LOVES her crib. She never did go back to sleep but happily (and mostly quietly other than some talking with night night bear) stayed in the crib for an hour. I figured quiet time was better than nothing!

That night we were having our Lifegroup end-of-the-season dinner so Avery and I went to that. Louis had to stay for a baby shower after the Clemson game so he didn't get to go. Avery did so great going on such little sleep. We pretty much had to eat and run, though to get her to bed but it was still a great time of fellowship!

Mimi had come up to visit Saturday from Mt. Pleasant. Uncle Alan came from Rock Hill to visit. Aunt Suz and Bryan came from Easley to visit. Avery had a fun-filled family weekend! Mom and Dad had a great time, too!

The Resurrection of our blog

2008-03-03T12:13:00.006-05:00

So, obviously the blog took a backseat for quite a while. BUT....it's back now and better than ever! Instead of going back and trying to "catch up" let's just suffice it to say that instead of a passive, quiet baby....

I now have a running, rambling toddler!

AND I LOVE IT!!!

So what's going on with Avery now? Well, she's still a great eater. She has 12 teeth.....maybe more than that but checking without getting bit is pretty difficult now! Still a great sleeper. 12 hours at night and currently a short morning nap and long afternoon nap. I wake her from her morning nap after 45 minutes so that she will take a long afternoon nap. I follow her cues as to when I need to tweak her schedule and it's been working great! I'm nervous about the 2 to 1 nap transition, though. I hope she keeps 2 naps for a long time!

She's talking a LOT! Mostly gibberish but it is non-stop. She does say mama and dada and "nie nie" (for her night night bear). Everything else is anybody's guess.

Since moving Avery into her convertible car seat at 8 months old I've become quite obsessive about child passenger safety. Avery is still rear-facing at 14 months old and will continue to be until she is at least 2 years old. I found a wonderful message board and have learned so much on the topic of extended rear facing. I encourage everyone to check out http://www.car-seat.org/ for tons of information regarding child passenger safety.

I'll finish this post with some pictures of Avery's first set of pigtails (or alien antennae as I call them). She just gets cuter every day! I wouldn't change a thing or go back in time b/c every single day her personality grows and she just becomes so much more fun!

Happy Father's Day, Daddy

2007-06-17T10:07:00.000-05:00

Daddy,

I love you sooooo much. I love the way you make me laugh. I love it when you tickle me. I love it when you play with me and just spend time with me. I love it when we cuddle. I love to give you kisses! I am so glad that God chose you to be my Daddy. I LOVE YOU! Happy Father's Day!

Love,

Avery

Beautiful

2007-06-16T09:57:00.000-05:00

We had the privilege of attending Marsha and Tyler's wedding today! It was gorgeous! It rained during the ceremony, but that just made it more memorable. They had a butterfly release at the end of the ceremony.... Avery wasn't sure what to think about the butterflies! Avery did great even though we were out past her bedtime. She even danced with the bride! Marsha and I have been friends since 1st grade. She was my maid of honor. It was a special day! We are so happy for them and can't wait til they start making their own babies! Here are a couple pictures of Avery with Marsha's presents before the wedding!

First playdate with Thomas

2007-06-08T09:50:00.000-05:00

Today Avery and Thomas had their first playdate! Thomas was born the day before Avery. His mom, Laura, and I went through our pregnancies together including all of the childbirth classes, etc. She was due one week before me. I was admitted on Tuesday (2 weeks early) and she called me Wednesday morning to tell me she was in labor. Thomas was born Wed., Avery was born Thurs.

We began the playdate by hanging out in Thomas' room. I think they really enjoyed "playing" together. Then we went to the pool. It was a great day! I can't believe it took 5 months for us to get them together for the first time! Here are some pictures from the day....enjoy!

5 Months

2007-06-04T09:44:00.000-05:00

Avery is 5 months old now. She is such a joy! She is sitting independently for short stretches of time now. We are practicing every day! She loves to smile, laugh that cute little belly laugh, and squeal. She loves to be tickled and have raspberries blown on her belly! She still loves bath time. She's now eating every 4 hours during the day with a dreamfeed at 1030p. Our day starts at 730a. We're eating solids twice a day now. So far her favorite seems to be pears and avocado. I've been making my own babyfood as well. I've made sweet potatoes, avocado, pears, and green beans so far. I'll take a picture soon of my freezer full of baby food!

G-ma and G-pa

2007-05-16T15:29:00.000-05:00

This weekend G-ma and G-pa came to visit Avery! They hadn't seen her since February so she had changed a lot! She had a great time hanging out with them and I know they enjoyed their time with her as well! We wish they lived closer (they live in Illinois) so they could watch Avery grow. We were glad they came down for Mother's Day and for Avery's dedication at church.

G-ma, G-pa and Avery going on a walk

G-pa and Avery on the porch swing

Avery also tried sweet potatoes on Monday which she seemed to like a lot better than the peas! The peas made her gag!! She enjoys holding the spoon and "feeding herself". I try to keep her hands away from her mouth and the food so we work on grabbing the handle of the spoon and it seems to distract her! Plus, it's pretty cute!!

4 month stats

2007-05-14T15:22:00.000-05:00

13 lbs 14.5 oz (50%)

23 1/4 inches (10%)

head circum. was 50% also

Avery and Mommy waiting on the doctor

Avery and Dr. Earle

Mother's Day and Baby Dedication

2007-05-13T15:08:00.000-05:00

Today was Mother's Day.....my first! We had Avery's dedication at church this morning. It was wonderful to have so many family and friends in attendance. Her life verse(s) was Jeremiah 29:11-13. After church we went to Hyatt Regency downtown for brunch. It was yummy! Avery got a tad bit fussy....okay maybe a more than a tad bit fussy.....but all in all it was a great time! Here are some pics from the day....enjoy!

4 months

2007-05-04T17:25:00.000-05:00

Wow, time goes by so fast! April was a busy month for us! Avery enjoyed her first Easter. She looked precious in her dress and I loved playing the Easter Bunny! I can't wait for Christmas, now! We stayed home for Easter this year and went to our church. Avery stayed in the nursery for the first time on Easter. She did great! They said she was the only baby that didn't cry. That's my girl!

We switched Avery to a 4 hour eat/wake/sleep schedule on April 16th and she didn't even notice. She naps better and started sleeping through the night without feeding on April 21st. She would wake up around 5:30am wanting her paci but then she would go back to sleep. As of April 30th she is now sleeping without needing me at all until I wake her at 7:30am. Her schedule now is she eats at 7:30am, 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7:30pm and I do a dreamfeed at 10:30pm. I am hesitant to drop the dreamfeed yet b/c nights are going so well. It won't be long, though! She eats 6 oz bottles. We began giving her oatmeal cereal by spoon about a week ago. She only gets it after her first morning bottle and doesn't eat much at all....it's mainly just for practice. Louis and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary April 17th. Avery stayed with Grandma while Louis and I saw the Blue Man Group.

We took our first trip to Falls Park in downtown Greenville a couple weeks ago. It was a beautiful day and we took some great pictures!

Avery loves her exersaucer and johnny jump-up now! She is laughing and squealing a lot these days! She is a very happy baby! She still only rolls tummy to back....she hates being on her tummy so I don't really expect her to willingly roll onto her tummy from her back for a while. We'll see.

Teething has officially begun. She is constantly drooling and chewing on her hands. Runs a low grade temp and gets cranky lately. I can see a white spot on her lower left gum. I have a feeling she will teethe on and off for a few months before it pops through. Luckily, she has a great personality and other than being a bit cranky she is handling it well. We still swaddle her, although for about the past month or so I've been leaving one arm out. I'm attempting to wean her from it. I leave both arms out for one of her naps right now and she does not nap well at that time.

Avery had her first dip in a pool last weekend. It was 90 degrees and sunny so we just couldn't resist! She looked SO cute in her bathing suit! She didn't really know what to think of the pool, but towards the end she started to splash a little. She certainly didn't mind being in it, just really didn't know what she was supposed to do I guess!

Probably the biggest change that occured in April was that I quit my job! My last day was April 27th. I just missed her too much and am so excited to stay home with her! It's helping with her sleeping as well b/c I'm being very consistent. (Yes, I do let her cry some)

She doesn't go for her 4 month well check until May 14th, but I'll post her stats at that time!

3 months

2007-04-04T17:16:00.000-05:00

Avery is 1/4 of a year old! Changing so much every day. She is still on a 3 hour feed/wake/sleep schedule and doing great! Still gets up around 4:30am for a feeding, though! Had some trouble with her reflux again and switched her from Zantac to Prevacid. We're still waiting on an improvement so feeding time isn't much fun right now!

We went down to Charleston for the Cooper River Bridge Run and walked around 5.5 miles pushing Avery in the stroller. She did great! She's a very laid back adaptable baby.

Her head control is getting alot better. She is very strong just still bobbles her head a lot! We are still wearing 0-3 months clothes b/c she's so short! I call her my Chunky Monkey. I love this little girl SO much!

Rolling Over

2007-03-16T18:05:00.000-05:00

Avery rolled over from her stomach to her back today! I didn't get to see it, but Louis was there! He had her propped up a little with a blanket under her chest for tummy time and he said she got mad (she's not a huge fan of tummy time) and just started rotating and she just rolled right on over! Of course, I'm sure it was just an accident because she was upset but still it's a first!! Too bad she can't seem to do it again b/c it's a great way to get out of having tummy time!! haha

Pictures

2007-03-16T18:00:00.000-05:00

I added a few pics to the 2 previous posts....check them out!

What a big girl!

2007-03-13T20:34:00.001-05:00

So I decided to try out the bumbo seat today. I figured Avery can support her head pretty well and I just wanted to see how she did even if only for a second or two. Well, turns out the my baby is so short that the back of the seat supports her head for her! It is really quite funny (and cute). At first she really didn't know what to think and looked a bit perplexed. But, then she started watching TV and just sat in it contently! We call it her "big girl seat" and I think she's going to love it!

The weather her today was wonderful! Almost 80 degrees! When I got home from work, Papa had put together her big girl stroller. (We've been using a Snap-n-Go stroller b/c her carseat is navy and all the Graco strollers were black/gray.....I'm weird about matching!) We borrowed her carseat from Louis' cousin since they only used it for 6 months and that's why we don't have a matching travel system. Anyway, when I got home I decided to take Avery out for a walk because the weather was so nice. She likes her big girl stroller so much better b/c the canopy can rotate so that the sun isn't in her eyes as bad.

My little baby is growing up too fast! We had a lot of "firsts" today!

2 months

2007-03-04T20:20:00.000-05:00

Avery is 2 months old. I can't believe how time is flying by and how much she is changing every day. Her personality is really starting to blossom. She has started to smile a lot, though it is hard to catch it on camera! She even let out her first laugh. She loves her play gym now. She will lay there and "talk" to her friends. Her favorites are Mr. Giraffe and Mr. Monkey. Occasionally she talks to her old friend Purple Elephant! Needless to say she is beginning to really interact with her environment.

She is still eating every 3 hours from 7:30a-10:30p with a night feed around 4:00a. Occasionally she will go all night. She's now on Enfamil Gentlease and that has helped her so much!

Avery has found her hands now as well. We call them "happy hands." She is constantly moving them and messing with them. She is very ticklish, also.

We are still swaddling her for sleep. Between her "happy hands" and startle reflex she just can't sleep well without her swaddle. I hope she doesn't go to prom in a swaddle! She is doing great with her sleep. She usually takes 2 long naps of 1.5-2 hours and 2 shorter naps of 1-1.5 hours a day. She loves her sleep but if she takes a long nap then the next nap tends to be shorter. But, she'll also have more wake time after her long naps. She goes to sleep on her own with very little fussing and rare crying now. What a blessing!

We are enjoying getting to know her and just watching her grow and learn! I can't wait for all the future holds! I love this little girl more than words can express!!

There's a first time for everything

2007-02-25T14:48:00.000-05:00

Warning: this is a long, detailed post!

Well, let me preface this post with some history. I ran a low grade temp Sunday and Monday with cold symptoms.

Last night while I was feeding Avery her 7:30pm bottle I noticed she felt warm. Now I've checked her temp often b/c she's hot natured and always seems to feel warm, but this was a different warm to me. So, I checked her temp and it wa 99.7 (rectally of course). No big deal, the nurse in me knew that was not considered a "fever" yet so we just finished eating. Avery had had some extra goopy eyes, extra boogers (sorry!) and hadn't been napping well yesterday but other than that she seemed fine.

Checked her temp again around 8:15pm and it was up to 100.3-still not considered a fever. We decided to go ahead and call the doc to see what we should do if it kept rising. Trying to avoid a late night call. We hadn't heard anything so I rechecked her temp at 8:45pm and it was 100.6-we made a 2nd call. Checked her temp again at 9:10pm and it was up to 101.0. Finally the on call nurse called back and we were sent to the Pediatric ER. Apparently they have a rule that is a baby is less than 8 weeks old with a temp over 100.4 they have to go in.

We checked her temp right before we left and it was up to 101.2--We got to the ER and it, of course, was packed! Having worked in the adult ER for 3 years I was not the least bit surprised. I was OK with waiting but the peds waiting room was tiny and crowded with lots of coughing and sick kids...that bothered me a bit b/c Avery is so young. But, having connections helps and we didn't have to wait but 30 minutes or so. In triage her temp was up to 102.4---my poor baby!

Because her fever had occured so suddenly and risen so quickly they had to do a full sepsis work-up. This included and IV with blood drawn, in and out cath for a urine sample, chest x-ray, and a lumbar puncture (spinal tap). My mom had gone with us and she left the room for the IV and cath but Louis and I stayed. Avery cried of course but she recovered very quickly and looked like such a big girl with her hospital gown and IV in! I took her to radiology for her chest x-ray and she didn't cry at all. Then, they took her for the LP. They take her to a different room without the parents for this b/c it is such a horrible looking procedure!

We waited for the results and everything came back pointing to a virus. YAY! They sent us home with instructions to give Tylenol for her fever. We'll follow up at the pediatrician's office Monday. A lot of my former co-workers came by to visit and meet Avery while we were in the ER so that was fun.

Avery is doing better today. The highest her temp has been was 100.9 when she woke up this morning. Still not napping the greatest but that's ok. She's such a good baby! Well, just wanted to let everyone know the detailed story of her first sickness and ER visit. It could have been worse so we are thankful for being home and for it just being a virus. I'm fairly certain she caught whatever I had.....

Going back to work

2007-02-20T19:42:00.000-05:00

Well, today I went back to work. So hard to believe that my little baby is old enough for me to now go back to work. I'm only working Tues-Fri from 2pm-5pm and my dad (Avery's Papa) is watching her. It is nice to get out of the house and keep my nursing skills up, but hard to leave her too.

Avery's doing great! She's growing so much and just gets more fun everyday. She's starting to enjoy hanging out on her playmat "talking" to her friends hanging down. She's not a big fan of tummy time, though....we're working on that! Her personality is really starting to show. She often welcomes me with smiles now when I get her up from her crib. It is so sweet!

Well, that's about all to report from the Garmendia household. We're all doing great!

1 month well baby visit

2007-02-08T12:49:00.000-05:00

Today I took Avery for her 1 month well baby check. She is 5 weeks old today. She weighed 8 lbs 13.5 oz (40%) and measured 20 1/4 inches (25%)....looks like she's gonna be short like me!

Still struggling with some constipation but the new plan is to use a glycerin suppository to clean things out and then start with some diluted pear juice twice a day. Not really thrilled about giving her juice, or any extra sugar for that matter, but I know she's uncomfortable and ya gotta do what ya gotta do! We've tried light Karo and dark Karo with no effect....I guess the juice is atleast a little more natural than the sugar Karo. I hope I don't end up with a baby that is addicted to sugar! Please pray that she becomes more regular and that her stools are softer...I'm hoping we can get things going and then stop using the juice or Karo.

Otherwise, Dr. Earle said she looks great and is very healthy! He did say that since she is so easy going and not demanding that I still need to wake her to eat every 3 hours during the day and still let her sleep as long as she will at night. He said that we can push the feedings further apart after her 2 month visit but for now we still need to feed her every 3 hours during the day.

Just for my records:

* she is currently taking 2-4 ounces of soy formula at 7:30am, 10:30am, 1:30pm, 4:30pm, 7:30pm, 10:30pm, and then somewhere between 3-3:30am

* She is able to lift her head and rotate it from side to side during tummy time

* She is able to track and object held in front of her

* She still like her Nuk pacis but she does not have to have them to sleep

* We are laying her down while she is still awake and she will occasionally cry but usually just grunts and whines and then she goes to sleep

* She is beginning to smile in response to either my smile or just when we're talking to her

* She is now on Zantac for reflux

* She likes her bath time, especially when I use the sink sprayer and run it over her head and body. We call it her baby spa time!

Avery's 1st road trip

2007-02-06T12:43:00.000-05:00

We spent last weekend in Mt. Pleasant with Louis' family. Avery did wonderful on the way down....slept most of the way! She had a little trouble sleeping at night while we were there but we made it! She mostly just wanted to stay awake...she wasn't really fussy she just whined a lot! On Saturday we had a drop-in for everyone to come and meet Avery. Avery got lots of nice gifts and she didn't seem to mind being passed around from person to person. She is such an easy going baby!

Sunday we went to church and then Louis, Avery and I went out to dinner with one of my friends from college, Anna Clar, and her husband Jeremy. It was great to be able to catch up with an old friend and show off Avery! Then, of course, Avery and I donned our Peyton Manning jerseys and watched the Colts WIN the Super Bowl!

My grandparents from Illinois are in town this week to meet Avery for the first time. They are spending a lot of time with her and she is enjoying all the attention. So far we haven't had an real issues with all the excitement over the past week....she's taking it all in stride!

New Pictures

2007-01-22T12:14:00.000-05:00

She's here!!

2007-01-20T11:52:00.000-05:00

Avery Elizabeth Garmendia was born on January 4, 2007 at 2:17pm. She weighed 6 lbs 15 oz and measured 19 inches long. I was placed in the hospital for preeclampsia (basically high blood pressure) on January 2nd and they had planned to induce labor at 6am on the 4th. However, Miss Avery had a plan of her own and decided to just go ahead and start things around midnight. My labor was great.....I got my epidural really before I had any true pain and that was wonderful! I really was able to enjoy the experience. We had a few scares....the epidural meds made my blood pressure drop way too low so they had to give me a med to counteract that. Then, at around 4:40am I had a contraction that lasted over 3 minutes and Avery's heartrate dropped and they had to give me a shot in the arm to relax my uterus. But once my uterus relaxed, Avery's heartrate went back up and things were ok. That was probably one of the scariest moments of my life...to hear how slow her heartrate was and to have 2 nurses and the doctor rolling me around and scrambling to get her heartrate back up and having no control to do anything myself to help her. But, thankfully, things turned out just fine. I only pushed for 40 minutes and she was here! It was an absolutely amazing experience to see her and finally be able to hold her! I love her more than I ever thought possible.

She is a wonderful baby. She is so content and just has a great temperament. And, of course, she's absolutely beautiful! Louis and I are enjoying being parents and can't wait to watch her grow! She's 16 days old now and she's already changed so much! We took her to church last week and she did great. I'll try to update the blog as much as I can so keep checking back!

35 weeks

2006-12-13T16:35:00.000-05:00

So, it's been a while since I last posted. Lots of stuff has happened. My baby showers are done...I was blessed with so many wonderful gifts! I'm now 35 weeks pregnant. It's so hard to believe that in just a little over a month Avery will be here! The nursery's ready, it turned out just how I imagined! I'll post pictures later. Also, I'm now officially out of work until she's here....back pain. It's been a tough pregnancy but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat! The newest issue is not being able to sleep. Well, I guess considering I've always had insomnia it's really not new, but it's becoming increasingly difficult. Oh well. Louis is getting more and more excited...it's such a blessing to have such an involved husband! I'll try to start posting more often. We're also going to update our family website www.garmendiafamily.com soon as well! Please keep praying for Avery Elizabeth!

1st baby shower

2006-10-15T19:32:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I had my first baby shower! It was so much fun! I got a ton of really great gifts and was just surrounded by so much love from family and friends! Bringing all of the gifts home and even putting some things together was a bit surreal.....Avery is really going to be here in just 3 short months. So hard to believe and so exciting! Time is flying and my belly is growing (and Avery is continuing to practice her gymnastics floor routine)!!

26 weeks

2006-10-12T16:53:00.000-05:00

So the weeks are just flying by! I have my first baby shower this Saturday....I can't wait! Avery is practicing her gymnastics a lot now! She is getting stronger every day. I'm still having a lot of back pain....really more spasms than pain. You take the good with the bad and the good FAR outweighs the bad. I go the the doctor Monday for my next visit and the glucose tolerance test. Should be fun. I am blessed with a wonderful husband who is always available to give me a back rub and who come to every doctor visit without complaint. I love him so much. I can't wait to meet Avery....I already love her so much!

23 Weeks

2006-09-20T17:17:00.000-05:00

Well, here goes nothing. Louis and I are expecting a little girl in January. January 16, 2007 to be exact. Hard to believe that 23 weeks have already gone by. Time flies! I feel her move more and more every day and you can now see her kicks just by looking at my belly! It's a bit strange, though...but in a good way. I wouldn't trade it for the world! I grow to love her more every day....I can't wait to meet her! My only complaint is some back pain and unfortunately I know that's only going to get worse. But no matter what she does to my body it is all worth it. So far so good on the weight gain....although this is the only time in your life you get on the scale and it is supposed to go up...and that's just hard for your brain to comprehend so it's still a bit of a shock. My next appointment is October 16.....also have my glucose tolerance test that day so that should be fun! That's the update for now, check out www.GarmendiaFamily.com for some additional ultrasound pictures.