Avery 4/5 Months!

Avery is now 5 months old! What a crazy and wonderful 5 months it's been! We have survived an ear infection, crazy acid reflux, awful nights sleep and exhaustion all with the help of our bywonderfully pleasant Avery! She is such a doll and such a happy baby

Although Taylor was very active at Averys age she was content laying on her back and kicking away. Avery is the opposite. She started rolling at 4 months and hasn't stopped. She really spends very little time on her back because she immediately rolls to her belly. I predict that she will be crawling much before taylors ten month mark but I am really not encouraging it bc I know just how much crazier it will make things!

Because Avery has such bad acid reflux (evident by the spitting up and gaging not pain- thank goodness) we were directed to start her on cereal because it is supposed to help. Just like everything else, she loves it.

On to sleep-let's just say this Is rare.

And now on to my favorite part! Everyday the bond between taylor and Avery grows stronger and stronger. Taylor tells Avery, "I love you so much!" about 50 times a day and Averys face lights up whenever she sees or hears Taylor. It is awesome to watch them together and I couldn't be more proud of Taylor and how great she is with her little sister!

I'm Sorry Avery!

where has all of our time gone? We are crazy busy. Too busy to keep up on the blog but not too busy to enjoy every moment with these precious little girls. I often look back at Taylor's posts so that I can remember what she was doing at different times throughout her first few months and to get ideas of how I dealt with certain things (SLEEP). I am so happy that I blogged so much because my memory has failed me on many occassions (and Mike's is worse than mine.) I am pretty disappointed that I haven't been able to keep the same details documented for Avery that I did with Taylor. I hope that I can get better at it for her sake. I have figured out how to do mobile blogging so maybe this will help. Fingers crossed!

Trip to Florida

3 Months

Three Months!! We are chugging along. Avery is becoming more beautiful and more pleasant everyday! From the moment Avery wakes up in the morning, cooing and babbling in her crib, until she goes to bed at night she is full of smiles. She loves watching Taylor and still enjoys the thousands of kisses she gets everyday. Taylor likes to immitate the sounds Avery makes, so it is not usual to hear screams and scretches as loud as can be throughout the house. I often wonder what my neighbors must think is happening in here!

Avery is rolling from her belly to her back and she is very close to rolling the other way as well. When she is on her belly she concentrates so hard on the toys in front of her. She really looks like she is trying to scoot towards them. Maybe an early crawler? Is it mean to say, I hope not??

Avery is still a good little sleeper. She usually goes to sleep at night around 7:30 and wakes up in the morning around 7:30, with one nighttime feeding. Unlike her sister, Avery can sleep without motion and takes most of her naps in her crib and usually falls asleep on her own. One thing I learned from Taylor is that all the rocking, singing, back rubbing, bouncing, jumping jacks, and head stands DO NOT create a good sleeper. So, while I cherish every moment that I get to hold Avery in peace and quiet, I try to lay her down before she drifts off to sleep!

We are so lucky to have these two little girls!

Nursery School

She looks so grown up, doesn't she? I can't believe my little baby is in Nursery School. It has been a difficult transition- just as much for me as for her. Here is the story...


The first day the parents stayed with the kids so while it was an exciting "first day" it wasn't a REAL first day and I knew that the REAL day wouldn't be quite so happy and tearfree!


Day 2. Taylor walked in cheery, sat at the table, and began playing with the playdoh. I kissed her goodbye and left. The aide walked out with me and said that it seemed like she would be fine but if any of the kids get upset they would take them to the playground to distract them. Day 2 was only a half hour to help ease the kids in. I waited in the parking lot, holding back my own tears, thinking about how fast she is growing (dramatic, I know). I happened to glance in my rearview mirror only to see Taylor, on the playground, in the teachers arms and she was clearly upset. Even though I wanted to go and grab her, I knew it was best for me to stay put for the remainder of the 15 minutes of school. When I went to get her she was still sitting with the teacher but she wasn't crying. Her poor little eyes were red and swollen though. Before falling asleep in the car she told me school was "fun". Interesting reaction but one that provided a bit of relief. Pheww.

Day 3. Taylor had to be pulled from my arms by the teacher. It was awful. It was that dramatic scene that I was hoping to avoid. I waited in the car thinking that I scared her for life and sure that she was not ready for preschool. After about 30 minutes the teacher came out and said that she hadn't calmed down and she thought it was best if I took her home. Taylor fell asleep as soon as she got in the car. For the rest of the day and night whenever I brought up school she said, "i don't want to talk about it."

Day 4. I was sick all morning worrying about how this day would go and convincing myself that we were making the wrong decision sending her to school. Although Taylor said a few times that she didn't want to go, she willingly got in the car and was pleasant the whole ride there. We saw Ashlynne and Nolan in the parking lot and Nolan told Taylor how fun school was. We also brought an empty papertowel roll for the school's gerbil and dropped it off on the way to the classroom. These were good distractions because there were no tears until we actually got to the classroom... at which point Taylor turned and ran down the hallway in the direction of the frontdoor. The teacher went and picked her up and they said good-bye to me. Taylor was hysterical.

I waited in the parking lot for 20 minutes before I decided to call and check on her. To my surprise (I actually wasn't sure I believed them) they told me Taylor was playing and having fun. I knew that I should venture out of the parking lot but I couldn't bring myself to leave. I waited another 30 minutes and called again. I realize that this was crazy but like I said, I wasn't sure I believed them the first time. Again, they reported she was having fun and playing. I ventured to Dunkin Donuts and got a coffee.

Finally it was 2:00. I walked quickly to her classroom SO excited to see her. When she came out to the hallway she had the BIGGEST smile on her face. Not because she hated it and wanted to go home but because she couldn't wait to show me the painting she made and the lollipop she earned for no tears. What a relief. I realized at this point that we were making the right decision and I told myself that I WOULD leave the parking lot next time!!

Family picture

Taylor is starting pre-school (more on this later) and one of the things she needs to bring on the first day are pictures. One of her as a baby, one of her now, and one of the family. I realized that aside from a not so great picture of us in this hospital we don't have a family picture.

So here were are. Our first family portrait- taken with the camera's self timer!

While taking pictures I also got my new favorite one of Avery

Soccer

Taylor and Mike continued to play soccer this summer. I thought it was important for her to have some "Daddy time," especially with her new role as big sis. She really loves going and is so excited when she wakes up on Saturday morning and knows she has soccer. When I was pregnant I would crave a slurpee and a pretzel so they would always stop on their way home and surprise me with this as a treat. Now it is an every weekend thing. I think it is cute to have a little routine like this and it might be one of Taylor's favorite parts of the morning!