New nephew

We wanted to include a picture of our new, and first, nephew born on January 31st. This is Gabriel Everett Davis and he is Baby W's first born cousin on the Davis side. He is a very cute and sweet baby.

Introducing...

Avery Catherine born Friday July 28, 2006 at 11:59am. She weighed 8 lbs and 4 oz and was 20 1/4 inches long with lots of dark hair and chubby cheeks.

Week One

What a crazy first week we have had! It's amazing how someone so little can completely change your life. The first couple days it felt like she slept all day and was up all night. Now, we've gotten on a little bit of a schedule with her eating every 3 to 4 hours. Now if only we can just coordinate her awake time with our awake time. Here are some pictures of Avery's first week.

Avery's First Photo Shoot

Aunt Gretchen along with Uncle Steve and Gabriel came to visit Avery this weekend and Gretchen took some pictures of Avery with her new camera. She did a great job. Here are some of the pictures that she took.

2 Weeks Old

We are starting to get used to the new boss in the house. We went to the doctor and Avery had already surpassed her birth weight and grown a 1/4 inch. Here are some pictures of our big 2 week old.

One month old

Our little Avery is already one month old. I can't believe how fast this month has flown by. She is getting bigger everyday. She's already outgrown some of her newborn clothes and has moved up to bigger diapers. Here are some pictures of our big girl.

Bunny Robe

Avery loves taking a bath especially when she gets to wear her bunny bath robe afterwards.

6 Weeks Old

Avery is 6 weeks old today! We went for her one month check up this week and she weighed 11 lbs and 3 oz and is growing right on track. She's on the verge of smiling and I caught a semi-smile with the camera the other day.

Our Little Hog Fan

Avery's Favorite Toys

Here are some pictures of Avery with her favorite toys, her giraffe that we call George and the fishies on her aquarium swing.

Big Girl

Avery loves to sit up and see everything that going on. So we propped her up in the corner of her crib and she sat there for a while just happy and content. These pictures also how healthy (i.e. chubby) Avery is getting.

First Day at Day Care

Avery went to daycare for the first time on Friday. The day did not start out too good as you can tell. She was not happy before we left, we were running late, it was pouring down rain as we were trying to get her inside and there were thunder storms in the area. However, we all survived the day and nobody had a breakdown. They said that she did really good during the day and did better than most newborns. And I have to say that I think Alan and I did really good and did better than most new parents. We both went to drop her off for support in case one of us couldn't leave her. George, the giraffe, went to day care also. We got the good, happy Avery pictures after she got home.

Who's Ready for Halloween?

Avery is! Avery celebrated October 1st by wearing her lil' pumpkin outfit or that was our excuse for putting it on her. It's a 0-3 month outfit and it is almost too small in length so by the time Halloween rolls around she will probably be too big for it. She ended the afternoon with a nap in her boppy. She has started wiggling herself down where only her head is on the boppy and will nap. If you try to move her up, she gets upset so we just let her lay as she is.

Great-Grandparents

Avery and her cousin, Gabe, got to meet their Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma Davis for the first time the weekend before last. They drove up from Louisiana for the day to visit. Avery also got to meet her Great-Granddad White a couple of weeks ago who came from Oklahoma to see her. Here are some pictures of her with the great-grandparents.

12 Weeks Old

Avery will turn 12 weeks old this Friday. She had her 2 month check up last week and she weighs 13 lbs 11 oz and is 24 inches long. She has been smiling a lot more and will talk to us and coo. Her latest trick is being able to grab the toy on her bouncy seat. If you pull it, it makes the bird spin in the middle. When she grabs it, we "help" her pull it to make the bird spin. We always make a big deal over it and tell her good job and yeah Avery. She always seems very proud of herself afterward. She's also on the verge of rolling over. She gets on her side and starts kicking but can't quite make it over onto her belly yet. She still looks like her daddy (as you can see) and looks more like him everyday. I thought she might look a little like me, but I think the only thing she got from me was maybe my forehead. Her eyes are still a darker blue but sometimes they more gray. I think they will probably turn out to be a hazel or dark blue.

Bumbo Baby

Avery got a bumbo seat! She loves to sit up and look around so it is perfect for her. It cracks me up to see her sitting in it. The other night she was very fussy, so we took her clothes off (sometimes makes her happy) and put her in her bumbo seat. Daddy played with her feet and she was a happy baby again. She loves her bumbo!

Happy Halloween!

We hope everyone had a very Happy Halloween!

Camo Avery

In honor of the opening of gun season this weekend...

Avery's First Tooth

Avery has gotten her first tooth in and another one is on the way! We tried to get a picture of the first one here. This early teething is apparently hereditary and her daddy's fault (he also got his first teeth at 3 months.) Avery can also roll over now, except she just can't get that other arm out of the way. She hates being on her belly, so as soon as she rolls over she gets very upset. Here are some pictures of our big girl.

Avery's First Thanksgiving and Baptism

Somehow, this is the only picture that I have of Avery on her first Thanksgiving. I guess we were having too much fun visiting with family to remember to take pictures. Granny is bouncing her up and down on her lap and Avery is laughing so hard. Avery also got baptized this weekend and we were good parents and got lots of pictures. She was in such a good mood this weekend. We really enjoyed her and were reminded how thankful we are to have such a healthy, happy baby.

4 Months Old

Last week Avery turned 4 months old. She went in for her 4 month check up and now weighs 16 lbs 6 oz and is 25 1/2 inches long. She has 2 teeth on bottom and we think another one is on the way based on her attitude over the past week. The first 2 teeth came in without much fussiness but I've heard the top teeth are much worse. She also has had a stuffy nose and hasn't been feeling good which could be part of it. We also got the ok to start cereal which Avery loves. She just gets frustrated that it's not constantly being fed to her like her bottle but she's getting more patient with having to wait for us to fill up the spoon. She keeps getting bigger and doing something new everyday.

Sometimes One Hand Just Isn't Enough

The Office

The other night Alan and I were eating dinner and Avery was playing in her play gym. We heard her laughing and looked over to find that she had wiggled her way around and was watching The Office on tv. I don't know what was making her laugh, but I had to take a picture. The funny thing was that she wouldn't laugh during the commercials, she would just grunt then. But when the show came back on, she would laugh again?

Bathing Beauty

Merry Christmas!

We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! Here are some pictures from our holiday weekend.

Santa Baby

Avery's New Bath Tub

6 Months Old!

Avery turned 6 months old yesterday and we celebrated by putting a bow in her hair. She tolerated it for about an hour before trying to pull it out. We also went in for her 6 month check up today and she weighs 19 lbs and is 26 1/2 inches long. She's in the 75% to 95% percentile on everything and growing very well. Some of Avery's tricks include sitting up by herself and rolling over. She actually rolled from her stomach to her back yesterday for the first time. She's been rolling from her back to her stomach for a couple months. She can also hold on to the ottoman and her exersaucer and stand up on her own for a little bit. Avery loves to jump (she has a jumper at day care that she loves and she tries to jump in her exersaucer), play in her exersaucer, play on the floor by herself or with us (depending on her mood) and read books. She also loves to be involved in pretty much anything going on anywhere. Here are some pictures of our big 6 month old.

This Week

Avery hasn't been feeling good this week. She had a sinus infection that also caused her to get conjunctivitis. I was out of town part of the week, so Alan had to handle sick Avery for a couple of days, with help from my mom. Here are some pictures from last weekend before she wasn't feeling good.

Our Little Book Worm

Happy Valentine's Day!

We hope everyone has a very Happy Valentine's Day!

Sweet Cheeks

7 Months

Avery is now seven months old! Some of her talents include taking her pacifier in and out of her mouth all by herself. She can also successfully suck on her toes, which we, however, do not encourage. Avery loves her feet and does periodic "feet checks" throughout the day to make sure they are still there. She says "Ma Ma" (actually it's more like "ma ma ma ma ma" and it doesn't seem to be associated with her actual MaMa.) She's on the verge of crawling - she gets up on her hands and knees and rocks back and forth. I guess it's probably time to start child proofing our house. She is reaching for eveything. If you brush her hair, she wants the hair brush. If you put lotion on her face, she must have the lotion bottle. How our world is about to change once this little one starts moving on her own!

Teeth

We forgot to mention that Avery has 3 teeth now. She has also started yelling this week (not crying or screaming, but yelling.) She's been in a really good mood, though. Here's a picture from this morning of her smiling at me getting ready. I wonder why I can't get to work on time?

Happy Birthday!

Alan turned 30 this weekend in case anyone forgot! Avery helped him open his birthday presents that morning and also helped him grill his birthday dinner that evening. Here are some pictures from our weekend. Happy Birthday Alan/Daddy!

8 Months Old

Another month and another tooth! Avery's getting another tooth in on top (that makes four). It's to the side, so I wonder how she's going to look once it comes in. Avery's new trick is that she waves bye-bye and will say "ba, ba". We also figured out that if you ask her where the fan is, she'll look up at the fan. However, if you also ask her where mommy/daddy is, she also looks at the fan so I don't know if that's really an accomplishment. She did say "da, da" once or twice and when we were coming home the other day, I asked her if she was ready to see Daddy and she say "ya, ya". Here is a picture of her pulling up in her crib.

Guess who's...

crawling, standing up by themselves and getting so big!

Avery's First Easter

Avery's first Easter turned out really cold with highs in the 50's. However, it gave her the opportunity to wear her fur coat (faux of course.) We also think she is getting a tooth in on top, thus, the reason for the tongue being stuck out all of the time. We hope everyone had a very Hoppy Easter!

The New Scene in Our House...

Just some pictures...

9 Months Already?

Yes, she's already nine months old. She now weighs 22 1/4 lbs and is 28 1/2 inches long. She is crawling all over the place, pulling up on every thing and standing by herself for a little while. One of her amazing feats this past week was pulling up on her high chair and then pushing it around the kitchen floor. We could believe she was that strong so I got the camera and taped a little bit of it. She says lots of sounds and is beginning to imitate words. Just tonight when I was telling her to be gentle with our home decorations (that I haven't baby-proofed by moving up yet), it sounded like she was trying to say gentle. Here's a picture of Avery at her cousin Isabelle's 5th birthday party on Sunday courtesy of Uncle Daniel (we ran off and forgot our camera.)

Fun with Cousins

Avery got to hang out with both of her cousins this weekend. First Isabelle came over and swam in the pool with Avery. Then she got to have dinner with Gabriel.

Goofy

This is a bit of a goofy picture of Avery but you can see all of her teeth in it. She was walking towards me and laughing at me as I was taking this picture.

New Shoes

Avery got some new shoes this weekend since she is walking everywhere now and wants to walk outside also. She is all over the place now, so these were the best pictures I could get of her.

11 Months

The other night Alan decided to deflate the rubber ducky bath tub since we weren't using it anymore and Avery had grown out of it. As he brought it into the living room to start letting the air out, Avery spotted it and wanted to play with it. So Alan let her play with it for a while and it has now become her new play toy and is sitting on our living room floor. Here are some pictures of her climbing all over it and playing. By the way, Avery also turned 11 months old today!

4th of July

We hope everyone had a Happy 4th of July! Here are some pictures of our 'lil fire cracker from the 4th and our weekend.

New Trick

Avery did something new today...she blew a kiss to Daddy when he was walking out the door. She's only done it once and I can't get her to do it again. We can't take any credit for it, I noticed Ms. Terri at daycare was trying to get her to do it when I was leaving one day. She is also speaking in full sentences now. We have no idea what she is saying but she is definitely telling us something!

Happy 1st Birthday Avery!

Avery turned one yesterday! We had a 1st princess party theme and had a small party with our family. Avery loved her cake and all of the presents that she got.

Avery's First Trip to the Zoo

We took Avery to the zoo today for the first time. She had a really good time and loved the monkeys, bears and giraffes. She would laugh at them and wave. She seemed to really enjoy it despite the heat.

One Year Old

Avery seems to be doing so much more now that she's turned one. She says so many words. Her latest new words are "uh oh" and "thank you". She tries to repeat almost everything you say. She loves to wave to everybody (as the bottom pictures show). She's actually weened herself from her bottle this week. We have tried to give her a bottle every night this week and she won't take it. So we'll rock for a little bit, she'll start to get antsy, and I'll go lay her down awake in her bed. I tell her night-night and she waves at me. And we don't hear one peep out of her until the morning. I know this is probably an unusual spell she's going through, but I sure hope not! Her one year check up went good and she weighs 23 lbs and is 29 1/2 inches tall. Her attitude also continues to grow as she does!

Fun Outside

Honey Bears

Avery moved up to the Honey Bears room this week at daycare. It's the 12 to 18 month room. The main differences are that she now takes one nap a day and eats at a table at lunch. She did really well this week going to one nap. She was actually in a really good mood. I think she enjoyed being with the bigger kids her age.

What we've been up to...

You've probably been wondering what we've been doing this past month. Well, Avery has been doing quite a lot. She's been cheering on the hogs, eating baby cheetos, going shopping with her puppy in a purse, and getting into everything! She's also been telling us "no" a lot, or "no, no, no" when she really means it. I have been working pretty much the entire time and Alan has been keeping up with Avery. We both have vacation next week and are looking forward to some time relaxing and doing nothing!

Pumpkin Patch

Happy Halloween!

15 Months

Avery is now 15 months old! (How did that happen so quickly???) She's turning into a little girl so fast. Although, she will point to herself and say "baby", she's really not a baby anymore. She is starting to recognize pictures of herself and will point to them and say "Avery". We went for her 15 month checkup and the doctor asked us how many words she was saying and there are really so many things she says or tries to say it's hard to count. At her appointment, she weighed 24lb 1oz and was 30 1/2 inches tall. Some of her favorite things are dancing, singing and spinning around in circles. She is really becoming a dancing fool. Anytime, anywhere she hears music she starts dancing around and will try and snap her fingers. Country music seems to be her favorite. I'm trying to get a video but it seems like everytime I get the camera out she stops or tries to take the camera away from me.

Happy Girl!

Avery running around the house.

Thanksgiving

I didn't get many pictures this Thanksgiving and most of them are "action" shots of Avery running around. We did have a good time visiting with family this year. We had lunch at Granny and Pop-Pop's and then had dinner at Mimi and Don's. We then made a surprise visit to Grandma and Grandpa Davis' in Louisiana on Friday. And of course, we ate the whole time.

Darly, the Hippo

Darly, the big stuffed hippo, has become Avery's new best friend. Even though Dar Dar (as Avery calls her) is almost as big as Avery, she will carry her around and even take her for rides on her tricycle. Sometimes, Darly even gets to rock with us before bedtime.

Getting Ready for Christmas

We have been getting ready for Christmas in the White house! Avery has been wearing her Santa suit, picking out presents from the wish books and "helping" to decorate the tree. So far, we have only lost two ornaments to a one year old's Christmas tree exploration. We went to see Santa this weekend (she panicked the moment she sat on his lap) and we went to the Christmas parade (she liked Santa much better in his sleigh and waved to him.) I took the camera but didn't take one picture of either. Hopefully, she'll have the memories...

Merry Christmas!

We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

Trimming the 4 Wheeler

Avery decided to decorate her 4 wheeler with ornaments from the Christmas tree.

Signs You Might Have A Toddler In Your Home

I recently realized how much our home has transformed since having a child and how much more it's changed now that we have a toddler on the loose. Of course, there are the obvious items such as toys all over the place but I started noticing a few other signs. For instance at Christmas time, your Christmas tree is only decorated on the top half of the tree (or at least the ornaments that you want to keep are on the top half of the tree.) Then you tend to find odd things in odd places such as pots and pans in your hallway. I have also found the toddler potty sitting in the middle of our living room too. And of course, no closed door is ever safe in our house (especially if you're trying to do some private like use the bathroom.) Although, it's all completely worth it to have a smiling face peeking around that door or banging those pots and pans or trying to sit on the potty in the middle of the living room...

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Stuffed Animals

Avery always likes for us to pull up the blinds so she can look out the windows. The other night she took all of her stuffed animals and sat them on the window sill. She moved them around, sat with them and would pick up a couple of them and say bye-bye to the others pretending like she was leaving. I just thought it was the funniest thing. Plus it kept her occupied for about 30 minutes, which doesn't happen often.

18 Months

Avery turned 18 months old this week. We went in for her checkup on Friday and she weighs 25 lbs and is 32 inches tall. Her latest favorite things are singing, coloring, hugging and kissing. Sometimes when you are playing or feeding her, she will just out of the blue grab your hand and kiss it. She can count to two and can say her ABC's to B. She has also successfully used her toddler potty twice. She usually will sit on it before her bath and twice now she has actually went potty on it. I was so shocked the first time I didn't know what to do. I know we are still a long way from full potty training but I thought it was big step (and clearly a sign that she must be super smart!) She is always making us smile or laugh here lately. And occasionally she makes us wonder if the terrible two's are starting early.

18 Month Pictures

Valentines

Happy Valentine's Day! Avery got a valentine from her Daddy with a teddy bear holding a flower and a bag of Hershey kisses. Bears seems to be her favorite right now. Here are some pictures of her with her new bear.

Avery's First Golf Clubs

It Snowed!

We woke up this morning to snow! We had 70 degree weather this weekend and today we had snow. It melted by the afternoon. But they closed the schools (and daycare), so Avery and I had a snow day. We went out this morning and played in the snow before it melted. It don't think she quite knew what to think about it.

Afternoon at Petit Jean

Last weekend's warm temperatures gave us spring fever. So today, since it was warmer than the rest of the week, we went up to Petit Jean for the afternoon. We were really surprised by the amount of snow still there. They apparently got much more than we did because ours has already melted. Avery loved it. We met a snowman, climbed a tree and played in the snow. I asked her if she wanted to come back when it warmed up and she said, "Yeah" and nodded her head (in that Avery way).

An Exciting Weekend

We had a very exciting weekend. On Friday, Avery got a new cousin, Samuel Maddox Davis. He's such a sweet little boy! We took Avery by on Saturday to see Baby Sam (I left my camera in the car so I have no pictures yet.) Avery has been very excited about this baby coming, we've been talking about her new baby cousin for a while. We also went to see the Easter bunny! Since she did not like Santa very much, I thought we would just walk by and see the Easter bunny and not waste their time trying to get her to sit on his lap. Well, he was on a carrot break when we went by, so we did some shopping and actually saw him coming back from his break. She got so excited she had to get down and follow him, hopping like a bunny. Someone let him know, so he turned around and waved to her. After the initial shock, she waved and hopped for him some more. Then she wanted to get to him and kept trying to run over to him while other kids were sitting on his lap. So we went ahead and got her picture taken with him. She didn't really want to sit on his lap, she mainly wanted to get down and hop for him. But she did give him a hug. Once again, my camera was in the car.

Avery and Isabelle

P.S. Isabelle has green gum in her mouth, not a green tooth!

Happy Easter!

Helping Daddy with the Dishes

This actually turned into a disaster with water everywhere and she even ate some of the bubbles. Now she wants to help with the dishes anytime you are at the sink!

Does that Cabbage Patch Kid look familiar???

Yes, that is one of my old Cabbage Patch Kids! Mom got out a bag of a bunch of my old dolls and stuffed animals the other day and let Avery pick out a couple to bring home. I had forgotten how many Cabbage Patch Kids I had - this was the one that she really liked and decided to bring home. I'm really glad that we kept those, especially since they are popular again. It makes me feel like a kid again. I just wish I could remember what her name is...

Our week away

Alan and I went to Bermuda last week. We had a great time! It was really good to get away. We missed our sweet cheeks, though. She got to spend the week with her grandparents for her "spring break" as we called it. She really seemed to enjoy the time with Granny/Pop-Pop and Mimi/Don. We called a couple of times and she didn't even want to talk to us on the phone. Although, once we got home, she seemed happy to be back home. We came back and she was speaking in full sentences. Instead of saying "Milk!" now she says "I want milk!" It's amazing how much they still change in just a week. She is also repeating everything we say. I was driving the other day and said "Oh shoot!" and I heard her saying the same thing from the back seat. She cracks me up.

Riding the Merry Go Round at Toad Suck

Becoming A Mother

A lot changes in your life when you become a mother. It changes even more when you have toddler running around. One thing that had changed since Avery has started walking is my privacy when using the bathroom. She knows how to open our doors so she will just barge right in if you just shut the door. If I decide to enforce privacy when Alan is home to keep an eye on her, I will lock the bathroom door. This usually causes a fuss. The other day I decided I needed a couple of minutes of privacy and locked the bathroom door. Approximaly 30 seconds after getting in there, there was a bang on the door. "Mama, Mama" was being called from the other side. As I looked over at the door, I saw her little fingers reaching under the door. Meanwhile, Alan thought this was pretty funny and snapped a couple of pictures of Avery trying to look under the door to see me and then sitting waiting for me to get done. There is definitely never a dull moment.

Evenings

Alan usually picks up Avery from daycare and they usually have about an hour or so until I get home from work. Sometimes I find pictures on the camera from these Daddy-Daughter moments that Alan takes. They usually surprise me and make me smile. Here are some from a recent evening.

Fun in the Pool

Gulf Shores

Our first family vacation

It's Summertime!

Passed Out!

She was so tired this day, she fell asleep watching tv before her nap.
P.S. She demanded to wear no pants or shorts. She also insisted on wearing those socks.

Talking on the Phone

Happy 2nd Birthday Avery!

Getting Ready for Baby

Avery has been getting ready for her new baby brother or sister! The baby's due date is Christmas Day and so far everything has been going good. We've been talking about the baby with Avery. She says that she wants a baby sister and has been calling the baby "Baby Sister" (even though we don't know yet if this is the case). She does a lot in the name of Baby Sister. She will get an extra napkin just for Baby Sister or get an extra cookie for Baby Sister. We asked her what about a Baby Brother and she just says, "No, Baby Sister." Well, we should find out this Thursday what we are having, so we'll just wait until then to fight it out if we need to.

It's a Boy!

We found out yesterday that we are having a boy! Everything looked good on the ultrasound - he kept kicking the doctor as she was trying to look (sounds like he might be a lot like his big sister, huh?) I was afraid of what Avery was going to do since she's been saying she wanted a baby sister. But once I said like baby Sam, she was ok with it and said he could ride next to her in the car.

2 Years Old

Someone asked me the other day how much your child changes from the age of one (her daughter was one) to the age of two. I didn't really have time to think about all of the changes that really do happen. I think the biggest is how much more a two year old talks. Avery tells us so much stuff. We get a little glimpse into what really goes on at day care (aka school) and who gets in trouble and has to sit in time out. It's never her, of course. I also get little hints of what goes on when her and Daddy and home alone together. The other day I came home and the first thing she told me was that Daddy got the vaccuum out. Apparently, something got spilt on the floor. She also tells me what she wants to wear. Hence the tennis shoes with the nice outfit. She does the craziest things that keep us smiling. At her 2 year check-up, she weighed 28 lbs and was 35 inches tall.

Lots of Potty Talk

We've been working on potty training lately. The other day I found baby doll sitting on the toddler potty and Avery was sitting on the big potty (lid down, thankfully - just like we do when she sits on the potty.) She got down before I could grab the camera. She used to put her diapers on this baby but the other day she told me that baby needed a big girl pull up instead of a diaper. Please excuse the picture of the bathroom, I just thought it was too funny how she mimics everything we do.

The Pumpkin Patch

We went to the Pumpkin Patch today. I mentioned going last weekend before the weather was bad and I knew I was going to have to work, so all Avery talked about this week was going to the pumpkin patch. We rode a hayride out to the patch and Avery got to pick her own pumpkin. They had animals there to pet and lots of Halloween decorations including a bunch of fake spiders that Avery was so excited about. They even had some playground equipment so Avery loved it!

Bye Bye Pacifier

Well, our house has been pacifier-free now for a little over a week. I had bought a book called Bye Bye Pacifier and we started reading it. In it, the Mommy sent the little boy's pacifier to babies that needed one. I asked Avery if she wanted to send her pacifiers to babies that needed them and she told me she wanted to give them to Baby Sam. So, we put all of her pacifiers in a bag and took them to Baby Sam She even put them in the bag herself. She wanted to hold the bag and look at them and I think she put each one in her mouth one last time before we dropped them off. We told her that since she was such a big girl that she got to go to the store and pick out a big girl present for giving up the pacifiers. She chose the Little People airplane. I wanted her to get the Little People dance and twirl palace but she said no? Of course that evening at bedtime, she asked for her pacie. I told her that they were gone and she had to look in the cabinet to verify they were not there. She cried just a little bit at bedtime but went to bed pretty easily. That night, though, she woke up several times crying. I never realized how much that pacifier helped soothe her and help her to go back to sleep. I started wondering what we had done! Avery has been such a great sleeper and I think we owe a lot of that to the pacifier. It was a long day the next day. But, she has done really well most nights since then and no longer even asks for her pacifier. She did say she wanted to go see Baby Sam the other night when we were talking about where her pacifiers went. I think she's secretly plotting a reconnaissance mission to get those pacifiers back?

Bye Bye Pacifier - Part 2

I waited a whole week to say anything about getting rid of the pacifier because I thought it went fairly well and didn't want to jinx us. So what happened last night? She asked for her pacifier and started crying for it for the first time in several days! I told her once again that Baby Sam had them and she told me to go get them. She also woke up last night crying and we had to go and rub her back and put her blanket back on to get her to sleep. I no longer believe people when they tell me that they forget about them after a day or two. Actually, it really hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be and now I just know that it will not be an overnight thing. Avery just has too good of a memory!

Happy Halloween!!

Avery was a ballerina this year for Halloween. She really enjoyed ringing people's doorbells and getting candy.

Well, I did it...

I quit my job this week! After months of discussing, Alan and I decided that the best thing for me to do right now is quit my job and stay at home with the kids for a while. I have always thought that I wanted to stay at home while my kids were young or just work part time. I was looking for a change at work and with another baby on the way, we decided now was the time to do it. It was a much harder decision than I thought it would be. I've been at my current job for almost 10 years (my 10 year anniversary would be in January) and it was my first job out of college and all that I have known for the last 10 years. Plus I have made some really great friends there. But I think it will be worth it in the end for our entire family. I'll get that valuable time with my kids that you can't get back after they are grown. Plus they change so much, especially in that first year. There was a lot that I missed with Avery and I'm sure a lot of what we thought were some of her firsts at home had actually happened first at day care. So, I'm looking forward to spending the extra time with my kids and concentrating on watching them grow.

Saying Cheese

Thanksgiving and Update

We hope everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving! Somehow, I did not take one single picture on Thanksgiving day. We had a really good weekend visiting with family and got a lot done this weekend. I went to the doctor on Wednesday and found out that I am one centimeter dilated and 80% effaced. The news made me feel good that I was moving in the right direction of having this baby but also made me realize that he could really come at any moment. So, we kicked it into gear this weekend and painted the baby's room. I washed all of his clothes and started getting together stuff to take to the hospital. Our furniture also surprised us by coming in early, so we got to pick that up and get it in the room. We got our Christmas tree out and decorated. Avery loved to decorate the tree and told me before she went to bed this evening that we needed to go and get some more ornaments to put on the tree. I also tried to get a picture of Avery in her Christmas pajamas for our Christmas card but telling a 2 year old to say cheese sometimes doesn't produce the best picture.

Toddler Bed

We recently converted Avery's crib into a toddler bed. These pictures really don't show what it's actually like to sleep there with the additional 10 items she requires. We usually have 2 pillows, at least 4 blankets and at least 4 stuffed animals. I tried to sneak one or two blankets or animals out as she's getting into bed but she usually catches me. I call it her entourage. For a while, they also had to all get out of bed with her and were usually piled up at the table while she ate breakfast. It gets quite ridiculous sometimes. Anyway, she's done pretty good sleeping in her bed and doesn't really get out much except when she's done with her nap. She still calls for us to come get here out of bed in the mornings. We've had a couple bad nights over the last couple of weeks where she has got out crying and came into the living room or our bedroom. But overall she's done really well.

First Week at Home

Avery and I had a good first week at home. She was not feeling good and was running a fever with double ear infections for a couple of days last week. This week, we've had ice and freezing rain and have been at home keeping warm for a couple of days. The other afternoon, I was watching tv and noticed Avery was being really quiet in the kitchen. So, I sneaked a peek to see what she was doing and she was just sitting in front of the refrigerator with all of her bears. I asked her what she was doing and she said they were getting their picture taken. So, I asked if she would also like for me to take their picture. This is what the first picture is of. The second picture is Avery playing on the ice.

Aidan

He has arrived! Aidan Davis White was born on December 18th at 10:15 am. He weighed 7lbs 5oz and was 19 inches long. He's got blond hair, skinny legs and a soft cry. We are all doing good and excited that he is here and healthy!

Christmas Morning Pictures

Our First Week with Aidan

Here are some pictures from our first week with Aidan. So far he has been such a good boy. Avery loves to love on him, hold him and cover him with his blanket. If he gets fussy (which is usually just when he's hungry), she say "Give him to me" with her arms out like she's going to take him and hold him in her arms. His hair seems to be darkening and is more of a light brown now. We are very happy to have this little man as a part of our family.

Sweet Boy

One Month Old

Aidan is already one month old! We went for his check up yesterday and he now weighs 9 lbs 13 oz and is 21 3/4 inches long.

Recent Pictures

2 Months Old

Aidan turned 2 months old last week. We went to the doctor and he weighed 12 lbs and 2 oz and was 23 inches long. He is smiling a lot more now and tries to talk to us. Avery still loves her little brother and will try and comfort him when he cries by telling him it's ok. If he spits up, she'll run and grab the burb cloth to wipe off his mouth.

Can't wait for summer

Avery insisted on wearing her bathing suit the other day. We weren't going anywhere so I gave in. She also wanted to wear it to gymnastics but I tried to explain that it wasn't a leotard (which I did't really know what the difference between the two really is except one you're supposed to swim in and the other you're supposed to do gymnastics in?)

Sitting in the Swing

I think he looks so much like Alan in these pictures.

Good Night Sweetie

The other night I tucked Avery into bed and told her "Good night sweetie" as I have many nights. She looked up at me and said, "My name is not sweetie. It's Avery." Oh, how the mind of a 2 year old works. I wonder who she thinks I've been telling good night to all those times?

Doctoring Baby Brother

Note the gloves...always a must have for Avery if doctoring a baby or changing a diaper. She told me the other day she would rather go back to school instead of staying at home with me because they used rubber gloves to change diapers at school.

Sunglasses

Anytime Avery goes anywhere, she must have her sunglasses to take with her. Today bear went with us so, of course, he had to have his sunglasses too.

Quiet Time

Aidan and I get a little quiet time together on most days while Avery naps. We talk and play peek a boo. He LOVES one on one time with anyone that will give him their full attention and talk to him especially when there is no one else running around yelling. I usually think about taking pictures of him at this time. Here are some pictures from our quiet time. I really want to get a picture of him smiling but our camera does a funny flash thing that distracts him and makes him do funny faces most of the time. If anyone has suggestions for a good camera, I would love them!

"Napping"

Avery has started getting out of her bed during nap and will play a little bit before she actually takes a nap. I usually let her play as long as she stays in her room. Well, the last 2 days she hasn't really napped and has played the entire time. This was the scene of her room after her "nap" today.

Aidan's First Easter

These are the only pictures that I took on Easter of Aidan at the end of the day getting ready for bed. I either forgot to take pictures or forgot to bring my camera. Anyway, I thought I needed at least a picture of Aidan on his first Easter. The Easter bunny brought him the sunglasses in his Easter basket. Avery got up early and went through the Easter baskets, hunted eggs and ate the candy out of 3 eggs all before 5:45 am, at which point she came in to wake us up. She pretty much had a sugar rush all day long!

It's Spring Time!

4 Months Old

Aidan turned 4 months old about a week ago! We went to the doctor last week and he weighs 14lbs 7oz and is 24 3/4 inches long. He started cereal last week and is loving it. He's an active little boy and loves to sit and stand up. He loves for anyone to give him 100% of their attention and talk to him. He just coos and tries to talk back. His favorite song is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star as sung by Mommy. It's the only song that can stop him from crying. Although, I don't know which is worse for your ears - hearing Aidan screaming and crying or listening to me singing.

Couch Potatoes

Avery's Prayer at Lunch Today

"God is good,
God is great,
Thank you for bear and mommy and Uncle Daniel and Isabelle and Jon and Kate."

Note: Yes, the Jon and Kate are from Jon and Kate Plus 8. It was the first time they have made the prayer list.

Our New "Pet"

Wedding Pictures

Austin (Alan's brother) and Lauren got married this weekend and Avery and Isabelle were the flower girls. They both did a great job and it was a beautiful wedding! Avery had a great time at the bridal luncheon where she got to sit in an old restored antique car. She also got to eat her lunch off of fine china and drank out of a silver goblet. And...she broke nothing! I'm declaring it a miracle. They also had a great time at the wedding, dancing the night away. They met one of Lauren's cousins, Gwendolyn, who they quickly became friends with. I believe Gwendolyn was actually louder and had more energy than Avery, if you can believe that. They met her at the rehearsal dinner and Avery kept asking me Saturday morning where Gwendolyn was. Aidan also enjoyed all of the company and getting held by all of his great aunts and uncles. We all had a really good time.

Hey everybody - I just got my first tooth in!

Aidan's first tooth came in over the weekend. It's one of his bottom teeth and I think another one is on it's way. Here are some pictures of our big boy playing in the exersaucer.

Mexico Beach

Daddy's Golfing Buddy

Avery's 3rd Birthday Party

Avery had her birthday party at the park this year. She told me that's where she wanted to have it and she said she wanted a Mickey Mouse party, so that's what we did. Since it was so hot, we had an ice cream truck come and bring ice cream instead of having cake. Everyone got to pick their own - out of all of the good stuff, Avery picked a SpongeBob Squarepants ice cream. Avery enjoyed having all of her family and friends there. Pop-Pop wasn't able to make her party this year but we brought him a balloon afterwards.

Looking Who's Crawling...

Gynmastic Pictures

Fun with Hats

Our Little Hog Fans

Avery 3 Years Old

Avery is 32lbs and 37 1/2 inches of lovable, huggable craziness. Since she turned 3, she started a new class at gymnastics that she does by herself. She loves bynmastics (as she calls it.) She also started preschool which she also loves. On the first day of school, she was so ready to get there she barely stood still for a picture (as you can see in the last picture). She's a big helper already and helps with folding laundry and washing/drying dishes. She loves Aidan and loves playing with him. In the last month or so, she has become a little bit of a drama queen. Someone told me once that she's not a little kid, she's a little adult. She talks pretty much non-stop. She wakes up talking. I think she even has complete conversations just with herself. If she's quiet, I'm checking on her to see what she's gotten into. Avery is a curious child and is always wanting to know what everyone else is doing. She's the person who's watching everyone else but isn't watching where she's going. She's asks so many questions. She picks up on words that we say and then asks about them or tries to use them in a sentence without really knowing what they mean. They other day she told me the water goes into the drain holes in the street and then the tunnels under the ground take the water to college? Bear is her imaginary friend. Bear does lots of things like coloring on the floor, goes to college(?). Bear goes to school too but it's a different school than Avery (per Avery). Actually since Avery started school, I haven't heard much about Bear. I guess you could call her a spirited child - she cracks us up, drives us crazy and makes us want to hug her all at the same time.

Aidan 9 Months

Since Aidan is almost 10 months now, I thought I would update for his 9 month check up stats. At his check up, he weighed 20lbs 1oz and was 28 1/2 inches long. He is crawling everywhere, pulling up on everything and is beginning to walk. If I could enter him in a crawling contest, I would because he is the fastest crawler I think I have ever seen. He is always into something and is all over the place. He started taking a couple of steps about a month ago and is starting to walk more. He doesn't say many words. He has his b sound down and said ball the other day. I think he tries to say bye bye when we leave because he usually says bbb bbb. He has all four of his bottom teeth in and is getting his top four teeth in (three broke through at the same time, so we had a very fussy baby for a while.) Aidan is a really laid back and easy going baby. Although, he does have a little temper when he can't get what he want or he loses his patience. He loves to watch tv (very different than Avery at his age). He is defintely all boy and loves to play ball or bang toys on the tile to make noise. He also thinks it is so funny to be told "no, no". I'll follow him into a room to find him standing up by the wall outlet looking for me to come tell him no. He is also a very snuggly, loving baby and loves to hug or snuggle. Here are some pictures of our big boy.

Avery's First Fieldtrip

Avery and I went to the pumpkin patch today for her first fieldtrip with her preschool class. She was so excited and could barely decide on a pumpkin to pick. Avery rode with me and we followed the bus there. The entire time she was asking me where the bus was, could I see the bus, did we lose the bus and were we there yet. Next time, I think she may just ride the bus.

Dressed in Purple at UCA Homecoming

Aidan Walking

Aidan has been walking everywhere recently. As you can see, he also loves to take Mickey along with him. Lauren gave Avery the Mickey Mouse for her birthday but Aidan loves it! He can't pass Mickey without hugging it and gets so excited when he sees it. Avery is usually pretty nice about sharing Mickey but we may have to get Aidan is own Mickey to snuggle and slobber on.

Avery The Duck

Avery dressed up as a duck for preschool today for farmers and farm animals day. She loved the costume (Aidan did too, he loved to tackle and hug the fluffy costume) and ended up wearing it all day. We were making duck jokes all day like: How does a duck sneeze? Aaahh quack! She insisted on wearing the paws over her hands for most of the day and tried to eat her afternoon snack that way. I started calling her a diva duck when she asked me to come into the bathroom and get the toilet paper off of the roll for her because she couldn't with her duck hands on.

Halloween

This year, I asked Avery what she wanted to be for Halloween and she said she wanted to be a doctor. I asked about 500 times before buying a costume and each time she wanted to be a doctor. She also wanted Aidan to be a doctor too. Ever since I had Aidan and she went to the hospital, she has been fascinated by doctors, nurses and medical stuff (especially the gloves they wear). We met up with some of our friends and did a trick or treat hayride through a very festive neighborhood. The kids had so much fun! Isabelle even got to trick or treat at our house afterwards.

The Essence of Aidan

The picture reflects the essence of Aidan right now. He discovered his head and is always putting his hands on top of his head. I'll say "How big is Aidan? So big!" and raise my arms and he'll do this pose. He also loves to put everything on his head right now like toys, sippy cups, bottles, cheerios, etc. The few strands of hair that he has on his head are constantly sticky now from cups and bottles leaking on his head.

Enjoying the Fall Weather

First Year at Home

I have officially been at stay at home mom for a year now. As I look back on this past year, it was a lot different than what I expected and what I was used to. Doing things efficiently no longer applies. Presenting yourself professionally also no longer happens when you are toting 2 crazy kids along with you everywhere. But things slowed down and we got to sit and play together much more. And we got to spend more relaxed time together and doing things, whereas before it seemed like we had to rush to get in those small moments of spending time together. Although, there are many differences between being a stay at home mom and a working outside the home mom, some things are very similar. Such as...they still grow way too fast. You will still walk in to get them out of bed in the morning or after nap and swear they grew while they were asleep. They still do firsts when you aren't around. Whether at day care or at home with Dad for a Sat afternoon, these are usually the times when they start crawling, walking or say their first words. Time still flies by and you wonder how your baby is now one and you're planning the first birthday party. No matter how much time you spend with them, it always seems to fly by and go too fast. They still come up to you and say the craziest things and you wonder where they heard that from. And in both cases there are times when you just want to say I quit, someone else can deal with this craziness. I guess I just thought time wouldn't fly so fast if I was at home with them all day. As someone once said "The days are long but the years are short."

Avery's Christmas Program at Preschool

Avery had her Christmas program for preschool last night. She was a mouse and did an excellent job of saying her line "squeak, squeak" during the reading of Twas The Night Before Christmas. They also sang a song and did a little dance at the end. Then they had a gift exchange and Santa came for a visit. Avery wouldn't sit on his lap but she did stand by him for a picture. She said that she told him she wanted a shopping cart, a sick baby (aka Baby Achoo), dress up clothes and a mailbox (I have no idea where this came from) for Christmas.

Aidan's New Favorite Way to Watch TV and Hang Out

Happy 1st Birthday Aidan!

Christmas Morning

Snow Day!

Actually more like snow morning as the snow has already melted...

Aidan One Year

I can't believe Aidan is already one. His little personality has really come out more. He is always on the move and is always into something. He moves faster than any kid I have ever seen. My family nicknamed him "pinball" last weekend after seeing him dart around a room. Aidan is pretty easy going - as long as he is down and running around, he is usually happy. His little temper comes out every once in a while when he doesn't get his way or if he's hungry. He's a man of little words. He says puff, yea, bye, mama, dada, down and cake (yes, cake). I'm pretty sure he said Avery the other day but hasn't said it since. He also shakes his head no very intently if he doesn't want something. He blows kisses, waves bye-bye and loves to be told no. He's already started climbing onto toy boxes, small chairs and recently the cabinets in the kitchen. I turned around the other day and he was sitting in bottom drawer of the kitchen cabinet. At his one year check up, Aidan weighed 22lbs and was 30 1/4 inches tall. He takes his shots like a man and doesn't really cry unless he's restrained and can't see what they are doing. When he got his flu shot, he just grunted. (Much, much different than his sister.) We love our little man and don't know what we would do without him.

Playing in the Snow

Snowed In

We were snowed in for several days this week as we got several inches of snow on Sunday night. Since we've been stuck in the house and Avery hasn't had preschool this week, we've been trying to find things to do in the house. Some of stuff we have been doing include making snow flakes out of coffee filters for our window, playing dress up (as Avery the Duck and Bee Aidan), and teaching the kids some minor household chores like vacuuming.

Easter

Anthony's Wedding

Alan's brother, Anthony, got married last weekend and Avery was a flower girl. It was a beautiful wedding held in an old courthouse/jail (hence the jail bars) in Jonesboro. With two kids on running around, I didn't get many pictures but here are few from the weekend.

Pensacola Beach and Mexico Beach Trip

Avery's Sunflowers

This spring, Avery and I planted some sunflowers. They had Big Bird on the package and came with a little "greenhouse" you planted them in. Once they sprouted, we planted them in the backyard and now they are blooming. She is just so excited about the whole process and screams in excitement everytime we go out and there's a new flower.

Avery's 4th Birthday

Avery's 4th birthday got a little overshadowed by Aidan being sick and in the hospital. We had cake and ice cream with family at our house. Then she had a big Jump Zone party on Saturday. Unfortunately, Aidan was in the hospital for her Jump Zone party and missed it. I was tired and frazzled and forgot my camera, so the only pictures I have from Jump Zone are those that others took. She had a lot of fun anyway though!