Church

Either we were out of town or it was below 20 degrees several Sundays during the holidays. So, we didn't make it to church for several Sundays in a row. One of my students told another student "I go to church with Mrs. Davis. Well...sometimes." While I proceeded to explain to her where we'd been, I told myself we could not use cold weather + baby as an excuse anymore!! So, we've made it to church lately!!

Here's the prettiest little girl in the world after church today.







And (just so we can remember it), here's a note we found in Avery Claire's bag one Sunday not long ago. What proud parents were we!!


We had a fun afternoon playing at home. We all took a long, wonderful, much-needed nap this afternoon!

You've got mail - she loves to get her "mail" from her pretend mailbox. Can you see her snack all over her face? And shirt?

The teeth have broken through, and Avery Claire can feel them!

Isn't that the cutest little booty you've ever seen?

Miss Independent Becomes Dependent

...on Nana, that is!! Avery Claire is spoiled rotten, and we'd never deny it. However, when Nana comes, spoiled takes on a whole new meaning. We know, that's what grandparents are for, right?
See this pointing gesture? Well, that's all Avery Claire has to do for her Nana to give her exactly what she wants. The little girl who can pretty much get to anything she wants and do anything she wants by herself becomes helpless when her Nana is here!!

We enjoyed your visit, Nana, and love that you spoil our Avery Claire, even if you take spoiling to a whole new level! It really only took us an hour or two to get our Miss Independent back, anyway!

Avery Claire was sad to see her Nana go!

First Steps

Our baby girl took her first steps tonight!! Nana is here visiting, and Avery Claire loves her glasses! She was standing up in front of me (Mommy), and reaching for Nana's glasses. I helped her balance, and she took 3.whole.steps. to get to Nana!! Daddy's at a coaching clinic, so we called him immediately to tell him.

(She was about to get her diaper changed and get her p.j.'s on, so she was half naked. I had to take her picture exactly as she was when it happened!)

And, for taking 3 big girl steps, she, of course, got to have Nana's glasses (after lots of cheering and clapping)!!

Walking wears a girl out!!

Playing in the Drawer

If you don't have kids, you certainly won't think this is exciting. If Avery Claire isn't your grandchild, you probably won't think this is exciting. But I managed to get 1/2 of an "uh-oh" and a backwards wave, so I thought I'd share this video of Avery Claire playing after school Tuesday. And it's all exciting to us!

Happy 10 Months!

Avery Claire, at 10 months, you:

- weigh 20.5 lbs.

- usually drink 2 8-ounce bottles during the day, a 6-ounce bottle in the late afternoon, and sometimes more before bed.


- have six, almost eight, teeth. #'s 7 and 8 are about to break through.

- can say "Hi," "da-da," "uh-oh," "Bye-Bye" and "Bite-bite" (those two sound the same, but we can tell which one you mean depending on the situation.

- love to read. Your new favorite book is one you got from a daycare friend, Raney, for Christmas. Mommy and Daddy can now read Bubbles, Bubbles without looking at the pages.


- have a new obsession with emptying any drawer or cabinet you can get your hands into/on. We put things back in the drawer, you sling them back out as fast as you can.





- are the best sleeper! Other than a few weird nights that can be blamed on teething, learning to pull up, and being in strange places, you have slept all night, every night, for the past 6 months. I hate to brag, but I'm told by everyone else with small kids how lucky we are. We seriously lay you down for naps or bedtime, and you go to sleep. We wake you up on school mornings, or you sleep 11.5-12 hours on the weekends. You'll fall asleep taking a bottle occasionally, and Mommy soaks up some snuggle time on those nights. You've started laying your head down on our shoulders when you're sleepy, and since you've never been a "shoulder baby," we eat that up! We're spoiled and we know it and we thank you for it!! We also know it could change any day and we'll just enjoy it.

- will use any means to get to something you want.


- LOVE the ball machine Papa and Nana got you for Christmas. You know how to push it yourself, but sometimes can't get it to work. You give us this "I'm frustrated. Will you please help me out here?" look.



- have starting eating some real food. You like cheese ravioli the best! Anything with a little cheese on is yummy to you! You ARE our child!

- went to your first high school basketball game Friday night and loved it. There was so much for you to see and listen to!


- are in love with your paci and usually go to bed with 4-5 of them. But you know what Mommy means when she tells you to drop your paci in your bed in the mornings. Not that there isn't a steady supply of them throughout the house.


- are such a silly girl. You make the funniest screaming noise with your mouth wide open when you're being really silly.


- love daycare and your BFF, Leah. You wave bye-bye to us when we leave in the mornings, which does my heart good to know you're okay. And it does my heart even more good when you get so excited to see us in the afternoons!

- love snack time, especially tomato-flavored cheese curls and banana cookies, which are, quite possibly, the messiest food ever.


- are quietest on our ride to daycare in the morning. You are much like your Mommy and Daddy in that we don't say a lot in the mornings.


- love bathtime! You patiently wait and "help" me run your water. Then you try to crawl over the side of the tub to get in.



- are just as busy in the bathtub as you are everywhere else!


- have almost completely lost your little baby bald spot. Your hair is getting thicker and longer. And it's still straight - Mommy's fingers are crossed it stays that way! We get many comments on how pretty the shape of your head is!


- like to get right in front of the t.v. to enjoy your show.



- think your Daddy is so cool and funny.


- get your feelings so hurt when we say "no." You pucker your lip and make the most pitiful face. We seriously have to look away so you won't see us laugh. You usually only hear no when you try to touch the t.v. screen or pull up at the glass coffee table.



- are very intrigued by hats. You love to take Daddy's off and give it to us to put on you...and you wear it. You tried to take a man's off last weekend when we were eating at Logan's. So, he noticed and handed it to you. Uh...no, thanks, sweet old man. I really wanted my child touching the hat that's been on your head. :)



- can patty-cake and clap when we say "Yeaaaaa!". I've got to get that on video very soon!

- spend lots of time "in" your house Santa brought you. All of our OCD tendencies present themselves when Mommy and Daddy continually put the mail in the mailbox and the shapes in their correct places and you make a mad dash to take them out! You love for us to help you put them back in their correct places and clap for you!


- don't want to be left out of anything...cooking, laundry, Mommy & Daddy brushing our teeth, unloading the dishwasher...

- are starting to really like juice! You can turn that cup up and drain it.


- love to play chase. You turn around and look to make sure we're following you, and you crawl so fast away. Sometimes you fall to the ground, face-first, when you get "caught."


- will let go and stand up by yourself for thirty seconds or more (and then you grab onto whatever is in front of you before you accidentally take a step forward!).


- are just so stinking cute. And I'm not just saying that 'cause I'm your Mama.


- can finally wear a little bow in your hair without the band (although your hair is very fine and it slides out easily).


- are so sweet and love to give kisses, to your books, your babies, your dog, Mommy and Daddy, even yourself. (You love hangers, but we don't usually let you eat them.)


- are such a joy to us! We are more in love with you than ever, and think every single thing you do is the greatest. You don't get it when all eyes aren't on you, and we'd have it no other way.You are very strong-willed and you do not meet a stranger. You keep us on our toes, and we enjoy every second of it. I told Daddy last weekend that I always wanted (and wondered how to achieve) a child who was friendly and didn't cry about being held and kept by others - like in the church nursery. When we saw the people who kept you in the nursery while eating Sunday and you reached for them, Daddy told me I'd gotten my wish. We love your friendliness. You are the smartest, cutest, funniest, best, sweetest, most precious, baby that's ever been born - just ask your Mommy and Daddy! We love you more than life and thank God every day that he blessed us with you! We pray that you always know God's love and that you forever know how much your Mommy and Daddy treasure you, Avery Claire!



I thought three still pictures was pretty good! And she's off...