4 Months Old

Oh my goodness! Look at who is 4 months old today! Oh Averie, you have changed and grown so much. We love you so much!

Baby Averie: Week 17

This week has been exhausting. June and I have been so busy. We're starting to get the hang of working on opposite days. Neither of us get much rest, but we are trying to make it work.

We are also trying to have Averie learn how to self soothe and sleep without having to be held. It has been tough on all of us, but we just have to keep trying.

check out this surfer girl!

Averie and I got to hang out with our friends Lindsey and Baby Lucas. Averie and I helped Lindsey and Lucas on their maiden voyage to the mall. 

We all walked around and got some lunch together. Lindsey was sweet and thanked us for helping them navigate nursing and just getting out of the house. I remembered how nerve wracking it was for me and it felt great to help out a fellow new mom. 

Poor Daddy got sick this week :( He's been so busy with work and travelling, I guess it was bound to happen. The worst part is, he can't take a break. He's so busy, he just doesn't have time :( We hope he gets better soon.

On Saturday, our friends Mona Leigh and Joe invited us to a get together. Luckily, I got off of work a little early to join in the festivities. We had a great time hanging out and making new friends. It was really fun to see all of the other children and watch them play together.

On Sunday, I had to go into work and June had to attend graduation for the University. Our friend Mona Leigh and her family were so kind and generous to help watch Averie for half the day. June and I are so extremely thankful to have met such wonderful friends in Maryland. It is difficult raising a baby on our own, but having such supportive and compassionate friends has helped us tremendously.

Here is a video of Averie with her mobile. She loves that thing so much! She smiles and laughs when she sees it!

Baby Averie: Week 16

I have been dreading this week for a while now... June was out of town for 5 days! Yikes! I was worried about managing Averie and Margot, but I think we all did great! We even managed to get out of the house multiple times!

Everywhere we go people are very surprised to see how alert Averie is. When they learn that she is only three and a half months old, they are even more shocked. Many people have told us that their own babies were not that alert when they were that young.

bright eyes

Averie is so sweet. When I carry her, she will sometimes reach up and hold my face and stare into my eyes. She is the cutest and kindest little girl.

I visited some friends at my old job at the Maryland School for the Blind. It was so fantastic to talk with my friends and introduce them to Averie. They were all so wonderful and shared some great "mom" stories with me. It was so helpful and great to just be around friends. I also talked with some of the students there. 

They are all getting so big. They are almost as tall as me!

The kids were so excited to meet Baby Averie. They all patted her head. One of the girls felt the Bjorn carrier and said, "Miss Emy, you're baby is in a baby purse!" They are so cute! I really, truly miss these amazing children.

One of the girls leading another girl's hand to the top of Averie's head to show her where to pat. The kids are so sweet and helpful to one another.

After hanging out with the students, I went out to dinner with some friends and their kids. It was so great! At our table, there were 4 adults and 7 children. All the children were girls! It was so great to catch up and hang out.

Erin and Claire

Morgan and Elise chatting with Miss Janis and Averie

Moira posing as a pirate

Averie loves Miss Janis

Erin, me, Janis, Erin, and Claire 

Morgan and Elise

Averie and I also got to meet Lindsey and Anthony's new baby son, Lucas. He is so sweet and such a good baby. While we visited he hardly made a peep! He is so precious.

Beautiful new Mommy Lindsey

Proud Papa Anthony. Baby Lucas is smiling!

Lucas is just a month old. He weighs 7 pounds 11 ounces. Averie looks HUMONGOUS next to him! I can't believe that she was that tiny just a few months ago. 

Seeing tiny Baby Lucas made me think about how much Averie, June and I have changed over these past few months. Somedays, I get nothing done. But most days, I feel that we are miles away from where we were when Averie was only a month old. Amazing how you see things differently when you take a step back. I am very thankful that she is healthy and growing.

Holding hands. So sweet.

New Mamas and happy babies!

June came back home on Friday morning and we all couldn't be happier to see him. He brought us all back some souvenirs from Austin. He brought Averie a Texas longhorn! So cute!

That morning we went out to eat at Miss Shirley's Cafe in Annapolis. It was so delicious! We shared a plate with steak, fried green tomatoes, grits, crab, and asparagus. We also shared some coconut custard french toast! It was some of the best food I've had in Maryland. So yummy.

Averie got so big! Suddenly, she just stopped fitting into all of her clothes! It is amazing! She outgrew her bassinet!

Now she gets so much more space to sleep. It has taken her some getting used to, but I think she likes to be able to move around. Our little girl is getting so big!

Mother's Day

My very first Mother's Day

Averie,

       Thank you so much for giving me the precious gift of motherhood. You bring me so much joy and happiness. I never imagined how amazing being your Mommy would make me feel. You have taught me so much about unconditional love, adversity, patience, and joy. You are so sweet and kind and full of spirit. I am delighted and honored to call myself your mother. Thank you so much my sweet Baby Averie.

With all my love,

Mommy

For my very first Mother's Day, I had to go into work. But when I got home, I found beautiful flowers from June and Averie!

We all went out to YamaSushi. June and I had to take turns to eat since Averie was squawking every time we would sit down. Averie just wanted to remind me on Mother's Day that I have to do my job as a mother :) It was a wonderful and beautiful day. I am so extremely thankful to have such a wonderful family.

Baby Averie: Week 15

What a great week! This week we celebrated Averie's 100 Day. I am so thankful that she has been such a healthy and strong baby. She is starting to develop her own little personality which is sweet, but fiery.

 

our little Averie

I went into work once this week for training. While I was gone, June and Averie spent the day together. And, amazingly she drank from a little cup! She drank about 6 ounces from a tiny medicine cup and hardly spilled a drop! I was so happy to hear that she was eating and that she wasn't crying.

spending the morning together

don't mind June's bed head :)

Back when I had picked up the changing table, the people who sold it to us also included the cushioned mat. But we already had a brand new one, so I put the old one in the pile to take to Goodwill. Well, I haven't made time to drop off our stuff. But look who has made it her new bed! Oh Margot! You ALWAYS need a soft spot for your delicate bulldog butt!

For over a week or so, we've been working on having Averie put herself to sleep. She used to require being held, rocked, or nursed to fall asleep at night. But now, we lay her down and tell her goodnight. She doesn't cry or fuss, she just goofs around or sqwaks about for 10 minutes, then eventually knocks out. We are so proud of our little girl.

Listen to Averie coo. Her little voice is so cute! I love how she "talks" to us :)

Infant Sandals Tutorial

These little baby sandals are perfect for those warm days. I just love how cute Averie's little tiny feet look in these. 

They were super easy to make. You can too:

Materials:

• felt
• covered elastic (I used colorful hair ties. There's a great assortment at the $1 stores)
• needle and thread

That's it! 

Step 1:

Cut out 4 tiny ruffled circles (about the size of a quarter). Then cut out a long strip with one edge ruffled. Also cut out 1 circle about the same size as the ruffled circles.

Just randomly make the ruffles. The more random, the better!

Step 2:

Take one ruffled circle and fold it in half. Then fold it in half again, as pictured below:

Step 3:

Using the needle and thread, sew the pointy corner to the center of the circle piece. This will complete 1/4 of your flower. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until you have a full flower.

Step 4:

Roll up the long ruffled strip.

Step 5: 

Sew the piece from Step 4 to the center of your flower.

Step 6:

Take your covered elastic and measure around the width of the baby's foot. Sew it in place.

 

Step 7:

Make another loop that is slightly larger than the first. Sew that loop in place. 

Note: there are 3 loops pictured in this tutorial, but you can also just make 2 loops as in the darker pink sandals at the top of the page. Both stay on baby's feet just fine.

Step 8:

Sew the flower onto the elastic loops. Sew it onto where the loops meet as pictured below:

Done! Now repeat to make the other sandal. Slip onto baby's feet and just admire those cute little toes!