Giggling Girl

While we were playing with Avery last night, she broke out into a lot of giggles. She has done some here and there but never like this! I decided to get out the video camera but figured that she would definitely stop once she saw it. Luckily, I managed to capture it. There is nothing sweeter than a smiling and laughing baby. I could watch this over and over again!

*On a sidenote- Bill and I watched all of our Avery video footage from the night before my induction to now, and I became a sentimental mess! If I act like this now only 3 months in, how am I going to be in 10 years?

3 Months

Another month has flown by! Our big girl is now 1/4 of a year old. I probably will say this every month but this truly has been the most fun. Avery is a totally different baby than she was just a few weeks ago. In the book, The Happiest Baby on the Block, the author talks about how babies should really stay in the womb for a 4th trimester because they become so much happier and well adjusted after 3 months. It is so true! Avery is a happy, smiling baby that cries so much less than she used to, sleeps great, and is really fun to be around.

Here's what she's been up to the last month...

Eating- Avery eats like a champ. She eats every three hours during the day which ends up being about 5-6 feedings a day. Her cheeks and belly let me know that she is well fed. :) We don't have an accurate weight measurement because we didn't see the pediatrician this month. According to our scale, she is around 13 pounds.

I love these cheeks!

Sleeping- Avery has made so much progress in this department. Last month she was still sleeping in her swing. We first managed to get her to sleep in the bassinet during the night. About two weeks ago, we transitioned her into the crib in her room. I got extremely sentimental that night...ask Bill! It's just so strange not having her sleep next to me. I was a little sad at first but then realized how amazing it is to have some peace and quiet before I go to sleep instead of tiptoeing to bed. Her sleeping schedule is this- Bed at around 9:00, wake up once around 5:30ish to eat then back to sleep, wake around 8:00 for the day. There have been about 4 nights that she has slept from 9:00 pm to around 8:30 am with no waking up. Those days are magical! She has been napping a lot during the day also. She usually takes a little nap around 10:30, a 2 hour nap around 1, and another short nap around 5. I hope that she keeps this up!

She has been smiling up a storm lately but hates to smile for the camera. The second that it comes out, she automatically starts looking at it very seriously. We did manage to catch a couple this month when she wasn't looking.

Diapers/ Clothing- About a week ago, Avery made the switch from size 1 diapers to size 2. Pampers seem to work the best but we had a diaper cake made with Luvs that worked well also. She is still wearing 0-3 months outfits but can fit in a couple things that are 3-6 months. It all depends on the brand of the clothes.

Likes this month- standing, hanging out in the bathroom while I shower or blowdry my hair, her playmat, sitting in her bumbo chair, going on walks or being outside in general, talking up a storm, bathtime (until we have to put on her diaper and clothes), her soft puppy, putting her hands in her mouth, and getting anyone's individual attention.

Laughing in the bathroom

She has become quite studious

Dislikes- loud noises that scare her, getting spit up stuck in her neck rolls, riding in the car at night (when it's dark outside), and tummy time.

Why do I have to do this, Mom?

Some more pictures from this month...

Luke's Dedication at church- glad that we could be a part of his special day!

More standing

Loving on her puppy

Uncle Scott and Aunt Steph came to visit!

Look at my cool hand trick

She's changed so much that we can't wait to see what is to come this next month!

Hunting Weekend 2010

Billy and his friends go hunting every year in September. During this time we always have a girls weekend. We had three additions this year which made things drastically different! Usually, we relax, go to a movie, get a massage, go out to dinner, etc. Needless to say, we couldn't do these same activities this year but the babies provided some entertainment for us. Ash graciously allowed Lindsay, Garrett, Avery, and me to stay over at her house for the weekend. It was the babies' first sleepover! Here's what we did-

Hung out in our pajamas

Played on Luke's playmat

Did some dancing

Did some swinging

Played dress up with Luke

Ate our hands

And pretended that Garrett was a shepherd boy

On Friday night we got a little break. We went to Carrabbas with our friends, Emmalie and Chelsea, while we got babysitters. Thanks Wendy! It was nice to have a couple hours with adults. On Saturday night, we took the babies to Chipotle for dinner.

Avery slept the whole meal

We headed back to Ash's house afterward where Avery and Luke stood to check each other out.

Inappropriate Luke!

It turned out to be a fun weekend!

Happy Thursday!

Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks-

Meeting some of her Great Grandparents for the first time

Avery borrowed Luke's Johnny Jump Up but she couldn't reach the floor to jump so she swung in it. Her hand looks awkward sticking out the leg hole but she didn't seem to mind.

Stripping down for bath time!

Our little girl LOVES to stand. I'm worried that she is going to skip crawling and go straight to walking!

My new favorite thing to do is to suck on my wrist.

Avery has gotten to be so much fun lately! She is sleeping well and hardly fussy at all during the day now. She interacts a lot more now especially while she's on the changing table (not sure why that is). I'm really trying to cherish these sweet times!

It's a Miracle...Blanket!

I had heard about the Miracle Blanket from my friend, Lindsay. A friend of hers told her about how wonderful it was so we decided to get one. It is a swaddling blanket that has special flaps for her arms so that they can't sneak out. Avery always wakes up with her arms out which would wake her up.

It came in two nights ago, and I am now a believer! On the first night, I put Avery in her bassinet around 10:30, and she did not make a peep until 7:00 am! Last night she went to sleep at 9:30 and woke up at 6:00. I can definitely handle 8 1/2 hours of straight sleep. I can't wait until the startle reflex settles down so that we won't need to strap her arms in but until then we will use this amazing blanket. I am definitely using this blanket on Day 1 with my next child!