Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Avery at 13 Months

I started this post on May 1, so that I would be able to just put it out there on the web on May 2, the big 13-month day, but here we are at May 4, and I'm just now really writing it. Because when I went back to edit it and put it up there, I realized I only had one sentence written, and no pictures. So much for being on top of things around here.

I want to show you some of Avery's favorite things.

1. Laundry. Yes, this photo is obviously cropped, and very poorly. See my foot peeking out next to Avery? I'm not looking so hot here, plus I needed to crop out the unmentionables - don't really need those floating around on here. Back to laundry...Avery really loves to stand at the open dryer and bang on the lint catcher. And she likes to pull out the clothes that I'm trying to put in it. Such a big helper!
2. If something is VERY awesome, it goes on her head, as evidenced by
    a) washcloths



b) Mr. Potato Head glasses

3. The dishwasher. She loves to put her fridge toys in it, or whatever else she is currently playing with.

4. Shoes. She loves to pull all of them off of the shoe rack, and then she just leaves them there for me to clean up. Thanks, Avery!

5. Her chair. This was a Christmas gift from Nana, and she loves to climb all over it and read her books in it.


6. Her wagon (not pictured). She will stand at it and bounce up and down to let me know she wants to go on a walk. So we walk in it almost every day, to the mailbox, around the complex, before dinner because she's cranky, after dinner because she's cranky, to the pool. It goes everywhere with us. Thanks GM and GD for this awesome gift!! We're going to wear the tires off of it soon.

7. Putting things on her arms (and dogs, too).


8. If she really loves something, she likes to burrow into it. She will dive into your lap and burrow in (my favorite form of cuddling). She dives into her lovey blanket. She dives into laundry piles. She dives into her chair. Thankfully she doesn't dive into the wagon.

At 13 months, she is also grating her front teeth together, which makes me cringe. It's like nails on a chalkboard. Strawberries are her very favorite fruit, with banana falling in a close second. She still isn't a huge fan of meat - sometimes she'll surprise me and gobble it all up, but it has to be dressed up in something. She doesn't like it plain. Her knees are all scraped up because she crawls everywhere still, and it's shorts weather now. But, she has developed a new method of crawling that doesn't involve her knees. She walks on her hands and feet with her bottom up in the air. I'll find the video of it. She doesn't like the texture of grass so much but she has a new-found fascination with leaves. She is taking a few steps here and there, but not enough to classify her as a walker. She seems to have lost interest in practicing that this week. Always in her own, slow time. She loves to climb. She bounces in her bed, squeak squeak squeak, until I come get here in the mornings. She has 3 teeth up top and 4 on the bottom, with another one peeking through. She loves having her teeth brushed. Avery has started wailing as we get her ready for the bath, but 20 seconds after getting in she is happily playing with her toys. What??? I don't get this one. Separation anxiety still plagues us, as does the stigma associated with it. She adores books and will sit in the car just holding one for twenty minutes - it's the cutest thing. She also likes to all of the books off of her bookshelf (that's okay) and off of our bookshelf (not okay).

I think I forgot to post her 12 month stats from the doctor, but she was 20 lbs 4 oz and 30" a month ago. I can really see how she's slimmed down and lost some of the baby chub in the past couple of months.

She is just the most fun, and we are so blessed to have her.

Friday, April 30, 2010

Catching Up

(I'm trying to get a lot of posts in today, since I have time and because I actually remembered to take pictures this week.)

Avery and I met up with our friend Crystal and her three cuties yesterday for a little Jumping Beans action. It's a huge warehouse that has about 10 inflatable jumping thingies (do they have a proper name?), plus a cute little toddler area. We bounced around in the big ones for awhile before lunch, and then off to the toddler area when the school group took over.
Look who sat at the big kid table all by herself!
I think she's trying to climb up the slide.
Weee!
I tried a new cupcake shop. This is in Cedar Park, and oh so yummy!
L to R Snickerdoodle, Devil's Food with Peanut Butter Frosting, Strawberry, Devil's Food with Chocolate Frosting
Normally Avery wakes up very happy and much perkier than this. But, today was a MOPS day, which meant three hours in a nursery, which she HATES. Something about having to play! with toys! and other babies! The horror! So, on days that she misses her morning nap, she sleeps pretty heavily, and then wakes groggily, and is grumpy. Watch this unfold:
 No pictures please, Mom. 
No, really! No pictures. I'm gonna get really angry.
I told you!
Oh, wait. Did you say "cookie"?
Thanks Mom! You're the best.

In Another Life

Today I threw out a large stack of papers. Not a big deal, right? I throw paper out everyday. Luke would argue that I should throw more paper out. But most papers don't give me a sense of nostalgia, not like these did. These were all of the important notes I saved from college (yes, I still had those!) - the ones that I would use when I went back and got my RD (registered dietitian). Basic Nutrition, Advanced Nutrition, Clinical Nutrition, Advanced Clinical Nutrition, Food Science, Biochem of Nutrition, the list goes on. I think getting rid of them really made me see that the door is closed. It was closed a long time ago. Much by my own decisions. But it still stings a little.

See that tiny stack on the left? That's the food science section...notes that are pertinent to my baking and that will probably get tossed out in another 5 years.

I'm feeling a sense of loss with this, a sort of identity crisis. Life has gone down a very different path than I thought it would as I walked across that stage at Baylor graduation. It's been a very enjoyable journey, and I'm happy where I've ended up. But sometimes I wonder what if I had pursued the clinical side of food? And really, it stems back to the wonky system in which they place people into dietetic programs. When you get cross-cut from the system, it kinda screws with your plans. So I floundered for a few years, decided not to try again, did culinary school instead. LOVED IT. Most fun I've ever had. Never had as much fun studying biochemistry. I didn't really like the hospital visits and trips to the nursing home. Nutrition research - highly interesting field, learned a lot, great experiences, not for me. Counseling in nutrition was better, but only when you got those people who really got it, who really understood what kind of changes were needed to make their lives healthier. Apparently I just prefer dessert and those that like dessert. But at least I can tell them why they shouldn't eat that extra cupcake and should just stop at one (okay, maybe two).

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Fun in the Sun

We took Avery to the pool today - one benefit of apartment living...easy pool access. This will be such a blessing this summer. The weather has been nice and warm, but the water is still FREEZING. Once we got over the initial shock, we had a blast. Aunt Michelle and Uncle Nick - too weenie to try it out.



Avery and Daddy


No, Mom! You're not supposed to be in the picture!


Fine, if you must.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Scarf

She found my scarf and put it on all by herself. She's so observant of how things work these days.

First Steps

First Steps from Luke Presley on Vimeo.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

1, 2, 3 Strikes

We took Avery to her first baseball game last night. Thanks to Luke's job, we scored some free tickets to the Round Rock Express game (although they're super cheap anyways, thank you Minor League Baseball!) We weren't quite sure how she'd take to it, since the game started at her bedtime, but she absolutely loved it. We managed to catch 4 or 5 innings before she was done. We live so close to the stadium, so I think we'll spend much of our summer there this year.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Ta-Da!

I'm no cake decorator; I'm (semi)officially declining any kids' birthday parties for cakes from here on out. I'm more of the goopy, homestyle, Americana-type cake lady. And I LOVE to do those. But for this girl, I'd do anything. Even a two-tier 1st birthday cake. And it was pink inside.


Thursday, April 15, 2010

Pictures from the birthday party are being held hostage by my parents until I go home to visit. To tide you over, here's the link from our family pics.

And I'm hoping to get pics from her 1 year photo shoot soon too - cupcakes galore on that one! Avery had a blast. I'll post pictures or a link when I get it. 

Wednesday, April 07, 2010

New Trick

Does This Make You Hungry?

The Life of a One Year Old

Thanks Mom! I love puffs!
Birthday pancakes are DELISH.
So are birthday cards from Gramma and Grandpa Great.
her BFF Daisy
Cheerios taste best when I've first made a mess.
Daddy's helper.
Happy Easter!

Friday, April 02, 2010

...one...

Sweet Avery Jane,

Exactly one year ago, plus a few hours, you were born into our lives, handed over into our arms, and permanently sealed within our hearts. You have made this the craziest most wonderful year ever. Your presence has made us stronger, kinder, gentler, more patient, sillier, happier than we've ever been. You are a true testament to God's hand in our lives. You are a gift, and may we always treasure you.

You remind me that I shouldn't spend my life stressing over the small details, and that I should simply enjoy the day with you. I wasn't so good at that today, but once we sat you down to dinner, the pure joy on your face at the mess you were allowed to make made me forget about all of the stress I placed on myself. Just so you know, cake doesn't come at the end of every meal now that you're one. But I promise you'll get it a couple more times this week, to make this celebration last a bit.

Happy Birthday sweet girl!

Don't mind the poor decorating job - we were lucky to have cake at all at this point in the day. 
Cake is good, but making a mess is better!
What meal is complete without a little digging around?
Thanks Grandmommy and Granddaddy for my new ride!