Is it Friday yet?

The weekend went way too fast without feeling like much was accomplished.  There was a lot of tennis watching going on since I'm obsessed with tennis and there's better coverage on the weekends.  Avery likes to watch tennis too so we have been catching some replays of matches during the day (since the slam is in Australia and they are 16 hrs. ahead of us, most matches are played late at night and into the very early hours of the morning).  Other than that, Avery has been working on her words and finding everyone's belly button.  She is also very much into combing her hair and everyone else's hair-maybe she's a hair stylist in training!  Mommy has been under the weather since yesterday and I literally feel like it should be Friday already! Being pregnant, taking care of a toddler, going to class and being sick makes for one sleepy and run down mom!  Oh Friday, get here soon...not only will daddy be home to help take care of the princess, but the tennis finals are this weekend!

Avery being such a big girl.  She's enjoying one of her absolute favorites right now-sour cream and onion pringles-while watching Toy Story so mommy could get a little studying done.

Playing with one of her current favorite toys-her little people airplane.  She loves the little people and the plane even came with a female pilot!!

I don't know why this picture is so small...but Aunt Cindy sent Avery a bunny hat and she loves to wear it around the house!  She's just chillin' in the house in her princess chair with her bunny hat on:)

Food Crazy

For the past month or more we have had a little girl that has decided to use her new found independence to be a selective eater.  Things that she used to love and gobble up, she now shakes her head no at and won't touch.  The list of things she'll eat practically shrinks every day. At this point, she will eat chicken nuggets and individual size Tony's frozen pizzas.  I may get her to eat an apple slice or two-that's it for any fruit.  She may nibble on a piece of lettuce-that's it for vegetables.  We have tried and retried and tried again to introduce new and old foods to her hoping she'll 'bite'...no such luck.  Even her love for breakfast has gone away.  A little girl that loved cereal, bananas, waffles, pancakes, and cinnamon toast will only eat cinnamon rolls and poptarts.  As a parent, I worry that she's not eating enough healthy food, if not eating enough at all.  There are meals that she doesn't eat a single thing.  We just keep trying and relish in the moments where she eats almost all that's in front of her, even if it is a pizza or Wendy's chicken nuggets and fries!  The last few days I have captured Avery showing off her eating skills and her new skill of drinking from a straw (thank you Starbucks!).

Avery enjoying some chocolate alla a candy bar...it was just a mini candy bar and she only had half, but it was so cute because she had chocolate all over her face and thought it was the greatest thing!

Avery can drink from a straw!!  One of her favorite things to drink using a straw, Starbucks' strawberry lemonade:)

Enjoying her pizza...cheese variety.  At this point, Avery completely gobbles the Tony's brand of frozen pizza.

Mmmm...one of her absolute favorite snacks-and a typical daily, after nap snack-pretzel rods.  She usually decides to shove most of it in her mouth and gum it down (she still only has 5 teeth!)

Sweet Sleepy Girl

Ok, so since I feel that there has been a lot about Avery's very public tantrums lately I thought I would put some pictures up to prove that she absolutely has her sweet moments:)  These actually both occurred this weekend and we were able to go to the grocery store, Babies R Us, and a quick lunch at Wendy's without Avery throwing a tantrum!  

On a side note:

It has been so nice getting such great advice from everyone and stories of similar experiences. It really gives me a sigh of relief as a mom.  This blog has been such a wonderful way of sharing Avery and our family with with friends and loved ones that don't get to see us on a daily basis (thanks Megs for introducing me to this wonderful world!)-even if many of them don't really understand blogs or know how to post comments!  It has been such a great way to also reconnect with people and see how everyone has changed and families have grown.  I often feel that Avery has friends in all of the kids we check on, even though we don't get to see them (and have never met some!).  Avery usually checks blogs with me and absolutely loves looking at everyone's pictures.  Speaking of the great advice I always get...any great tips on switching from crib to bed?  Avery will be heading to one in a few months and we want to take the time we have before Spencer gets here to slowly transition her.  I'm of course nervous she's going to fall out, she's all over the place in her crib.  Is there an opinion on whether you get the toddler bed or go straight for the twin??  

Just a quick update on Avery's 15th month check up.  She weighs in now at a whopping 20 lbs. 15 oz. and is 31 in. long.  She's currently in a junk food phase where all she wants are pringles, fries, chicken nuggests, cheetos, etc. (the one healthy exception, she freakin' loves lettuce-just plain old iceberg lettuce!) so she'll probably really be packing on the pounds soon if we can't control this!  She also had three shots this visit-which I really hate.  Since I'm not a medical professional I always second guess myself about letting her get vaccinated because of all the hype out there.  I just want her to be healthy and protected.  Whew, I guess that's it...

Mommy sure does enjoy this! Avery had just gotten up from a nap, but wasn't quite ready to wake up so she crawled on me and rested a bit more-while I played with her hair of course!

This is a very rare occurrence. Avery actually fell asleep on the short car ride home from the grocery store.  She didn't cry in the car or anything. It was pure bliss! (by the way, we were in the garage, safely parked while Artie was about to get her out and I snapped the pic...didn't want to give you the impression that we just drive around without her being properly buckled in!)

Brother or Sister?

Here is Avery pushing her baby in her stroller...she finally figured out that baby goes in the stroller, not other random toys!  She's so cute, constantly taking baby out to give her kisses and hugs-where is this angel when we are out in public???

According to the ultrasound tech, baby B. is "definitely a boy"!  Therefor, Avery Kay will be the big sister to a little brother in four short months.  I'll spare you the ultrasound pictures, but according to the tech there's no mistaking that it's a boy.  I, on the other, could see "it" as a possible extra limb.  Those ultrasounds are tough for the untrained eye.  Regardless, baby B. now has a name, Spencer Harris.  Spencer is a name that Artie and I liked (and it keeps our family names, minus the dogs, all beginning with A's and S's) and Harris is a family name.  Dr. says baby is developing just as it should, so that is what we are most grateful for.  Avery was a complete handful at the Dr.'s.  I'm not sure how much more of these screaming sessions in public I can take. My blood pressure was so high by the time I actually got in for my appointment, I'm still recovering.  She's such a different person when she's at home, it's amazing.  We are heading to the pediatrician Monday for her 15 month check up, perhaps she'll have some advice for us.  Not many pictures from the week. Artie worked very long hours all week long, giving me a taste of single-parent-hood, which I found I do not care for.  As a result, not much energy for capturing pictures this week (plus, the spring semester started and I'm taking 2 classes so it was really a hectic week!).    

Where's your nose??

Avery is learning where things are on her body.  It's so funny to watch her pull up her shirt when you ask her where her belly button is.  Even funnier is when you ask her where her nose is...instead of pointing to it, she sticks her finger straight up in it!  It looks like she's picking, but she isn't...yet!  Avery has also had another accomplishment this week.  She has learned to drink out of a straw.  It happened overnight basically with a little coaxing from Starbucks.  We had been experimenting with the straw for a few weeks, but then Artie brought home a drink from Starbucks-a strawberry creme frappuccino (no caffiene!)- and Avery wanted it so bad, she tackled the straw and now loves drinking out of them!  Pictures of that to come...

Here are a few other pictures from our weekend...

Here is the famous "where's the nose" shot! She also has one of her favorite bath toys in hand...a bath crayon from Aunt Cindy-she's becoming a real Picasso in the tub!

Avery earlier today, playing the drums on daddy's Rock Band drum set.

These are our boys...it was just such a cute photo opportunity.  They're sharing the rug in front of our patio door-the one they go out-watching for squirrels probably with their chew toy between them:)

A peek-a-boo picture from after breakfast-look at those blue eyes!

This is what our camera does to Avery when the flash is on. It is so annoying, we miss so many great photo opps because the flash is too much for her to handle.  I did think this one turned out cute anyway...

It finally happened!

Well, it finally happened last night.  I had heard stories from others and had considered my self and my husband lucky that it had not yet occurred.  We can now join the list of those who have had this experience...at almost 15 months old, Avery finally had a poopie in the tub!  This post will be sans pictures of the event-for your benefit and my daughter's!  I witnessed this second hand, after the fact.  I was cleaning the kitchen after dinner, when I heard Artie screaming my name...I thought Avery may have fallen or something bad happened to her, so I went running.  I enter the bathroom to my husband announcing that Avery had pooped in the tub and reenacting for me how she did it, laughing.  Then he skimmed the bubbles off the water so I could see the actual product.  Oh man, the joys of parenting!  We laughed at the situation and agreed that Avery is absolutely adorable while doing her business, even when it is in the tub!  What has become of our lives??  Becoming a parent really does grant you admission into a special club.  Fellow parents can understand the relevance of this "momentous" event:)

Fitness in the new year

We haven't really made any formal new year's resolutions per se...but we are trying to continue being healthy and working out.  It's a real challenge for me being pregnant and trying to stay in shape.  This time around has been even more challenging (hello swelling, where did you come from?).  When I got pregnant with Avery in January '07, I was running an average of 25 miles a week.  I continued to jog until my 4th month, but really didn't keep working out the way I should have.  I packed on 50 lbs. during that pregnancy, mostly because my metabolism was so high from running and then crashed from not working out at all, the Wendy's fries and frosties I craved so bad in the last three months didn't help either.  After having Avery, and a c-section, I had a horrible time trying to get back to running.  My joints hurt so bad from all of the extra weight and it took me a long time to heal from my abdomen being sliced open and a baby pulled from it.  Needless to say, when I got pregnant again, I had not lost all of the weight from Avery.  It freaked me out because I didn't want to gain as much weight as I did with her on top of the weight I hadn't lost. Thankfully, this pregnancy, I was sicker in the first three months and haven't craved anything, yet anyway.  Sure, things sound good, but nothing I have to really have, and peanut butter (which I love) tastes so awful-I've tried every brand and it tastes so funny! So this pregnancy and this year I'm dedicated to working out as long as I can.  I'm 19 weeks and still jogging:)  When the belly gets too big for that I'll hit the elliptical, but for now the Dr. says I can run as long as it's comfortable.  To help, Artie is also working out and running regularly.  That way he's in shape to take care of 2 kids and he can help get me back in running form after the baby's born.  As extra help, Avery has also taken to the treadmill.  I'm hoping she enjoys running as much as mommy one day and we can do it together!!  We even put Rocco (our beagle) on the treadmill sometimes when he has too much energy!  We'll see how the workouts continue.  I tend to get frustrated when I can't run and don't do anything else.  This time, I think I learned my lesson from Avery, work out until the end and easy on the fries!  So here's to everyone finding time for themselves to workout a little in the new year.  It's good for your mind, body and soul!

Little Miss Avery and her first attempt at tackling the treadmill!  She knew what to do right away...don't worry she didn't go far, but she really liked it:)