Follow this link…

Follow this link to the new blog (I ran out of space again).  There is also a link on the side of the page to get to it as well.  Enjoy.

www.avery3.wordpress.com

Bye Bye lovely locks…

Okay, I am aware that it has been too long since I updated.  Sorry.  We’ve just been so busy up here.  And just for the record, I may be starting a new blog again…running out of space AGAIN!! Emily is going to teach me how to import the pictures differently when she comes up for Christmas, so this may be the last time I have to start a new one…we’ll see.  I will post a link to it in a new post here when it does happen, so everyone can follow to the new one without getting lost!

Chicago…

Two weekends ago, we went to Chicago to meet Todd’s Mom.  He hasn’t seen her in almost 18 years and it was wonderful to finally meet her!  She works for Hyatt, so we all stayed there in Chicago.  We spent lots of time talking, catching up (and when Todd went to a Guinness think, his Mom and I did a LOT of laughing/bonding)  We watched I now pronounce you Chuck and Larry.  Which, I will say, was incredibly stupid – it was the funny kind of stupid.  All in all, I would count the visit as a big success – a very emotional success!  Avery got to meet his Grandmom for the first time and they hit it off great!  I look forward to more.  Here are some of the pics…

     

He’s nothing if not a goofball!  Such a ham!

It was funny, Todd and I let our guard down for like a millisecond…and Avery managed to go into the bathroom at the hotel and within seconds, came strolling out with toilet paper from head to toe!  It was really funny.  He had this, “look what I made, I’m so creative” face on.

This was him being funny when we got home…

That next week, Avery had peanut butter and jelly for the first time.  I had tried in the past to give him bread, but he didn’t want anything to do with it.  I guess it was a texture thing (wonder where he got that from??).  Anyway, while in Chicago, Avery was very experimental with his eating.  He would eat anything and everything you put in front of him – including bread.  And ever since, he has been devouring everything that comes his way.  Anyway, back to the story.  He LOVED the PB and J!  He gobbled up that sandwich (or sandwaaach as Ben says) faster than I could make it.  He has taken to placing food on top of his sippy cup, then tilting it back off to hear the “plop” of it hitting the tray again.  He tried this with his sandwich and this is what came out.  I just happened to snap these pics at exactly the right second!

 

Milwaukee…

The very next weekend, my parents came to visit.  We had Turkey Day the weekend before because of my job.  It was a fast weekend, but a great one!  We spent all of Saturday (basically) with Mom, Dad and I in the kitchen making dinner.  It turned out great if I do say so myself.  Only problem though, is our kitchen was really only built to have a half a person cooking in there at the same time, so it was a little tight, but as they say, the closer you are the closer you stay.

Again, Avery devoured everything we put in front of him (even the turkey, which he claimed to hate before)! 

On Sunday, we went to church (which usually means that Avery is way late for his morning nap), but he was great in church.  Grandpa held him the entire time and he didn’t fuss at all.  He was squirmy like always, but a very good boy.  After church we got his FIRST HAIR CUT!!  We were a little concerned at how he would react, but again, he was great!  We went to a place in town and they had a little car that he could sit in for the event.  The woman who cut his hair was great, she followed all his wiggles and did a great job on his hair.  She was very patient, and Avery was a model little boy…

  Before… During… and the last little snip

I’m gonna get you……not if I get you first!!!

  goofy.

Look how tall and cute I am…

 

That’s all for now.  And I am going to steal Emily’s idea and request that you all “de-lurk” yourselves.  I am curious to find out who reads this blog…as Emily said I am aware of the tried and true…but I would like to know the others as well.  See how far this thing has traveled out in blog-space.

Almost FOURTEEN MONTHS!!!

 Feet feet feet are neat neat neat

 

We had an empty Cheerio box by the trash and he found it…he tried to put it in the dishwasher among other places…it was really funny.

 

Woof…this is his Halloween costume, though oddly enough, he didn’t actually wear it on Halloween.  I had to work so we didn’t take him trick or treating.  Besides that, he doesn’t eat candy.

 Can’t…get…up…

Ahhhh, sleepy

Yep, I was right, I am sleepy, but funny too.

 We got to see a Fire Truck up close.  Avery even got to sit in the driver’s seat.  They pulled up in front of the house and Avery went NUTS!  He was bouncing up and down, squealing and giggling and smacking the glass. So I got some shoes and a coat on him and myself and we went outside.  I didn’t know the firemen were still in the truck, but they came out when we walked out the door.  Their first question was…”Did you order a pizza?”  Now, those of you who know my brain can appreciate my response.  I was considering saying…”wow, they must really need some money at the fire station” or “that is the best delivery truck I have seen” but instead, I settled for “No, are you hungry?”  They laughed and said no, that they were doing a promotion for fire prevention week and they were following the pizza delivery guy around to his stops and educating the hungry recipients on fire safety.  They let him sit in the seat and take pictures.  It was really cool! 

I sure do love my kitty!

 But I really love to dance!

Now Avery, if you eat the couch, where will we sit???

 I am not feeling very verbal today, so there ya go…pictures.

Pics and a few stories

Okay, so I started typing this huge long post and realized after I filled a huge portion that it was going to take too long.  So I have decided to just go with some pictures and a few captions from our trip to Florida.  We spent 8 days in Florida.  Some was spent at Todd’s stepsister and brother-in-laws house and some was spent at my grandparents house.  Also, if I have forgotten anything or left anything out, please feel free to inform me…

 Avery and his Great Grandpa.

 Avery LOVED the beach.  Gulf and Ocean. 

 swimming with Mommy and Great Grandma

 getting some much-needed water from Great Grandma

 Avery and his cousin Lauren.  He enjoyed taking all their bags of chips out of the drawer, squashing them and hitting them on different things (to make sure there were more in the bag) then slam dunking them back in.

 Avery and Lauren, again…he just fell in LOVE with her.  I think the feeling was mutual!  They both seemed to have tons of fun with each other.

  more fun at the beach…the ocean side.

 Okay, this one needs a little help…Lauren’s friend cut off a pair of jeans into shorts because they were too short…so go figure, the only logical thing to do at that point is to make yourself a beautiful “floppy” hat.  Very stylish these days in Florida…I guess we are a little behind the times up here in the frozen tundra.

   Sorry about that shot Debbie,  but it is a good one of of the sugar glider (flying squirrel for those of you who don’t know).  We enjoyed a few late night beer/3 am swimming (you’re a bad influence Stacey) sessions while playing with this cute little marsupial.  We still never found it’s pouch.    Little joke.

  Ring around the pole!  We were “investigating” everything while Carson played baseball.

PJ’s and Forks…

The other day, it was chilly here, so we put some ‘big boy’ PJ’s on Avery before he went to sleep.  The kind with the pants and a long-sleeve shirt (instead of the sleepers that make him look about 2 months old).  He looks so grown-up.  I know that sounds weird to say about a boy who just turned one, but there have been a lot of moments recently where it hits me that I don’t have a baby anymore.  It’s a sad realization sometimes, but it is always followed by him doing something extra silly or that he hasn’t done before.  So I am torn between wanting my little baby back and loving that he is growing and becoming a ‘big boy’.  I love all of his new milestones!  And he is growing sillier and sillier by the minute it seems. 

Side note: this post was started a few weeks ago, so here is the new stuff…

He has mastered standing up without the help of furniture and he is running (kind of).  He gets going real fast and then trips over himself.  He can dance – THAT IS FUNNY!!!  When he was in his excersaucer a long time ago, I used to use the “can you bounce bounce bounce?” phrase and he would bounce like crazy.  Now if I tell him to “bounce bounce bounce to the music” he dances, it is the funniest thing!  I will try to get it on video, but he moves quick.

He is doing great at using his own fork now, and he is working on scooping stuff (oatmeal, mainly sticky stuff) with his own spoon and eating it that way.  I think we are not far off of the time when he will start all on his own. 

Speaking of eating…

We were getting ready for dinner last night and he yawned real big and I saw something in the back of his mouth.  We had just been outside playing so I thought maybe he ate something yuckie, so I went in after it.  Only to find…ANOTHER TOOTH!!!  It is in the back so I hadn’t seen it, but from the looks of it, it came in about the same time as number 7.  I reached back in and found ANOTHER one on top of that sneaky little one in the back!  Crazy.  So the count is four on the top in front and one on the top in back and 3 and a half (#4  is not quite in yet) on the bottom in front and one in the back on bottom.  That makes 9 and a half teeth.  I can’t believe it!

It has been almost a month since his birthday, and he has done so much!  So on to the photos…

     

Using my fork for my macaroni.

 

Big Boy PJ’s

  

“I know I can’t have my milk without my screwdriver…can YOU?”

   

I was learning the concept of “gentle” while playing with a balloon from my birthday party.  What is under balloons anyway that makes them fly so high???

 

Peek-a-bo

  

It’s always a good time for pickles (to use a Ben-ism)

   

Fun at the zoo in Racine

Odd, they have a digger at the zoo…it seems to be a staple of every zoo…we’ve seen them at the St. Louis Zoo too.

 

Yum

   

“Okay Mom, if I can’t have a soda, can I at least help you put the dishes away?”

He’s become such a good little helper.

   

 

 

I LOVE this outfit!  It was one of Ben’s

 

I seeeee you…

 

Having fun at the playground at our complex.

 That’s all for now, considering that I have encountered about 4 complaints that Emily updated her blog today, and I still haven’t…so here ya go…

Our boy is officially ONE YEAR OLD!!

So we officially have a one year old!  This last year has been crazy, fun, exciting and sometimes scary. 

This weekend, Grandma and Grandpa came to visit for his birthday and to help us with throwing Avery a party.  I have to admit, it was a success (not to toot my own horn or anything, but…TOOT TOOT)!  We threw him a Saturday Sundae party.  Even though we almost forgot the ice cream, we had all the toppings we could think of and we grilled hot dogs later in the evening.  Avery had a somewhat cranky weekend because he had gotten his shots on Friday, but all in all, I think we all had fun!  Thank you to all who were able to come to the party!  I think we had a good turnout. 

He had ice cream for the first time, along with some toppings and really liked that too.  I put a little squirt of Redi Whip on his tray and let him play with that too.  He had fun, and of course, got messy.

Here are some pics…

   

He catches on quick!

 

The first bite of ice cream was met with this nasty, surprised icky look.  I think we were all prepared to see him spit it right back out, but when the initial cold shock wore off, it turned into…”GIVE ME SOME MORE OF THAT!  YUM!”

He got to try corn on the cob on his birthday too.  He couldn’t figure out what to do with it, he just pushed it around on his tray.  I tried showing him what to do, but I guess he will figure it out at a later date.

Pictures of Avery and Grandpa from the weekend…

 

Reaction…

On Sunday, Avery had a reaction to one of the shots he had received on Friday.  He was covered with tons of tiny red dots over almost all of his body.  We noticed a few on his arm before church, and by the time we got home, they had spread down to his hands, and all over his legs.  We called Dr. C and he told us to treat it with some Benadryl and see if that works, because he wasn’t having any breathing problems.  He said that if he starts to have ANY signs of breathing issues, wheezing, gasping, etc, that we should take him to the ER imediately.  Thank God that we didn’t have to do that.  As of today, they look much better.  At first we thought it was hives, but it didn’t look anything like it did when he had hives a month or so ago.    Mom did say though, that that was what Ben looked like when he had his hives.  But, Dr. C said that since the shot spot was a hard knot-like spot, he thought it was pretty likely that it was a reaction to one of the shots.  That could account for part of his crankyness.  I am not saying that he was a major sour puss all weekend, he was just not his normal “I’m gonna laugh at the world because everything is funny” self. 

Aquarium…

Avery and I spent the day at Schedd’s Aquarium in Chicago yesterday.  Todd had some convention to go to for work, so Avery and I tagged along in hopes that we would catch the Cubs/Cards game.  (side note ~ na na na boo boo Uncle Neil)  We ended up getting a later start than we intended cuz Todd wanted to install Avery’s new car seat in his car for the ride.  So we got to Chicago later than we thought and by the time Todd was done, it was too late to catch the game.  But, Avery and I had a great time at the aquarium.  His favorites seemed to be the sea otters (giggled the whole time) and the penguines!  He was thrilled with the whole thing. 

When we finally got there, it was past Avery’s lunch time, so we made our way to the cafeteria and sat down to eat.  He loves being in new places with lots of people walking by.  He sure is a people watcher.  He laughed everytime he took a bite.  He got way excited about the peas, the ravioli, the milk, the applesauce…EVERYTHING!  He got really excited when I took a bite of my pickle, so thinking it would be too sour for his liking, I gave him a bite.  He giggled!  He loved it.  He ate the whole thing.  Strange how different his tasts are when dealing with things you think he will like and things you think he won’t.  It’s always a surprise. 

When we were done with that, we went into the aquarium.  Our first stop was the dolphins.  They were really far away so I don’t think he even saw them ~ that is until later when they swam right by the window.  Our next stop was the sea otters.  They had a two story display for them, so we saw them from above the water first.  He was excited every time they broke the surface of the water and swam by.  Then we went downstairs to see them in the water.  He went nuts!  It was so funny.  There was three of them in the water and he just loved it.  I let him out of his stroller because he was practically jumping out of his skin to get closer to the window.  He was standiing against the glass for the longest time and everytime they would swim by, he would squeel!  It was really funny.

The pictures that I took didn’t turn out too well because you can’t use flash photography of the animals for their safety.  I did get a good one of the comodo dragon, and I will share that one, but the rest are just of him.  I tried with the sea otters, but they all came out fuzzy.

   

I put that last one in here, cuz you can see him in the glass watching the turtles.

Fork…

My little one is starting to figure out what a fork is for.  I was spearing peas and tortellini on a fork last night for him and he actually got a few in.  I did it again this morning with peaches and he is getting better at it.  He’s on his way to feeding himself.  Big boy.

   

 

End note:  It was 48 degrees this morning!!!!!!!!!!  What the heck is going on???????  I think we are hitting that leap into winter.  We don’t actually have fall in Wisconsin…we just leap directly into winter.  I wouldn’t be surprised if it would snow tomorrow.  Right now, it is 68 degrees.  I’m sure there was something else I wanted to write in here, but I have forgotten what it is.  So I will let you know later.

Stats and a pic…

We had our appointment today at 11 with Dr. C.  Here are his stats:

Height:

September 8, 2006 – 20.5 inches

September 8, 2007 – 29.5 inches

9 inches gained

Weight:

September 8, 2006 – 8 pounds 8 ounces

September 8, 2007 – 18 pounds

9 and a half pounds gained

Head Circ:

September 8, 2006 – don’t remember

September 8, 2007 – 17.5 inches

He is running on the same curve for height and head, however, he has fallen off the chart for weight.  He was hovering down in the 10th percentile for the first 9 months, but now, he fell off.  Dr. C is not overly concerned because he said “he doesn’t look unhealthy in any way, so we just need to keep doing what you are doing and get as much food in him as he will take”.  Apparently our open floor plan (and his unending energy) means the calories he is taking in aren’t even getting into his system because he is CONSTANTLY on the move. 

He still has his hernia, but it is starting to get a little better.  Other than that…we are right on schedule.  He was impressed at how many words Avery can say!  He especially liked the “how now brown cow” and “Avery, what does a snake say”.  I must say, I REALLY like Dr. C, he’s very nice and patient, even if he is a Packer fan! 

   

Like the hair?

I am going to steal Emily’s idea and take a picture of Avery at 5:21 pm tomorrow…one year to the minute!!

Happy Almost Birthday Avery!!!

So this last weekend, the three of us took a trip to St. Louis.  Mom, Dad, Aunt Sue  (and many other family members) threw Avery a birthday party.  We combined it with a 50th birthday party for Uncle Dan.  (Happy Birthday again Uncle Dan)  We also made the trip to celebrate the baptism of one of my three favorite nephews, Samuel.  The weekend was PACKED, and we had tons of fun!  We also had a stop at Todd’s parents house.

Mostly this will be a photo post, but I will start with some updates… 

Avery is quickly perfecting this whole walking concept!  He is on the move almost 24 hours a day!  He can get all the way from one side of the living room to the other (which in our house, is a pretty long way for a baby).  He is also trying to figure out how to turn corners while walking, and is not too bad at it.  He has excellent balance (again, for a baby) and is really good at walking, then stopping, then walking again.  He has also started doing this thing with his arms as he walks, he flaps them up and down and it looks like he is trying to jump or fly (with invisible wings of course).  It’s really funny to watch and I will try to get it on video. 

He is adding more words to his vocabulary and when I post his one year stats, I will also post a list of his verbal skills. 

His sixth tooth came in this past weekend.  He now has two on the bottom and four on top!  My baby is not a baby anymore.  There is a large part of me that is sad to see it happen, but a larger part of me that is thrilled with watching his daily progress into toddlerdom.  I’m torn. 

On with the pictures:

 

“Mommy, Daddy, what’s that?  I don’t get it, is there something under it?”

   

“Okay, now I get it, can I share?”

“Point me to the crib…I’m ready for that NAP!”

On to the baptism of our nephew Samuel…

   

 

On to our time with Todd’s parents…

  

Funny little boy!

On to the misc pics…

   

Three of four Great Grandsons with Great Grandma. And yes, it is just as it looks, my little boy is trying to pick Sam’s nose while Ben grins for the camera and everyone laughs.  What can I say?

   

Our little boys played so well together.  No fits or anything. 

All in all, it was a very nice weekend.  I’m looking forward to our next trip!  Can’t wait to see you again this weekend Grandma and Grandpa!!

We have Avery’s ONE YEAR checkup with Dr. C. on Friday at 11.  We will get his stats and I will post them in the blog when they come in.  We are having his birthday party up here on Saturday (his birthday).  HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Avery and Lauren!!! 

Look at me…

Avery is getting better and better with that whole walking thing…he is trying with all the might he has built up to perfect his new talent.  And we have SUCCESS!!! We actually caught it on film yesterday!  Go to:

www.dropshots.com/mammabrock

to see a quick video of his abilities.  It’s so funny to see his cute little face look up at you after falling down with this huge “aren’t you proud of me Mommy/Daddy?  I did it!” face.  He seems to have a lot of fun with it.  He is getting much bolder (I think that’s a word) with letting go of things and taking off.  He took a pretty bad spill yesterday though, shortly after that video was taken.  He fell into the entertainment center and smacked his face pretty good.  But he is such a trooper!  Can’t wait to show him off this weekend for his FIRST Birthday Party!!

Here are some other cute pictures from the last couple of days…

 Ravioli, peas, corn and carrots…’nuff said

He sure does spend a lot of time in his toy box…

 

Now wait a minute…I think that’s MY foot.

       

Okay, I will start this one with an explanation…I was in the bathroom taking the laundry out of the dryer.  We have a stackable, so I set the laundry basket down on the floor and started dropping clothes into it.  Avery was in the bathroom with me, so I wanted to have some hands free…just in case.  He was standing up against the basket watching what I was doing and grinning really big.  The really big grin he uses when he is about to do something funny, so I braced myself for whatever new stunt he was going to pull now.  He took one “leap” and was in the laundry basket within seconds.  No struggling.  So, I just continued to toss the laundry into the basket…he loved it.  He was giggling and playing with the laundry as it came down.  He was having so much fun and didn’t try to get out of the basket when I was done with the clothes, so I just carried the laundry basket, clothes and kid and kid’s bear out into the living room.  Now, I will narrate.

  “How now brown cow”

  “Ooo I see that rascally bear tried to escape…”

  “Never fear…I will save you…”

  “DID YOU HEAR ME, I SAID STAY HERE!”

Now I must say, he was actually yelling at his bear.  He was not trying to bite him as it seems in the picture.  He was just YELLING!  Then he promptly flung him out of the basket and into the living room.  It was too funny – what a big personality he has!

Enjoy!  Can’t wait for this weekend!  Mom and Dad and the rest of the family are planning a birthday party for Avery on Sept. 1!  Emily is even helping me make/decorate a Martha Stewart monkey cake…it’s really cute!

Hooow Nooow Brooown Cooow Owww…

Avery learned how to say “how now brown cow” although it comes out more like “hoooow noooow drooown doow owww”.  It’s really funny and I can’t wait to show everyone when we get there for his party. 

 Number five has arrived…

Avery’s fifth tooth has just broken the surface!  He now has his two lower and three upper.  He’s so cute!  Obviously we won’t get to post a pic of it anytime in the near future as it’s not quite out yet.  I will do my best!

Shoozies…

Now, I know he is not ready for shoes just yet, but I was going through all his clothes to bag up what is going to St. Louis to be cared for by Sam, and I came across a pair of shoes that were hand-me-downs from a woman I used to work with.  I decided to stick them on Avery’s feet…he really did not know what to think.  He tried biting them, that didn’t work; he tried crawling away from them, this too didn’t work; I picked him up into a standing position and he kept lifting his feet up off the floor like he was afraid of the floor.  It was totally funny.  When he stood up in them on his own and was trying to move around like he normally does, he was walking around like he was wearing clown feet, or scuba fins.  Wish I had that on video, but all we got were a few shots of him playing on the floor while wearing them.

   

He also had fun playing in the Rubbermaid containers that his clothes are in that don’t fit anymore.

   

 

It’s kinda sad that the only way mommy gets her picture with Avery is if she takes the picture herself.  Oh well.

Here are a few more from today…

 Can you tell I have a tooth coming in?

  “What…don’t you bite your bear’s nose and drag him around the room in your teeth to show him you love him?  No?  Just me huh?”

He has really started to LOVE looking under things.  He will push toys (and in this case a book and a ball) under other toys, couches, Mommies, Daddies etc just to have the fun of looking for them again.  He looks so proud when he retrieves his toys…  I snapped the pic right after he put his little tushie back down, normally it sticks way up in the air during this game.

 LOOK!  I’m a tow-truck, I can push them both at once.   I love how his feet are crossed in the back.  He was sleeping like that the other day, very cute.

I can’t think of much else at this point, so I will update when I think of more.

Okay, so I am not getting dropshots to work well right now, so there are three new videos on the site if you would like to go view them.  They are funny.  For some reason though, the dates are not right…I don’t get it.  Enjoy anyway.

www.dropshots.com/mammabrock