The Big One!!!!!

My little baby, or toddler I should say, turned 1 year old just a week ago. In the days leading up to her birthday it was hard for me to imagine that she had been with us coming on a year and then in the next breath it felt like she had been with us for an eternity (in the good way)!

On the morning of the 8th I woke her up to get ready for daycare and as I was giving her a bottle I started to cry. She was no longer the little baby that I had held in my arms almost a year ago but fastly becoming a toddler with a personality all her own. She not known as baby girl Stone but Avery Grace Stone.

She loves it when her Daddy and puppy go outside at night because she can stand at the glass door and look out at them. Avery is a teething monster and has 7 teeth now; 4 top and 3 bottom. This means that she will bite and chew on anything including Dad's shoulder or Mom's knee (true but painful story). She is crawling all over, pulling up, trying to climb and walking around everything. She will let go and stand for a minute but then will fall down. She loves all of the Christmas decorations, including the tree, and will look at them for hours. Avery is eating all table food now and no longer on baby food. She is also on whole milk but the switch was made from breast milk/formula to milk around 9 months. She is such a big girl and we are so proud of where she is now and so proud of where she will go with her life!

Back to the birthday celebration. She wore her special birthday shirt made by B and she looked so cute. The cupcake and the 1 were perfect!

She has not had much sugar at all in her little life so we decided against letting her smash, smear and eat a whole cake by herself. So, I made cupcakes instead with pink frosting and blue lettering. I messed around with several designs including her initials, name and Happy, First and B-Day. They looked so cute and we couldn't wait to see what she would do with one. We lit the candle, sang happy birthday and then let her go at it. She put one finger in, tasted the frosting and then really started to eat. She got all the frosting off first and then started on the cake part. Sounds like she learned well from her Mom, going for the highest sugar content first. She had eaten about half of the cupcake when we decided that she was done before there was an overload on sugar! She loved it and every time I tried to sneak a cupcake after that she would come over and want to share. We opened some presents and then went on with our normal routine. I was so happy that we didn't do anything crazy or big for her birthday. It turned out perfect and just the way we wanted it. The little one and us celebrating together. Of course, if all of the Grandparents and Aunts/Uncles could have been there it would have been great, but we loved it all the same.

Happy (Late) Birthday Little One!

South Carolina State Fair

This year when the SC State Fair rolled around Heath and I both knew we wanted to take Avery. We wanted her to see all of the cute animals, bright lights and smell all of the yummy treats. Of course the weekend that we wanted to go to the fair it was supposed to be rainy, cold and windy. Not what you want to hear when you are trying to take out a 10 month old to look around. The weather seemed like it was going to hold on Sunday so we headed out to the fair. The wind was blowing a little but it wasn’t too cold and everybody was bundled up accordingly. With so many people, noises and lights Avery was a little apprehensive at riding in her stroller at first, but she calmed right down. We got to see all of the prize chickens, ducks, cows and even some pigs. The display of the baby ducks riding on a ferris wheel and going down a water slide was so cute; but what she especially loved was little finches jumping around in their cage and singing to her. Heath carried her up close to the cage and she just lit up with a huge smile.

Overall it was a great trip and we can’t wait to take her again next year when she can enjoy it even more.

Halloween & Our Little Monkey

This was Avery’s first Halloween and of course it was celebrated with much excitement. Roy, Brenda, LeeJayne and even Bauer travelled to South Carolina to visit us all. We loved spending the time with them and we were so happy that they could come and play with Avery. She had just gotten tubes in her ears the day before everybody came in but she was a trooper and had a great time. On Saturday during the day we decided to hit up a pumpkin patch that was close to the house. We walked around and checked out all the fun things they had on the farm. As we were checking out the goats one sneezed and Avery got so scared, I guess she didn’t understand that everybody sneezes! They had an old time horse ride that we put Avery on and she loved it. On a side note the horse cost 25 cents to run. Not that it was a lot of money but I can remember when those things were a penny in the grocery store. Wow, it makes me feel pretty old to even type that.

She looked like such a big girl up there.

The farm also had a cute area with pumpkins and bales of hay set up for pictures. Of course we put Avery up there and snapped a few cute ones. We had to put down a blanket because the hay was a little prickly and she didn’t like it touching her legs. She loved holding the baby pumpkin and even tried to put it in her mouth a few times. We had to stop that because the pumpkin was a little dirty…ewww! As you can guess Avery dressed up as a monkey and she was SO cute. It was really warm the weekend of Halloween so we waited until it cooled down to dress Avery up in her suit. We handed out bags of candy to the other kids in our cul-de-sac and dropped off a few other bags to some of the people up our street. Avery was pretty confused at what was going on; kids screaming and yelling, people dressed up in weird costumes and lots of people coming up and touching her and telling her she was so cute. We stayed outside for about an hour until the heat and noise pushed us back inside. We had a great time for Avery’s first Halloween and being able to spend the special time with family.

11 Month Pictures - And Slacker Mommy

Ok, so I have been a REALLY bad blogger. Avery is about to turn 1 and I haven’t even posted her 11 month birthday pictures yet. Of course there is a lot going on at our house but it includes chasing after a fast crawling baby, baby-proofing, pulling a certain baby off the bottom of our coffee tables and making sure that most things can safely be pulled up on instead of cooking, reading and playing on the computer while the baby plays with the toys surrounding her. It is hard to believe that Avery is becoming much less a baby and really turning into a toddler. She is pulling up on everything and is walking around toys and furniture while she is holding on. She is standing on her own occasionally and after about 3-4 seconds will fall down to her butt. Her personality is really blossoming and she is talking up a storm. Momma, DaDa, baba and other sweet babble is filling the house all day long. I promise to recap the last month and a half in a few posts, just not all at one time.

Here are the 11 month pictures with the cute one!

Someone behind the camera is SO funny!

Would much rather be playing with toys than posing for Mom and Dad.

It's A 10!

Avery turned 10 months old this past Thursday and we couldn't be more excited. Our little girl is growing up so fast...sniff, sniff. It's hard to believe that in just a few short months she will be one year old. I know the next few months will fly by just like the last ten have already.

Avery is really moving around now and showing us something new every day. (That is why posts are less often, she is tiring us out.) She is crawling all over the house now and exploring everything. We used to be able to sit her in the living room and she would just cruise around to her different toys in there. Now she is crawling out into the dining room and into the kitchen as well. I know she hears Heath and I in the kitchen and wants to come join the party. As soon as she spots Trotter's food and water she makes a bee-line for it. We usually have to put it up while she is crawling around so she does not make a mess or try and eat it! She is pulling up on her toys now and gets so excited when she can look at things from a different point of view. We know that she will be walking soon and are ready to babyproof the house more.

9 Is So Very Fine

I finally got around to posting some of Avery's 9 month pictures. As you can see she is quite a ham for the camera and is such a happy baby. She is crawling all over the place, working on pulling up and wanting to put everything in her mouth so she is keeping us very busy. You really do get a break until they become mobile and then you are constantly on the run, the good news is that you don't have to work out much!

Starting to fit in my Pooh chair

Hugging Mr. Monkey Hamming it up for the camera Are we done yet?

Happy late birthday my sweet one!

2 Very Big Suprises

We finally got a tooth! I guess they come in pairs because we have 2!!!!!! On Friday morning when I was getting Avery ready for school I thought I saw her bottom left tooth popping through her gums. I didn't really want to bother her and dig my finger around her mouth that early in the morning so I decided to check after we picked her up from school. When we got home Heath and I both checked and were so suprised that she had popped her two bottom teeth in one day! She was a little uncomfortable the couple days before but nothing that an ice cube and her mesh teether couldn't fix. BTW...these pictures are horrible but trying to take pictures of tiny little teeth when someone dosen't want to open their mouth is very hard. The only way we could get it done was to distract her with some puffs.

Here's to number 1 and 2!

It's A Girl

This post is a long time coming but wanted to let everybody know...my sister and brother in law are having a little girl! What's even more exciting is that her due date is only 3 days after Avery's b-day, so she will have a little girl cousin that will be close in age. I am sure these two will have so much fun playing when they get together.

Tera & Ryan told us the gender by sending us a cute pink teddy bear with a note that it was a girl! It was such a cute idea and a great surprise for us all when the box was opened up. Of course I had to take a few pictures of Avery with the bear so that she could tell everybody how excited she was that a little girl cousin is on the way.

Congrats Tera & Ryan and we can't wait to meet her soon!

It's Been A Long Time Baby

Ok, so I've been a bad girl in blogger land. I have not posting anything for almost a month now but things have been pretty busy. We visited my family in Colorado for my Dad's 60th birthday and were surprised by my sister, brother in law, and their baby who is on the way. The trip was great and the party was even better. We got to catch up with family and friends that we had not seen in the 3 years that we have been gone from Colorado. Over the Labor Day weekend we had a great visit with Auntie LJ and Bauer. There was a little shopping for Miss Avery including something super cute for Halloween but mostly hanging out and relaxing for the long weekend. It was great to have the two of them visit from Tennessee and we can't wait to see them soon for the holidays. Lastly, our little one turned 9 months old on Tuesday. It is hard to believe that she is on the downhill slide towards 1 year old! She is getting SO big and such a joy. Right now crawling is her favorite thing to do and she is getting great at it. She has not mastered being on both her hands and knees at the same time but she can get around so quick. She is also starting to pull up on things and loves to stand and hold on to things (mainly furniture or Mom & Dad). There are still no teeth but she has been fussy the past couple of days. I would hope that she gets some teeth soon but I can't count on it seeing as I have been predicting teeth for the last 4 months! Avery goes in for her 9 month checkup next week so we will get her new height and weight and how much she has grown in the last 3 months. I don't have any pictures for this post but I plan on adding some of the 9 month pics in the next day or two. It's great to share what has been going on in our lives and to be back. **I also wanted to add that I am in the process of opening up an online store to sell crocheted baby blankets, toys and other crafts for little ones. I am slowly adding products to my store and can't wait for everything to be listed. If you have a second come by, check it out and let me know what you think!** On-Line Esty Store: www.girlystone.etsy.com Store Blog: www.girlystone.blogspot.com

In The Kitchen - Avery Style

Avery is interested in everything that is going on around her. She wants to be in the middle of the action so she can see what is happening and what she can do to be involved. On Sunday Heath and I were working on cooking dinner while Avery was playing in the living room. She was more interested in what we were doing than the toys that she had surrounding her so we decided to bring her into the kitchen. She was reaching for all the ingredients and tools so we decided to get a few out just for her. I think we may have found a new teething toy. She loved chewing on our silicone basting brush and had a lot of fun swinging it around.

I loved it when we got our brush as a wedding present. If you don't have one already I highly recommend it. You don't have to worry about all of the "hairs" from the old style brushes breaking off when you are basting food, it's great!

Space Princess

My Dad got Avery this adorable Nasa shirt a while back. I have been waiting for her to wear it because originally when she got it in the mail it was pretty big on her. We decided to try it on while my Mom was in town and it fit great. She looks so cute! We are going to visit my parents soon in Colorado and this will be the first thing in Avery's suitcase. I know Pop will be very excited to see Avery, especially in her cute shirt!

8 Months Old!

Avery turned 8 months old on Saturday. She is getting so big and learning something new every day; people are right when they say that infants are sponges at this stage. She really soaks up everything that is going on around her.

Avery is still doing great at solids and has been working on feeding herself. She loves her mesh feeder with all sorts of foods in it. Last night she had pears and they were a hit, even though she ended up smearing most of them on her face and head!

At first I thought these mesh feeder things were so gross, but after I tried it out they really made sense. I highly recommend putting an ice cube in them for teething. Avery is working on puffs and Cheerios as well and is starting to actually get them in her mouth instead of just crushing them up. She loves her sippy cup and has moved from gumming the spout to actually taking a drink or two.

As you can see from her new pictures she is growing like a weed. My arms are getting a great workout from all the baby lifts I do on the weekend with her. We don't have a well child exam this month, but my guess is that she is around 17 pounds.

Avery is still scooting all over the place and occasionally will get up on her hands and knees but no official crawling yet. Some of these outtakes show that she can turn around in her chair and is working on getting down without a big wipe out. Also, if you prop her up near something she will stand and hold on to it. I have a feeling that these pictures will be harder to take in the next few months.

Funny/Exciting story from last weekend

On Saturday around lunch time Avery took a pretty long nap, about 2.5 hours. I went to check on her because she had been sleeping for so long and she was pretty quiet. When I walked around the corner to her room I saw her sitting up playing with the lovie that had been in her bed! I was SO excited to see that she had gotten into the sitting position all by herself that I busted into her room and started talking to her. BIG mistake, she jumped about a foot into the air and immediately started crying. Poor thing, I scared her to death and all because I was excited that she was sitting up. She calmed down quickly and was back to her happy self and we are still waiting for her to show us how she does it.

Go Avery!

Swimming With Mommy & Nonnie

We have been trying to take advantage of the fantastic weather here recently (not 100 degrees and 80% humidity) and go swimming. Avery loves bath time so it is no surprise that she enjoys the pool too.

Mom took her swimming several times while she was in town and she loved it. She likes bobbing around in her float checking out what is going on and who else is at the pool but I think her favorite part is when she can get out and really play. She has so much fun splashing and kicking.

I love the sunglasses that she has on. I got these at Target and she really doesn't seem to notice them at all, no pulling off or clawing at them. Not only do they help protect her eyes from the sun but also from the large amount of water she splashes on her face and she looks like a rock star.

Have a great weekend!

Throw Your Hands In The Air...

...like you just don't care!

This hat is a huge source of entertainment for us adults in the Stone house. We love taking funny pictures of the little one; it keeps us all laughing and is good blackmale for later...just kidding!

It looksl ike we have an AG (instead of OG) on our hands. See Aunt LJ's post from a while back about the same thing. Hope this makes your day better, I laugh just looking at it.

Nonnie Comes To Visit

Avery had a very special visit from my mom last week. She came in for 10 days to swim, snuggle and bond with the little one. I'm sure she wanted to visit with us too but we all know who the real star is now! Dad wanted to be here as well but he was all over California for work for most of the time mom was here. The last time my mom saw Avery in person was when she was 7 weeks old. I was just going back to work off of maternity leave and mom came out to spend time with A and help me with having to go back. She was an absolute lifesaver and it really helped me (and my crazy emotions) leaving my new little one with my Mom first and then the transition to daycare. Don't get me wrong, our daycare is great and I love the ladies that take care of Avery, but I was so worried about my little one. I am sure all new moms are the same way. At that time Avery was just a little eating, sleeping, and pooping blob. This trip was much different for my mom. Avery is now sitting on her own, scooting around, chewing on everything...you know where I am going, she is a mover. Avery is not the same little girl, and she has a wonderful little personality. We have been Skypeing with our families often and this lets them see a piece of the Avery we get to see every day. It is great for everybody to see one another but it is not the same as in person. Mom had a great time getting reacquainted with Avery and bonding. We didn't take enough pictures but I wanted to share a few of this special visit.

Swimming With Nonnie

Having Fun, But Not Too Much!

Snuggle Time

Grandma's Little Doll

We all had a great time and it was hard to see her go but we will be visiting soon. We will get to see my dad (Pop), mom (Nonnie) and my brother Dave. We are so excited and we know it will help pass the time before we get to play again.

Laugh Attack

Ok, back to our regularly scheduled programming. Originally I planned on posting a video of Avery every Friday so that you could see her in action, but after week one I was deviating from the schedule and never seemed to get back on. Now that we are sleeping through the night, Avery is over her double ear infections and can play by herself I plan on getting our house, life and pretty much everything back on track.

Here is a video of the little one. She is sitting up so well and is so interested in everything.

Hope everybody has a great Friday and weekend.

Our Trip To Tennessee - Part One

We loaded up the family two weeks ago and headed to Nashville to meet up with the rest of the Stone family. LeeJayne had recently relocated to Tennessee and we all wanted to see her new place and this gave us a chance to all get together. Roy, Brenda and Mamaw made the long trek from Baytown, TX and we made the shorter trip from South Carolina. I had my worries about the drive, about 7 hours, but we all survived. Actually, Avery did great and slept most of the way there. Heath had a stomach bug the morning that we left that almost stopped us from going but in the end it all worked out. We thoroughly enjoyed our time together with the family and I know Avery had a blast. She was loved on by the whole family and she just ate it up. Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

"We meet again Bauer"

"Jammin' On Aunt LeeLee's Piano"

"Taking A Sunday Drive With Rubs"

"Telling Mamaw Secrets"

"Taking A Break With B"

Avery also got to swim a little while she was there and loved it. The frog pool that LeeJayne got her was SO cute. She was splashing, laughing and pouring water all over! Here is a funny picture of her that really shows how much fun she was having. She is such a little ham for the camera.

Avery also had a mini-photo shoot while she was in Tennessee. Aunt LJ coordinated the whole thing and the pictures turned out great. I promise to post some of them soon. There were so many good ones that they really deserved a post all their own. I am looking forward to the weekend as always but even more this weekend because we have a special guest in town. My Mom arrived late last night and is going to spend some quality time with Avery. I am sure she is here to visit us too, but Avery definitely takes precedence over all of us. Stay tuned for Trip Part 2 and some pictures with Nonnie!