Today was Avery's last day of school for the year (until after New Year's of course) and they all got to wear their pajamas to school! How much fun is that? I wish when I taught middle school we could wear our PJ's on the last day.
They watched the big kids perform in their Christmas program and watched a movie. Avery's daily report said she loved watching the program and looked adorable in her nightgown. I couldn't agree more.
Avery is actually 18.5 months by now, but just had her check-up at the doctor's office this morning. She always does really well for the doctor and doesn't squirm when he's checking her ears or mouth.
Here's what's going on with Avery Anna:
*She weighs 24 lbs and is in the 45% for weight. She gained 1.75 lbs since her 12 month check up.
*She is over 33 inches tall and in the 81% for height!! She grew 3 inches since her 12 month check up and the average baby grows only 1.5 inches. The doctor said if you double the height of girls at 18 months, it is typically how tall they'll be at their peak height....she may be 5'6"!!! (I'm not even 5'2")
*Her head's still big (95%), haha!
*She finally started talking more right after she turned 18 months. For a while there, her vocabulary consisted of about 5 words and I was trying so hard with her to get her to talk more. On Thanksgiving night, she said, "Tickletickletickletickle" and tickled us with her little fingers.
*Most of her words are a "two for one" deal, "No No, Ba Ba (paci), Dog Dog", "Ho Ho", "Knock Knock", "Tu Tu", "Poo Poo" :) Other words include, "uh-huh, ball, bed, di-di (dorothy), book, baby, hewwo?, oh no!, bow, boat, boo!, hey, bye, mama, dada, moo". I told you she has a small vocabulary.
*She feeds herself VERY WELL with a spoon or fork and I rarely have to spoon feed her. She is "Miss Independent" and wants to do it all by herself. If I help, she gets mad and slings the fork everywhere, sending the food flying.
*She LOVES to dance and wear her tutu. She will put on her tutu and want me to put her in her crib where she bounces and dances to the music she insists I turn on for her.
*She is a very good helper and will go behind me and close drawers, doors, and whatever else she sees is out of place. She will bring me trash she finds on the floor, and then put in the trash can when I ask her to throw it away.
*Her twelve teeth are now being joined by four new 'canines'. They are all cutting right now and she's handling it very well. Her fingers are in her mouth when they bother her, but no extra fussiness comes from it.
*NO MORE PACIFIER!! It really just happened one day when I realized she only uses it for naps and bedtime, and that's because we offer it to her, she doesn't ask for it. So we just kept it out of sight, and never mentioned it anymore, and that's that!
There's so much more that she does, like brushing her teeth, taking off her shoes and socks, climbing on everything, knocking on doors....the list goes on and on. This is age is really fun, but can be frustrating because she knows what she wants, she just can't tell me what it is all the time. I'm in no rush for her to grow up, though...(just communicate a little better!)
Avery Anna....you are getting so big and looking more like a little girl every day. I love you so much and have so much fun with you! LOVE - MAMA
Hello World! I have emerged from the dark pit of "editing" to share with you a slideshow of Avery's Trick-or-Treating experience. We went to Michael's cousin, Meredith's, house with the kiddos for Halloween. The entire bottom floor of her house was decorated top to bottom in Halloween decor. I felt like I was in 4th grade again for our Halloween party at school. SO. MUCH. FUN!! Great job Meredith:)
After letting the kids slide in the living room for an hour, we ate, then headed out for trick or treating. Avery was SUPERGIRL and Jonathan her cousin was SUPERMAN! Everyone kept asking if they were twins. They are only 1.5 months apart, blonde, and blue-eyed...so we could've just had fun and said, "Yea! They are!" Avery wanted to eat her candy after the first house, but she held out until about the 5th house until she dug into her sucker! Enjoy the slideshow.
Avery had her Halloween Party at school today....which I need to fill you all in on...but here is a slideshow of her at her party. She was a ballerina. You'll see a lot of pictures of her cousin, Jonathan, who is Superman! She had a great time trick-or-treating and picking out her pumpkin.
Avery had her first day of BIG GIRL SCHOOL on Wednesday, September 15. Well, I call it 'big girl school", but it's really a "Mother's Morning Out" program. She will attend every Monday and Wednesday from 9am-1pm. I was so excited about the "MMO" just so I could get a chance to breathe, have 'me' time, clean the house, run errands and get to use both hands, and do WHATEVER I WANT!!
She's attending Celebration Academy, a preschool program at Celebration Church in Hoschton, Georgia. Michael's cousin, Meredith, told us about it and sends her son Jonathan there (thank you Meredith!!!). Now they are both in the same class! It's for children 15-24 months old, and there are 5-6 children in her class, depending on the day.
I had to pack her a bag for her first day of school. She needed diapers, wipes, a sippy cup, 3-ring binder, an extra change of clothes, and a few classroom items for her teacher.
They have a snack break in the morning and then eat lunch at noon. I had to pack her lunch and found these itty bitty lunchables that are mini-sized. The teacher said she only ate her crackers! What a pitiful lunch. Of course we had to photograph this big day for all of us. Avery had no clue what was going on, but Michael and I were a little emotional. She had a great time running down the driveway at 8:45 a.m. while I chased her with a camera. Every year before she starts another school year, I want to photograph her in front of our door. This is the very first "First Day of School" picture. We can't forget daddy, (since he is paying for "MMO")!!!! "Give Daddy a hug before you go to school". Now it's Avery's turn to have her picture taken. Such a cutie pie! And look how long her hair is getting:) She has to wear closed toe shoes for playing outside on their playground. We loaded her up in the car and let her watch "Go Diego, Go!" on the way there.
Butterflies are swarming in my stomach as I pull in the drive way. I've never done a carpool line before. I've had to work them as a teacher, but this one was much more nerve-racking being the mom in the driver's seat, dropping off her first born at her first day of school!!
At school she will have a theme each month. This month they learn about a circle, the color red, and the number 1!
I pulled up to the church and a sweet lady came straight to the car and unbuckled her from her seat. They don't want the mom's walking in the children to avoid tears from the kids. They don't consider tears from the mom's watching their babies get carried away for the morning.
Take a look at this video of our morning taking Avery to school for the first time. Be warned....tears will be shed.
Michael's Aunt Jeannine is one of the most creative and giving people I know. We both share a love of photography, but Jeannine has me beat on making slideshows ;) She also puts the family's pictures together in personal books. The most recent book she gave us is one of mine, and Avery's, favorite!
It's called "Farmer Avery", and taken straight from my blog!
The best part about it is that it's a board book, so Avery can read it without tearing the pages.
The website is www.customboardbooks.com. Check it out and make a story for your child with your own family pictures!
There's life before children, and then there's life after children. Our house is a perfect example of that, especially what we once called our computer room. It was decorated with Civil War memorabilia and many breakable items not friendly to babies.
It slowly transformed into a full-fledged playroom for Avery! We just needed more room for all of her toys and space she could call her own (other than the entire house). There's a family tree in the corner, a school bus themed slide, her daddy's table and chairs from when he was little, and a chalkboard so Avery can get her learnin' on. The chalkboard was a $20 picture from the Goodwill that I painted over with chalkboard paint, and then painted the frame white.
Somehow, my desk got pushed to the smallest wall in the room. It's my own personal corner that Avery allows me to have in her room. One of mine and Avery's favorite things in the room is her "Family Tree". I ordered a wall decal online that stands 5 feet tall and added her family members.
She loves standing on her slide and pointing to everyone. Her face lights up when she sees people she recognizes.
"Where's Granddaddy??"
The next best thing in that room is her slide. It's the perfect "mini" size for her and doesn't take up that much room. It helps her practice her climbing and brings out her playful spirit.
Before we know it she'll be needing space in the driveway. AAAHH!!!
They have a snack break in the morning and then eat lunch at noon. I had to pack her lunch and found these itty bitty lunchables that are mini-sized. The teacher said she only ate her crackers! What a pitiful lunch.
Of course we had to photograph this big day for all of us. Avery had no clue what was going on, but Michael and I were a little emotional. She had a great time running down the driveway at 8:45 a.m. while I chased her with a camera.
Every year before she starts another school year, I want to photograph her in front of our door. This is the very first "First Day of School" picture.
We can't forget daddy, (since he is paying for "MMO")!!!!
"Give Daddy a hug before you go to school".
Now it's Avery's turn to have her picture taken. Such a cutie pie! And look how long her hair is getting:) She has to wear closed toe shoes for playing outside on their playground.
We loaded her up in the car and let her watch "Go Diego, Go!" on the way there.
Butterflies are swarming in my stomach as I pull in the drive way. I've never done a carpool line before. I've had to work them as a teacher, but this one was much more nerve-racking being the mom in the driver's seat, dropping off her first born at her first day of school!!
At school she will have a theme each month. This month they learn about a circle, the color red, and the number 1! 
I pulled up to the church and a sweet lady came straight to the car and unbuckled her from her seat. They don't want the mom's walking in the children to avoid tears from the kids. They don't consider tears from the mom's watching their babies get carried away for the morning.
Take a look at this video of our morning taking Avery to school for the first time. Be warned....tears will be shed.
So let's take poops all the while!
It slowly transformed into a full-fledged playroom for Avery! We just needed more room for all of her toys and space she could call her own (other than the entire house). There's a family tree in the corner, a school bus themed slide, her daddy's table and chairs from when he was little, and a chalkboard so Avery can get her learnin' on. The chalkboard was a $20 picture from the Goodwill that I painted over with chalkboard paint, and then painted the frame white.
Somehow, my desk got pushed to the smallest wall in the room. It's my own personal corner that Avery allows me to have in her room. 
One of mine and Avery's favorite things in the room is her "Family Tree". I ordered a wall decal online that stands 5 feet tall and added her family members. 
She loves standing on her slide and pointing to everyone. Her face lights up when she sees people she recognizes. 
"Where's Granddaddy??"
The next best thing in that room is her slide. It's the perfect "mini" size for her and doesn't take up that much room. It helps her practice her climbing and brings out her playful spirit.
Before we know it she'll be needing space in the driveway. AAAHH!!!
