HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG GIRL!!!!!!!!!

Surgery Cancellation!

Look Who's one Tomorrow! and Surgery was cancelled.. Avery had Wheezing in her chest so we needed to postpone the surgery! BIG BUMMER! Feb 4th is the next date available due to Dr. Lacey's Peru trip to repair kids there. He will call us with a cancellation in the next two weeks if something opens up! We were soooo bummed. It really is an emotional roller coaster to get all ready for surgery and then have it yanked away out of our control.... well More later! Thanks to those of you who sent us nice emails reassuring us and with prayers for Avery! We'll keep them for next month!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

We were decorating the tree late in December this year and Avery found the perfect box to play in! She asked Santa for extenion cords, wrapping paper tubes, empty boxes, paper, phone cords, and anything otherwise dangerous! HA! She gets into lots these days! There is LOTS going on here these days.... Avery and the kids all had a great Christmas! We love all the festivities, religious traditions, and especially the time spent with Family. We have a BIG celebration on Christmas eve with the Hynes'- 56 people and counting! It is the highlight of our Christmas! The kids look forward to how dressy it is, the nummy food, all the fun and laughter. Santa shows up and this year the late night entertainment was Karaoke. Fun was had by all...

This one is too funny for words... Even Avery has a funny face. The only one smiling is Gracie Kate! At least no one is screaming in this photo... I won't mention any names EJH!
The Little guys is cousin Joey, son to my brother Jamey and his wife Erin, Middle guy is Ethan and he is the son to my next in line brother Steve and his wife Jaimee, and Little Addison who is Avery's playmate belongs to my brother Robbie and his wife Nicole. Nana and Papa went from 4 grandkids to 7 in one year!

This was taken around Thanksgiving time! Just love it of both of them. I did a quick shoot with all the cousins- hilarious to get 7 kids ages 8 and under to all look and be happy!

10 months... where does the time go.. Tonight I was rocking you and you filled up my arms. i remember rocking you the day we brought you home and you were so so tiny... You were so tiny for so long too. Now you are a chunker. 17 lbs at least. You are learning lots and lots of things. You wave bye bye, clap your hands to " when your happy and you know it" you say Dada and look for his picture on the wall when I ask you to say his name. Last night in your room I told you daddy was going to be coming home soon and to please let him hold you. You jumped up and looked around the room.. I think you were looking to see where his picture might me. It was so cute. Your association with Daddy is a picture hanging on the wall. That is a little sad to me, but also so precious. The kids all carry you around and you love it.. I guess mom had gotten a little laxed in these later months.. Today you were in a fashion show walking the runway with the girls. GK always plays a game with you where she sets up pillows and you stand next to the ottoman and then you helps you fall into the pillows. You love it!

Today for the first time you repeated baba.. I have been working with you on this even moving your mouth for you and TODAY you said it... in frustration b/c I wasn't getting your baba fast enough. It was a good sound, but was of course very nasally.. You are beginning to cruise around furniture and getting more daring on walking around the cupboards in the kitchen. You love to bang them open and shut. You hate getting dressed and I need to put your diaper on while you are standing, I cannot even hold you down. You are ready for bed at 7pm and get really hyper and crazy when we are out and you are not in your crib..... Yes, finally consistently sleeping through the night.....
You're eating lots of things now... WE threw out that baby mush that made you miserable and now you eat : Cheerios, puffs, green beans, bread, yogurt melts, string cheese smashed up, french fries, crackers cut into small pieces. Anything that you can mash in your gums and then swallow. I am working on getting my milk supply up.. I just don't want to give up just yet.... I have been battling complications of being on antibiotics that have resulted in difficulty pumping.., but with only 2 months to go I'd love to make it to surgery....... I am just not sure that will be possible.... Below are a few pictures in Avery's room with mom practicing with her new lens.

Outside for a stroll! Pretty in Pink!!! Poiled poiled is what we call you! Grammy and Grandpa bought you this stroller! You are just learning the word No... we also say Ta Ta when we mean no- our friends in Canada taught us this! Up until now when we'd tell you no touching or ta ta you'd just laugh at us... no you are finally getting it! You have also found a new affection for the fireplace b/c you can see your reflection in it and also find me in it too. I need to keep you away from the TV stand b/c it has glass in it and I am afraid you'll crash your head into it. You are getting lots of bottles a day and I put cereal in several of them... you also are eating food. I just decided it won't kill you so lets just try. Things that don't crumble are best. Cheerios work great, those puffs from Gerber, toast, noodles, I even gave you a small piece of lunch meat. We are taking this food stuff slow... but finally we can put something on your tray at meal time. It makes you VERY happy. You are also drinking out of a big girl cut. you sip and everything. sometimes it all run out of your mouth and other it comes out the nose, but I think you actually are drinking it too. You are still getting breast milk, but sadly not as much as mom would like... I am hoping to make it to my goal of one year and after your next surgery........ Just wish you'd take all the stuff in the freezer, I'd quit pumping now! I'd be done now if it weren't for the spending surgery in Jan... I really want you to have all those antibodies while in the hospital.

It's been a beautiful fall here and a long one for once! It's November and it's just begun to be cold- what a treat.

Avery.. where has the time gone.... Your Dad is still gone in training for his work. We are surviving!!! HA- We are doing really well actually, just have a few crazy nights a week. The Big kids have learned to scatter when mom blows her top. You just laugh! You are saying da da da, and look to Daddy's picture every time we ask you "Where's Daddy" So then we go and kiss the pictures. The pictures all have slobber smudges on them. If I tell you I love you Ava- You immediately give me lots of kisses and still you hug me every time I get you up from nap. You are very affectionate... probably b/c we have showered you with nothing buy affection since the day you were born. When I rock you at night I tell you "take that stinky binki out so mama can give you kisses" then you grab the bink and pluck it out so I can kiss, then you plot it back in. Sometimes you put it in my mouth! In these pictures you love to play near mom so you are always in the kitchen. I give you all the Tupperware and other non toy items to play with. You love them best! You also like to play with my drapes. I have to pin them up for fear you'll putt them down on top of you! You have learned to stand at the patio window and pound, you love to splash on command in the tub. We still use the dish pan in the sink, but have occasionally go to the big tub. As you pull up on everything you have taken some spills and even smacked your lip, but all is well. You never like being far from mom. You always play near me.. or cry out for mom to find you!

Avery in Mom's baby dress. This is the dress I had my picture taken in at 6 months and so did Maddie and Gracie Kate.... This is almost the exact same pose. I love stuff like this.. all the sentimental feelings it hold. We too have saved a few outfits from the girls so that Avery can also get her photo done in them. Well, Things are going smoothly... at the moment. A friend pointed out that all these crazy days will feel like a lifetime ago in just a few short years and I will look back fondly upon all the nuttiness a full house brings. It's so true.... and when it gets crazy I often remind myself about how many years ago I would dream about how I wanted all this!! Before kids, when we were dual income no kids people- we would dream about what our life would be like running a household filled with kids. Okay maybe it was a bit more fantasy than reality, but I have to honestly say I got everything I wanted and more.... I am thrilled to be the mother of 4 living where I am today and doing all things we are doing. I am thankful and blessed to have a supportive husband who works his butt off so that we can carry out our dreams...... Thanks Honey... Avery you are very lucky to have the daddy that you do!!!!


Avery is still jabbering away. I love it! She will only repeat things when she is in her jabber mood. Today we went to the local grocery store and then we shopped a few other stores picking up pizza for dinner and all the way she'd repeat what I asked her- very fun!
When we ask her if she has a bad cough she gives a little cough, ( we've taught all our kids to do this trick) she just learned to wave bye bye, but of course doesn't do this on command every time, but today she waved bye bye to a lady in the store. She is crawling, but is still cautious & has not discovered the steps yet and will still call me to come get her. She will not venture around to find me! Today as I was pumping she was in the pack and play next to me and tried to stand up. She almost had it, but fell. She laughed. She is such a giggler! She will giggle HAHA anytime she thinks she is funny, She always give a giggle when we get home after being gone all day.. as almost to say yea- we are home! At night she is still be big Belly laughter. I need to get a smaller camera so I can video this and put it on the blog! The kids never leave her alone.... poor thing! She knows she is loved!!!!

Photo shoot at Nana & Papa's

Mom dressed the girls up for nothing.. Fun to play in fancy clothes even when there is no where to go. I never really save the good clothes for special days... Why have pretty clothes them if you can't wear them!