Beautiful Weather

Avery either won't look at me when I try to take her picture or she'll make silly faces like the second one below.


The weather this week has been awesome. We played outside this morning. These bigger kids were here and Avery thought they were pretty cool.

It's Friday Eve :0)

I like this little poem:

Oh give the patience when wee hands

Tug at me with their small demands.

And give me gentle and smiling eyes

Keep my lips from hasty replies.

And let not weariness, confusion or noise

Obscure my vision of life's fleeting joys.

So when in years to come my house is still

No bitter memories its rooms may fill.

--Unknown

Markers

Avery loves to color on the white board. She ends up getting it all over herself. That's why I took her pants off because she's already ruined a few shirts. Dry erase marker is not easy to get out of clothes. Today I went into the kitchen and came back out to her sitting on the couch with a huge scribble mess on the cushion, her face and her leg. Thankfully I got it out of the couch.

This is classic Avery. Thumb in mouth.

In the above picture I was trying to see if she'd keep the headband on. It didn't stay on long.

I guess I have nothing to report. Work is blah and so is school. Changes may be on the horizon. Who knows?

Motherhood

If a woman chooses to stay at home with her children, she has the opportunity of nursing her baby in the peacefulness of her own home, caressing her precious little one, singing sweet lullabies to comfort and please the child’s deepest emotional desires. She can offer them the restfulness of long, quiet naps in their own bedrooms. She has time to enrich the home environment with beautiful sights and smells-from the aromas of homemade soup bubbling on the stove to beautiful pictures in books-and arrange outings that foster budding intellects and awaken curiosity. And she has the flexibility to change her schedule to respond to teachable moments-those times when children’s natural curiosity leads them to question and learn.

Best of all, when a mother chooses to stay at home, she has the time and opportunity to craft the kind of relationship with her young children that only extended time together can foster. And from such a relationship she has a better chance of building a strong moral and spiritual foundation in the heart of her young child, teaching a system of truth and values without the constant challenge of authorities and peers whose lives are totally different. When these advantages are taken away from a child, how can we not count them as a loss to a whole generation of children who are hungry for direction, love, stability, and individual attention?

"Someone needs to take responsibility for their nurture, protection, nourishment, intellectual development, manners, recreation, personal needs, and spiritual development. Someone needs to commit time and energy into staying close to them as they grow, encouraging and correcting and teaching." --Sally Clarkson

I am so thankful that I have the privilege of staying home with my baby. I am so glad I'm not missing a moment with her.

I sometimes still can't believe that I am someone's mom. It's funny how as I've gotten older, I've started to view my parents in a different way. I have realized that they're regular people too haha! I guess when you're younger you don't realize that your parents deal with problems or just life in general...that they're the same people as before you existed with the same fears, desires, dreams or whatever. Since I've become a mom I've realized that maybe my mom was a person too and not just a mom. Interesting how perspectives change.

I'm in awe of the love that a mother feels for her baby. I know dad's feel it too. I know that David loves Avery with every fiber of his being, just as I do. Lately I have fleeting thoughts of sadness that there is no person in this world that loves me in a way that only a mother can. That's a downer huh? I am thankful though that I get to experience the other side of it.

I've got major baby fever...well I have ever since I had Avery. We went to the grocery store on Saturday and there were babies EVERYWHERE! I need another baby. My girl is such a big girl now.

I think she's all better!

Seems my baby is feeling better. She was up a lot last night but I gave her Tylenol and that helped. She's getting teeth again. We have been soooooo blessed that she hasn't ever had a hard time cutting teeth. Ever. But these teeth, I think it's her canines are bothering her. She's been chewing on her fingers and she never does that.

I was right on my Roseola guess for Avery's fever. She woke up this morning with a rash on her belly and neck. Yesterday she was acting like herself so thankfully we made it past this virus!

I haven't really posted much about this on here but I'm worried about her lack of words. I've read that kids her age should be saying words and she's not. She babbles a lot but all she says is uh oh and taint too (thank you). She won't repeat anything at all. Doesn't say mama and never has. Sometimes she'll say bye but very rarely. On one hand, I know all kids are different and do things at their own pace but on the other hand I feel like she should be saying more, at least repeating words. Do I only feel that way because I "feel" like something might be wrong or do I "feel" that way because I know other kids her age are saying words? I know that I could have her seen by Early Intervention but I don't know...

I've read that some speech therapist people say at her age she should have a minimum of 5 words. She totally doesn't. Where is my parenting manual? Someone forgot to give me one.

I still think she's absolutely perfect though.

She is seriously so much fun. I noticed something strange the other day when I was coloring with her. I opened one of her coloring books and realized she had colored on everyone's face. I don't know what's normal for her age as far as coloring goes but I, being her mother (haha not that I'm biased or anything) think it's pretty cool that she does that. I've noticed she will scribble on like a star or something that's in the picture instead of just scribbling all over the whole page. Like she's actually trying to color it. Doesn't take much to impress this mama :0)

I'm seriously amazed every day when I watch her use a spoon or fork. She can scoop and stab her food and get it in her mouth so easily now. She's a pro. This in particular makes me feel like my baby's gone. I don't know why. That and her walking down our steps on her own, which I've already mentioned.

Well, she's wandering around aimlessly and whining at me so I better go!

Sick

My poor honey girl has been sick. We have been blessed in that Avery has barely been sick. She started running a fever Sunday evening and it was still going strong by Tuesday evening so we took her to the doctor. I'd say we've been pretty darn lucky that she's 16 months and this was our first real bout with a fever. As of this morning she seems to be fever free but I thought she was doing better yesterday morning too. We'll see how the day progresses.

It's tough having a sick baby. Especially when mama doesn't handle sickness well. The doctor last night had to make a comment that Avery might have some other illness since she's not vaccinated. I knew the day would come that a doctor would throw it back in my face but somehow, I feel that she doesn't have anything serious. That sounds pretty crazy I guess but I just don't have it in my gut that anything is seriously wrong. I hope I'm right! I dealt with doctors saying things like that after I had Avery...when Dr. Beckstead asked if the midwife left a dirty rag inside of me when I had the infection after she was born. Whatever. I'll just carry on doing my thing.

I've mentioned before that Avery likes to play with my Nook. On the app that has the animal sounds, there is a wolf. Avery now howls with it. It's cute, she'll throw her head back and howl.

Nothing much is going on around here. I think I'll be planning some summer trips soon. Hoping to do some Utah sight seeing!! Love me a road trip :0)

It's almost the weekend...my favorite part of the week! Peace out :)

Well, I just logged on and blogger has deleted my blogs I'm following. Nice.

Yesterday I took the rocking chair out of Avery's room and put her changing table in our room. I'm using it as a dresser :0) Sad, I know.

Her room isn't looking like a baby's room anymore. I re-arranged it and it has more room for her to play.

I'm happy it's the weekend. I love spending the time with my little family. I love my little family.

Not a Baby

My girl is growing up. She walks down the front steps by herself and can now control a fork really well. Here she is eating her sandwich with a fork :)

Today we were playing in her room and she just up and left. I came into the living room and she was lounging in the chair. Guess she needed a break.

Look what I found my sweet girl doing. She thought it was pretty darn funny too.

She's the cutest thing ever. I am in love with her pig tails. She looks so stinkin' cute in them!