Learning

I just love watching Avery reaching for things. Her hands are so cute and busy.

And she gets a very determined look on her face.

Then pauses for a thumb break...

Tummy time is going better. She can lay there longer. But not too long.

"Heeey! How you doin'?"

I absolutely LOVE the back of her neck! It gets lots of momma and daddy kisses!

Excuse me while I pause for a neck snack...

Almost Three

One thing that scares me about Emily turning three is she's building memories that she'll remember the rest of her life. I remember when I was three. I remember our chinchilla and how soft he was and the cage that he lived in. I remember walking on the sidewalk on a summer day in the town we moved away from when I was three. I also remember dropping my Weeble Wobble in light yellow paint and getting in trouble. I remember my dad running over my Trike Bike with the car because I left it in the driveway. I remember dancing with Walt at the Christmas party and pretending to fall down just so he'd help me stand back up.

Is Emily going to remember the things I say to her or things I do or don't do when she's three? Am I doing/saying enough so that when she's thirty-something and she's blogging about her kid turning three and she's remembering when she was three, she remembers the good stuff?

Wha? Huh?

What'd I just say?

Or will her memories be of my failed attempts at giving her the evil eye and sending her to her room for screaming? Will she remember how frustrated I've been with her potty training? Will she remember that I spend a lot of my day in my PJs? Or that sometimes I don't leave the house for days?

My Avery

Avery sucks her thumb. I like this. I like this because it means she's pacifying herself! I love this. I love this because I don't have to constantly shove her pacifier in her mouth to shut her up stop her crying. And most of all, I love this because she's not using ME as her pacifier.
Ahhh, so nice.

I sucked my thumb as a baby. I was a good baby, right Mom? And I needed a good baby. Oh man, I needed a good baby! Not that Emily was bad. She was/is just loud and cried/cries a lot.

I love how Avery is crossing her ankles in this photo. She crosses them all the time, like she's just chillin' out, relaxin', takin' in the sights.

4 Months Old!

Avery is four months old! Time is a-flyin'!
She went in for her four-month well check and shots yesterday. She is 16 pounds and 24.5 inches long. I think she's longer than that. I don't think the measurement is very accurate with a wiggling, non-bendable baby.

Obviously, she has found her toes! She loves to grab at her feet and play with her toes. I love to play with her toes, too! And eat them. They're delicious!

She hasn't quite figured out how to roll over. She does scootch on her back a lot, and I find her in a different position that where I left her. She giggles and smiles and loves to touch her daddy's face. Probably because of his scruffiness. And I have found her sucking her thumb a couple of times! She can pacify herself! This is good.

Emily's Garden

There are many things I love about Target, but I think my very favorite part is the dollar section. It's the first place we come to as we walk in the door, and sometimes it's the only place I visit in the store. We found these cute little flower pots in the dollar section. It's a mini garden kit that includes the flower pot, soil, and seeds. All you do is add love. And water.

We had so much fun getting dirty and planting our little garden.

Emily did a lot of the work (and the mess).

We planted daisies (my favorite!), sunflowers, clovers (for St. Patty's), and lavender.

We lined them up in the kitchen window so we can watch them grow!

And look! It's already starting to grow! This is after four days!

And this is six days later!

We are also working on our vegetable garden on our patio. We found some mushrooms growing in our tomatoes...

Oh My Stars

She's testing me. And I'm failing. Anyone have some Cliff's Notes I could borrow? I really stink at this parenting thing. And I need help.
She has this stubborn streak. And she's not afraid to use it. In public.

Rewards

One of the rewards Emily gets during her potty training is fingernail stickers. Here she is showing off heart-shaped stickers.

Pictures

Wow, a lot has happened since I last posted photos!

Avery turned three months old! She's a cutie! She smiles so much now. She is improving on tummy time and is even grabbing at her toys.

Emily got her hair cut! Her ends (where all the curl was) were dry and splitting.

My friend, Pea, cut her hair. She did a great job and Emily's hair is healthier looking now. I was sad to see the curls go. I saved a lock!

Awww, I love these daddy/daughter moments...

There is a bird in our neighbor's window that I think is a momma. There is a nest and I'm hoping there are egg babies! Emily named the bird "Flowette." Sweet. I hope we can keep an eye on them and watch the family grow! This is a picture of the happy couple.

Avery loves the Bumbo! She loves the vantage point.

Look at her cute socks!

Oh, and big news over at the Big Steps blog. This is a private blog, so if you'd like to read about our potty training efforts, leave me your email in the comments section. (If you don't want it published, leave it in a separate comment and I won't publish it!)