Fun with Katie Beth

Paul's sister came to visit this week, and we all had a blast. Avery seemed to take to her right away. The first morning in the house, Avery ran to her with her arms up wanting to be held. It was so sweet to watch her and her aunt have such a great time getting to know each other. I have high hopes of the same responses with all of her aunts.

Paul took Memorial Day off and we headed to the beach after breakfast at D'Egg, one of our fav breakfast places. Avery was a little nervous about the whole beach atmosphere, but she warmed up to the idea of playing in the sand and even enjoyed the water after a few trips down there.

Katie Beth and I spent the rest of the week working on Adam's room. We put together the dresser and the crib and then cut out the birds for a bird mobile I'm working on. And when I say 'we' I mean Katie Beth. She did most of the craft tasks as well as laundry, dishes, and general cleaning up. I felt pampered. But I think Avery felt the most special. She's still babbling about her adventures with 'Katie'.

37 Weeks

....and counting. We are scheduled for a C-section on Tuesday, June 9th at 7:30am. It's nice to know that even if he decides to come early, he can't come any later than the 9th. If you think to pray, pray that the surgery goes smoothly. I'd love to meet Adam at the same time that everyone else does.

A few friends and family members from out of town have asked for a belly shot....view at your own risk. I chose the same shirt as the post with Avery. The perspective is a little different, but you get the idea of the enormity of my midsection. I'm thinking 10lbs. 2oz. Paul's guess is 9lbs. 2oz. Man, do I carry some big babies.

A Weekend Away

We took our last trip as a family of three on Mother's Day weekend. Paul and I have friends in the Charlottesville area, so we headed out there with Avery and my big ol' belly and had a great time with Lynne (my roommate from grad school), Andy (her husband) and Annalyse (their very precocious six-year old). Annalyse was very excited to have a friend to hang out with, and she was really sweet to Avery. The only picture I caught of them was when they were reading books together.

Paul and I love taking tours of local vineyards, and fortunately so do Andy and Lynne. We headed to King Family Vineyards in nearby Crozet, VA and had a great time touring, tasting, and picnicking. Avery and Annalyse were able to saunter about the grounds and even made a few friends (of the canine variety). Of course I forgot my camera for this portion of the trip, so you'll have to take my word for it.

We had another fun-filled day (related to food of course) on Sunday, ending with an incredible pie purchased at a local orchard. If I ever find the recipe, I'm posting it. It was a perfect end to a very relaxing weekend.

It's not much, but it's the only Mother's Day picture we could get.

This pretty much sums out Avery's willingness to get her picture taken on Sunday morning.

I'm in love with putting Avery in pigtails. She looks like such a little girl!! She's talking on the phone, just in case you were wondering.

Easter Egg Hunt

I think Paul and I were more excited about Avery's first Easter Egg Hunt than she was. For some reason, Avery started carrying around the baskets in our house a week or two before Easter, so she seemed primed for the experience. We went to a friend's house Easter afternoon, and they set up an egg hunt for the kids. Avery was by far the youngest, and it did take some time for her to get the rules of the game. She ended up going a little overboard, picking up croquet balls and other various items from the property, but she seemed to have fun. Don't you love her dress, by the way? My friend Amy made it and you'll probably see her in it all the time this Spring and Summer.

Time With the Cousins

Heather and the boys came up for a week right before Easter. We had a chance to see them every day they were here, so we were very busy playing in the mall playgrounds, hanging out at our house, and going out to eat (my personal favorite). The last full day they were here, we met up with some of Heather's friends and introduced Avery to the playground. She's been several times before, but this is the first time she was able to walk around it with ease. She even went down her first slide, thanks to cousin Carter's encouragement. It was sweet to see both boys and Avery enjoying their time together. Avery smiled and waved every time she saw them, and Carter kept calling for "Avery, Avery".

Crossing the "bridge". Avery kept saying "Cheese" as we took her picture. She's turning into quite the ham.

We've always wondered if Mark and Paul's kiddos would look more like brother and sister than cousins. Heather thinks they look alike here, and I have to agree.

Taking the plunge.

Gramma's Visit

My Mom came into town last Wednesday and stayed until yesterday. She came to help organize the new baby's room (and my life in general), but she mostly came to see Avery. They became fast friends, and we had a ball visiting the Botanical Gardens, the Zoo, the local library, the Williamsburg Outlets, and of course, Jason's Deli. I was also able to finish our little guy's quilt top (photos in another post). We all had a great time!

I didn't intend to give Avery her first cone (I wanted to wait until June), but neither of us could resist the photo ops.

My Mom bought Avery a baby doll stroller. She used it all week long.

Gearing up for our trip to the zoo. Can you tell my Mom lives in Florida now? She bundled up Avery a little more than necessary most of the time. I have no other pictures of the zoo, but Avery proclaimed every flying thing "Quack Quack" and every other animal a puppy. We're hoping to improve her zoo vocabulary by the Fall.

The highlight was definitely the Botanical Gardens. They have this great children's section, and Avery discovered the joy of walking around the sidewalks and the wonderful play house. She walked in and out of the play house, closed and opened the doors, and played peek-a-boo through the windows. The WOW Garden will be a favortie place this Spring and Summer.

A Dream Come True

Anyone who knows Paul well knows he is obsessed with the possibility of snow in the area. He has been disappointed several times this year, as snow has fallen west and south of us, but not here. Monday's forecast finally came through for us, and the ground was covered most of the day. Paul worked some of the day, then he came home and introduced Avery to her first snowfall.

The video shows two things: Ellie loved the snow and kept running around in circles, and Avery was not interested in having her hand covered with snow.

We finished the afternoon with some homemade hot chocolate. Avery loved it, though it seemed to end up on her face more than in her belly.