Oh my, oh my- my growing girl!

I am so blessed to have a healthy, active, rested, and beautiful baby girl!

These days, it seems like Avery is changing every minute right before my eyes! I know this is only the beginning...and that before I know it, she'll be a year old! She'll be 3 months tomorrow, and she has grown up, and developed so much since she was born (obviously!). She doesn't fit in her bouncing chair anymore, and she's slowly getting too tall for her swing. She can sit up pretty well, and when she's in her swing, she'll crunch up and fall to the side a bit (see picture above). She's much more comfortable in her Bumbo seat now. It used to be really awkward for her, but she's tall enough for her, and she can hold her head up well. She really likes to sit in it, and watch her surroundings. When she gets tired, she rubs her eyes- and I guess I've always though of that being a 'big girl' kind of thing to do...not something a 3 month old would do. She's really verbal, and likes to babble and coo in the morning when she wakes up.

I just love her to pieces...and can't wait to watch her continue to grow, and develop into a beautiful and healthy little girl! Everyone was right...Avery is the most precious gift God has given to me, and I love being her mother!

GROSSO gang in VA

My siblings came down from NY for a long weekend visit, and it was great! They've never all come down at the same time, and now with Avery as part of the family it was even more fun! We had a pretty chill weekend, and they spent most of their time on the couch loving on Avery :) She was sooo good this weekend (as she usually is) and did a whole lot of sleeping and smiling for her aunts and uncle. I'm so glad they got to see Avery still in the baby stage, even though I feel like she's changing every day! The next time we'll all see each other is when we go up the end of March for a short visit! Can't wait for Avery to meet more of her NY family and friends :)

So fresh...so clean

Look who likes to munch on her hands!

Ohhhh la la

So fresh so clean

She fell for it...

Avery is an awesome baby! She's happy, content, an amazing sleeper (10+ hours at night), a good eater, and the list can go on. However...there is one area that she can be a little rough in...her car seat. She's just not a huge fan of it, and even less a fan of being in the car. I'm not sure if it's because she feels lonely, or she feels confined in the straps...not sure. I've tried everything from making sure she's fed right before going in to eliminate hunger, I always make sure she has a clean diaper, I warm the car up before putting her in since it's been so cold, and I've been known to sing and dance for her before we leave the house. But I was able to convince her a few days ago that the car seat is cool. She fell for it- and was a happy baby until we reached our destination!

Nancy

John and I thought it would be funny if we named her stuffed animal blankets Nancy. I think it'll be cute when she's old enough to talk, to call them Nancy, instead of 'bunny'...or whatever. We were going to go with Barbara...but Nancy won. So...here is Avery with her two Nancys :)

Avery and her bunny

A lot of people gave us these little animal blanket things. They have a head of an animal (like a bunny, or puppy...) and then a soft blanket attached to the head. Sounds weird, I know. I seriously have like seven of these...none of which I've bought myself. I know a lot of babies who are in love with their 'stuffies', 'blankies'...whatever you want to call them. I hadn't given one to Avery yet, because I didn't think she'd really care about it, or notice it. My mom suggested that I give her one when she's in the car (since she's not all that crazy about the car), and she actually seems to like it. I don't know if it'll stop her from crying necessarily, but it'll soothe her a bit, and give her something to touch, and hold on to. If you can believe it...it makes this precious baby even cuter!

S-N-O-W

We got about 12 inches of snow between Christmas evening, and all yesterday afternoon. It finally stopped snowing last night around dinner time- thank the Lord! It's really pretty, and I know everyone was glad we had a white Christmas...but this stupid snow storm kept my family from being able to come down for a visit! My mom, dad, and sister had booked flights to come down for a Christmas visit. Their flights were canceled, rescheduled, and then canceled for good. They were told they couldn't fly out until Wednesday morning, and that didn't work because they had to be back by Friday afternoon for commitments they already had...no point in flying down for two days. Bummer! We were really looking forward to seeing them! My mom (and maybe my sister) are coming down the end of January for a few days, which will be really nice. I just wish we could have had some time together over Christmas.