Bloggy Book is Here...

Oh Happy Day! My Bloggy Book came!!! Let me tell you, this is worth every penny of $49.95. And that is spoken by Mrs. Frugal! The price was so high because it's all in color and hardbound and 188 pages long! They start out really cheap, depending on the number of pages. It is great and I'm in love with it. The name of it is, of course, Miracle Named Avery - subtitled: Volume1 - Avery's First Year. It only includes posts from the NICU through her first birthday. I plan to do one every year and she'll have 18 hardback books about her life when she leaves me to venture into this big world. If we ever let her leave : ) I wonder if she'll even care to read them, but I think I would and her children will. And if no one else ever does, when I'm old and gray, I know I'll cherish them. Heck, I cherish it now! It took me, I would estimate, 10-14 literal laptop hours (the weekend she stayed with Nonna) and I got the book within 2 weeks. It is hardbound and 7x7. I spent a while doing it and have tons of suggestions if anyone plans on doing one (including how to get free shipping) - just leave me a comment and I will let you know! I used blurb.com which can automatically communicate with Blogger and load all of your posts and the pictures that go with that post. So, without further ado...here it is!

The pictures are not great, I had to turn off the flash...this is the cover page after you open the book. It has the same quote that is on my header "A place for sharing stories and photographs of the 2lb mriacle that changed our lives forever...A Miracle Named Avery!"

Of course, I couldn't look at it before Avery did. She was just as excited as I was! As you can see - I literally ripped open the package (after running to meet the FedEx man and saying 'thank you thank you thank you' - like I won a prize or something - ha!)

She immediately began to kiss that beautiful baby on the cover,

can't say I blame her...

I love how she just pointed at herself and kissed it over and over and over!

The title is sideways - but you can choose all types of layouts. Love the by: Casey Reeves part. HA! I deserve it. I never thought I'd get so tired of looking at my Mac! Charlie says I'm a published author now. I really don't think this counts!

What a terrible picture, but you get the idea?

My 15 Seconds of Fame on Talk Radio!

I listen to talk radio in the mornings. Yes, I am a dork. HA! I would prefer to say that I am just passionate about all things political. I would love to be involved in politics one day, but I don't think it mixes well with being a mommy. Case in point: Sarah Palin. Poor, poor Palin they chewed her cute little family up and spit them out. Shame, shame, shame on all of them. Except Fox News, gotta love Fox News : ) But I digress... (apparently this is a cool bloggy saying and I've been waiting for a great time to use it...ha!)

Back to my 15 Seconds of Talk Radio Fame! I listen to Michael Smerconish every morning. He is more middle of the road (bleck!) and most days he annoys me, but Rush doesn't come on until later, so what's a girl to do? On this particular morning - Friday, August 27th, he was discussing the CIA operatives who interviewed suspected terrorists months after 9/11 that may face trial for 'torture tactics' they used. In other words - these men could be prosecuted, simply for protecting our country. The guest speaker he had on the show spoke for a while and ended with this thought, "Using torture is not a right or left issue, it's a right or wrong issue." Ughh. I felt that he was implying that using torture tactics on suspected terrorists are clearly wrong. I do not feel that way. He asked for callers, and you know me, I can't keep my thoughts to myself sometimes! So, standing in my bathroom, putting on my makeup at 6:30 in the morning, I dialed the number and was shocked to get through on the first try. He is a nationally syndicated talk show host out of Philadelphia with thousands of listeners. A lady answered and asked what my opinion was. I told her I totally disagreed with the speaker. Thankfully, they put me on hold and I gathered my thoughts. After a  few minutes he came on the line to ask what I thought. And I quote:

"Torture is jumping out of a building because you don't want to burn alive. Torture is looking out the window at work and seeing a plane and knowing that you'll never get to tell your family goodbye. Torture is rolling over in bed each morning and realizing your husband is not there and he's never coming back and that your kids will never remember who he was. What these heros did was not torture. It is unbelievable that they could face trial. They took time away from their families to go overseas to protect our country. Where does our allegiance lie? Also, your speaker was right. This is a right or wrong issue - and the right thing to do is to protect our country using any means necessary."

Mr. Smerconish actually said that I had a good point and then my 15 seconds of fame had ended. But let me tell you, I still smile every time I think about it. Gotta love a good ole' conservative woman, right?

So, since I have so blatantly shared my thoughts, feel free to leave a comment and share yours!

Daddy's New Ride

Charlie and I had a casual conversation a few weekends ago about buying a new truck. Well, at least I thought it was casual. The next day he had the day scheduled off to go to a dentist appt for a teeth cleaning. A few hours later, I got a call at work. He was at a dealership. Now, for some of you that would be no big deal. But if you know Charlie, you know that means trouble. This is the same man who gave a foreign sounding telemarketer our checking account and routing number because 'we won a cruise'. Yes, that was years ago and he is better now... but it's still the same man. I am an avid negotiator and would rather not have a new truck than get a bad deal on a new truck, Charlie is just the opposite. Long story short, Charlie came home overnight with the truck so we could discuss it. I handled the negotiations the next day and we signed for his new truck that afternoon. The best part was definitely talking to the 'sales manager' on the phone. After I repeatedly told him the price wasn't low enough and he repeatedly insisted he couldn't do any better, I said, "Great. That is exactly what I want to hear. I never wanted to buy this thing in the first place. I'll be by later to drop it off." To which he replied, "But ma'am, why don't you want your husband to have a new truck???" Ha! Of course, they gave us the price I was asking for, and the rest is history...

Avery modeling in front of daddy's new ride - 

she loves it because he rolls the windows down in the morning on the way to Ms. Tina's!

We had to let Avery inspect it, of course...

Charlie loves having 4 doors now. The bigger Avery got, the harder it was to get her in the car seat of a back seat in a two door Blazer!

Of course, it's not really our truck until it has an LSU sticker on it!

The proud new owner of a 2009 Nissan Frontier...

I guess it passes the inspection!

Outside Fun

Avery loves going outside. I don't remember enjoying being outside when I was little, and I know it's not my favorite place to be as I've gotten older, but for Avery - there's no place she'd rather be! She is always busy climbing up and down the steps or picking up and throwing pecans. Her newest outside activity is to play with Cannon - through the fence of course. Cannon is our very untamed boxer. He really does not get that he can't jump on top of her (out of love, of course!) So we keep a very close eye on her when Cannon is around, but she loves feeding him string cheese through the fence now! Here are a few pics from the weekend...

Developmental Goal: Climbing up and down stairs - check and check!

Finding pecans...

Holding it tightly so mommy won't make her throw it down

(A time or two she's attempted to eat them, so I keep a close eye on those too!)

I don't think she likes being outside one bit, do you?

Chasing after the basketball...she was SO happy once she finally caught it!

Playing with Cannon...

He licks her fingers and she thinks it is the funniest thing ever!

Laughing at Cannon...

Oh, and from the Honey Do List post, I realize you all know us too well. I left a list for Charlie that morning, only to come home and find a revised version that he left for me. I called him at work after I finished laughing and the first thing he said was, "Am I in trouble???" HA! Have a great Wednesday....we're halfway there!

Honey Do List Gone Wrong

Your job is to read this Honey Do list, which says "good morning - please take out all trash (esp. diapers) and pack a lunch & feed Cannon. Love - Charlie"

Now, tell me how this 'honey-do' list went wrong...

Avery's 18 Month Well Visit

Avery turned 19 months old today (well, I'm scheduling this post for another day, but you get the point). She had her 18 month well visit with Dr. K because he has been on a month long vacation in Jordan! Daddy went with us because Avery typically has doctors office meltdowns and my lonnng list of questions become a hassle to ask while holding a toddler who is going through a meltdown. Everything went just great. And although I seriously doubt anyone cares, I'm going to list the answers to my questions. As I've said before, this not only serves as a fun blog to share stories, but also stores Avery's medical records! HA! So here goes...

• First things first: Avery Grace is now in the 25th percentile for weight (highest yet) at 22 1/2 lbs!
• She is in the 50th percentile (highest yet) for height at 32 inches and 25th percentile for head circumference at 18 inches.
• Paci problems: Dr. K said, once again, to take our time and since she usually only has the pa-pa while she's sleeping it shouldn't hurt anything. His own kids had it until age 3!
• Bottle: Basically the same advice - One bottle at night won't hurt, although I think we'll shoot for Sept 1st to kiss the bottle good-bye forever!
• Sleeping Through The Night (STTN): He laughed and said he's read every book available and still couldn't get any of his children to STTN. He said it just takes time. I am currently reading "The No Cry Sleep Solution" and will also read Dr. Ferbers cry it out book and hopefully come up with a plan so that we can ALL get more sleep at night! Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!!!
• The fact that she is on Miralax every night does not concern him; in fact, he told me to continue and increase as needed. I will incorporate at least 1 fiber-rich food every day going forward (prunes, FiberOne bars, etc.) and hopefully wean her off (although he said it's fine if she does stay on it).
• I am concerned that she only says about 10 words and doesn't combine any words yet - he is not. He doesn't recommend toddlers for speech therapy until Age 4.
• We have to schedule an appt for shots - yuck!
• She can stay on the Older Infant formula for up to 24 months. This will help her stay less constipated than whole milk.
• The only foods necessary to avoid are popcorn, hot dogs and any type of nuts (but not peanut butter) because these are choking hazards.
• She is teething w/ molars (we'll wait till' they break through to start sleep training!)
• She doesn't need to see a dentist until age 3 or 4 unless there is a problem. (By the way, if anyone is STILL reading this - when did you take your baby to the first dentist visit?)
• The little spots left on her face from the virus will fade over time and there is nothing more we should do about them.

Well, that about sums it up and if you're still reading this let me say WOW! Sorry this was such a boring post. Here are some pictures before the visit.

It was raining so she got to wear her raincoat for the very first time! YAY!

I have a fake smile and Avery isn't even trying...oh well!

Oh...annnd I figured out her tag was still on the raincoat a few hours later :)

On our way to see Dr. K...can you get a ticket for doing a mini photo shoot at a red light?

The best part of going to see Dr. K...

a good ole' fashioned Dum Dum sucker!

She decided she'd rather sit in mommy's lap than her chair,

I love it when she plops down in my lap without being asked to...

this was my best attempt at a picture of us, with me holding the camera...YIKES!

A Good Day to be a Blogger!

Blogger finally got with the program! You can now update your settings to be able to upload lots more pics at once and then drag the thumbnail image to exactly where you want it. Oh Happy Day! Thanks for sharing, Dewana!

Simply go to the Settings tab. On the main page at the bottom, under Global Settings, select Updated Editor and click Save Settings. You can also read about the latest features at a link from the Settings tab.

Let the fun begin!

Okay, now that you're done reading the boring stuff, go watch the adorable video of Avery under the JELLO post.

Have a great weekend!

J-E-L-L-O!

After supper I let Avery have her dessert - Jello and Whipped Cream. She loved eating it, but loved playing with it even more! I took a few pictures and a short video...

A Gift from Bonnie

The other day Avery received an unexpected package - a gift from Bonnie! Avery has been getting packages from Bonnie since she was growing in my belly - before we even 'knew' it was a girl (although Bonnie and I knew all along!) Avery got some adorable outfits and even a hat to match. I laid out this cute outfit for her to wear the next day and made Charlie promise to take pictures before he brought Avery to Mrs. Tina's house (since they are still sleeping when I leave for work). He did his best, but as you can see, Avery wasn't too excited about the early morning photo shoot...

Well, at least he got a good shot of her molars ; )

How adorable is that outfit? As you can see, apparently she was running for him!

"Listen here mister, I said no pictures!"

"Okay, since you won't stop following me, I might as well strike a pose and put on a smile!"

Thanks Bonnie! It's so sweet of you to always be thinking of Avery. See you soon!

Fun with Addison at the Pet Store

Last week, one of Avery's very first friends was in town, Addison. She was in town with her mommy, Dewana. We wanted the girls to meet up before Addy and her mommy headed out to eat with a friend. It is wayyy too hot for the park in the afternoon right now, so I suggested a local pet store. Weird, I know, but Avery loves it there! They ended up having a pretty good time running around and looking at all the animals, although they were a little shy with each other. Addison was born three months after Avery, but they are basically at the same level with height, weight and developmentally (since Avery measured 3 months early when she was born). Addy is a little bit chunkier and Avery is a little bit taller.

Looking at the birds...
...and the fish...
Trying to catch a fish
I love how she points at everything now...accomplishing developmental goals makes me smile :)

Now, if I can just get her to stack those blocks! (spoken like a true preemie mom, huh!)
I don't think Addison was ready to go!
Avery would've taken this one home if I'd let her!
They were so shy with each other!

Little Helper with a Little Ponytail

How can a ponytail be so adorable on an 18 month old and so not adorable on a 25 year old? HA! Avery came home from Mrs. Tina's house with her very first ponytail and I was so excited. Tina said she just sits right in front of her and lets her brush her hair and pull it up. I just couldn't get over it.

Of course, these are more pictures of her helping me clean - her favorite thing! Instead of dumping all silverware on the floor (which I had to re-wash every time!), I showed her where they go. So she puts them in the right place now! Sooo adorable and sooo smart :)

Big helper on her tippy toes :)
Would ya look at that? Thought I'd never see the day...
Her fake smile. This is what happens when I say "Cheese!" or "Show me your teeth!"