Lovin' some puffs

Notice how happy she gets when she gets the puff in her mouth...she knows that mommy is about to say "YAY!!!" so she gets excited, how sweet is that!

Yes, another Christmas post!

Once again I'd like to talk about Christmas - lol! It just makes me feel so warm and happy inside (no, seriously!) I don't care who complains to the ACLU or what laws are put in place I will ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS celebrate Christmas, and say Merry Christmas to every stranger I see (effective the day after Thanksgiving every year)! It makes my heart sad that it is becoming a 'battle' to celebrate CHRISTmas! I work for a large corporation and they chose not to put up a single decoration for it this year as it is becoming a quote "HR issue" to decorate for the holidays. Last year they did a Winter Wonderland theme so that no one was offended...this year - nothing at all. Not a single mention, party, Christmas gift (much less Christmas bonus). Is the economy in a slump? Absolutely. But since our department just spent a TON of money on 16 plasma screens for the building, could we not spend a few hundred on some Christmas decorations? I still like the people I work with and my boss and what I do and this job is a blessing, no doubt. But this whole ignore Christmas but celebrate 'Pride Day' really has me a little bit sad. Anyway, enough of that!

I usually send out Christmas cards and this year I was planning on just sending the Olan Mills disaster card. But the more I thought about it, I wanted to really take this chance to thank all of those who have prayed (and continue to pray) for Avery. So I decided to write a Christmas letter...and by the end of it you can definitely tell that I am a preachers daughter. Yes, I admit - it did get pretty corny but I really meant everything that was said. I sent out over 50 but I still think of someone every day that wasn't on the list. And since I'm out of the pretty paper and pretty envelopes and seals and Christmas return address labels and pictures of Avery and time - I am not sending anymore. But I did want to share it my Bloggy friends. So here goes!

Reeves Christmas Letter 2008:

Merry Christmas!

Wow, what a miraculous year it has been in the Reeves household! As you well know, on January 21st we welcomed Avery Grace into the world. During those first 58 days in the NICU we would estimate that thousands upon thousands of prayers were sent up for her by our family, friends and even strangers. From Canada to Tennessee to right here in West Monroe, people heard about Avery’s story and they prayed.

While you were there praying, we were watching miracles – both large and small – happen before our eyes. We know there are many more that we never even knew about. This is because we serve a great God. A God that answers prayer. During 2008, we have watched our very sick 2 pound little girl turn into a 17 lb princess. (By the way, if you happen to meet Avery, please don’t mention to her that she is not a real princess – we are trying to decide the right time to break the news!)

The changes that can happen in just a short year are quite amazing. We could’ve never imagined what was ahead for the year 2008. We have had some of the saddest moments and definitely the happiest moments of our life. We have been scared of the possibilities and encouraged by the actualities. One thing has remained: we have always felt the warmth of being nestled tightly in His hands.

We have so many things to thank each one of you for. I wish I had the time and the memory and the space on this page to list every single one of them. But please know that each time you encouraged us, visited us, sent gifts, brought food, prayed with us and prayed for us was deeply and greatly appreciated. We look forward to the day that our little girl is old enough and her immune system is strong enough to get to meet and personally thank all of those who have prayed for her so many times.

Avery is a happy, healthy, absolutely beautiful little girl (ahem, princess). She loves squash and sweet potatoes and is not very fond of green beans. Her favorite toys are the remote control, cell phone and anything else that she is not supposed to play with. Her newest trick is crawling, she is getting very fast and these days we do not dare take our eyes off of her! But who wants too, anyway? She is weighing in at a whopping 17 lbs! She is catching up quite quickly and we are so proud!

We wanted to write each of you this Christmas letter to remind you of the miracles that do still come true. This year has been a tough year in America. Things seem so uncertain and the future looks very bleak. I encourage you to find the small miracles happening all around you. Enjoy smelling a Christmas tree, singing a Christmas carol and sitting down with a cup of hot cocoa. Take the time to relax. Again, thank you very much for your prayers and concern for our family. We happily accept your continued prayers as well! May you and your family have a wonderful, blessed Christmas. May you take the time to sit and remember just why we celebrate this time of year. Once upon a time there was a miracle baby. His name is Jesus. Because of Him we have hope and we will always have hope. He is still on the throne. Happy Birthday Jesus!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Charlie, Casey & Avery Reeves

And now a few CHRISTMAS pictures!

Nothing better than Granny's hot cocoa with Christmas shaped marshmallows!

Looks like someone is excited about Christmas...less than a week away!

A Letter from President Bush!

Avery received a letter from President Bush welcoming her to the world. I interrupted her important Jumperoo session to show her. She didn't seem very impressed. I tried to explain how important it was, but all she wanted to do was eat it! So, after she put her 'imprint' on it I snatched it away and put it in a safe place :)

Caught in the act!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

We have had a pretty good week. Avery recovered from her cold with no visit to Dr. K! This was a big step in my book. YAY! The only problem is I have the cold now! Uh-oh..I'm going to buy some masks from a medical supply place but if I still feel bad Wednesday I'll run to the doctor and get a shot on my lunch break :). Anyway, my mom came down this weekend. Charlie and I got to get out of the house together for a little while....we finished up Christmas shopping and ate lunch at Red Lobster. It was so nice! Avery had a visit from Bonnie & Aunt Laura and they had a good time. They brought a lot of goodies...some of the CUTEST clothes! They are too sweet!!!



Avery is trying to transition from crawling to sitting - she can do it sometimes and she gives up sometimes. But I am still so proud that she is crawling! I am excited and ready for Christmas. I heard someone say in the mall "I'll be so happy when Christmas is over!" I will admit that I've probably said that at one time or another, but it is still sad! I am really trying to just enjoy everything about Christmas this year. I have been so blessed this year I cannot possibly complain about celebrating the birth of Jesus! Besides, it IS the most WONDERFUL time of the year! So...if you're thinking about complaining about Christmas...pick something else...there are many more things to complain about! (Or, you could just not complain at all :) - Believe me, I know, easier said than done!)

Avery's new Christmas outfit

Her stocking finally came!
Our take at the Christmas Lights picture, she was not very cooperative!

Chillin in da-da's chair...gotta love Baby Einstein!

Avery's Handprint Ornament

Christmas decorations
The Olan Mills Christmas Card Disaster...yes, I'm still mailing them!

Our Nativity Scene...

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Book Exchange

Anyone interested in a book exchange? Its a great way to build a collections of books for your child! Basically, you send 1 book to a child and your child should get 36 back. If you want to participate, just post a comment w/ your email address. Or email me at caseydwelch@yahoo.com.

"Don't ever, ever ask me to do that again!"

Avery had her 2nd Synagis shot today while I was at work and Charlie immediately called me afterwards. Here is the conversation:

Me: "Chase, this is Casey."

Charlie: "Don't ever, ever ask me to do that again!"

Me: "Was it bad?"

Charlie: "Baby, she is just sitting on my lap, happy as can be, she has no idea whats about to happen to her and I can't warn her. I would rather be stabbed in the chest than hold her down to get a shot again. Why does she need all these freakin shots anyway???"

Of course, I went on to explain that it was sweet of him to be concerned and I know how he feels, but we also had shots when we were little and we don't hate the parent that held us while we had them, nor do we remember them at all! And then he got a lecture about how thankful we are for the Synagis. That it is a GIFT from God (and the insurance company!) and that we are to NEVER complain about Synagis! Besides - I don't think she's holding it against him - do you?

Avery's First Tooth!

Charlie called to tell me that Avery's first tooth is coming in on the bottom. He says he can feel it. If I can see it I will be sure to *try* to get some good pics and post them asap! Wow, things are coming right along now...I am SUCH a proud mommy : )

LOOK WHO'S CRAWLING!

It's beginning to look a lot like CHRISTMAS!

Ahhhh.... it's Christmas time...the BEST time of the year : )

After I get over the initial shock at how much needs to be spent on gifts, I relax and enjoy! I picked up a Christmas tree at Walmart yesterday. I decided to surprise Charlie instead of sending him out alone. Since Avery can't go, it's much easier for one of us to go than calling a babysitter so we can go tree shopping. Besides, I sent Charlie last year because I was tired and pregnant and he came home with an $80 tree that was 2 feet too tall. So, I decided it would be best to go ahead and do it myself this time :). It seems like I am already getting a little sad that Avery is on house arrest. Being around a lot of people at Thanksgiving was nice but it does make me nervous and (for the record) after our long weekend, Avery is now congested. Please pray this doesn't turn into anything serious! Some people probably think it's silly to be so protective over a 10 month old but it is very serious to us. I can't imagine breaking the rules and ending up in the PICU and that is a very real possibility with Avery's weaker immune system. So Thanksgiving, Christmas (and God forbid the doctor) will be the only times we venture out before April 1st. A week after that Avery will be chilling in Vidalia with Gran gran and mommy, daddy, nonna and poppa will be crusing to the Bahamas! We are so blessed because she is so perfect but I must admit I will breathe a huge sigh of relief and happiness when she is a 'normal' child and she can go Christmas shopping, out to meet Santa or to pick out a tree!

I am not going to let that get me down though because it is the BEST time of year! I love everything about Christmas: I love the Christmas carols on the radio, the beautiful decorations everywhere, the mall full of busy people, nativity scenes, buying the perfect gift, the Christmas play at church, the cold air, the hot cocoa and waking up to the smell of a fresh Christmas tree in the living room. I know I will add to this list as Avery gets older and I get to watch her enjoy Christmas. If she likes it half as much as her daddy and I, she will be very excited! She really seems to like the tree we put up and she likes eating the presents even more, which may be a problem if she starts crawling!

"I have an important call on hold, what is it now?!?"

I love this new thing she does...most of the time I go to get her out of the crib she is already peeking out waiting on me...so cute! Talk about house arrest...at least she isn't under crib arrest!