Avery 6 mos 1 week

So Miss Avery has become quite the rolly polly over the past 2 days. She is rolling like crazy! It's pretty exciting and she had her first really really good belly laugh last night - it was hilarious! She is still not enjoying cereal very much - she wears most of it! What fun. Happy 3rd birthday ^Charles^. A very special angel to our family !

Yeah... She finally did it!

I have some pictures to add to this post later when I get a chance. Avery had her 6 months appt today and everything is just fine. She is making progress on the growth charts - which is fabulous - because when she was born she was wasnt even on the growth charts. She has been trying really hard for a few days and couldnt quite get there - but just now, she fianlly did it! She rolled from back to belly for the very first time!! Hopefully this new skill will come in handy at night in her crib. She is a belly sleeper - and latley - she has been rolling to her back and getting stuck since she cant roll back to her tummy. She has not had a very good night sleep in a whole lot of days. Yeah Avery! Also, she tried pears (Conner's favorite) - so far...not a fan of pears. I made Conner's myself - maybe I will have to try that for Avery.

A hungry girl

I am recovering nicely from my knee surgery on Friday. I have ditched the crtuches and moving around pretty well. My knee is still pretty swollen - but definatly less painful. Avery has been a little stinker since Friday night - she has been up to her old tricks - staying up until 1:30 and then still getting up in the middle of the night to eat. She has definatly been pretty funny the past couple days. She rolls over in her crib then gets stuck on her back (which she hates) - so she wakes herself up. She is also grabbing at anything to chew on. It's pretty funny to watch her. I took a good look inside her mouth and I dont see any signs of teeth just yet. I want to weigh her in the next couple days - because man, she has been eating a TON. normaly she is just breastfed - so I have no idea how much she is eating. Since my surgery she has been getting bottles of frozen milk because of my pain medication. She is really drinking a ton - hungry girl!

Avery 6 mos 1 day

Just a couple pics to post. I had my knee surgery today - and still a little sleepy. Daddy's on Avery watch tonight - so Im hoping to sleep all night long (fingers crossed)

Happy 6 month birthday Avery - adjusted 4 1/2 months

So here are the first cereal pictures as promised. The first few days she did great - then she got the idea and now fights cereal - her meals usually end up all over her clothes rather than in her tummy. So we will just keep trying - I even went out and got her a baby einstein dvd - thats the way we got Brenden to eat baby food. Havent tried it just yet. Avery has started reaching and grasping toys this past week - this is so very exciting! She isnt always accurate when she reaches - but this is something that Conner never ever did. She is rolling pretty consistently from belly to back and is now getting up on her side when on her back - so she's 1/2 way there to rolling back to belly - she just cant get over that shoulder. Brenden has really been enjoying his baby sis lately. He loves talking to her and holding her! Hard to believe that she is 6 months old today. A very old friends baby we just learned is in the NICU at Ho.Co. General - just 6 months ago we were in the middle of that nightmare. What ever parent dreams of is holding their new bundle after delivery - bonding with their new little miracle - and coming home. For some of us it just doesn't happen that way - and we are thrust into the middle of the NICU - where you have no control - there are machines, alarms, and strangers everywhere. Thankfully our NICU experience was short and we brought Avery home in just 10 days. So little Joey - we hope that you are home soon with your family! Also I am ashamed we didn't report sooner - but we are thrilled and so excited to share the news that the Manning's have a new baby boy! Baby Devin was born a few weeks ago after a very tough pregnancy for Sherri. For those that don't know the Mannings are dear friends of ours that lost their precious son Dylan to Tay-Sachs a few months before Conner died. We are so very happy for them that baby Devin is finally here!!!

A picture post for fun!

15 pounds 6 ounces

Just some cute pictures from todays little shoot!

Avery almost 6 mos

One heck of a weekend - lost of vomiting and ...well the other stuff - NO fun. Avery has been the healthy one and lets just hope she doesnt get any of this nasty GI virus thats been going around! So far Carl and her have escaped it - my fingers are crossed!!!! I have my stuff all set up for some pictures of Avery today - so after her nap let the photos begin!!!!

Our little superstar!!!

I was approached over a year ago about having Conner's picture featured in a series of textbooks - with a small blurb about Tay-Sachs. So much time has gone by, that I was starting to think that it wasnt going to happen. Today - a beautiful package arrived in the mail and there it is on page 68 - Conner's beautiful face! This is so very exciting for our family - we are so very proud of Conner and all he has blessed us with. The book couldnt have come on a better day. Brenden was having a rough night last night - lots of talk about missing Conner. He was all smiles when I showed him the book today.

a crazy 5 year old who is totally sleepwalking....

I wish I had thought to get a picture - but I suppose I was in total shock, and no-one probably would want to see this one! So I hear Brenden walking all around upstairs, back and forth (after he has already been in bed for almost 2 hours). I yell upstairs for him to go pee and get back in bed. I then hear some more discheveled walking around and decide I should go up and see just whats going on. I look in his room...nothing, the bathroom...nothing, then my room - holy hell...he is completly asleep, peeing all over the side of my bed. I call his name - he dosent even look up. My G**, he is really asleep. I asked him if he knew where he was and he prompty and almost incoherently answers "the bathroom" . I did manage to wake him up and explain what happened and then get him back to bed soundly, and clean up all the pee - gross!. How scary - we better put some bells at the top of the stairs.

WDW

So our week in WDW started off with a balmy 84 degrees - HOT! That first afternoon - boy the rains came and came. It poured for a day and a half straight - makes for a pretty miserable wet mommy! Then the cold came - and I mean cold. We had little Avery all bundled up in 2 sleepers and a snowsuit - and hats of course! We didn't let the cold stop us - we rode all the rides and stayed up way past our bedtimes. Avery did terrific - she slept well at night and had tons of power naps during the days. Did I mention that she took all those naps on the magic shoulder - that girl hates the stroller. We were supposed to come home Thursday, but the weather was looking so nice I talked Carl into staying 3 extra days - and we actually got to the pool the last day before heading off to the airport. (when I said I talked him into it, what I actually meant was I whined, and whined, and whined until he gave in) We really had a great time. Brenden's highlights were the rockin roller coaster, tower of terror, and mission space. - He's our thrill junkie - next stop for him Busch Gardens maybe. I tried to get him on It's a small world again- I got a HUGE "no". He was so very cute with Avery the whole trip - he loves to talk to her and make her smile - it's so amazing just to see them interact! And in Disney world we finally heard Avery giggle for the first time. And today....she had her first taste of baby cereal - pictures to come. She did incredible - I think she liked it!

Disney pictures!!!!!

Well...I was going to write all about the trip - but Im being beckoned by a little someone - so maybe tomorrow :) lol

Our Disney tribute to Conner :)

I have lots of pictures to share from our trip (which was fabulous, and really cold) but I wanted to share these first. Brenden had this idea all by himself - he wrote Conner a note (done all by himself) and he wanted to send it to Conner in heaven. It was a really beautiful moment and Im so glad I got to capture it in pictures. More disney fun to come...stay tuned :)