10 months

So I've been majorly slacking on my blogging and hope to make an effort to catch up over the holidays...so be prepared for picture overload. And I realize that Avery is 2 weeks past her 10 month birthday, but I'm writing about it now and that's just how it is :)
So now Avery is in the double digits and only 2 months away from being a year old. How did that happen?!? Our little Poots is such a blessing. I am in awe as I watch her day after day. She is moving all over the place and exploring her surroundings. She is becoming a chatter box, making as many sounds as she can. She does a great job reaching for and pointing to objects to identify them. She has added some new words to her vocabulary, including Papaw and Pawpaw, pretty, ta da, duck, tap tap, and "ba" for bottle. She loves to imitate and play games and she can now point to her belly, ears, head and teeth. I am trying to teach her some simple signs (I can't help myself...it's now ingrained in me from work) and she will sign for "more" and is trying to do "done" and "eat," but mostly smiles instead. She loves to make all kinds of silly noises and has "silly wars" with her daddy. We hope to have a video of this up soon...it's pretty darn funny.

I'm telling myself that her language is her strong suite at this time, being that she is not as mobile as some babies are at this age. It's hard not to compare your baby to others, especially when you see them cruising or walking all over the place, but I have to remind myself that all babies are different and it will eventually come. Not to mention that she is much easier to keep up with at this point in time! But no matter what, she's always ready for her closeup....

Video of the week

I was watching this movie earlier and wanted to post this because, well, I just love it...

On the move...

Now that Avery is crawling (okay, it's a modified version of crawling, but moving nonetheless) she is beginning to explore her environment. She is moving all around the house, anywhere and everywhere she can. The word "no" is becoming a popular word in our household.

She has discovered walls...


And enjoys crawling under things, such as the dining room table...



Her jumper...



And even Dixie (this was not a set up, she put herself there...not even joking!)


Avery is also learning to climb and finds her daddy to be a good practicing tool...


Bring on the childproofing!

So true...

Unfortunately, I know this all too well...

Video of the week

I just love Ellen...

Avery's first Halloween

Video of the week

This is what happens when good 'ole boys get bored on Halloween....



I was wondering what ever happened to Lovelace...

9 months

Can it really be that Avery will be a year old in just three months?!? This can't be right...she should definitely still be a small, newborn infant...

But she's not. She is now a sweet, babbling, attempting to crawl, happy, 9th month old baby. And with a tooth I might add! Yes, our gummy-grinned girl now flaunts a cute little tooth, just barely peeking from her bottom gum. If you get to touch it or even see it you're lucky, because she is very "protective" of her new appendage. Avery is also working on her communication skills. She still says "dada" and occasionally "mama" and "bye bye." At times, it seems as if she is trying to say "hey there" and she also tries to say "Dixie." She also likes to say "uh" for "uh oh"..and of course drops things repetitively so she can say it over and over again. She imitates barking and quacking. She loves to clap her hands and has recently started to "roll them" around each other (like for "roll 'em up" in Patty Cake). You can ask her where her belly is and she will pat it with her hands. She will also throw her hands in the air when you say touchdown...a trick I'm certain a certain Brindley boy taught her without us knowing :).

Avery is desperately trying to crawl. Her once spastic moves have become a little more refined and she is now our little inchworm. She also enjoys vocalizing as she moves, because it is such hard work! We did happen to capture this cuteness on video....



It is unbelievable how much and how quickly she is learning to do new things (see, I've said it again). I went to the Exceptional Childrens conference in Greensboro on Sunday and returned Tuesday afternoon. Avery had acquired a few new skills just in the short amount of time that I was gone! She started to wave with her fingers (instead of her whole arm) and can hold her bottle by herself. My mother-in-law also informed me that she is able to sit up on her own. It didn't take long for her to learn how to get down from a sitting position, but she has suddenly discovered how to sit up on her own. I didn't actually witness this new talent, so I was a little unsure...until last night. I laid Avery in her crib and bent over to turn on her CD player. When I stood back up, there was my once lying baby, now sitting up looking at me. Needless to say, her crib mattress has now been lowered. I must brag on Shayne a little. This was his first time being alone with Avery for more than a few hours. He did a great job taking care of the Poots and I believe they have bonded more because of their daddy/daughter alone time.

We look forward to seeing what this next month brings!