Another first....

But not one we were looking forward to. Averi has an ear infection. After being up all night on Monday, we took Averi to the doctor. Thank goodness they could see us right away. She has a left ear infection and is now taking medication. The medication seems to be working, because she is starting to act more like herself (smiling and playing)!

Twelve Days of Christmas

12 Pairs of socks
11 Tractor songs
10 Cute outfits
9 Exciting toys
8 Poopy diapers
7 Colorful books
6 Cozy Sleepers
5 Stocking caps
4 Grandparents
3 Texas Dishes
2 Top Teeth
1 Memorable Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Don't know how we got this picture, but it's a good one!


"Hunting for Santa!"


Posing in my Christmas dress before church.


Can you say "spoiled"?


What not to do.....talking on your cell phone and driving!

Christmas Preparations

Preparing for Averi's first Christmas has been both exciting and busy! One thing we decided to do was get a real tree! Unfortunately, Keith had to go pick it out by himself because I was under the weather, but he did a great job. After the tree was decorated with ornaments and lights, it got Averi's attention! She likes to touch the branches and pull on the ornaments. Fortunately, she can't crawl to the tree yet, so we can keep her on the other side of the room. Next year will be a different story!

Bows?? Not my daughter!

Averi is getting more hair! Not a lot, but enough to hold a barrette. She didn't even try taking it out. Who knew I would have a daughter who loves bows! Too cute!

Mommy's Getaway

I spent this past weekend with my "Platinum Girls", my closest friends from college. I had been looking forward to this weekend for months, but when the day arrived it was hard to leave my little girl. We stayed at a bed and breakfast in Brenham for some well needed and deserved relaxation. We spent the weekend shopping, touring a winery, eating, and relaxing in the hot tub!

On All Fours

Averi has learned how to get up on her hands and knees. She will rock back and forth for a short period of time then collapse! She is very eager to be on the move.

First Masterpiece

Averi created her first piece of art while at daycare. She is the next Leonardo DaVinci! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Six Months Young

Averi had her 6 month check-up yesterday. She weighed 21 lbs, 5 oz (still over the 97th percentile) and 27 inches tall (90th percentile)! She is conquering new skills everyday. Averi does have her first cold though. She has been coughing, sneezing, and has a slight fever. Hopefully, it won't last long, and she will be back to her active self.

Welcome, Hunter

Britt and Drew (and the entire family) welcomed Hunter to the family on Novemeber 9th at 12:14 pm. He was 8 lbs, 3 oz and 21 1/2 inches long. Everyone is doing great! What a blessing to have another baby in the family.

Playing Dress Up

Okay, so it was me playing dress up with Averi. She did not seem to mind though! Here she is with her bow, sunglasses, and fur coat!

Cute as a Bug

Averi dressed up as a ladybug for her 1st Halloween! Our church had a Trunk-or-Treat, where members decorated their cars and kids could go trick-or-treating from car to car in the parking lot. Averi won "cutest costume" in the costume contest! Keith and I dressed up as a Cowboy and Indian.

4 Year Anniversary

Keith and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary with a special someone! We decided to take Averi to the Boardwalk. We had a delicious lunch at Landry's Seafood, but both of us ate too much! While we ate, Averi was entertained by looking out the window. She was checking out the sights, including the water, boats, and swaying palm trees! After lunch, we took a short stroll, but unfortunately the weather was not cooperating. It was a little too cold and windy for Averi... and us! Our afternoon was cut short, but we had a great time and look forward to many more years of celebration.

Sittin' Pretty

Averi loves to sit up. She can't quite do it on her own yet, but she is close.

First week at Daycare

The week that I had been dreading has come and gone...Averi started daycare. Luckily I am only going back to work for three days a week, so Averi is only there those days. The anticipation of this event really gave me the blues. Turns out the anticipation was actually worst than the actual day Averi started "school", as her daddy calls it! Averi and I had visited the daycare a couple times before to help with the transition, and I think it did. Averi is happy when I drop her off in the mornings, and during the day the teachers say she does "great". Of course, we only know what they tell us, so it is easiest just to believe that everything is going "great". She has been alittle more tired in the evenings just because she has not been sleeping alot there yet. I think that will work itself out with alittle more time. Averi seems to like her teachers and the new setting gives her plenty to play with! As for me, I have enjoyed being back at work part-time. It has definitely made our lives alittle busier. Time is really flying, as if it was not going fast enough already!

Trip to Illinois

This trip had a lot of firsts for Averi, including her first plane ride. If we only had to fly one way, we could say she was PERFECT. Unfortunately, the flight home was a bad dream that could not have ended fast enough. The time we spent in IL was busy but alot of fun. We saw lots of family, including Aunt Amy and Uncle Thurman. We also went to cousin Carey's wedding. It was beautiful! Best wishes to the bride and groom! Needless to say, Averi was exhausted by the end of the trip. The picture says it all!

Roll over, Roll over

Here are the pearly whites!

First Teeth

Averi has 2 teeth! We thought she had started teething, because she was drooling alot and chewing on everything. However, we thought it would be awhile before the teeth actually came through. It did not take long...one day, no teeth and the next day, two teeth! They are side by side on the bottom. She will be eating corn on the cob before you know it! I'll try to get a picture of them, but it won't be easy!

"Growing Beautifully"

Those were the words of Averi's

doctor at her 4 month check-up. Averi weighed 18 lbs 10 oz (>97%) and is 25 1/4 inches tall (80%)! She continues to be a healthy baby. Averi did great at her appointment, considering she got more shots. Hopefully, she won't have to go back until she is 6 months old, however, she will be starting daycare next month and will be exposed to more germs. We will keep our fingers crossed!

Friends Forever

This past weekend, we visited with our closest friends and their son, Brayden. This was Averi and Brayden's first meeting. It was a successful one thank goodness, because their parents hope for them to be lifelong friends (if nothing else!). Needless to say, we had them posing for several pictures. Here is one with Brayden tickling Averi!

Cereal Anyone? (Edited)

Averi will be 4 months old next week, so we are beginning to introduce her to cereal! After mom had to mix the cereal several times to get the correct consistency, we were ready to go in bib and all. She enjoys being in her high chair even though it is still big for her. She is not quite sure what to think about the spoon just yet but does welcome it in her mouth. I don't think she got much of the food down, because she is pushing most of it out with her tongue. This is a reflex that babies usually have until at least 4 months old. Since Averi is still demonstrating the reflex, we are going to have to hold off on the cereal. We will try again in another week or two!

Averi's 1st Weekend Getaway

On our first family getaway with Averi, we visited Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Foster. There were four generations there, which made for a special photo opportunity.

We stayed with Grandpa and Grandma Monk for the weekend. Averi is spending time with them at their home. She enjoys looking at the pictures in books while someone is reading to her. Averi did well traveling in the car. She always welcomes new environments and scenery. Unfortunately, it does affect her sleeping alittle bit. She would rather be interacting with other people and things than napping!

Averi is wearing her Dad's favorite outfit! Of course, it is John Deere. We thought it was appropriate for our first trip to the hill country.

Cousin in our future!

Last weekend, Aunt Britt and Uncle Drew were in town for their baby shower hosted by family. Britt is due November 10th. Averi will be a big cousin. They are expecting a boy and are naming him Hunter.

"Say Cheese!"

Averi smiled for her first professional pictures today. She was a real sport and let her mom change her clothes 3 times! All the pictures turned out so cute. Spent more money than we had planned!

Just because it's cute.....

Favorite Toy

Averi got in her "stationary entertainer" this weekend for the first time. I thought these were called something else but that is their advertised name. She is still small for it, but you can't tell by her actions. It is by far her favorite toy! She especially loves to hit the buttons that make animal noises and play music. She bounces around and giggles when the songs begin to play. She is such a busy body.....We'll be in trouble when she begins to crawl!

Miss Independent

At just over 3 months, Averi is already wanting to do things for herself. Eating is by far one of her favorite tasks and as you can see, she is holding her own bottle. I think she does this to make sure her mom does not take it away from her! She is also learning to roll over and is always pulling to sit up. We can't believe how fast she is growing.

Growing by Leaps and Bounds

Averi is growing so fast! At her 2 month check up, she weighed 13 lbs. 11 oz. and was 23 3/4 inches long. Both measurements were above the 90th pencentiles! She always wants to know what is going on around her and is getting stronger by the day.

Child of God

Averi was baptized on June 14, 2009 at our church. So many of our friends and family were there for her special day. Averi's sponsors included our friends, Craig and Marcie Moehnke, and family, Drew and Britt Wegman and Thurman and Amy Hendrix.

Love at First Sight

There is nothing like holding your daughter for the first time. She knew me instantly. This was a feeling I can't put into words.

Happy Birthday!

Averi Victoria entered the world on May 13, 2009 at 4:18 pm. We were blessed with a healthy and happy baby girl. She weighed in at 7 lbs. 8 oz. and was 19 inches long.