Avery Brooke

Anna's here...

2011-12-10T09:05:00.000-08:00

Anna came Monday, October 31st!! I was in shock when I discovered my water "had" broke and I needed to go straight over to the hospital. Earlier when I dropped off Avery at school, I bawled my eyes out! I guess I knew that that day could be her last day as an "only" child and I was just worried about how she would handle the change. Also, she was SO excited about going trick or treating, so I wanted to be able to do that, as well.

When the nurse told me to head over to the hospital (not really thinking that would be the case), I wanted to jump up and down, because I was about to get to meet Miss Anna for the first time! The excitement of going to the hospital to hold and kiss your sweet baby for the first time is a moment I would relive every day, if I could!

Now Anna is almost 6 weeks old and chunking up! She is doing an awesome job sleeping so I can't complain, but I feel like the only way I'm going to be able to actually pull off going back to work is if I can get her to sleep 8-9 hours straight! I'm sure we'll get by just fine if she doesn't, but I think I would be a better functioning Mommy and person, if we can accomplish that :)

28 weeks....

2011-08-13T11:35:00.000-07:00

I turned 28 weeks last Thursday and definitely ready for the weather to cool off! We are having a girl.....Anna Reese, so not Chloe after all :) we cannot wait to meet her!! she is kicking like crazy. Next Friday, we are having a 3d/4d ultrasound, so we'll get to get a great look at her! I am already ready for next Friday. As for Miss Avery, she is as sweet as ever. I think she is ready for her baby sister to come. I pray that she transitions just fine. We are going to do all we can to make sure she isn't feeling left out. We have a few major to do's left before the big day, so we'll focus on knocking those out before Oct. The time will fly!

What's new....

2011-05-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

What's not.... might be a better question! It's almost been a year and a half since my last post. Life has been great and busy busy. My sweetie is about to celebrate her 3rd birthday! I cannot believe I have a three year old.

Avery is going to be a big sister! I'm in my 17th week and due 11/3. We will find out mid-June if we are having a little sister or brother! Can't wait! I think we are locked on names either way. Owen if a boy and Chloe if a girl.

I'm finally on vacation!

2009-12-28T20:41:00.000-08:00

First of all, I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! I can't believe I haven't logged on in over 6 months. I guess you could say I've been busy! :) We have honestly been busy between enjoying Avery, work, indoor soocer, Bible study and the busy weekends. It has been a great year and scary how half of it can go by so quickly right before your eyes. Avery is a little over 18 months and is very ornery. (side note: it took me the last 15 minutes to figure out how to spell "ornery")! Who knew it started with an "o".

We just got back from the best Christmas ever!!! I was asked what my favorite gift was this year and it was truly just soaking in all of Avery's reactions to Christmas and the wonderful traditions. To my unbelief, she knew exactly how to rip open a package without question. I think we might be in trouble in the future.

On Avery's most recent check up, she measured 33 in tall (85%) and 21 lbs (12%). She is a picky eater, but I really need to start working on making sure all of what she is eating is nutritious. At the 18 month check up, they give you a check list of developmental norms. It was funny, because two of them were "Can you child jump" and "Can your child walk backwards." I had no idea if Avery could do these things, so I asked her in the lobby. She just ignored me, but as soon as she was in the room with Dr. Sharp, she started jumping and walking backwards as if she was showing off in front of the Dr. It was hilarious! Needless to say, Dr. Sharp changed my responses to the questions as I mismarked them.

It has literally been over a year, since I have been on vacation and it truly impacts you to go that long without a break! I feel FREE! Kevin and I are already planning on where we'll go this upcoming year. Kevin's birthday is this Friday, Jan 1st! I broke down and bought him a Wii. They've only been out for several years and I think it would be fun to do together. I really just want to get old school Super Mario Bros. I can't wait to play that! I am posting the only recent picture I have on my laptop, but as soon as I get our Christmas pics downloaded, I'll post some.

I pray that everyone has a wonderful 2010! I think it is going to be great year!

Pics from this weekend

2009-07-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

Totally Toddler!

2009-07-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

Avery is officially a toddler! The weekend of the 4th, we took Avery off the bottle and she was not crazy about it. She'd go and point to where the bottles "used" to be and would NOT take a sippy cup the first day without some major fits and when she did finally try it out it was not for long. Luckily, the next day or so, Avery started eating like crazy. Before, she never ate and I thought she was just super picky and didn't have a big appetite, but really she was just so full on milk. She is changing into such a kid. Avery LOVES to dance. She'll be playing around and as soon as music comes on, she'll drop what she is doing and start bouncing up and down like she is squating and then fan her arms around. It is too cute! She also loves her soccer ball and baby. We can be anywhere in the house and I will ask her to go get those two things and she'll search them out. She kicks her soccer ball, too! Kevin and I have really had to get serious about discipline, because Avery is a sly little gal. I know she is still in discovery mode, but some things are just not very safe for her. We started putting her in time out, but after a day or so of that, we'd say if she did "blank" then we'd have to put her in time out. So she would just walk over to where time out is and just plop down on the ground. It obviously isn't working! I think tomorrow we are going to go to the Austin Children's Museum, because it is too stinking hot to be outside. I hope Avery has fun; I am sure she will!

Avery is ONE!

2009-06-07T13:53:00.000-07:00

Well the last two months have been busy, busy, but A LOT of fun! We have celebrated everything under the sun and had cake with every celebration, too :) It is time for my summer dieting to kick in, but we have two more fun weekends to celebrate, so I guess July will kick off that diet!

First and foremost, my little sunshine is officially ONE! Yesterday, was her actual birthday which also happens to be my mom's, so we are here in Waco celebrating both. Last weekend, we celebrated Avery's birthday with friends and family and it was SO much fun. Avery definitely had a blast! We also celebrated one of Avery's best friends, Lila's first birthday. Lila is four days older and they have a lot of fun together, but I also get a kick out of watching them hang out. We also went to my cousin's wedding in Austin (Avery's first wedding). It was absolutely beautiful and Avery danced all night. The weekend before that..we celebrated my sister's 30th birthday. Brooke is such a beautiful girl and I hope it was everything she would want in a 30th birthday. I think it was! Next weekend, we are looking very forward to cousin Reid's 1st birthday (born 4 days after Avery) in Boerne. Then off to Amarillo, for the Aderholt Family Reunion. Kevin and I are looking VERY forward to seeing the Aderholt family!!!

So what's new with Avery? She took her first step at 10 1/2 months and then waited about two weeks to do it again. Once she started, she hasn't stopped. She is pratically running now. It might just be the cutest thing I have ever seen. She also just recently started using sign language. She signs eat, more, and milk. I was so excited that we could finally communicate! Here are some recent pics, but check out my sister's blog (the photographer) :) to see more...the link that says "Tooley" on the right side of my page.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T19:53:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. Even though Avery was sick with her first stomach bug, we had a wonderful time. We went to my parents and My cousin Cristy came with Madison, Austin and Cash. On Saturday, Granny & Janet and Connie & Gary came down. It was so much FUN! Avery was well enough to hunt for Easter eggs and even though Kevin and I were up with her throughout the night Saturday, she was up bright and early to see what the Easter bunny brought her. Here are some pics of the weekend.

I did it!

2009-02-25T19:28:00.001-08:00

Not this weekend but last weekend, I finished my first EVER half marathon! It was amaziing. I literally almost started crying crossing the finish line, because I really didn't think I prepared myself to make it across, but there were so many people cheering you on. No pics to show - thank goodness :)! Just wanted to post a quick update!

Avery Update

2009-02-12T19:29:00.000-08:00

Well, we are very busy at the Aderholt house that this is literally the first time I am on this site since my last posting. Avery has changed a ton in the last month. She officially has 7 teeth and I think 2 more on the way very soon. She said her first word - Dada!!!! She has also said Mama, but getting her to say that over Dada is impossible :) She also discovered how to clap and wave by bending her fingers down. Today she finally ate Puffs and picked them up on her own and fed herself. I was impressed by that! The whole eating thing really gets me actually. If I go by the book, she shouldn't be eating Gerber 3; however, she has teeth to chew the food. I think I am going to start introducing her to more chunky foods, so she gets used to it. Plus, at her day care if the kids are mobile and eat table food they get to move up to the next room. She definitely needs to! She is all over that place and I think she gets a little bored with all the younger babies not being as interactive. Oh also...this is hilarious....I picked up Avery the other day at school and the teacher said she had a new boyfriend! Apparently, Pierce H. from the older class came over to Avery's and they just chased each other (crawling) around the class over and over and then would stop and giggle at each other. How CUTE!! I actually got to meet Pierce yesterday and he was a cutie. Him and Avery were playing together when I showed up and as I was peeking in the window, I noticed her rip a toy out of his hand. He was totally fine with that and went on to the next toy :) Then, when I went and picked up Avery, Pierce started crying :(

Here are some recent pics of Avery!

P.S. Pray for me on Sunday - I will be running my very first half marathon and I am so excited and nervous! I will let you know how it goes.

Happy 2009!

2009-01-06T19:04:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! I very much enjoyed my straight two weeks off and to be able to hang out with Avery was so much fun. She has changed so much in just that small amount of time that it was so great to be with her during it all. We went to Lipan for Christmas and Avery and Reid (Avery's cousin) had their very first Christmas together. It was too much fun! Reid is cool, calm and collective and Avery is just all over the place. I can't wait to see what little people they will turn out to be :) Santa brought Avery a shopping cart and just as soon as we could put it together, Avery had pulled herself up on it. She was going after the carrots! I think she held on to the carrots the entire rest of the day. Since we've been back at home, we have child-proofed our house FINALLY! Now Avery just likes to shake on the gate - she finds that pretty amusing. It is always what they are not supposed to do that they want to do so badly! Here are some pictures from our break:

Avery & Reid's First Christmas!

Avery LOVES Christmas!

Happy New Year AND Happy Birthday KEVIN!

Avery's First Sleep Over

Soccer Girls (minus Kym - sorry you had already left)

Look at those lashes (following pictures by Aunt Brooke Photography :))

All Puma'd Out

Lila & Avery = BFF's!

Avery and her Shopping Cart!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-19T13:56:00.000-08:00

First of all, Merry Christmas to everyone! It has been awhile since I have posted because we had one crazy week with Avery (or weekend anyway)! Not last Monday, but the Monday before, we took Avery in for her check up and she was sick, so we didn't get the shots. Well on Friday, I noticed her really breathing hard, so I felt like I should take her in to see Dr. Sharp. It turns out that she did have some wheezing, so we started her on a nebulizer. I was to do that every four hours. That same day around 3pm, I got Avery up from her nap and she felt super hot... She was running 103.3, so I called the doctor. They told us to go do a chest x-ray to make sure it wasn't Pneumonia. We did and it wasn't; so the next morning , we took Avery back to the doctors and they said she had two horrible ear infects that caused a blister in her right ear. Poor baby! We got a list of about 5 or 6 meds and went home. She is finally getting back to normal. Yippee!

I will have you all know that Avery is a little stinker and by little I mean "BIG!" I will have every bit of what I dished out to my parents and some more probably. I picked up Avery from school and she had bitten a little girl in her class. I am sure it is partly from her teething, but the poor little girl had red teeth marks on her knee. I looked at Avery and told her "Avery Brooke Aderholt...we do NOT bite." She just looked back up me and smiled! Also, the ladies that watch her said that "she is the sweetest and happiest baby, until you take something from her or re-direct her and then she has a hot temper." Good Heavens - pray for me :)!!!!!

Here are soem recent pictures of our little stinker:

As it turns out, I was tagged to post a picture from Angie

2008-12-10T19:57:00.000-08:00

Here were the rules:

1. choose the 4th picture folder on my computer
2. choose the 4th picture
3. explain the picture
4. and tag 4 more people to do the same

The funny thing is that my first stab at it didn't work, since my 4th folder only had two pictures in it. They were from 2007, so I just started with 2008. This picture is of me and my Grandma Lucy in Victoria, TX at my cousin, Candice's, wedding in March of this year. I obviously was pretty pregnant. Little did I know at that moment that my life would be so for every changed in a little over two months and I can't not think back of times before Avery and try to picture it being just Kevin and I. I am so blessed!

6 month check up

2008-12-10T19:42:00.000-08:00

I took Avery to the doctors on Monday for her 6 month check up. She wasn't able to get her shots, since she has Bronchiolitis, but should be able to by next Monday. Here are her stats: 15.0 lbs (25%), 26 1/2 in (75%) and 43 cm (70%)! So she is completely opposite from me at this point; she is tall, skinny and has a large head :) Dr. Sharp did say that she will not be needing a helmet - Yippee!!! We were starting to fret it a little, but her head looks fine. It is still slightly asymmetrical, but not noticably to me. We are gettig so excited for Christmas. I can't wait to see little Avery and Reid playing together. They haven't seen each other in a few months, so they should be able to really play now. I don't have any new pics, but will post some as soon as do.

Holiday Season!

2008-12-02T20:24:00.000-08:00

I am so glad holiday season is here! We had a great Thanksgiving and hope you all did too! I can't believe it is already 3 weeks until Christmas. Luckily, this year I was on top of the gift buying and have all but one gift left to get. There has been a lot going on in my world, so I am sorry I haven't posted in a while. I applied to take a voluntary separation package with Dell, but it got declined. They just won't get rid of me! Oh well, I guess things happen for a reason. I was; however, looking forward to spending the extra time with Avery and pursuing my new career goal...teaching! We'll just have to see how it all works it self out, because it will the way it is supposed to "in the end." As far as Avery, she is just growing every day. She has started getting on her knees and rocking back and forward. She is actually pretty mobile. I can't turn my head for too long, because she will be halfway across the room. I need to baby proof my house SOON! Any advice is welcome. So far, I am thinking about just getting a gate to seal off the entire kitchen area and I need to look into a new coffee table. I have my plugs covered for the most part. Am I missing anything? I am sure I have forgotten something, but will try to get it done in the next month. Here are some recent pics of Avery. I take her to her 6 month check up next Monday. Please pray that her head has fixed itself and we won't need to buy a helmet for her. Looking at it, I think it has, but you never know. Anyways, I will post about her stats after her appointment.

This weekend

2008-11-03T19:41:00.000-08:00

Avery had a great Halloween and we enjoyed her candy! We only went around the little circle drive that we live on, since it was late and we had ordered a pizza which took 1 hour and 30 minutes to arrive. I'll have to remember that next year, if we decide to order in again. On Saturday my friend, Jaime, came over. My sister wasn't planning to come, but last minute she decided to drive down and spend the rest of the day with us. She was really missing her little Avery! We also baby sat Avery's little friend, Lawson. They had so much fun together! Here are some pics from the weekend.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T14:51:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone has a great evening. I am so excited because my mom is coming down tonight and we are going to dress Avery up in her Pumpkin suit, mainly for pictures, but we may knock on a few doors while we are at it :) She is back to sleeping through the night (for now). She will still cough but she just goes right back to sleep. Last weekend we went to the Pumpkin Patch and just hung out around the house. Her and I were sitting in front of a mirror and I would make a funny face and noise and then she would look at herself and try and imitate it. It was hilarious! Of course when I went to grab the video camera, she stopped and would just stare at the camera. Here are the pics from last weekend. I will post more hopefully later this weekend.

Who does Avery look like?

2008-10-24T19:55:00.001-07:00

I would be the first to say Avery looks just like her Daddy, but I took some pictures of her tonight just like some that both Kevin and I had. Let me know who you think she looks like. I am starting to lean towards me!!!!
Avery
Me
Kevin

Avery's First Cold

2008-10-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

Avery has officially had her first cold. It was pretty miserable there for a few days, but we are starting to get better now. It started last Saturday and she couldn't sleep without me holding her for 3 straight nights and I had actually caught her cold, as well. Now she is sleeping; however, she wakes herself up with this awful cough. During the day, she couldn't be better, just a runny nose. My parents are coming tonight to hang out and watch her while Kevin and I go to the UT game. We couldn't be more excited, because we got the tickets last minute yesterday and we have never gone to a game there before. Here are some pictures of Avery I took this morning - You can finally see her teeth. She will probably be getting her top teeth before long, because she gnaws on EVERYTHING!!!

Quick Update

2008-10-10T06:56:00.001-07:00

Avery had her 4 month check up on Monday and she did really good with her shots. The next day she was running fever and seemed to be in a little pain, so we gave her Tylenol. She weighs 12 lbs. and 13 ounces (25%) and 24 1/2 inches (50%). I was actually surprised at her weight, because I thought she would be at least 14 lbs. The Dr. said we could start introducing her to cereal and water, so on the way home I went and bought "big girl" bowls and spoons and a variety of baby foods. She didn't like the cereal that much at first; however, I followed the instructions on the box and it was not cereal consistency (that is probably why). We have fed her about 1 Tbsp every night and she is starting to open her mouth for it and smile. I think she is starting to like. This weekend we will introduce her to a vegetable!

Also, this morning Kevin and I went to drop Avery off at school and she had her first school pictures taken. We can't wait to see how they turned out.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

It's official!

2008-10-02T18:54:00.000-07:00

It's official! Avery has her first two little teeth coming in. For a second there, I thought Kevin and I were crazy or going to have a fussy little girl. She really hasn't been that bad, but we could tell something seemed a little different with her. I tried for two nights to get the picture below and it is still hard to see the teeth. The one of her face - is exactly what she does everytime I try to get a picture (and sticking out her tongue). Avery's been doing really well! She went to Physical Therapy today and her Therapist, Amy, said she is doing really good. We have even seen improvements with her flattening. On Monday, she will officially be 4 months old and we will go to her check up. I will update everyone with her stats! Have a good rest of the week and TGIF!

ACL

2008-09-28T18:33:00.000-07:00

My parents came in to watch Avery while Kris, Brooke, our friends, Dave & Alisha and Kevin and I went to ACL. We had an absolute blast. We also took some festive pics of Avery. Enjoy!

Is Avery teething?

2008-09-17T18:54:00.001-07:00

Monday at 4pm, I get a call from Avery's school that she has fever. I went to pick her up immediately. I also started crying when I got the call...I guess it just startled me. Anyway, they said she was 99.5, but have to add a degree since they took it under her arm. As soon as we got home, I took her temp and it was fine. Kevin went and bought one of those super fast themometers - we love it! Due to the daycare's policy, she could not return until 24 hours of being fever-free, so I stayed home with her. Darn! It was really hard getting work done from home, but it was SO nice to spend the day with Avery again. I really appreciated it, since I have started back to work now. I kept monitoring her temp and no fever all day. She was; however, extremely fussy. She has started screaming now when she doesn't get her way or maybe she is truly in pain from teething or growning...who knows! Her screams will literally make you cover your ears - it is pretty hilarious. Kevin and I are going to have our hands full!!! But I am sure most of you could have already guessed that :) Anyway, not sure if she is teething or not, but hopefully that would explain her fussiness.

3 months!

2008-09-10T20:09:00.000-07:00

Avery turned 3 months last Saturday! She is really chunking up now and starting to interact with us a lot more. She is so darn cute how she laughs. It sounds like she is gargling and then she will let out this loud scream. I think she is testing out her various pitches!

So as of this Friday, it will be two weeks back in the working world and for Avery -Daycare world. It has actually gone fairly smooth. Avery seems to like it just fine. We also keep hearing horror stories how everyone who brought their kid to daycare got sick the first several weeks and then like once a month up to a year. We will just continue to pray that she doesn't get sick, but I am sure it is inevitable.

Also, this last Sunday we had Avery's Dedication at church. My mom and sister have all the pictures, so I will have to post those when I get them. Later that day, we had Avery's 3 month pictures taken which I can't wait to see. I think we got the perfect picture with her little pouty face. That face just melts my heart.

Lastly, please pray for my family that lives on the Gulf of Mexico. The last news report I heard said it was projected to enter right over the Port Lavaca area which is where almost all of my family lives. My dad drove down tonight to help broad up windows and then a good chunk of family is going to stay with my parents and Brooke & Kris in Waco.

Here's a pic I took of Avery today:

First day of school and work!

2008-09-02T18:52:00.000-07:00

Well, as I said I got everything ready the night before to ensure a smooth morning, but as Kevin was following me to daycare there was a cop car with its lights on blocking the only road I know to go down to get to Avery's school. There were no detour signs so I turn around and try to go a different direction and that didn't help. We ended up going through a neighborhood we had never been through before and taking 30 minutes to get to Avery's school (a trip that should take no more than 10 minutes). We get to her school and I am walking Kevin through all the things we do when we drop her off. We get in Avery's class and all the kids were crying and I mean screaming crying. I laid sweet Avery in her crib and she just looks up and smiles at us. I just turned and walked out the door not really even saying 'bye' because I couldn't stop the tears. They just poured out and didn't stop for awhile. The entire drive to work I was balling! I then had to get myself together in the car and a single thought of poor little Avery just brought on more tears. I finally made it into work with swollen eyes. I wonder what goes through peoples' minds as they are passing me down the hall. As for my work day, it was great. Of course, there was not a whole lot to do the first day of being gone for three months except reconnet my system to the network and clear out the thousand emails I had over that time span. I went to visit Avery over lunch. When I showed up she was in her crib crying. A real tear was running down her sweet little cheek! It broke my heart; however, she had just woken up from a really long nap and was hungry. As soon as I picked her up, she smiled at me! I left work early to get her and soaked up every bit of time we had together this evening. I just put her down and hopefully she will sleep through the night so I can get some rest after a long day. Here are Avery's first day of Daycare pics. Notice how tired I look...I couldn't go to sleep last night because I was really anxious!

Back to work.......

2008-09-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

Well it has been fun LOTS of fun. Kevin thought for sure I would get cabin fever being at home, but I didn't. I enjoyed every moment with Miss Avery and just hoping that going back to work will be a smooth transition for us all. I have everything ready tonight, so I won't have that much of a crazy morning, but this will be a first for both Kevin and I so anything can happen. I have truly been praying about this day for awhile now to have peace in my heart about it. I really think it will go okay, but I am sure I will cry, since I have already several times just thinking about it. I will be sure and post to let you know how it goes. So what have I done the last stint of my time off....TONS. I have hung out with many friends and soaked up all the time I could with Avery. We have lots of Happy Birthday's...so Happy Birthday to...Jayce, Steven, Lawson, Clay and John!!! Here are pics from the prior weeks.

Whew-What a week!

Daddy is so proud

2008-08-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

Avery was watching a little football during tummy time last night!

So far this week..

2008-08-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

Saturday, I noticed Avery was feeling a little warmer than usual and her temp was running around 99.7 under her arm. That night she woke up around 1am which hasn't happened in over a month. Then the next day, I noticed her eyes looked irratated (pink). I called into the doctor and got an appointment on Monday and her temp rectally was 100...still not fever, but close enough for concern. The doctor looked her over and said I think she has a cold, since she has had a little runny nose and the eyes may just be irritated from scratching them herself or something viral. Well her eyes look fine today, but I have been taking it easy for her sake this week. She doesn't seem like she is in pain, but I am watching her temp closely as I don't think I could handle having to take her to the hospital again. The doctor did say at this point if she had a fever, she would probably just get some blood work done, but I am praying that even that doesn't have to happen. Oh, she weighed exactly 11 lbs at the doctor on Monday. That means she is starting to move into the next size in clothes here pretty soon. Crazy!

The last few weeks....

2008-08-15T15:56:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while..busy I guess! There has been a lot going on. First of all, Avery had her 2 month check up everything went pretty well. She was 10 lbs. 3 oz and 22 inches long. She got her shots which were horrible for me, but Avery seemed to take it pretty well. She stopped crying as soon as they were over. The doctor did notice her leaning to the right as Kevin and I had noticed before, but didn't think anything of it. It turns out that it actually has a name...Torticollis and is causing her head to flatten, since she lays on that side. She is going to the Physical Therapist and that will hopefully fix the problem. The worst case scenario is that we have to get her a helmet around 6 months of age. Avery also went to her very first college graduation. My cousin Jaime graduated from Texas State - Congrats Jaime! I got to visit with Little John and see Traci, Jaime and the rest of the Askew gang. It was fun! I didn't think I would miss San Marcos that much but got the best feeling when I drove into town. The same weekend Avery got to meet her cousin Jordan and they were so sweet together. Later that evening we went over to my friends Dave and Alisha's and took pics of all the kids "The Rat Pack." It is way too cute! This week I got to hang out with my friend Kelli and her too sweeties, Jayce and Skyler not once, twice...but three times! I also had lunch with my friend Angie and her darlings, Ava and Lila. Then today I took Avery up to my work to introduce her to my team which was really fun and then my friend Jessica who is 5 months pregnant came in from Houston. That was really fun! I know how excited I was when I was pregnant to be around babies, so I know she had fun playing with Jayce, Skyler and Avery. She is the one in the picture where I am holding her belly, since she doesn't look pregnant AT ALL...just you wait :)

This weekend

2008-07-29T09:29:00.000-07:00

This weekend was pretty eventful. For starters, we had our friends over for dinner and they brought over their adorable 11 month old son, Lawson. Avery and him had a good time toghther and so did we once they went to bed! Then my sister came down and we all went to church Sunday morning for the first time with Avery. She slept the entire time and we were very thankful for that! After church, Kevin's dad and step mom came over to meet Avery for the first time. Danielle, Lily, Carol and Chad also came. It was a really good visit and we enjoyed them driving from Amarillo to come meet Avery. Here are the pics from the weekend.

Avery Playing!

2008-07-21T09:11:00.000-07:00

Avery had such a fun time playing this morning. She has really changed over night! First of all, she slept 10 solid hours last night. WHAT!!! I was shocked. Of course, I don't expect it to be a habit, but I am happy with what I can get. Maybe we will really start trying this routine thing and see how it will pan out. One of Avery's favorite things so far is getting her diaper changed. I know that seems like a gimme, but you are almost always guaranteed a smile. Also, this morning I put a mirror in front of her and she just started smiling away. It was so cute. Enjoy the pics below....

Avery rolling over!

2008-07-20T09:54:00.000-07:00

Avery rolled over twice in the last two days. I caught the second one on camera! Here it is....

Avery & Reid

2008-07-19T15:42:00.001-07:00

Avery and Reid met each other this weekend for the first time! It was so darn cute. They just laid there swinging their arms around. We had put both on their tummies and all of a sudden Avery rolled over. I couldn't believe! She almost kicked Reid in the face in the process. Poor little guy - luckily Uncle Kevin was watching out for him and saved him from the kick! Aunt Allie also gave Avery her very first bow. It is adorable! Here are some pictures of the cutest cousins ever!!!

Avery after rolling over

4 Generations and Avery's smile caught on camera

2008-07-10T21:00:00.000-07:00

My Grandma Malinda came down today with my Aunt Rhonda and we took a picture with 4 Generations of girls. Also we were snapping pictures of Avery and actually caught a smile. Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Lila & Avery

2008-07-10T20:56:00.000-07:00

These are just too cute not to post! Avery is on the left and Lila on the right. Avery passed out in the few minutes we were taking the pictures. Too funny!!!

Avery's Friends and Family

2008-07-07T10:06:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few of Avery's new friends and family. Baby Lila is only 4 days older than Avery. They will have lots of fun together! Avery also has a cousin, Reid, just four days younger than Avery. June is going to always be a big celebration!!!

Avery's 1st Fourth of July!

2008-07-07T09:53:00.000-07:00

Avery celebrated her first 4th of July with my parents and cousins who came down from Granbury. Yesterday she turned exactly one month old and she is already starting to lift her head all on her own. She has also realized she has a tongue and always has it out. It is pretty cute!

Two weeks at home!

2008-07-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

Avery has been home now for two weeks today and we have had SO much fun. For starters, my sister and I had to dress her up in a few of her outfits and take pictures. She was a natural and just laid there and let us take one after another :) Then Kevin and I gave her her first bath (sponge bath) because she still had her umbilical cord. She did not fuss at all, so I am thinking she is like me and loves baths! Last week was a little of a struggle because Avery was extremely fussy and never seemed to get enough to eat, so last Friday I went and visited a Lactation Consultant. Sure enough - I am not producing enough milk to keep up with Avery. She thinks it could have something to do with her 10 day stay in the NICU and getting used to bottles, so she didn't have the endurance to get all she needed in the standard 40 minute breastfeeding session. Kevin and I had to start supplementing with formula, but she loves it! Since she is finally full, she is sleeping a lot better and already weighs 8 lbs. and 1 oz! I can't believe how much she is already changing. She also lost her umbilical cord last Friday and we coudn't be more happy to have it gone. It was getting in the way and was starting to bleed which really was making me nervous. We also had to take Avery to the doctor last week because I woke up and noticed that she had yellow/green goo in her right eye. It wasn't red, but looked awful. It was Avery's tear ducts getting clogged, so I had to massage around her eye to help her out. Kevin took this week off from work and stayed home with her today, so I could go get a massage. He had got that for me for my birthday gift. What a perfect gift!!! It was awesome. Avery is looking forward for my parents visit tomorrow and my cousins visiting this weekend!!

Avery in the NICU

2008-06-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

So because of Avery's fever, they ran a blood culture which came out positive for Group B Strep (GBS). I honestly didn't know anything about it previously. I remember testing for it at 36 weeks and was negative. On Sunday, June 8th around 11AM, Kevin and I were looking forward to bringing our new baby girl home and to our surprise the Pediatrician came in to break the bad news. Avery was positive for GBS which meant a minimum 10 day stay at the NICU. I was horrified! First my baby is sick and then I have to leave her here at the hospital. I couldn't hold back the tears! I was crying so loud a random nurse came in to check on me. I knew God would take care of our little Avery and after a 10 day stay in the NICU her treatment was complete and was better than ever.

Birth Story

2008-06-28T10:22:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, June 4th I worked my last day at work going from meetings to meetings. I would start working from home starting Thursday, June 5th until Little Miss Avery decided to arrive. My sister had come in Wednesday evening and cleaned my entire house to help me out before the big day came. I love my sister!! Thursday morning I woke up at 8 and logged on to my computer to start my day of work. My sister got up and went over to visit Angie (who had had Lila James just 3 days before). Around 1:30pm Brooke and I went to grab McDonald's quickly before my 3:00 39 week check up. We were so very excited to see what my new status was. Surely I was more than 1 cm dilated and 60% effaced! During my examination with Dr. Mills, she looked up at me with a strange look and said calmly, "Brandi, your water just broke." I couldn't believe it, this was too perfect as my sister was going to head back to Waco that evening and we couldn't have planned this any better. I asked Dr. Mills if Avery would come that evening or the next day. She said I would bet on tomorrow, June 6th (My MOM's birthday)!!! I grabbed my phone right away and called Kevin who was expecting an update from the appointment anyway. Little did he know I was about to break the big news :) I think he was in disbelief at first but quickly shut down his computer and was at the hospital in a matter of minutes. Next, I called my mom who also did not believe me at first because Brooke and I tend to play jokes on my mom and she was just expecting an update from the check up, as well. She freaked out! She was so excited. Next, I called my dad who was already 30 minutes down the road at work, so he got in his car and came straight down. Brooke, Kevin and I went and checked in to the hospital and finally got a room. We had nothing to wear since we were not prepared to go straight to the hospital from the doctors, but Kevin went and grabbed all the things once I got hooked up to the IV and settled in. By 7pm, we started the Pitocin, since my contractions were not picking up quickly on their own. Around 10PM, my parents and sister decided to go back to our house to get some rest on one condition that I call them as soon as I am 8-9 cm. Kevin and I did our best to rest. The contractions really started picking up around 10-11pm. I was having them every 1 1/2 to 2 minutes apart and they were starting to become a little intense. I asked for the epidural and got it around 11:30PM. Dr. Mills came in and checked me at 1AM and I was only 3 cm dilated which wasn't much from the 2 cm and 80% effaced I was earlier that day. 5 hours later and several "bonus pumps of epidural" Dr. Mills came in to check again at 6AM, I told her that I was starting to feel the contractions stronger even with the epidural even though the contractions weren't showing up that stong on the charts. She checked and sure enough I was already 9 cm! I grabbed my phone and called Brooke and her and my parents were at the hospital in no time. At this point, I started feeling really sick like I had fever and the contractions now felt like urges to push. Dr. Mills came back in and I was already 10 cm and ready to go. I was running a fever of 102 which was not helping any! We started the pushing Kevin was on my left and a nurse on my right. Kevin was AWESOME! He did great. He was worried that he would get a little lightheaded but he was a champ and helped me with my oxygen mask and running for ice chips every second. After one hour of pushing at 7:34AM, our Little Avery Brooke was born. She is a true miracle from God! The second I saw her, I began to cry and she was SO BEAUTIFUL! They brought her right up to me and she was just crying and looking at me. I wonder what was going through her mind? WHAT an experience! She weighed 6 lbs. 15 oz. and was 20 inches long. She was running a fever as well, but all her other vitals were great. Kevin went to get my parents and sister and can only imagine how excited he was. I think it was all just such an overwhelming experience for us both. It is truly undescribable!!!

38 weeks and counting

2008-05-28T14:39:00.000-07:00

Well the countdown is finally here! I have been busy for the last few months - which is pretty apparent from my last post date :) I actually lost the link and just found it and figured this would be a great place to update all of Avery's milestones. I am 38 weeks and 1 day pregnant today and really hoping Avery decides to come soon! The anticipation is killing me and every day seems to get just a little bit longer than the day before. The next posting will be to share the exciting news of our little Avery's arrival!

Baby Aderholt @ 8 weeks exactly!

2007-10-30T07:18:00.000-07:00

Today was our first ultrasound appointment. It hasn't felt real until I saw the heartbeat. All I can say is it is a true miracle from God. Kevin and I were so excited. I can't wait until the next ultrasound. The little guys heartbeat was running 150 - fast but very healthy!