Baby Shower

Our friends from church threw us a baby shower yesterday and it was a lot of fun. I forgot to get any pictures of us opening gifts, or even pictures of people in general! So here are a couple of the cake and decorations. It was a long day so the kids both passed out in the car on the way home. I'm attaching a sweet picture of Avery sleeping in her boppy, and one of Aidan at Chuck E. Cheese playing on the Barney car (he's a huge Barney fan these days).

Say Cheese!

Daniel took this funny picture of Avery on my lap today. It's a sleepy, gassy smile but still a smile! Avery has a set of lungs on her and she has no problem letting us know when she's upset, but she sleeps great once she actually falls asleep (she has a harder time doing this than Aidan did at this age). She slept for four and a half hours straight last night and I think it was the longest block of sleep Daniel and I had had in a while!

Bye, Grammy!

Here are some pics of the kids, including Avery with her Grammy and her Uncle Cody (in one of her new bibs from "Aunt" Leslie). I also realized that I never posted Aidan's 18-month portraits, which we had made just three days before Avery was born, so here they are. We had also taken a few family pictures as well, although it was kind of silly to do so since we were missing a member! My mom went home today and we were so sad to see her go :( She had been a huge help and Aidan and Avery will miss their Grammy. She painted Avery's room for me yesterday, which came out way pinker than we expected, but it's still very pretty. Once we get it decorated I'll send out some pics.

Avery's Fan Club

Avery has had a bunch of visitors over the past couple of weeks, so here are a few pictures. Her great-grandparents Pa and Gamma were here today, and Papi and Uncle Jason were here last weekend. She has also gotten to meet Aunt Kathleen, Great-Uncle Reggie, and my friends Mollie, Whitney, and Sarah. She also went to church today for the first time!

Trick or Treat

The pictures I took from Halloween didn't turn out that great but here are a few. We trick-or-treated on our block with Kaelyn (who was a fairy) and her parents. She was way more into it than Aidan was. I think he needs another year for the concept of Halloween to really sink in :) We took both kids to the pediatrician this week. I thought it would be convenient to get both out of the way on one visit, but I don't think I will try that again! Even with Grammy there to help me it was a little challenging. But they both look great: Aidan is 25 lbs. 11 oz, and 33 1/2" tall, and Avery is 7 lbs. 6 oz. and 20" tall.

Ole!

Here is a sneak peek at Aidan's Halloween costume, which my mom made. She and my dad recently traveled to Spain, where they found a matador hat in Aidan's size. So of course she had to make him an outfit to match. It even comes with a cape, but Aidan was much more interested in the hat. I know Daniel is secretly mortified that his son is wearing tights and ballet shoes, but he's being a good sport about it. These pictures will definitely make an appearance at Aidan's rehearsal dinner!

An Outing to Neiman Marcus

Avery went on her first girl outing this week, to the downtown Neiman Marcus for their 100th anniversary celebration! My two aunts were in town for the event so Avery had to meet them. She was definitely a hit and she loved her first shopping trip! We ate in the fancy Zodiac room and toured the different floors of the store. We all needed a snooze by the time we got home.

Avery at home

Here are a few pics we've taken since we've been home. The first picture looks like a scream, but it's actually a big yawn. She rarely fusses or cries, and doesn't seem to mind the noise that her big brother generates when he's around :) She went to her first doctor's appointment today and the doctor said she looked perfect! She is now 6 lbs. 13 oz. which is a good weight gain since we left the hospital.

We're Home!

Avery Kate and I checked out of the hospital today! It's funny to think that originally she wasn't supposed to be born for another two days from now, but here we are at home. Wednesday was quite a crazy day to say the least. I never thought I'd be lucky enough to know the joy of going into labor on my own! I got to experience contractions while trying to pack a bag, call my doctor and Daniel, and entertain a toddler. My friend Tracey is the best because she took care of Aidan for me. Daniel and I got to the hospital in the nick of time because Avery was born within an hour of our arrival! She is beautiful and we couldn't be happier! She is nursing great and seems to be a very content baby. She weighs 6 lbs. 6 oz. right now (she was right at 7 lbs. when she was born) and we visit our pediatrician on Monday for her first check-up. All of the grandparents have met her, and so have most of the aunts and uncles. Aidan seems to be oblivious of her presence, but luckily we have Grammy around for a few weeks to help make sure he gets plenty of attention (especially since I can't lift him for two weeks). Anyway, I just wanted to give an update and let you all know we are doing fine. Thanks for your prayers and support! We can't wait for everyone to meet our little girl :)

Miss Avery.... finally!

This is Leslie, Lauren's friend. I'm posting for Lauren until she comes home from the hospital. Here are the lovely pictures that her mom sent me. Lauren said that Aidan did really well and warmed up to Avery pretty quickly. Lauren is getting up out of bed now and will probably be going home tomorrow.

Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday we headed out to Flower Mound to go to a pumpkin patch with a group of our friends. It was way better than the one we went to last year! There were tons of pumpkins and lots for the kids to do. Even though we went in the morning (and it's mid-October!) it was still pretty warm outside. After taking pictures with the pumpkins, we rode a hayride and by that point, Aidan and I were both ready to call it a day.

Go Bears!

Daddy and Aidan went to Waco this weekend for the Baylor game (which we lost, unfortunately). But Aidan did have a good time hanging out with Grandpa, Nanna, Uncle Jacob, Uncle Marcus, Katy, and other Baylor friends. Hopefully next year we'll be able to go to more games...with two toddlers in tow, yikes!

School Picture

Aidan had his picture taken at Wee School a couple of weeks ago and today I picked it up. I love his expression because he looks just like Daniel does in pictures, even to this day - totally content, but barely smiling (if at all). Like father, like son! In other news, Aidan is getting a new tooth this week and it's been a whopper. He was feverish for a day or so, and he hasn't eaten or slept good the past couple of days. He did go to Wee School today and when I called to check on him, they said he'd been happy all day so maybe we're through the rough part - with this tooth at least!

36 Weeks

Here I am today at 36 weeks, toddler in tow. We have exactly three weeks until our newest family member makes his or her debut! My doctor will start checking me this week to see if I'm dilating, but hopefully I'm still on track for an October 22nd delivery date.

Our weekend

This past weekend we celebrated Aunt Lindsay's 23rd birthday. She hit the jackpot when she suggested we go to Babe's Chicken Dinner House, one of our favorites. Aidan and I also went to a baby shower for one of my UTD co-workers on Saturday so that was fun (I was too busy keeping him away from drinks and breakables to take pictures). Then yesterday we went to a park with our Sunday School class.