Oh yes... before I forget. Avie got her two front teeth for Christmas.

The holiday rush.

Not sure who is more worn out, Avie or myself. The crazy, busy and exhausting week full of family and fun has finally passed. Lots of exciting presents, fattening foods and laughter. We have officially outgrown the toybox (basket). Moving might be easier than finding room for all of Avies new gifts! The new word this week is "hiding" said by Miss Avie while hiding behind mommy's curtains with a cheesy grin on her face. "Avie, are you hiding?"Auntie Amy asks after spying Avalynn behind the curtains. "Yeah... hiding" Avie replies in her little girl voice. Love her! We celebrated both Christmas and her 1st birthday this weekend. We had a small family gathering for her birthday held early while family was all in town. I made her a healthy zucchini/applesauce chocolate cake only to find it covered in frosting. Well, now I know how much she likes sugar! I love this baby girl :) who becomes a TODDLER next week. Wow.

Now that the big holiday rush has passed I find myself trying to normalize our routine. I'm hoping to not fall back into our previous cycle but instead set a new 'norm' for us. Call it my New Years Resolution. Healthier eating, more organized, more playdates and mommy/Avie time, more time overall spent being productive followed by some time spent being "healthy lazy". LoL, healthy lazy, if such a thing exists. These past few years I picked up the habit of zoning out in front of the tv during my free time. Its like a black hole and it just sucks you in, one good show leading to another. Really, I find that black tv hole rather annoying. I cut out cable a few months ago and so far I don't miss it but I still haven't had the opportunity to read much. Maybe its the holidays or stress or the fact that I've been BUSY but I'm seriously just craving a good book. Time for a trip to the library if I can ever get my card back from the baby sis.

The holidays were very good to us. Back to the grind of the real world now.

Daycare

Well Avalynn's first week of daycare was a success! She went three days this week. Rochelle, the daycare provider, stated that Avalynn is very good and well behaved (yay Avie!). She also stated that Avalynn is a good little helper by distracting and amusing another crying infant. Avie plays with the toys on Camber's (a 3 month old girl) swing which always stops her from fussing AND Avalynn hasn't tried to steal Camber's bottle... yet. She's starting to interact more with the bigger kids which is good to hear, usually she plays by herself and avoids the other kids. I'm proud of my big girl but also a little sad that she's becoming a toddler so quickly.

Mike and I brought Avalynn to meet Santa Claus on Thursday. Avalynn has always had a fear of white hair, Santa is no exception! When Santa saw the look of terror on her face he told me to drop and run... hoping we could get a snap shot before the tears fell. No such luck. Santa cried right along with her :) Santa informed me that she'll only need 2 years of therapy after this encounter. Poor Avie.

Avalynn finds the bathtub to be a fascinating toy. The bathroom door must be shut at ALL times or else she begins dropping things into it or tries to crawl into it herself. She finds the tub most amusing as I fill or drain it. I've dug everything out of that darn tub including nonwater toys, shampoo bottles, onesies, her toothbrush, hand towels and her favorite... rolls of toilet paper... As soon as I think I've picked every last TP square out of the tub and moved everything moveable out of reach, I'll discover she's found something else to drop into it. She finds this game more amusing than her mama!

I'm slowly getting ready for Christmas thanks to Avalynn being in daycare. Its amazing how fast I can move with two free hands but I find I physically have to remind myself not to go pick her up early. I figure its best to stick to the routine until Avalynn is comfortable being in the new environment. Darn... I miss my baby!

All she wants for christmas are her two front teeth!

It looks like Avalynn will be getting her two front teeth for Christmas. They are right there.... and are oh so close to breaking free. I look forward to her new smiles but will miss the gummy gums and my fang baby! As of this week Avalynn has reached the double digits with her vocabulary. Surprise? Not really, she does come from a chatty family :)

This last Saturday was Amy's baby shower with the theme Two Pea's in a Pod. It went really well! Everyone seemed to have a great time and we had plenty of food and fun. She received lots of great gifts and I'm sure she's getting anxious for these little guys to make their appearance.... in March. For her shower I made my very first diaper cake which turned out pretty well and it provided her with a box of diapers. I also made sugar cookies with green frosting (to go with the pea theme). It took THREE attempts to make the cookies before I finally gave up and bought slice and bake cookies. I love to cook but apparently I suck at baking.

Here's my big news of the week, I made the splurge and purchased an SUV today. I always thought I'd be fine with a car until I got stuck. Then I slid and then I slid some more. While thanking the lord once again that Avalynn was not in the car with me as I slid around the corner, I came to the conclusion that I wanted something much safer than the little Mazda. I'm sick of being in cruddy weather with a light little car while riding cramped and practically on top the steering wheel (the carseat requires the front seats be pushed WAY forward). Also, as a single mom, I've become rather independent. I have absolutely no desire to sit and hunt down people to help me move big items (example, a tv from my sisters house to my house and a baby swing from my house to her house). So I started hunting for an Impala. From there I found an SUV and than I met the newest addition to our family. An Equinox. I will pick it up today around 4pm... I will start my cursing over its gas mileage around 6pm I'm sure. This could get interesting. Wish me luck.

I am getting really, and I mean REALLY, excited to cook Christmas Dinner. At some point I'll attempt cookies... but after the disaster of Amy's baby shower cookies I'm rethinking Christmas treats. I hope everyone is well!

A quick catch up!

Miss Avalynn is eleven months old now. The days just keep going faster and faster... It may have something to do with Avalynn moving faster. She's learning how to run now and its quite funny watching her body try keep up with her little legs. We've had a few bumps and bruises but after she learned how to walk she thankfully taught herself how to fall. All of those bumps and bruises made this mama sad.
Avalynn's 2nd eye tooth came in right after Halloween... She sure is a cute little vampire baby. Currently, her two front teeth are working their way out. It doesn't seem to bother her mood as much this time around but she has all the symptoms of teething. The drooling, runny nose, and occasional cough. Her nose is turning red from being wiped so often. Hopefully these teeth make their appearance soon.
Avalynn and I made an unexpected trip home over the Thanksgiving weekend for my grandmothers funeral. We were sad for the reasons to be home but thankful for the opportunity to see so many family members and friends. I was able to plan a 5 day trip home which gave plenty of time to visit. I am always amazed at how well behaved my daughter can be. She was a happy girl despite all the new people and places. It wasn't until the very last day that she started becoming grumpy and that was the same day that her teething process started again. What a good little girl I have! I am so happy to be her mama :)
We had a play date on Thursday with 3 of my coworkers and their daughters at the House of Bounce. Avalynn loved all the bouncing, exploring and she discovered the wonder of slides. She would go down them laughing only to turn around and try climb up again. Rarely does she have the opportunity to be around a lot of kids so she is nervous and quiet around them still. I'm sure that will change quickly being she starts her daycare this month!
Its been a very busy month so far and its only going to get more and more hectic as the holiday season and birthday season continue!

Visiting with Auntie Tena

Going down the slide all by herself!

Playing with Josey

3 of the 4 girls crying when we tried to get a group picture LoL

A Britta picture of Avalynn eating her new favorite toy, a bead necklace.

My little vampire baby!