Avery gets stronger

As Avery hits the 8 week mark (how did the time fly so fast?!) we've been enjoying lots of tummy time to help her strengthen and develop her neck, back and arms. She seems to love this special time- making lots of cooing noises and looks very determined every time we roll her onto her tummy. The doctor told us that tummy time also works on our chest and when we burp her over our shoulder. Tonight she was laying on my chest and Guy took this cute video of her practicing holding up her head. We can't believe how strong she is already! We hope you enjoy this glimpse of our darling, precious girl!!

Avery meets more visitors

We've been really blessed to be able to visit lots of great friends during my maternity leave. In the past few weeks we've had lots of fun introducing Avery around. College friend Erika Givens came to visit with her adorable twin boys, Reid and Luke. Avery and I took our biggest road trip so far up to Sacramento to visit my college roommate, Sara, and her whole family. It was great to see her parents Sue and Steve and sister Stephanie and all her precious kids. More recently, mom, Michelle and I headed into SF to have lunch with dear childhood friend Erika Hansen. We'll miss Erika when she moves south to Pasadena in August!

Nana and Auntie visit Avery

While Guy went to Young Life camp last week, we had a great visit from Nana Judy and Auntie Michelle. Mom and Michelle were a HUGE help for me as they learned and helped with all aspects of caring for Avery each day. They helped diaper, burp, rock and even gave bottles to Avery. I know they loved every minute and it gave me a chance to get a few extra things done and rest more. When Guy returned from camp we even went out to dinner and away overnight to celebrate our 2nd Anniversary. It was a big deal to leave Avery for the first time and she was in great hands with mom and Michelle. They made a great team all through the night. Big thanks for all their help! Here are some fun pictures from their visit. Avery misses her Nana and Auntie already!

Smiles and Coos

It seems like every tiny milestone is momentous to us. The latest development is that Avery now smiles at us when we smile at her. It's amazing and we could stare at her for hours. she's also started "cooing" when she smiles- these tiny little sounds that almost seem like words should come out. Guy and I get so excited by every little one- we're such new parents! Avery is now 6 weeks old and we can see her growing and learning each day. Here's a short video I took this morning while Avery and I were hanging out. Trying to capture her smiles- I'm sure there will be more.

New discoveries!

Each day brings a new discovery for Avery. it's been so fun to watch her become more alert and aware of her surroundings. She's smiling and cooing at us now and seeing so much around her. One of her favorite things seems to be the mirror next to her changing table. She could lay there for hours looking in the mirror at all the reflections! I try to play with her each day on either her gym mat or with black/white blocks (colors she can see best right now). She also loves tummy time. Fun discoveries daily! Here's a video of her this morning on her gym mat.

Firsts for Avery

This past week marked a number of "firsts" for Avery. She celebrated her first month of life on Tuesday, June 3rd, had her first real bath on Thursday (sponge baths since the hospital) and on Friday night Guy gave her her first bottle. These small milestones are big to us- we get pretty excited! Our angel baby keeps growing and growing- she's eating well and growing out of her clothes already! We feel blessed each day.

Weekend with our In-Laws

We've had a great weekend with Guy's parents, his brother and nephew visiting. "Grandma and Papa" loved meeting Avery for the first time, their 6th grandbaby. They had definite skills in holding, soothing and loving Avery and she loved every minute of it! Check out these sweet pictures- papa Gilbert was the "baby whisperer", calming Avery many times. The other picture is Guy with his dad, brother Grant and Grant's son Elliott. They had a blast in our pool and bbq'd up an amazing dinner Saturday night. We've loved having our extended family visit!