Nana and Papa

Nana Judy and Papa Bob visited us last week to help with Avery while Guy was away at Young Life camp. During the week Avery got really good at saying "Nana" and "Papa", in fact, she started making "Nana" sound more like "NAAAAANAAAAA" and then a quick "Papa". At the end of the week we blew up a new mini-pool avery was given for her birthday and while having fun there she started echoing my mom with "naaaanaa". I caught it on video- too funny!

More swim video!

Wanted to post another quick video clip of Avery yesterday in swim class. The teacher encouraged us to try and float the kids on their back to see if they would get used to their head getting wet. This is the step prior to dunking them under the water. Avery was amazing! I put her on her back and she just layed there, so mellow, like she was waiting for me to bring her food and drink- ha! She just looked at me- not afraid at all. Check it out...

Averys swim lessons

This has been a fun week as I've taken Avery to her first swim class! The class is Mon-Thur from 10:20-10:50 at the local community center and it's been great. Guy is out of town at Young life camp so my mom and dad are here and it's been fun for them too. They've done a great job taking pics and video at the edge of the pool. The greatest thing is that Avery LOVES the pool! She smiles and laughs and even loved being dunked under! (mommy was the most nervous about that part but Avery did great). Here is a short clip of class yesterday.

Stairs!

Our new house has 2 sets of stairs so we've had to get the baby gates going and watch Avery closely. Turns out she loves them and is pretty agile. She can only go near them when we are right nearby. It's so cute to see her scurry up- with us right behind her. I like that the stairs are carpeted- more padding for her. She's quick and strong. i think we have a little athlete on our hands!

Almost Walking!

We've had such fun watching Avery develop every single day. It seems each day brings more words (Nana, Papa, Daddy, Mama, Baba, Ouch, Hot, cheese, shade) She's a talker! She's also started using her two "push" toys- encouraging her to stand up and take a few steps while holding on. It's very exciting to see her so confident and strong. Check her out!

Mother's Day

Mother's Day will always be a special day- not just because I feel so blessed to be a mother- but because it will always be the same week as Avery's and my birthdays. it's a week of wonderful celebration! This year we went to church and then to a nice brunch here in Marin. It was fun to dress up and now that Avery is eating table food, she was able to enjoy most of the buffet with us! We took a few pics before brunch (we loved the hand-me-down dress/head scarf from auntie melanie) and tried to get in her 12 month picture. We don't have as much success with the monthly marker papers these days as she tried to eat them :-) it was easier when we leaned her against a pillow and propped the paper against her. We still can't believe our little girl is 1!!

Avery's First Birthday!

We still can't believe Avery's first birthday has come and gone. Where did the time go? It was so much fun having a picnic in Orange County to celebrate Avery's big milestone. The weekend started with our first flight home with Avery. She did great! We loved visiting family and friends and then having a gathering at a local park near my parents house. It was a beautiful day and we had such a wonderful turnout of extended family and dear friends. Thanks to all who made it. Of course the big question of the first birthday is always how they will handle the cake. Avery's been a good eater and always fairly clean, but I wondered how she'd feel about all that sugar! She dug right in and even rubbed a bit in her hair- success! It was a wonderful day!