Walking Wobbles

This video isn't quite what Jeff and I originally envisioned it would be (Avery walking), but it may be one of the funniest videos I have ever seen, so we just had to share.  Hopefully I'll have a real "Avery walking" video soon!  Until then, enjoy this amazing toddler action...

FPT

Jeff made me put this onsie on her.  He begged and pleaded, so finally I just gave in.

Lucky Number 13!

She's awalkin'!  Yup, that's right.  Avery decided the perfect day to take her first unassisted steps was on her 13th month birthday!  I was near tears with excitement when my parents (who watch Avery on Mondays and Thursdays) showed me what she learned with them that day.  My little girl is growing up and I'm loving every moment of it!  (Actually, I could do without her ants-in-your-pants dance moves while I'm changing her diaper.  Clean and quick diaper changes are more of a rarity than I would like these days.) 

Here's a rundown of a few other exciting things that have happened since her first birthday...

A trip to Palm Springs with Jeff's parents, sister and her husband.  It was a fun (and hot!) getaway for all of us and I am proud to say that Avery was phenomenal the entire trip.  Sleeping in a new place, eating out at restaurants and meeting new people didn't faze her in the least.  She was the perfect angel who is proving to be easy-going and very social.  See Exhibits A & B below, which were taken during dinner one night on our vacation:

 

Next up on the calendar of events was daddy and daughter weekend while I enjoyed some girlfriend time...so, back to Palm Springs I trekked with some of my favorite ladies!  Jeff did an outstanding job with Avery and even had a sleep over at the Goad's place with Garrett and Quinn since mommy Amanda was with me.  How I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall during that baby adventure!  I wish I had a picture to share, but watching little ones doesn't leave much time for a camera sesh, says the husband.

On to the Pumpkin Patch!  The Simpson family loves them some pumpkins!

"I love me some pumpkins!"

Avery and her enablers.

Baby in a wagon with a pumpkin at a pumpkin patch.  Check.

Someone was a little "pumpkined out."

 And finally, some playground time on a lazy Sunday afternoon...in a tutu, of course.

FPT!

Hey, mom...why don't you put down the camera and hand me the wrench?

Happy Birthday, Baby!

The weekend of Avery's birthday was a whirlwind and a wonderful whirlwind at that!  We started off on the eve of Avery's birthday with a trip to Costco, which is a fun place for baby and parents alike.



A large bin of over-sized pillows is a great place to stick a baby.

On the morning of the 24th, after Jeff and I reminisced about where we were one year ago and how big our baby had become, we went into the birthday girl's room to start showering her with birthday love.  We opened some family gifts and Avery immediately fell in love her new favorite toy...a walker!

Beautiful birthday girl!

We took Avery to Soup Plantation for lunch where she fell in love with the cute young buser and decided that following him around the room was exactly what she wanted to do for her birthday.  That's my girl! 

After lunch we ran a few errands, played with Grandpa Wayne and took a nice walk around our neighborhood with Auntie Julie and Auntie Laura (Auntie Julie lives in San Francisco so it was a real special treat having her here!).  It was a very sweet and relaxing day for our one year old...and I'm glad it was, because the next day was Avery's big party!

But we'll get to that in a minute...

Before the birthday celebrations began on the 25th, Avery, Julie and I went to Oceanside to witness (and support) our friend, Laura, as she ran into the freezing 7:30 a.m. ocean waters and proceeded to swim 2.4 miles with a bunch of other ocean-lovers.  All of us on the sand thought "are they nuts?!"  Laura may be nuts, but she loves all things ocean and it showed when the results came back and she got 34th overall and 3rd in her division. 

GOOOOOO, Laura!

Now, onto the party!  40 of our closest friends and family were able to join us on this special day, and Jeff and I are thankful for each and every one of them.  We definitely missed our friends and family who were not able to make it, but this kind of thing is exactly what this blog is for.

Here are some pictures from the day...

It's my birthday!!

The Soup Plantation buser is so old news.

Bring on the cake.  Bring on the presents.  I'm ready!

I'll spell it out for you: Avery is one.

Looking at something awesome, I presume.  And, being real cute...both of them.

Taking a stroll with Auntie Lindsay.

Cake time.  She LOVED it!

Too busy eating caking to smile for the camera.  Don't worry, mommy and daddy have this one covered.

I think she could get used to this "birthday" thing.

Avery Elizabeth, as I tell you every day, I love you so very, very much.  You are a wonderful daughter and a sweet little girl.  You make me laugh, you make me smile and you make me the happiest mommy in the world just by being you. 

FPT!

Totally cake wasted.

One Year Ago Today...

...I was very pregnant.

The video below was taken a mere 22 hours before the arrival of Avery Elizabeth.  We had just gotten a video camera from our good friends, Erin and Jake, and were playing around with it the evening before our daughter's debut. 

Two funny things to look out for...1) me asking Jeff at one point in the video, "Can you see my belly?"  Well, duh.  He's five feet away pointing the camera at me and I am three days away from my due date, so yes, he, along with everyone else, can probably see my belly.  2) Belle was acting a little odd, distant if you will, the few days prior to Avery's arrival.  I wonder if she sensed that her world was about to change...for. ev. er.

I still can't believe that my itty bitty baby is going to be one tomorrow, but I'll get into that another time, in another post as I can't even begin to wrap my head around that today.

For now, I'll leave you with FPT and a quick update on the ever-expanding vocabulary of Avery.  Her new word is "up."  For the past few days most times when you pick her up, she will say "upppppp."  She really pronounces her "p's," that little one.  And, it's unbelievably cute.

Just a little something to get you in the mood for fall...

What Does the Doggie Say?

As I mentioned in my last post, Avery knows what sound a dog makes and does her own version of a woof.  After weeks of barking like a dog day in and day out myself, I am very excited it finally caught on...I was starting to get hoarse...or should I say horse?!  Ha!  Yes, she can do that sound too.  Look for that video in a future post titled "What Does the Horse Say?"

Anyways, our neighbor's dog was barking during dinner last night (you can hear it in the background if you listen closely) and Avery started barking.  Ahhhhhh!!  So cute!

FPT!

Yup.  She's that cute and she loves walks this much.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

If you asked Avery what she thought of when she heard the word "summer," she would say spending time with friends, being outside, chillin' with family and playing in the pool.  Seeing as all she can say at this point, in addition to baby babble, is "mama," "dada," "Belle," and "woof" (the last two don't come out exactly like I typed, but we know what she is trying to say and she's so darn close), I thought I'd help her along and share some recent photos showing what she wish she could say...

Tait time at the Del Mar races.  Horses, people watching and a cute boy?!  Yes, please!

Stone Brewery with the Goads.  Quinn, we are going to be a force to be reckoned with.  I love ya, babe! 

Don't mind us...we're just talking it out, baby-style.  Oh, the things we have in store for our parents...!

On our morning walk around the hood.  And yes, my feet are funnier than anything my mom could say to get my attention.

After a long day of swimming and eating at the family BBQ, nothing sounds better than some R&R with GramCin.

Blowing bubbles in the pool with Laura! I LOVE SUMMER!

Needless to say, we're having a great time and it's surreal to think that summer rounds out Avery's first year!  Her first birthday is in just under four weeks.  What?!  The cliche "time flies when you're having fun" is so true! 

For FPT (Funny Picture Time) this time around, I am going to share some pictures and a video of my other baby.  No, not Jeff.  Belmont!  Belle is the best cat ever and I'm not just saying that because she's ours...she truly is the best cat.  In addition to her millions of great qualities, she's really social, really loving and funny as they come!  Welcome to the world of Belle!

Such a model pose.

Apparently, this is comfy.  She does this all the time.

Apparently, this is comfy too.

Helping me read through my maternity books last year.

Giving Avery her first cat hug.  Once Avery stops chasing her and pulling her tail, she'll start giving them again.

Okay, so I just read through this post and realized I seem like an obsessed crazy cat person.  I swear I'm not.  I just really love our cat..and would do anything for her...and would run away with her if she ever asked and...

Guess Who Is Expecting...

Nooooo, I'm not pregnant again!  Are you crazy?!

My brother, Brennan, and his wife, Michel, are due February 1, 2012!  Jeff, Avery and I couldn't be more excited for the arrival of this new addition to our family and know, without a doubt, that Bren and Michel are going to be amazing parents.  Avery is especially thrilled for this new little one, because it will be her very first cousin!!

The parents-to-be holding Avery when she was just a few days old.  You guys are naturals! 

On another front, I embarrassingly admit that I forgot to mention some exciting news coming from the Simpson household...Miss Avery is crawling!  I doubt this is surprising seeing as she'll be 11 months old on Wednesday, but nonetheless, I failed to mention this during the last few posts, so I decided better late than never.   She actually took her first "crawls" during our trip back east (on the 4th of July to be exact) and mastered the new skill within days of us being home.  Now, she is crawling as fast as lightning and ascending the stairs like a master-climber.  It's absolutely adorable watching her little tush crawl around our house. 

Oh, and she also has learned to clap...even does it on command.  I know, I know, she's amazing.  :-)

Funny video time...