Our Little 5-month-old

This past Wednesday, Avery turned 5 months old. I cannot believe that she is growing up so fast.


















So, what has she been up to lately? Well, here is a little update:

Every time I change her clothes, Avery helps me out by lifting up her head so that it is easier to get the clothing out from under her. I love it! It is the funniest thing.

She also tries really hard to sit up when she is in the swing, the bath tub, and laying on her play mat.

She found her feet this month and can't seem to get enough.













Today, she reached out for a doll. Then, she gave it a little hug! It was the sweetest.

Just this past weekend we put her in her high chair for the very first time. She really seems to like it.


















We also fed her rice cereal for the first time. As you can see in the picture, Avery wanted control of the spoon. She sure did have a tight grip on it!













I am SO excited to spend the summer with her! Avery is not the easiest baby, but she is certainly not lacking in personality! After this week I will take lots of pictures and maybe even some video! I have been told that babies are even more fun in the coming months. I am SO thankful that I get to spend a few months with her!

Family Dedication and Mother's Day

Well, as you can see I am a little behind. It seems like Mother's Day was two weeks ago! Matt and I have both been VERY busy. I have been keeping up with 17 1st graders, an almost 5-month-old, and trying to wrap up things at school! In addition to his daily job, Matt has been doing some contract work inspecting playgrounds.

Last Sunday, May 8, was not only Mother's Day but family dedication at our church. It was a very special day for our little family.
We committed to raising Avery in a godly home. We picked this as her life verse:

"For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven't stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and growing in the knowledge of God." Colossians 1:9-10

Sorry, no pictures this time. They didn't turn out that great!

Matt and Avery made me a special 1st Mother's Day gift. We have somehow misplaced Avery's footprints from the hospital. It makes me SO sad. Surely they are here somewhere! Anyway, they "recreated" her footprints. Wasn't that just the sweetest thing?!

3 Month Photos

A few weeks ago, we had Avery's 3 month photos taken. She wasn't the most cooperative little girl that day. We think she has started teething and that just happened to be one of those days that it bothered her. Here are a few shots from that day. Laurel Pankratz always does a wonderful job despite the situation! You can check out more of her photos at http://www.eilasblog.com/.













My sister made this super cute ruffled diaper cover and flower headband for Avery. You should definitely check out her blog http://littlesprinklesoffun.blogspot.com/.

Avery's 1st Easter

Avery and her new friend Jeanie the Giraffe

4 Months

This past Monday, Avery turned 4 months old! I can hardly believe it! She is growing so fast.
Here are her 4 month stats:

Weight — 11 lb. 4 oz.
Height — 23.5 in.

If I could use one word to describe Avery, I would use the word STRONG. Not only is she strong-willed. (I think she got this from me.) But Avery has really good muscle tone. Her sitter, Sarah, always says that she is going to be a gymnast. I guess we will see. Here are some examples:

Whether she is sitting in the swing or laying on her play mat she is constantly trying to pull herself to a sitting position.

When she is sleeping she often turns 180 degrees. Somehow she scoots her little self around; we call her our little Houdini. One time she even tried to escape from her gown.

She NEVER rests her legs. They are always up in the air or in motion. Matt and I wonder if she is going to be a swimmer. She makes some BIG splashes in her bath tub every night.

She has been doing push-ups lately when laying on her tummy.

She can stand on her two feet (straight as a board) when held upright.

When the girl gets mad, she uses those muscles to straighten herself out so that you can not do anything but hold her.

In the last four months she has brought such joy to our lives with her smiles, laughs and sweet personality. I now can't imagine life without her.

Marathon

I feel like I am in the midst of a race right now—a marathon to be exact. Slow and steady wins the race they say. But I seem to be running at full speed—stopping only to catch my breath for a second. Will I cross the finish line or have to stop because my legs turn to jello and can't hold the weight any longer?

So, this is my season of life right now. Today I completed my second week of being back at work since my maternity leave ended. It hasn't been the easiest of transitions. Actually, it is much harder than I expected it to be. I really got used to my role as a wife and mother.

Most of you know that I am a 1st grade teacher. I had only been teaching for one year before I had Avery. Prior to that I worked in children's publishing at LifeWay Christian Resources. During my last year and a half at LifeWay I went back to school to get my Master's of Arts in Teaching. That was a marathon too! I worked 40 hour weeks and went to class all day on Saturday during that time.

Many people who don't understand the education system would say that my job is easy. I mean, I get off on all the major holidays and eight weeks in the summer. I used to be one of THOSE people! :) But, my job doesn't end at 3:30 when school is over. No, especially now when I use my breaks to carry out my "mom duties." I still have stacks of papers to grade, conferences to prepare for, evaluation paperwork to complete, lessons to plan, supplies to gather, construction paper to cut for those cute TN state symbols hats that the kids will make, brainpower to figure out how to get this or that student to master all 50+ standards before the end of the year, parents to communicate with, things to rearrange so that the classroom is more functional, field trips to coordinate, papers to file, and the list could go on.

And then ... find the time to be a good wife and mother ...

Forget the housework, grocery shopping, laundry ...

This is my season right now. It isn't an easy one. And yes, there will be more like them I am sure. I do love that I get to be a part of teaching 17 seven-year-olds each day how to read, how to treat one another, and to motivate them to love learning. But, I miss being able to love on Avery and help her learn, see her smiles, and hear her giggle.

This marathon will be over soon (8.5 weeks to be exact). Then I can catch my breath. Be still before the Lord. Love on Avery. Spend time with my husband. Live. No running. None.

A Butterfly Surprise

Last week Avery received a beautiful butterfly quilt in the mail. It was made by a long-time friend of Matt's family, Marcie Thompson. Avery has already enjoyed snuggling with it!













Isn't it beautiful?! Marcie even included Avery's name, birth weight, height, and place of birth on the quilt. I am always impressed with those who have the patience to make something like this with so many details. I know Avery will treasure it!