7 Months Old

Yesterday Avery turned 7 months old! I can hardly believe it. (I think I say that every month.) I feel like I am going to wake up and all of a sudden she is going to be walking and talking and I will have missed her growing up. (Especially since I am about to start school in three weeks ... ahhhhhhhhhh!) That will be another post for sure!


Matt and I LOVE this little girl more than words can describe. It doesn't take much for her to make our day brighter. Her smile is contagious.

Here are some things Avery has been doing this past month:

Sitting up very well

Trying to pull up to sitting from lying

Eating solids!!! (I never thought this would happen.) Her favorite so far is sweet potatoes and banana.

Learning to drink from a sippy cup. (We just introduced it to her to see what she would do with it. She thinks it is funny, because she laughs every time she puts it in her mouth.)

Continues to be VERY curious and loves to watch what is going on

Laughing (After all this time, we finally caught it on video.)

Reaches for EVERYTHING and procedes to put it in her mouth

Scoots backward and around but not forward yet

***This sweet picture of Avery was taken by her Bibi.

Avery's 6 Month Pictures

Once again Laurel at www.eilas.com did an excellent job capturing Avery's sweet personality. We met at the Factory in Franklin and found some perfect outdoor spots for the photo shoot.

Enjoy.













Avery has already learned how to wink (Ha!).



















The girl LOVES her dad ...


















... and her mom!


















She has already mastered the pouty face.













We LOVE our little Avery!

Meal Time Progress

Today, Avery was unusually happy when I was feeding her oatmeal. Between my ridiculously animated "this is really good" faces and the giraffe bib, I think Avery decided that she might actually like solid foods one day. At least it is progress!

Avery's 6 Month Stats

Yesterday Avery went to see her pediatrician. The doc said that she is growing at a good rate. She is definitely in the lower percentiles for now, but she is so very strong.

Weight: 13lb. 4 oz.
Height: 24.75 in.

6 Months Later

Wow! Where does time go? Avery is now 6 months old! Everyday seems to be new and exciting. Just last weekend, Avery went to visit my family for the first time. It was her first trip to the great state of Arkansas. I feel like she hit a growth spurt last weekend because she had several "firsts" while we were there.

She began sitting up for short periods of time by herself! I am such a proud lil' mom!


















Ask the girl a question and she will shake her head no. It is the cutest thing really! I think her Aunt Alicia taught her this when I wasn't looking.

Avery also tried green bean puree for the first time this past week. I made it from scratch ya'll! I was so proud of myself. Unfortunately, she wasn't a big fan. I seem to have a non-eater on my hands. She likes what she likes. Maybe this week we will try carrot puree. I am determined to find something this girl will eat. I guess I may have to resort to a sugary food (fruits). Every girl likes sugar you know.













Avery and I have also been frequent visitors at the YMCA these past few weeks. I think she really enjoys meeting new people. She seems to make people smile wherever we go. I always wonder if the childcare workers just think she is super cute and love to hold her or if she is "one of the fussy babies" and they have to hold her. Every time I pick her up she is being held by one of them.

Avery doesn't seem to have a consistent nap schedule lately. She usually takes a really good morning nap. But in the afternoon when I try to put her down for a nap, she cries and cries and cries some more. I am OK with it as long as she is getting the sleep she needs. Sometimes, when she is REALLY tired, she will laugh at you for no reason. It is one of those deep down "I think you are so funny" laughs. It melts my heart!

This week Avery also got her WHOLE big toe in her mouth. If only I had some of her flexibility!

I will post Avery's 6 month stats this week! I can't wait to see how she has grown since her 4 month well visit.

A Week in Pictures

Just look at this sweet face!




















Avery got to see her grandma, Bibi, for the second time!













Avery got her very first sippy cup.



















Avery now has enough hair to wear a bow without a headband!

There is More Than One Way to Eat It

This past Saturday was Matt's birthday. He LOVES german chocolate cake. I have only made him one "from scratch" german chocolate cake in the five years we have married. It was a lot of work!

This year, I wanted to make him something with the flavor he loves but in a different form. So, I made german chocolate cake balls. They were a big hit! We still have some in the freezer. The recipe makes about 50! Since we just started our summer shape-up, I don't think we will be eating any more for a while. Come on over if you want to try them.

You really could make them in any flavor. I started with a german chocolate cake mix (the store bought kind). If you really want to knock yourself out, you could make it from scratch.


















Once you bake the cake, let it cool completely.













Once it has cooled, you take two forks and gently crumble the cake into pieces.













Next, you mix in 3/4 to a whole can of icing. Again, I used the store bought kind.


















You could easily make your own. You want the mixture to be moist, not dry.













Then, I put the mixture into the freezer for about 20 minutes. I took the mixture out of the freezer and began rolling it into balls. You can use a small ice cream scoop to get the right amount and roll them with your hands. You don't want them to be too big because they are harder to dip in chocolate. Also, the colder the mixture the easier they are to roll. When the mixture got to room temperature again, I just put it back into the freezer to chill.



















Once I rolled all of the mixture into balls, I put them back into the freezer for two hours. If you don't get the balls cold enough, pieces of cake will break off into your chocolate.

I used chocolate almond bark for the final step. I melted two blocks at a time in the microwave for about 40 seconds. The next part for me was a little tricky. It is hard to get that smooth look when dipping things in chocolate. I figured out that the best way to get the smooth look was to put the ball of cake into the bowl of chocolate. Then, I used a big spoon the cover the top of the ball in chocolate. I carefully dipped the ball out with a fork. It dried SO quickly and they were ready to eat!













Be VERY careful! You cannot eat just one. This is a perfect treat to take with you to a party and you will definitely impress your friends!