Almost 17 months!

She is growing up so fast! I can't believe she is 17 months old! That is one month shy of a year and a half. She is talking up a storm if I can get her "baa, baa" out of her mouth (paci) for one freaking minute. She is teething, again...canines this time, so she is absolutely obsessed with chewing on things. Better the paci than other things I suppose. Here she is trying to call her Mimi at the lake. She was so proud of herself.

At the mill with the Allen side (plus Cam). Thanks Rosie the Great for making an appearance.
Learning to grind corn...
Stick in hair, eating a brown eyed susan, sitting in the creek. Yep, that's Avery's life.
Good shot of the waterfall behind G Daddy and little Monkey. She spent a lot of her Independence Day weekend with out any clothes on! She got so mad at me when I made her wear something! Luckily she got over it!

First Sentence?

Avery said her first sentence...sort of. We took her to the Auburn water park on Saturday. She splashed and played, and we left after about an hour due to nap time! This is not the classiest place on the block, but it is exceptionally toddler friendly. Splash town has a foot of water with toddler water sports like a see saw that splashes each child back and forth, a mushroom with cascading water fall, and a slide that kids can ride with their parents. Then we checked out the wave pool, and finally the lazy river. Aves had a blast. We put her shoes back on as we were leaving, and as soon as we got in the car, she was trying to undo the velcro. About five minutes later, I look back at her, and she looks at me with very sincere eyes and says "shoes off." She repeats it about one hundred times until I finally get what she is saying and help her pull her shoes off. She was so proud that she said it and that I got it, and the shoes came off! We were both pretty pumped. Here she is with her shoes AND shirt off.

Uncle Floyd ordered Avery seconds of red Jello at Geno's at the beach. Thanks Floydo.
I do want to mention how good Geno's is, and if anyone is supporting the gulf coast this week and winds up in Orange Beach, go check it out! They have great sushi, seafood, and salads. Happy Independence Day!

Another Photo Post

We went to Telluride, CO for the weekend...Eric and Eliza's Wedding. It was awesome. More on that tomorrow. So tired. Just wanted to get in a few for the mid-week slackers...

Avery and TJ at a Biscuits game a few weeks ago. Love that smile!

TJ caught two fish in Colorado...this brown trout and one rainbow.

Lastly, we went to an oxygen bar when the altitude started getting to us. Locals made fun of us, but it was pretty neat. Mine was Gardenia scented.
More tomorrow. Night!

Can you hear the words that are coming outta my mouth?

I was about to post on Avery's tubes when an email came in from Ama that summed it up quite succinctly.

"One would think she is going to be a Diva except that she is not very selective in her choice of shoes-male/female,high heels, flip flops, any kind will do. Isn't it great to see our baby feeling so good after her tubes?"

Dad forwarded the following pre-op photo to Floyd who, of course, had something to say. "She even has designer hospital clothes?? What a tough life!"

Apparently there is a clinical term for what happens when children/babies wake up from anesthesia. It is called Post Operative Agitation, which doesn't sound too bad- like she might throw her bottle down to see if you will pick it up for the 10th time-but in actuality is the worst thing I have ever experienced!!! Well, not really, I'm being dramatic, but Avery totally freaked out...for 20 minutes! She writhed in pain, screamed, tried to bang her head, wouldn't accept a paci, bottle, or even tylenol, and then, as fast as it started, she fell asleep. "It's normal", the nurse kept telling us, but not convincingly enough for me. By the time we got her to the car, she was fine! Like nothing had happened. She ate her cheerios, drank her milk, and acted normally! Her naps were right on schedule (I even got her to snuggle with me for the afternoon nap in our bed! Ahh, heaven!), lunch went as planned, and then we turned Jack's BIG Music Show (compliments of Aunt Searcy) on repeat all afternoon. And here is the big kicker...Avery sang, danced, and chattered ALL DAY LONG! The doctor told us he sucked out a ton of fluid from behind her ear drum, and he said she could probably hear MUCH better now. I agree. She was happy, energetic, talkative(we may be regretting that part later! Kidding!) and back to being my sweet kid! Yay for tubes!

All the photos I have been hoarding.

Avery and Cousin Taylor watching SpongeBob at the lake on Saturday. They were loving each other's company!

Playing in her jewelry box! I have been saving up costume jewelry since I found out I was having a girl. I used to love playing dress up! Check out those fab purple heart earrings. Most appropriate for Memorial Day.
Guacamole sauce...Hi, my name is Avery, and I am addicted to avocado.
Just like Daddy! She loves to help cut the grass...or what's left of it...the backyard is looking a little sparse!
Learning to share...GERMS! "Here Mags, try my delicious banana Popsicle!
BEACH!
On the way to the BEACH! Me and Ama fell asleep.
Sorry for the bra shot in this one, but I had to document Avery's first "outside-the-exit-doors-of-Walmart" ride! Actually, this wasn't at a Walmart, but at a much classier establishment...Lambert's. Home of the throwed [sic] rolls.
Me and my buddy Charlie!

Look at me! 2 Posts in 24 hours!

Cameron, Denise, and I threw Mom a little birthday party(I will be discreet about which birthday for her sake, cause she is a GRANDMA now.) Regardless of her age, she still looks great! See the photo below...

It was Kentucky Derby themed, hence the julep cups, roses, and big hats! We had great food (thanks to Cam and Denise) and delicious, although very strong, mint juleps!

Yesterday, Avery and I went out to water the garden, and I made her put on her sunglasses, because it was so bright! How fly is my baybay? She is learning new things everyday. I just love that little sponge. She has been shaking her head (since I try very hard not to say the word "no") mimicking me for several days now. Its really hard not to laugh when she does it. I will try to capture it on video. She is eating well again, and taking on new words every day. She said Bible on Monday, and duck and juice are getting their suffixes added now, so it actually sounds like duck and juice rather than "duh" and "jue" respectively!
Uncle Evan will be done with his last final of his first year of law school today. Congrats on this milestone Ev. We love you! That's all today.

The beach, the backyard, it don't matter to Avery!

Mom and I took Grandma (and Avery) on her annual trip. We went down to Orange Beach, and no, we did not see any tar balls. We didn't go near the actual ocean though. It was a great 2 days and I wish I had more time to stay. Avery adored everything we did! She loved the sand, and the playground at the Crab Shack, the "throwed rolls" and the train at Lambert's, and the indoor pool at the condo. She had a blast playing in the splash pad and riding the carousel at the outlet mall (see photo below for how she clued me in that she wanted to ride it!). Most of all, she was thrilled to see her Uncle Floyd and Aunt Linda and eat meatballs at Geno's. It was wonderful...even the car ride wasn't too bad. Which for us, is a big accomplishment!

Avery and Cameron at Evan's birthday dinner!
Aves playing in the backyard with Hank and Maggie. I love that little outfit!