Jan 2010 - The start of a beautiful year with my beautiful family...

I just LOVE this picture!


Jan 9th we took you to the Fronce Frog Boutique in Rowlett for a photo shoot where you were "modeling" an outfit to be used as advertisement for a children's boutique called Cotton Candy Shop. Your picture was to be used in their catalog for anyone that wanted to purchase the outfit they made for you. We were lucky & got to keep it!! Mommy had so much fun getting you dressed up, but of course as soon as I put the pretty, new top on you; you spit up all over it! We got it off though and the pictures turned out to be incredible! Our little model...





Jan 10th was Daddy's birthday so Mommy put you in a dress made for you by Daddy's cousin Stevi. It was Daddy's favorite from the baby shower. It is brown, and the trim is camo ribbon with little pink flowers. I thought it was the perfect outfit for Daddy's birthday and he LOVED it!



Just a sweet picture of our sleeping baby:


Our baby is growing so fast! What we're up to and some of the things we are working on and/or have discovered by now:
-still @ home with Daddy
-working on sitting up
-just discovered how to bounce in your exersaucer
-definitely found your voice... babbling all the time & Mommy loves it!
-moving around and rolling over & around when you're on your mat (rolled over from front to back Jan 26th!!)
-grasping things with both hands...mostly your left which Daddy loves! :)

Here are our 5 month pictures:





These last three, I just couldn't resist.

Our BIG boy on the floor playing with our little girl...his baby sister!



Butternut Squash anyone???

Christmas and 4 month old Avery

This was our first Christmas with our new baby, our first Christmas in our new house and it just so happened that it was our year to have Preston for Christmas too! Such a blessed year!

This Christmas we had the usual stops to make: Memaw & Papaw's with the whole Ingram clan and then off to Bonham for the Eaves' Christmas. Holidays are always hectic for us, trying to make both places and see both families, but we always have such a great time at both places. The Ingram Christmas is a hectic, crowded cluster (I mean that in the nicest, most sincere way... There is NOTHING about that tradition I would EVER change.) and then the Eaves' Christmas is calm and there's not even a third of the people there that are at the Ingram gathering. Either place, there are people we love and cherish and we wouldn't have it any other way.
Needless to say though, we barely had enough room in the car to get us and all our loot home. Avery and Preston make a killing every year and this year was no exception. They got so much stuff!! Beyond all the gifts though, we are blessed to have such wonderful, caring people in our lives. Christmas is my favorite holiday.

The first picture is from our visit to Barry's Grandma's Christmas gathering. She turned 90 years old this year and this was her first time to meet Avery. Such an amazing, strong, sweet lady. I hope Avery gets a chance to know her.






















And, I can't forget to post our 4 month pictures. I have so much fun taking these and I really enjoy looking back and comparing them to see just how much our princess is growing and changing. Her little personality is really starting to show.

3 months for Avery and back to work for Mommy

I didn't do a good job of taking "notes" for the month of November and I'm going to blame that on having to start back to work. November 2nd was a horrible, ugly, sad day for Mommy. It took me several "tries" to get out the door. I couldn't stop going back into where you were sleeping and kissing you and rubbing your head. Daddy was up making you some num-nums and when he turned around to tell me bye; I just about lost it. He kept telling me it would be okay, but I didn't feel okay and I didn't believe him. I was a blubbering mess of running mascara by the time I made it to the end of our driveway. That day at work was a L..O..N..G 10 hours. I couldn't wait to get home and see your face and hold you again. I had almost 12 weeks off for my maternity leave and it went by sooo incredibly fast. Getting into a new routine was a little bit of an adjustment, but it helped that Daddy hadn't gone back to work yet. He had most everything "done" when I got home from work. Dinner was cooked. House was cleaned. Beds were made. All I had to do was love my babygirl and get ready for the next day. It helped. He helped. We are 2 very lucky gals to have him!! We love you Daddy!!




Thanksgiving came and went and I didn't take a picture one. I know, bad mommy. Your first Thanksgiving and mommy's camera was MIA.

11/18/09 Your 3 month birthday...like before, even cuter than the last!

The beginning of life for our Avery continued...

8/25/09 - Daddy had knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus so Uncle Becky came & stayed with us for a week to help mommy take care of both her babies and Preston. It was a trying week to say the least. Mommy has had 2 "breakdowns" since you were born and one was during that week. You were a week old and with your Daddy down & out, Mommy had a rough time.

8/27/09 - We got out of the house to go to Mommy's office and we stopped by Memaw & Papaw's house on the way home. Aunt Patti, Aunt Kristy, Uncle Billie and Aunt Deb all came up there to see you but had a hard time getting you out of Papaw's arms.

8/29/09 - Mommy took you to one of Preston's football games. They were playing their rival, the Hurricanes. It was a big game so beforehand we had to go buy you a big orange and blue bow to wear. You were the cutest thing! Your bow was almost as big as you! Unfortunately it didn't help P's team; they lost horribly.

9/1/09 - 2 week pedi appt. Jaundice was down! :) Weight was 8lbs 1.1oz (39%) and length was 20.2in (43%) Uncle Becky went with us because Daddy still wasn't getting around too well from his surgery.

9/18/09 Your 1 month birthday! So precious! (you look just like your Poppy in this picture!)

9/19/09 - We went to another one of P's games and later that evening we went to Texas Roadhouse in Sherman for a surprise Birthday dinner for Preston. He was turning 11. G-Momma & G-Daddy, Uncle Brian & Aunt Ethelyn, Andrea & her boyfriend, Memaw & Papaw, Aunt Kristy & Caleb and Uncle Becky all met us up there for the surprise.

9/21/09 - Mommy took you on your first outing to the mall and to Old Navy. Uncle Becky & Will Minor went with us. Daddy was so worried about me having you out, especially at the mall, because of all the swine flu mess that was going around.

9/22/09 - Poppy's 50th birthday. We took him to El Chico in McKinney for his birthday lunch. Uncle Becky was there too. Later, at 2pm, we had your 1 month pedi appt. You had to get your 2nd HepB shot (1st was at the hospital) and it absolutely broke mommy's heart!! You cried so hard!! :( You weighed 9lbs 2.4oz (40%) and were 21.4in long (49%).

10/18/09 - Your 2 month birthday! Even cuter than the month before!

10/31/09 - Halloween! You were supposed to be a loaf of Wonder bread but the costume was wayyyy too big! You ended up wearing an outfit that Aunt Ethelyn and cousin Andrea bought for you & were our "Little Punkin". We went to G-Momma & G-Daddy's church in Bonham where they were having a Fall Festival and to dinner with the whole family afterwards.

Here's a picture (I had to post) of your Gator outfit Mommy had made for you to wear to Bub's games. It was made by a girl that Mommy went to school with. You were the cutest cheerleader at the game.

Birth Story

8/13/09 - 1st induction attempt, I only ever dilated to a 1.

8/14/09 - We were sent home and told to come back on Monday. I was so sad because I was ready to meet you, but in the end I was glad I didn't rush things. You and God had a plan for when you would come...teaching mommy patience!!

8/17/09 - We checked back into the hospital at 530 pm. The nurses got started on me right away. I got Cervadil at 6 pm. Your brother was with us at first, but he had football practice and ended up staying the night with the Ellenburgs. He learned his lesson about a hospital mat on the floor after our first attempt. We ate dinner and I was given Ambien to sleep.

8/18/09 - We were up pretty early. I was started on Pitocin about 6 am. My doctor came in and broke my water at about 645 and told us "no going back now; we WILL be having a baby later today". At 715am I was given an epidural and was checked again, was dilated to a 3. Checked again at 1110am and was dilated to a 4. They kept raising the Pitocin levels but I wasn't dilating. We were beginning to think we would be having a C-Section delivery. BUT, at about 230pm Dr. Rajala came back in and checked me and I was dilated to a 9!!! He left but said he'd be back in about 30 mins and we'd be pushing. The nurses came in, prepped me and the room in what seemed to be a matter of minutes. I had a rather uneventful delivery and at one point I even asked the nurses "am I even doing anything?". At 324 pm our lives were changed forever! Our miracle, Avery Alyn Eaves, was born and made mommy and daddy very proud parents! You weighed 7lbs 13oz and were 19in long.

8/20/09 - We were discharged to take you home at 140 pm. You had lost a little weight, as expected, and went home at 7lbs 6oz. We were so happy to have our baby home and when we got here we found pink balloons EVERYWHERE!! G-Momma and Preston had snuck over here while we were at the hospital and decorated the house for your homecoming. Preston even made a sign for your door! (we kept it, it's in your closet)

8/22/09 - We had your first (48hr) pediatrician appt. You weighed 7lbs 6.5oz and were a little jaundiced but they said it was nothing to worry about. They told us what we already knew: YOU WERE PERFECT!!

Jan 4, 2010

To my Avery:

Babygirl, you are growing way too fast for my liking! I absolutely LOVE being your mommy. You have been the single greatest blessing to my life thus far. Sometimes I look at you and I stare in awe and amazement that you are ours. So perfect, so sweet, so happy... You have opened my heart to a new kind of love, that I knew existed and dreamed of for a very long time, but didn't truly know until August 18, 2009 at 3:24pm when I first saw your face. Your perfect, beautiful face. You were even more beautiful and special than I had ever imagined you would be. While you were in my belly, I loved you. I felt you. I dreamt about you. I began to know you; your sleeping patterns, your daily hiccup fits... And, I just thought that I loved you then. That ALL changed the minute you were born. I love you, babygirl, more than I ever knew I could love someone. I have dreamt since I was a little girl of being a mommy and I can never fully express how thankful and blessed I feel that God chose me to be your mommy. You are my favorite dream come true!!

I love you with all my heart & soul,

Mommy

Internet

WE FINALLY HAVE IT!! I feel like a whole new girl! I have been trying to keep up with all the "little memories" we've been having since we've had Avery by hand-writing them in a journal........NO MORE HAND CRAMPS!! I will warn those of you that follow; I plan on catching this up as if I'd never skipped a beat. I have soooooo many pictures and stories!! I am truly excited about this!

So, if you follow us here...HERE WE GO!