It’s been 9 long super fast months since experienced really cold weather here in Texas, and it’s rearing its ugly head once again. I like the heat, if you can’t tell, so I’m less than thrilled to say goodbye to by garage sweat sessions. Now I’ll be huddled next to our space heater trying to keep warm with Avery before a garage workout!
When the cold came in a couple days ago, Avery’s bear suit came out. I shared a post about our experience with the bear suit last February and March, and Going Mom and I couldn’t get over how freakin’ cute she was in the thing!
Free Bear Hugs!!
The floppy, over-sized arms and legs were just un-bearable and all you wanted to do was hug and squeeze (gently) her all day!
But now, it was a bit more difficult trying to get Avery in the same bear suit. Aside from being sized 3 – 6 months (oops!), her activity level has increased approximately 500% over the course of 9 months. Guess it’s similar to development in the womb!
So, it “fit”, but I’m pretty sure her mobility was compromised a bit. Just so you know, I only kept it on her for the duration of our cold walk, and then it came right off once back inside. That said, she didn’t complain one bit while we walked, and she actually seemed quite content chewing on her paws.
Although she still didn’t seem all that thrilled to be in the tight-fitting bear skin….
Sorry, dear, but it’s much better than your lips turning blue. Like the did later that day. Double oops!
We just placed an order on Amazon for a new bear suit from the same brand, just bigger size and can’t wait for it to get here. Judging from the pic above, I’m thinking Avery is anxious for its arrival too.
Since it’s her birthday in 2 days, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting on the past months and thought it would be neat to do a side-by-side collage of Avery in the bear suit back in February to 9 months later in Novembear (just getting my corny dad jokes warmed up!).
Kelley is off today and tomorrow to get things ready for Avery’s birthday party and hopefully Avery will take her first steps while Mommy’s home too. We’ve been saying she’s going to walk soon for the past 3 months, but hey, you never know!
Have you ever tried cramming your kid in clothes that just won’t fit anymore?
Well, we’re back home and back to being parents again. *sigh*
Okay, we missed our precious little Avery, but we also enjoyed our time together. Thankfully, G-Ma had a great time with her and survived the weekend!
Thank you so much, mom, for watching Avery and keeping her so happy. I think she’s already missing you, so we can’t wait long until we see you again. I promise, we won’t leave you alone this time! 🙂
It’s always tough trying to get things back in line after coming back home, and we’re still try to get adjusted. I plan on sharing a recap of our 7th anniversary “staycation” along with a review on our stay at the Embassy Suites in Downtown Fort Worth sometime soon, but not yet.
Today, I have photos from our 9 month photo session with Avery to share. Not even an hour before taking these, Avery was “playing” with our cat, Lou, who “played” back by swiping at her forehead. The result was this lovely ~6 inch scratch.
It looks bad, but we were relieved when she never cried. Guess that’s part of being hard-headed, huh? But, I think the scratch affected her in other ways by making her even crazier than she already is.
The 9 month photo shoot was the most difficult yet, and cat scratch fever seems the only logical explanation. Check them out and let me know what you think.
The initial setupMight be the best oneAnnnnddd right to the bear.Now I’ll just crawl off this chair. Gravity, what’s that?Time to readjustTake that, bear, I can stand on you now!!Mommy’s turn to contain the wild child. Check out the booger on that nose!!Another setup attempt.Hey, you, I thought I was just standing on you!!Hmm, this is comfortable.No more pictures!!Okay, just a few more.Am I being difficult?Hey, check out my feet, they’re at my chest!Here, take my side profile as I grind my teeth.Oh, the floor. My parents are getting smarter….finally.This is all you’re getting, no more pics!
And that’s all we got, just as she said. The session was eventful, as expected, and we can only imagine how the 10 month shoot will go.
Has your baby ever been scratched by the cat or dog of the house? Was it bad?
Hey hey, we’re in the 4th quarter of Avery’s first year of life! Time keeps zipping by without signs of slowing down. Kind of like this little crawler; she’s non-stop!
You’re mine now, Ball!!
This post needs to be quick since I should be packing to go to our hotel for the weekend right now. I’m writing this on Friday afternoon and G-Ma will be on her way soon (cool, I rhymed!). Going Mom and I will be staying two nights at the Embassy Suites in Downtown Fort Worth, about 20 miles from home, for our 7th wedding anniversary.
As I write this, Kelley doesn’t know that I spoke with a kind lady at Embassy Suites who agreed to have a bottle of champagne and strawberries waiting in our room. Can’t beat that as a perfect way to start our “getaway” at a great hotel! If you know my wife, champagne is her favorite, and it was the hardest thing to talk her out of getting a bottle before we checked in. Geez, stubborn woman!!
Hopefully G-Ma is rockin’ out with Avery at our house and they don’t have any issues. But, if they do, that’s why we’re only so far away. We are so grateful that G-Ma agreed to stay the entire weekend with Avery, especially since she’s so mobile now!
I’ll have a recap of what went down sometime next week; I’m sure it’ll all be good…..right? Crap, I’m already taking too long. Let’s get on to the highlight of today’s post, shall we?
It was a painful experience for all of us as those teeth pushed through, and we’re not looking forward to the next round. But, like everything, we’ll deal with it as it comes.
Flashy Four
2. With those 4 teeth, 2 top and 2 bottom, you’ve taken to grinding them…..all the time!! I hear the grinding even when you’re not grinding; it’s like nails on a chalkboard. Hmmm, will you even get that reference anymore? Anyway, it’s bad, and it drives Mommy and me insane!
Doing the daily “grind”
Even from afar, we know you’re grinding when your cheeks stick farther out and you have an apparent under-bite. Like most baby things, we hear it’s a phase and are anxiously waiting for it to be over!
3. You had just started crawling at 8 months, and although you aren’t walking now, you are pulling up on everything and anything with ease.
Soon, I won’t rely on these and you’ll never have time to yourself!!! But I’m cute, right?
It’s only a matter of time until you take those first steps away from your support structures. Maybe by 10 months? I’m placing my bets now.
4. Since you are crawling like a pro now, you can easily make your way around the house and constantly amaze us at how quickly you make it to another room. Despite our cardboard box barriers you easily bust through, you find a way to get into exactly what we don’t want you getting into. A few of those things are the dog’s food and water bowl, the vacuum cleaner I constantly forget to put up, or the kitchen trashcan. Saying “No.” is futile, but we do it anyway.
5. Your playfulness keeps increasing and I get excited to see your happy face when I get on my hands and knees with you now. I’ve even started to put off washing dishes like I normally do and just get down to crawl around with you.
6. When Mommy and I aren’t crawling around with you, the beach ball keeps you pretty occupied as you push and then chase it across the house.
I’m hoping this fascination with the ball will help G-Ma wear you out while we are away for the weekend. Fingers crossed!
7. We brought you to two birthday parties for the neighborhood girls turning 1 and you did great at both! At one of them, we even came out with our own gifts for you; two types of walkers!
Heeeyyyyyy!
Since their little 1 year old girl now walks on her own, they had no use for these, so they let us borrow them until you’re in the walking club. I’m hopeful that we get to return them soon since that means you’ll be walking on your own too!
8. Our dinners are usually later than they should be, and you have been throwing most of the food we give you on the floor. At first it was cute, but now it’s obvious you know what you’re doing. On top of that, you will scream loud and thrash around just because.
Goodbye, broccoli!!
Sometimes, we resort to showing you videos of yourself on our phones, but try not to put the screen in front of you that late.
9. Getting into things is just a part of life now, and Mommy and I quit trying so hard to stop you. Now we try to only have things left out that you are allowed to get into and topple over. You seem to enjoy pulling down on and spilling toys from the basket.
This sequence is a daily thing, but at least you’re going for the book. Oh, wait, that’s a blank photo book….oops!
Well, Avery, you’re growing up fast and we love seeing how aware you’ve become of your surroundings. I can only imagine what another month will bring, but know we’ll be here to capture it all!
I could go on, but now I’m really pushing my time and Mommy’s patience! So, I love you, and when you read this some day, I hope we can tell you how great you were for G-Ma while we were gone. 🙂
An at-home dad on a mission to keep it real when it comes to food, fun, and raising a healthy, happy family.
