Now that Avery is becoming an active baby, I want to start posting some of my favorite photos at the end of each month. I’ll still have plenty of posts documenting every minute detail of her daily activities like any new parent would, but these are just like bonuses.
If you enjoy looking at cute baby pictures and not reading, this is the post for you!
Before I begin, I wanted to share this article about something invented for babies in the 1930’s; a window cage suspended outside of a window! It was proposed as a solution to provide babies with fresh air and sunshine to those living in high buildings with limited access to the outside, but thankfully no longer used! Crazy times…
And now, reliving the month of June with some of my favorite photos.
Placing 1st in our first race together!Petting the neighborhood ass.Family pool trip!!Visiting a local brewery for my 30th. Avery slept most of the time.Fun with lasers for the pets and baby!Testing out the crib on my birthday.The “I’m not listening.” raspberry.A very active 7 month photo session.You can’t be mad at me, I’m too cuuuuuttttteeee!Building an activity board and she likes it!!
I can finally wear her on my back in the Onya!!Frizzy hair smiles!A photo book of daddy and Avery from my loving wife!Door stops are the coolest!!The demon inside…Learning good nutrition from the start!An official crawler!
Keeping my girls contained is tough work!Getting a much needed baby gate for the new crawler.
What do you think of having your baby suspended outside of the window of a tall building?
The sound of my Vibram-clad feet running on a hiking trail with a light breeze whispering in my ears and the sound of grasshoppers flapping to move out of my path. This is how I spent part of my first Father’s Day; alone and at peace enjoying a sweaty run on a nearby trail.
6.5 miles and 31 pushups, air squats, and burpees later, I was ready to go back to my beautiful girls to celebrate “my” day!
Post trail run selfie!
Before I left for my run, Going Mom made me a lot of coffee with the French press and gave me my Father’s Day gift.
Pretty sure I drank a full carafe by myself!
I’m a sentimental kind of guy, and gifts from the heart mean more to me than something that can bought and wrapped up. Don’t get me wrong, there are many things you can buy and wrap that do require thought and care, but I don’t “need” those things and would rather have something made just for me.
Kelley knows this and was spending a lot of time in our front room for the days leading up to Father’s Day. She prohibited me from entering the front room for about a month since it also housed my 30th birthday gift. I was clueless what it could be, but instantly loved it when she gave it to me that morning.
A photo book with picture of just Avery and me starting at day 1 in the hospital and having our skin to skin time.
As I looked through, I relived each moment and joy filled my heart; I love it! Even this picture of me wearing Avery in the Baby Bjorn which I will never do again for the potential hip issues it causes babies, put a giant grin on my face.
Now I wear her in an Onya most of the time as well as an Ergo sometimes. Both are great options and seat the baby with their knees higher than their bottom and supports the hips. They are also more comfortable on you, the babywearer.
The time and thought my loving wife put into this means so much to me and (I’m looking at it now and smiling) makes me grateful for our small family. Even the card had to of taken some time and puts my homemade cards to her to shame!
Yep, I didn’t get a giant toolbox from Sears with all of the coolest Craftsmen tools or a new tablet with a super-ultra-mega-pixel burn-your-eyes-out screen and a faster than lightning processor, I got something better; a gift from the heart of someone I love dearly and can’t be duplicated. Thank you, Kelley/Wife/Wonderful Mom!!
For a while, I played with the idea that maybe her and my mom (G-Ma) had gone in together to get me a giant tortoise for our back yard. Why the hell would I think that? It seems ridiculous to me now, but I had mentioned several times how I want a giant tortoise for our back yard. It was always just laughed off (me included) because that would be crazy and I’m pretty sure illegal here in Texas.
But then, my mom’s boyfriend, Paul, recently showed us a picture of his son’s new back yard tortoise. They kept talking about it and how they put a lot of work into their yard to make a great home for the big guy and it was awesome.
Giant tortoise in back yard with their dog having a peek
For some reason, with the enthusiasm my mom and Kelley were telling me about the tortoise, I had thought they had something up their sleeve. Turns out, nope, nothing up their sleeve at all!
As cool as it would be, I was getting worried when I thought this was a reality; what in the world would I actually do with a giant tortoise in the back yard? We have a small box turtle, Tash, and she’s all we need. Plus, she’s the perfect size for Avery to watch and learn about.
After I returned from my better-than-therapy trail run, we spent the rest of the day together just enjoying each other. We did end up with a giant turtle in our back yard, but in the form of an inflatable pool, not a tortoise.
I didn’t take a shot of the pool alone, but you can see it there behind our happy baby. I promise, she really is a girl, it just doesn’t help when we choose blue and green. Oh well, we refuse to overwhelm her with pink!
I couldn’t get a smiling picture of her and me in the pool, but she flashed her rosy gums with mommy!
After getting enough of the outside, we all gathered back inside for the evening. G-Ma was with us to spend the night and we sat around the kitchen with food and drink just enjoying each other’s company. We even had a good Father’s Day brew from a local brewery, Rahr and Son’s, to share a cheers.
No, she didn’t have any beer, but she was really loving on the cucumber we gave her. This was her first time trying, and I’d say it was a hit!
I had a wonderful first Father’s Day and love our small family. Now that I have something to compare to, next year will be hard to beat! Hopefully there’s not giant tortoise then either!
Did you do anything for Father’s Day? Get anything cool?
What would you do with a giant tortoise as a back yard pet?
It’s the night before my first race with Avery and I should probably be sleeping. But instead, I’m sitting down in my running shorts while eating and writing this post.
Yep, my nightly big salad with a mix of kale, Brussels sprouts, salmon, broccoli, jicama, pumpkin seeds, and mustard and salsa for dressing. The perfect pre 5k meal! Hey, it worked for my 10k the other week.
So, ummm, yeah, like the title says, this will have posted 30 minutes after the start of the race and I’m fairly confident I will be done well before 30 minutes. Hopefully Avery is good and enjoys the ride!
Today is the eve of my 30th birthday, and my mom (G-ma) and her boyfriend, Paul, are meeting us at the race for a fun day together. We are going to a new restaurant called Brewed that serves local fare and then heading to a local brewery, Martin House Brewery.
Seems weird, huh? A guy who despises eating out and normally just shares a beer with his wife is doing this for his birthday? Well, it helps that Brewed serves local food and fair trade coffee and I’m still a fan of craft beer and will happily have a few of for a special occasion! I’ll probably skip on the food and just enjoy some good coffee; then head to the brewery for beer.
Hmmm, coffee then beer; I’m sure I won’t be going pee a lot….NOT! Oh well, despite my aversion to restaurants, it’ll be in good company and I’m sure we’ll all have a great time. Of course, Avery will have the final say on that!
Who me? I’m always good….
I don’t ever get to a “buzzed” feeling often since I hardly have much alcohol when I drink because I can’t justify it’s non-nutritive contribution to my body. Yep, I’m serious. But for my 30th, since Kelley is offering to hold off and drive home, maybe I’ll have *gasp* 2 or 3 beers! Hey, that’s a lot for this lightweight!
I don’t want to be an alcoholic dad, and I’m perfectly fine with just sipping some good stuff every now and then. Enough with the drink talk though, I’m just thinking in the future at this point, so I’ll fill you in early next week.
For now, I should probably get some rest before our “big” race tomorrow. I’ll leave with one of my favorite pictures of Avery this week; her smile makes me grin every time and flushes away any stress I may have.
There were about 10 carrots around here just a minute before this picture. She didn’t eat them, but strategically hid them in various places….the floor, her lap, her diaper (seriously), and behind her.
Any special plans for the weekend?
Do you ever go places you usually don’t enjoy but when you’re with your loved ones it’s okay?
An at-home dad on a mission to keep it real when it comes to food, fun, and raising a healthy, happy family.
