a fresh start

new blog is up and running! http://randomavery.blogspot.com/

throwing in the towel

I'm giving up on this blog. I am feeling a need to just ramble instead of making thoughtful, nice updates about the babies. I just can't keep up. I'm starting a new blog that is called random ramblings (at least for now). I'll like it as soon as it's up. Never say never, maybe I'll pick this one up again someday.

is it really june already?

I just found this in my drafts folder...think I'll just publish it.


dated 6/9/09
{Sigh}
Here begings another attempt at a catch up. I think I am ready to give up on the whole catching up and staying up to date idea. I think maybe I should just write what I want whenever I have the time and not worry about it. I always have such good intentions on starting and keeping up with projects and ideas, it's just following through and finishing that I have issues with. I freely admit it.

I used to say that the days flew by like the blink of an eye. Now, I don't even have time to blink, and BOOM...another day is gone. I want to be productive but at the same time I just want to veg and chill during the few free moments I do get. I don't even watch tv anymore, I'd rather just sit in silence. Lately I've even been falling asleep when the babies do. I guess the lack of sleep thing effects me more than I care to admit. I don't really even notice it anymore except for times like this when I sit and analize everything.

w-o-w, that was a rambly beginning. I really wanted to come and make a post because of a major event that happened tonight. Lillie went pee pee in her potty! Paco took off her diaper while filling up the bathtub, she said "pee pee", he put her on the potty and she went. SWEET! I won't hold my breath for an instant, over-night toilet training but it's a start! Ah, what has my life become to be so excited over some urine?

While we are speaking of the lovely miss L, here's some more of her latest...
-she said "thank you mama" after I peeled a banana for her. Totally unprovoked...my heart melted.
-she knows a few words and parts of songs and sings them randomly. Often, she dances while she sings.
-loves all of her dollys so much. She brought me my mei tei (carrier) and her doll the other day and said "stroller". What she was telling me was that she wanted to carry the baby like mommy does. So freakin awesome, another heart melter. She also rocks her babies, puts them to "nite nite" and tells them to take a nap. She also tells

What's happening at the casa...

You know, I really do want to keep up with this blog. I really do. I think about it fairly often, it's just a matter of having two hands available and a few quiet minutes. That seems almost impossible to find these days unless it's late at night. At that point I really should be sleeping. I feel exhausted just about every single day. The babies are growing and changing so fast, sometimes I find it difficult to wrap my head around how much they change in a very small amount of time. I hope that I can remember all of these tiny miracles later in life. I hear "I hope you are writing this stuff down" a lot from other people. The truth is I have a hard time finding the chance to. Maybe it's worth it to have the thousands of pictures on my digital camera. Pictures have a great way of making you flash back to the very second they were taken. Anyway, I'm rambling and at this rate I'll never get this done. If you don't want to read about my kiddos, you are dismissed. My world revolves around them right now and I'm completely in love with them. In a way this serves as a journal so that whenever I do find the time to write in baby books and do scrapbooks, I might be able to remember a little...

Lillie-
I don't even know where to begin with her. Months 14-16 have been a blast. Now she seems to have jumped ahead to the "terrible twos". But, I'm getting a head of myself.

She has a very large vocabulary. At around 15 months she became a parrot and repeated anything that you asked her to. It became a fun game to think of the biggest word you can think of and have her repeat it. A few weeks ago she started saying multi word combos. The first one was "more kisses" (ahhhhhhhh!, go ahead, say it). A few days ago she started saying "I get it". Most words come out really pretty clear, others are a far stretch from the way they should sound.
Favorite words-
gorilla- pronounced wee-ta-ta
tortilla - pronounced tor-ta-ta
banana- mee-nana
oh yeah- stress on the oh part. ooooooh yeah. Got that one from Isaac.
all right
hold you - pronounced hoad-jou. she says it when she wants to be held.

Her comprehension and retention amaze me. She must have Paco's weird ability to remember stuff (except what I tell him :) ). For example, she brought me a toy guitar that we have the other day and says "hold tight" which is what they say on one of the songs it plays. It had been a week or two since she had played with it and had never said that before!

The girl is a dancing machine. I've been taking some flip camera footage of it that I promise to post soon. It's beyond funny. She dances to the beat of music she hears and will also randomly dance when she gets really happy or excited.

Food: she insists on feeding herself and is slowly getting better at it. Most of the time, she ditches the utensils and eats with her hands. She will tell you "hold it" when she wants to hold fork/spoon, and her bananas.

She has a strange fascination with hats. Will turn just about anything into hat.

Loves to talk about body parts. She has said eyes, nose, mouth, ears for many months now. She added lips, cheek, chin, neck, toes, hand, arm, leg, back, tush a while ago.

Randomly throughout the day she will go through a whole slew of words she knows. Including people's names that she knows. Usually this happens first thing in the morning or after waking from a nap.

I can now say "hand" and she will take my hand/finger and walk with me. So sweet, I love it. This really comes in handy when I need her to go with me and I'm holding Miles.

She knows every animals and animal noise that I can think of. dog cat cow goat sheep donkey monkey lion bear pig frog horse fish snake, even iguana. She sniffs her nose for a bunny and says long neck (with the sign) for a giraffe.

And the lovely and adorable Miles...

He's amazingly strong and holds his head up for small amounts of time. He smiles a lot and makes cute coo sounds. He smiles very big for Lillie, he seems to enjoy when she's around. She kisses him all of the time! She also loves to give him high fives (soooo cute!) and luckily he doesn't seem to mind. :) He's very long and so far fairly skinny, even though I'm starting to notice some pudge. His eyes are very light and might possibly stay blue or green (here's hoping)! Go figure, both of my girls get beautiful brown eyes and Miles gets my eyes. He sleeps really pretty well and always falls asleep in the car and when I wear him in my Moby Wrap. He's so super sweet and cuddly. Overall, he's a VERY good baby!

Make a Smilebox greeting

Welcome to the world, Miles

Our newest addition, Miles Joaquin Avery was born February 25. He was a nice, healthy 9lbs 6oz. He's a mellow, content soul. I already can't remember what life was like before he was here. He completes our family and adds a great sense of balance to our lives. He eats well, sleeps well, and is so sweet and cuddly.

Lillie is completely in love with him. He has received literally hundreds of kisses from her. She smiles every time she sees him and wants to check on him often. She says "Miles" very well and also calls him "brother". She seems to know when he needs me and plays, looks at books, or kisses him while I'm tending to Miles. Luckily I have a lot of her books memorized, so she turns the pages and I recite them from heart. I'm going to keep this nice and short, because I'm tired and going to bed.

You know I must love all of you because I don't like having to look at myself in the picture below. I did just give birth about 4 hours before it was taken. I have more pics to share but have yet to get them off of the camera. These were taken by auntie Laura...

Our Holidays...

We had a very nice Christmas this year. We spent Christmas Eve with the Avery family, Christmas morning at home, and Christmas Day with the Edelmann family. It was nice to not to have to do everything on Christmas day. I felt like we got to spend more time with everyone that way. Lillie must have been a very good girl, because she received LOTS of new toys and books. She got a ride in little car, bead maze, stacking blocks, Brown Bear talking block, a pull along puppy and duck, a big nursery rhyme book, and kitten book. I know there's lots more I'm forgetting, but those are off the top of my head. I got a new digital camera, my old one took FOREVER to take a picture, so I'm happy that this one seems to keep up with my fast toddler better. I also got some much needed maternity clothes (nothing fits!!) and some books. Paco got all kinds of things from books, wallet, hat, and a shirt. We also got a new toaster and cast iron skillet, which I am so very excited about. Sadly, I didn't take very many pictures at all.

The best part about Christmas this year was a visit from Ellen. We only got her for a brief 24 hours, but it was sooo much better than nothing! We went to the riverwalk, ate, and looked at the lights. We stayed up entirely too late talking, had breakfast, and poof she was gone again. Can't wait until next time!