here comes avery cottontail

*photos taken by Deran, loved by me

rollin' rollin' rollin'

After first rolling from her back to tummy on the 16th, she's been everywhere! I finally got a few pictures today of her rolling from tummy to back. She rolled across the office last Sunday, we were very impressed. :)

no really

She loves it when I get the camera out.

hands

I remember when she first discovered her right hand. She'd just started grabbing at objects and I noticed she was only using her left and kept her right arm by her side. I lifted it to the book we were playing with and she just stared at her right hand, like, "What?! I can use this one too?! Awesome."

As we played with her on Saturday, Deran and I discussed how amazing it's been to see her learn and discover each little thing. Several months have passed since she first found that right hand and now she grabs toys, books, and basically whatever is within her reach. Lately she's been really focused on her fingers and the ability to move each one separately and touch them to her thumb.

She held my hand as she ate at 3:00 this morning and I thought it was quite possibly the best moment ever...or at least until she woke up at 7:00. She's a pretty sweet baby, good moments aren't hard to come by. :)

bumbo

I really like the bumbo, though I would argue that pink actually looks more purple. However, color does not take away from the usefulness of the bumbo. Avery sits in it on the bathroom counter as I get ready and in the evenings she sits in it on the table while we eat dinner. And yes, it does say specifically not to set it on high or soft surfaces, but we're right there the whole time. We would never ever do anything to put her in danger.

I put her in it this afternoon to take a few pictures on the living room floor. I noticed she was bent over grabbing her toes so I stood up to take a picture and she actually looked up at me. Yes!



The only thing I kind of dislike about the bumbo is the width of the leg spaces...kind of small. Yep, it's the bumbo that's too small.

seventeen

It took me 17 shots to get one image of her looking at the camera. That's good really, it's nothing for me to take 25+ within a few minutes.



And it's not like those other shots are bad, she still looks dadgum adorable! Can anyone guess what's going on camera right? Pugs. That girl loves those pugs.

harper

She seriously does get in the way when I'm trying to take pictures. However, do you see how happy the baby in the background is? She LOVES Harper. And so I let that puglet interfere and get in the way because I like it when she smiles.

love 'em

I really do love her little feet. I've mentioned it before, but those tiny toes just do me in.



It seems they're always in motion these days, never in one spot for long.

she still is

Some things will always stay the same.

a musical monday

We started a new class today and above is the cover of our new CD. Avery wasn't too sure about class at first. She had just woken up and there was a lot to observe. I think we'll both enjoy it. She really liked beating on the drum, it made her smile.

She also has a cool new instrument to practice with at home!



In other baby news, she's ROLLING. She rolls from back to tummy, left or right. She doesn't roll from tummy to back yet but it's close. We practiced the back roll a lot more, she's getting to be a pro -- four rolls yesterday and three today. Of course this means the mat is no longer as entertaining.

I tried to catch a roll and lay on the floor for a while but she just decided to play and kick. Deran got the fourth roll on video yesterday. Maybe I'll catch one tomorrow!



Totally unrelated, but I'm loving my camera at ISO 1250...2500 is another story, but 1250 is pretty great!

cupcakes = crazy delicious

The groom's cupcakes were German Chocolate. I had two. They were divine.



All of the floral arrangements were so vibrant and pretty. I think I need fresh flowers in my house all the time!

saturday morning

After I fed Avery this morning, Deran got up and played with her for an hour and let me go back to sleep! It was really nice, and after that hour I got up and played with her while he crawled back into bed. :) A little while later we decided it was time to go wake him up.

It's kind of hard to mind when such cuteness is staring you in the face. Please note the mismatched socks. Daddy dressed her this morning and at least they both match the outfit and hey, they are the same brand!



But should you think my sweet tired husband is always so obliging, he's not.



I would say I end up with 8 out of 10 shots like that. And I'm pretty sure if he checks my blog I'll be in trouble. Ah well, happy Saturday!

baby smash

Deran recently installed this program. In the evenings while I'm cooking dinner he and Avery will head to the office and play it for a bit. We really like it, my only critique would be the weird robotic voice that says the letter/number/color/shape, it can be kind of creepy. Avery seems to like it and that's really what matters.

Last night, very little held her attention. She was extremely tired after having had a very short afternoon nap so Deran opened up Baby Smash and she went to work.

Sometimes she uses her feet, the girl loves to kick.



Other times, she really likes to kick back, throw her feet up on the desk and just relax as she smashes the keyboard. Good times!

calm

As I type this I can hear her screaming in the other room, Deran laughingly asking her what she's doing. Then I look at this picture from earlier in the day and I think about how calm things were for a minute. She is really testing her voice and it is HILARIOUS. She gets really really loud and you can't help but laugh at how darn cute she sounds.

shady lady

I'm thinking about a Valentine's Day card for my girl and yeah, it will involve those shades. I'm not sure the Internet can handle the cuteness!

like a weed

She is growing. I love those two sleepyheads.

200

There are exactly 200 dots on the large center leaf. Not really. How crazy would it be if I'd actually counted?! Crazy. This happens to be my 200th post. Unlike the big news for my 100th post, I don't have much to share.

I stepped outside today to take a couple of pictures and below is a glimpse of how I looked. I suppose you could say I'm a walking advertisement for What Not To Wear, you know, if you go in for matching and that kind of thing. My socks remind me of the bunny wallpaper Stephanie Tanner had in her room on Full House. And remember when Uncle Jesse redid the room but he kept a bit of the wallpaper in a picture frame? He was so sweet.

Anyway, I had on faded red sweatpants, my bunny socks, and my blue leopard shoes. Is it any wonder the neighbors don't really talk to us?! Happy weekend everyone!

m

This is what I'm doing on a Friday night, eating peanut m&m's at my messy desk. My stomach has been hurting all day and I heard m&m's are great at curing tummy ailments. Not really. I mean really on the stomach ache, not really on the healing powers of Mars, Incorporated...though I'm sure some may disagree.

So business in January is a little slow, but hold on to your hats folks, February is almost filled and March is looking good! This leaves lots of time for me to take random photos and I really like doing that. I've been making myself use lenses that haven't been touched in months because 99% of the time I leave my 50mm 1.8 on my camera. Not anymore!

I started a 365 project and I've shot every photo with the 24mm on my D80. I always shoot on manual and I keep the ISO somewhere between 800 & 1000 because we're usually inside. They're not technically perfect (I'm forgiven as it's not the point of my project) and sure, there's some noise--but I REALLY LIKE NOISE. It's true, I do. I've never been a big fan of the 24mm, something with the clarity used to bother me. I've used it lots lately on large family sessions and now I really like it. I don't know why I haven't taken the time to really use it before.

I've had the macro on my D300s for the last week and I can't believe I barely used it before. I am loving it! And because I'm being all photography minded in this post, I'll give the specifics of the (insert sarcastic tone here) awesomely shot blue m&m.

Nikon D300s, 50mm macro, 1/60 sec, f/3.3, ISO 1250

loved

I wasn't expecting Deran to get me anything for my birthday because in November I got a new camera that was supposed to count as a birthday/Christmas present. So I was really surprised when he came home with a couple of wrapped gifts on my birthday.



He had it shipped to work so I wouldn't find out. I have the original shuffle so it's a definite upgrade for me and I'm excited to use it! It's funny because a couple of days before my birthday we saw a commercial for the nano and he asked me what I thought of them. I told him they were nice but I couldn't see myself ever needing one. And when he asked if I had to choose what color I'd want, I immediately replied, "Pink!" I saw he gave me a funny look and I thought he was thinking something along the lines of 'typical girl response' so I blurted out, "Nah, not really...GREEN!"

I really do like the pink one. And a bonus -- it matches my surprise Christmas present! But my favorite thing about my new nano is the back.



I call him Husband, he calls me Wife. Before we were married it was Boyfriend & Girlfriend. We're weird...but, I am loved.

exersaucin'

My mom bought Avery a stationary entertainer (isn't Baby Einstein so proper?!) about a week before Christmas. I had seen recent pictures of three different babies belonging to various friends and family all playing happily in an exersaucer. She didn't love it at first, but she does play for a short while and when she's done, she lets me know.

She has a bouncer in waiting but is still a little small for all the bouncing fun. After seeing the other babies (one even several weeks younger than Avery!) in the exersaucers, I had to have one. I think those other babies are giants, either that or I have a mini. Her feet do NOT touch and we keep a yoga mat folded over underneath.



Oh, and that big gummy adorable grin? Totally for Harper. Avery loves the pugs, like L-O-V-E-S those two crazy dogs. It's pretty funny to watch her get so excited when Oscar barely glances in her direction. She's so sweet to them while Oscar is indifferent and Harper is just weird. I have no doubt they will all be great friends soon enough, probably about the time she starts eating solid food.

When she's concentrating on something or you hand her something new, she'll often purse her lips a little and stick them out. I love that look on my mini-baby.



Exersaucin' is fun! Now if only I would start the exercising...

a monday meal

Today I'm starting over. When I was pregnant I had to eat healthy food and was strict (for the most part) about portion control. Then I had Avery and well, Sonic is only two minutes away. Because I'd been eating a different way for several months, I thought it would be super easy to stick with it...not so much. This day, anyone?

It's a new day. Healthy breakfast, check. Healthyish lunch, check.

five months

I can hardly believe another month has already passed. Happy five month birthday to my sweet girl!

If Avery were on facebook she'd be a fan of breastfeeding, pugs, sitting straight up (while receiving a little back support), music videos, baths, mommy & daddy, kicking board books, and putting whatever is in her hand into her mouth. She'd totally ignore any requests having to do with naps or having her nose suctioned.

She is still very vocal and we love it, it's really very cute! Man, the time flies. Last night she went to bed at 8:00, and around 10:30 I wanted to wake her up for a cuddle. She's so perfect to us.

The monthly iPhone photo update...

the best in 2010

Our 2010 is off to a great start, a little lazy, but nice. I hope 2010 brings the best for you and yours!