Avalon at Four Months

Time is really flying! Avalon was four-months-old on April 21. At her check up with our new pediatrician, she weighed 12 pounds, 14 ounces (30th percentile), was 23.5 inches long (25th percentile), and her noggin was in the 25th percentile. She is really good at tummy time and keeps her head up with very little fussing for several minutes. The next milestones are the back-to-tummy roll and sitting up.

Avalon is an amazingly good baby, and is constantly smiling and giggling when her hands aren’t in her mouth due to her teething and constant drooling. She nurses every 3 to 4 hours and goes down for a nap 45 to 60 minutes after that. Due to her brother’s schedule, naps are sometimes very brief and take place on the road. She no longer sleeps anywhere, and usually only sleeps in a moving car or swaddled in her bed. When she is in her bed she naps range from 45 minutes to 3 hours with the longer naps in the morning. The doctor says she should start moving to a 3 naps per day schedule, but so far she seems to need her rest after every feeding, which means as many as 5 naps per day. Getting her down for naps is usually easy, but getting her to fall asleep at night takes awhile. However, once she is she is usually out for the night with one or two fusses, which end as soon as I put in the pacifier. We can definitely thank the miracle blanket for her great sleeping, and I am terrified because the doctor said we need to phase the swaddle out, which I am dreading. She has gone as long as 11 hours between feedings at night, but usually its 8 to 10 hours between feedings. I am a very lucky mom that gets to sleep through the night.

Avalon is not perfect and has some very fussy moments. When we returned from Hawaii she needed to be held constantly when she was awake, which was extremely difficult to manage. That has lessened a little bit, but she is still very fussy and needy at in the evenings, which makes it painful if Aaron or I are gone during Waylon’s bath and bed procedures. For about 45 minutes the solo-parent has to do whatever is necessary to just survive that time! Speaking of Waylon, almost everyone comments on how much they look alike. Its hard for me to see, but when I look at Waylon’s baby pictures I am amazed at the similarities.
The biggest news this month is that I am returning to work next week and Avalon will join Waylon at daycare. It is going to be very hard to put a four-month-old in daycare, but after weighing all of our options I feel safer having her at a facility with so many eyes around as well as cameras. There is no good way to go back to work, but I am trying hard to work with the school for a smooth-as-possible transition.

Our little girl is getting bigger--both taller and wider.
We just started puting her in the exersaucer (aka the Circle of Neglect), but she has barely reached out to grab the toys. Waylon is very interested to see his old toy.
Avalon already has her daddy totally wrapped around her little finger.

I love that tushy!Avalon is definitely filling out, and we are no longer worried about her being too small. She has plenty of adorable baby rolls.

HANDS!!!!!!!! She has definitely found her hands and makes lots of chewing noises while "dining" on them.

Avalon is losing hair, but her mohawk remains.

Look at those strong neck muscles! We are very proud.

When she is not drooling through multiple outfits and bibs every day, Avalon is spitting up. You cant imagine all of the bodily fluids we deal with each day!

She is all girl, and is not afraid to check herself out in the mirror.

Here is the smiley face I am lucky enough to see all day.

A little more pensive.

Golfing Fool

When we got home from Pasadena (see post below), Waylon had not napped and was running on fumes. Somehow he ended up without his pants and insisted on golfing. He was a man posessed and ran around the backyard for quite awhile hitting balls.

What form!

3 P's: Princess, Party & Pasadena

On Saturday, April 19 we loaded the family into the SUV, popped in a Barney DVD and headed for P-Town...Pasadena. The destination was Princess Grace's 4th Birthday bash, which turned out to be the best party in the whole world, especially for daddy.

Our first stop was to visit Barbara and Scott Bice before they took off for a summer of boating fun in the Pacific Northwest. They are such wonderful people, and it has been very special for Aaron and I to share the joy of our marriage and now our babies with them. They have such a beautiful home that we were petrified that Waylon would destroy something before we left, but luckily he was focused in the backyard and inflicted minimal damage. He was very excited about their pool, and the fact that he got to put water into it with a hose--a HUGE treat for a toddler.

.

After our visit we were off to see Princess Grace. Mommy Shana knows how to throw a good party! Aaron thought he had died and gone to heaven because they had the In-N-Out truck and a keg of Sierra Nevada. Waylon thought he had died and gone to heaven because there was a playset (w/ a fort and kitchen!) as well as a bounce house AND CAKE! I had two VERY happy boys on my hands. I was just glad to be out and about and catching up with friends. I have learned that its hard to take photos while juggling two kids so I missed getting any pictures with other adults or with the Giddings' kids, but here are a few photos after I dragged the camera out at the end of the fete.

Aaron and the kids with Barbara and Scott Bice.

Since we are those annoying party goers that are the last to leave, Waylon had the bounce house all to himself. He missed his nap and was in his over-tired, hilarious, crazy mode at this point.
In the old days, Aaron chatted with his buddies at parties while standing around the keg. Times have changed and he and Steve Hartmann talked while Aaron bounced with Waylon in the bounce house.

The birthday girl, Princess Grace.

Grace's sis, mini-princess Emma. (FYI, Aaron took this picture--does he even know where the zoom button is???)

Mommy mugs with Avalon, who was a very good baby for all of the festivities.

Hawaii or Bust

Aaron had a great year at work in 2007 and earned a trip to Hawaii!!!! We enjoyed 5 kid-free days in Maui at the Grand Wailea April 9-13. It was an amazing trip with his company sparing no expense to keep us entertained. The bummer was the cool, overcast weather for the first three days and my bout with food poisoning. However, it was good to get away and definitely rejuvenated us to return to life with a toddler and an infant. Being away makes you really appreciate what you have! Nana Patty and Tom took care of Avalon the entire time and cared for Waylon the first two days. Grandma & Grandpa Davis had Waylon the remainder of the time. As you may have guessed from my blog updates, Waylon can be quite a hand full. We thought it was best to spread out his "unique personality" among the grandparents. We cannot thank them enough for caring for out little buggers.

The only time I pulled out the camera was for the whale watching trip. You can see the tail of a whale diving under the water in the distance. You can also see what not-so-warm weather we had.
Aaron pretending to relax. Since the trip included about 50 of his co-workers, Aaron never seemed to let his hair down. About an hour before we left Maui to come home I think he finally relaxed for a moment. That may have had something to do with several drinks at the Maui airport.

This is not a flattering photo, but its the only one I got with my camera. Again, not the warmest weather.

Here is the view from our hotel room...GORGEOUS! The sun finally came out the day before we left, and we enjoyed some time relaxing by the pool, drinking, and watching the waves crash.
Aaron and his friend, Rommel, look chummy at the luau after several mai tais. We had a great time with Rommel and his wife, May. The craziest part was realizing that Rommel and I grew up just a few houses away from each other on the same street. This is crazy enough, but is extra-crazy because where we grew up most people are still sporting mullets and driving mini-trucks.
May and I enjoy the luau festivities, although I think this is where I got the food poisoning.
Aaron being honored at the awards dinner. (Thanks to Rommel for the 3 pictures above).

Back at home, Nana had her hands full with Waylon and Avalon. According to my mom's blog, Waylon got his sleeve wet and remedied the problem as seen above. He also thought Avalon should wear his froggy boots, which are also known as his fireman boots.

Waylon jams on his new guitar that mommy and daddy brought him from Hawaii.

What about Avalon?

I realize that most of my blog entries are pretty Waylon-centric. That is probably because when he is awake he is the most energetic human in the household, and therefore gets most of the attention--good or bad. However, our little girl is definitely here and showing more personality every day. Here are a few pictures so she doesn't feel left out...

Avalon enjoys the swing, but for the past week or so she will not tolerate the swing for long and cries until she is held.

A close up of baby girl. She is looking more like Waylon every day.

Grandpa Ed and the Kiddos

Aaron's parents often help us on the weekend with the kids so we can get things done around the house. I caught a few very cute pictures of Grandpa Ed with his grandkids. Waylon LOVES his grandpa--probably because he lets him do anything his heart desires, and they share a passion for crawling around inside cars.

Ed was an extra set of hands with Avalon while I put Waylon to bed one evening when Aaron was travelling.
Waylon shows Grandpa the art of fort building.

Who do you think is having more fun?

Weekend in Santa Barbara

Aaron had to go to Santa Barbara for a conference on May 5 so we decided to take the whole family to SB for a quick weekend. Brandi and Josh were kind enough to let us invade--including our crazy toddler. You learn a lot of things on trips like this, and our main lesson was that there is no such thing as a quick and easy trip anywhere with two kids. We love Santa Barbara and Josh and Brandi are the best hosts ever, but traveling with Waylon and Avalon is not exactly relaxing. Despite everyones efforts to "toddler proof" the house, Waylon always finds a way through our defenses andgets into everything. This was no exception. On the bright side, we had a wonderful visit with Uncle Dick and Aunt Kathy on Friday. I am sorry to report that I dont have any photos, but Waylon was having a ball playing with his great uncle Dick at the park across from the house. Not surprisingly, Kathy was a natural with Avalon, and I always appreciate having an extra set of hands to help me with the kiddos. It was especially fun to enjoy a relaxed lunch at an Indian restaurant on State Street. Of course, Aaron had Waylon so we only had to keep Avalon entertained, which Dick did while Kathy and I ate and relaxed. On Saturday Brandi and Josh had a barbeque with lots of friends, and Waylon thought he was in heaven playing in their backyard with all of Josh's "toys." Definitely a memorable weekend!

Brandi helped chase Waylon around the fanciest park I've ever seen. Waylon loves playing peek a boo, but needed Brandi's help to see over the railings.
Brandi rested with Avalon while I took my turn chasing Waylon.

Waylon and the Whale. I'm telling you, it was a really cool park!

Waylon (barely) managed to not destroy Josh's kayak and paddle. We also learned that he can sing "row row row your boat." Who knew?!

As usual, Waylon went straight for the baseball bat, and showed off his skills.

Thomas the Train Invades

Just in case our house wasn't totally and completely over run with toys, Aaron brought home a Thomas the Train that Waylon can actually ride on. He bought the set from a second hand store that raises money for the local battered women's shelter. He justified his purchase by explaining that it was for charity. Waylon loves the train, although he doesn't have the patience to hold the button down long enough to make it go. Thus, mommy and daddy have to help him ride on it, which is probably a good thing.

Waylon wakes up from his nap to Thomas in the living room! I think he thought it was all a wonderful dream.
Waylon tries to answer the age old questions, who wins a race between Thomas and Lightning McQueen?

Soccer Star

We were very excited to learn that the City of Dana Point had soccer lessons for kids as young as 1.5 years. At the first practice on April 1 we learned why more cities dont offer sports for kids this age...its chaos! Waylon seemed very excited to play soccer, especially since his friends Jamison and Chloe were also participating. However, within minutes of practice starting, Waylon was running around the field, and playing in the baseball dug out. He refused to do any of the "drills" and only would kick the ball with extreme urging from mom and dad. After 3 practices things are about the same. I am hopeful that by the last practice he will have at least 2 minutes of focus before he runs off and plays.

Waylon and Chloe enjoy kicking the ball to one another, as long as the coach is nowhere around telling Waylon what to do.
The parents and kids warm up. Notice Waylon on the left staring at everyone, refusing to even bend over to stretch.

The most involved he was in the practice...knocking over the goal.

After practice, Waylon and Jamison enjoyed running around the basketball court.

Easter in Mammoth

Almost a month ago (I am still sooooooo behind on blogging) we were crazy enough to pack up both kids and head to Mammoth for 6 days to visit and Nana and Tom, and for Aaron and I to get in some skiing. The trip is always long, but with a toddler and a newborn the 6-hour drive was 8 hours on the way there and 7 on the way home. We also had to borrow Uncle Matt's Denali in order to bring all of the gear required for two kids. Thank goodness for the car's DVD player, which saved our lives. Parenthood is full of times when you do and say things you thought you would never do or say. The DVD player is one of those things. However, its now our best friend during long car rides.

It was nice to visit Mammoth, and Waylon seemed to really love the snow. Aaron and I had fun skiing while Nana and Tom babysat. I especially loved the second day of skiing when I demo'ed new skis. What a difference! We actually kicked butt down the double diamond runs and were having fun. My new quest is to get a new pair of skis for next season.

Of course we were there for Easter so we had a visit from the Easter Bunny. The Bunny was thoughtful enough to wait until Daddy, Tom, and Steve (Aaron's friend) returned from their golf game in Bishop before distributing the eggs. Waylon had fun hunting for eggs in the snow, and especially enjoyed bubble time with daddy and Steve. Unfortunately, the sun was so bright that I did not get many good pictures.

Waylon's snow man. He loves the book Frosty the Snowman, and was determined to find the lively snowman running around town. Thanks to Nana's obsessive ebay shopping, Waylon was the best dressed kid in the snow!
Waylon and daddy enjoy the snow, including sledding the "hill" behind them, which I did not photograph.

Here is Waylon "sledding" at the Mammoth Village. Looks are deceiving, and he actually only sat on the disc and was too freaked out to actually sled. Maybe next year.

After begging, pleading, pacifiers, and finally dragging, Aaron and I got Waylon on the gondola to go up to the ski area. As usual, once he got used to it Waylon loved the gondola ride.

Aaron and daddy conquer Everest! (or at least the small snow pile at the base of the ski lifts)

The Mammoth Village center had a rather disturbing petting zoo set up, and Aaron took Waylon one day. Waylon LOVED it and especially enjoyed chasing the ducks. Nana and I took him on Easter morning and he seemed much less into it all with so many other kids running around.

Nana watches Avalon (and the Llamas) while I chased Waylon around trying to get pictures of him with the animals.

EASTER EGG HUNT!!!

The Easter Bunny brought Waylon eggs filled with goldfish crackers and stickers. He immediately figured out the sound the eggs made with crackers inside and insisted on opening those and eating them.

Waylon also enjoyed his bubbles from the E.B., and Steve and Aaron seemed to have fun helping him master the art of bubble blowing.

EGGS....GOLDFISH CRACKERS...STICKERS....YEAH!!!!

More snow play after the egg hunt was over.

Yes, Avalon was there too. She got into the Easter spirit when she wasn't eating, sleeping, or fussing. I think the altitude bothered her, and it took a lot of extra rocking and bouncing each night to keep her calm.

Waylon runs through the trees looking for Frosty the Snowman.