Six Month Photos

Waylon and Aaron went with Grandma & Grandpa Davis to Catalina for a few days. They left on Sunday, giving Avalon and I lots of time for a photo shoot!!! I cant believe how much easier it is to take care of one infant. I had no idea how easy life was with just one.

She was all smiles in the beginning of our photo session. Notice how well she is sitting up on her own.

Louise does not favor either of the kids--she is equally indifferent to them both.

A baby's life has lots of ups...

and downs...

Only a mom would think this picture is cute.

So serious! It looks like she is plotting something very devious.

The teething queen.

Avalon's First "Solid" Food

Avalon had her first taste of rice cereal on Saturday (6/28). How do you think she liked it?

Saturday Morning Chat

While Aaron and I prepared breakfast Saturday morning, Waylon was entertaining Avalon. He suddenly grabbed his chair, pulled it in front of Avalon's jumperoo, sat down, and started playing with her. He was chatting while he ate his cereal bar, singing to her, and playing peek a boo. Of course the video camera battery was dead, and the regular camera didn't quite catch the magic. Here is Waylon giving me his aluminum foil toy during his chat with baby sister.

Mother & Father's Day

Its a long story, but I am just now getting around to posting about Mother's Day... Anyway, Aaron and the kids really spoiled me on "my day." I got gifts, flowers, and lots of mommy time. I wish I could say that I reciprocated, but Waylon's adnoid issues (see post below) were at their height on Father's Day so we spent the day attempting to get Waylon hydrated, and trying to keep Avalon happy. It wasn't exactly the best Father's Day of all time. However, Aaron did get to see Tiger win the US Open the next day in a shoot out at Torrey Pines so we'll pretend that I arranged that for Father's Day.

Waylon was not exactly cooperative during daddy's 3rd annual Father's Day photo session.
Flowers from my babies on a wonderful Mother's Day.

Sibs

One of the best things about being a mom of two kids is seeing them interact. I realize they are very young and things will change drastically, but right now Waylon and Avalon seem to be each others favorite person in the world. Well, maybe not as much for Waylon, but he is pretty into getting her to smile and giggle. I really dont think he remembers a time before she was around, and he is very thoughtful, always including her when he talks about mommy, daddy, and baby sister. He is always giving hugs, kisses, and tries to give her toys. Avalon LOVES the attention and is totally mesmerized watching Waylon when he plays. It is all very cute, and makes having babies just 22 months apart all worth it...for now.

I love this picture. I tried to get Waylon to get closer, but he was bouncing all over and wasn't in one of his "hug baby" moods.
Waylon often insists in getting involved in Avalon's playtime. Here he is helping baby sister play on her baby einstein mat.

Avalon reaches out to grab big brother.

Avalon at Six Months

I thought time moved quickly when you had a baby, but when you have two kids it moves at warp speed. I simply cannot believe that Avalon has been with us for six months. She is such a sweet, smiley little baby! She brings Aaron and me such joy, and Waylon seems to think she is pretty cute as well. She is definitely getting bigger and is quite a rolly polly little gal. She laughs like crazy when we squeeze her thighs, and say “chunka munka! chunka munka!”

Avalon’s fine motor skills are constantly improving. She grabs at EVERYTHING. She doesn’t have any interest in rolling from her back to her tummy, although she has mastered the tummy to back roll. She loves playing with her feet and has gotten really good at sitting up unassisted. We expect to see her first tooth any day due to the non-stop drooling and biting. She loves giving “shark kisses,” but we have to explain to Waylon that he cannot reciprocate with his own love bites.

Avalon eats and sleeps well. She usually sleeps through the night, but there have been lots of exceptions! I know that the doctor wants her to be able to fall asleep on her own without being rocked to sleep. We’ve been trying to get to that point, but its hard because it means letting our baby “cry it out.” The biggest problem is that she naps several times each day, making it difficult to leave the house.

Her favorite thing in the whole world is her big brother, Waylon. I swear she could just watch him play all day long. She usually is content to watch everything, and is happy with whatever is going on (unless she is tired). However, she has had a few stranger anxiety moments, which will no doubt increase in the next few months.

UPDATE: We had Avalon's six month well baby check up on Friday (6/27) and all went well. She weighed 15 pounds, 10 ounces (45th percentile), is 25.5 inches (45th percentile), and her head is in the 30th percentile. Also, that same day she rolled over from her back to her stomach. She did it for the nanny and for Aaron, but hasn't showed off her skills for mommy yet. With encouragement from the pediatrician, we did a rough cry it out session on Friday night. We are not out of the woods yet, but she seems to be going down much easier without the endless rocking to sleep we had been doing.

This picture was taken in the few seconds before she rolled onto her back.

Showing off her personalized gear. The warm weather is making it so fun to play dress-up.

I dont know if you can tell, but she is sitting up on her own.

A deep thinker...

Avalon can sit up on her own really well, but apparently she is not happy to be doing it on the grass.

Check out those chunka munka thighs!

Super cuteness

Going nuts in the jumperoo. Actually, she hasn't figured out how to bounce, but she seems to enjoy the new toy.

Where's that smiley baby?

There she is!

Adios Adnoids, and Other Waylon Updates

Poor Waylon has been sick almost non-stop since Christmas. Whenever he wasn't on antibiotics, his nose would run like crazy. Both pediatricians I consulted weren't very helpful, but his ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat doctor) got fed up and ordered a CT scan of his sinuses and allergy testing. We learned that Waylon had no allergies and VERY large adnoids, which were removed on June 13, 2008. One of his ear tubes was also replaced. I was peeved that the ENT did not prepare us for how serious the surgery would be. Waylon was totally laid out, with a puffy face, and a very cranky disposition for almost a week. Poor little guy seemed so uncomfortable! After two days of not eating or drinking, and running fevers we learned he was dehydrated. Luckily he did not need to go to the hospital for an IV--but he was close. After about a week of dealing with a sick little boy, our Bubba returned this weekend. He was full of smiles and is a much quieter sleeper these days. The real test will be when he finishes his course of antibiotics. Keep your fingers crossed that the constant runny noses are gone.

In other news, Waylon is a total chatter bug and has become much more focused. When I went back to work in May, his speech therapist and occupational therapist felt that he no longer needed services. However, the Regional Center representative really pushed me to keep services going until the contract ends in September. Thus, he will start getting OT and possibly speech at school. The best thing about his therapy and school is that they push him to do things that we had no idea he could do. Thanks to school, Waylon knows his ABC's, counting, colors, shapes, and lots of songs.

I am really bad at remembering his cute sayings, but here are a few:
1. We were looking at a mural of a tree in his doctor's office and I was asking him questions:
Q: What's that?
A: A tree
Q: What's under the tree?
A: A bunny
Q: What's in the tree?
A: A nest
Q: What's in the nest?
A: eggs
Q: What's in the eggs?
A: Goldfish!!! (said with a huge smile!)
I almost died laughing. For Easter, Waylon's plastic eggs had goldfish in them. What a smart kid.

2. Waylon likes to call Aaron and I "guys." Such as, "I see a bird, guys" or "What's that, guys?"

3. As I opened a beer the other night, "Mama drink daddy juice. That's crazy."

Overall, life is good with our little guy. He is definitely a toddler, testing our limits, and his, every day. His recent bout of craziness after having his adnoids removed made Aaron and I appreciate "normal" Waylon--even if that includes lots of tantrums and crazy behavior. He is a funny little person that makes us laugh every day.

Waylon post-adnoid surgery. He was a mess, and we felt helpless to do anything. I hate that feeling, and I hope it doesn't happen again (although I know it will).

Waylon got to watch a lot of TV during his recovery. It was the only thing that made him happy. We also used it to get him hydrated. We'd pause the TV and say, "If you want to watch more Thomas (or Barney or Elmo), take a drink." Thank goodness for DVR!

Our happy little boy came back this weekend. What a relief!

Happy boy with a good appetite. If you look closely you can see a glob of yogurt on his cheek.

The boys are just hanging out.

Waylon is getting really good at using utensils to eat.

Waylon has a love/hate relationship with yogurt--and most other foods. Some days he'll scarf down fruits and veggies and other days he only wants bread.

Soooo big! Waylon barely fits in his stroller, and looks pretty silly when we go out on walks.

Daddy got Waylon a water table to assist in the adnoid recovery.

Cheers! Waylon loves doings cheers with everything--cups, toys, and even pizza!

Its a Little People world. These toys by Fisher Price are a new favorite--of Waylon and his parents. He has lots of different settings (barn, zoo, construction, etc) that really keep his attention, and get him to play imaginary games, which are adorable to watch.

Hammock Time Returns

My least favorite part of summer has returned--Aaron's white trash hammock. Of course, Waylon thought it was great and he and Avalon had a great time "tackling" daddy on the big swing.

Waylon plots how to crawl over, under, and around the hammock. Note the PJ's. Its a battle to get him into clothes these days, so he often spends weekends in PJ mode.
Daddy enjoys the craziness of trying to manage two squirrelly creatures on a swinging mat.

Waylon loves it.

Avalon "teether" Davis has started giving everyone shark kisses.

Waylon reciprocates with a very sweet smooch.

Here is a photo of Aaron yesterday. I am going to submit this photo with his Father of the Year application.

Editor's Note: With this post I am officially up to date with my blogging. I dont think that has happened since Avalon was born. The house is a mess, the laundry has piled up, but my blog is all good.