Help!

Little Miss Avery wants to help with everything these days.

She helps empty the dishwasher (after all knives have been removed). She even tells me the name of each item she hands me. So far we have fork, spoon, plate, bowl, cup, "cook" (for measuring cups) and "coffee" (for mug; guess Daddy's been drinking lots of coffee these days, haha!).

 

She helps me push the grocery basket. However, this little "help" is making our shopping a whole lot more work for me.

She helps Daddy unwrap the Hershey Kisses for Christmas treats. She was so focused on her task, and she did a really good job. I was so impressed!

She also helps pick up her toys, load the dryer, and cook.

And while her assistance usually makes my job slower and harder, I love her servant's heart and newfound independence. Let's just hope she always wants to help this much. :)

17 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 17 weeks
Size of baby: About 5 inches long, the size of a turnip (but who really knows anything about turnips?!?)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I don't own a scale, but at my last appt. a couple weeks ago I was down two pounds from my starting weight. However. I have been eating like a madwoman all week, so I'm sure that number will skyrocket by my next appt.

Maternity Clothes: Don't need them yet, but I'm definitely close to busting out the maternity pants. I'm trying to hold off on the pants until after Christmas, and I shouldn't need maternity tops for awhile.

Gender: We find out on our anniversary (December 30)!

Movement: I'm the worst at paying attention to this (until it's too obvious to miss). So no, I don't think I've felt movement yet.

Sleep: I'm sleeping okay for now (I'm definitely not big enough yet to be uncomfortable; I know I'll get there though!)
What I miss: Coca-cola (I'm doing everything in my power to avoid kidney stones this time around)

Cravings: Water. I'm like eternally thirsty these days and want to drink water all day long.
Symptoms: Loving the second trimester. I have so much more energy and practically no morning sickness.

Best Moment this week: It was kind of an uneventful week, pregnancywise.

The Weekend in Review

Today is Sunday, the day of rest. Or something like that anyway. For the first time in a very long time, we got to do just that. We rested. Ah, the bliss of a two hour nap. Avery's was almost four hours! I guess that's what happens when you keep a girl with a 7:30 bedtime up until 11 two nights in a row. Let's back up.

On Friday night we went to our pastor's house for a staff/elder/deacon Christmas party; I seriously love the leadership at our church. We even had a for real babysitter since our normal (free, ha!) ones were at the party, too. Avery had a blast with our family friend Emily while we stuffed our faces with tortilla soup, salads, and desserts. Yum (or as Avery would say, "Ummmm"). She didn't even cry when we left, and when we returned, they were singing the monkey and alligator song, complete with motions (which, according to Emily, they had been singing for 30 minutes straight; Avery loves to sing, haha!). We left around 9:30 to go to the soccer coaches' Christmas party, but we ended up not staying very long since it was well past Avery's bedtime. We're lame like that these days.

We "slept in" on Saturday (meaning until 8:00), and Avery got to come hang out in bed with us when she woke up. That's become a fun Saturday morning pre-breakfast tradition. We needed to run to the grocery store for a few things, so afterward we ate lunch at, you guessed it, Chick-fil-a and then came home for Avery's nap, during which I worked on my top-secret Christmas project (which is taking forever, ugh!) and Matt attempted Armadillo Eggs for our family Christmas party. I say "attempted" because he didn't quite follow the recipe, but the improvised results turned out to be delicious! He has since dubbed them "Spicy Christmas Ballz." Make sure you spell that with a "z." He insists.

Anyway, we made it to the Christmas party way out yonder at Matthew and Rachelle's (my cousins), where we again stuffed our faces, this time with amazing enchiladas (anybody ever eaten at Cowboy Chicken?). We hung out, played a few games of Yahtzee, and skipped the annual gift exchange in order to send some Bibles to a missionary of Nana's choosing. It was low-key but fun. And then we drove home. And I got no pictures. I really need to do a better job about that.

And today after church we had lunch at the only restaurant in town (which for the first time ever didn't make me sick, haha) with two couples in our Lifegroup (and their kids) before heading home for our afternoon of nothing.

Well not nothing. I contemplated making our grocery list, doing some laundry, and cleaning the bathroom, but sleep prevailed. Besides, Matt's off for two weeks, so I've got plenty of time to do all of those things, right?

Only six more days until Christmas!

Friday Five

I'm a little delayed in getting my post up today, mostly because today has pretty much sucked. And if I'm perfectly honest, it was mostly because of my attitude. I had no patience with Avery (or the dog for that matter), and I let my emotions (and hormones, ha!) get the best of me. Anyway, I found a few minutes to sit down, so here we go.

1. My VBS starter kit came in the mail this week! I've been waiting so patiently for this, and it's finally here! I know, it seems like a weird thing to get excited about, but I've been dying to start planning. This year's Vacation Bible School is scheduled for the week of June 13 (two weeks after my due date, eek!), and we're doing Holy Land Adventure: Nazareth. It'll be a little different from what we've done in the past, but I think the kids (and volunteers!) will love it! Anyway, I'm hoping to get most of the planning done early so I'm not stressing when I'm taking care of a newborn.

2. Does it make me a bad mom that sometimes I forget I'm pregnant? With Avery, I was thinking about it all the time. It was borderline obsessive. I think my current pregnancy amnesia is a result of 1) this weird 2nd tri stage where I can't feel the baby yet but I'm not constantly sick, so it's just not on my mind, and 2) chasing Avery all day and trying to get as much accomplished as possible while she's napping, so I hardly even get a chance to sit down, much less think about anything.

3. I love checking the mailbox around Christmas time. We've already gotten so many Christmas cards, and I love seeing pictures of my friends and their kids (or their dogs, ahem, Jenny!). I was a slacker and totally didn't do cards this year, so if you realize you haven't gotten one from us, it's not because we don't love you. It's because we're going super low key Christmas this year. So far it's paid off; I haven't been stressed about the holiday season at all. Well, except for the fact that I don't know what I'm taking to our family Christmas tomorrow. Oops.

4. I was planning on writing about how I'm so thankful that Avery's been taking longer naps these days. But then today she slept for less than an hour. That hardly constitutes a nap. But yesterday she slept for three whole hours. That is unheard of for her! And the day before it was like two hours. I had been really pumped about it because I'd gotten SO much done while she was snoozing, not to mention that she woke up so happy each day because she was well-rested. I guess I jinxed myself. 

5. Matt's break began today! I'm so glad to have him home for two weeks. We'll kick off his vacation tonight by going to our church staff/elder/deacon party at our pastor's house (while Avery hangs out with Emily at home; yay for awesome babysitters!). After that we'll head over to the soccer coaches' annual Christmas party for a soiree that is sure to be a complete contrast to the first gathering. I'm really looking forward to both, but we have to leave in 30 minutes and I'm not ready yet. Better fix that.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Thanks, Sarah!

Well after my little embroidery shout out to my friend Sarah, I got a fun little surprise yesterday! Matt came home with a gift to Avery from Sarah herself. It was a pink turtleneck embroidered with a cute little stocking. I love it and am so impressed that she's able to make such cool things! We were going to Matt's choir concert that evening, so I changed her outfit immediately so she could model it for the masses. 

Not so happy about getting her picture taken again.

Nooooo!

Okay, fine, but only if you take it with me!

"Reading" her current favorite book. You will rock my face off if you can tell me which book that is.

Entertaining herself during the concert

Dancing/shaking

Great job, Daddy!

Weekend Rundown

{Friday}

• Lazy day at home
• Church choir party in the evening

{Saturday}

• Breakfast with Santa
• Lunch at Wendy's (due to an assumed overcrowding at our favorite eatery, Chick-fil-a)
• Avery naptime with Daddy at home; shopping/errand running for Mommy
• Spinach cheddar quiche for dinner (my new favorite meal) 
• Matt running concessions for the Vocal Majority concert at the high school
• Craft time for Heather after Avery went to bed

{Sunday}

• Church (Christmas at Grace)
• Mediterranean pasta for lunch, courtesy of Carlos and Kendra; joined by Nick and Brittany
• Sewing lesson for Heather (thanks, Kendra!) 
• Chili cookoff and dessert auction at church

16 Weeks

I'm pretty sure that camera is adding (at least) 10 lbs; I really don't look this big in real life. I think.

 Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 16 weeks
Size of baby: About 4.5 inches long, the size of an avocado

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Lost 2 pounds since my first appt. at six weeks (there's something to be said about chasing a toddler around all day; I had already gained 5 lbs at this point with Avery, although [for what it's worth] now I'm at the same weight as I was with her at this point)

Maternity Clothes: Don't need them yet! I did bust out the Bella Band (best invention ever) yesterday so I could wear my black pants to church. In all fairness though, those pants are too small even when I'm not pregnant. Ha! Maybe I should buy some new pants.

Gender: We find out on our anniversary (December 30)!

Movement: I'm the worst at paying attention to this (until it's too obvious to miss). So no, I don't think I've felt movement yet.

Sleep: I'm sleeping okay for now (I'm definitely not big enough yet to be uncomfortable; I know I'll get there though!)
What I miss: Coca-cola (I'm doing everything in my power to avoid kidney stones this time around), the option to drink Chuy's margaritas, and speaking of Chuys, I miss Mexican food (I have a huge aversion to it right now!)

Cravings: And we're back to cereal.
Symptoms: Loving the second trimester. I have so much more energy and practically no morning sickness.

Best Moment this week: It was kind of an uneventful week, pregnancywise.