All About Avery

This post is officially two days late, but Happy 4-Monthday, Avery!  Daddy took you to the doctor yesterday, mostly because I couldn't handle watching you get shots again. Your doctor was very impressed with how smart you are (that's to be expected though, considering who your parents are! hehe).  You're already...

• Blowing raspberries
• Rolling over (tummy to back AND back to tummy; and you're an ambiturner! Zoolander would be so proud.)
• Talking all the time
• Following Mommy and Daddy's voices
• Grabbing on to and holding everything
• And growing like crazy!

You are now...

• 26 inches long (and off the charts for your age!)
• 16.5 pounds (the perfect weight for your height-- plus you just have the cutest little cheeks)

You're growing up way too fast!

We love you,

p.s. Onesie stickers are from this site.

The Shopping Report

Tuesday's list has taken a hiatus until there's a topic I feel is worthy. Hopefully next week. Until then, check out my grocery scores from last night!

Matt and I go on a grocery date every other Tuesday night. Yes, we're dorks. It is a fun (and productive) way to hang out though, and we always have a blast. It doesn't hurt that we eat at Chick-Fil-A before the shopping commences. Full tummy=Happy Heather. Plus, Tuesday night is family night, so you get a free kids meal with a meal purchase (and I just eat the kids meal anyway, so yippee!). Now I realize that many of you are completely disinterested in my grocery purchases. Totally fine. However, I saved a lot of money by only putting in a couple hours' work, so if you're looking for some inspiration, here ya go...

First stop: Costco.

- I was a little disappointed because this was the first time I haven't had a formula check to use on the Similac. Sad day. It's still significantly cheaper to buy it at Costco (vs. Target, Walmart, etc.) though, so all is not lost.
- Also, note the massive amount of ground turkey. I LOVE ground turkey now and substitute it for ground beef in pretty much everything. I'm pretty sure it's healthier (I'm sure my mom and/or Kati will correct me if I'm wrong), but it's also cheaper and lasts us FOREVER. Good bulk purchase.

Total: $51.20 (Note: these bulk purchases last us a really long time, so don't freak out too much at the total)

Second stop: Target.

- In the past I've been able to scan as many diaper coupons as I had and they all counted, but apparently I've been outsmarted by a computer (don't you hate it when that happens?). So, the 3 packs of diapers I was going to get for free ended up costing $26 (which is still better than the $37 that they were).
- Toothpaste: $0.89
- Cereal: 4 boxes for $1.47 each (on sale and with coupons [normally $3.29 each])

- We cheat. We really like having a fire in the fireplace, but we use *gasp* fire logs. I had a sweet $12/2 coupon that I'd been waiting to match up to a sale. Sooo, $20 box on sale for $17, minus $6 coupon = $11 a box!

Total: $62.25 (not too shabby for including 3 packs of diapers and 2 boxes of firelogs)
Overall savings at Target: $43.79

Third stop: Kroger.
This is where I planned to do the majority of our food shopping since A) they double and triple coupons and B) they were having a serious sale. We got so much that it needed two pictures...

There is way too much food for me to go into a detailed list of savings, so here are some highlights:
- Larabars: On sale for $1.25 each, $0.40 coupon that double to $0.80, so $0.45 each. These things are totally natural (made from dates, Kati! I ate them!), and SO yummy.
- Rotel: Free (with sale and doubled coupons)
- Coffeemate creamer: $0.75 each with coupons
- Turkey lunchmeat: 3 tubs for $2.50 total (manager's special + coupons)

I can't remember the rest of the pairings, but our coupon savings alone were $23.85, bonus coupons (doubled/tripled) were $7.18, and sale stuff worth $30.75 for a total savings at Kroger of $61.78.
Total: $91.87

If you looked at the previous pictures, you would notice there was a serious absence of produce. That's because we got it all at Sprouts. I.LOVE.THAT.STORE.

Third stop: Sprouts.

It's a lot of produce. It GOOD produce, and I can't wait to eat it. I've already had one of the apples and ohmygoodness it is so much better than what is typically at Target and HEB (and I used to love HEB's produce).

Total: $16.89 (except I did have to explain to the cashier that yes, I gave him $27 in cash on purpose because I didn't want ones back. Sigh.)

GRAND GROCERY TOTAL: $138.58
TOTAL GROCERY SAVINGS: $69.07

I know that there are people who save twice that much in a given trip, but I'm giving myself a pat on the back for saving almost $70 without spending hours over the Sunday paper with scissors or shelling out money for a company to do the hard work for me. I figure it took a maximum of 3 hours (over the course of about a week whenever I had a few minutes here and there) , which is equivalent to making $23/hr.

Not too bad for easy work and a date with Matt and Avery.

Sunday's Friday Five

My posts seem to be most effective (and regular) when I have a purpose (i.e. the Friday Five, Tuesday's Lists, etc.). I still need to come up with a few more, but you get the idea.

I missed Friday, but instead of just doing the usual weekend roundup (which will probably become Sunday's staple), here's my five:

1. I wore size 4 pants today. I probably shouldn't be bragging about this because I definitely muffin-topped in them, BUT they buttoned and that's all that matters, right? Okay, so maybe I still have some work to do, but this is progress!

2. This has been a busy busy week for Miss Avery. She has been blowing raspberries like nobody's business, and I'm pretty sure this is the only time in her life that it'll be cute, and it is pretty cute. Along those lines, she is also talking up a storm! She hasn't quite developed an extensive vocabulary yet, but she has become quite proficient at high-pitched squeals, and varying tones of "aaahhh" and "uuuhhhhh." And the most exciting milestone of this week is that she is ROLLING OVER! She's been kinda rocking back and forth for a couple of weeks, but she always seemed to get stuck on her side (that dang arm just gets in the way!). But on Thursday night, she finally did it. She rolled from her back aaalllll the way over to her tummy. That was about as far as she got because she HATES being on her tummy, so we'd flip her back over and she'd do it again. CUTENESS. Then today she surprised us by rolling from her back to her tummy and she just kept going on to her back again! If you're not a parent, you probably think I'm way too easily entertained, and I was going to defend myself, but I think you're right.

3. This Friday can't come fast enough. I'm teaching research right now, and papers are due on Friday. I don't even care that Friday means I'll have 150 papers to grade, I just can't spend another day answering the same question over and over (after I've already explained it 17 times). Argh! I should have some memorable quotes to post from them while I'm grading, so something to look forward to...

4. Friday is also the day that Avery will meet her future husband. :) Hehe! We're going to visit Candie and Ricky and Jacob. He's only a few weeks old (she will have to get over being the older woman), and we just can't wait to meet him. (Oh yeah, and we're excited about seeing his parents, too.)

5. Tonight is menu-planning and grocery-list-making night, so after our trip to the store on Tuesday evening, I should have some pretty spectacular deals to report.

I really need to find a hobby.

Moo.

One of my nicknames in high school was Heifer. I like to think that it wasn't a fat joke but just a play on my name. Hmm.

I never thought that nickname would come back to haunt me after graduation, but over the past few months there were countless times in which I felt like a heifer. Let me explain. (Male people: you might want to stop here. It's awkward. No, seriously. Stop. Kthanks.)

I always kind of figured I would breastfeed when I had kids (not that it was a topic I thought about frequently, but you know). Nobody ever talks about how draining it is though (pardon the pun, hehe). I remember the first few weeks feeling like I just had a baby attached to my boob. Yes, the AAP recommends breastfeeding for a year, but I was going to be doing good to make it to three months. It was hard. And not always enjoyable (gasp, I admitted it). I did it though because 1) it's best for Avery, 2) it's good for me (hello, size 4s!), and 3) it's free.

We made it to a month. It got a little easier. We made it to two months, and I was also pumping at work so Avery could eat at day care (since that's kind of necessary), and we didn't even have to supplement with formula. However, this girl loves her food, and pretty soon, my supply wasn't keeping up with her demand. So we started supplementing, but at around three months, we went from supplementing breastmilk with formula to supplementing formula with pumped breastmilk. Then it was pretty much downhill from there. No more milk from the heifer.

**EDIT: My husband has informed me that I am technically incorrect in my analogy seeing as how a heifer is a cow who hasn't had a calf. Therefore, a heifer wouldn't be milked. Whatever.**

One might think that I'd be satisfied that we met the three month mark, but there was something about it that just made me sad. Maybe it was just that it felt like we had moved on to the next phase and the first was over too quickly. Maybe it was that I missed the closeness of nursing. Maybe it was that I felt guilty for not nursing for long enough.

Whatever it was, it hit me that my baby girl is growing up way too fast already, and I need to take more mental snapshots so I don't forget a thing. It's so easy to get caught up in the I-can't-wait-until mindset, and God has really been reminding me (in so many ways!) to enjoy the now. Live today. We're told in James that we're not guaranteed tomorrow (and that's hard for my super-planner self to accept!). I need to serve and worship with my whole heart right. now.

I had no idea I could love someone so much. I guess the cliches are right.

Who needs homecoming?

This weekend was ETBU's homecoming, and we really wanted to go. However, Avery's already been on five road trips in her less-than-four months of life, so we needed to just stay home.

Matt's parents came to town...


And then instead of going to Marshall, some of our favorite people from ETBU came to us! Wendi and Kyle came over to meet Avery, and it was SO good to catch up. Matt even cooked us some amazing potatoes. Yum!


Meg likes beer?


I feel like I've gotten really bad about keeping in touch with my friends. It seems like it gets longer and longer between visits, but every time we reconnect, it's like time never went by. I'm so very thankful for that.


It's been a great weekend, and now I need another one to recover from it. It's bedtime. Goodnight!

Super Saturday

Since State of Play is on in the background, and I've already seen it (although I highly recommend it), I'm going to take this opportunity to recap the day. In pictures!

We started out by sending Avery away to have a day with the g-parents while they went to watch Carrie play volleyball in Sherman. (Side note: we planned to go meet them later for the late game, but so much for my excellent organizing skills. There was no late game today, so we didn't get to see any games at all. Sorry, Carrie!) We had the whole day to ourselves. It had been, oh, say three and a half months since we'd just had a whole day to kill, so... what to do?

1. Get Matt fitted for his tux for Trunk and Melissa's wedding. Check. We're really looking forward to Matt's BFF getting married, and the trip to Baytown is way overdue!

2. Check out Sprouts. If you haven't been yet, GO. It is amazing. I'm not a health food nut (haha, that was kind of punny), but I really am trying to eat healthier and cook better quality food for our family. I'm still in the beginning stages (i.e. "We're not eating out, so this has to be better, right?"), but we're getting there! I'm hoping that by the time Avery's starting solid foods (um, that's quickly approaching-- a couple more weeks, eek!) we're giving her natural foods and eating better ourselves. Baby steps. Anyway, this place has the best looking produce I've seen in awhile, and it's mostly organic. The prices weren't even terrible, and *bonus* they take coupons! Whee!


3. Buy stamps and finally mail off the last of our baby thank you notes. I know, shame on me. She's almost four months old and I'm justnow getting these finished. Granted there were only five left, but I majorly procrastinated. *Virtual slap on wrist*

4. Lunch at Petaluma! We love this place. It's like Panera Bread, but modern and not a chain. And they just happen to have the best french fries ever. (Baby steps on the healthy thing, remember?)


5. Score an awesome deal at Bath and Body Works. I had a coupon for a free travel sized item, and it didn't even require a purchase to get the free item. I'm fully aware that companies do promotions like that because they want you to go to their store for said free item and then find other things to buy for not free. So I walked in with the appropriate willpower and determination to grab the free thing, "check out," and leave, but my willpower and determination didn't know that they had reallyreallygood smelling candles on super sale! What's a girl to do? So here's what I walked out with...

Hey, before you judge, it was $48 worth of merchandise and only cost me $18. Okay, fine. I'm a sucker for candles.

6. Check out new bakery in Uptown Village. (Although I'm not really convinced that it's "new" since our receipt said Busy B's Bakery. Hmm.) I knew we'd be going to a wedding in 15 minutes where there was sure to be yummy cake, but these cupcakes were loaded with beautiful icing and these cupcakes were NOW.


7. Witness the union of Ndolembai and Charity. We love this couple! They are such a godly example and a blessing to our church family, and they're just so darn cute! The ceremony was so special and so them. At the beginning of the ceremony, they acknowledged all the different countries that were represented there by having guests stand when their country was called. If you don't know Ndolembai, he's from Chad (Africa for you geography non-buffs), and there were people from Iraq, Puerto Rico, Kenya, Czech Republic, Taiwan, and so many other countries. It was a really unique way to emphasize the multi-culturalness of their relationship. I cried during the ceremony because ever since Avery was born, I apparently cry at everything. It's kind of annoying. Anyway, congratulations to Ndolembai and Charity!



What a day! We remembered what it was like to be baby-less, but I have to admit that I was relieved when we were reunited with our precious baby girl. Although I love the freedom of spontaneity, I've grown accustomed to constantly meeting the needs of another human being, even when it's most inconvenient. I think we'll keep her.

Well, well, well.

It has been TEN days since my last post! And my consistency had vastly improved before this horrendous gap in the written word! I am ashamed. And as much as I hate excuses (just ask my students), I have one. It's a good one, too.

Wanna know what it is?

Good, I thought you might.

My computer revolted. Seriously! It locked us out. Okay, so I suppose it was our own fault. To make a short story long...

I bought this computer five years ago. (Yes, I know, I know, five years is an eternity in computer years.) It still worked great, UNTIL the hard drive crashed (I'm blaming a virus). So my handy dandy husband bought a new drive and everything was as good as new except that we didn't have the original operating system cd to reload Windows. Once again, Mr. Handy Dandy himself came to the rescue. His idea: we could just load an old Windows cd, and voila, it should work. And it did work. For one month. Did you know that you can use Windows for a month without a serial number and teases you by working just fine, but then after that month is up, it just snatches it right away? I know now.

So I had a great blog about my day as a Stay at Home Mom (complete with pictures!). I had a Tuesday's List blog about favorite beauty products (although you were probably actually saved by not having to read that one because, I can accept it, I'm not really an expert on beauty). I had a blog about my grocery shopping adventures and how I saved lots of money (yippee!). I had ALL THESE BLOG ENTRIES and I couldn't write them! And now it's just too late and my (four) readers will just have to be disappointed forever. If you just can't stand not knowing what my past 10 days have entailed, you can just out my new-to-blogging husband's update.

Never fear, there is hope in sight. I finally got in touch with Dell, who assured me that I was entitled to one (how generous) backup copy of the Windows version for which I did have a serial number. It's (supposedly) on its way. Until then, my also-handy dad gave us a substitute that should work for now.

Side note, please do not tell me I need a Mac. Yes, I love them. No, I cannot afford one. They have problems of their own, so I'm just fine with having a PC at home.

No new pictures today. No pretty signature at the end of this post. Blog fail. No, make that computer fail.

Heather ( <---- ugly "signature")