I also captured some video of Avery playing with her cupcakes the other night. She’s not super active in it – but since she so rarely gets quiet, alone time at home, I wanted to share.

-M

I had a question for the secretary at Zoe’s school this afternoon, and when I contacted her she mentioned she had just gotten in from the playground. “Zoe and several of her friends were taking plates into the little playhouse,” she reported. “And she told me they were planning a party!” I always assume Zoe is having a good time during the day, but the thought of her running around and having so much fun with her friends just about made my day!

-M

Speaking of packing away clothes, it’s also time to say good-bye to a lot of Avery’s outfits – including some favorites. As I’ve done in the past (here and here), I just had to get a last picture of Avery in her Nordstrom butterfly pjs. Zoe wore these, too (scroll down to fourth pic here), and I’m going to miss them!

-M

My big activity around the house this week: packing away Zoe’s suddenly-too-small clothes. In just the past week or so, Q and I have noticed that the majority of Zoe’s pants (and some of her sweatshirts) are too short. Talk about a growth spurt – it’s as if she went to bed one night and woke up the next day an inch or two bigger! (Oh, and speaking of big – she had a doctor’s appointment yesterday and weighed in at 46 pounds. No wonder it’s so hard to pick her up these days!)

Though I often get sad about these things, I’m happy to report that I’m actually not feeling down about my growing girl. This just gives me another excuse to shop!

-M

Avery had her first bite of cake earlier this month (thanks, Grandma!), but she was still pretty intrigued by the sweet stuff this weekend. Check her out as she leans in for a taste.

-M

When I was growing up, I often had several birthday celebrations – to the point where July became known to my family as Birthday Month. Avery may just be following in my footsteps, because she had three events – including a party yesterday – to mark her special day. Here are some pictures from her latest (and last) first birthday celebration.

-M

PopPop arrived a few days after Safta – just in time for Avery’s first birthday party. (More pics from that event soon!)

-M

Safta arrived on Tues. night, and the girls are excited about spending time with her. Here are some early pics.

-M

As Q mentioned below, we celebrated Avery’s birthday and (early) Father’s Day by going to Great America on Sat. Avery is a bit small for an amusement park, I know, but I think she found it quite entertaining – as did the rest of us. Here are some pics.

-M

I had an excellent Father’s Day weekend this year. On Saturday we celebrated both Father’s Day and Avery’s first birthday with a trip to California’s Great America, an amusement park just south of the city (photos coming). Then on Sunday I got a ton of love from all my girls and a very special present from Avery as she decided to start strutting her stuff! Here are 3 small clips of our newest walker!

Jon Q

Its been quite the year for Q, who became a dad of two just before last Father’s Day, and has since happily adjusted to an estrogen-heavy household. He and the girls are so cute together (see below), and I’m feeling particularly grateful today to him and all the other wonderful dads in our lives. Happy Fathers Day!

I don’t recall as much about Zoe as a baby as you’d expect, but I’ve always remembered really liking the one-year mark. And now, with Avery, I see why: it’s such a sweet and smiley age!

As mentioned in the last update, Avery’s personality continues to emerge. She’s generally bubbly and outgoing and still very cuddly: she likes being picked up and hugged, and she tends to cry if one of us leaves the room. (I guess this is the age for separation anxiety; she’s also pretty slow to warm up to strangers or people she hasn’t seen in awhile.) She’s the happiest when her sister walks into a room and greets her or when her dad comes home at night (she always sits on her knees, bounces up and down and puts out her arms to be picked up). I’m also guaranteed to get a laugh when I repeat a line from the ABC Song: “Next time won’t you sing with me.”

Other favorites: playing in her sister’s kitchen, munching and crawling around with her Noah’s Ark wooden shapes, and pulling her dad’s hat off his head. (Their little game is how she learned the word hat.) I noticed recently that she has started to play pretend: she’ll sit in Zoe’s kitchen and “eat” with a little fork and plate, and whenever she has a phone (real or pretend) in her hand, she puts it up to her ear as if she’s talking. Other new things: She likes to hand toys and other objects to people (though she sometimes gets upset if you actually take them) and to try to open and explore drawers or cabinets. Just yesterday morning, she pulled open a kitchen cabinet, grabbed a box of cereal and tried to reach her hand in.

She has lots of books, and still really likes her Peek-a-Who one, but in general she doesn’t like sitting long enough for a story. Usually I just read aloud as she zips around, and Zoe winds up being the one to listen!

In terms of talking, she still does a lot of it. Her vocabulary these days consists of: dada, mama, hat (which she now calls anything that you put on your head), hi and the previously mentioned hi-yah. She recently started making really loud noises – kind of like screams, though she’s not upset – when in the car, and Zoe, sadly, is not a fan (“Avery! My ears hurt,” she’ll cry out.) Avery has also taken to loudly squealing if a toy is taken away from her, if she wants something Zoe has (and Zoe won’t give it up) or if she feels she is being ignored. (Because she likes getting her way so much, Q and I suspect she may turn into a bit of a princess. Then again, don’t all second girls??)

Though she can’t say much yet, her level of understanding and communicating is getting more sophisticated. She impressed me the other day, for example, by racing over to the Boppy, which I use to feed her, when I mentioned the word milk. And speaking of milk, she’s still a big fan. When I give her the sign or ask if she wants some, she usually makes a little laugh and says, “Mmmmm” over and over. Her other favorite foods: provolone cheese and bananas. (She sometimes shakes in excitement when she sees the latter.)

She naps twice a day at home (just once at Elena’s) and has been sleeping really well (7:30 PM-6:30 AM) at night. She always sleeps on her stomach, and she usually falls asleep holding one of the bars on her crib or draping one of her arms through the opening.

Like Zoe, I wouldn’t call Avery a terribly difficult baby – and it keeps getting easier! I can’t wait to see what the next year brings.

-M

Miss Avery made her appearance! It’s been an amazing year – and I’m so glad she came into our lives…

Happy Birthday, Aves.

-M

Speaking of babies, they’re clearly on Zoe’s mind too – thanks, in part to Dora the Explorer and her twin siblings (below). This funny conversation – which came out of the blue – occurred when we were driving to camp this morning.

Z: “I know what I want my brother baby’s name to be.”
M: “Oh, really? What?”
Z: “Kelshie.”
M: “Hm, okay. But Zoe, you already have a baby sister.”
Z: “But I want two babies, like Dora. Dora’s gots two babies – one brother and one sister.”
(I wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that!)

Exactly one year ago, I shared my feelings here about the baby’s pending arrival. Noting that I was excited and anxious but also a little sad and nostalgic, I talked about feeling bad that Zoe would soon have to share our attention/love with someone else. And in an earlier post, I shared even more of my worries:

What if I don’t love [the baby] as much as Zoe? (And: how can I possibly love her as much as Zoe?)… What if Zoe feels abandoned, unloved and/or sad after her sister’s arrival? What if I never get to spend quality time with her? What if I always feel a little guilty for disturbing our happy family of three?

One year later, I’m happy to report that most of my these worries melted away soon after Avery’s arrival. Zoe welcomed her sister and I was nuts over Avery from the get-go, and I’ve never felt bad about changing our family from three to four. When I watch Zoe proudly show off Avery to her friends or hear Avery laugh in excitement when Zoe enters the room, I know that we’ve provided each girl with a special gift!

But while I’m generally happy these days, I must admit to feeling a little sad and nostalgic this week. In just two days, Avery will be one year and I find myself (again) reminiscing about the days past. In a weepy moment, I told Q that it was difficult to think about a full year – and a very special one at that – of Avery’s life being over.

Q asked me if I felt bad about Zoe getting older, too. “Not really,” I answered honestly, “Because she keeps getting better and better.” Ever the optimist, Q pointed out that the same would be true of Avery, and I should feel excited about Avery’s future instead of feeling sad about her past. He’s right of course, and I’m sure I’ll get to that place; for now, though, this sentimental mom may shed a tear or two over the 8-pounder she first met 363 days ago.

-M