Resolution follow-up

Check out Avery's new sweatshirt! This awesome gift was a birthday present from her Grandpa Gary and a Grandma Nancy. It looks super cute on her, but her dad wasn't too happy. Too bad...he has had two years to get her Cleveland Browns apparel, and has failed to do so hahaha. So I guess she'll just have to be a Steelers fan then.

Speaking of Avery, she has just been so good recently, and she is definitely getting over the stranger anxiety that she used to have. I knew it would happen eventually, but I also was just expecting that she would be very shy for a long time. I think it's mostly to do with her getting older and understanding and trusting us, and also now she remembers and knows most of our families, even when she hasn't seen them for a few weeks. My dad is staying with us for a day, and she used to cry and take some time to adjust, but today when she saw him, she just said "hi," and went along with her day. It could also be that I have been consistent in getting her around kids more since the new year - succeeding so far in my New Year's Resolution. She loves both watching other kids, and trying to play too. Because of how she used to act, it makes me soooo happy to see her being so social.

I, too, have been somewhat successful in my resolutions so far. I know it's only February, but it's to me important to evaluate and continue to make progress in my life. I've been going to yoga class about once a week, and I'm really enjoying it. There is a studio that opened in Kent this past year, so it's close to my house. Last night was the first night I'm starting to feel strong again, and not struggling throughout the class, although it was a tough class! The instructor put on upbeat and current music, which is somewhat different than the norm. I think I'm still a cardio lover at heart, because she coordinated the flow sequences with the music to make it almost seem like cardio yoga. It's exactly what I needed, and. I really enjoyed it. 

I'm also considering running some type of a race in March, but not totally decided yet. There's a 15k race in mid-march, and it may be a good choice. I'm not really wanting to do a big race like Cleveland or Pittsburgh half-marathons because I'm sick of dealing with the large crowds, and it's tough to get a good time. We'll see though. I'm not totally ruling them out, because I do love the energy of a big race. I'm also getting excited for Travis as he's now in the second half of his marathon training and has some long runs ahead of him.

And we're sill waiting for spring. Wish it would hurry up!

Is it summer yet?

Obviously we've had a very cold and snowy winter so far. However, today it's sunny and reaching highs of about 45! Hooray. Honestly, you would think it's almost summer by how some of my neighbors were dressed. I took Ranger for a little walk today and I saw two different people outside in short sleeves - one older gentleman, and a kid on a bike. Travis went for a long run today, and wore shorts. We also took Avery to her first official Little Gym class, and about a half hour after we got home, I realized I left my jacket there! Seriously, I normally don't even think about going outside without my coat with the winter weather we've been having, but anyway, let's talk about something else!

So yes, we started at Little Gym today, and Avery had a blast! Travis's parents came with us so they could watch her, and she did so well! She remembered all of the different skills, and was immediately walking on the balance beam and hanging on the bars. She didn't participate in the group activities very much, but I think she will start to participate more once the novelty of all of the activities wears off (which may take a few weeks.) She also got to see her friend Giavonna again, and she gave her a hug when we left. Overall, it was a great morning, and I'm glad she's having so much fun!

In other news, potty training is not going as well as I planned. Earlier in the week I went and bought some cotton training pants for her that have several washable liners. They are super cute on her, and I was ready to be done with diapers (for day/awake time.) I read up on a potty training technique in my Toddlerwise book, and what I like about the plan in the Toddlerwise book is that Avery is rewarded for being clean and dry (not just for using the potty.) Avery went several times the first 2 days, but now has decided she does NOT want to sit on the potty. So it's back to diapers for us for at least a little while longer. I am not going to pressure her to use the potty at this point, but just try to encourage it once in awhile, and try to make it a pleasurable experience!

And now I'm off to enjoy more of our beautiful Ohio weather!

Avery's 2-year doctor appt

"Has it really been two years?" asked my pediatrician at Avery's appointment yesterday. It is hard to believe how quickly two years have gone by, and how easily I remember her first appointments when she was a newborn.

When we walked through the doors yesterday, Avery immediately knew where we were, and started crying and fussing. It wasn't too bad as I checked in, but as we sat in the waiting room, I resorted to letting her watch PBS kids on my phone. I didn't want her to be upset going in to the appointment (hahahahaha.)

As soon as we were called back, Avery had her first meltdown of many. The nurse seemed new because I had never seen her before, and also because she obviously didn't have a lot of experience with a screaming toddler. While Avery was crying, she tried to get Avery to stand on the scale without me (NOT happening!) I finally asked her if she wanted me to hold her on the scale, and then weigh myself and subtract the weight. She was like "oh good idea." So we did that, but by this point, two more nurses came over to assist, and then our actual pediatrician actually came over to hold Avery while I was on the scale (since 3 nurses couldn't handle this?) Luckily, the scale was in Kilograms, so I didn't see my weight, but Avery weighs just under 29 pounds - 28 lb 14 oz to be exact. That puts her in the 77th percentile. Then we did height. Obviously she wouldn't just stand up straight against the wall. They took us to our room, and we had to lay her down and hold her. She was 35 1/2 inches long, placing her in the 88th percentile. They measured her head too, which was a battle, and it was still in the 25th percentile, where it's been. Overall, her measurements were fine.

Once the nurses left the room, I was able to calm Avery down with some Cheerios, and her new Sophie Giraffe counting book. Also, instead of just undressing Avery, she got to wear a cute little gown for the first time! It actually had little flowers on it, and I told Avery that she looked beautiful in her little dress ;) When our doctor came in, she was careful to stay across the room from us, so as not to scare Avery. I really like our doctor...I just wish the nurses were as sensitive! She went through routine questions, and I was able to tell her that Avery says 50 words (as long as you count animal sounds), she can kick a ball, she sleeps great, and her social skills are improving. She's only saying one 2-word phrase "hi dad," but I think more will come quickly. She also listens and understands everything I tell her.  She then checked her legs, listened to her heart, etc, while Avery cried, but our doctor was really patient and tried to soothe Avery while she was doing those things, so it was ok. I asked her about potty training, in an effort to solve some of her tummy troubles, and she said to give it a try. She said it's normal for kids to go through phases of being afraid to go, but just to reassure her and make sure her stool is soft.

We didn't have any shots today, but we did have a finger prick, which I think is worse. Luckily, they sent in a nurse that I've seen lots of times,  who is experienced with crying kids. She had another nurse with her, to assist. She was much better than the others. She told me to sit on the table with Avery, and hold as tightly as possible, and keep her other arm out of the way. She worked as efficiently as possible, while Avery screamed very, very loudly, and they left as soon as they were done. Even though Avery was hysterical, they said bye, and Avery said "bye bye" through her tears. It was actually pretty cute.

 I calmed Avery down again, and got her ready to go. We checked out, and Avery said "bye bye" to everyone, and she was finally happy - she knew we were leaving!!

When I am at the doctor, I occasionally see or hear little babies crying a little, but honestly, Avery is just so crazy and hysterical (and LOUD) it is tough to deal with. Luckily, we don't have another appointment until August!

Potty Training time?

Today we had 2 major breakthroughs...well really one, but it's happened twice so far! I have been hesitant to start potty training for a few reasons. The first reason is that up until this point, she hadn't indicated that she wanted to use the potty. I had sat her on her little potty a few times, and also on ours with the removable potty seat from hers (which is nice) but nothing ever happened, and she didn't want to stay there. The second reason is that she is going through a phase where she's afraid of pooping. She was sick in December, and it was painful I think, but I've changed her diet and added fiber, prunes, and apple-prune juice, and I've also cut back on her milk consumption. These have all made it easier for her to go, but now she tries to hold it in, which I've read is relatively common for toddlers, and she's making it tougher on herself. I was recently reading that maybe now is the time to transition her to the potty, and sit her on there at least once a day to encourage her to try to go and not be afraid. There is also a school of thought that says this is not the time...but  I really am not sure. We have a pediatrician appointment tomorrow, so I think I'll talk to her and get her input.

Anyway, back to reason number one. I put Avery on the potty today, because she came in with me, and then she seemed like she wanted to go on the potty too! I put her seat on our toilet, because she was pointing to our toilet and not her little potty. I brought in her new Cat in the Hat book, and she wasn't even on there for 3 minutes and she peed! It scared her a little because she started fussing, but I immediately told her that she did such a great job, and helped her get toilet paper to wipe off, and then I let her flush. Her toilet is also made to be a little stool, so she was able to stand on it to wash her hands, and then I gave her a small piece of chocolate and told her that she was such a big girl! Lots of praise haha. About 45 minutes later, she pulled me over to the stairs, and I asked "do you want to go potty?" She led me straight up to the potty again, and I barely even opened her book before she peed again!! We did the same routine again, including the chocolate.

Now I'm researching training pants and deciding how I want to approach this. I'm kind of thinking "progressively" since I am able to work on it all day with her. Anyway, I'll keep you updated as to whether this was just a fluke, or if we're going for it!

Happy Birthday Avery!

Today is Avery's 2nd Birthday! We celebrated this weekend with a birthday brunch on Saturday morning. She had a great time and it went extremely well, in my opinion.

My preparation started last week and Avery was a great little helper. Originally, I wanted to do a 'pink ombre' party, but nobody knew what that was! (In case you are wondering, it's a party made up of all different shades of pink, from darkest to lightest.) I made it more into a Valentine's Day Brunch with a color scheme of pinks, red, and gold. I tried to get Avery involved as much as possible in the decorations. We made a 'happy birthday' flag banner, and some paper chains and some heart chains. I pulled out everything from my house that was pink/gold/floral, etc. Surprisingly,  I didn't have to buy  a lot of things. I used mostly what I had and made it work. I think it turned out beautiful!

For Avery, I did get her a new outfit. She wore a red tutu with a gray sweater with hearts on it. She looked so beautiful and sophisticated. I also got her some new silver sparkly shoes for her birthday to go with her outfit. 

I really wanted to make a cake for her birthday instead of buying one. I found an awesome recipe, which can be found on my Pinterest. I chose it because it was beautiful, and red and pink, and it sounded delicious. It really turned out better than I expected! Travis, who claims he doesn't even like cake, said it was the best cake he's ever eaten!

 

The cake was a 3-layer cherry almond sour cream cake, and I served it on some beautiful plates that were hand-painted for my wedding, that definitely don't get used enough!

The party itself went very smoothly. Guests started arriving around 10 am, and we were ready with pancakes, french toast casserole, cheesy hash brown potatoes, croissant sandwiches, fruit, and mini muffins. I made homemade blueberry and strawberry syrups, along with traditional maple. We also added chocolate chips to some pancakes for the kids (and me.) I served coffee and hot chocolate, along with orange juice, and mimosas for the adults. Avery really enjoyed her pancakes, and seeing her friends. She played in the living room and showed some of the kids her play kitchen.

Then it was time for presents! Travis helped her open most of them, and her friend Gia and I helped her finish up. She received many great toys, including lots of things to go with her kitchen, some new puzzles and blocks, and some new Little People, and new dolls (which I'm totally excited about.) She also got some new instruments and gardening tools for the springtime...if it ever comes. She got some really cute new clothes, and the best part is that she didn't get any repeats or anything that needs to be taken back.

After presents, we cut the cake. I cut a slice for her, and put two candles in it so that she wouldn't touch/mess up the entire cake. She was able to blow out one of the candles, but had a little trouble with the second. She almost put her finger in the flame, but I blew it out just in the nick of time.

Along with cake, we enjoyed a brownie peanut butter pudding dish, and Dove chocolate candies. I also enjoyed visiting with my new nephew. He is just six weeks old, and super adorable. Here is a picture of us (although a little blurry.)

Overall, it was the perfect morning, and we were so happy to give our little Avery the perfect 2nd birthday party!

Avery's Olympic journey has begun

I don't know about you, but I am obesessed with the Olympics - especially the Winter Olympics. I have been watching them since they started last week the day before opening ceremonies. I love watching the figure skating the most, because I figure skated competitively in my youth. However, once I start watching, I get caught up in all of the sports. I am loving the snowboarding events so far, and even cross country skiing and biathlon. I know there is a lot of controversy with the location of these Olympics in Sochi, Russia, but that certainly would not stop me from watching. These athletes have spent their entire lives getting to this moment, and I am not going to take that away from them.

On Wednesday night, I also watched the NBC special about raising an Olympian, and don't worry, I was taking notes haha! One thing I did notice is that many of the parents spoke about how focused their children were, and they would continue to do the same thing over and over until they did it perfectly.  Right now, my little Avery is definitely focused, and will repeat the same activity over and over until she gets it right. Now, I obviously know that she's only 1, so that's pretty normal, but I can still dream!

On Saturday morning, we were invited to Little Gym with Avery's friend Gia (and my friend Marissa.)  They can occasionally bring a guest, so I knew it would be a great opportunity to see how Avery would do in a large group of toddlers, without having to pay for anything yet. Travis wanted to come too so he could see how she would do. I was a little nervous about how it would go - considering we still can't get into the room at the library without a meltdown. However, what I wasn't expecting is just how great it would be!

We arrived just as they were doing introductions, and we quickly joined the group of about 30-40 people or so. She started out kind of in a daze of "what are we doing," and "where are we?" We started doing some different exercises in a circle, and also walking/running around in the circle in a series of movements and games. Avery kind of participated and mostly watched all of the other kids her age. At one point they handed out hula hoops and had the kids set them down and hop in and out of them. Avery really started to enjoy the class at that point, and was definitely warming up to the idea of being in the gym with everybody.

We then had free time where you could take your child on any of the apparatuses. We started on the lowest beam (on the floor) and quickly progressed to the regular low beam. They had handle bars set up on either side, so she could learn to walk on the beam while holding on. Then as she got to either end, she would let go of the bars and run into Travis's arms. I was amazed at how well she did, and this is where I saw her focus really coming into play. Whereas many of the kids were going from one thing to the next, she stayed on the beam for a good 15 minutes or so. Then we finally persuaded her across the gym to the high beam. We did that once or twice (while holding her hand) and she was ready for something new.

Then we tried the rings.

This is where it became amazing! They had a mat underneath, and a mat she could step on to get up there to hang on. As soon as we helped her grab the rings, she lifted herself up on her own, and held on for several seconds before letting go and falling on the mat. Then she did it again. Then, the gym instructor came over and used Avery as an example of what to do on the rings! He even helped lift her up and moved her hands to the rings, and she didn't get upset at at all! And everyone was watching her!! It was an amazing moment for me. She held on like a champ!! After that, we went to a low bar that was set up similarly to the rings, and she did the same thing for another 10 minutes or so. We couldn't get her off the bar, even when the intructor broke out bubbles and all the kids ran over...Avery was working on the bar.

We finished up in the group circle again, and the kids were kind of roaming, and Avery actually left our side and went across the gym, through other kids and parents, to a ramp-like mat that she was walking up and running down. It was one of the first times we've been in a large group like that and she wasn't terrified and showed very little stranger anxiety. Travis and I were sooo proud of her, and now we're thinking of signing her up for classes there as a 2nd birthday present.

In just a few years we may have an athlete on our hands!

Another Snow Day

I'm really starting to get tired of this winter. We had another winter storm which cancelled the local schools yesterday, and is just starting to be annoying. When the roads are really bad, I am not a huge fan of taking Avery out, so we were stuck at home.

However, I'm still trying to keep positive (one of my resolutions) so I decided to take Avery out and play in the snow. We got all bundled up, and we went outside for about an hour. I got her sled out and she had a blast! The snow was perfect for sledding, and she zoomed down the hill! Ranger played outside with us too, and it was a great morning.

Tonight, we are going to a meeting at our church to get information about mommy and me preschool in the fall. I am pretty excited to check it out, and sign us up. On Saturday, my friend Marissa and her daughter invited us to Little Gym as a guest. I can't wait to see how Avery does, and it feels good knowing that I'm putting her in a lot more social situations and she's doing so great.

The Hubby's Birthday weekend

My wonderful husband Travis's birthday was on Saturday...the big 3-2, haha maybe not that big, but we did have fun! On Friday night, we picked out a new watch for his main birthday present. We went together because I wanted him to love it, and also because of his negotiating skills - I knew he'd score a better deal than me on my own. He ended up picking a Citizens watch that is super nice, and it has a lot of great features. Avery helped me pick out a new Nike running jacket for him also, and we gave that to him on Saturday morning. We thought he could wear it for his 9-mile run that morning, but it was actually a little too big! We went and exchanged it for a smaller size while he ran, and now it fits perfectly.

Later we went and bought a bicycle trainer for our road bikes (so that we can train on them indoors.) I tested it out yesterday, and it's pretty awesome. I thought it would feel like spinning, but it actually feels more like being outside (probably since I'm on my actual bike.) Apparently, doing an hour workout on the trainer is equivalent to an hour and 20 minutes or so outside, so it's a little tougher, but a great workout! I only made it 30 minutes yesterday and my legs were done.  I did run 5 miles on Friday, and 5.4 miles today outside, with Ranger. Friday was the first day I've run where the temperature has been higher than the teens. It went well, and I felt great. Today I went on a trail and it was very snow covered and not totally packed down. That - combined with my cycling workout yesterday - made for a tough workout. It was beautiful though, and that made it worth it.

Last night, we went to dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings (Travis's favorite) and then we got some frozen yogurt (Avery's favorite haha.) As soon as we walked into the fro-yo place, Avery was sooo excited. She was running around saying "hi" to everyone, and trying to pull out chairs for us to hurry up and sit down. She loves getting her own bowl, and she tried cotton candy and vanilla. It was very cute and  we had a great night!

Now we're just watching the Super Bowl, and I just finished some Nutella hot chocolate. Yum!