My First Owie

Avee was running down the sidewalk to the stop sign at the end of the block (anyone who knows Avee knows he loves street signs!) and he tripped on a crack and fell. He got right back up with a bloody knee and just kept going. He didn't know he was hurt. I tried to put a bandaid on it when we got back to the house. I found out that he is afraid of bandaids. He ripped it off so fast, threw it as far as he could, then came and sat sobbing in my lap, because of the scary bandaid. Hahah. Now when you ask him in english or signning where his owie is he always points to that knee.

SWIMMING

Kick Kick Kick to the wall... 123 Under Grab the wall and climb up for....

Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall... into the water...

Kick Kick Kick... back to the line to do it again! :-)

Avee's favorite part! Back floats. Mama only has to hold his head. He does the rest.

Walking on water... 1 2 3 jump in.. Under... then all done and High Fives!

Playing with friends after class...

I am going to get you Brother!

Avee's last day in Beginning Mommy & Me Swim. He is a little fish in the water just like his Dada and Brother. Andrew came and took all the pics. What a fabulous Brother!

I Scream, You Scream, We all scream

FOR ICE CREAM!!!

Dave & Buster's with Grandma

Grandma teaching Avee her secret moves on SkeeBall.

Wow look at all the tickets Avee won! He gave his 930 tickets to Brother as a present when brother returned home from 10 days in Hawaii with Yaya.

More fun with Noah!

Noah reading to Avee

"I like your haircut."

Whats so funny?

Avee's First Train Ride@ Fairview Park

Little Butts playing in the rocks while waiting their turn for Train Rides.

Avee and Noah

Jeremy, Melissa & Noah

Walking at the Back Bay

Avee what are you doing in the bushes?

It was a good thing Mama brought a change of clothes for Boopy Doo. Cause after the park we stopped off at the Back Bay to go for a little walk. Avee had a great time exploring. We watched the sunset on the viewing deck.

Avee loves the slide!

OPPS! Lets try again!

Lunch Time

Avee learning how to drink from a big boy cup after finishing his whole lunch!!

E-YO

Avee loves to talk on the phone! And watch the stopwatch.

ALEX PUT AVEE NITE NITE!

I am so grateful... Alex put Avrum to sleep two nights ago and it was a thing of beauty... There was peace and sleepiness. Absolutely no crying and it was his first time doing it all by himself! Mama nursed him and then brushed his teeth. Then gave him nite nite kisses, gave him to Dada for book times and left the room. 10 minutes later Alex emerged and Baby was in his crib cooing himself to sleep! Dada has skills!

I am learning to use a Spoon

I love mash potatoes

I never knew....

I never knew that being a mother could be so exciting and exhausting at the same time. Or that in a house full of people that I could feel so alone. I love my husband and my children so very much. I love that I am blessed and am able to stay home. I cannot image having to leave Avrum with someone else or not being able to watch over our teen. But, at the same time I feel as if I have lost a best friend, architecture. I miss it so much. I don't want to give into mourning its loss for fear that if I do I will never go back. It is amazing that before Avrum, I was able to work full-time, go to school full-time and have a husband and a son. How on earth did I keep it all together? And why can't I get into a great flow now? We all subconsciously expect so much more of me domestically because I stay home and yet I want the boys to continue with their responsibilities so I can still be me and not just a housewife. Don't get me wrong I am super thankful for my life. We are all together, happy and healthy and that is the most important. I am just striving for Balance.

Difficult Decisions

So, I have come to a difficult decision... I need to encourage Avrum to forgo nursing especially at night. He still is not sleeping through the night and I really need more than 4 hours of straight sleep at a time.
Our normal bedtime routine was: bath, play busy box with Dada, read endless books, nurse and nite nite. For the last two night we have switched the bedtime routine: bath, play busy box with Dada, nurse, brush teeth, read endless books and then nite nite. Yesterday he cried for 10 minutes and then talked himself to sleep. Tonight he only cried for two minutes and then fell asleep.
Tonight instead of nursing him back to sleep I am going to give him a bottle of water so his body gets used to not getting the calories at night and then eventually he will (hopefully - fingers crossed) sleep through the night. I tried this a few months back and it worked until he began teething again. I gave in and started nursing him back to sleep. I have to be strong this time.
I am hoping to narrow the nursing down to in the morning after waking up and before going to sleep but not nursing to sleep. (We have been working on not nursing to sleep for the last two months - he is really good about that most of the time, except when he wakes up in the middle of the night.)
Avrum loves nursing time and when I try to take a session away he really takes it hard. He is just not the kind of baby that I can just cut it out cold turkey. He would be devastated.
You may be asking why do I need my sleep? Well it is certainly not for beauty... I could give a rats ___ about that these days (poor Alex) It is more because I am having a hard time studying or maintaining any of my skills or even hobbies. I am so tired! (GOOD NEWS) Alex and I are beginning to prepare for the adventure of trying for another baby in January. I started taking Mothers Market & Kitchen Prenatal Multi this week. (It is recommend to begin taking prenatals as early as six months prior to conception.) So I really want to take at least three exams for the ARE (PPP, SP & CD), before getting pregnant. We will see if that happens. AHH! hahaha

OC Super Fair

OC Super Fair

Auntie Karen, Thank you for our pass we had so much fun!

Mr. Colin (Avee's oldest friend), Kayden and Avee

Colin's first pony ride

Avee is a natural - Look at that form!

Shoulda been a Cowboy!

Hanging Out at Home

The gate keeper

Visiting in Las Vegas

Avee slept almost the whole way home!

The view from our room at the Wynn. Floor to ceiling windows.

Ahh. The Life - Relaxing.

Like Father Like Son

Nap Time

My other sister :-) We could hang out in a cardboard box and have a blast!