Playdate Video!

Of course I brought the video camera...


Avery & Liesl Playdate from Beth Steele on Vimeo.

Avery & Liesl's Fabulous Playdate = )

Instant BFF's - Avery finally got to meet her friend Liesl!  Emily and Jerheme came into town for Memorial Day so we got the babies together for a playdate last Thursday = )

Hello Liesl!  Hello Avery!

Pose for the Camera = )

Already telling each other secrets...

Whoa...I think the Mommies are listening...

Avery's Best Buddy

Last post for the day, I promise = )

This week it seems that Avery has discovered her best buddy Remi!  Up until now she hasn't paid much attention to him but now she loves him and watches him all day long.  Giggle-fest notice - Avery now laughs when Remi licks her feet (who wouldn't) and when he shakes his toys in front of her.  It just melts my heart to watch her fall in love with our sweet little puppy!  Her little protector obviously feels the same way = )

Memorial Day Weekend

So many fantastic plans - starting today!  Avery has her first play date with Liesl Urban this evening!!  Many pictures to come = )  Tomorrow we are off to New Orleans for some fabulous family time!  Its a Patyrak Family Reunion and Avery gets to meet her Great-Grandma Hazel for the first time...so exciting!  She also has a weekend full of playdates with her 2nd-cousin Dalton who turns 1 next month.  I can't wait to get the little ones together.  This will be the first of many adventures for these two = )  We are ready for a weekend of PoBoys, Gumbo, Beignets and all other deliciousness New Orleans has to offer!  Hopefully Avery won't spend the whole trip flashing for beads...she tends to do that often in ABQ for free ; )

Happy Birthday Great Gramma!!

And we're a day late posting but Avery wanted to share ALL of her toys with you to celebrate your birthday = )

Happy Birthday Great Gramma!!

Avery took this pretty picture just for YOU on your big day!

Happy Bday Great-Gramma = )

Do We Likey? I Don't Think So = )

Untitled from Beth Steele on Vimeo.

Avery's First Tasting of Rice Cereal

This past weekend we introduced Avery to Rice Cereal!  We were already pretty convinced we didn't have a picky eater on our hands...but this confirmed it!  She would have kept chowing down on it if we had let her.  I failed to grab the camera in time for the first reactions but we got a few pictures of her messy face.  I can't wait to get into veggies!

What's going on here?

Do I want this in my mouth?

More please!

Look at my little one who is so big now that she eats a little rice cereal before going to bed!  And so the food adventures begin!

Avery's First ABQ Isotopes Game!

I only got a couple of pictures of Avery's first baseball game b/c I failed to pack a binky or a toy in our rush to get out the door = (  We had a tired little girl who wanted to take in all the sights...next time we will consult our diaper bag checklist before leaving the house = )  By the way - the Isotopes are a part of the Dodger organization but our bold little daughter wore her San Diego Padre gear in rebellion!

You can't beat $6 tickets to sit in the grass on a blanket!

A Weekend Full of Firsts!

Avery's First Swing!  The fabulous Van Ettens gave Avery a swing that we are finally able to put to use = )  Avery doesn't quite fill it out yet but with the help of her Hugga-Baby we are able to snuggle her into it.  She was a bit hesitant at first but now she is a swinging pro!

Quickest Outfit Change EVER...

Avery received the cutest outfit from Missy but she was only in it for about 10 minutes before we had a bit of a blow out = )  We'll get it washed so that she can give it a proper photo shoot!  Hopefully tomorrow's outfit from Missy lasts a little longer!

By the way...this is a size 9 months!  We have one tall lady = )

Delicious - You Wish You Were This Flexible!

So many toys within reach but really what can beat a big toe!

Apparently Avery prefers her right foot over her left ; )

Avery also likes to wow the crowd with her legs in the air...

I Love Books

This one is my favorite b/c it has black and white designs and tastes delicious when I try to chew on it!

Every Day Is A New Adventure!

Lets Start This Week Off Right!

Fancy Camera Functions

Ok, this shouldn't be new to me...but I just figured out my camera's multi-shot function!  Now I can capture Avery's smile and babble with continuous shot, 3 shot, or even 7 shot options!

I used the 3 shot option to capture Avery talking to me = )

One Passed Out Baby

Avery fought off a couple naps yesterday which made for one exhausted baby at night.  She passed out in Trav's arms around 8pm and wouldn't wake up for her last meal of the day until 9:30pm.  At 9 Travis laid her down on our bed to help get her stirring but you can see how well that worked...

A Sweet Little Sunday

We skype with Grammy and Grampa on Sundays = )

Avery really enjoys her front row seat (since she's really the main attraction)...

And Mommy found bows hidden away in Avery's closet!  How could I have missed these!  With hair like Av's you definitely have to take advantage of the Pebbles Flintstone look = )

Avery At The Dog Park!

Avery and I met up with Travis and Remi at the dog park Saturday.  AVERY LOVED IT!  She just watched as the dogs ran around and giggled when they raced by us = )  Who knew...we should have been doing this all along!  She didn't get much out of the park before when she had to face Mommy or Daddy but now that she has this new view from the Bjorn she's one happy camper.  Plus she got to wear her fancy Avery hat!

More Things You Should Know About Avery

1.  We have to start with the hair!  It just keeps getting longer - which you would think would start to weigh it down but no...straight up we still go = ) 

2.  It gets easier every day to coax a laugh out of her.  Yesterday afternoon I discovered that dancing and singing to the movie Mamma Mia gets a solid 10 minutes of giggles out of her.  Regardless of your talent she loves to be sung to.  All the dancing and singing tuckered her out as she immediately passed out for a long nap once she was done with the giggle-fest.  My my, how can I resist you!

3.  My new favorite thing - every time I pick up Avery she nuzzles her little head into my neck and shoulder!  Its super sweet...typically only lasts a moment but I can't get enough of it.  This is a brand new move but I hope it sticks around for a while!

4.  The Mute Button - I realized the other day while talking to Emily that I haven't posted about Avery's mute button!  If you hold Avery on her belly in the cradle hold (I call it the reverse cradle) she immediately stops crying.  I'm not sure what it is about this position but it almost never fails!  I'll try to steal a picture of the Mute Button this weekend = )

5.  The position I hold Avery in for meals and the position I hold her to get her to fall asleep are basically the same.  One day she'll learn that you can't get milk through a shirt and bra ; )

The New Schedule

In an effort to get Avery into a structured bedtime routine we now read a book to her before getting her to sleep.  She is quite good at falling asleep during her evening meal so it actually requires waking a sleeping baby (so unfortunate) but we'll do it if it means good things in the future!  Last night Avery got her evening meal downstairs so Travis grabbed the closest reading material he could find for her bedtime stories...I'm sure she had sweet dreams about madras shorts and linen shirts = )

I'm a bit addicted to Old Navy onesies...I can't help it!  They are cheap, soft, and super cute on my little princess.  Here's a happy Avery spending the day in one of her Old Navy outfits = )