Bye-Bye February!

Last weekend we were back in Chicago to celebrate Ashley's 23rd birthday!  Before leaving we went and had Avery's 6 month pictures taken and I am so happy that so many of you have already seen them.  For those that haven't...here is the link once more:


http://imaginatephotography.com/blog/2011/02/22/6-month-old-baby-a-illinois-baby-photographer-2/


We really appreciate all the comments!  We celebrated Ashley's birthday in the city and ate some great Chinese food!  Avery and Lucas got to spend some time together.  This mainly consisted of Lucas yelling "Avery" and Avery trying to squeeze his face causing him to squeal in delight!  Hopefully someone got some pictures of that happening.  After dinner, we were so excited to see Ashley's new place downtown off of Lake Shore Drive!  We are really proud of her and can't wait to visit.  

Sisters!!  <3

I think this video is adorable!  Just a little dancing time with Papa!

Enjoy the brief moment of fist pumping too! :)  Sorry it is a little dark!

In the front window of the restaurant they had a lion statue that Lucas was drawn to.  This video makes me smile!  This one is a little dark too!

Avery has been eating like a champ since learning that she isn't actually allergic to anything!  We have done sweet potatoes, butternut squash, bananas, carrots and some oatmeal cereal.  She is not a fan of the cereal, so we are hoping that when we introduce pears, we can mix the two together.  

We had considered ourselves fairly lucky since Avery has only had one cold in almost 7 months. However, that all changed this week.  She has had a runny nose and a bit of a cough all week long, but we assumed it was a cold that she picked up from daycare.  However, Thursday, our sitter called and told us that she had a small fever.  Friday morning we took her to the doctor and it is a bit more than a cold.  She tested positive for RSV and a double ear infection.  Now she is home with us all next week, taking meds for the ear infections and is on a nebulizer for the next two weeks to help with the congestion.  Thankfully she has done a really good job of handling the machine like a champ.  

She has her two bottom teeth in now, and they are sharp, so she likes to chew on everything and sometimes likes to growl at her toys when they are in her mouth.  I am hoping this is normal!  

We're Halfway There (to 1 that is!)

Last Saturday Avery turned 6 months old and it has been an adventure every day since!  Saturday was a great day, she was happy, actually took a nap for us (she sleeps for Thayre all the time, not so much for us!) and was very happy.  Then Sunday came around and we had some people over for the Super Bowl.  Avery didn't sleep all day so we knew we were in for a rough day.  With 8 adults, 1 baby and 4 other kids running around screaming, this was our daughter around 6:30 that night....

She was sound asleep in the middle of all the action!

Then, Monday came and we had her sixth month checkup with her doctor.  This was the first time we had seen the doctor since her emergency room visit.  Avery weighed in at 15 lbs 15 oz and is 24- 1/2 inches long.  The doctor said she was just perfect.  Due to the severity of her allergic reaction back in December, she wrote us a prescription for two EpiPens.  This made us feel immensely better and are not as scared as before.  She also had us go and have blood drawn to test her for allergies to wheat, soy, nuts, milk and egg.  After Avery's 4 shots, we were on our way.

Tuesday after school, I picked up Avery and we took her to the hospital to have blood drawn.  I hope no other parent has to go through that.  I have never heard her scream as loud as she did that day.  It was heartbreaking for everyone, but I think Avery's tears ended before mom's.  If the blood draw wasn't bad enough, it had to happen the day her first tooth broke through her gum!  Luckily she has been taking that like a champ!

We thought Wednesday would be better, but with all the cold air outside, the air inside our house must have been a little dry, because Avery ended up with a bloody nose that night.  Our handbook from the doctor's office suggested that we keep her upright and pinch her nose for 10 minutes.  I think we made it 10 seconds.

Thursday morning was better... her second tooth has broken through the gum!  Now her bottom two teeth are through and she wants more than anything to have something to chew on all the time!

Finally Friday we got the results from her blood work and everything came back fine!  No allergies to anything.  The doctor seems to think it could have been a couple things.  1- it could have been a rice allergy but since we didn't test for it, we should just avoid it.  2- it could have been an immature digestive system that just wasn't ready for food.  3- just a freakish accident.  Whatever it was, we are happy there are no allergies. That night we gave her some sweet potatoes.  As you can imagine, we were nervous and she had no idea what to do.  So, we continued with the sweet potatoes again today and are hoping she will catch on in the next few feedings.

Enjoy the pictures!

Hanging out with Grandpa

Kisses from GiGi

Birthday Boy!

<3

She looks like a rockstar with the light from the flash reflecting
on her glasses! Pay no attention to the wet spot on her shirt
from her teething toy!

Checking out her new friend, Cole.  She looks like she wants
a brother of her own...doesn't she????

Happy Baby!

Happy 6 Month Birthday!!!