Her Laugh is Contagious

The most beautiful sound I have ever heard. Next to her first cry. This is much more pleasant sounding, but has the same effect on my heart. Pure joy. Nothing like hearing your own flesh and blood laugh. That contagious giggle. I am just happy I was able to witness it the first time she did it. One of those realizations as a working mom; missing "firsts". It's a reality I am well aware of, and it just makes these moments that much more special. Kudos to Uncle Jon for making her giggle. Happy 12 weeks to Miss Avery, celebrating it with her first real laugh.

Auntie Cassie & Uncle Adam's Wedding!

This past weekend we went up to North Conway to celebrate Cassie and Adam's wedding. It was so nice to see family and friends, and for a lot of out-of-towners it was their first time meeting Avery. She had a wonderful time getting to know our closest friends and family. Sammie and Shane flew in from Texas and it was Uncle Shane's first time meeting Avery. She got to spend some time with them and her Great-Grammy before heading up north. It was a scorcher the first couple of days we were up there. We spent some time in the pool and taking walks around the area. She loved splashing in the water with daddy and it proved to be a nice refreshing way to expend some energy. Even with the new environment and crazy schedule, Avery was still doing well sleeping through the night and taking her naps during the day (although due to her need to be in the know, sometimes convincing her to nap was difficult). The day of the wedding it was raining, but luckily for the big moment the rain stopped and we were able to have the ceremony outside. It ended up working out great because the rain actually made the air cool and comfortable. Avery was the flower girl and as you can imagine, she was adorable. I got to walk her down the aisle and it was a very special moment for me. Now as most parents know, trying to time the meals and naps of an 11 week old around a big event is damn near impossible. We are all on Avery's time, don't you know? Somehow it all worked out. I was able to feed her before we left for the ceremony and got her all dolled up and in the car seat. Like magic, the car ride over to the ceremony allowed her to fall asleep. I figured a sleeping flower girl was better than a crying one. However, when I went to go take her out of the car seat to get in line with the girls, she woke up. Well, shit. So I started doing the mom dance (bouncy, bouncy) and got her cute little headband on. Attempted the adorable sandals that went with the dress and she wasn't having it. Forget the sandals! Barefoot in a summer dress is in style anyway, right? Well much to my delight, Avery and I walked down the aisle without a cry or whimper. I thought I was going to have to do the mom dance down the aisle instead of a normal walk but we walked down no problem! She sat in the audience with her new bestie, Mindy. I had warned Mindy that she would most likely need to be bounced standing up because that's usually what Avery demands. We went through all of the possible scenarios; had a stroller ready and everything. She sat perfectly content in Mindy's lap the whole ceremony. Proud mama moment right there! She didn't even fuss during photos afterwards. She ate at the cocktail hour (she was eyeballing the hor d'ovuvres and mixed drinks, but settled with her bottle anyway) then she fell asleep. Well she slept through dinner and half of the dancing. A bomb could go off and this girl wouldn't wake up. I couldn't believe how long she slept with the loud music. She finally woke up and again, expected her to fuss because it was loud or because she had a long day. But no. She was out on that dance floor being passed around. Everyone wanted a dance with the flower girl. I was so proud of her and we had so much fun. She even shared a dance with her friend Robbie Napoli! She was such a trooper and I am so happy she was asked to be a part of Cassie and Adam's special day. Avery also went on her first train ride and loved it. We were so blessed she was able to spend time with friends and family who live far away and I am so glad she had a great weekend.

Now back to reality. Tomorrow she turns 12 weeks old. Tomorrow is also my first day back at work. She is also rolling around a lot more now and I am pretty sure she is beginning to teethe. Slow down, Avery!! Time is flying by way too fast.

Almost Working Mom Status

Avery is now ten weeks old. Ten. Weeks. I can't even believe it; where did the time go? While I am so excited she's getting so big and learning new things, I can't help but feel sad. It also means that in two weeks, I will be returning to work. Although this new role of motherhood has been mindblowingly (so not a word but go with it) amazing in so many ways, I do miss the part of me that is an adult contributing to society. I love being an OT and I love my job. But now I also love being a mom and I love my time that I have had with my daughter. Now I will have the new title of "working mom" and it's a bittersweet feeling. Avery is growing so fast it's as if I can't keep up. She amazes me every day and I love watching her learn new things. For example, we have been reading to her for quite some time now. She had begun to look at the pictures on the pages, but today for the first time she grabbed onto the pages of the book and was moving them back and forth (and putting them in her mouth of course). She is also starting to notice Memphis more. She has always been very tolerant of Memphis smelling and kissing her. But now she will look at her and smile (especially when she gives her kisses). Little things like that make me proud of Avery and these are the moments that I will miss the most. I understand I will have weekends and week nights with her, but any working mom knows that it isn't the same. Though I haven't started to work yet, I already know that. I am thankful and lucky that Avery will have both of her grandmothers to care for her during the week. She will bond with them in ways she would never be able to if I was a stay at home mom. It's so good for her. It's good for me too. These last couple of weeks I'm going to soak it all in and love every moment and for now that's all I need.