Last night, I got a text from my Daddy at 11:30, asking if he could crash at our house. My response was, "of course u can." Daddy was driving back from middle 'o nowhere, USA, from a hunting trip with his buddy, Stu. He was tired.
So, he arrived around 12:50 am, which both Huzz and I stayed up to greet him. And then, the 3 of us proceeded to shoot the bull until about 1:45. AM.
The last time I had fed Avery was at 11:00, and as Huzz and I were crawling into bed, I said to him, "Baby Girl should be waking up in about 15 for a feeding. Pray for me."
Sure enough, she woke up at about 2:15 and I stumbled into her bedroom and blindly stuck the paci back in her mouth, which she took gratefully.
The next time I heard her, it was 6:32 am. And I automatically grunted out of bed and stumbled into her room again, unswaddled her and plopped down in the glider to feed her. Then, I started to emerge into the land of the living and it occurred to me that this was the first time I was feeding Baby Girl since going to bed, and it was six-thirty-two in the morning.
Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Oh, sweet relief.
After I fed her, I went back to bed and woke up again at 8:30 to the sound of Riley The Dog's nails on the kitchen floor and her excitement resonating throughout the house because sheforgotgrandpawasdownstairssleepingandnowissoexcitedbecausegrandpacametothrowmyball!
Riley always assumes that people visit our house to see her and to see her only. Ever since we saw the movie, "Up!", we always imitate what Riley's voice must sound like in her head like that of the dog's in the movie -- "You are my Master, and I love you." "Squirrel!" "I would love it if you threw that ball for me, I would love it, oh so much."
We love our Riley.
Once Daddy came upstairs, he offered to go to Caribou and pick up coffees. I allowed him to get me a Mocha. Hello, heaven. While he was gone, I got online and found out that a medium non-fat mocha cappuccino is eight points on Weight Watchers. Oh well. It was delicious.
When Daddy got back with coffees, he turned into Bompa and got lots of big smiles from Baby Girl. And then Baby Girl realized she was hungry again and demanded my attention, and my attention only.
I am relishing this power of getting to hold and cuddle and spend time with my precious girl, while she still likes it and isn't pushing me away for more interesting and fun things taking her attention.
I have never felt so important to anyone. I'm not saying that my parents haven't told me how much they love me and stuff. They always have. But now, my sheer existence means everything to Avery.
I can't wait to teach her that her sheer existence means so much to me, too, but that it means everything to Jesus. Because even though Avery is my sole responsibility right now for the next forever years, she does not belong to me. She belongs to Jesus first. I look to Him for guidance on how to do this mommy thing.
There have been several nights when Baby Girl wakes me up and I just don't think I can do it. And then He quickly reminds me that I can do it, and I will do it because I love her so much. He has entrusted her to me, and what a privilege that is.
I just pray that I can remember these things when she learns how interesting electrical sockets are, or when she is learning how to use the big potty, or when she decides to throw herself down in the middle of Target and have a fit.
She won't do that, right?
(crickets chirping.....)
Anyway... Baby Girl just woke up from a nap in her crib and was not happy, even though it's not time for her to eat yet. So, I put her in my wrap and she is sleeping contently, with her little hand resting on my chest.
She just wanted to be close to her Mommy.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Avery is 9 Weeks Old...
Mama from Beth Bruce on Vimeo.
Avery is 9 weeks old today!
We went to the doctor yesterday and here are her stats:
Head Circumference: 15 inches - 33rd percentile
Weight: 10 pounds, 5 ounces - 36th percentile
Length: 24.5 inches - 98th percentile
Yes, that says NINETY-EIGHTH PERCENTILE. We have a long baby!
Miss Avery also had the pleasure of receiving FIVE vaccinations: 1 oral, and 3 shots (one shot had 2 vaccines combined)
She loved the oral vaccine and took it like a champ, much like she takes her Poli-Vi-Sol vitamins everyday!
That video is from about a month ago, so her hair is much shorter and she looks so different!
Avery was just laying on the exam table, in her diaper, happy as could be, cooing away at everyone. The nurse told me to hold her hands and talk to her and then she said, "One, two, three..." and she and the other nurse stuck her in both thighs with the THREE SHOTS, all at the same time.
Avery sucked in all her breath, out of sheer surprise, turned purple, and started screaming like she has never screamed before.
And my mama's heart broke, right there. And it continued to break for the next 30 minutes while she screamed, without stopping, no matter what I did.
Poor baby.
But, she survived. And so did I. She didn't get a low-grade fever, but she was definitely sore for the rest of the evening, and did a lot of sleeping.
Can you believe those nurses stuck the legs of this sweet baby?
One more video:
Talking & Smiling from Beth Bruce on Vimeo.
Something FREE!...
Did you know that you can go to this website and get a FREE 8 x 10 canvas? All you have to pay for is shipping. I did it. And of course, I got a picture of Avery put on it. And it's adorable.
So, I suggest you do the same. Although, it'd be kinda weird if all of you got an 8 x 10 of Avery...
9 week post on Avery to come later...providing I have time!
So, I suggest you do the same. Although, it'd be kinda weird if all of you got an 8 x 10 of Avery...
9 week post on Avery to come later...providing I have time!
Friday, January 22, 2010
The Cuteness is Too Much to Handle...
Last week, we traveled to New York City to visit our good friends, who had twins exactly a month before Avery was born.
Avery got to fly on an airplane for the first time! And, it couldn't have gone any better. She was an angel.
Avery got to fly on an airplane for the first time! And, it couldn't have gone any better. She was an angel.
I love this picture because Avery's are so crossed ~ it cracks me up!
Noah, Ava, and Avery
On Friday, all 3 kiddos took a nap together in one of the cribs. Avery slept awesome. I think she liked having another warm body by her!
We walked to Madison Square Park one day and went to The Shake Shack. Yum!
Okay, prepare yourself. The following pictures are TOO CUTE.
Avery ~ what a big girl already!
Noah, a.k.a. Nathan Junior
Smiley Ava
Avery, Stephen, Me, Forrest, Katrina, Ava, Nathan, Noah
We had such a fun time in NYC! It was an awesome time with our best friends. Here's to hoping we continue sharing our lives together for years to come!
*All of the good pictures were taken by Katrina!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Time Flies...
I cannot believe how quickly a week passes. I'm trying to do a better job of posting more often, but am really struggling with finding the time to do it! I suppose once Avery starts napping on a more scheduled basis, for longer periods of time, I'll be able to make do on my goal.
Avery met her first cousin, once removed on Saturday. Lissa is my cousin!
Avery met her first cousin, once removed on Saturday. Lissa is my cousin!
As you can see, she loved her! But, everybody loves Lissa! Thank you for coming to visit!
And now, I'll just show you a few shots I caught of Avery yesterday, her SEVEN WEEK birthday
She was helping me fold laundry and she was happy to be there!
Getting some Daddy love, while completely sacked out.
Tummy time, which she is not a fan of!
Today, we are getting ready for Avery's first plane ride to New York City tomorrow!
This is the only way I can work on anything for a length of time. She LOVES being in my Moby Wrap!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
You're Welcome...
This is actually how I fold my fitted sheets and I learned a long time ago, but I came across this video today that I thought I'd share.
Go to Annie Blog and learn something for today!
Go to Annie Blog and learn something for today!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Good-bye 2009...Hello 2010...
This is a combination post. I'm going to summarize what 2009 was like for me, and if you stick with me, you'll get the latest info. on Avery because she is six weeks old today!
When I really take a look at what 2009 was like for me, I realize how insane it was! I'll give a month-by-month shot of what took place in the life of Beth.
January ~ we finished up our trip in the States for the holidays and headed back to Kazakhstan. I'm not going to lie ~ I was not happy to go back. I was headed back to a job that completely drained and depleted me and I had five months of it left. But thankfully, I had made some good teacher friends there and we all helped each other survive the final 5 months of the school year. Also, Huzz and I went skiing! How many people can say they've been skiing in Kazakhstan?
February ~ We moved into our third and final apartment while living in Kazakhstan. Huzz and I celebrated Valentine's Day at our favorite Italian restaurant in Almaty, and it was a miracle that we did, too. Since language was always an issue for us, we didn't make any reservations. However, the maitre'd for some reason always remembered us when we'd go in...Huzz even had a "usual" that this guy always remembered, and he sat us at a nice, little corner table and while we were there, we watched every table fill up in the restaurant. Towards the end of this month, I became pregnant, but I didn't know it yet!
March ~ On the 19th, I found out we were expecting! I had been suspicious for about a week, but the first test I had taken was negative, so I waited a week to take another one. And that one was clearly positive!
April ~ We took a vacation to Istanbul, Turkey, where we stayed in the tiniest hotel room for 10 days. It was quite romantic, except for the fact that every night at dinner, my morning sickness would kick in and we had to head back to the hotel and hang out for the rest of the night. While we were in Turkey, we found out that our best friends were expecting TWINS and were due just four days after me! Just when you think you can't be more surprised....God surprises you! This is a picture of me on a boat tour we took. Even though it was so cold outside, I was not feeling well if I sat inside the boat, so outside it was!
May ~ We tried to enjoy the last days of our time in Kazakhstan. We did a lot of hiking and day trips with our friends.
June ~ I finished up my school year of teaching in Kazakhstan and Huzz enjoyed watching Kazakhstan play England in football at the local stadium. We set foot back on US soil at the end of the month and were very happy to do so!
July ~ We were back for only a few days before we jumped in the car and made trips to Iowa for Huzz's grandparents' burial services and to Minnesota for my family's reunion at the lake. It was so good to see everyone again and have a chance to relax. We also headed out to Seattle with Huzz's family for a few days. It was so hot there, we had to go to a movie to get air conditioned!
August ~ We moved into our house at the beginning of the month. I also went to my 10 year high school reunion. Am I really that old? Four of us were pregnant at the reunion! Actually, there were five of us, but the other one was actually in labor while at dinner and she was gone by the time we took this picture.
September ~ There must not have been a whole lot happening during September....I remember going to lots of Rockies games! And I remember the beginning of getting to the uncomfortable stage of pregnancy.
October ~ Huzz turned the big 3-0 and my cousin, Tad, got married. I made the road trip to Omaha when I was 36 weeks for the wedding!
November ~ My due date was the 19th, so I spent most of the month anticipating the arrival of our little one! My feet got so swollen, it hurt to walk. On the 23rd, I made the decision to induce on the morning of the 24th and Avery came in the afternoon! We were released on Thanksgiving day and headed down to my parents' house, where all the family was anxious to see us...and by "us," I mean Avery, of course!
December ~ Much of December is a blur, as the first month of having a baby usually is for first-time parents! I turned 29 on the 19th, and we celebrated Christmas with both sides of the family.
As far as New Year's resolutions, I have a few things I'd like to accomplish this year.
1. Lose all the baby weight, + another 20 pounds or so. That latter part will be the more difficult part. If I can get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, I'll be happy with myself, but if I can lose more than that, I'll be really proud of myself.
2. Get our house organized. We live in an older home that has tiny closets and tiny bedrooms. Not everything has a place right now, so things are piling up and it is driving me crazy. I don't want to live like this anymore!
3. Paint the walls. We have had renters in our house for the past 4 years and the walls show it. We need lots of patching to be done and I'd like to paint some colors, starting with painting Avery's bedroom.
4. Do some gardening. I want the front of our house to look pleasing from the outside, so that is first priority. If possible, I'd like to get our backyard in tip-top shape, too. We have lots of room to grow veggies and lots of plants. I know nothing about gardening, but I'll be learning.
5. It seems like I need a 5th thing because 5 things I'd like to accomplish this year sounds much better than 4 things I'd like to accomplish this year.... Oh, I know! I want to make all of Avery's baby food. My parents gave me an awesome baby food maker that steams and purees all in one.
Okay, and now for Miss Avery:
She is six weeks old today! I can't believe it's already been six weeks since she joined our family.
Avery, you are such a joy to have in our lives! You are getting so much fun. You are consistently smiling at us and cooing, especially at your stuffed animals in your crib. Last night, you slept in your crib all night long, waking up to eat every 3-4 hours. You are a good eater! Sometimes when I sit down to feed you, you show your disdain for taking longer than you liked by entering attack mode on me! You are definitely getting plenty to eat, as your dirty diaper production is right on cue. You are feeling more and more heavy and I'm guessing you might be nearing 9 pounds. Avery, we are so blessed that God chose us to be your parents and we can't imagine our lives without you now!
When I really take a look at what 2009 was like for me, I realize how insane it was! I'll give a month-by-month shot of what took place in the life of Beth.
January ~ we finished up our trip in the States for the holidays and headed back to Kazakhstan. I'm not going to lie ~ I was not happy to go back. I was headed back to a job that completely drained and depleted me and I had five months of it left. But thankfully, I had made some good teacher friends there and we all helped each other survive the final 5 months of the school year. Also, Huzz and I went skiing! How many people can say they've been skiing in Kazakhstan?
February ~ We moved into our third and final apartment while living in Kazakhstan. Huzz and I celebrated Valentine's Day at our favorite Italian restaurant in Almaty, and it was a miracle that we did, too. Since language was always an issue for us, we didn't make any reservations. However, the maitre'd for some reason always remembered us when we'd go in...Huzz even had a "usual" that this guy always remembered, and he sat us at a nice, little corner table and while we were there, we watched every table fill up in the restaurant. Towards the end of this month, I became pregnant, but I didn't know it yet!
March ~ On the 19th, I found out we were expecting! I had been suspicious for about a week, but the first test I had taken was negative, so I waited a week to take another one. And that one was clearly positive!
April ~ We took a vacation to Istanbul, Turkey, where we stayed in the tiniest hotel room for 10 days. It was quite romantic, except for the fact that every night at dinner, my morning sickness would kick in and we had to head back to the hotel and hang out for the rest of the night. While we were in Turkey, we found out that our best friends were expecting TWINS and were due just four days after me! Just when you think you can't be more surprised....God surprises you! This is a picture of me on a boat tour we took. Even though it was so cold outside, I was not feeling well if I sat inside the boat, so outside it was!
May ~ We tried to enjoy the last days of our time in Kazakhstan. We did a lot of hiking and day trips with our friends.
June ~ I finished up my school year of teaching in Kazakhstan and Huzz enjoyed watching Kazakhstan play England in football at the local stadium. We set foot back on US soil at the end of the month and were very happy to do so!
July ~ We were back for only a few days before we jumped in the car and made trips to Iowa for Huzz's grandparents' burial services and to Minnesota for my family's reunion at the lake. It was so good to see everyone again and have a chance to relax. We also headed out to Seattle with Huzz's family for a few days. It was so hot there, we had to go to a movie to get air conditioned!
August ~ We moved into our house at the beginning of the month. I also went to my 10 year high school reunion. Am I really that old? Four of us were pregnant at the reunion! Actually, there were five of us, but the other one was actually in labor while at dinner and she was gone by the time we took this picture.
September ~ There must not have been a whole lot happening during September....I remember going to lots of Rockies games! And I remember the beginning of getting to the uncomfortable stage of pregnancy.
October ~ Huzz turned the big 3-0 and my cousin, Tad, got married. I made the road trip to Omaha when I was 36 weeks for the wedding!
November ~ My due date was the 19th, so I spent most of the month anticipating the arrival of our little one! My feet got so swollen, it hurt to walk. On the 23rd, I made the decision to induce on the morning of the 24th and Avery came in the afternoon! We were released on Thanksgiving day and headed down to my parents' house, where all the family was anxious to see us...and by "us," I mean Avery, of course!
December ~ Much of December is a blur, as the first month of having a baby usually is for first-time parents! I turned 29 on the 19th, and we celebrated Christmas with both sides of the family.
As far as New Year's resolutions, I have a few things I'd like to accomplish this year.
1. Lose all the baby weight, + another 20 pounds or so. That latter part will be the more difficult part. If I can get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, I'll be happy with myself, but if I can lose more than that, I'll be really proud of myself.
2. Get our house organized. We live in an older home that has tiny closets and tiny bedrooms. Not everything has a place right now, so things are piling up and it is driving me crazy. I don't want to live like this anymore!
3. Paint the walls. We have had renters in our house for the past 4 years and the walls show it. We need lots of patching to be done and I'd like to paint some colors, starting with painting Avery's bedroom.
4. Do some gardening. I want the front of our house to look pleasing from the outside, so that is first priority. If possible, I'd like to get our backyard in tip-top shape, too. We have lots of room to grow veggies and lots of plants. I know nothing about gardening, but I'll be learning.
5. It seems like I need a 5th thing because 5 things I'd like to accomplish this year sounds much better than 4 things I'd like to accomplish this year.... Oh, I know! I want to make all of Avery's baby food. My parents gave me an awesome baby food maker that steams and purees all in one.
Okay, and now for Miss Avery:
She is six weeks old today! I can't believe it's already been six weeks since she joined our family.
Avery, you are such a joy to have in our lives! You are getting so much fun. You are consistently smiling at us and cooing, especially at your stuffed animals in your crib. Last night, you slept in your crib all night long, waking up to eat every 3-4 hours. You are a good eater! Sometimes when I sit down to feed you, you show your disdain for taking longer than you liked by entering attack mode on me! You are definitely getting plenty to eat, as your dirty diaper production is right on cue. You are feeling more and more heavy and I'm guessing you might be nearing 9 pounds. Avery, we are so blessed that God chose us to be your parents and we can't imagine our lives without you now!
Monday, January 4, 2010
What I've Been Up To...
Avery reporting, here! My mom said she's too tired to blog today, so I said I'd do it! I have been a very busy little girl for the past couple of weeks! We celebrated Christmas, so we drove down to the city all of my grandparents live in, which is about an hour away.
I was very good on the way down because I love the car! Here are some pictures from our time down there.
Here is my dog, Riley and me. She doesn't like me very much, but that's just because I don't know how to throw a ball yet. My mom and dad keep saying we'll be best friends, once that happens.
My mommy and me on Christmas Eve.
My mommy took this picture of me because she loves the way my hair sticks up all over the place, especially after I get a bath.
All ready to go to church!
On Christmas Eve, I got to meet my Aunt Kelsi for the first time! She is going to teach me how to ride horses one day. But my mom and dad say that I can't have a horse of my own, unless Aunt Kelsi pays for it and takes care of it. Then, I can go visit it at her barn during the summer time.
My stocking was bigger than me!
I saw my Great Grandma Colleen again!
I started "talking" while we were at my Gramma and Bompa's house.
I had to say good-bye to my Aunt Kelsi. I slept through the good-bye, though!
Then, my Great Aunt Shelley came to meet me. She came all the way from Wisconsin!
I like to lay in my crib and talk to my animals and my Winnie-the-Pooh mobile. Sometimes, they make me laugh, too!
I'm such a big girl already!
Some of my monkeys, entertaining me.
As you can see, I've been pretty busy lately! That's why my mom hasn't blogged in over two weeks.
I am turning 6 weeks old tomorrow! Hopefully, Mommy can get her act together and post a picture for that. I will do my best to keep her from doing that, though.
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