Trip to NJ

Since I am very far behind on my posts, I am going to keep this one short and mostly just post pictures.

Avery and took a trip to NJ for two weeks at the beginning of August. The trip was amazing!! I was feeling much better than I did on our last trip to NJ so we go to do a lot more and really enjoy ourselves. As mentioned in the previous post we even spent 3 days in Washington, DC with Chad.

Some of the highlights from our trip include: going to Century 21 and visiting Connor and Frannie, visiting my friend Marion and her family, dinner in NYC for Abby's going away, multiple trips to the Onesto's pool club, visit with Natalie, Hailey and Carly, Avery's ear piercing, lots of shopping and Aunt Donna's amazing Luau Party!!

Avery with Uncle Anthony

Swimming with my munchkins

Avery and her cousins

Avery and Aunt Donna

The girls in Aunt Donna's pool

Uncle Anthony you need to shave!!

Abby's going away dinner

Washington, DC

FYI I have no idea why this post is underlined, but I cannot undo it ;O)

About two months ago Chad mentioned that he had to go to Washington, DC for work. He suggested that Avery and I join him on the trip so that we could get out of Midland for a bit. Since I am always looking for opportunities to travel I thought joining him in DC was a great idea and even worked it so that I could visit NJ as well. I flew to NJ first on the corporate plane and spent 5 days there before Avery and I boarded a train for DC.

I was a little nervous about the two and a half hour train ride with a 4 month old, especially boarding the train with all our stuff, but luckily Grandma Carolyn was able to help Avery and I get everything on the train. The train ride itself was great until the last twenty minutes. For the first two hours Avery was very excited to look out the window and stare at all the people on the train. Then around 7pm (Avery's bedtime) things went downhill fast. Avery is not one to sleep in my arms, which is normally a great thing because I never have to rock her to sleep. However, in this situation where she was sitting on my lap her only option was to sleep in my arms. Well Avery was not to happy with that option and quickly became overtired. She spent the last twenty minutes screaming her head off until we got off the train and I put her in the stroller. At that point she fell asleep within 3 minutes.

The original plan was for Chad to meet us at the train station since I needed to take the metro to the hotel and then walk 3/4 of a mile to the hotel. Unfortunately, Chad's flight was delayed and it was up to me to get Avery, the stroller and suitcase to the hotel by myself. I managed to push Avery in the stroller with one hand while pulling or carrying the suitcase with the other. It took a little while, but once we got to the hotel I was so proud of myself for getting us there and also exhausted!!

The weather while we were in town was extremely hot (97 degrees) . Since I had never seen the DC monuments the plan was to get out early Tuesday morning to see as much as I could and be inside the museums by 11:00 am. Avery and I left the hotel at 8 am Tuesday morning took the metro downtown and started at the Washington Monument. Avery and I were unable to go inside because they do not allow strollers so we just quickly walked past and headed to the WWII memorial. I really loved the WWII memorial and thought it was very well done and a great tribute to the many men and women who fought to protect our country. Next we continued our walk towards the Lincoln Memorial, but first stopped at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. After visiting the wall Avery and I headed to the Lincoln Memorial. I have heard many times that many people consider this one of the best monuments in Washington and I could not agree more. Perhaps I am biased because I consider Abraham Lincoln one of my favorite Presidents despite the fact that I was not alive during his presidency, but the memorial is just incredible. I could not believe that Lincoln was carved by human hands. The details of his features from his hands to his shoes and even the crease in his pants were incredible. To see him sitting there in his chair it made me wish that I could have been alive when he was president.

Avery at the Washington Monument

WWII Memorial with Lincoln Memorial in the background

President Lincoln

After leaving the Lincoln Memorial I realized it was already starting to get very hot so I quickly stopped to see the Korean War Veterans Memorial and headed to the American history museum. Unfortunately, Avery decided she needed to eat so I had to find a bench in a shady area and feed her before we made it to the museum. We got to the American History museum around 11am and I knew it would have to be a short visit as we had 12:45 pm tickets for the Holocaust Museum. Avery and I visited the Americans at War exhibit and then grabbed lunch before heading to the Holocaust museum.

Avery and I spent 3 hours in the Holocaust museum and I could have honestly been there for another hour had I not had a 4 month old baby with me, but I had to rush through the last part of the exhibit because Avery was getting a little fussy. I have to give her credit though because she was very well behaved for the other 3 hours I had her sitting in the stroller while I read all the exhibits. The Holocaust Museum is very moving and hard to comprehend. I am so grateful that Avery that she allowed me to spend those three hours in the museum. As difficult as it is to witness everything that occurred during the Holocaust I feel very compelled to learn as much as I can.

After the museum Avery and I headed back to the hotel to meet up with Chad. Chad and I decided to get seafood for since it is not readily available in Midland. Unfortunately, Avery was not as in the mood for seafood and was quite fussy during dinner. Chad and I ate as quick as we could an headed back to the hotel early.

The next day was supposed to be 98 degrees so I planned for Avery and I to spend the entire day in the Smithsonian Museums. We started off at the American History Museum since we did not get to spend that much time there the day before. We visited the Women of the White House exhibit (dedicated to presidents wives), The Original Star Spangle Banner exhibit, where we saw the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write our national anthem and we also saw famous items from American pop culture such as Dorothy's red shoes from the Wizard of Oz, Nastia Lukins Leotard from her Olympic Gold medal performance in 2008 and Apolo Anton Ohno's speed skates from the Olympics.

After the American History Museum we spent some time at the Natural History museum. Avery and I visited the dinosaurs, whales and of course the Hope Diamond (the largest diamond in the world). After the Natural History Museum we quickly walked around the Air and Space museum before it was time to head back to the hotel to meet Chad. The plan was to meet up with Chad's cousin Donald for dinner that night, but I decided I would stay back with Avery so that Chad and cousin Donald could enjoy dinner without Avery having another meltdown.

Elephant at the Natural History Museum

Hope Diamond

Avery with the big whale in the background

Avery checking out the dinosaurs

The next morning I was scheduled to leave on the 9:30am train. When I woke up I had a voicemail from Amtrak saying that my train had been cancelled. When I called they said I could get on a 8:40 am train. Since it was already 7am Chad and I rushed to finish packing and get Avery ready to head to the train station. We were in the hotel lobby at 7:30 am and all of a sudden we heard a loud crash of thunder and it started pouring so hard that the streets were flooding. We had a little over a half mile walk to the metro and there was no way we could walk in that weather. I have always said I would not get into a cab with Avery without her car seat, but I had no choice. We asked the front desk to get us a cab. We were waiting for 10 minutes for the cab and it was already 7:45 am. I was just about to call Amtrak to get on a later train when the cab pulled up. We hoped in and I held onto Avery tight. All they kept saying on the radio was that it was flooding all over and cars were getting stuck in high water. Luckily we had a safe and uneventful ride to the train station and arrived at 8am. Amtrak was amazing as their red cap service allowed Avery and I to board the train early. Not that it mattered in the end since we were delayed for 30 minutes due to mechanical issues.

Even once we got going the issue were still not resolved. At our first stop we were delayed again and had to wait for the crew to take the last two cars off the train before we could get moving again. Once they took the cars off we were all set, but our train ride wound up be 3 and a 1/2 ours instead of 2. Luckily Avery was pretty good and we arrived in Trenton and Grandma Carolyn was there to help us off the train. We really enjoyed our time in DC and most of all we were so happy we got to see daddy!!!

4 Months!!

Avery is now 4 months old!!! The other day someone referred to this age as the golden age because babies are still not mobile (so you don't have to chase them), but they are so expressive and playful that they make each day so much fun and it is so true. Each day Avery brings more and more joy into our lives.

Avery had her four month check up last week and now weighs 13 lbs, 4 ounces and is 24 inches long. My little peanut who had such a hard time gaining weight in the beginning has now caught up and reached the 50th percentile for both weight and height. The doctor said Avery is doing great and was really impressed with how well she is holding up her neck and how well she tracks people. While the doctor and I were talking she kept turning her head back and forth to see whoever was talking. The doctor mentioned that we can start Avery on rice cereal anytime between now and 6 months, but Avery does not seem to be ready quite yet. We tried giving her rice cereal last week and she was not very into it. Chad and I said we will try again in a month.

4 Month Highlights:

• Avery is now able to grab everything, which means she puts everything and anything in her mouth.
• Even though she is still a little small she loves playing with the toys on her excersaucer!!
• Avery is constantly babbling or at least squealing. She wakes up in the morning yapping.
• She loves to eat her fingers, but still prefers sucking on her pacifier!
• She is now sleeping in her crib.
• She started rolling over at 3 months
• She is growing hair!! My little girl who has pretty much been bald since birth now has enough hair that I can even put little bows in it.
• Like her daddy she is very ticklish. I take advantage of this everyday because I just love to hear her laugh.
• She sits up very well with little support. She can even sit up for a second or two without support, but she prefers to lean forward to try to eat her feet.

Playing in her excersaucer

Sitting in her highchair eating the only thing she finds edible...her fingers!!

In her pretty dress

So cute

Hi Mommy

Kissing her mouse

Her best friend!!

Daddy says I look like a troll doll with this hat

Crossing the Border!!

Last Friday Chad, Avery and I headed to Toronto for a weekend trip. This was the first trip to Canada for both Avery and myself, but Chad being the big time hockey player he was had been to Canada numerous times as a kid for tournaments.

We left at about 9:30 am Friday morning hoping that there would not be too long of a wait at the border. Without any delays the trip should take about 5 hours. I started off sitting in the front of the car which did not last too long because Avery lost her pacifier. I hopped in the back and remained there for the rest of the trip. Avery was really an angel the whole way. She slept a lot and when she was up she would either play with her favorite mermaid doll or watch a video with me. I brought one of the Signing Time Videos with us to test out the DVD player. We have had the car a year and this is the first time we have used it. The DVD worked great and I really loved the video. Since Avery faces backwards she cannot see it, but the DVD was great for me to learn the signs so that I can use them with her. She also really enjoyed listening to the singing in the video.

We got to the border at around 11:30 and it was pretty backup up, but moved quickly. It took us about 45 minutes in total to get across, which may sound like a lot, but wait until you hear about the trip back. Once in Canada we had good luck until we got about 10 miles outside of Toronto. At that point things slowed down a bit, but we were still making pretty good time.

Once we got on the block the hotel was on we had been in the car for about five and a half hours and figured it was smoothed sailing to the hotel. Boy were we wrong!! The street the hotel is on was under construction so things were moving very slow. It took us an hour just to go 1 mile!!! We finally got to the hotel at around 4pm....six and a half hours after we left.

We checked in and quickly headed to the concierge for dinner recommendations. Since it was our first time vacationing with Avery we were not quite sure where we could go and bring a baby. Luckily, Toronto seems pretty baby friendly and we went to a pretty upscale restaurant. We had a great meal and Avery was such a good girl. We even were able to have a drink at the hotel bar before heading up to put Avery to bed.

Avery eating at her first fancy restaurant....she doesn't know you can't show your mid drift

The next morning we got up and headed to St. Lawrence Market. The market is a lot like Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall in Boston, MA. We walked around checking out all the fun food stalls and grabbed a bite to eat for ourselves. After the market we headed to the waterfront and took a walk around. The weather was not great so it was pretty quiet down by the water. We decided to head to Steam Whistle Brewery since the skies were about to open up. We were a little late in our decision making an got a little wet before we made it to the brewery.

We opted for a brewery tour, which included a free sample of Steam Whistle Beer. Chad of course got two beers since I am not a beer drinker. I had to carry Avery during the tour because we had to climb up and down a lot of stairs, but she was super quiet and listed to everything the tour guide had to say. I guess she takes after her daddy when it comes to her interest in beer.

After the tour we headed across the street to the CN Tower, but the wait was an hour and a half. We decided since we were already soaked from the rain that we would just go back to the hotel and come back to the tower early the next morning before we left to go back home. Once we got to the hotel we all took a short nap before heading to dinner. That night we opted for Italian, since there are no good Italian places in Midland. Once again Avery was super good and we enjoyed a very good meal.

We woke up early Sunday morning, packed up and headed straight to the CN Tower. Luckily there was no wait and made it up to the top quickly. We walked around and admired the views of Toronto and Lake Ontario. While at the top of the tower a large group of Japanese tourists were also there. Many of then would giggle with delight when they saw Avery. One women even approached me and signaled that she wanted to take a picture. I was holding Avery so I thought she wanted to take a picture with Avery and I, but then she signaled that she wanted to hold Avery and I quickly said no and ran away!!

Avery and Mommy at the top of the CN Tower

Avery checking out the view

The Skydome from above

Avery and mommy sitting on the glass floor

After we were done at the tower we got into the car and headed back to Midland. Again we were hoping that the boarder crossing would not be too long. No such luck!! This time it was even worse. We spent about two and a half hours this time waiting to cross the border. Luckily Avery was super good again because it took us 8 hours to get home!! Needless to say both Chad and I said the net time we go to Canada we will fly to avoid the border crossing!!

Avery's Baptism

Avery's baptism was July 10th!! We were lucky enough to have Grandma Carolyn, Papa Ernie and Avery's two Godparents, Aunt Donna and Uncle Dan and Aunt Donna's boyfriend Nelson join us for this special day. Grandma, Papa, Aunt Donna and Nelson all arrived a few days early so we were able to enjoy a few days together before Avery's big day.

On Friday, we all planned to visit Frankenmuth. Grandpa Ernie and Nelson were eager to visit the Frankenmuth Brewery and Grandma Carolyn , Aunt Donna, Avery and I were just excited to walk around the cute Bavarian town. Papa Ernie and Nelson were so eager that they left before, us girls were ready to go, big mistake!! Once us girls were on the road we saw a sign that there was bad traffic on the highway due to an accident. Rather than get on the highway I decided to find a different way to go to Frankenmuth. Well Papa Ernie and Nelson were not so Smart. They got stuck in the traffic and did not move for an hour. Finally, they turned around and headed back to Midland and just went to Logan's for beers....not quite the same as the brewery:O)

Grandma Carolyn, Aunt Donna, Avery and I had fun walking around the Frankenmuth downtown and visiting all the cute little shops.

Lots of pretty flowers in Frankenmuth

Aunt Donna as Little Bow Peep

Playing dress-up

Avery, Aunt Donna and Grandma Carolyn

We took a picture of the brewery for Papa and Nelson

Avery with the cheese haus sign

After our fun day out we headed home an back out for dinner.... guess where??? Logan's. Papa and Nelson became such good friends with the manager while they were there that they got coupons for two free appetizers which Papa Ernie insisted we use despite my strong dislike for Logan's. Despite my lack of enthusiasm for the food we really enjoyed our time together. A little after we headed home Chad returned from the airport with Uncle Dan.

The next day, Avery's Baptism day the boys all headed out to golf and us ladies went for pedicures (the Baptism wasn't until 5pm). Once everyone got back we were all busy getting ready and headed out to the church around 4:30.

Avery and Aunt Donna ready to leave for church

Unlike other baptisms I have attended our Church in Midland fully dips the babies bodies in water. Due to this we were instructed to not dress Avery in her dress before the ceremony. Once we got to the church we had to take everything off her except her diaper and wrap her in a towel. When it was Avery's turn we quickly took off her diaper and brought her over to the Baptismal Font and handed her over to Father Pete. He placed her in and out of the water 3 times and Avery did great. Once she was done he handed her back and we went to the front of the altar and waited to all the other two children to be baptised. Following the baptisms Father Pete placed chrism oil on the top of Avery's and the other children's heads. After that we walked the children around the church for all the congregation to see and they applauded for all the kids.

We then headed to change Avery into her dress, while Father Pete continued with the rest of mass. The mass concluded with the lighting of the baptismal candle. The church really performed a beautiful service for the baptism. We were so lucky to have our family and neighbors the Theriots there to share in this very special day with us.

Happy family

Avery in her pre-baptism attire

Avery being baptised by Father Pete

Avery's baptism candle

Avery and her Godparents

Avery's first crush

Aunt Donna Nelson and Avery

Grandma Carolyn, Papa Ernie and Avery

Following the baptism we headed out for dinner a drinks. After dinner we returned to the house for a very special treat. Since I was a kid my favorite cookie has always been the rainbow cookie, especially the ones that are handmade by my Aunt Donna. Well, Aunt Donna made a very special batch of pink rainbow cookies for Avery's baptism. She even got letters to personalize them and lined the plate with white rose petals. As always the cookies tasted amazing!!!

A special treat

Avery was very excited about the cookies!!

Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to everyone on Sunday :O( This is always the worst part when people visit. Even though we were sad to see everyone go, we felt so fortunate that Papa Ernie, Grandma Carolyn, Uncle Dan, Aunt Donna and Nelson came so far for Avery's special day. Avery is one lucky girl to have people who love her so much!!!

Our trip up North

When Avery and I got back to Michigan Aunt Kelsy and Steve were here for a visit. Since their visit coincided with Chad's birthday we decided to head up north for the weekend.

We left Friday, July 2nd and headed up to Boyne Mountain where one of Chad's co-workers has a condo we rented. On the way up to Boyne we stopped at Traverse City to have lunch and walk around the downtown. While in Traverse City we did some wine tasting and visited a Michigan landmark Cherry Republic.

Watching while Aunt Kelsy and Chad taste wine

We left Traverse City and headed to Boyne Mountain. After checking in we were excited to check out all of the nighttime activities. There was fly fishing, smores, and even our favorite game blongo.

Chad showing that he is a natural

Kelsy showing she is not

Kelsy and Steve enjoying Smores!!

On Saturday we headed out to Charlevoix, a small town located on lake Michigan. While there we walked around the downtown and visited some of the cute little shops including my favorite new place to shop....baby boutiques!! We had a nice lunch and then walked around lake Michigan. Lake Michigan is truly beautiful! If I did not know any better I would think I was in the Caribbean because the water is so blue!!! Aunt Kelsy, Steve and I even put our feet in the water, which was chilly, but not as bad as we thought it would be.

Avery's new shades!!

Chad and I by the lake

Avery and I on the beach with the tiny lighthouse in the background

Avery's first visit to lake Michigan

After our visit to Charlevoix we headed to Petoskey another cute little Northern Michigan town. Unfortunately, the town was pretty quiet and many of the storefronts were empty, a sign of the wonderful Michigan economy. After our short visit to we headed back to the resort to rest before dinner. After dinner we played another round of Mexican Train Dominoes. I was introduced to this game while staying with my parents last January and was instantly hooked. Now Chad is hooked and we introduce everyone who comes to visit us to it and they seem to enjoy it as well!!

Sunday morning was the 4th of July, which we spent driving back to Midland. Once we got back we spent a lazy day at the house recovering from the long weekend and enjoying the last night of Kelsy and Steve's visit!!

Avery in her July 4th Outfit