The GREAT Grandma Speck!

Avery met his Great-Grandma Speck yesterday...she always has a beautiful smile, warm hug, and never-ending supply of M&M's. :)

Pacifier Trick

Unfortunately, I haven't caught the amazing pacifier trick on video, but when I do, you can find it on You Tube and America's Funniest Home Videos (we will be the winners of the 10 grand, thank you very much). Here is a clip of some good attempts, though.

Later Gator

Baby Steroids?

Okay, I know that all moms think their babies are amazing, but now I know for a FACT that mine is (haha, all moms say this exact sentence; they must teach us that in baby-prep class)!!! Not only does he have good head control, good head and trunk extension in prone, and can scoot across the floor on his belly by extending his legs against someone's hands propped on the soles of his feet, but now he can also put his pacifier back in his mouth!!!

Avery was chilling in his crib and "talking" to himself while I was sitting on the computer investigating the swine flu epidemic and the latest Hollywood shoe trends. My mom came into my room (I'm in Cleveland this week) and asked if I had put Avery's pacifier back in his mouth. Apparently, when she was in my room several minutes earlier, she saw his pacifier fall out of his mouth but had to go do something real quick; she was coming back to see if he was getting fussy without it. She was surprised to see that when she came back, the pacifier was back in his mouth; more surprise came when I told her that I wasn't the one who put it back in. Then I became so confused...in my fatigue, did I walk across the room, put his pacifier back in, and walk back without registering that activity in my brain??? Surely not, but I guessed it was possible.

Fast forward to 10 minutes later....I was lying on my bed talking on the phone with a friend when I noticed Avery's pacifier resting near his head on the crib mattress. He was still content and relaxed so I didn't get up. A couple of minutes later, I stared across the room in amazement....Avery was sucking away on that darn pacifier again!!! What the....?????? This time I was POSITIVE that there was no "sleepwalking" going on. My other "rational" train of logic was that there was a family ghost or Avery's guardian angel standing next to his crib who was enjoying giving him his pacifier back whenever it fell out of his mouth (if this was true, I would thank the ghost and then ask him/her how he felt about midnight feedings, haha). When I called Phil to run my X-files logic on him, I was watching Avery like a hawk. When the pacifier fell out of his mouth, he would either turn his head and try to latch onto it that way, or he would flex his shoulder and try to "scoop" it back into his mouth. Now, I have seen him place his hands or forearms over his pacifier many times when it got dangerously close to falling out, but I was shocked to discover this new activity!! What great problem solving our son has!! He must take after his father in regards to motor control and resourcefulness....I think that I would take the easy route and scream until someone came and got it for me. :)

Talk about cute...

He's Awake!!

Looking back through this blog, I realized that Avery is sleeping or has his eyes closed in most of the pictures. So...here are some photos with him showing his beautiful baby blues!!

More Uncle Jon-Jon...

Uncle Jon-Jon's In Town!!

Uncle Jon-Jon was nice enough to agree to accompany Avery and I when we drive to Cleveland to see my family next week. He flew into Fayetteville, NC, and stayed with Uncle David for a night. The "three stooges" (as my Dad refers to me and my siblings), along with Phil and Avery, enjoyed each other's company when we all met up for dinner halfway between Fayetteville and Charleston. It truly was one of the funniest dinners I can remember in a long time (thanks to Uncle Jon-Jon for picking up the bill and leaving just the tip, haha).

We gave Jonathan a quick tour of Mount Pleasant, Isle of Palms, and downtown Charleston. This makes Avery's fourth beach trip in his month of existence! This time he was even able to get out of his car seat and test out the temperature of the ocean on his little feet...he thought it was as warm as the water in the bathtub! Maybe living down here won't be too bad...alligators and all. :)

Not a fan of the shopping...

The other day, Avery and I went on our first mother-son solo trip to Target. It wasn't too bad...he only screamed about 50% of the time and I only lost 1 gallon of distilled water in the parking lot on the way back to the car (it fell off of the shopping cart unnoticed). Not too bad for the first time out. As long as I still have my wallet, car keys, and baby (and not necessarily in that order!!), I'm doing okay. :)

What a croc!

Here are some pics of alligators in a pond near a local restaurant. Sometimes, I can't believe we moved here.

Trip to Downtown Charleston

Today, we took Avery to downtown Charleston, including Waterfront Park and Charleston Crab House. Best shrimp I have ever had in my life!

Go Cats!!

Avery and Daddy wearing their Kentucky blue!!!

Babies sleep in CRIBS.

It happened. I knew it would. It only took 18 days, but yesterday I asked Phil to lay Avery down in his "cage". Oops. I have a baby, not a third dog.

Uncanny resemblance??

Round face...double chin...long, lean body. The only difference is that Avery doesn't light up when you squeeze him. :)

Jean Grandparents

Avery met Ninny and Grandaddy Jean for the first time today...

First Bath!

Avery's first bath after losing his umbilical cord stump. BTW, this was harder than it looks.

More Uncle David and Fam...

Reading to the....dog???

Grandma is either in Avery-withdrawal or Willie needs some extra love and attention.

Thoooooose relatives!!

Avery got to meet his infamous Uncle David last night, along with Aunt Susie and cousins Jonathan & Athena. Even the dogs were relatively well-behaved, minus 1 pilfered breadstick...