A Family Visit

My Uncle Dave (my dad's brother) and my Aunt Kate had a day layover in LA yesterday on their way back from New Zealand and Australia...so we met them for dinner. It was so much fun and such a blessing to spend time with them and for them to meet Avery! Uncle Dave loved holding her - and she was pretty fond of him, too. too cute. :) thanks for spending the evening with us!

A random selection of some recent pictures

These pictures were taken today...Avery fell asleep in one of my favorite outfits (courtesy of her cousin Samantha) :) But, when she fell asleep, as you can see, her hood came down over her eyes. She wasn't phased...

Avery and her good friend, Ava! Believe it or not, Ava was born exactly one month before Avery, on January 15. Pretty cute, though, huh? Look how Avery is just looking over at her...taking it all in...and trying to hold her hand at the same time. :)

an update on Avery...and those 2 other people that live with her

Avery had her 3 month check up yesterday. She weighed in at 8lbs 15oz. Triple her birth weight! Way to go, A. Everything else went well, too. The doc said she is doing great and progressing wonderfully! She did get a few shots, however. and of course, that always just breaks our hearts. But, she handled it like a champ and mommy was there to comfort her. Too bad babies don't get a lollipop after they get a shot - can't they come up with something we can coat a pacifier with, you know, as a reward for being such a brave little girl??

Okay, so, I was told by someone that while we are doing a great job updating this blog with details of Avery, it would be good every now and then to tell people about her parents too!

So...we had a week of good news, actually. Josh got a commercial gig. Yay! It is for the USGA (United States Golf Association). So, how happy is he? He gets to combine 2 of his favorite things...acting and golf. So what that he had to get up at 6am this morning and drive to Tarzana (in the valley) to a country club to shoot a commercial. He was pumped! So, we were so happy for that great news.

Also...as I'm due back at work at Angel Flight soon, I asked them if I could transition to part time, working out of my home. And praise the Lord, they said yes! I will be able to work from home, while taking care of Avery, and not pay for child care! What an answer to prayer...God has provided for us in so many ways!

bath time for baby...

Avery loves her bath. Although, most of the time she just sits and chills out in her tub. But, she has mastered the art of scooting down in her little tub hammock...so, pretty soon she'll be splashing all over the place, I'm sure.

and a washcloth placed very strategically by Daddy...

All dry, warm and snuggly and ready to go!

and a cute shot of Daddy and Daughter...

Our happy baby girl

Father and daughter...

...so tired after a long day.

a few little tidbits on our baby girl

we want to keep everyone informed on how little A is doing, so, here are a few of her latest accomplishments...

- she is now a little over 8 pounds! quite a jump from her birth weight, eh?
- she gives us smiles every day now. and they are beautiful! and i'm not just saying that cause I'm her mommy. her smiles melt our hearts. can't wait to hear that laugh!-
- waiting for her kneecaps to come in - haha - did you know babies are born without kneecaps??
- she has successfully made the transition into her crib! yay! until now, she had been sleeping in her moses basket in bed with us. and then we sent her down the river in it. oh, wait.
- tomorrow, May 15, she will be 3 months old! wow! but, technically 6 weeks old. everything developmentally is measured from her due date. so although she is 3 months old, she is really measuring on a 6 week old chart.
- her legs are so strong! i swear, sometimes she is trying to stand up. really!
- she was born with beautiful blue eyes and so far, they are still blue.
- avery has already mastered the "touchdown" gesture. soon, she'll have to make that very important decision - cowboys or browns??
- she has captured our hearts and we simply adore our little peanut...we cannot wait to see how she'll continue to grow and amaze us!

"our baby is 3 months old and yes, her doctor said it was okay for her to come to disneyland"

that was our typical response to the questions, stares, evil looks, etc. that we received walking around Disneyland with Avery. I was amazed at all the judgmental looks and comments we received when people saw us with our little peanut. Here is how a typical conversation would go:

Stranger: Oh my goodness, she is so tiny! I would never bring my tiny child to Disneyland.
Parents: Yes, yes she is. But actually, she is 3 months old (she was born very early - long story) and her doctor said it was okay.
Stranger: (Evil stare)
Parents: Have a nice day!

Okay, so on occasion, we would speak to some nice people who thought Avery was tiny and adorable (proud parents beaming) and we received some pleasant looks and stares as well. But, honestly, I cannot tell you how many looks we received from people who thought we were the worst parents in the world. We wanted to make a tshirt and wear it around that said - "Yes, she is tiny. But she is 3 months old and her doctor said it was okay!"

deblander family vaca...including lots of princesses

so, my entire family came to visit from cleveland for a fun-filled vacation at disneyland. it was such a blast. 7 adults and 5 kids under the age of 3 and I am very pleased to say it went incredibly smooth with hardly any meltdowns! but going to Outback for dinner was an adventure...
the week consisted of lots of food, laughter, pool time, princesses and disney fun. we spent a lot of time on the carousel and searching out Cinderella and Belle...such good times. and each kid got their own set of mickey ears with their name embroidered on the back and here is our wonderful attempt at getting a picture of all of them together.



and here is a picture of Nana with her 5 grandkids!
Morgan, Samantha, Avery, Carson, Cody


a few pictures of the Olson fam at Disneyland


and the other families, my sisters - the first one, the Andersons - Kelly and Craig and their kids Samantha and Cody

the Joys - Kristen and Bryse and their kids Morgan and Carson


me and my mom


me and Avery by the pool


We are so thankful that my entire family was able to come all the way out to CA to visit. To see my mom again and just for my sisters and their families to meet Avery for the first time was amazing. Thank you guys for coming all the way across the country to visit!