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!

the happiest place on earth....

yes, Avery made her first trip to Disneyland. we were very excited to take her to one of our favorite places, but, also nervous at the same time. we had no idea how she was going to do - but, she passed through the day with flying colors and was amazing!! it is definitely a different experience going to Disneyland with a baby, since we are used to it just being the 2 of us and we jump from ride to ride all day long. now, you have to take breaks to feed her every 3 hours. thankfully, in between thoses feedings, she pretty much slept the entire time. The rides Avery ventured on - King Arthurs Carrousel, Winnie the Pooh, the Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Carribbean, Space Mountain (haha - just kidding! only mom went on that one).

And we were so happy Avery was able to experience Disneyland for her first time with her Aunt Jen, Uncle Jared and Cousin Will! They were in town from Seattle over the weekend. Jen and Jared have made many a trip down to LA for Disneyland over the past 4 or 5 years and its been a blast! And Avery's next visit to D-land is already going to be next week, when my family from Ohio comes out to CA for a whole week! Any chance at 10 weeks old that she'll remember these trips?? :)

Here are some pictures of the highlights of our day...and a few other pictures from the weekend. Bear with me...I've posted lots of pictures!

Avery's first ride - King Arthur Carrousel



Trying some Mickey ears that are just a tad big. And this was the infant size!


Riding the Winnie the Pooh ride


Meeting Minnie Mouse and Snow White!



Other random shots...



The Kinks at D-land


Sunday by the pool...