You've Not Got Mail

The presents are all unwrapped.

It wasn't envelopes.

It was pillows!

That's a good present. Really; it is. I've been wanting new pillows forever.

P.S. That was not my only present. Kenny outdid himself this Christmas, and of course went over the limit that we set..again...he loves me...he loves me not...nope...he loves me!

We enjoyed spending time with my family, and of course Avery had a blast this year! We all went way overboard...even Santa.

Hope everyone else enjoyed their Christmas holiday!

Fooey

Amidst Braden's squawks and Avery's "momma! momma! momma!" I scurried from room to room, gathering laundry so I could maybe see one of my accomplishments today.

Something caught my attention; it was a faint "rriiiiiiippppp." Not the excited RIIIP of someone tearing into an ever so sought after present, but a slow, meticulous tear of someone not quite sure of their boundaries.

I tiptoed into the living room, sure of what I was going to find. There Avery stood, opening a present from under the tree.

Who knew someone could jump so high from a whispered, "psst."

After an explanation and a tricky puzzle of tape and wrapping paper, we continued on with our day.

The good news: It was a present for me.

The bad news: The box was marked "5,000 white envelopes."

My Little Artist

Avery felt like a big girl the other day because I let her play outside all by herself while I made lunch. I left the door open so I could hear her, but she never even ventured off the back porch.

When I called her in to eat, she was proud to show me four steps and a patio that was beautifully decorated with her art.

Today Was Beautiful

When Avery and I get home and are spent, guess who wakes up?!

Gotta Love Those Smiles!

What's Up Doc?

Avery and Braden had doctor appointments yesterday. Seems like it was yesterday that I was taking Avery for her one month check up. Now, she's racking up her 2 1/2 year appointment, and Braden, who wasn't even a twinkle in my eye at that point, has hit his one month mark.

Avery is still in the 95th percentile in height, measuring in at 39". Her weight has leveled out at 30 pounds, putting her in the middle somewhere.

Braden is now an even bigger boy, weighing in at 12 pounds, 6 ounces and measuring 23 1/2" tall. Wow.

Apparently we know how to grow them big in the Simpson household. The nurse's favorite question to me: "Is Dad really tall or something?"

Hodge Podge

We had a great Thanksgiving with friends who are family away from family. The day started with Avery helping me cook the meal. Braden celebrated his first Turkey Day, but slept most of the time. Our good friends Jon and Stacy came down from Huntsville for our traditional Thanksgiving meal together. Avery was able to play with her buds Lawson and Jordan, and Braden met the gang for the first time.

Avery really isn't in to taking pictures these days, but the rest of us look okay in our family picture from this past Sunday.

We also got to dog sit our friend's puppy, Amanda, during the break. She was a wonderful addition to the family. Kenny even tried to figure out how to fanagle his way into keeping her. Amy was not into that idea!

It's too bad Avery's get up didn't help the Dolphins out in their game on Monday night.

Maybe They Look More Alike Than I Thought...

Keep Your Chin Up Kiddo

As you can see, Braden does not like to put his head on people's shoulders. He would much rather stay alert to everything around him!

Family Photo

This is not a great picture. We tried for a family photo, and this was the best we got.. Avery thought it was hilarious that Kenny would push the button on the camara and then run to sit beside her. During this particular shot, Braden fell on top of her while Kenny was throwing himself onto the couch while trying to look casual. The bad resolution does not do her justice of how hard she's laughing.

More Avery-isms and Braden Update

Avery just got out of her bath for the day, and her hair is in the process of drying. In the meantime, it's fluffy and curls are everywhere. Since it's clean, it's actually not messy looking, but very pretty.

I told her, "Avery, you're just gorgeous!"


She answered, "No, Momma; I'm just Avery."



Also, her new looks include "Little Old Lady."



"Aunt Jemima," which sounds like "Ain't yo' mama!"



And "Super Avery!"



Who knew a bandana could have so many purposes.



Last but not least, who could forget her Elton John look?



On the Braden homefront, things are going well. He wakes up once or twice a night to eat, then goes back to sleep. He is starting to wake up a little more during the day, which is fine with me because it's not at night.



He has his first case of acne, but this time around I know what to do to stop it before it gets out of hand. I just washed Avery's and didn't put any medicine on it because they threaten you with your life that any medicine can thin their skin out, blah blah blah. Then finally a nurse told me I could dab Cortozone cream on it once a day. I'm surprised she doesn't have pit marks because I waited to long. I guess you live and learn.



Avery is still not as interested in Braden as I thought she'd be. We have lots of pictures with her loving on him. I think this one is more accurate to how she really feels.

Avery-isms

Braden's umbilical chord fell off this morning. Avery was beside me helping me change his diaper. She proceeded to say, "Uh oh, momma. It broke. We need to fix it. Let's get some tape!"

Braden's hands are peeling really badly and Avery says, "Yuck, Momma; he needs to wash his hands."

Life is Good

Today was my first day by myself as a mom of two!

Whoever says there is no such thing as answered prayers is crazy. I constantly felt God's presence all around me. I was happy, Avery was sweet, and Braden's count is low enough to get off of his light therapy!

Kenny wanted to document how he found us when he got home...

Welcome Home To Pink Unicorns and Glow Worms

With so much going on around the Simpson house, I hoped that Avery would be able to enjoy her halloween. She originally told us that she wanted to be a bumblebee, but once we went to the store to get the supplies to make her costume, she decided that she wanted to be a unicorn. She actually calls it her pink horse. The days leading up to the actual wearing of the costume included lots of galloping around the house and neighing.

Fall festivities included a party at the Hart's house on Saturday. They have a neighbor who works at a place where they have blow up bouncer 'thingys,' and of course Avery thoroughly enjoyed herself jumping.

Sunday night we went to the Fall Festival at church, which included slides, jumping, baseball hitting and throwing, rides, and even more jumping.

Since we were getting discharged from the hospital on Wednesday I hoped that we would make it home in time for her to trick or treat in the daylight. Unfortunately it was dark by the time we came home, but Daddy promised Avery, so he and Grammy set off through the neighborhood with their pink horse in tow. They said she walked up to doors and would say, "Thank You," then "Trick or Treat." Just a little out of order, but hey, she's working on manners. That was much better than the treaters we received on our doorstep. Lots of older kids, not even dressed up, demanding, "how about you give me that Reeces and Kit Kat." But that's another story all together.

In Braden news, he's doing well. When he was discharged, they told us his Biliruben count was high so we had to go to the doctor the following morning, as well as the day after that. His count continued to rise, and I got a little worried when they told me that if it reached a certain point he would have to be re-admitted to the hospital.

Luckily, times have evolved so that you can have photo-treatment at home with a handy dandy BiliBlanket. In my head I imagined he would be in a large cart under heat lamps where we wouldn't be able to hold him. In reality, it's a contraption that wraps around him, allowing him to be held, fed, and changed without being taken off of the light. It's fun because Avery calls him her glow worm. His numbers did not go down the first day, but we received news after today's heal stick that they dropped three whole points! Three more to go and he won't have to be on the blanket anymore!

I believe I'm getting spoiled because he sleeps VERY well. I am hoping it won't change too much after he gets out of his newborn sleep mode. Looking back to Avery's first days home, this is a breeze. Last night, I fed him at 11...he finished eating at 12...we went to sleep, and I didn't wake up until 4:30. I am not one of the moms who wakes up a sleeping baby to feed every three hours at night, but with his jaundise right now, they say he needs to eat often. I figured 5 1/2 hours was long enough without eating so I woke him up. He went right back to sleep, and I woke him up again at 8:00 this morning. NICE! The night before was similar, but every 4 hours. Get this, when he wakes up, he doesn't even cry. I just hear him stirring, look at the clock, see that it's probably time to eat, pick him up and feed him, then lay him back down. No pacifier or anything.

Now that I've jinxed myself, I will draw this to a close. My parents are leaving tomorrow, so that means Monday will be my first day all by myself with two kids. Oh my. Please start sending up prayers!