getting to know avery

about a week after avery was 2 months old, there was a moment that everything changed. all of a sudden, it felt like we finally knew this little girl. we knew when she needed to sleep and we could usually know why she was crying. as soon as we got the sleeping and eating schedules flowing better, avery's little tiny personality started shining through.

avery seems to be a fairly mellow girl. if she doesn't need to eat and she's not tired, she's content to sit and watch the household flurry of activity. she got a new swing as an early christmas present from the shulba grandparents which she likes so much more than her old swing. she'll spend much longer in it and even catches a nap or two in it if ben is also sleeping. she also still loves her play mat. avery seems to be a quiet girl - not too much cooing and "talking" yet though she often opens her mouth like she wants to say something. when we talk to her though, she's all smiles. tonight was the first giggle that i've heard from her which was so sweet.

a couple of weeks ago, i was at a friend's house and when avery was fussing, she picked avery up and wrapped her tight, rocking her to sleep. it's hard for me to let someone else do this but she seemed to be getting avery calm so i resisted butting in. when avery was asleep, my friend laid her down on the couch, wrapped a second blanket around her, and avery slept for TWO hours. two. it was unreal. it was my re-introduction to swaddling. why did i ever stop? i knew that my kiddo was a wiggler so it seemed restrictive to swaddle her. plus, she was sleeping great at night without being swaddled so why swaddle for naps? well, this lightbulb moment has changed everything. while i still rock avery to sleep for her naps (and i know i'm supposed to let her fall asleep on their own), i keep her wrapped tight and it makes transferring her to her bed so easy. sometimes she sleeps for only 30 - 45minutes but once in awhile it's 1.5 - 2hours but no matter how long or short the nap is, i'm just thankful that it's no longer in my arms. now for the next step of letting fall asleep on her own...maybe next month!

ben still loves to show avery whatever it is that he's doing. he got a ukulele for christmas (his "a-tar") and spent many minutes serenading avery throughout the day today. he gets the giggles whenever avery smiles at him.

avery is so distracted by everything - she can't resist watching whatever is going on. when we were at a christmas party last week, my friend alyssa's baby (who is 8 days older than avery) just fell asleep against his dad's shoulder during dinner. it was unreal to me, whose kid can't even be in the same room as everyone if we are going to have any chance at all at getting her to sleep. but every kid is different. it makes me wonder if this is a tiny glimpse of the child/teenager/woman she's going to be - always wanting to be a part of what's happening but regretting it when she doesn't get enough sleep? maybe. i guess we will have to wait and see.