Polywog

I find it very difficult to believe that Avery has been extra-utero for an entire year. On the other hand, its shocking to consider that a year ago Avery was a helpless bundle in my arms (or technically, tonight, still in my tummy). What a year it has been...and just when I thought things couldn't get any better!

While tomorrow is Avery's birthday, we began the celebration early on Friday with a small party with our favorite friends. As usual, Lena pretended to be a cat, Ethan played methodically with Dylan's trains, and Dylan and Sophie read books together under the covers of my bed (we'll allow this for a few more years). Avery was also joined by three other sub-yearlings...for whom she has little patience. She is all about the preschoolers....and the balloons and streamers. You would have thought it was Christmas when Avery saw the house decorated in the morning for the party. Let it be said that she had a lovely party.


Today was another day of milestones. Dylan rode his tricycle on the streets for the first time...all the way to Ardenwald park (~1/2mile). He hit some t-balls in the park and practiced his newfound climbing skills. What he lacks in confidence he makes up for in concentration. In the afternoon, Greg played some ultimate frisbee. When we learned that the light rail was only a few blocks away I decided to take Dylan and Avery downtown on the MAX for some errands. Now, THAT was an adventure. I wish I had a picture of me walking downtown with Avery in my backpack and Dylan on my hip. I know I gave some folks some reason to giggle.


One last shot of Avery trying to catch up with her big brother. She's not far behind now!!!! So much fun they will have together!

Avery is sporting her new birthday duds knit by Grandma Johnson. She's so cute in this outfit you can't even tell that she's having a temper tantrum because Mama won't let her gum the camera. Avery is such a good natured baby that it's hard to ever be upset with her...even when she stays awake (giggling and playing happily) until midnight (like last night). Some would also call her strong willed. We're starting to fear that strong willed may be an understatement on our upcoming trans-America flight.

Yesterday Avery crawled more than she walked. Today she walked more than crawled. My heart still jumps every time she trucks around a corner into me on two feet. She's also learned to climb in and out of the sandbox by herself. She and Dylan play quite contented in the sandbox together for long periods of time. Greg and I commented that soon I'll be reading novels from my rocking chair while the two of them raise themselves. Okay...maybe not quite yet.
But really, the sandbox is nothing. Avery's favorite new game is crawling the circuit at the playgrounds. That's what I call climbing the steps, hurling oneself down the slide (in any direction applicable), spitting out any aquired barkchips, scrambling back to the steps and doing it all over again. Dylan and Avery do the circuit together all the time now. I'd better get a good novel, because I'm not feeling very needed at the park anymore.

It's official!

1) We're officially moving! After pining for Corvallis just long enough to fall in love with Portland, we're packing up and moving. Greg was offered a seemingly ideal job teaching Biology and AP Biology at Corvallis High School. There's alot of things to be uneasy about: selling the house, buying a house, leaving friends, making friends, breaking the news to Dylan....but falling back in love with Corvallis is not one of them.

2) Avery is officially walking! No more 'kinda sorta' shuffle steps. I caught her several times today striding across a room. And just when we thought she was SOOOO different from her older brother, each time I caught her walking she took a knee and crawled. "Whoas me...I'm so wobbley!" Yeah, right!

3) Dylan is officialy a baseball fan. Dylan walks in to the family room to find me on Friday. "Momma, can I turn on the clock radio for just a short while? I really would like to check to see how the RedSox are doing". I wondered what Dylan and Daddy did for so long during bedtime.