Baby's All Grown's Up - Avery's First Birthday

Wow - one year has passed us by. One year ago today, Pat and I (along with our friends and family) were welcoming our son into our lives. We knew that having Avery would change our lives, but I don't think either of us knew exactly how much.
Over the last year we have struggled through breastfeeding, sleeping, napping, eating, teething... you name it. But with each stage, we come out with more confidence as parents and with a happier Avery.





I can remember the day he was born as if it were yesterday. His tiny cries letting us know he didn't understand what the heck just happened to him! We had a few bumps in the road at the beginning - being back in the hospital just days after coming home. It seemed so traumatic to me at the time, but looking back on it, it was somewhat comforting having all of those experts around us while we were just getting used to things.

I have to say we were pretty lucky from the start to have a son who didn't mind sleeping in his crib. We initially tried swaddling him, but Avery, never wanting to stay still, always managed to wriggle out of our wrapping jobs. Although Avery is a great sleeping, getting him to fall sleep is another story. It's a problem we are still dealing with at this very moment. But, I guess there is always something!



We started hitting our stride at roughly four months. Avery had begun sleeping through the night (5 hours straight for babies - who are they kidding?!), we had joined the best mommy group in Toronto and started with mommy-baby activities. Being rested (somewhat) and active helped us avoid the dreaded "cabin fever" during the winter months.



Shortly before Avery's six month birthday, we started him on solids. Not really sure of what to make of it at first, we were privy to some really interesting faces from our little joker. But, it didn't take long for him to acquire a taste for solids. Now our Avery will eat anything and everything (including a short list of non-edibles). Now our only challenge is keeping the floor clean while Avery attempts to feed himself. Hey, Michele, do you think we can borrow Morrie for a few months?



As mentioned above, Avery has always been a baby on the move. So, it didn't really surprise us when shortly after his ten month mark, he started walking. Allison (our resident baby expert) said it could be partially due to having a lot of low level furniture. I think it's just superior genes ;) And Pat was over the moon when he came home ealier this week to see that Avery had learned how to kick the soccer ball. AC Milan, here we come!



Avery is definitely a vocal baby; a trait I can attribute to his father. He is never one to shy away from screaming to let us know he is unhappy. Recently, he had started pointing and saying "doggie," which left Pat and I really impressed, until we realized that he uses this term not only for dogs, but any sort of living animal he sees. I am so anxious to hear all of his first words and hope I won't have to wait that much longer.

There is so much I could write about Avery. There is so much to his personality already, at just one year. I could be having the most frustrating day (usually due to Avery being difficult), and it takes only one look, one kiss or one giggle from my son, and all is forgotten. A master manipulator already ;) He is one exceptional baby and I look forward to all of the exciting developments that will be emerging in the years to come. And on that note, I will pass the computer over to Pat to weigh in on our little birthday boy. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AVERY!



I figured after a year of blogging, it was time for dad to step up to plate and contribute (sports analogy #1 of many I'm sure to use---it's really all I've got).
It still blows my mind that Tina and I are parents to a 1 year old little man. It's been the fastest and most exciting year we've had, and I'm so pleased with the extraordinary developments that Avery has made, as well as our development as parents. We've come a long way from the nervous couple pulling into the driveway of 259 Keele Street a little under a year ago.
Any time I'm having a rough day or feeling a little shitty (pardon the language, that's just me) all I have to do is take one look at our little guy and he makes me smile! Sometimes is absolutely scary how much Avery reminds me of me. Hopefully my contributions will be more frequent in order to take the pressure off my lovely wife who will be heading back to work very shortly. HAPPY BIRTHDAY A-MAN!