Two Years Young and Three Months Old

My baby turned two just over a two weeks ago. When I think back to Avery at a year, it's like the two are worlds apart. In the last year he has become himself, if you know what I mean. We always assumed Avery would be mischievous and the last year he has proved us right.
He constantly surprises us with knew knowledge and equally tests our parenting limits. I think he knows on some level that his insane cuteness prevents Pat and I from ever getting too mad.
This year we celebrated Avery's birthday on a smaller scale this year with a barbecue. That doesn't mean I skimped on the food though; a hamburger bar (complete with homemade buns) ending off with a rainbow cake and homemade ice cream sandwiches. It was a feast. Thankfully the weather held out and Truman and Avery were able to play outside for most of the afternoon.



Since my last post our newest baby also passed a milestone; he turned three months. I can't believe how fast time is flying. Elliott is also rapidly changing and it reminds me of how soon this precious stage will be behind us. I am trying to cherish every second of it. He smiles all of the time now and has begun giggling. We try to get Avery to tell Elliott so he will smile and laugh... but Avery just gets right up in Elliott's face and says "Joke." I guess comedy is not his forte.




Both Pat and I were shocked the other day when we peered inside little Elliott's mouth and saw a white dot on him gums. I rubbed my finger across it and sure enough it felt hard. Could it be that our little baby is getting his first tooth? We always thought his gums looked strange - as though the teeth were right below the surface. So maybe we were right!



The last few weekends have been full of playdates, birthday's and holidays and it doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. I guess summer is like that though. Last weekend we went out to Ajax to spend the day with Misty, Troy and Braylon. Avery and Bray had a blast playing in the pool and on the swing set. Misty made the most delicious lunch for us and the O'Brien's had their first taste of "mauby." Of course I thought of another application for the deliciously bitter drink; "how about in a latte?" Anyone? We then went on to visit the Katz family. Avery and Ben had so much fun playing in Ben's bouncy castle even though it was about 37C! Sam and Elliott stayed cool with the mommas in the shade.





We celebrated Father's Day at the Topolski's and took advantage of their gorgeous pool. The weather was beautiful and the water was just gorgeous. Truman is a natural in the pool, a trait Avery doesn't share with his cousin. Even though Pat spent much of the day chasing the little kiddies around, I think he had a wonderful day.

I can't wait until our next doctor's appointment for the kids. It's coming up on July 9th. If I thought I had no idea what Elliott was going to weigh, then I really have no clue about Avery. It's been six months since is last appointment and he feels like he weighs a ton! We see from his daily reports at daycare that he consistently two to three servings of snacks and lunch. Way to get our money's worth Av!

Time Sure Flies...

when you are having fun!

I can't believe I haven't made a new post in almost a month. We've been so busy that I feel like I blinked and now we are well into summer. So, what has been going on at the Merrick Manor? Zoo trips, visitors from South of the border, new baby smiles, new baby rolls and a whole lot of potty action.

This season, we decided to invest in a zoo pass. Avery just loves animals and Pat and I enjoy it as well. Avery's favourite is the hippo... and he talks about it constantly. We are going again this Friday, as it's Av's birthday and Pat has taken the day off of work to come with us. Looks like this is turning into a yearly
tradition.



Pat's parents returned for a visit and brought along Aunt Leighlo and Uncle Luke. Of course they brought about a thousand gifts and spoiled us all once again. Avery was a little intimidated by Luke when he first met him. Not that I blame him; Luke looks like he could play for the NFL! But, after about five minutes, it was love all around. I think Luke's southern charm worked as Avery has been saying Luke's name constantly. We can't wait to see everyone again, but it looks like we'll have to wait until September.



At Elliott's two month check up, I was shocked to learn that Elliott's growth curve had slowed down substantially. His doctor attributed it to overconfidence on my part, since Elliott had been doing so well. She told me to slow things down and be more conscious while we are feeding. Her advice worked because at our appointment his growth curve had returned back to normal. Elliott is now a few ounces shy of 13 pounds and is rock'n a sweet double chin.

All the extra food certainly agrees with Elliott as he has been smiling like crazy lately. He especially likes to bestow his adorable grin onto his big brother. This makes Avery get a little hyper, which in turn makes Elliott smile more. It's a viscous circle. I love seeing this glimpse of personality. I feel myself anxious for his development, yet at the same time wanting him to stay this age forever. Avery is turning two this week and you realize how quickly time passes.



While we are on the subject of Avery, I must note that he has been making great process with potty training. He has been consistently peeing two to three times a day on the potty and pooping every other day. We have decided that quite soon we will take the plunge and make the transition. We'll start on a weekend where there isn't much going on, so Av won't be embarrassed if there are accidents.

Anyway, that's it for now. This weekend we are celebrating Av's big birthday by hosting a BBQ for our close friends and family. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the weather cooperates. Here's hoping!