Pennsylvania Please!

Avery and I just got back from our weekend shopping blitz in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We had such a great, but exhausting, trip. We were joined by Karyn, Misty, Michele and Truman. The two kids behaved themselves (most of the time) and were kept well entertained with everyone's help. Truman was an excellent companion for little Avery - asking him "Why crying Avery?" or even suggesting "Be quiet baby" when the fussing became too much for him. We ate very well - as Avery and I introduced the ladies to Red Robin for the first time. Of course we also had to hit up our favourite - The Cheesecake Factory.



I can not believe all of the great deals we got - Avery is set for the fall/winter season. He's got a great new snowsuit and the cutest little halloween costume. Avery has decided to be a bright orange pumpkin this year!



The only disappointment of the trip is that Avery missed a full weekend of seeing his father - although Pat had a much deserved weekend of rest. He's been working very hard these last couple of weeks. Avery made sure to pick him up a few treats on our trip - using his hard earned allowance to pay for it. Way to go Avery!

A True Torontonian

Today Avery reached a new milestone, essential for anyone living in Toronto - he rode the Red Rocket. We went to visit Daddy at work, deep in the heart of uptown Toronto. Avery was a gentleman, as per usual, smiling at all the wondeful people Pat works with (especially the ladies).











Pat, Avery and I went for lunch at the Firkin just down the street (Avery begged us to order him the bangers & mash) and then for a short walk to a quaint park nearby. What a nice afternoon it was.

I must say the ride home on the subway wasn't as pleasant. Avery got hungry at about Spadina (luckily I had packed a bottle in case of emergency) and was extra fussy because he was quite tired. He's just now settling down for a nap.

Avery has been giggling up a storm the last couple of days. I melt every time I hear it. I have been desperately trying to catch it on film, but by the time I grab my camera, he's stopped. Usually it just comes out of nowhere, but believe me, I've done some embarrassing things to try to coax it out of him!

Three Months Young

Avery turned three months earlier this week, but he is convinced he's at least four months! He is happiest when he is standing or sitting on his own, and I am sad to say he is already a bonafide couch potato! One thing is for sure, he is definitely the man in charge these days.



I already feel myself reminiscing about the earlier months when he would sleep for most of the day and I could get quite a bit done around the house. Now it seems like sleep is a daily battle. Don't get me wrong - we are still fortunate enough to have a child who sleeps through the night. It's just getting him to that point that poses a problem. We think Avery must be afraid that he's going to miss something exciting while he's asleep, so he tries to avoid it. This is where innovation on our part comes in handy. There is a whole myriad of techniques we have tried - keeping the few successful methods in our arsenal for getting this kid off to dreamland.

However, when he is desperately tired, he can pretty much fall asleep anywhere, as was the case yesterday. We were taking a trip to Homesense. He had fallen asleep in the car and didn't make a peep until I parked the car. The little guy was crying so hard, he had tears falling from his eyes (something I've never seen before) and snot coming out of his nose. I knew there was NO way he would let me do any shopping if he had to stay in his stroller. So, I did what any new mother would do - I picked him up and held him the entire time. When I was finished getting what I needed, he still seemed a little upset. So, I decided to take a walk over to Starbucks for a coffee. Somewhere between there and the car, Avery had fallen asleep sitting upright - without resting against me at all. I had no idea he was sleeping until I looked down and saw his eyes were closed. It was the funniest thing. I really wish I had a picture of it.



Avery has become somewhat of a shopping aficionado. He went to Square One last week, is going to Yorkdale tomorrow and in two short weeks he will be taking his first "out of country" trip to Pennsylvania. Boy is he excited - specifically for Red Robin and The Cheesecake Factory. What can I say - the boy loves his food already!

Get into the Groove

Things have really started to calm down here at the O'Brien's. After almost two weeks of keeping our fingers crossed, it seems as though the "all night sleep" is here to stay! Avery, just a week shy of his 3 month milestone is sleeping an average of 10 hours a night, waking up just once, usually around 6am. What a difference it makes to have some sanity back! We have finally managed to create some structure to our days, which has been wonderful.

A full night of rest has helped me to get back to doing some things I have been missing over the last few months, such as cooking and baking. I was lucky enough to be able to make my darling nephew Truman a Cookie Monster cake for his second birthday. He is obsessed with Cookie Monster - something I can relate to, as that was my favourite character when I was younger.



There are a few new additions to our son's personality that have emerged in the last week or so. Little Avery's latest favourite activity is sticking his tongue out. It is the cutest thing ever. He especially loves it when you play the game with him.



He also refuses to be carried in the Bjorn facing inward; Avery must be able to see what's going on around him! Yesterday evening he would not stop fussing until we turned him outwards. Lucky for us, he was alseep by the end of the walk - which had been our plan all along! It's great knowing that when he is alert he is very interested in his surroundings.



The last activity we've introduced into Avery's routine is sitting in the Bumbo. He got to enjoy his first dinner sitting on his own at Nanny and Oppa's kitchen table. I figured he'd enjoy the Bumbo since he just loves it when we prop him up on the couch. This contraption offers him so much more support. It will only be a matter of time before he is sitting up all on his own! Baby steps mommy, baby steps...

Look Mom, No Hands!

I can not believe this is the last week of the summer... kids are heading back to school, the weather is getting cooler and one brand new little baby will be almost three months old. How time flies when you are entrenched in feeding, burping and changing a newborn! And my, oh my, how he has grown - not only in weight and height, but more importantly, in development. As you can see below, Avery has a new favourite game called standing on his own (well, almost on his own). He loves to show off the strength of his athletic legs - some say he's the next Usain Bolt. At any rate, it's something Pat and I get a kick out of.



He also loves nothing more than being carried facing outwards... be it in the Baby Bjorn or when we are holding him in our arms. I think he just enjoys the attention this garners from strangers.

We've also noticed that he loves to smile when one of us walks into the room. What an amazing feeling to know that just a glimpse brings Avery happiness... a memory I might have to use to help cope through his teenage years.




Lastly, his sleeping patterns seem to have changed once again... and hopefully it sticks! Since Thursday night, Avery has slept between 6 to 8 hours straight every night. It's allowed me to regain some much needed brain power and Avery to be awake and alert for more time during the day. It's wonderful. And from what I've been told, the experience only gets better from here on in... I can't wait.

Thank You Sleepy Head!

Honestly... I think that Avery must sense when Pat and I are at the end of our ropes. Just when I think I won't be able to have any decent rest for the next year or more of my life - he throws us a bone.
Yes, our child slept from just shortly after 10pm until 5am last night. I was so confused when I woke up without the sound of my child crying. It was pure bliss.
Let me tell you that prize didn't come cheap... he had been terribly fussy for the entire evening. He wouldn't take my breast for more than two minutes. He wouldn't take his bottle. He didn't like his swing. He wouldn't go to sleep even though you could see he was dead tired. See for yourself - does that picture look like an alert child? I only pray he offers us the same treat tonight so that I might actually fully recover from my sickness. Here's hoping!




This evening we went for a relaxing stroll with Uncle Chris. Looks like we just missed the approaching rain storm. Isn't the sky just amazing! It will be nice to fall asleep to the sound of the rain. I just hope we get some sort of break in the weather tomorrow. Aunt Misty took an entire day off of work to spend with us and we have some big plans!

Two Months and Counting

Avery celebrated the two month milestone on Monday. Unfortunately for him, that meant getting a set of shots. He did as well as one would expect - screaming until his face turned a fire engine red. Our brave little fellow recovered shortly after and was pretty fuss free for the rest of the day. My favourite part about going to his appointments is the weigh in. I am delighted to say that Avery is now a whopping 12lbs 6.4oz. It is crazy to think that in a few weeks he will be double his birth weight. Way to catch up Avery!



The O'Brien household has been under siege by illness this past week. It started with father and passed on to mother shortly there after. I had to cancel many play dates this week, as I couldn't muster enough strength to drag myself and Avery out of the house. For everyone who thinks it is not easy taking care of a newborn - it is that much harder doing so when you are sick. The problem is that rest is essential for a quick recovery... something that parents of newborns will tell you is almost nonexistent. I am just relieved that we didn't pass anything on to our son. We are slowly getting back our strength, and I am hoping by the weekend we will be back to normal.