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.

Getting to Know You

The last week or so has definitely been an interesting one at the O'Brien household. Our little Avery has been changing so much. His alert time has increased tenfold, and unfortunately his sleep time at night has decreased at the same rate.
I think I have been averaging about 3 to 4 hours of sleep per night.

Last night,out of nowhere, our little guy slept 4 hours straight. I woke up so confused, wondering why Avery hadn't cried, I actually went to his door and listened to make sure he was still breathing! Let's hope he keeps this up. It was heaven!



Avery has definitely been developing a personality. He loves to smile at familiar faces... especially at his Nanny and Oopa. Today, during their weekly visit, Nanny and Oopa received many "coos" from our little guy. He wasn't completely a dream though. He refused to fall asleep during our walk, and was fighting to keep his eyes open even though he was quite tired. Thus, he was quite a cranky baby. I guess he can't be perfect all of the time!



It seems as though each week we learn a little bit more about Avery. I have a sinking suspicion that there is a mischievous boy emerging in our son. Time will only tell!

Mirror Images

Pat and I have always had trouble deciding who Avery looks like. We actually can't see any resemblence to either of us. Avery definitely has Pat's arms, legs, fingers and toes... but that's as far as it goes.

Last week when my parents visited, my mother brought me my baby photo album. I was beside myself when I opened it and saw the mirror image of Avery on the page. Just look below and judge for yourself! I can't wait to see if he continues to look like me as he develops more distinct features.






I can not believe another weekend has gone by. Saturday, I stole some alone time to get a pedicure with my sister (mom needs the occassional pampering too!). Yesterday evening we went to a BBQ at John & Ann's. Avery was extremely well behaved until just around 9pm - when he began wailing. We ran the little guy home as fast as we could while it was pouring rain. It definitely is not easy trying to fit two adults and a baby under an umbrella while speed walking! This afternoon we had a visit from Aunt Kim. While Avery enjoyed resting in Kim's arms, Pat and I devoured the DELICIOUS Moe's burritos Kim brought us for lunch. What a lovely way to spend a rainy afternoon.

Saying Goodbye

On Saturday, Pat's parents and sister had to start their trip back to South Carolina. Boy, we were all sad to see them go. It's so nice they were able to come up and visit for as long as they did...but we still wish they could have stayed longer. They promised to be back soon - hopefully in September. We can't wait!



While they were here, we wanted them to see Avery take a bath. What a change from the last time! He absolutely loved it. He didn't fuss once. I hope he wasn't just showing off for the crowd.



Avery has begun making a few "cooing" sounds. It's such a pleasure to hear him trying to find his voice. I can only imagine the joy I will feel when he says his first word.

Today we had a special visit from Aunt Camille and her son Jay. Jay was such a sweetheart - he kept giving Avery kisses on the forehead. Aunt Camille was too generous and brought us some much needed groceries. Hand it to the mom's to know exactly what is needed. Thanks again!

Our Big Guy

Today, Pat and I took our "big guy" in for his 4 week check up. We were so anxious to see what he would weigh in at. We were hoping for around 8lbs. You can imagine how thrilled we were when we saw the scale stop at 9lbs 4.8oz! That means in the span of two weeks Avery gained 2lbs 6oz. Crazy! I wonder what he'll gain in the month before his next appointment!



Having our family in from South Carolina has been wonderful. They have been helping us out so much and we have really enjoyed being able to spend so much time with them. Yesterday we took a trip out to Vaughan Mills and spent the evening watching the crazy thunderstorm from our apartment. We definitely needed it to help cool things down. I think today we will take them to Sherway Gardens. It's nice to spend the afternoon in the air conditioned mall instead of our hot apartment.