Week in Review ~ 7/3

What a week this was! It always seems like we have nothing to do or way too much to do. Sunday was our preacher's last Sunday. We have really enjoyed her, even though we got a little slack while I was pregnant and totally slack once Avery arrived. We wanted to make sure we attended her last day, so we set off for church. Avery was in a tough mood toward the end of the week so I was worried how she would do. I was right. They had to come get me because she was crying so hard. She was tired, hungry, and just out of sorts. Because it was the preacher's last day, things got a little long. We were late getting home and even later getting Avery's lunch. She had a hard time going down for her nap and then didn't sleep well. The rest of the day was zero fun! We're going to take a few Sundays off (we'll be gone anyway) and try again. Our new preacher was one of my preachers from Newsoms UMC, so that should be neat.

On Monday we didn't do much, which was probably good considering the week we had ahead of us. I think Monday was the last day Avery took her naps without first having a party in her crib.

Tuesday was a day I had been looking forward to for awhile. Mom came to get Avery after her morning nap and gave me a little time to myself. How did I spend it? Vacuuming! Sometimes I feel a little guilty that we have help every other week except during the summer. I feel guilty no more. That afternoon I attended a bridal shower for Crystal, who teaches 2nd grade with me. It was great to see friends from school without kids, but we still talked about them though! Avery had a fun time with Lolli but had been a bit challenging with her nap.

On Wednesday we set out for Richmond. I had not been excited about the thought of having to carry Avery to and from the beach and looked into renting a jogging stroller. I also looked on Craig's List and found a used, older-model for the same price as renting for a week. We had an easy trip, and OnStar only had to tell us once that we were off-route. Although we left at Avery's naptime, she wouldn't go to sleep. We came back to Colonial Heights to shop...still no sleep. Then she wouldn't take her 3 0'clock bottle. By that point I needed a pill! She was a little fussy, and by 4 we had done all we needed to do. The only problem was that we were meeting my Kelly's Kids rep at 5:30 so I could get my party materials. We decided to head to the restaurant and eat before we were supposed to meet her. That 10 minute ride is when Avery decided to nap, so we drove around a bit. We had a yummy dinner at King's and got all my Kelly's Kids stuff. When we got home we did a quick test drive with the stroller and put Avery straight to bed.

Thursday was another out and about day. I took Avery to Newsoms after her morning nap, which again was a struggle. After lunch I left to run errands before my eye doctor appointment. I got Avery some new toys to have at the beach and a few new sippy cups, which have not been a hit either. I picked Avery up, and on the way home, we stopped at the Nottoway House to look at sofas. We had put ourselves in quite a pinch by wanting a new sofa by her party on the 24th. That meant I had to love something as-is in the store. I found a good option but was really worried about how it would hold up with the various stains that Sammy can add. They held it for me so Mom could go by and check it out.

Avery slept until 7 am Friday! We increased her nighttime bottle to see if that would help and it did. That just threw naps off even more though. The sofa met Mom's approval so we arranged to have it delivered right away...right in the middle of naptime. I tried to get Avery down before and had no luck. The boys were quick about getting the new sofa in and the old one out but left a bit of a mess. Avery finally got down for a little afternoon nap. She has been back to her generally happy self this week, but no matter how tired she is when I get ready to lay her down, as soon as she hits the crib she's up playing. Her later wake times have pushed naps back and I'm not sure when she needs to go down. I hate for things to be unpredictable! The sofa looks great. Sammy cannot jump up on it which is a blessing and a curse. We're going to get him a new bed and hope he will love it. He has always loved sitting on the back of the couch and looking out the window, and I think he's a little depressed.



Here's Dixie finally getting a turn on the old couch.

And here is what Avery, Sammy, and Felix will probably ruin within a week. It's actually green and cream stripe but it's hard to tell from the picture.

On Saturday Avery and I mailed her birthday invitations while Ned played golf. We also straightened up a bit because Lucas and Kristin were coming over to cook out. Avery only slept for 30 minutes in the afternoon and did not sleep as late as she did Friday. I was about to pull my hair out because I knew she would be horrible while they were there. She proved me wrong and did great. She ate a huge supper, played outside, and then sat nicely while we ate on the patio. She went to bed without a peep, so I had to end Ned and Lucas's cornhole game right outside Avery's window. We sat outside until 10:30 enjoying the nice night. Lucas and Kristin are having a baby boy in September, so Avery will soon have a playmate for dinner!

Other than our 4th of July festivities today, we're hoping for a slower week as we prepare for Avery's first trip to the beach.