Week in Review ~ 1/22

What a LONG short week! Avery and I were home on Monday for MLK Jr. day. My sinuses were not feeling the best so we didn't do much. When I put Avery to bed that night I got a little more than the usual one fuss protest when I leave the room. She screamed. Then she screamed more. I broke the "rules" and went back in because I knew with that fuss, something must be wrong. I got her up, rocked her a bit, and put her back down, and it started all over again. She's cried at bedtime before but never like this. I ended up going in again 15-20 minutes later because she was still going strong. I didn't get her up, and she was calm while I was by her bed. But again, she tuned up when I walked away. By this point, I regreted going in at all. Early on we learned that Avery had to settle herself when she was upset or over tired since we weren't going to rock her to sleep. Finally, I could tell that she was starting to quiet/wear out, and just shy of the 1-hour mark she was completely quiet. She fussed again when we went to bed and a few quick times in the night. I don't know if it was because we were out 3 nights in a row, because she has gotten even more attached to me, her ears, or just a fluke. We stopped waking Avery to feed a 8 weeks, and other than a period of night waking between 4 and 5 months, she's put herself to sleep and slept all night. Needless to say, this type of behavior makes us nervous. Mama needs her sleep.

Luckily, she got better and better each night. I continued to put her to bed early in case she needed to catch up. Tuesday night she cried 15-20 minutes, Wednesday night a couple of minutes, and the rest of the week was just a protest cry as I left. It's hard to hear her so sad, but she needs her rest and won't get it if I turn around each time she fusses. Even though these times are so rare, I am very thankful she is still in her crib. I hope she stays cozy and contained in there for a long time!

Wednesday was my birthday and was so special with lots of student well-wishes and tons of FB messages. That night my in-laws took us to the new Italian sports bar FoSho. I find the Italian a strange mix with sports bar, and the name strange altogether, but the food was great. The chefs from one of our favorite pizza places are there, and we all had delicious meals. I had my own pizza on my birthday. For all you Nascar fans, it's owned by Hermie Sadler, who used to race and now does broadcasting for races. He is brother to Elliott, who races now, and they are all local Emporia people.

Thursday and Friday were just regular days. The full moon was shining brightly over school making things a bit crazy. Mexican was in order for Friday night to celebrate the end of the week. That has always been one of Avery's favorite places. We are thankful that she continues to do so well eating out.

Avery was up around 6:30 Saturday morning but was pretty quiet until about 7:30, so I enjoyed some extra sleep. I had planned to go shopping with Mom but she had been sick since Wednesday with a sinus infection. Mimi came and stayed with Avery while I grocery shopped. It was SO cold. My car said 21 degrees on the way to the store. Avery does not like the cold wind in her face, so I'm glad she stayed home. I got home in time to fix her lunch and make these yummy brownies. I was unproductive while she napped other than looking for a new phone, and I enjoyed every minute. I am loving Oprah's new network, especially the behind the scenes show, and I watched Friday night's episode. When she woke up, we went to Lolli and Poppa's house for a quick visit. They just can't go too long without an Avery fix. Ned was home from hunting when we got there, and it was time for dinner. We had a little playtime, then it was time for bath and bed for Avery. Boyz II Men is in town for a concert tonight, and we sat complaining that we didn't use the office tickets to go. But, since we're both in our comfy pants and Ned is asleep in the chair, it may have been a good decision.

We're going to try Sunday School again tomorrow and hope for less tears. This week is a busy one: Avery's 18-month health check, my staff Christmas dinner, and I head back to school...as a student!