Pierced

Avery FINALLY cut another tooth on Wednesday the 17th! When this one fully emerges she will still only have 5 teeth lol. She spent the day going between extremely happy and terribly clingy. I didn't manage to leave the house until nearly 2 pm. I reluctantly wore my glasses because 1-800-Contacts takes their sweet time delivering. Avery and I went to the Albertsons near my house because it has a Starbucks in it. The woman at the coffee stand had just finished putting up a 'Help Wanted' sign, she needed someone to work evenings and weekends which is exactly what I'm looking for. I asked for an application (but of course that's all online these days) but the woman took down my name and phone number so she could pick me out of the other online applicants. I guess frequenting that particular Starbucks since 2008 has its perks. I applied the second I got home so fingers crossed. I REALLY REALLY REALLY don't want to leave Avery to pursue a job outside of the home because I love being a stay at home mother. However, I have no choice and must do what's best for my family even if that's not what's best for me.

A while later Mitch and his son Cooper came over. Avery and Cooper played kind of - Avery has a habit of following other kids around and simply studying them instead of engaging in play. We were all getting a bit hungry and conveniently enough had a coupon for Pizza Hut. The closest Pizza Hut is just shy of a mile from our house, I walked there (because honestly it would be down right lazy of me to drive a mile for something). To burn a few extra calories I strapped Avery onto my chest for the walk, I felt the burn.

Thursday was business as usual. Avery decided that our day should begin at 5 am. She sat in my lap as we ate our cereal. I struggled to get ready as Avery clung onto my leg crying about not being held for 5 seconds. I changed my clothes twice because Avery wiped boogers all over my shirt and spit her mostly chewed granola bar in my lap. I was able to get out of the house before 2 pm which is a very rare event. We went to Starbucks of course. Thankfully Steven got off work a little early that day and we walked down to the park. The Head Start kids were there and we waited an hour for them to leave so we could enjoy the park as a family. Avery went down the slide a billion times, we searched for a nearby geocache without luck, and we enjoyed the outdoors.

Friday was a big deal for several reasons. I finally got the courage to pierce Avery's ears. Normally you'd get a girl's ears pierced as an infant or as an older child. Steven wasn't allowed to get any piercings or tattoos in Korea because they have different standards of sanitation and, although the Army couldn't restrict a dependent from getting tattooed or pierced, we came to the conclusion that if it wasn't safe for Steven then it wasn't safe for Avery. Steven and his mother wanted to get Avery's ears pierced when we visited the states last March and I hesitantly agreed. When the time came I freaked out and would not allow them to do it, she was only 6 weeks old and no one was going to hurt her. We moved back to the United States when she was 12 months old but between the milk allergy and constant teething it never seemed like a good time - until now! Avery finally cut her 5th tooth and her GI tract was doing great since switching to soy so she was back to a normal happy baby.

On Friday morning I made several calls to piercing parlors but unfortunately no one was willing to pierce a baby. I didn't want to go to Claire's because of their lack of training but I made a trip to the mall for other things and decided to check them out. I pretty much interrogated the poor woman that worked at Claire's, I asked her question after question about their sanitation, training, and overall experience. The woman had worked there for 5 years and in that time did close to 500 piercings. There was a little girl in the store who had gotten pierced a few minutes prior to my arrival and I asked her mom if I could look at her ears. I'm sure they thought I was crazy but the woman did a great job.

I had Avery pick out which ear rings she wanted and like a girly girl she picked the pink ones :) Avery seemed confused when the woman was sterilizing her hands, Avery's ears and both our hands. The hardest part of the whole thing was getting Avery to sit still while the woman put a mark on her ears, she wanted to play with the marker so bad. I grabbed a shiny necklace off a nearby rack and let her play with that. Avery yelled at me when I held her head to my chest, I don't think she even noticed the woman piercing her ears. The moment I let her go she stopped fussing and continued playing with the necklace. The woman gave her a lollipop afterwards :) Avery took a 2 hour nap afterwards, it was great!

Later that day my mom stopped by. She was excited to see Avery's ears. Steven watched Avery while my mom and I went to Talon Tattoo. John, an artist at Talon, had drawn up my mom's pumpkin tattoo and it looked amazing! Its like he took the image directly out of my mom's mind and put it on paper. We excitedly tried to set our appointments but because we wanted them done together it was tough. They couldn't get the two of us in until late May :( We told the receptionist that we would just have to settle with getting our tattoos separately and be there for each other. John knew how important getting our tattoos together was and booked us and appointment for next week before the shop opens up. I couldn't believe he was willing to come in before the shop even opens just to accommodate our wishes, I couldn't express my gratitude enough. So our appointment is set for next Sunday morning :D I didn't realize at the time that it was also Steven's birthday that day so I'll have to try extra hard this year to make up for it.

As if my Friday couldn't get any better we also had a date night planned :) My mother in law came over a little after 7 pm to watch the baby. I already had her bathed and in PJs because I didn't want to leave his mom with the responsibility of cleaning Avery's piercings  Steven and I went to On The Border for dinner, it wasn't anything spectacular to be honest. We met Quinn and Ashley at Edwards to see Oblivion! The movie didn't start until 945 pm which is way past our usual bedtime but it was worth it, the movie was awesome! By the end of it I was SO ready for bed but Steven and I had a surprise waiting for us when we got home - a completely awake baby...I finally crawled into bed around 1 am.

The next morning Avery decided to get up at 5 am again! I cannot survive off of such little sleep and I dealt with her waking up every hour on the hour for the first 8 months of her life, I deserve sleep! Avery didn't think I had a valid point and instead wanted me to sit up cuddling her. Steven was little help as he had college orientation that morning. All I wanted to do was take a nap when Avery did but I had to be in Meridian by noon and there was no time for it :( Steven finished orientation a little before noon and I met him at my parents' house a bit later. He had won a free lunch for 6 at Flying Pie in Meridian. Steven, his mother, Ashley (Quinn's girlfriend), my parents, Avery and I enjoyed a free meal :) After that we went to Walmart with my parents because my dad wanted a bicycle for his birthday, instead Avery ended up with a new toy compliments of my dad. When we got back to my parents' house Steven convinced me to take a nap. I didn't wake up until 745 pm!!

Avery loves corn

Avery woke up at midnight and again at 5 am, I am not liking this new trend at all. Steven got stuck at work which meant we were late getting to my parents' house. Sunday dinner was fantastic as usual, and I ate way too much as usual. Avery got to play with the neighbor kids took a walk with my dad. She was exhausted by the time we left and passed out in the car. Steven and I were supposed to go on a double date with Kristen and Matt but unfortunately plans fell through. It worked out in my favor though because a few hours later I ended up getting a horrible migraine.

Sharing a push-pop

All in all it was a normal week for the Lyon family. My daughter is getting too big too fast.

Avery Quinn - 15 months

Avery's 15 Month Check Up

My first day with two kids and no husband around to help! It was difficult, I'm not going to lie. Having Jayden around is effectively killing my baby fever (although I would give birth to a baby and not a 5 year old). Day 3 and I'm already annoyed that nap time isn't my time anymore, I haven't watched one of my shows at all, I haven't gotten on the computer, the dishes from constant eating are piling up, the laundry from bed-wetting isn't fun to clean, I constantly have to go sanitize the toilet because of pee and poop all over the seat, I am being asked questions around the clock and just when I think there will be a moment of silence it is filled with a complaint instead. On top of all of that I still have an active and teething 15 month old to take care of. I really miss it just being the two of us during the day.

Thankfully Kristen came over to the house that day and brought coffee! I'm too scared to drive anywhere with both kids since Jayden doesn't listen when it comes to cars and parking lots so I hadn't been able to get coffee that day. Steven got home shortly after Kristen arrived. He offered to watch the kids so we could have some girl time. Kristen's kids were at home with their father so we were both kid-less for the first time in...years. The last time I remember hanging out with Kristen and no kids was her 21st birthday two years ago! What can I say? Our kids are our life :)

The next day I was officially on my own. I didn't have anyone to come save me or help me keep my sanity. The previous day I had taken Jayden and Avery to the basketball court and the playground for nearly 3 hours to try and wear them out, but I ended up being the only one exhausted. The next day I decided to work smart, not hard. I took Jayden and Avery to the gated park at the far end of our complex. A Head Start class holds their recess at that park so Jayden got to play with 20 kids his age. All the girls were interested in Avery though and followed her around the entire time lol

Surrounded by the Head Start kids

On Friday I took Jayden and Avery back to the gated park but the Head Start kids weren't out there :/ It was still very enjoyable though, the kids got to run around without me chasing them. We were there for hours! Avery was only interested in the slide and went down it non-stop. After a while we left the park and walked to the gas station. I got ice cream and Jayden got sour strings :) By the time we got home both kids were exhausted. My mom came over a few hours later to pick up the kids for the night. It was Avery's first sleep over and my first baby-less night in two years (since I got pregnant in April 2011 and immediately got pregnancy insomnia).

Steven and I walked around down town, it was a beautiful evening. We located an Italian restaurant that everyone has been raving about but one look at the menu had us walking out, nothing sounded appetizing. Instead we shared a slice of spaghetti pie, a first for me, but it was pretty good. Steven had reserved tickets to see The Host. Its a movie based off of my favorite book so I've been apprehensive to see it. By the end I was distraught over how much my beloved book was butchered.  We came home to an empty house, Steven made a comment about how quiet it was without the baby. I burst into tears and proceeded to cry for nearly an hour over how much I missed my baby.

The next day was magical. I woke up on my own without being prompted by a crying baby. I got ready while blaring music instead of quietly while the baby naps. On the way to my mom's house I stopped for lunch and coffee, then out of the blue dropped by Kristen's house. I intended on returning her headphones and sun glasses that she left at my house a few days prior, I expected her to be at work but when I arrived her car was still in the driveway. I walked up to her door and as I raised my hand to knock she opened the door. I scared her half to death! We mingled for a few minutes before going our separate ways, I have to admit that not having Avery really took the anxiety out of quick trips and going into places instead of finding a drive through.

By the time I got to my parents' house my mom, Avery and Jayden were gone. I was supposed to pick up Jayden and take him to his uncle's house but apparently one night with him was too much for my parents and they took him over early. Avery was so happy to see me when they got back...for about 15 minutes. She hadn't napped all day and was overly tired, it was tantrum after tantrum the rest of the day.

Yvette and I had lunch on Sunday afternoon at a Mexican restaurant. Yvette and the staff all spoke Spanish the entire time so I just sat there silently. Avery happily spread refried beans into her hair and all over her pants... My mom came over immediately after Yvette left and we went to Talon Tattoo. One of the employees, John, was so nice to us - he was very kind and helped my mom design her tattoo, he made us both feel really comfortable. I drove my mom back to Meridian in the Durango and she left her Explorer for Steven to drive over, that way we weren't taking 3 cars out to Meridian. We had awesome meatball subs for dinner :) Before heading home we stopped by Yvette's apartment so that Steven could help her carry a table, he's such a good son :)

Avery's first otter pop

Avery had her 15 month check up on Monday afternoon. My poor girl has lost 2 lbs in 2 weeks since switching to soy milk :( She is otherwise very healthy and the doctor was quite impressed with her vocabulary. Avery got two shots which was no fun but the nurse gave her a lollipop, a new book, and let her pick a toy afterwards. We ran some errands after the appointment which included going over to Yvette's apartment again. We let her borrow our 32 in TV, we never use it since we have a new 46 in. Avery had fun running around her apartment and jumping on her air mattress :) That evening we realized that the movies we rented from Hastings were due back that day. I agreed to return them but not before playing 30 minutes of Call of Duty and getting a back rub from Steven :)

Weighing herself

Tuesday is Steven's Sunday so I let him sleep in late. I was feeling very home-maker-ish and cooked a delicious breakfast while simultaneously preparing lunch for the slow cooker and baking muffins - all while entertaining Avery ;) Steven was pleasantly surprised since I don't cook food ever in fear of poisoning the entire family. He took Avery out with him to run errands which gave me a chance to clean up the house a bit. Avery was a fuss bucket when they got back, she always is the day after shots :( We were supposed to go to Kristen's house for a play date but Kristen was kind enough to bring her boys over to my house so we didn't have to take Cranky out again. Thankfully Avery's attitude improved with the distraction of Conner, she loves following him around. We enjoyed the chili and corn bread I made for lunch as the kids played. A few hours later Kristen and the boys took off. She texted me that Conner had passed out in the car, I then realized that Avery had passed out too. She had fallen asleep propped up against Steven and was trapping one of his arms. He desperately wanted to play Call of Duty but couldn't with the sleeping baby. He made several attempts to escape but couldn't without waking her. Steven eventually gave up and fell asleep too while I played Call of Duty. It was the perfect ending to the day.

Both my loves passed out

Avery Quinn - 15 months

Easter

Two weeks behind, as usual. Avery has been teething non-stop and I haven't had a second to myself. A quick, rough update of the end of March:
We finally got the Neon fixed for only $35 thankfully.
Kristen and I attempted Easter photos but the kids weren't being cooperative.

I've been taking nightly walks which are amazing - time to myself + exercise :)
We took Avery to the doctor because she's been severely constipated (an hour of crying and screaming before she can produce a bowel movement) and puking for almost 2 months now. The doctor suspects Avery has an allergy to milk protein (not to be confused with lactose intolerance, they are completely different) so we're trying out soy milk instead. She weighs 23 lbs now.
Steven and I went to a wedding. We got to slow dance and I got a very, very rare view of Steven drinking an alcoholic beverage.

Easter was fun this year. Avery had a blast Easter egg hunting and chasing bubbles. We ate way too much delicious food at my parents' house.

APRIL - a new month, a new adventure.
On the first Steven and I took Avery to the Boise zoo. Oddly enough Avery didn't seem to care about any of the zoo animals, instead she was interested in bushes and benches lol. The high light of our day was getting to feed the giraffes :) Avery was beyond excited when the giraffe ate a piece of lettuce out of her hand. It was a great day.

Tuesday was equally amazing - Steven let me sleep in! He took me out to breakfast and afterwards I went and got my hair done while he watched Avery. A little bit of ME time was wonderful.

Avery's teething situation made a turn for the worse by the end of the week. Steven was put in charge at work which meant he had to go back into work at night to do whatever people in charge of a restaurant have to do. I put Avery down for bed at 8 pm and by 8:05 pm she had thrown up all over herself and her crib. I re-bathed her and we spent the next few hours cuddling. Around midnight she puked again, so again she was bathed. From midnight to 4 am she cried and was inconsolable. I woke Steven up to take over so I could get at least an hour of sleep. He finally woke up around 5:30 am and took over for me. Holy teething baby!

On Saturday I dropped off Avery at my mom's house. I was in desperate need of a nap! Jan called while I was trying to sleep to ask if I would baby sit her nephew Jayden. Her grandmother passed away so Jan and her two sisters were leaving town. I was asked to watch Jayden from Tuesday to Sunday. Although I've never taken care of a (nearly) 5 year old before and the last time I "met" him was when his mother was pregnant with him, I agreed. Jan is practically family and it seemed like I was their only option.

Family dinner on Sunday was okay. We had good food but were forced to watch the Call of Duty world championship instead of a show I actually like. Jan brought Jayden over to meet me. I was told that Jan's sister messed up and scheduled their flight for a day earlier than intended so I had to take Jayden a day early. That sucked because Steven and I had a romantic date night planned but we were forced to cancel.

On Monday we started babysitting Jayden. My mom had the day off so she took Jan and her sisters to the airport then dropped Jayden off at my house afterwards. We didn't want to sit in the house on Steven's day off so we decided to go to Hastings and grocery shopping. When we got to Hastings Jayden hopped out of the car before we had a chance to even remove our seat belts. I don't think he was expecting the height of the Durango because he fell, I asked him to wait to be let out of the car especially in parking lots. We let Jayden pick a Ninja Turtles movie and we got a movie for ourselves. Next we went to Winco to grocery shop. Jayden didn't listen again and tried to get out of the car before Steven had even put it in park. This time however he smashed our door into a brand new Subaru. He put a big dent and silver paint into the side of the car. Just as I was putting Avery into her stroller a woman walks up and gets into the car, she didn't seem to notice the damage, I'm hoping he put a dent into an already existing dent.

When we got back home we realized that although we had an air mattress for Jayden to sleep on, we had left the pump at my mom's house. Steven and I took turns pumping the air mattress up with a bike pump. By 8 pm Avery was in bed and by 9 pm Jayden was in bed. Since Jayden was sleeping in the living room Steven and I were forced to hide out in the bedroom and quietly watch a movie on his laptop. About 20 minutes into the movie Avery starts screaming bloody murder, her teeth were killing her :( I had given her Tylenol and Motrin right before bed but it barely helped with the pain. She stayed up until almost midnight crying non-stop. We never finished the movie and by the end of day one watching Jayden I was completely overwhelmed.

The next morning I woke up at 10 am. I jumped out of bed figuring that Jayden was probably just sitting in the living room starving to death but he was still asleep, everyone was still asleep. I took advantage of being the only one awake (for the first time ever) and got ready without rushing, doing it one-handed, or having a little person cling onto my leg crying because I'm not holding her. It was so nice. Just as I finished getting ready everyone else woke up. Steven let me know that Jayden had wet the bed even though he was wearing pull-ups. I washed his PJs and the bed sheets before we left the house. We took the kids to the Discovery Center, I had never been to the Boise one. Only one room was open because they were breaking down the Body exhibit so tickets were half priced. Avery had a blast playing in the baby area! Jayden complained of being bored and wanting to leave after we had only been there a short while so I still haven't seen everything in that one room, we'll have to go back when he's no longer in our care.

Steven had a golf date with Quinn and two guys from work so we all went over to my mom's house. The course was in Boise but I didn't want to be left home alone with the two kids so Steven dropped me off at my parent's house and picked up my brother at the same time. My dad was having a slow day at work so he was able to help entertain Jayden. My mom got home a few hours later which gave me a much needed second to myself. Jayden started complaining about being bored again so we took the kids to the park. Avery discovered how much fun slides are. She went down by herself about 10 times before I decided to take her home because of the strong winds. We had dinner at my parents' house which was nice because Jayden had eaten 7 times that day already and I cannot keep up with the dishes. The kids fell asleep in the car on the drive home. I was more than happy to camp out in the car all night rather than wake them and have to put them back to sleep - Steven didn't agree and woke them up lol.