LIFE AS A LANKFORD

We've had a pretty busy week, although still not as productive as it maybe should have been.  I need to get it in gear or Ned will never let me go on vacation again.

Avery and I had a quiet day on Sunday.  Ned left for a one-night trip to Pennsylvania to see the fire truck that they went to plan on the last trip and to start plans for another one to be built.  Avery enjoyed playing with her kitchen, and we opened her pots and food items a little at a time.  Avery took a long time to fall asleep again, and I was a little worried that this would become a habit.  Overall, it was a good day, which is nice when Daddy's not around to help.  It stormed once Avery went to bed and I was worried the lights would go out.  My cell phone wasn't charged, and I realized we had no phone to plug in if our cordless phones wouldn't work.  I managed to dig up two flash lights but couldn't find any Aim and Flames or matches.  I buy candy corn and Pepsi when hurricanes are coming, so that should explain our poor preparations for inclement weather.  Luckily, the lights stayed on.  This was the first night I had spent in this house, and I did just fine.  I do lay in bed and think about how I'll get everyone out in a fire and all the ways burglars could get in, but I can do that with Ned home too.

Avery had her 2-year appointment Monday.  We stopped at Dairy Queen for a grilled cheese and lemonade after we left the doctor's office.  Avery went right down for her nap when we got home but didn't sleep as long as normal.  We shared a meal from Cracker Barrel for dinner and got in a ride by the house before it started to rain.  Ned wasn't too late getting home, and I was happy to have him off the road.

Tuesday was just a regular day at home with nothing special other than Daddy being back, but of course at work.  We got in some outside time in the morning which has been rare lately.

On Wednesday we went to Conway Photo for Avery's two-year portraits.  Once again, Avery managed about 2 shots before needing to kiss and hug me.  I was a little worried that Carol would get anything good, even though she always gets lots of good things.  Singing about bubbles helped things along, and then we went outside.  Sitting still wasn't much better with lots of nature and a kitty to be loved.  Mosquitoes showed up right away, but Avery of course thought they were BEES.  I was happy to receive the link to them on Friday and find that once again, there are too many great ones.  Avery went home with Lolli, and I picked up lunch for Ned and I.  He got off at 12 and had nothing to do, so we went to Lowe's and did some browsing.  He then played some golf and I had a little quiet time before going to the grocery store to get some things for dinner.

I had a nice, quiet day on Thursday.  I picked up Avery after her nap and we all had dinner at home.  Ned and Avery went to see Rob for a little bit before bedtime.  Avery went to bed, and Ned went to drill.  Not much happened on Friday, but pizza always adds a happy ending to the day.  We took a ride by the house, and Avery was again disappointed that we didn't see Clint.

We went to Rocky Mount Saturday for Hunter's 6th birthday party.  Before the party we stopped at Target for diapers and a snack for Mama.  The party was at the Children's Museum, and we had free reign in the museum plus the animal tracks birthday Hunter chose.  One of the museum workers talked about tracks, and then each child got to make one with plaster.  Avery's mold was a coyote.  Avery enjoyed her time in the museum but tends to do more running that looking/interacting.  Cupcakes got her attention, and I was quite happy to get some cake since it was well after lunchtime.  We left the party at 1 p.m. and went to Chik-Fil-A.  I don't have much experience at a Chik-Fil-A on a major highway on a Saturday, and I'm glad I don't.  It was packed.  Avery filled up on fries and "yade" (lemonade).  We were back in the car a little before 2, and Avery slept all the way home.  I put her in her bed once we got home, but I knew that no more sleeping would occur.  She did get almost 30 minutes of extra rest though.  We had a crazy mix of items for dinner then walked to Mimi's to see Dixie.  Ned went to a wreck after Avery went to bed, and I alternated between Beauty and the Beast and How to Loose a Guy in 10 Days.  My eyelids got the best of me when they went to spend the weekend at his parents'.  The next thing I knew Ned was waking me up and it was after midnight.

We are hoping for another fun week as our summer is quickly slipping away.

The house was the popular place to be this week as Avery has developed a crush on our contractor.  She had seen him a few times before, but we talked to him one night for awhile last week and all we've heard about since then is "Cunk" (Clint).  She hasn't seen him since, but many times a day she says she wants to hug and kiss him.  He lives across the street from the house, so Avery wants to go as much as possible.  Luckily there's been progress to check out when we go.

Ned was out of town Sunday and Monday, so Avery and I rode by Monday night.  The framing crew had cleaned up, and there were windows in the sides of the house.  We all went Tuesday and were excited to see doors and windows.




Ned and I went by ourselves Wednesday night but couldn't see where they had done anything.  We went by tonight because we knew shingles went on today.  They ran out before they finished the porch, but I think the rest of the house is done.  I have no idea about construction times but Ned says they must have been moving pretty quickly.  I like Regis's motto "quickly and efficiently" so that works for me.

Avery had a great check-up Monday morning.  She weighed in at 23.5 pounds and was 32.5 inches long.  Both of those put her between the 10th-20th percentile.  I think her head was somewhere around the 75 percentile...lots of brains!  She's just a tiny thing even though she eats and eats.  Clothes shopping will be a bit of a challenge with these measurements, though.

I think Dr. Applewhite and I spent just as much time talking houses, babies, and other fun things as we did discussing Avery.  Avery is in good health and had clear ears!  She does have a bit of a heart murmur that was detected a few visits ago.  Dr. Applewhite said that if someone didn't know to listen for it, it probably wouldn't be heard.  It isn't a concern, and I think I had one as a toddler also.

Milestones are good and we didn't really spend a whole lot of time discussing them, I guess because she's doing what she needs to.  We did spend some time talking about her speech.  At 2, the general "rule" is that a child should have 50 words, and half of those words should be understandable by a stranger.  We've got well over 50, but I don't think half would be understandable.  I think some of the words were learned while her ears had fluid, and now it's become the words she uses.  She learns new words each day, and many of the letters, blends, etc. she has trouble with are common in children, so no concerns at this time.  As I was busy telling Dr. Applewhite that Avery's receptive language was fabulous, Avery was soaking in everything Dr. Applewhite was saying and doing, and then copying it.  She certainly agreed that Avery doesn't miss a trick!

We briefly discussed potty training, and Avery seems to be on track with that as well.  She's showing interest and that's normal for a girl her age.  She also said it was perfectly normal for her to go for Jennifer and not for us.  Isn't that nice!  We're going to let Avery decide when she's ready to reduce the chance of dragging this out forever and ever or going through a ton of accidents.  We're not pushing the potty right now.

I think we're going to start some vitamins and also switch to fiber gummies instead of her prescription.  I did mean to talk about moving to a big bed and taking the pacifier, but I forgot.  When I got home I figured it was ok because we're going to do it when we're all ready.

No shots yesterday but she did need to have her finger pricked.  We had opted not to have bloodwork drawn before, so it was best we do a quick check.  It didn't go well.  Not only did it hurt, I think it made her mad too, and it took a LONG time for her to calm down.  Luckily I already had her dressed, but I decided we could not leave that room until she had pulled it together a bit.  I kept reminding her that we were going to stop for a grilled cheese, so that finally quieted her down.  We managed to get out of the office and even speak to a few friends with no yelling, but she saw that boo boo as I was getting her into her carseat and started up again.  Lunch dried those tears though.  I would rather have blood drawn than have my finger pricked, so I definitely sympathize with her.

We are so thankful for a healthy, happy little girl.  Now if we could just stay out of the office until our next scheduled appointment in January.

Here are a few more pictures from her birthday weekend.  Here she is in her birthday clothes with birthday morning hair.



Already a mama.  Feeding the baby and watching TV.  Bitty Baby is loving her new crib from Lolli and Poppa.


The kitchen is a big hit.

Avery had a wonderful 2nd birthday party!  The planning started way back in the winter when I picked out these invitations from Dimple Prints on Etsy.  The blurriness is where I used Picasa to mark out our information.


I used little sand buckets for centerpieces with various Mickey cutouts from this Etsy shop.  Even though I hate getting balloons and then disposing of them, I tied some to each of the buckets.



The birthday girl was ready to go, and even got in a pre-party snack before things got started.


Gifts accumulated quickly!  The banner came from Sweet Bug A Boo and was so cute.  Boy do those Etsy totals add up!


Once everyone arrived, we started opening gifts.  Avery's first card was from Kristin, Lucas, and Emerson and played a Mickey song.  Ned and I had the same card for her.  Someone finally had to swipe it because she wouldn't pay attention to her gifts.


But boy were gifts fun!


Ned and I gave her a food set and pots and pans.  Mimi and Grandaddy gave her fridge and pantry foods.


All of that was perfect for her new kitchen!


Ned and I also gave her this pizza set.  It is her favorite toy in the nursery at church, and I was so happy to find it on Amazon.  She had to have her "tata" open right away.


Ned helped Avery and Hunter in the kitchen.



We finally pulled her away from cooking for some cake.  She waited so patiently.


Everyone sang Happy Birthday and Mama blew out the candles.  Avery was too busy watching everyone.  Then, Avery remembered that last year she got to dig right in.  Luckily, she only sampled a polka dot.


The birthday girl got some cake and ice cream, but kept a close eye on Hunter and Emerson who had made their way to her kitchen.


Avery kindly shared her peppers and cheese with Baby E.


After a fun, fun party, it was time to clean up and go home.

This will be super-short, as I could describe our week in very few words.  I covered our Sunday in our last beach post and also blogged about Tuesday already.  The rest of the week was a bunch of nothing in terrible heat.  Avery and I had the good fortune of going to Walmart on Monday to prepare for the week and on Friday to prepare for the party.  Twice in one week, with two big bills, is uncalled for.

Avery stayed with Lolli during the day Thursday.  I'm sure she was glad to get out of the house and see someone new.  The week was full of days that could have a heat index of over 110 degrees, and I felt it was best for everyone to stay in the cool.  I'm sure Avery appreciated the change of scenery.  I ran some errands for her birthday and got some time to rest at home.

Saturday was the big birthday, which I'll blog more about later.  Avery started the day off right by sleeping until almost 8 a.m.  Ned fixed pancakes (a Mickey one for Avery), bacon, and eggs and we enjoyed breakfast together.  Mimi kept Avery while we got ready for the party.  I put Avery down for a nap at 12:30 p.m., and she finally got quiet around 1:40.  I'm hoping she was just over-excited.  The party went well and Avery had a great time.  Lolli and Poppa came to the house for pizza afterwards, and then we took them and Mimi for a tour of the house.  Ned and I had lots of food and presents to put away once we got her in bed.

No pictures for the week because I'm too lazy to go upstairs and do it.  I hope to do her birthday soon, but I'm sad to say I haven't even gotten the pictures on the computer.  I'm hoping my energy will return from vacation this week and bring a bit of productiveness with it.

Dear Avery,

You are two years old today!  It seems like just yesterday we welcomed you to the world, but at the same time it feels like you've been in our lives forever.

We'll get new measurements at the doctor on Monday.  You are fitting better into 18-24 month clothing, though some 12-18 still fits.  You are still in a size 4 diaper and a 5-5.5 shoe.  I bought you some fall clothes for Jen-Jen's, and the 24 month looked so long that I got 18.  After washing they seem a little small.  I can't wait to see your height and weight.

You go to bed between 7 and 7:30 p.m. and are asleep/quiet until around 7 a.m.  Nap time is still at 12:30 and lasts 2 hours or a little more.  I think we will push nap time a little later now that we are done with vacation.  You were a rooster at the beach and did lots of talking before your naps.  I'm happy that neither of those continued at home.  You love you crib and want to get in after just a few minutes of rocking.  I still  check on you every night and feel to make sure you're breathing.  I don't think you'll ever be too big for me to do that.  When you were tiny and your crib was raised, I used to love to smell you at night.  Sometimes in the little bit of light from your nightlight you look like a big girl, and sometimes you have your infant face.

Your eating habits remain the same, and luckily the tears before lunch and dinner have lessened a lot.  You can be a very big eater when it's food you like.  You still drink water and have an occasional lemonade while we're out.  I really need to try milk again and possibly some chocolate milk and orange juice.

You love the same activities inside and out.  You prefer to be outside, but you entertain yourself very well indoors.  You are happiest indoors with random pieces of paper or mail and an ink pen.  The ink pen got away from you this week, so you aren't allowed to keep them after you sneak one now.  We brought your car in while we were at the beach, and it's a big hit inside.  You still love Mickey and I've shown you a few episodes of Barney.  Much to my dismay, you really like him.  I think it's all the singing.  You love to look at your farm and animal picture books and have stories read to you.

New words are learned each day, and you learned lots of beach words while on vacation.  You are starting to pick up on some counting, and your favorites are 2, 6, 8, and 9.  We talk about colors some too, but most everything is blue to you.  We haven't done anything with the alphabet other than pointing out an A on your clothes or the letters in your name.  You know letters and words are for reading.

The beach was so fun for you this year, and you were sad to leave.  I wonder what you thought about the cottage we stayed in.  Did you think we had moved again?  You loved to play in the sand and especially liked Daddy to dig a hole.  You also loved splashing in the water and watching all the planes, helicopters, and birds.  You visited an aquarium for the first time, and we let you walk instead of ride in the stroller.  You were such a good girl all week long, even though Lolli and Poppa were spoiling you just a bit!

Avery, you continue to shower those you love with hugs and kisses.  You like to cuddle, and I call you a wallower.  When we talk about people and things you love, you blow kisses.  You say an awful lot of boy names and blow them kisses!  You also want to kiss the pets, the pool, and the ocean water.  You love your family and your friends, and your love for Mama has only grown since we've been home for the summer.  You cried when I left you at Lolli's yesterday, but by the time I blew the horn at you from the car, you had stopped.  You are so excited to see Daddy come home in the afternoons.  I'm usually cooking and can see him pull up.  When I tell you, you stand on the couch at the big window and wait for him to come on the porch.  Then you want him to either swing or "ticka ticka" you.  You fall out on the floor when you want to be tickled.

These last two years have surely been the best years of our lives.  You seem so grown now, and we are so proud of the good behavior that you usually show.  I try my hardest to remember you as a tiny baby because you are such a big girl these days.  Thank goodness for a million pictures.  And, thank goodness the pictures don't have sound affects!  You are all I have ever dreamed of, but still I didn't know it could be this wonderful.  It's a lot of work too, and some days we look forward to doing better tomorrow.  There just aren't enough words to tell you how much we love you, so we do our best to show you each day.  Our hope for you is that you continue to stay full of wonder, excitement, and love.  We are so proud of the little girl you're becoming and are so happy to call your ours. 

Love,
Mama and Daddy

It was another productive week for our house.  On Monday, they began putting on the roof trusses.  I don't know how I thought they got them up there, but had I known they were using a crane, Avery and I would have watched for awhile.  Inside they cut another door for the kitchen that opens to the stairway.  We still have no steps.



As they added the trusses above our bedroom, they framed in one of our attics.



We didn't go by on Tuesday because our contractor told Ned that the crew that frames the house had several people out.  By Wednesday night they had finished the trusses, completed the plywood over them, added my two peaks on the front, and started the porch.  I was particularly excited to see my peaks (probably not their real name).  Ned was able to climb a ladder and see that they had framed in the bonus room over the garage.  I hated not to see it, but as I've stated before, no ladders for me.  They could also be doing tons of other things that I'm not aware of.  I just go by what I can see!  Ned LOVES that I have the house plan memorized so well and that I'm so attentive.  I'm quick to point out what I think they've forgotten or done wrong.  In their defense, it all catches up correctly.



In all the heat on Friday, the poor men finished the roofing paper and the porch roof and completely wrapped the house.  Ned and Avery stayed in the truck, and I didn't go inside, so I don't know if anything went on in there.  Still no steps.

We had a bit of a tough start to our day.


First, there was just general fussiness of unknown origin.  I wanted to see the first part of Regis and Kelly, but Avery wanted to fuss in my ear.  Putting her down was not acceptable.  Then I had the bright idea of talking about her happy birthday coming up.  We tried on her outfits (which made her cry) and we looked at the supplies for her party (crying when I took them away).  I found the Mickey coloring book I forgot to take to the beach, so I thought that would be a good distraction from the birthday she kept asking for.  We reviewed crayon rules, and coloring went well.  When the coloring was done after 2 minutes, I packed up the crayons and returned them to their safe spot.  That's when I heard the vicious scribbling.

....are finally up!  I've been hit with the need to nap, can't get anything done, bags still not unpacked after-vacation funk, but I've finally uploaded all of our pictures and added them to the appropriate posts.  Maybe taking over 400 photos slowed me down a bit too.

You can see Sunday and Monday here, Tuesday and Wednesday here, Thursday and Friday here, and Saturday and Sunday here.  Now to get them on Facebook before Ned asks yet again.

Although I did not want to rush our vacation, I constantly wondered what was going on with our house.  My father-in-law took some pictures during the week, and this is what we came home to yesterday.  I hope to add the ones from during the week soon.


The entire first floor and some of the 2nd is now covered in plywood, and we have a 2nd floor.  The roof trusses came during the week, so I was thinking we would have a roof but it looks like they have a little more work to do first.


Our contractor was also on vacation, so they may have done tons of things that I'm not aware of.  They have not poured the porch floor.  I think the actual covered part of the porch will come later.


It's really starting to look like a house from all sides.


We don't have steps yet, and as I'm not one to climb ladders, this is the best I can do until someone constructs a staircase.  This is a front bedroom, and the wide door opening is the closet.  To the right of that is a bathroom.


This is the back bedroom on the left side, and you can see the closet framed in.  To the right of that is a hall bath.


This is where the stairs will lead to, and there is another front bedroom.


This is the opening in our foyer.


Our family room is 2-story, and we can now see what the back wall will look like with our fireplace.