Photo Shoot: Funny Faces

Amazing Day

Yesterday was an amazing day! My friend Jacki went in to labor at 6:30 am, five weeks early. She and her husband are moving to Chicago and he had left Monday to start his new job. Wednesday was his first day of work so Jacki was alone here with her daughter. My friend Cara went to the hospital to be with her while Cara's husband watched his and Jacki's daugters. I went to walk her dog and visit her at around 1 but stayed with her until the end because things were progressing so quickly. By 4pm she was fully dialated. She was so upset that her husband wouldn't be there. He was on a flight to Denver that kept being delayed. We knew he should arrive in Vail about 8pm. The doctors and nurses never thought she would make it until then, so we prepared to help her deliver the baby. Jacki was determined not to have that baby; her water never broke which ended up supporting the baby in her womb. Josh came running in at 8:04 pm and baby William "Liam" Reid was born at 8:13! It was amazing! Of course we were all crying and the nurses cheering! In addition, Liam was 6 lbs 4oz and 18.5in long! Not the size of 5 weeks premature. He did not have to be flown to Denver, which often occurs with preemies, and he only needed a some oxygen. Praise God!

It was so wonderful that my friend Cara and I could be there to support Jacki. Cara's husband did all the hard work--he took care of Jacki and Cara's daughters while picking Josh up from the airport in Denver. Alex cancelled his schedule so he could take care of Eloise. My adrenaline was rushing--I could hardly fall asleep last night.

Much better

Eloise is continuing to get better from her pneumonia. She is sleeping, playing, and eating well, and her oxygen level has risen. Unfortunately, she now has an ear infection. I hope she continues to improve!

Sick Eloise

We've had a great visit from the Nana and Pops which has unfortunately ended with illness. Eloise was diagnosed with pneumonia. Is that how you spell it? It sounds like a really bad diagnosis, but overall, Eloise isn't acting so badly. She is coughing and sneezing but she's also playing like usual. We started treatments today so hopefully things won't get worse. (If they do get worse, she'll have to go on oxygen which would really be miserable. Pray that she only improves from here!) We'll be sad to see Nana and Pops go!

Slammed with Snow.

We've gotten a lot of snow--about 25 inches in 48 hours and we're not finished yet. Last night we had a break in the clouds and we went out for a walk. Eloise caught some "freshies" in her stroller. :-) It was killer! :-) (We are totally down with the local lingo now.)

Here's Charlie!

Charles Curtis Averitt

Hooray!! Charlie was born this evening--6lbs 13oz. Both baby and mom are doing well! We are very excited! I'll post some photos of him soon.

Christmas Time

We had a wonderful Christmas season. We spent Christmas Eve in Vail and went to Florida on Christmas day. Our travel to Florida was hellish but the fact we and our bags got there was our Christmas miracle. We all had a fantastic time with the Large side of the family. Eloise loved the dogs and all the attention she got from her Nana, Pops, aunts, and uncles. We loved the warm weather, the karoke game, the food, and relaxation. I also saw the movie Juno and loved it--I think it's a must see. We are back to cold weather but looking forward to our visitors this winter!

Too Cute to Ignore

I never thought I'd see the day Eloise fell asleep without putting up a fight. I was wrong! She fell asleep eating lunch today--so cute! We had friends over this morning so she missed her morning nap. Playing with her friends really tuckered her out!

Snow Snow Snow

We've gotten a lot of snow the past few days. It's been a blast! Alex and I went skiing yesterday--he went in the morning and I took a lesson in the afternoon. It was so fun to get out! The lesson also gave me more confidence to ski on my own this winter. Eloise also loves the snow. :-)

So big!

Eloise had her 9 month well visit this morning. The doctor says she's doing so well. She's in the 80% for weight and 75% for head growth and 55% for height (21 pounds and 28 1/3 inches long). We're so proud of our little healthy girl. Now we've just got to keep her that way all winter--that'll be the trick.

Dallas for Thanksgiving

Eloise and I went to Dallas for Thanksgiving. We had a fabulous time! The whole family was there. We ate lots of yummy food, watched lots of football, went to a Mavericks game, walked the Turkey Trot, and caught up with some old friends. Eloise loved climbing the stairs and impressed everyone with her high pitched squeals. She also liked playing with her cousin Cecilia although they did fight over one toy. (There were lots of toys, but they both wanted the same book--human depravity clear as day.) Graham and Alyson are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Charlie. We ate Thanksgiving dinner with Granny who's doing well. It was a wonderful week, and Alex is glad to have us back home.

New Dining Room

In effort to feel more at home in Avon, I have finally decided to do something about the horrible white drapes we have. You can see what a difference some color makes. These curtains are "honey." My next project will be a new coffee table and drapes for the living room. Heck, we might even get rid of the IKEA chair. Our condo is getting a make over!

crawling...standing...cruising

That's right...all Eloise wants to do is stand! She is learning to "cruise" as she reaches for things she wants. It's fun to see her learn but I also wish she'd slow down just a little.

Big Night!

Tonight was a big night for Eloise. She successfully went to a babysitter for over 2.5 hours without freaking out. We are so proud and hope this is a trend to continue!