Six Months

Sarah Avery, you are six months old!    How have you already been here for half of a year?   While in some ways it feels as if time has flown, in other ways, it is really difficult to imagine our family without you in it.   We just returned from your well exam and you are tall.....28 inches which puts you in the 99th percentile.   You weigh 17 lbs which is 65th percentile and you are apparently getting smarter because your head circumference jumped up to the 91st percentile.   ;)     You were really brave with your shots and only cried a little bit.   You are sleeping through the night like a champ (12 hours with only one "dream-feed" at 9:30.)   You love your jumperoo.   You are sitting up now to play with your toys, but you still need a pillow behind you to keep you from toppling over.   You are typically content as long as you are next to one of us.   You like sitting in your bouncy seat in the kitchen while I cook or in the bathroom while Susannah and I get ready in the mornings.   You most favorite thing though, by far, is playing with your sister.   She can make you laugh and smile the most and you love to have her read to you.   The only struggle we are having now is naps...... even though you love your crib at night, you hate it for naps and scream incessantly if I leave you in there during the day.   So we are doing our naps in the car seat for now.   It has been working out pretty well because I like to walk anyway, but I know we should probably be breaking this habit at some point.   This mama isn't going to complain though because you are a rock star sleeper at night!!   Here are some pictures of your six month birthday week.  

Morning cuddle time in our matching pjs.

We had a little mini photo shoot one afternoon before going to pick up Susannah at school.   

I'm including all of the shots because they each show a different little expression of yours. 

Sweet little profile.

Wide eyes. (That are still blue)

Your hair is still growing too.

Sweet.  Sweet.

"Ok,  That's enough Mommy.'

Your sister is hilarious as always.   This is what she does in the morning while Mommy gets dressed.    

Still your favorite past time.  

Susannah has been so excited to wear this dress that Grandmama gave her for Christmas. 

It's always better with a few accessories, right?

Playing with your feet is your other favorite activity.

Morning story time with Sissy.

She wants to read the book and you want to eat the book.  

Even though we had a sunny spring-like day last Friday, winter is still prevailing here in Stuttgart.   Getting these two bundled up every morning takes at least five extra minutes.   

But you guys sure do look cute in all your winter gear.   

Sarah Avery, we love you so much.   You have made our family complete and brought so much joy and laughter to Susannah, Daddy, and me.   We are so grateful to be your family and watch you grow and learn.     Happy half birthday!!!  

Valentines Day 2015

Happy Valentines Day everybody!   We had a very uneventful and restful weekend.   It was perfect and just what we needed.   I realized as we were finishing up our Saturday afternoon walk that this holiday has been pretty eventful for our family over the past several years.    February 14, 2012 was the day Peter left for his last deployment.   And February 14, 2013 I was learning to walk again after my spinal fusion.   Last year I was pregnant and we were still trying to settle into our life here in Germany.   So this year, a nice long family weekend was true perfection.   Sarah Avery is sleeping so well that I even let myself stay up and watch a movie one night with Peter.   It was glorious!!

Here are some pics from our week....

Susannah requested a ponytail like Mommy's one morning before school.    

We have been testing out the waters with a few pears, but Sarah Avery is not interested. 

She doesn't hate it, but she doesn't really ingest any of it either.  

Carnival is a big deal in Germany and the schools usually have costume parties to celebrate.   Susannah could dress up on Thursday and Friday.   

Thursday she was Elsa.   Every single student and teacher was in costume.   And they even had a clown come to perform.   I thought Susannah might be scared, but she thought he was hilarious. 

After school she decided to be Belle while she ate her snack.  

Friday she was another Princess.   This time more of a Vegas show-girl type one???   :)

Friday night we went out to our favorite Turkish restaurant.   We played "I spy" while we waited for our food. 

Valentine's Day morning.   

This one has been sitting up and playing like such a big girl. 

She is such a happy baby now that she is getting enough sleep.   

Saturday afternoon Susannah declared a beach picnic was in order so she laid out the "sand" and the "water" and wore her bathing suit while she had a tea party on the "sand".   Sarah Avery was happy to join her. 

Sunday morning reading time.  

Nothing better than relaxing in our pjs with Daddy.

I tried to snag a good shot of the girls before church in their valentines day best, but it was tough.  

They didn't want to be still, smile, and look at me at the same time.  

They tried, but it is a lot to ask.  ;)

Hope all of you are well.   We miss and love you!!  

Home Sweet Home

Home.   Aaahhh.   We made it.   After five weeks in Georgia and Tennessee, I can honestly say that our little German neighborhood feels more like home than it ever has.    Seeing all of our beloved friends and family was worth the pain, but if I'm honest, trans-atlantic traveling with a five month old is not something I would recommend.   It was tough.    Sarah Avery's sleep worsened progressively throughout our visit.  She was waking six or seven times a night by the time we were nearing the end of our stay.   I was struggling.  And while the overnight flight with the girls went surprisingly well  (thank you children's dramamine), I was so dead tired by the time we made it to our apartment I could have cried.   Ok....full discosure....I did cry.   ;)     Jet lag coming this way was actually much easier than I had feared so I am happy to report that we are back in a normal routine and loving it.    Sarah Avery is sleeping through the night, (please pause to knock on the nearest piece of wood) and Susannah is back at school.    Peter was amazing as usual and had the house and car clean, the fridge stocked, and even talked his way through security to meet us at baggage claim so I didn't have to wrangle the girls and two suitcases.   I don't have many pictures to share this post, but here are a few.....

At our gate in Atlanta and soooo excited to see Daddy!

This one was a dream at the airport.  Couldn't have asked for better.

One last fro-yo fix before heading back to the land of no soft-serve.   We added reese's pieces for good American measure.   I can't say enough about what a little partner Susannah was during this trip.   She seemed to mature overnight.  Several times I felt like I couldn't have managed without her help.    

Don't let these sleepy eyes fool you.......this one was not a fan of sleeping on the airplane.   (which was crazy because she has slept through every single short flight she has ever flown.)

This one slept for 5 hours!!     

We purposely booked a bulkhead row so we could request one of these infant bassinets.   I almost hyperventilated when we boarded and I saw that our bulkhead was the only one that didn't have the little bassinet attachment.   Holding Sarah Avery for 9 straight hours, including when I took Susannah to the potty was not my idea of a good time.   And, yes, I am aware that people do it all the time, but those people are much stronger and more patient than me.   And probably have stronger arms.  ;)    As you can see in this picture, we were able to switch seats with the incredibly kind German couple next to us and did end up with a bassinet.   They volunteered to switch when they heard me talking to pleading with the flight attendant and explained that they had four children and wanted to help me.   

This is what it looked like.   Even though she only slept a couple of hours, it was so nice to have that break.   

Peter took a long weekend off from work so that he could help us get settled and readjusted.    One day he took Susannah out for ice cream while Sarah Avery and I stayed home and napped.   Best.  Dad.  Ever.

We have officially moved out of the carseat attachment and into the normal stroller seat.   

It has been super cold, but Sarah Avery seems to be enjoying her warm, snuggly rides. 

She has been such a happy baby since we have been home.   

And this one is having a blast playing with all her Christmas presents.   (Peter reorganized the apartment so that the dining room is now a playroom and our foyer is now our dining room.   The playroom is a huge hit with all of us.)

My big girl before school this morning. 

I know it's blurry, but I had to include this because it is, by far, Sarah Avery's favorite place these days.   

 That is all for now.   A great big thanks to all of you who prayed for us on our travel day.   All of the wonderful memories we made with family and friends were priceless, but I think it's safe to say that we are staying on this side of the Atlantic for a good long while.   We miss you all already though!!  

USA part 2

We are still here in the good 'ol US of A, which is my excuse for being such a slacker about posting on the blog lately.    In  addition to enjoying time with friends and family, I also have doctor visits and antibiotics and sleepless nights to thank for my laziness with picture posting.    We had a WONDERFUL time in Knoxville, but unfortunately our fun memories were in spite of two sick little girls.    Susannah started coughing on the plane from Atlanta to Knoxville and within two days, she was not in good shape.   And, of course, as soon as she started to feel better, Sarah Avery started showing symptoms.   Luckily, we found a really nice urgent care clinic that set them up with good meds and now they are both back in tip top form.    After almost three weeks in Knoxville, we returned to Georgia and have enjoyed some time with Mimi and Poppy.    But I think all three of us are very excited to get back to our apartment and our beds and most importantly, Daddy!!   Only 2 more days!!   Here are some pictures from our time......

 

 

 

This girl has grown and developed so much during our trip.   Can't believe all the changes.

Susannah read to her little sister almost every morning while I dressed and got ready for our day.

The girls LOVED spending time with their Grandmama.    And she was a lifesaver when they were sick as she kept the well one while sickie and I were at the doctor and the pharmacy.

Aunt Susan and Susannah played for hours and hours. 

Uncle Andy and Uncle Caleb were a little uneasy about holding this one, but she loved it!

Uncle Andy loved playing princess match game. 

Grandmama most definitely had this one spoiled into thinking that she should be held every moment of the day. 

We were able to spend a couple of days with my best and oldest childhood friend and her kiddos.  Susannah and Ellie were big buddies.

Sarah Avery loved hanging out on their cool bean bag chairs. 

Happy camper

More grandmamma pics

Sarah Avery has been napping really well in her carseat so we planned our days around this, which meant a few instances where we played in the car so she could finish her nap.   (Don't worry, we will be breaking these awful habits as soon as we are back at home.)

Susannah with Grammy and Grandmama.   We don't have as many pics with Grammy because she was usually too busy helping me with something to pose.   ;)

A selfie to send to Daddy

She has mastered sitting up pretty well. 

All smiles

She still tumbles over sometimes, but I can't believe how steady she has become during this trip.

Sarah Avery's "I have an ear infection and hate taking my antibiotic" face.

Susannah has been such a trooper and SUCH a big helper this trip.    I think she has matured just as much as her little sister.  

We managed to squeeze in a trip to the frozen yogurt place.  

Grandmama spoiled her with all sorts of yummy desserts.

Laughing at sissy.

Can you tell Aunt Susan is a kindergarten teacher??

Uncle Andy took Susannah outside to play and tried to give her a first baseball lesson. 

Happy Baby (who has become a progressively worse sleeper during this trip.......some nights we have been up 6 different times.)

More reading time.

Another fun day with Ellie

Which meant more bean bag time for this one.

Finally!   A picture with Grammy.   

These girls LOVED their Grammy and loved staying at her house for such a long visit. 

We tried to get a good 4 generations picture, but Susannah was over it. 

Grammy took us to the bookstore one day so we had some new fun books to read.

We have gotten waaay too accustomed to having Disney Jr whenever we want it.    Screen time withdrawals are in Susannah's very near future.   

Uncle Andy was a great sport about being Susannah's model one day after lunch.   (notice the pecan pie in this picture??  grandmamma fed us REALLY well.)

This one was growing so much and so active all the time that we decided to break Susannah's jumperoo out of Grammy's attic.   She LOVED it.

Susannah LOVES her Grammy.   

So does this baby girl. 

Attempt number two at a group picture.   I look sick and tired because I was.   ;)

Before we knew it, we were back at the airport waiting to head back to Atlanta.    Susannah is such an amazing little travel companion.   And in off moments, she is easily bribed with conversation hearts.  ;)

This is what the girls do while I get ready in the morning at Mimi and Poppy's house.

Love these girls   (even when they team up to ensure that I get the minimum amount of sleep as possible)

Mimi and Poppy have been reading to Susannah all week......her favorite is Mimi's Curious George Collection.

Reading by the fire.  ;)

Sarah Avery is still practicing her rolling over skills.   

We have also spent some more time with Shoo Shoo and Aunt Nancy.  

And Honey.

Aunt Nancy has been such a help and even kept the girls for me one night so I could go eat sushi.    Susannah will miss her Aunt Nancy like crazy, I'm sure!!  

We will miss all of our amazing family, for that matter.    We are so grateful to all of you that received us with such love and patience.   We miss you all already and can't wait until the next time we are together!