Mommy's Little Pumpkin

My Mom had been hunting for something Halloween-ish for Avery to wear. When she came out last week, she brought a few things....including this cute sweatshirt. I always call the baby "my little pumpkin" or "pumpkin pie" so it's perfect! There's a patch on the front that says "Mommy's little pumpkin".
Here she is wearing it for the first time with her new jeans:

With the hood up:

close up:

She's been starting to wear some of her 3-6 month clothes now-some 3 month stuff still fits, but we're starting to bring out the new wardrobe as well. This outfit Gabe's sister Molly gave us-our neice wore it when she was little:

And another new outfit we got at our open house when Avery was born: (love the face!):

Cute As A Button

That's what her outfit says! And of course I have to agree!



Here she is doing her "tummy time"-she's getting pretty good at holding her head up!

It's funny how changing her hair makes her look like a boy:

Gabe took these pics of her tonight while I was at the gym.
This is her latest "thing"...sucking on her lips and making this funny face:

Falling over:

Look at that puss!

Four Day Weekend

I have a four day weekend this week-I was asked to switch my Monday shift for next Friday so a four day weekend for me! Yesterday Avery and I didn't do much-we just took my car to get the oil changed and tires rotated. Then we all went to a local restaurant for dinner. Nothing too exciting.

Today I got up and went to the gym. Gabe and I took Avery for a walk since it was nice and sunny out. We haven't been on a walk in awhile so it was nice to get out and enjoy the weather....especially since we won't have too many of these days left before the "s" word. Not sure what we're doing tonight. Maybe go to the Carter's store and out to eat? We'll see.

Tomorrow we're going to the in-laws' for my Father-in-law's birthday party so that'll be nice. Other than that, not much else planned.


Here are a few pics of Avery from the week:


Wearing some pumpkin gear from Grandma (she struck this pose all by herself!):

Daddy and his two girls:

Tortilla Soup with Black Beans

I hardly ever make homemade soups-there are always a billion ingredients, half of which I don't have in the house...so I just never make them. I saw this recipe and it looked very easy so I decided to give it a try.

Tortilla Soup with Black Beans
(Source: On My Mind, Adapted from Everyday Food Magazine)

Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder (or more to taste)
- 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
- 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) tomato sauce
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels
- 1 cup water
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 1 cup crushed tortilla chips, plus more for serving (optional)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
- Mexican cheese, for sprinkling on top
- Dried or fresh cilantro, also for topping (I didn't use this)

Directions:
1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium. Cook garlic and chili powder until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes (with juice), tomato sauce, beans, broth, corn, and 1 cup water; season with salt and pepper.

2. Bring soup to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Add tortilla chips; cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in lime juice, and season with salt and pepper. Serve soup with lime wedges (we didn't use the lime wedges) and, if desired, more chips. Sprinkle with cheese and cilantro.




Overall this soup was very tasty-it has a kick to it with the amount of chili powder listed. I probably wouldn't add anymore just because I don't like things super spicy. Next time I might add in some rice or chicken just to try it-it seems like it would be really good that way. Definitely a keeper!

Clam Bake, etc.

We had a pretty good weekend this past weekend.

Saturday we took Avery for her 3 months pictures at JC Penney's. Even though she wasn't feeling well, she was still all smiles and in a great mood which was nice. They got some really cute shots of her-can't wait to get them! After that we did some running around and went to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner.

Sunday we had Gabe's family clam bake that they do every fall. It was at a park out in Ogden/Spencerport area. The entire family goes so it's nice to see everyone. Some of them hadn't met Avery yet so it was nice that they finally got to see her before she got too big! Of course I don't eat the clams, but they had plenty of other grub to eat! We had a nice time and it was a pretty decent day for it.

Today was back to work. The highlight of the day was that Gabe got Avery to laugh for the first time! He was kissing her belly and she was laughing! It was soooo cute!


These are a few pics from late last week of Avery playing...
Some rattle shots:



Hugging her lamby:

Smiles!

First Illness

Yesterday we woke up to Avery having a pretty rough sounding cough. My poor baby has her first cold! We took her temperature and she didn't have one (yay!) so there isn't much we can do for her. We set up a humidifier in her bedroom and run that at night for her to try and loosen up the congestion. She has a little stuffed nose too but is eating completely fine. I had some plans of running errands yesterday, but with her being that way we decided to stay home and just relax instead. She woke up twice overnight last night-I think she coughed herself awake and then couldn't fall back asleep. I do have to say she is in very good spirits-she's still smiling and acting completely normal which is good. I was fearing she would be cranky and clingy, but she isn't so I'm happy about that. I just feel bad for her when she coughs-it breaks my heart! I knew it was a matter of time before she got sick with her going to daycare and the weather changing daily. So I know it's the first of many illnesses to come!

Oh, and Mommy got the cold as well!

Vote For Avery!

I entered Avery into a Gap casting call....something I did on a whim! They have a "fan favorite" baby which I guess is based on votes. So, do us a favor and vote for Avery!! Just go here and at the bottom left it says "search entries". In this spot, you can search by my username, battybtags, or ID number which is 732149813. Once Avery's picture comes up, you can click on "vote" to vote for her. Just an FYI-you do need to register in order for your votes to count. Just fill out your name, etc and create a username and password. You don't have to fill out the children's info-that's just if you're entering someone into the contest.

The good news? You can vote once a day, everyday! Yes, EVERYDAY!! So please vote for Avery-she needs the votes!!