The Best Laid Plans

Hey family!

This past week was not quite like I expected it to be. It was Mama's first full week with us gals alone, and we were going to rejoin playgroup, head to Pre-School, and even have a big girl pajama party with church friends on Friday night. Instead, I woke up from naptime on Monday feeling a little under the weather. I sported a 100 or 101 all week, complete with a terribly runny nose, yucky cough, and congestion. Turns out I had a sinus infection and all the liquid in my ears made for a double ear infection. Yikes! On Saturday, I started my antibiotics and I am feeling much better today. Mom is THRILLED that we will be able to leave the house this week and start interacting with humans again! Despite Mom's best efforts, it sounds like Kate is coming down with the same stuff. Please join us in prayer for her little body to be healed so it doesn't escalate. (For those keeping track, YES - this does equal 2 full blown illnesses in 3 weeks - I've been more sick this month than in the past year combined! Pre-school is doing it's part to build my immunities, that's for sure!)

Because I was sick all week, we got pretty creative in coming up with ways to stay entertained. Needless to say, there was a LOT more TV than usual being watched ("Pee Pan" is a favorite this week), but we also took long soaks in Mom's tub, colored and did stickers countless times, irritated Oscar and Dottie, and took several visits to Nana and DD's house. (Mama is so thankful they aren't afraid of germs... getting out of the house was a mental health issue for both of us this week! :)) We also got to bring the cool little house that's been at Nana and DD's home with us this week, and I have really enjoyed playing in it! Granddaddy went to Disney World this week on business and brought me back some treats on Wednesday night, and I happily played with the cool colored hot chocolates, my new Ariel cup, and Princess stamps that he got for me. I also had time to play under their dining table like it was a tent with all of my princesses and enjoyed "chicken ah fries" with them more than once!

While I was at Nana's house, Mama, Daddy and Kate got to go see the new location for our church. We hope to be meeting there at the start of the new year, and Daddy can't wait to leave his drum set up instead of tearing it down each week! It's going to be amazing to have a place of our own for The Waters to meet!

Also this week, Kate continued to grow and change! Since we couldn't get out of the house to show her off, Mom and I took some pictures of her. Last night when Daddy weighed her, she was 7 pounds 1 ounce! She's a growing girl!

Click here for pictures from "Sick Week"

Love,

Avery "Illness" McClinton

The Good and The Bad

Dear Family,

If ever there was a week of big events and transitioning behaviors, this was it! The week was a mishmash between having a blast celebrating Halloween and Daddy's birthday and learning that Kate is here to stay and trying new acting out behaviors to see what gets me the most attention. Don't get me wrong, I'm a precious angel about 80% of the time, it's just that the combination of being two and being de-throned is sometimes a lot for us all to handle.

Great moments from the week:

*Daddy and Nana taking time off of work to play with me

*Having visitors at night - Nonnie, Great Nonnie, and DD all stopped by!

*Daddy's birthday: breakfast in bed with him, Saltgrass dinner to go, and special hugs for my "not old yet" Daddy

*Pumpkin carving - I helped until the smell got too strong :)

*Watching Kate GROW - from 5 lb 6 oz to 5 lb 10.5 oz this morning!

*Hanging out with Aunt Amanda and Uncle David

*Saying cheese with Kate for professional photos

*Trick or treating with Daddy, DD, and Mommy (Nana stayed home and helped Kate pass out the candy)

*Playing with my Playgroup friends at a Family Halloween Party

The not great moments from the week are way less fun to recall, so let's just say there were a few fits when I saw Kate being held, when I woke up from nap, even at the playgroup party... every week that I realize Kate is here to stay will get better and I know before long it'll hit me that she really belongs in our family! :)

Click here for pictures from the week

Click here for pictures from the professional photo shoot

Love you!

Avery

Kate is Here!

Hey family,

It's been pretty crazy since I last wrote. After naptime on Thursday, I got all dressed up and headed to meet sister Kate. I instantly loved her, making my silly half-giggle noises and wanting to compare our eyes, nose, fingers... Even though there are bound to be some hard days ahead as I learn my new place, most of all I just love Baby Kate.

I stayed with Nana and Granddaddy while Mom was in the hospital, and was going to come home for good with the family on Saturday. I did get to go to the hospital in another adorable dress and escort Kate home in our side by side carseats, but I wasn't acting like myself and was running a slight fever, so even though Mommy thought it might be because of teething, everyone agreed it'd be better for me to spend one more day with Nana and DD. It's a good thing, too! Turns out I had a stomach bug and wasn't feeling so well all day Sunday. Nana and DD took amazing care of me, but I still missed Baby Kate, asking about her once I started feeling better. I'm on the mend now, but it has been a very different weekend than I could have ever imagined. Mommy thanks God for Nana and DD and for letting me handle my first ever stomach illness like such a champ! We're praying hard for health for all those exposed, especially Baby Kate - Mommy doesn't think a 5.5 pound baby should weather an illness like this!

On a side note, Baby Kate enjoyed her time in the hopspital, entertaining visitors and charming the nursery workers. Now that she's home, she's really showing off her laid-back personality. Mommy says its amazing how much we can look alike and yet how different we can act! She's the perfect yin to my yang so far. (Mommy says she watches me get more perfect everyday, and now she knows it must be a McClinton baby trait, because Kate grows more beautiful and lovable every moment she's around!)

Next week, we're counting on God to keep everyone else in the family healthy, and we plan to "relax and simplify" - Nana's new motto for Mommy - as Daddy and Nana take some time off of work to play with me and hold the baby. Also next week: Daddy's birthday, Halloween, AND professional pictures with Kate and I.

Click here for pics (some are repeats from proud Daddy's email)

Love,

"Big Sisser" Avery

Last Week Alone

This is it!  My last nigt as an only child!  I've had a busy past week and weekend preparing for Kate and enjoying the last days of my reign.  My weekly post is going up a few days late, because Mommy says there was a lot to include from this week as well and we wanted to be sure and save next week's email just for "Kate and Me" pictures.

Last weekend, Mommy and Daddy and I went and spent a fun family day at Dewberry Farms.  I got to see barn animals, ride a corn train, play on the playground, see pumpkins all lit up, and play hide and go seek with Daddy in a corn maze.

I also got to enjoy my last night as an only child tonight.  I have been requesting stroller rides (which is very random if you remember that I bucked strollers at 9 months and haven't been in one since) and playing in the coin thing at Katy Mills, so that is exactly what I got to do.  We also celebrated Mommy's last meal with Mexican food (Daddy says he hopes Mommy's obsession with fajitas starts to wane after Kate comes because the poor guy has been subjected to an awful lot of Mexican lately!)

Other things that made my week special were making brownies using Mimi's Halloween presents to me (sprinkles and pumpkin cupcake holders!) and celebrating at another "Kate party" (this one with my playgroup friends).  It's been a great ride so far, and Mom and Dad promise me that Kate will only make it better!

Tomorrow I will go to school and see Ms. Georgia and Ms. Jennifer.  Mom and Dad are going to drop me off at school and then head to Katy Memorial Hermann Hospital, where Mommy is going to have Kate!  My whole word is going to change as I am introduced to my (hopefully) best friend and little sister, Kate Elizabeth.  (Incidentally, Mom also says she is coveting any prayers you may want to send up for the event tomorrow.  Surgery isn't her thing!)

Click here for pictures from the week (There is a video of me and Daddy that needs volume)

Kate News! (and Other Excitement)

Dear family,

This week, the big news is about sister Kate. Last Monday, Mom started having something called contractions. I don't know what that means, but for 2 hours she called out to Daddy every 4 minutes that "another one was coming on" and Daddy wouldn't let me jump on her while she laid still on the couch. By the end of the night, everything was headed back to normal, but on Thursday, Mommy's doctor told her that there's little chance she'll make it to Kate's due date and that it isn't a good idea to "stretch" a c-section uterus with repeated contractions. So, she told my mom that Kate needs to come on October 23rd, which is just 10 days away (when Mommy is 39 weeks pregnant)! Mommy was shocked, but we're all pretty excited now! Kate even got a tiny Halloween costume - a bunny - and I am a little confused by that, saying, "Baby Kate Easter Bunny Halloween." This is tricky stuff!

While Kate is the big news (and big excitement) around our house, I still did manage to have a fun and adventurous week of my own.

Highlights include:

*My first trip to the dentist (all is well on that front, and I've even gained a whole pound in 1 month!)

*Following Oscar around relentlessly - and learning to steal his bunny for fun (Mom says he's a real trooper!)

*Daddy's new glasses (somehow he alluded the camera this week, stay tuned for pics of him and his handsome new look!)

*Dottie and Oscar's trip to the vet (as you can imagine, I was quite the helper!)

*Dottie's allergic reaction to the shots, causing "Fat Face Dottie" (she's fine after Benadryl)

*Another great day at school (I am finally comfortable enough with Miss Georgia to thorw fits for her)

*My school's Fall Festival with Daddy, Mommy, and Nonnie

*Will and Luke's birthday party, watching Nana and DD's dog Rascal all weekend, and a yummy dinner out with Ms. Erin and Mr. Adam

Mommy and Daddy are spending the rest of this week and next enjoying their time with little ole me, knowing that life is about to change! :)

Click here for pictures from the week

I love you all!

Avery "Big News" McClinton

Kate Party and Father's Day in October

I had another wonderful week, complete with park days, a visit to my favorite pumpkin patch, another fabulous day at school, and a "rabbit" movie (Ratatouille) at Miss Erin and Mr. Adam's house.



Then, on Friday, Aunt Erin and Uncle Trey got on an airplane to come see me. I spent Friday afternoon bonding with them, and that night, Mom, Dad, DD, and Nana spent a lot of time getting my house all set up. I got all of my pictures hung in my big girl room and they set up a new glider for me to read books in!



Saturday after swim lessons, Daddy took me to Aunt Erin's house, where I was slightly overwhelmed to see lots and lots of people who love me all having a party for Kate! Mommy says she has some of the best friends ever who made the party beautiful and so fun, and I agree! I loved the balloons, the yummy food, punch, and cake, and all of the presents for Kate and me. I especially loved getting special time with Nonnie and Nana while Mom and Dad opened gifts.



As if that wasn't enough excitement for the day, I went to Nana and DD's house for naptime because it was finally time to celebrate Father's Day for DD. Every year, the family plans a special menu (around a destination - this year was our trip to LA) for DD, and then we wait until the whole family can be together to make the meal. DD had to be REALLY patient this year, because Father's Day didn't come for him until October! While I was sleeping, everyone was busy in the kitchen making masterpieces. Dinner was amazing, as always, and I ended out the night cuddling with Nana and DD and bonding (again) with Aunt Erin.



I love keeping busy, but am looking forward to a "normal" week and weekend to recover from all of the excitement.



Pictures from the week - there are videos again this week - turn up the volume for a special performance by Trey and Pocahontas!



Love,

Avery



PS - For those keeping track, we're officially 1 month away from Kate's arrival!

Favorites

My mommy had a running joke with her second graders back when she taught.  She'd pull out a book from the shelf and say enthusiastically, "This is my favorite book!"  The kids would then groan and say, "Mrs. McClinton, EVERY book is your favorite book!"  Little would Mommy have guessed, but the joke resurfaced this week when we were watching the Wiggles together.  I looked over at Mommy at the start of every song and said, "Mommy fae-bit."

It feels the same when Mommy talks about the seasons changing.  Every time we head into a new season, Mommy spends about a week telling me how that particular season is her favorite!  Right now, Mommy and I are oohing and ahhing over the mild weather, the feel of autumn in the air, and the excitement that comes with fall each year (Halloween, Daddy's birthday, Thanksgiving and family, yummy smells and foods!)  This year, we get to add another exciting event to the fall lineup - Kate's birthday!

We really enjoyed fall this week at our favorite park, Mary Jo Peckham.  We fed the goldfish and ducks, chased squirrels (I reminded Mommy that squirrels are special because they sing with Snow White), played on the playground, and I tried my hand at putt-putt for the first time.

I also had one last birthday celebration this week with my friends Hannah, Ethan, and Emma Kate, got to go to PetsMart with my playgroup friends for a "field trip", and spent the night at Nana and DD's, where I danced my heart out.  On Saturday, during swim class, Ms. Shell told my daddy she thinks I'm ready to move up to the next class - Goldfish!  It's NOT a Daddy-and-Me class, so Mommy thinks we might wait until the sister transition has taken place before putting me in a swim class without Daddy, but it's exciting that I'm learning so fast nonetheless!

I went to school for the second time this week and we seem to have figured out that pesky half-nap thing because Ms. Georgia let me read quietly in the book corner during rest time and then I got my real nap at home.  I also won Ms. Georgia over this week when I randomly walked up to her and happily asked for cuddles.  

While I was busy charming my teachers, Mommy went to see about Kate.  Kate is growing well and appears to be 4 lbs 5 oz, with some hair (but nothing like what I had!), and is most certainly all girl.  It looks like we're on track for a Nov. 6th birth, but stayed tuned for changes as the day draws near!

Pictures of my week  (There are 2 videos that should load automatically for you if you are in slideshow mode - turn up your volume if you can to hear me as well.)

Love, 

Avery

PS - This morning, I proudly told Mommy her real name - "An-ju-wah", and when Mommy asked what Daddy's real name is, I said - without skipping a beat - "Honey".  They may be Mommy and Daddy to me, but I know their alternate names!