where to begin...

every night i say to zane i'm going to post but a) it's hard to follow his last post and b) there seems to be so much going on that i don't even know where to start :) a shortened version of the last week(ish) will have to do...but, check out a picture album here

*christmas stuff

-it was weird to not really travel anywhere for the holiday this year. not to california, not to kansas, but not even from nh to mass. there was some part of it that was nice to not worry about travelling (at avery's age, i dont know HOW we would have ever survived a long trip, car or plane), but there was also a part that wanted to be packing up and taking a little vacation.

-christmas eve...did a little shopping in the morning. we hadn't really gotten avery much because there isn't a lot that she needs and we figured this was one of the only years we could get away with being measly :) however, hormones got the best of me and i decided i wanted her to have a few toys to open on christmas and we went out and bought elmo live (worth every penny :)) and a bag of air filled balls (to someday go in a ball pit?). later zane made a taco layer dip that we devoured for lunch and a veggie platter that helped our bellies that night. we put avery in her new christmas pjs, took some pictures and settled on the couch for a night of food network shows. definitely a different christmas eve than we're used to, but it was nice in it's own right :)

-we had have a really nice christmas day at my parents, with both my sisters and our brother in law, nephew and future brother in law. we did a yankee swap this year which was a lot more fun than i anticipated and had lots of dinner and sweets throughout the day. avery was a trooper and survived the day on 30 minutes sleep! in the picture album you'll see how she comforted herself for much of the evening roaming around :)

-we've already taken down every christmas "thing" in the house (except for the tree which is dying and on it's way out). today it was 60 degrees out and i've never wanted to skip winter so badly!

-avery and i got together with my mom and her longtime neighbor and friend jan and her daughter (my "sister) meghan for a little coffee/tea/christmas gift breakfast. it was so nice to get together and eat yummy cookies and reconnect. we're pretty sure avery is getting more teeth (upper? lower? molars? who knows), so she was a bit off and cranky, but we had a good time nonetheless!

house stuff...

-zane has been working on remodeling the basement stairs. taking down plaster on the ceiling, putting up sheetrock, painting over the green that has been there for years! its looking awesome already and we can't wait to have the finished product :)

-we painted our bedroom today. we were going to wait until tomorrow and send avery to my parents, but with today's warm temperatures, we decided to get it done quick and have all the windows open while we could. we haven't moved all the furniture back yet, but i already love the change :)

-zanes mom and zanes dad and wife nancy sent us VERY generous christmas gifts that we used towards purchasing a dining room set!!! we've been wanting this since we moved in and didn't know when we'd be able to make it happen, but now it's done and we're so excited!! the table, 4 chairs and sideboard are arriving on new year's eve day, so pictures to come. THANK YOU!!!!! :)

me, 16ish weeks

kid/baby stuff...

-avery has taken OFF with her copycat skills :) the other night we stopped by my parents to pick up some of the leftover christmas things and my mom was playing with avery, lifting her arms up and down and saying "up, down, up, down". seconds later, avery toddled off, flapping her arms up and down, repeating "up, down, up, down". she also likes to repeat "i love you", although in her language it sounds like "i raaah raaahh". we know what she means though and it melts our hearts ;)

-pickles is waking up and making itself known! for about a week now, every time i put avery down for a nap, pickles starts its show. i sit with avery for a while in our reclining chair with her pacifier and blanket while she winds down. right where her bum digs into my belly is where pickles likes to wiggle :) its such an amazing feeling to have both of them "there". last night avery was having a really hard time getting to sleep, and was finally drifting off in my lap (doesn't happen very often, she's almost always awake when we put her in her crib) when pickles started moving. i had visions of this summer when we finally get one child to sleep only to have the other wake up. sounds crazy, but i actually can't wait!

-we noticed tonight that on either side of avery's top 2 teeth, it's swollen with one tooth pretty much breaking through. she's been chomping on either index finger so much in the last few days that her fingers are red and wrinkled :( i hope whatever teeth she has coming are here fast!

k, i think that's it for now. it's an hour past my bedtime, other stuff i think of will have to wait :)