Let's do Lunch

I know, I know. It's been ages since I've posted. The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind. So I'm posting on my lunch break. (It used to be called the "lunch hour" but I'm almost positive we don't get a whole hour any more.) I can't post at home any more. Avery is much too wiggly. She likes to kick the keyboard while I type, so I don't even try to get the laptop out any more. And I'm just about ready to pass out myself after she goes to bed. So lunch break it is.

Work has been incredibly stressful lately—not just busy—but stressful. I'm quite used to a fast pace. In fact, I enjoy the fast pace. But the work load is wearing on me. I actually drove to work the other day with a pit in my stomach about it. Nervous! Me? I'm not supposed to be worried about work. Regardless, the anxiety finally started wearing off today.

We're getting ready to go to North Carolina this weekend to visit my parents. I haven't been there since February. And Chad hasn't been there since Thanksgiving! My parents are in their new house. Sort of. Much of their furniture is still at the old house while they're trying to sell it. "Staging" it for the prospective homebuyers, if you will.

I'm thrilled to be going "home." I'll get to show off Avery to all my friends from high school. The Fourth of July is always a big deal in Hickory. Since we moved there, we've always had a party at the Starnes' house on the water. The guys have a golf scramble starting in the morning. The women hang out in the pool and the kids and teens hit the lake for water sports. Then everyone comes together for dinner. There's always a band, so people dance until dark. Gradually, the fireworks display has gotten bigger and bigger. I heard that it overshadowed the one at the minor leage baseball game last year! Can't wait!

Avery's Uncle John and Uncle Ben came to visit us last weekend and went to the zoo with us. They hadn't seen her in quite a while, so they were shocked to see how big she is and how fun she is. We're making sure they stay updated on all the fun things she's learning and cute stuff she does.

I'll leave you with some pictures from the last few days. Enjoy! Uncle John is showing Avery how the elephants "mop, mop, mop."
Somebody got really sleepy, really fast.
This is the goofiest looking alpaca I've ever seen. Somebody get this animal a dentist!
Avery has learned to suck on her toes. Limber little thing.

Wisdom teeth

Today was a whirlwind. We got up in time to get Avery dressed and off to daycare. Chad and I went from there to Dr. Malin's office. Chad had to get his wisdom teeth extracted. It didn't take very long -- maybe an hour. The nurse came to get me when it was all over and gave me all the important instructions.

I laughed for the next hour. Chad was so drugged that he had no idea what he was doing. He honestly didn't remember anything. When he saw me in the room with him, he asked me if they were about to get started. But they were already done. He was hilarious.

But I got him home and fed him and gave him pain pills and put him to bed. Then I pulled out the computer and got going on marketing plans. Major updates are due this week for the big titles we presented two weeks ago. I've tried not to miss a beat by being out of the office. Of course, I've trained myself not to get too worked up. I tend to be a perfectionist, but I know when to draw the line most of the time now.

We had a great weekend in Florence for Jana's wedding, although we're still sore from riding the wave runner all weekend. Chad and I thought our legs would fall off. It's kind of tough to get around to everyone in the family when we're in Florence, but we got pretty close. We also got some fun pictures. Enjoy!

Living for the weekend

Wow. It has been an overwhelming day. I look forward to going to the office each morning, but once I got there today, I was slammed with meetings, projects and e-mail. It's sad to say, but I've been living weekend to weekend. However, now all my weekends are packed, too.

We're heading to Florence Friday for Jana Young's wedding. I haven't been there in forever, so I'm really eager to hit the road. We'll be staying with Grandma, so we'll get to play around on the lake and test out the new pier. Avery has been in a pool, but she's never experienced the lake. This should be interesting.

We'll also get to see Nannie. She and Avery share the same birthday, eighty-something years apart. It's amazing to think that there are 5 living generations of firstborn females in my family.

Just 2 more days until the weekend!

Night Owl

We've got a new child on our hands. Avery is doing SO much better since getting an antibiotic. She is back to her normal, happy self. However, she doesn't seem to want to go to bed. She's wide awake right now, watching me blog. Maybe it's the medicine, but she didn't take much of a nap today either. I just hope she's wiped out by the time I'm ready to turn in for the night.

Amid all the chaos of her being sick, I completely forgot to document the 4-month check-up that happened the same time as her sick visit to Dr. Morel. She is now 13 lbs., 12 oz. and 25 1/2 inches long. It looks like her birth girth means nothing at all, because all the boys in our life group have taken off in size.

We sat around watching the spelling bee after dinner tonight. When I heard it would be on ABC Prime Time tonight, I thought they were nuts and would lose viewership. However, I found myself sucked in, rooting for the little spellers. The winner correctly spelled ursprache. I now feel compelled to use the word in a sentence this week. Probably won't happen.

I also heard today that Anna Nicole Smith was pregnant. Quite often, I question my parenting skills, but after hearing that (and recalling the recent blunders of Britney Spears,) I feel like Super Mom! I'm pretty proud of my girl and my confidence is building as I see all the amazing milestones she hits along the way.