Ava and Avery

The two babies together deserved its own post. Ava is the 3-month old daughter of Carolyn's cousin Emily and her husband Jerry. We were really excited to see the two babies together. We were also curious to see how Avery would interact with a baby smaller and younger than himself (since he's generally "the baby" in most situations). He was quite infatuated with her, which is understandable as she is absolutely darling:

Xmas in St. Louis part three

We're going to take off and head back to New York tomorrow, so we're enjoying our last day in St. Louis. Tonight, Carolyn and I are going to take advantage of the built-in babysitters and go on a date. We have tried to do things here that are cheaper and easier than in NYC (boring things like getting the oil changed in our car and getting Ruby groomed but also fun stuff like going ice skating (which I LOVE and am pretty darn good at. And by "pretty darn good," I mean that I don't typically fall down)). Here are some pictures from last night's family party:



(Carolyn's cousin) Emily with Avery:


(Carolyn's aunt) Carmen with Avery:


(Carolyn's uncle) Steve with Avery:


awww, Steve and Diane being cute:


SO cute, cousin Cody (Steve and Diane's son) with Avery:


Great Aunt Nora with Gogo and Grandpa:


Ruby's new 'do:


Avery taking a break from the party with his three(!) Elmo dolls:

funny faces

"Hey buddy, watch where you're going!":


Sister Mary Avery:

Xmas in St. Louis part two

We opened up gifts Xmas eve since Gogo had to work on Xmas. Avery got some toys (from Santa) but mostly practical things like pajamas and socks. He was primarily interested in the lights on the tree. The weather here was sunny and warmish today, so Carolyn and Avery and I went for a long walk on a trail. It was great but Avery got really tired and became Mr. Crankasaurus (also known as Mr. Grumpasaurus and Mr. Cranky Pants) by the end of our 5-mile hike. Tomorrow Carolyn and I are going to use a gift certificate we received as a present to go get pedicures and then go have sushi at a place we like here. It's really nice to have some built-in babysitters so we can go out just the two of us!

Here's Avery cuddling with his Uncle Donnie (how cute is this?!):



Mama, Avery, and mom in front of the tree:


Here's our cutie pie, just wearing a diaper (he got hot) and having lots of fun before bedtime. When you tickle him (esp. his tummy and his feet), he laughs his Beavis and Butthead chuckle. He likes to grab his feet and suck on his toes and sometimes roll from side to side. Mostly he loves to kick (especially lying on his back, he kicks both legs up and down simultaneously) and jump. He can scoot around on his back, but he's doing really well on his tummy too, and is definitely getting ready to crawl. He can also now sit up by himself for much longer periods of time. He hasn't been doing so well with the rice cereal, although he had a bite of mashed potatoes which he LOVED and a little applesauce. We're having a really nice, relaxing holiday, and he's been lots of fun!

Xmas in St. Louis part one

We drove from New York to St. Louis. It was a long but pleasant drive. We stayed the night at a motel near Columbus, OH. Mama was ready to sleep after driving all day, but Avery was awake and ready to play!


having a bubble bath in the sink at Gogo and Grandpa's house:



Avery got to try his first rice cereal. He ate a couple of bites and didn't make too much of a mess. In hindsight though, we should have fed him first and then given him a bath.

Adoption Finalized!

We had our court appointment today! James and our minister Rosemary joined us. We had a little bit of a wait; there were a total of three adoptions today. The first one was a woman who adopted a baby from Guatemala, the second was another lesbian couple with a boy, and then us. Here we are waiting:


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O The judge insisted that Avery get a lollypop. He didn't know what to make of the Tootsie pop at first, and after his first lick, he made a face. Then he thought about it for a minute, decided that it was good, and licked it some more. As soon as we got out of the courtroom, the lollypop went in the trash. Here we are with our lawyer and the judge (and the lollypop):


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Okay Avery, ONE last lick, and that's all!



Taking the subway home. Avery was exhausted from his morning in court:



Back at home happily jumping:
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