Avery celebrated his half birthday a week ago. At six months old he's got four teeth (two top, two bottom), slithers across the floor, and can sit on his own (mostly). He's expanded his diet to encompass apples and oatmeal, which he really enjoys. Carrots, not so much.
He had another visit to the doctor last week and the sneaky nurse got him again (three shots). He cried a little bit but quickly forgave her and even smiled.
Avery loves the bath.
We've had Grammy & Papa staying with us for the past week. They're out visiting from Texas. We took them to Pike Place last weekend. It was extremely busy. Probably one of the last warm weekends we'll have for a while so everyone was trying to visit the market. We should go back in the winter when it's less crowded.
Post Alley.
Lunch.
The ladies with the original Starbucks logo.
Jr. Pilot and I.
Banana pancakes + strawberries marinated in Glamour Puss Pinot Noir. Topped with whipped cream. Yummy!
Banana buttermilk pancakes
(wet)
2 bananas mashed
1 cup of buttermilk
1 egg
1 tablespoon melted butter
(dry)
1 cup of flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
(method)
Mix wet ingredients. Add in dry ingredients. Don't over mix. Cook them in a pan or on a griddle.
Marinated strawberries
Strawberries sliced up + pour 1/4 cup of pinot noir over them.
Last Saturday we went up to Bellingham. Lindsey went to a baby shower, and I had lunch with Josh. Afterwards we went for a walk down by Boulevard Park. We noticed the old pottery workshop place has been turned into a coffee shop. Looks like a nice place to enjoy an Americano. After wandering around Fairhaven for a while we headed home.
On Sunday we went to Seattle. We stopped at REI to check out some baby-carrying-backpacks. They didn't have the color we wanted, so we ended up ordering it. Then we headed down to Alaskan Way to take a walk along the water. Avery had to get bundled up with a jacket, blanket, and hat.
Avery's learning how to eat. We started about a week ago with rice cereal, which he likes. He detests potatoes and especially broccoli, but he loves pears (surprise).
Acceptable for now.
I ate my lunch!
Chef Mommy's gourmet meals.
Bruthas.
It's been 7 days since my surgery, and I'm slowly starting to feel better. The first day I was still a little bit out of it from the anesthesia. Days 2 - 5 were painful, especially since I was taking regular tylenol in lieu of the makes-me-super-dizzy-narcotics that were prescribed. On day 6 the pain dropped off considerably which is great except now I really notice how swollen my throat is. In particular I'm finding that when your punchy bag thingy (aka: uvula) is really swollen and rests on your tongue it feels very awkward. Hopefully over the next few days the swelling goes down. Perhaps then I'll even feel like going back to work ;)
While I've been healing up Avery has had an exciting week. He's been spending some time slithering around on our hardwood floors. We put a toy about 2 - 3 feet in front of him and he uses his hands to drag himself towards it. Sometimes instead of heading towards his toy he goes after Commodus. Then a day or so ago we started feeding him a little bit of rice cereal which was exciting (and messy)!
Feel better soon Daddy!
Getting ready to slither.
I see a puppy dog.
Let's play!
Yesterday morning Lindsey, Avery, and I (the patient) headed over to the outpatient surgery clinic in Covington to get my tonsils taken out. I've never had surgery before, so heading into this I was a little bit nervous. As it turned out I had nothing to worry about. The staff were all very friendly, and they took great care of me.
When I first arrived they took me + my entourage back into the pre-op area. I got a comfy chair to sit in, a gown that connected up to a hair-dryer-like apparatus (to keep me warm), some fancy leggings (to prevent clots), and some warm socks. After a battery of health history questions another nurse came along to give me an IV. I don't think I've ever had an IV before, but it went fine.
Next I got to relax for a while, as the surgeon was slightly behind schedule. Lindsey and I talked a bit, she fed Avery once or twice, and we looked at a magazine. Eventually the anesthesiologist came along to chat. She explained how the general anesthesia worked -- something in my IV to drift me off to sleep, then something to breath during surgery. The breathing tube would go in after I was asleep, and 99% of the time they have the tube out before the patient wakes up. Sounded good to me.
Finally it was time to give Lindsey a kiss and an 'I love you', before walking to the operating room with the nurse. The O.R. had all sorts of equipment in it, and lots of people in blue outfits. Once I got settled on the table the anesthesiologist said she'd "drift me off to sleep." My vision went blurry, and that was the last I remember.
45 minutes later.
I heard a nurses voice, but I don't remember what she was saying. Then a few moments later I could see her, and she was asking how my pain was. Weird, I don't remember anything. One moment I was falling asleep, the next my throat hurts like hell. I told her it's a 5 on a scale of 1 - 10. Then Lindsey arrived. I told the nurse and Lindsey I felt "fabulous," and I enjoyed the power-nap. They giggled at me. About 45 minutes in recovery and they sent me home.
The first night at home went pretty well. I didn't get sick, though between the anesthesia and pain meds I felt really woozy. I ate some sorbet, clam chowder, cream-of-wheat, and ice cream. I felt bad for Lindsey, between Avery and I her hands were full.
This morning I feel a lot better. My throat still hurts, but the dizziness is gone. I've decided to take regular Tylenol instead of the narcotic pain meds they gave me. The Tylenol works fine and has less side effects.
This afternoon we visited Scott, Manivanh, and Nicole at their new house in Olympia. Labor Day wouldn't be complete without some BBQing, and Scott just bought a new grill. After enjoying some burgers and corn-on-the-cob, we went for a walk at Tolmie State Park. Avery loved looking around at the people and scenery on the beach.
Avery flying.
Nicole heads off to dig in the sand.
Daddy + Avery.
Bump love.
The Cheeto monster.
Labor day is here. It's a good thing too, since Lindsey and I moved ten yards of dirt into the backyard this weekend. It wasn't too tiring, though I'm glad it's not my day job. Later this week they'll be coming to hydroseed the lawn, and within a few weeks we'll have grass!
On Saturady some family friends stopped by to meet Avery. John and Jill grew up with my mom in New Zealand, and also migrated to North America (Canada) many years ago. We hadn't seen them since our wedding, so we had a great time catching up over a cup of tea.
The big event tomorrow is that I'm getting my tonsils removed. They've been bothering me for a couple years now, and it's finally time to get rid of them. I'll probably be miserable for a couple weeks, eating ice cream and generally acting pathetic. Ah well, it's time to rush off to a BBQ with Scott, Manivanh, and Nicole.
Jill + Avery.
Lindsey demonstrates proper rolling technique.
The supervisors. (This pic was taken several weeks ago!)
