Avery and Jackson.

Flying monkey.

Laughing monkey.

Sweet monkey.

Monkey tail.

Monkey business.

Mommies + wee ones.

Avery + Commodus in the kitchen.

iRock tee shirt

Giggling at mealtime.

He doesn't put them back!

Exploring the door.

Checking out Daddy's programming books.

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.

Post Alley.

Lunch.

The ladies with the original Starbucks logo.

Jr. Pilot and I.

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.

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.

Acceptable for now.

I ate my lunch!

Chef Mommy's gourmet meals.

Bruthas.

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!

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.

Avery flying.

Nicole heads off to dig in the sand.

Daddy + Avery.

Bump love.

The Cheeto monster.

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!)

What's Avery up to these days? He's become increasingly dexterous and is able to grab objects and manipulate them with his hands. (He even got ahold of Commodus' tail once). He's working on sitting up by himself but hasn't quite mastered it yet. In the morning he's incredibly cute and smiley. When the lights come on he covers his eyes with his hands and follows with a big head-to-toe stretch.

This evening I was holding onto his arms and helping him practice sitting and standing up. As I pulled him upright, his mouth gravitated toward my fingers, as it often does. Much to my surprise, I felt something sharp. Upon further inspection I discovered his first tooth starting to make an appearance. It won't be long now before we have a little carnivore on our hands.

Good morning!

Stretching.

A few pictures from our walk...

First we had Ashleigh get a picture.

Avery wasn't into smiling for the camera last night despite our best efforts.

Ashleigh + Avery.

When we moved into our neighborhood we knew the trees behind our house wouldn't be there indefinitely. Looks like it won't be long before there are houses where our forest once was.

Tree eater.

Lindsey watches the carnage as Avery smiles for the camera.

The sea of downed trees.

This afternoon there were all sorts of homeless birds flying around just above the downed trees. It was sad. :(