My Flower...

Today has been a fantastic day, and I know it will just get better. I love the weekends. Bummer part about the weekends is most of the time Mike has to work at least one of the days, which we all hate. But it also allows Avolyn and I to have some time alone. I am still working in Bloomington so that means during the week I wake Avolyn up at 6 (Mike is already at work) and am out the door by 6:15. I get to our amazing daycare (Bakers Dozen) by 6:30ish and then I head down to Bloomington, work until 5 and get home at 6ish. It makes for a long day and more so recently I have been upset that I have to spend so much time away from Mike and Avolyn. Good part about me not getting home until 6ish is that Mike and Avolyn get from about 3 to 6 to hang out together, which I think is so important.

I am so in love with this girl, and just cannot even wait to allow my heart to open up even more for number 2. I was able to rock Avolyn to sleep today. I know I know, she is over one, there is no reason why I need to rock her...it hardly happens, she would rather fall asleep on her own, but today it happened and I loved every moment of the 15 minutes. Watching her beautiful eyes close and then open as she struggled to stay awake, and finally accepting the sleep.

She is one smart cookie. She is picking up on everything, learning new words, making us laugh. When Mike and I are talking about something and then we start to laugh, she joins in and laughs with us. She so very much wants to know everything that we are doing, and help. My my my, does she like to help. She likes to help with the dishes, she likes to help put her cup in the fridge. She likes to help clean up her toys with us before she goes to bed. She likes to help close the kitchen cabinet doors. She likes to help put her pacifier up after her nap or from the morning. I hope this helping mode continues on throughout her life. I think she is going to be a great big sister.

I haven't talked much about Christmas. It was so wonderful. Lots of friends and family. Yummy food and ToNS of laughter. Christmas Eve is really the only day out of the year that all the Baker kids are together (most years) and it is nice for all of us to be together, Mom and Dad LOVE it. It was great seeing everyone. We have amazing friends and family that made this Christmas something special. We have had some trouble with our renters at the Bloomington house and well, it has made for a very tight budget for the past 4 months. I am overwhelmed by the amount of love that we have been shown from so many people this year to make Avolyns Christmas something spectacular. I think she had a great time...so thank you, thank you thank you. The situation with the renters will hopefully be resolved this Friday...EVICTION DAY! I hate to kick people out, but no pay = no house to live in. Without going into the whole long mess of a story, that chapter will be closed on Friday. Hopefully.

Baby number two is moving and growing. We went 2 weeks ago for and ultrasound, and we are having a BOY! I am measuring right on scale and so is our baby boy. The ultrasound was pretty amazing, I could never get tired of seeing our baby. We have some pretty good pictures and video. He is a thumb sucker already. I guess I probably would be too if I was stuck someplace for 9 months. Now the process of choosing a name. We have not come to the perfect name yet, but we still have a little while. It was so easy with Avolyn. We knew many many years ago that if we had a daughter that her name would be Avolyn, this one, not so easy for me this time.

20 weeks...

But all is well is all the babies in the house. I leave you with a short video of a few words that Avolyn has mastered and pictures from Christmas and on...

Avolyn was beating her leg to the music of Tim and Mike

Christmas Morning..a little overstimulated. We ate breakfast and then opened gifts.

Billy, Amy, Wyatt and Avolyn

My New Years Eve Dates. I made it to AFTER midnight. Can you even believe it?Just figuring out how to use a spoon. She could probably be the spokes model for Meijer Organic yogurt. She loves the stuff.
My Flower. Avolyn Rose.

UPdate

Halloween, Thanksgiving and now Christmas happenings are about to begin. We have been enjoying all of the holidays.

It is so fun to see Avolyn develop into a little girl, she is not a baby anymore. She make us laugh constantly. Her vocabulary is developing every day. She says many words....go, yeah-and sometimes she goes crazy and said yeah-yeah, Daddy-which sounds much like - doggy, but there is a difference. Up please, thank you, uh-oh, Abigail-she says Abigail but not Mommy. Hi-ho-when she is ready for a nap or for bed she says hi-ho. Down, no, more, hi, bye, the end- after reading a book, and when singing Old McDonald she sings E-I-E-I-O, get down-to Hunter as he tries to eat the food on her tray, and sit down-when she is in the bath, and we tell her to sit down. She tries new words everyday, she is good at copying us.

She loves to be included in everything. If Mike and I are laughing about something she will throw her head back and laugh so hard. At daycare she will stand in the corner and fake cry, just because that is what the other kids are doing. She loves to help me clean, she always finds the little piece on the floor that the vacuum doesn't. Avolyn loves helping load and put away dishes. Here is a video of her laughing, it sounds much like a dolphin...so funny...at least to me.




For Halloween we started our adventure with Harper and Rose. We went over to the house and tried to take some pictures of the Cousins all dolled up in their costumes, we got a few good ones. Both of the kiddos really did not mind their costumes. We then went to Grandmas and Pops then headed to Monrovia where Great Grandpa Eli, Aunt Sherry, Brooke and a few others all were ready for trick-o-treaters. We successfully bypassed all trick-o-treaters at our new place, at least for this year. I also made my first Halloween costume this year for a three-year-old whose mom works with me. I can't wait until Avolyn is old enough to appreciate a tutu costume too! Word on the street Abby was so excited to be a Garden Fairy and wore the costume proud.



Thanksgiving we spent the day in Monrovia with Mikes whole family. They always have a nice spread of great food. I forgot my camera. But Avolyn and Cameron (a cousin) and Brooke (another cousin) had a great time playing together. Thanksgiving Sunday we went to Bloomington. My brother Tim and friends were playing at a local pub. In the back is a family area, so Avolyn and Harper were able to listen and have a good time with us.

We also have a new addition to the family! That's right, more cousins!!! Mikes brother, Billy and his wife Amy had a baby on November 29 weighing in at 8lbs 9 oz, Wyatt Cooper! We have been able to see the new little babe several times. Each visit he just gets cuter and cuter.


Our Christmas celebration has begun. For the first time in our relationship Mike and I FINALLY have a tree up! One of my co-workers got a new one, so she gave us her old one, and it is perfect. We decided to put it in the dinning room at it looks fantastic. Avolyn had a good time watching Mike and I decorate the tree. After we were done we turned off the lights and sang "O Christmas Tree", but those were the only words we could remember, so we just sang them over and over again. By the end of the song Avolyn had joined in and started her own rendition of the song. It was a great family moment.

We have many fun Christmas gatherings to attend, the first was my work Christmas party. It was so much fun. We went my first year, and last year we didn't go because AV was 3 months old and we didn't want to leave her yet, so we were back at 'em again this year, we left early so we could get AV, but still enjoyed ourselves. To my surprise I received an award. 2 awards are given out each year, one for the outstanding nurse of the year, and one for the outstanding staff of the year. Someone has to nominate you, and well, I was honored to receive this award. It was pretty overwhelming. But something that I will treasure. The best part was that Mike was there, and got to experience it with me. The provider that introduced me asked if I wanted to say anything. I know this will shock most of you, but I said no!

Baby number 2 is doing just fine. I go back to the doctor this Tuesday, next month is the big month for the ultrasound! We are going to find out again if we are having a boy or a girl. I really am not sure yet. With Avolyn I knew that I was having a girl very very early, but I still don't have a for sure feeling yet. All of the dreams that I have had about this babe, they are all girls. So we will just have to wait a few short weeks and we will know! Pretty exciting. Just yesterday I finally starting feeling the baby. It is just nice to every so often feel the little babe, just reassuring. I love being pregnant.

I leave you with a few pictures from the past couple of months...enjoy...

We have such a happy little girl!

Avolyn Turns ONE!

We had such a fun time last Saturday celebrating the birth of Avolyn. The day was just perfect. We were surrounded by so many of our friends and family that have given us support from day one. It is wonderful to share a happy day with great people. It is amazing to watch our little girl grow up so quickly. She is so fun right now. She is really curious about most everything, loves to play and TALK! Her vocabulary is growing every day. She is walking! Last Saturday (her birthday) she really got the hang of it, and she hasn't looked back since. She wears herself out going from one side of the house to the other.

Here is a fantastic video of her walking and jumping out from the corner. She does this every day for a while, smiling the whole time, and of course watching us, to make sure that we are watching.



Here are the pictures from the fun-filled day! Our friend Adam has an amazing camera and eye for great pictures, these are from him.


And now for Avolyns photo shoot. She was so funny, striking different poses.

Thank you for everyone who sent us best wishes, and all the family and friends that came to our new place to celebrate.

Oh yeah, we also surprised everyone.......
Avolyn is going to be a BIG SISTER!

I am about 8ish weeks. We have our first appointment October 20. So more to come soon about the new little Gonser. We are so excited to expand our family.

Swimming and Cousin Fun!

**FYI- I started this blog before we moved, it is a little out dated, but I still wanted to post it. More new pictures and stories soon***


We have a little blow up swimming pool that we have been anxiously awaiting it to be hot enough to play in. We finally had an opportunity a few weeks ago. Mike was at work so I got Avolyn and the pool all ready so that when Mike came home we could enjoy an afternoon outside. I was yet again reminded that my plans are just fine, but will probably not happen the way that I had visioned. It probably took me longer to get the pool and Avolyn ready then the amount of time Avolyn really wanted to spend in the pool. Here are a few pictures documenting the occasion...

Wating for Dada

She would of rather of been on the dirty nasty deck and NOT the swimming pool.

Avolyn and Harper...Photo shoot #1....
We had a grand time taking pictures of the cutest kids in the world. Many more to come!

Harper and Mike had almost matching shirts.

Big news to come, many things on the front burner....Hope I can catch everyone up soon. Next Saturday AVOLYN TURNS ONE!!! How exciting!