Riley and Avery

A year old (almost) and still bathing in the sink. One of the dogs left an enormous pee puddle, and I find Avery splashing around in it, having a whole lot of fun. Needless to say, she got a bath immediately. I like having a digital camera at my disposal so that I can download pictures immediately.

Hopefully Grandma will be able to watch Riley today so that I can go to Toys R Us. I have $53 in store credit that I hope to use for birthday gifts for Avery. If Riley comes, we all know how that will end. She just got a Build-A-Bear yesterday, so she does not need another toy. Plus, I always have a hard time getting all of our stuff back home after visiting here. And I never think that we bought that much stuff. I also want to get Avery's picture taken since our walls are covered with portraits of Riley since we used to take her every few months. Poor Avery, the second child.

In my rather boisterous family, I can see how serious a child Avery is. I always knew that she had tendencies towards seriousness, but they were never as apparent as now. She's such a strange little bird. She takes her toys so seriously, examining them intently. She hardly ever giggles. She's got a nice smile, though, when she chooses to grace you with one. She only has six teeth, though, and Riley had sixteen at this age. I can't believe that Avery is almost one, that my last baby is almost not a baby anymore. Thankfully she's small, so I can pretend that she's still a baby.

I am eating pretty well here. I have specific instructions from Rudi to put on some weight. He said that my thighs are too thin (although definitely not "thin", just thinner than my usual thick). My mother made this awesome hummus dip with chopped onions, cucumbers, and tomatoes. I ate the whole freakin' tray, literally. And pot roast today. Thanksgiving is going to be really nice. I love eating. And I haven't been home for Thanksgiving for six years.