MY POSSE'S ON BROADWAY!

Before I forget: some people may not understand why anyone would visit New York City. It's big, kinda dirty, got lots of people with all kinds of problems, a lot of them talk funny, and country music only caught on about 10 years ago. Others may say those are perfect reasons to visit the city. Mine reasons are plenty, but were summed up accurately by the guy we saw walking the sidewalk soon after the following video was shot with his cat balanced on top of his hat. They were just walking along, talking with a friend, the cat brain-surfing with his guy. I told him it was the coolest thing I'd seen all year. True.

But Bella had a GREAT time in the Big Apple. She got to hang out with her grandparents - Nunya and Nana - and see her aunts, uncle, cousins, and made all kinds of new friends on the streets. On our last day up there, Jen and I walked with Bella and her Aunt Lindsey down to Columbia Circle from 95th Street - a 35-block walk. By the time we turned to walk back, Bella - who had been battling a cold all week - had enough of the stroller and being carried and wanted to walk the streets on her own. So we put her down and her mom held her hand as she walked a good five blocks.

Bella was amazed at the buses (which she frequently stopped to watch in action), the Christmas lights, the people, the tall buildings, the birds, the dogs, and everything else the city could throw at her. She soaked it all up and gave back with a fervor that only our year-old baby could. Take a look and listen (as her daddy works with Julie and Amre to get reservations for dinner)...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Isabella Rose Avett turned one today. We're in New York City with Jen's folks to celebrate the holidays - and the birthdays!

Hard to believe it's been a year already. Time flies when you are changing diapers and washing bottles apparently. It's hard to put in words just how much my life has changed in the last year. I feel like a different person, have found new strengths, and new weaknesses. This time a year ago, I had only held one baby - Rebecca's daughter Millie - and today I can do anything my little girl needs done. When Jen travels for a few days for work, I feel confident Bella is in good hands - my hands.

She learns new things almost everyday, is getting smarter, and her walking is almost a run these days. Looking back over photos from her early days makes it even wilder to see her walking around a corner and smile up at me today. She's healthy, beautiful, and a shining light in my life. I never thought anyone could even equal the place in my heart that Jen occupies, but Bella is right there with her.

But enough of this mushy stuff. We survived Bella's first year, and we need to celebrate! 'Cause the terrible twos are coming up fast.

WHISTLIN' PIXIE

We just returned from Bella's final New Parent Group at DeKalb Medical Center. It meets every Thursday and gives new parents an hour or so to meet other new parents, talk about problems and accomplishments, swap advice, and let the children play together (or try to at least). It's been a nice way for us to meet other new parents, and I think those of us graduating until, uh, the old parent category will continue meeting in some form or another.

Anyway, we got home and Bella was in my lap at the desk, when she picked up a whistle I have. She put it in her mouth, and I encouraged to blow. And, well, the camera was in arm's reach, and here ya go...

GOOF NUT

Jen came up with that term some months ago to describe our daughter at times. Sure, she's cute, smart, crafty, etc. But often she's just a plain goof nut. But don't take my word for it - take a look:

VIDEO HITS

Here's a medley of action from the past two weeks - Bella meeting her cousin Boo, Bella entertaining a very bored Squeak, Bella walking with her lion-on-wheels, and Bella walking.

JUST 'CAUSE

A new post simply because we have new photos of her.


Can't remember what was going on with Bella, but this turned out to be a captivating image I thought.


She's begun picking up the inflatable balls and throwing them - even the big one. Then she chases them down, lifts them above her head, and throws it again. Really more of a slam, actually.


She enjoys going to the kids' park in Decatur, swinging, going down the slide, crawling around, examining pine cones, and now getting up in this little plastic tower.


I put the bag on her head.

WALKIN' ON SUNSHINE

I truly hate that song, but seems like a good title for this post as Bella officially walked on Friday, December 5.

She had taken a few tentative steps before, sort of the two steps then lunge at something variety. But On Friday morning she grabbed ahold of the back of pants legs, and I started slowly walking. Normally she kept clutching the pants and took her baby steps. But Friday she let go of me, then start walking on her own - following her daddy's footprints as it were. I couldn't believe it.

By the time Jen got home at 5:30, our babysitter, Megan, had been working with Bella trying to get her to walk again - to no avail. No sooner had Megan left and Jen arrived than Bella started walking. Jen says the record now is six unassisted steps. She is also crawling on her hands and feet as opposed to her hands and knees. She's also been loving her walking toy - a lion on wheels that roars and laughs like an idiot when it bumps into something.

And Bella, as she rapidly approaches her one-year birthday, is an absolute joy to be around. She's always in a good mood, loves to have fun, fake us out when she's eating, make faces, make goofy noises, and put things in her mouth and crawl around making weird noises (a la the title photo to the blog).



She got over her first cold - and gave it to me - before Thanksgiving, and went with us to Dalton for a few days over the holiday. Once there, she got to see her uncle Reid and Aunt Claire again - they had not seen her since she was less than a week old. And Bella also got to meet her cousin Boo - a 140-pound Great Dane puppy that Reid and Claire drove done from Washington. Well, they didn't DRIVE the dog, but he was in the car with them.

Anyway, Boo for all his gargantuan size was an absolute teddy bear around Bella. He was so concerned about her well-being, always checking in on her if she sounded upset in another room, sticking his head in her bath to lick her head, and generally laying down on the floor to let her pat him. When she took naps, he would even disappear from time to time to go stick his head in the door to our room to check on her. It was a great first encounter for both, I think. Jen thinks it was love at first lick!





I should also mention that Bella is going to Parents Morning Out twice a week at the North Decatur Methodist Church. She seems to really enjoy it. She may cry for a few minutes when Jen or I first leave her, but her teacher says she is good the rest of the day, entertains everyone, and naps every once in a while. I think she likes being around other kids - including our friends' son, Greyson - and it's good for me to have a few hours each week to work or work out.