Fun Times With Rach

A rare treat...Rachael came home for a couple days. The girls loved getting to see her. She is headed off to Honduras for the 2nd summer to work at an orphanage. What an amazing woman Rachel is!! She is a fabulous middle school teacher and has a huge heart for others. The girls had so much fun with her. Well....Avery was a little on the edge. Something I will never have to worry about is Avery being abducted. Seriously she won't let anyone near her sometimes. Only Mommy!! Although we have made some serious progress. I didn't even attempt to leave her in the nursery until she was 1.

(I have now tried 3 different techniques with that for all you interested in my vast parenting knowledge. Hailey we left at 6 weeks in the nursery. She did OK for the first few weeks but then cried. Being my first child I feared if I didn't leave her then she would need to be with me until she was 5. So I kept trying to leave her and she continued to protest until she was around 1. Then Karis came along and I had done some research-and decided her not wanting to be left was actually a good thing. Just meant she was attached to me and that was OK. So left her around 6 months I think. Then we moved here and I didn't leave her again for a couple months and then she did totally fine. By the time Avery came along I thought- forget it....I won't even try...so she went with me everywhere in the sling- I even led a Mom's group with her in the front pack helping facilitate. When Scott and I went out we would just wait until she was in bed to leave. Then when she was about 14 months we tried to leave her and she did totally fine. So now in the nursery she is often the only one not crying which I find interesting since she cries when others try and hold her if I am present. Anyway I have no idea where this is going...and why I am rambling so. I'm sure there are more techniques out there and if we ever get to adopt I will try another...As Hannah pointed out, "Sometimes your blog sounds exactly how you talk, switching from subject to subject."

Anyway...something else I will never have to fear is the girls not getting enough to eat at Gamma's.....they delight in eating cookies, cakes, chocolate covered pretzels, and of course lots of fruit snacks. Hence the chocolate on the faces. And look at Andrew.....too cute. He is 13!! How is that possible? Oh something funny...My mom pointed out that Michael (my 21 year old brother) was a lot like how Avery is with me. Every time I left the room he would whine and cry and cling to me- although I was only 12 then. And Michael has turned our really independent- he rarely clings to me crying anymore. Although it does happen occasionally. And he has turned out super great- funny, nice, smart, successful......so I'm sure Avery will follow in his footsteps. OK another long post......so for those who read the whole thing if it is obvious in your comment you will be awarded a prize.