It amazes me how quickly babies change in such a short amount of time. Although this process is much slower with mammals such as ourselves compared with other species...it is still astounding what babies acomplish in their first year of life. No wonder we don't have any memories of being babies...our brains are so overwhelmed by learning and adapting to the world around us. Who could possibly remember all the details?









For the longest time she loved sitting on the floor and pulling all of her toys out of the basket...not really eager to interact with any single toy, just wanted to pull them out one at a time. It's so much fun watching her look at each item in that basket as if it's the first time she's ever seen such a thing. Ahhhh...the simple joys of babyhood.














She loves being read to by her daddy


















The day of her baptism, July 12, 2009. We had her baptized at Pacific Crossroads Church in Santa Monica, CA, where we have been regularly attending for the past year.






































Here she is playing with her buddy, Owen, after the service.















Just enjoying a leisurely morning in our robe and slippers










































































Does she look like a Mateko in this picture, or what?














Here are some pics of our precious little one that mommy took just messing around one day while she was looking out the window in our living room.



















She was always so fascinated with the trees and grass outside. I don't know if it was the color or the movement, but she just loved looking out that window...still does.






















































































Avery has been such a blessing to me and Geoff. Needless to say there have definitely been some trying moments these past 8 months (constant crying and sleep depravation can really bring out the ugliest side of a person's nature), but if there's one thing we've learned to appreciate about being parents it's learning to be more selfless people. Raising a child has taught us how (sometimes forced us) to love another person more than ourselves and constantly put their needs before our own. It has taught us patience and kindess both to her and to each other. Having a baby has humbled us more than we could have ever imagined and continues to reveal to us how much we fall short. Thanks be to God that He has given us His Son, Jesus, to redeem us from our sinful nature and show us how to love one another!!!

Dinner Time

Cowgirl

We love the Cowgirl hat and boots that Great-Aunt Kelley got for Avery. And as you can see she seems to like them too!

Yipee-aye-Yeaaa!!!

Growing up...Avery at 7 Months

We always love MEALTIME!!!















Hey MA!!! What's for dinner?!
















Mommy's Little Cupcake




























Sleeping so sweetly















Sitting up independently


















Becoming more mobile

















One day I looked up and found she had mosied on over to the stereo equipment...whoops! I guess it's time to start baby-proofing the house.

Bath Time

Bath time wasn't always an enjoyable experience in the Shaw home. Avery didn't really start enjoying her baths until we used the infant tub...sponge bathing was not a soothing, calming ritual for her. But once she moved up to the bathseat in the big girl tub, bathing became the highlight of her day.





Now she absolutely loves playing in the bath, especially when she has her rubber duckie and Snap and Squirt Sea Creatures to play with!

First Family Vacation--Part 2

The second half of our vacation involved us renting a car and driving 10 hours (with a couple of stops for feeding and diaper changes and a walk around the University of Virginia's college campus) north-east to Washington, D. C. for some sight-seeing. It was the first long car trip we took with Avery. Mommy was a little apprehensive about how she'd handle sitting in her car seat for that long, but she did amazingly well! Here are some pictures from the second part of our Family Vacation:

One of our first sight-seeing stops was the Smithosonian's National Air and Space Museum

An Apollo Lunar Suit

The First Airplane designed by the Wright Brothers

Family picture in front of the Capitol Building

The United States Botanic Garden

The United States Treasury Department

Family picture in front of the heavily gaurded White House

The White House

Arlington National Cemetery

John F. Kennedy's Gravesite

The Tomb of the Unknown Solider

Changing of the Guard

We decided to buy a 2-day double decker tour bus pass to get to and from the many monuments in the downtown area. Here are some pictures from atop the bus:

The Dynamic Duo (Rev Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson)

A Presbyterian Church in the middle of downtown D. C.

My Honey

The New Ford's Theater

The Original Ford's Theater where President Lincoln was shot

Where's Obama??? (In case you can't see him, he's the blur in the middle of the picture. But don't be fooled...it's not really him just a cardboard cutout in front of a souvenir shop)

The front of the Lincoln Memorial

The view from the top of the Lincoln Memorial

The Korean War Memorial

The caption on the wall reads, "FREEDOM IS NOT FREE."

The Vietnam Memorial

The World War II Memorial

The United States Supreme Court

We were overjoyed at the opportunity to visit our friends, the Colemans, in Silver Spring, Maryland, while on our trip. It was an enjoyable eveing consisting of watching the little ones play in a local fountain, tasteful dining and warm conversation. Oh, how we miss their company!

Avery meeting Molly and Oliver for the first time

Avery with her friend Carrie

Rambunctious Oliver

Precious Molly

Old Post Office Building

Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History

Smithsonian's National Museum of American History

One of the first computers...it's amazing how much technology is changing!

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

We had a great time touring Washington, D. C.! There is much to see in such a short amount of time. A whole week wasn't even enough time to see everything we wanted. We would have liked to have seen the Declaration of Independence and the Magna Carta in the National Archives Museum, but because we were there during the busiest time of year (school trip season) we decided to pass on the 45 min line. Touring the FBI building was nixed due to 911. A tour of the U. S. Supreme Court was on our list as well, but we ran out of time. Needless to say, there is plenty to do and see in Washington, D.C. and although it's not an easy trip to make with a 6 month old it is still worth the effort!!!