My daughter, Avery Song Neuer, celebrated her first birthday today. Wow. In some ways, it seems like just yesterday that Christine went in to labor and 18 hours later (this amount of time will grow as the years go by...no?), there she was. In other ways, I can't remember life without her.I say it all the time...she is a funny kid. She loves to laugh, clap her hands, and be silly. She has a great personality, more Christine's than mine, and she is extremely adaptable to just about any situation. Rather than extole all of her virtues (I am a VERY proud father...this could go on forever), I will simply list some things about Avery's first year that I hope to never forget:
- Avery sitting on my lap during the Giants' Super Bowl win. She wore her lucky Eli Manning jersey (thanks Keith and Nancy) all throughout the playoffs. During the winning 4th quarter drive, I wouldn't let anyone take her off of my lap in fear that it would jinx the drive.
- When she is tired, she pulls her ear. When she is really tired, she pulls them both.
- When she sleeps in her crib, she tends to either sleep with her legs completely underneath her or with her butt in the air. Either way, it's pretty cute.
- The first few months, she loved ceiling fans.
- She has a seat that she sits in to watch Baby Einstein. About two weeks ago, she crawled in to the seat and pointed to the tv. She has no trouble letting us know what she wants even though she isn't talking yet.
- She LOVES books. She will climb on to my lap and will turn the pages as we read a book.
- I don't think there is anything better than nap time on the weekends. She will lay on my lap and nap. It's about the most relaxing thing in the world.
- She LOVES her mother, and it's completely impossible for Christine to love her more than she does.
- This week, I taught her how to put change in to my change bank. It might be the only thing I can take sole credit for teaching her.
- When you ask her where her nose is, she scrunches it and breathes through her nose. When asked about her ear, mouth, or foot, she points.
- She loves bellybuttons. The Korean word for bellybutton is "becko" and that may be her first word.
- She likes waving to people...even in the supermarket. She just likes people.
- When she was first born, she really liked Jackson Browne. Now, I think she leans more towards The Beatles.
- She goes crazy for her jumper.
- When she hears music, she does a little dance with her shoulders and torso. Sooo cute.
- More than anything else, she changed the way I look at the world.
I can't wait to watch her continue to grow. I know there will be bumps along the way, but the first year was truly amazing. Happy Birthday Ms. Munchkin.
JN
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