Dancing Queen

Ava LOVES to dance and here is a small glimpse of the little dancer at work! She especially likes to dance for company but gets shy for the camera so this was quite a catch!

Big Girl Bathtime (and other big girl things)

I am beginning to see that with all Ava is doing and saying, I may need to post something more than just once a month! Just three weeks after my last post I have much to say so we'll update you all a little early.

Now let's take a moment first to point out the biggest news of the month: Ava is growing hair! Well "hairs" I should say--only a few and they are about two inches long on the top and sides of her head but... they are there. Hurray! Proof that she won't be bald forever. In the lovely and someday embarrassing photos of her in the bath we've accentuated the tufts mohawk style for all to see.

Along with a few hairs, Ava's vocabulary is growing this month and there is a new and distinguishable difference between "guck" (duck) and "kack" (quack). I've also caught what I believe are "this" and "that" and she is now much better at making noises to get her point across even if she isn't using words yet. It's so fun! I love being able to have little conversations with her. Her babbling is now out of control and adorable--the kind where you know she knows what she's saying but it comes out sounding like fluent chinese. So cute.

For the first time Ava has been making two toys interact or making a toy interact with it's surroundings which is very exciting. She also makes kissing sounds (though beware, if you go in for a kiss you'll get a good lick on the nose), and loves to dance. Her favorite activity? She puts her arms behind her head (giving you about two seconds notice) and then falls backwards and begins wiggle-dancing on the floor. She will also arch backwards while sitting in your lap, eating, going down for a nap... and want you to tickle her under her neck. She loves to be upside down and especially look at herself upside down in the mirror.

Our bedtime book routine has changed this month from mommy or daddy picking out a few books and quietly reading them together in the chair, to Ava taking all of her books out of their basket and finally handing you one and trying to climb back up onto the chair. At first I thought she would never sit still for a book again until I was amazed when she found the one she wanted and then sat quietly through the whole thing, oohing, ahhing, pointing and smiling. It's so awesome to see her taking an active part in her life, showing preferences and communicating what she wants!

The eleventh month marked a milestone in becoming a big girl when Ava started bathing in the big bathtub! She was doing so well in her little tub and it's so easy for us that we were hesitant to switch it up, but after one or two baths Ava now LOVES it. She wasn't so sure at the beginning but now she loves standing at the edge, watching with anticipation as the tub fills with water and we unleash all her floating toys. It is so much fun to watch her explore and move around, the other day she actually wanted to lay down, so I put her on her back with her ears under the water and she sang to herself for a good 2 or 3 minutes! It was HILARIOUS to watch her experiment with the new-sounding world from under water.

In the last couple of weeks Ava has been less and less interested in nursing during the midday so on February 8th I tried giving her cow's milk in a sippy cup before her lunch. She did great and didn't miss the breastfeeding one bit! So... this means we are officially weaning. I'm hoping to do so fairly slowly over the next two months or so (for both our sakes) but I think we both are ready. I have mixed feelings--I have LOVED breastfeeding and will miss that bonding time but am also very ready and excited to have some more freedom to leave her with other people during mealtimes. My goal was to breastfeed until she was a year so this was definitely a successful run!

In the last month Ava has started dairy and is enjoying it immensely. She's getting better and better at drinking from a sippy cup and loves cheese and yogurt. She also tried blueberries for the first time and she LOVES them! We've given her small bites of more adult foods and she regularly asks for whatever we are eating. We are definitely entering that time in our lives where we can't eat anything in front of her that we won't let her have! Goodbye midday chocolate chip cookies, I will miss you.

Ava has been very clingy to mommy lately and so this month we instituted crib-playtime. This is where she gets some playtime alone and can grow in the skills needed to occupy and entertain herself without mommy's help. The first few times she threw every toy out of her crib within the first few minutes and then cried for me to come get her. But, in the last week she has had a string of successful play times and has stopped throwing all her toys! She seems to enjoy the time in there and doesn't cry anymore but instead... Well, let me preface this by saying that it is somewhat unheard of for an almost-one-year-old to still be taking three naps a day. Ava LOVES sleeping and so the last three or four times she's been playing in her crib, it gets quieter and quieter in there and I go in to find her lying down, sucking her thumb amidst all her toys! I've tried opening the blinds, putting on music and turning all her musical toys as loud as they will go but nothing will stop her. So... I now know I can't leave her too long or she will fall asleep but at least I get a little peace and quiet in the morning and Ave is actually doing much better in the clingy department.

As I write this Ava is playing happily among a sea of pillows I piled in the living room, emptying a bucket of shapes and trying to fit the bucket on her head. I marvel at how big she is getting, how independent and fun! I took a video of her today doing her famous "dance" (you've got to see it to believe it) among her many pillows. If I can figure it out I'll post a bit of it so you can all see the little ham doing her thing.

Shelled Peas

And now for a non-Ava sort of of post... or less-Ava I guess. I have been wanting to change up our blog for a while and to do so in an artsy yet relevant way. Today I actually was one step away from posting the usual black and white family photo when Ava woke up and soon I was sitting at the kitchen table shelling peas for my hungry girl. I looked down and thought... ah ha! Just the artsy yet relevant moment I'd wanted to capture. Shelled peas. This does sum up quite well my life right now--spending many hours shelling peas, cutting blueberries into unrecognizably small wedges and eating squares of cheese off my daughter's little fingers when she offers them (how generous of her). Some days I think, "this is the life", when she plays quietly in her highchair while I eat my breakfast and drink my coffee. Other days when shelled peas become mashed-on-the-floor peas, I think I might need a day off. But, thankfully, God gives me mercy and grace every day to enjoy even the not-so-great moments and to want to shell peas for my sweet girl (which is not an easy task, I must say).

So... a snapshot of the shelled peas will be our welcome to those visiting our blog, a welcome into our life of messy fingers and messy diapers and ministry of all kinds. Enjoy!

Ava is 10 Months Old!

Every month we say is our favorite... and this one was no different! The baby that we knew 30 days ago was just a glimpse of the emerging little lady we know now. It's amazing how much Ava is learning and changing every day.

Our cute little "doodle bug" is adding tricks and skills to her repertoire daily. She has a few words that emerge regularly,

including mama and dada, "uh oh", "kah" (book), "hello" and "hi" (accompanied by waving), "duh" (duck), and "all done". She also claps on cue, pants like a dog when you say "What does a dog say?", plays peekaboo

(usually by putting objects on top of her head) and has a great sense of humor. Just the other day she face planted into the fuzzy bear in her touch-and-feel book and started laughing hysterically... she knows when she's doing something funny and cracks herself up (and us)! She will pick up my phone or the TV remote and say, "Dada, hello!", goes crazy for dogs in person or on TV (she starts squealing and panting), and loves music.

Ava is still primarily breast fed but is also eating a variety of fruits and veggies and has started eating more finger foods. We've tried peas, corn, broccoli, cantelope and pineapple. She still struggles with them since she's toothless (and hairless--poor baby) but she's getting the hang of it. She loves to feed herself and enjoys the independence. We are about to try dairy products, tofu and egg whites which will give more variety to the finger-food-eating. We have introduced the

sippy cup a couple of times with water--she thinks it's great until she sucks real hard and gasps for air like she's drowning! She'll get the hang of it but for now it's just a great chew toy.

Ava is standing well now and frequently stands hands-free for longer and longer stretches. She's still wobbly and needs to know there is something close by to grab onto if she needs it but she continues to

experiment and take risks. She is very mobile but still isn't usually in any hurry to get anywhere which I'm thankful for. She will also take steps while using a laundry or toy basket as a walker, we're anxious to see how long it takes her to master those little legs!

As each day comes and goes we are truly shocked that her one-year birthday is just around the corner. We marvel at our hundreds of pictures, can't believe she was ever "that small" and wonder what she'll be like when she's four, five... twelve. What an adventure. We are quite positive God blessed us with the sweetest little girl on the planet!

*Updated albums "Ava in November", "Ava in December" and "Ava in January" are to the left!

Slightly more boring details for mom and company to keep track:

Ava is still in size 12 clothes though they are getting tighter, and has moved up to size 4 diapers. Her schedule is similar to what was posted previously but she's inched it earlier (starting around 6am) and isn't sleeping as long for her three naps. I'm trying hard to hold onto all three, I don't think she's ready for two naps yet, but we'll see how long that lasts. I'm trying to move her day to start a little later but this is usually what it looks like at the moment (on a good day):

6:15am wake, breastfeed, breakfast, play

8:15am-9:45am nap

10:15am wake, breastfeed, lunch, play

12:15pm-1:45pm nap

2:00pm wake, breastfeed, play

5:00pm-6:15pm nap

6:15pm wake, breastfeed, dinner

7:15pm books and to sleep for the night

9 Months: Crawling, Standing and Dancing!

Ava is just about 9 months old and it is hard to believe! Everyone warned us that time would fly but it is hard to believe that this mobile, giggly, be-boppin' little lady is the same tiny baby we rocked to sleep not too long ago.

Ava started crawling just before her 8 month birthday and is now cruising around happily. She is a very curious little girl and loves to explore. She is very sweet though and before she touches anything new she looks back at me to get the "ok". One of her favorite activities is emptying our TV cabinet and basking in her homemade pile of DVD's and videos. I have noticed that she is rarely in a hurry to get anywhere or move on from something--she will carefully take one thing at a time from a shelf, is a great observer, and has a very long attention span. She can do almost anything as long as music is playing, even if I hum a little tune (she LOVES upbeat Christmas songs) she will start bopping to the music and dance her little heart out. Sometimes even when no music is coming from a toy she'll dance and say "eh" until I make it play again. I've tried teaching her how to press the button herself but I think it's just more fun when mommy does it for her!

Ava's most recent and most favorite thing now is to pull herself up on anything that will hold her weight (and some things that will not). Just a couple of days ago we went in to get her from a nap and she was standing in her crib waiting for us! What a cute moment to see the little nose and eyes peeking over the side of her crib, so proud of herself. She is a daring (or trusting) little girl, she assumes we will always be there to help her stand so she frequently lunges for us, ready-or-not. Consequently, she regularly has little bumps and bruises on her head these days but she wears them proudly! It is so exciting to see her personality come out in her risk-taking, discovering a new world at standing height, and trying new things.

Last week we went to get a Christmas tree and had Ava all bundled up. Despite the fact that she was coming down with her first bad cold and ear infection (we'd find this out the following day), she was a good sport. Above is a photo of her on that day, her pudgy cheeks overflowing her pink hoodie. It's been so fun to celebrate Ava's first Christmas season, to see her eyes light up when she saw our Christmas tree and experienced her first big snow. We can't wait to watch her tear into (and eat) her Christmas presents in a few short weeks!

Since our last post Ava has also switched to a four hour schedule successfully and is taking three 1 1/2 to 2 hour naps each day. She sleeps about 11-12 hours at night, though she never really adjusted to daylight savings time and so our day sadly starts around 6:30am. She eats solid food three times a day and has now tried 10 different fruits and vegi's. Her favorites are sweet potatoes, bananas and mangos and she dramatically gags up anything green. She is very skilled using her pincer grasp to pick up small pieces of cereal and though she has no teeth yet, she would love to get her hands on more big-people food!

We just had Ava weighed at her doctor's appointment a few days ago (when we got antibiotics for her ear infection) and she's holding steady at 19 1/2 lbs. Though she hasn't gained much in the last month the doctor was happy with how much she'd gained since her 6 month appointment. Clearly she could live off her own cheeks for a few weeks if need-be so there's little to be concerned about there!

In the last couple of days Ava has grown immensely and keeps surprising us with new things. I hear that's to be expected at this age and it's so exciting! Yesterday she started playing Peek-a-boo all on her own and today I think she said her first word! Time will tell but while she was playing with a toy that plays music, I would say "more?" and she would press the button again and dance to the tune. After a few minutes she started saying "Ma" and then it turned into "Mo", a new sound for her and it really seemed as if she was trying to say "more". She is all of a sudden interested in words, pays attention when I tell her the names of things and often tries to mouth the first consonant (sometimes silently when she thinks I'm not looking--it's very cute).

Once again we are in awe of how much we love this little bundle of cuteness and that there's a whole little human in there--learning, growing and taking in so much information. We were not prepared for how much she would change our lives and our hearts and had no idea how awesome it would be to love our own little baby. A baby that we MADE! Ha! It's incredible. That joy continues to grow and there is nothing better than having your own little one see you, smile at you, crawl over to you and put her arms out so you'll pick her up and give her a squeeze. Needless to say, we love love love being Ava's parents and can't wait to see what the next month brings!

Month 7... The Best Month Yet

We have loved her from the start but as Ava's personality continues to blossom we can't help but love her more every day! This month has been a big one for Ava developmentally and it's been a blast to watch her grow and change daily. She is now sitting up unaided very well and is able to play in this position though she's usually happiest on her belly. She loves loves loves anything now that is NOT a toy--she is much more interested with the surrounding scenery and loves to get into things. Though she is still not crawling, she is very close and an excellent scoocher. The poor thing has rug burns on her elbows and knees to prove it! She loves reading books, her favorites are The Very Hungry Caterpillar (particularly the last page with the butterfly on it), Tickle Tickle, Giggle Baby & Goodnight Moon. She enjoys turning the pages and touching her favorite pictures.

Ava officially can't fall asleep without her stuffed animal duck now which is very sweet to watch. We found this out the first time I tried to put him in the wash and give her a different toy to cuddle with... big mistake. She only gets him when she's in her crib so when we hand it to her she immediately starts sucking her thumb and rubbing her eyes. We have the staff at Kohl's making calls to track down a second duck for back-up since she's now so attached!

Ava has started eating solids and is enjoying it immensely. She loves rice cereal and has also tried butternut squash and sweet potatoes so far. She likes sweet potatoes more but does well with both and is a good eater. She has figured out how to scream and bang her high chair when we aren't fast enough with the food preparations for her liking--how at 7 months they learn that I don't know! She is such a sweetheart though, giggles easily and smiles constantly.

Still no teeth though we have on a number of occasions been sure she'd pop out at least one by morning. She seems to be perpetually teething but no sign of a tooth yet. Even on her "worst days" though she is a joy and such a sweetheart. She is sooo laid back, is happy to sit in our laps for long periods of time seemingly un-entertained, just cuddling and watching what's happening around her. No complaints from us! She is great at keeping herself occupied but it's sort of fun now that she is able to reach for us or let us know when she wants to be held instead of put on the floor. It's neat to see her showing preference and wanting her mommy and daddy!

She has a full vocabulary now of consonants and vowels, the most frequent of which are "Ma" and "Ba". Though "Mama" is not exclusively used in my direction, it warms my heart to now wake up most mornings to "Mamamamamama" instead of screaming:).

For those keeping track, Ava's schedule right now looks similar to what I posted at 4 months but is in the process of changing. She is heading to bed a little earlier (by 7pm instead of 8pm) and I've inched her nighttime feeding down to 8:30pm with the hopes of dropping it altogether soon. When she wakes up at 7 or 7:30am now she has a little awake time in order to breastfeed and eat solids, and this time will lengthen once she drops the nighttime feeding and is more awake and hungry in the morning. Once that is successful, I'll be working towards feeding her every 4 hours during the day instead of 3, making 3 naps during the day instead of the current 4. She is definitely heading that way herself but shortening each of her 4 naps (except for the afternoon one) so I think it will be a somewhat easy transition for her!

Finally, Ava is still spitting up constantly and we're seeing a G.I. specialist in a couple of weeks. After starting solids and the spitting up not slowing down, our pediatrician thought it would be a good idea just to make sure there isn't an underlying issue. It isn't unusual for kids to spit up for the first year but because of the amount and frequency it can't hurt to get her checked out. We of course would not mind if there's something we can do to help slow it down or stop it all together!

Ava is SUCH a joy, we are marveling every day at the blessing it is to be her parents. She is such a sweet sweet girl and we can't wait every day to see what she will do and how she will grow!

*There are updated pictures in the albums Ava in September and Ava in October!

Ava is ALMOST Crawling!

Here is a quick video of our baby girl almost crawling at 7 months! I will post a more detailed update soon but wanted to share this now. Ava is a very determined little girl, it has been fun to watch her personality come out as she's quickly progressed this month from barely wanting to be on her tummy to doing 360's on her belly, then trying to get up on her knees and figuring out how to inch forward. We are sure she'll be crawling in no time and it's so amazing to watch the little cogs turning in her head as she tries to move her muscles the way she wants to. We are so proud of her!