Sippy Sippy

Last night was the first night I didn't breastfeed Ava before bed (or at all). It went pretty well, she definitely wanted to but still went to sleep pretty quickly thankfully. I was a mess but we had guests over (on purpose) so that was a good distraction. I was weeping through the whole night but thankfully Ava slept well, woke up late and was acting normal and happy this morning which is making it easier on mommy. Everything in my body was screaming last night, "You're making a mistake! Start breastfeeding her all over again!" but I knew it was time. This was definitely one of the best things I've ever done, especially as she got older and it got easier and more interactive, and I will miss it! I hear this detachment gets easier though so I'm waiting for that. Ava is also getting more independent with her sippy cup, sometimes she will sit in my lap and drink it but often now she wants to do it on her own. My little baby is not so little anymore...

This morning I had a fantastic mommy-baby moment though and I cherish those! I came into the living room and laid down on the floor. Ava threw herself at me so she was lying on my tummy and smooshed her cheek into mine. She stayed like this for a good 45 seconds or so, smooshing and laughing and then lifted her head up and gave me three big wet kisses on the lips. I LOVE this new affectionate little girl and I soak up every bit of it I can!

Smooches

This afternoon was one of the most fun I've had with Ava all year! She is teething, so this last month or so she has been fussier than usual, clingy and not napping well. Today I discovered the lifesaver that is Motrin (as opposed to tylenol which has been useless), Ava slept for 2+ hours in the afternoon and awoke a totally different girl! I literally was shocked, I've never seen her more happy, independent and doing so many new things in one day.

While I was cleaning up after her dinner, Ava was playing by herself in the living room and literally making herself giggle! She's a happy girl but that has never happened. She was "talking" to her daddy on her phone and then I went to check on her again and she was doing somersaults with her ducky (which looks more like rolling) and sucking her thumb. When she'd see me peek in at her she would normally cry and come cling to my leg but instead she just giggled and went back to playing.

When I went in to play, I laid down on the floor and she came over and started climbing all over me, laughing, doing her somersaults onto me and leaning in to give me kisses! As seen in the above picture, that is her new thing, she loves to give kisses and is for the first time giving real ones on the lips or wherever she can reach. It is so adorable! I loved snuggling and rolling around with my giggling little girl, I truly don't think I've ever seen her in such high spirits. Thank you Motrin!

Other recent news: Unless I have a weak moment tomorrow night, tonight was my last time breastfeeding Ava. I am very sad, I will miss it a lot, but am so proud that we made it past a year with her still breastfeeding well, and ended on a great note. I will miss that closeness, the built-in quiet time with her and seeing her so quickly comforted, satisfied and relaxed. But, I know this will open a door to new things in the future, more freedom for both of us and new ways to express that mommy-daughter connection. I am so attached to her still, I think this will be good for both of us as she learns to express her independence more and I learn to let her. It's hard but good... I'm afraid this is the first of many "letting go" moments in my future and I'm not looking forward to them! One day at a time...

We also had Ava's 12 month well baby appointment last Friday and got her height and weight. She is 21 lbs 5.6 oz which is the 56% and the nurse measured her at 31 inches long which was totally wrong! That would have been a huge jump and put her in the 99% for height. We measured her at home and got 28 3/4 inches so we're sticking to that! She also officially is in size 18 months clothes now and I think size 4 shoes though we're still trying to feel that one out as we enter into shoe territory. I can't wait for more warm days as we've bought her tons of cute summer clothes and all her winter stuff is too small!

Daaaa-Dee!

This morning Blair got a wonderful wake-up. We hopped into bed with him and Ava said, "Hi Daddy" and gave him a real kiss on the lips! So precious, it just warms our hearts.

Yesterday for the first time Ava said both "Dad" (with a solid "D" at the end) and "Daddy" clearly! This is a very exciting step up from "Da". It's amazing to hear her little voice say it's first full and understandable word. For the last two days she has been talking on her phone to "Daaaa-dee!" non-stop and it is adorable!

Here is a typical conversation with Ava:

Ava: (hands mommy the phone with longing eyes)

Mommy: Do you want to talk to Dada? (mommy opens the phone, fake dials and then smiles) Dada! Oh hi!

Ava: (squeals and wriggles with delight while reaching for the phone) Dada!

Mommy: (hands Ava the phone)

Ava: Hi Daddy! Daaaa-dee! Daaa-dee!

Mommy: (walks away and comes back five minutes later to...)

Ava: Daddy, hi! Hi Daddy! Daaa-dee!

And this goes on and on. Ava looooves her Daddy.

Jellies

Few things say summer like new jellies and Ava is in love with hers. Even though it's chilly today she's happy to wear them with socks!

The Smartest and Cutest

Here are two examples of Ava's incredible and unending cuteness. Tonight after dinner Ava was getting tired and we needed an activity to get her through the two hours until bedtime. So, we decided to go for a walk with her grocery cart outside and get some exercise. This has really been the first week that Ava's been outside that she can probably remember, and she LOVES it. The funny thing though is I can't get her to walk very far before she just plops right down and starts picking at the grass or the driveway. So today I decided to entice her by showing her the leaves along the way, the sticks and other interesting things to keep her moving forward. During one sit-down in the middle of the sidewalk, after examining her surroundings and choosing a leaf, Ava stood up, put her leaf in her grocery cart and started walking again. It was the sweetest little gesture and so fun to watch her pick that one leaf above the rest, for whatever reason. Nothing else went in the cart tonight, I'd try to put other things in there that I thought might be special and she didn't want them! She loved that leaf and it was adorable.

The second sweet moment was as we were getting ready for bed. We had just spent awhile outside (after our walk) petting our neighbor's dog, talking with them and eating wood chips (her, not me). Needless to say, Ava was a little wound up. She didn't want to sit with me and read books like usual so I let her roam, play a little and pick out some books to look at herself. As I sat and watched, she opened her "Baby Giggles" book to the page with the sleeping babies and gave them each kisses! Later when we were reading that same book together, she turned to the page "Angel baby, hug your bear", looked around for her ducky, then snuggled into me and sucked her thumb while I finished reading. I'm amazed at how smart she is, what connections she makes and how quickly she picks up on things.

Happy Birthday Ava Grace!

It has happened. Our little baby just turned one! Is it normal to feel like I aged about three years while she aged just one? Hopefully that will not become a trend. Though this year has been a whirlwind and it seems impossible that she is a year old, when I look at Ava it also feels so right and natural to pass through this milestone. She has grown up SO much and is starting to become such a little person. It is a delight (to say the least) to be her mommy and watch her grow and change every day.

I've always understood why parents might be proud of their kids when they graduate high school or college, or when they do well on a test or win something. I was not prepared, however, for the feelings of immense pride in my little girl for simply turning one. She didn't have to "do" anything per say to make it happen but my goodness, I find myself bursting with pride every time she stands, takes a step, says a little word, makes eye contact, shows off her sense of humor, figures out how to get herself from one place to another--because all of these things are things I saw happen for the first time. And then saw her work to perfect them. It is an incredible feeling to see your little one come so far and to see and love the emerging little kid within.

I find myself wanting to "reward" Ava with a little more independence but am daily reminded that she is still just a little pipsqueak. One example: Lately Ava's been interested in looking out the window and we have one where the sill is just about at nose height when she stands on her tippy toes. One afternoon I was doing dishes and could see Ava out of the corner of my eye. In what seemed like seconds I looked over at her and she had pulled her daddy's guitar case over to the window, climbed up on it, and was teetering on top to see out the window! Needless to say: One-year-old does not equal self-sufficient but it has given me a little nudge into toddler country. Now is the time to let Ava skin her knee and get a splinter in her hand and bang her head, all in the name of exploration of her world. It is fun to loosen the reigns a little and see what she does with a little more freedom. She is such a sweet girl, cautious and observant; we love watching her make choices and learn about her abilities and boundaries.

At one year, here are some of Ava's favorites:

Favorite books: Other than the old standards, some recent favorites are Busy Little People, A Night Night Prayer and Pat the Bunny. She also still loves Baby Giggles, Tickle Tickle, Goodnight Moon and First Words.

Favorite items (we'll start with this since she likes these better than toys): Pillows!, Shoes (hers and ours), TV remote, her baby bottle, anyone's cell phone and all the plastic bottles that need to go down to recycling. Also flowers, balloons and pictures of babies!

Favorite toys: Any that play music or make noise including her Leap Frog alphabet spinner, musical telephone and crawl ball, yellow jingle ball, pretty much all her new birthday toys including her baby stroller, leggos, stacking blocks and play food.

Favorite foods: Blueberries (by far), Strawberries, Banana, Peas, anything off mommy's plate though a favorite is pizza!

Must haves: Ducky. When we travel or go anywhere the only thing we know we need is this. Duck Duck. Everything else is replaceable.

Favorite Activities: Dancing, somersaults or any other gymnastics or death defying tumble, hide and seek, chasing, walking (mostly with help), petting friendly dogs, and going through drawers in the kitchen and emptying out all contents.

Favorite Songs: It is interesting how much of a preference she shows but she definitely loves music. She loves Happy Birthday & Itsy Bitsy Spider the most right now. Oh and the theme song to the cartoon "Dragon Land"!

Ava... Where is She Now?

Ava is in between sizes 12 and 18 months and in size 4 diapers. She drinks well from a sippy cup now and is doing two cow's milk feedings and two breastfed. She is down to two naps and thankfully with the coming of daylight savings is waking up later! She wakes at 8am and naps from 10-12 and 2-4, then goes down for the night at 8pm. The most consecutive steps she has taken on her own is 4 but her interest in walking with help is high and she loves to practice. No hair. No teeth. Her 12 month doctor's appointment isn't until the 26th so we'll have to wait until then to know her height and weight but we know she's at least over 20 lbs. Definitely not the heavyweight champ she was as a baby though, she has slowed down in that department!

Personality Traits at 1 Year: Cautious, careful, deliberate, content, smiley (happy), low-key, quiet, loves people but slow to warm, loves to dance and show off for company, cuddly, GREAT sense of humor, very aware and curious about her surroundings, studies new people, very loving.

We had a wonderful birthday party for Ava on the 14th, an album of our favorite shots is posted to the left. A lot of family and friends were present and made her birthday so special for us. Again I was not prepared for how big of a deal that day would be for me emotionally, to have conquered the first year and also to know that my baby is growing up. I am so glad we could share it with so many people who we love and who love Ava! She did wonderfully, despite missing a morning nap--she loved the attention, the new toys and clothes, and sort of enjoyed the cake! On her actually birthday (the 15th) I was home alone with her and tried filling her day with sweets and surprises but she wasn't too interested. I made pancakes in the morning which I thought for sure she'd enjoy but she much preferred her banana! And then I tried giving her some cake again at lunch but she was totally uninterested. She does like powdered donuts I've found but otherwise really isn't into sweets. She definitely got that from her dad.

Now we enter the second year. I am so looking forward to it and all the new milestones that we'll hit in the coming months. What excitement each day brings when you have a little person running around who is taking all the world in for the first time. Ava's character and personality are so precious and so fun to watch blossom as she gets older. Most mom's always say, "every stage is your favorite until the next one comes" and I never really could figure out why that was true. But, I think it's because regardless of what new challenges each stage brings, it also opens up a new door to getting to know your child better. The first time Ava started smiling and laughing brightened my world but now she has a sense of humor and can do things solely because she knows it will make me laugh. As her personality becomes more evident it somehow allows me to love her even more as there is more to love! It's an amazing process and one that I am so thankful and grateful for. We are so blessed to be Ava's parents and she has taught us SO much. We love you baby girl!

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

An update on the walking: Ava is still excited about walking but now only while holding a hand or occasionally taking one step on her own. I think her unassisted steps are mostly by accident when she really wants something and makes a move toward it! She was so confident the other night that I expected her to be walking on her own within a few days but she has been consistent with her personality: cautious and patient until she knows she can do it well. More and more often these last few days though she has fussed when I walk away and tell her to follow me. When she doesn't come I will go over and offer my hand--up she stands and walks happily with help. She is often more interested in walking than crawling but we'll have to wait a little bit longer for those cute little legs to start running!

We Have a Walking Baby!

Yes, we have a walker! Today Ava took her first real unassisted steps and many semi-assisted ones. Linda (who is living with us for a few months) had her friend over and they were cooking in the kitchen when Ava and I joined them. Ava loved Veronica's pajama pants and kept pointing to the frogs on them. Then, without warning, she got up and took one or two steps toward Veronica and then grabbed one of my hands and took about ten more fast steps across the room. I screamed to Linda, "Um, she's walking!!" and we couldn't believe it! I picked Ava up and gave her lots of kisses and then tried to sit her back down on the floor but she wouldn't sit and just started walking again, all over the room! She wanted to do it mostly while holding at least one of my hands but I am confident in a day or two she'll be running around on her own. She was very excited and proud of herself but unfortunately this was about five minutes before bedtime. After about the fifth time that I sat her down across the room and then called her to me she just started to cry and wanted to be picked up and put to bed! Ok... shows over mom. I'm hoping she wakes up with the same excitement and we can catch the little steps on video tomorrow!