Potty? Yes!

Last night, for the very first time, Ava pee peed on the potty! All by herself!

I was changing her diaper and she asked to go sit on the potty. I was in the zone, wanting to get her ready for bed, diaper changed, PJs on, so of course I said, 'You just went in your diaper honey, you don't need to go on the potty'. She insisted, 'Potty? Potty?' so I gave in. She was already half-naked, why not let her go sit her cute little bottom on the seat for a minute.

She ran over to her potty and sat down while I retrieved her favorite Elmo potty book, and then I joined her and began reading. Not five words in, I realized she was sitting on the back of her onesie, I thought, 'Eh, may as well move this just in case'. I reached down to pull out the dangling cotton and snaps only to feel it soaking wet... I looked in the potty and there sat a puddle of beautiful pee! Now for all you non-parents out there, it is amazing and shocking how normal words like pee pee and poo poo become in your everyday language, and even more surprising the level of excitement and pride that bursts forth when your child goes to the potty for the first time by themselves. In my highest and most shrill, excited voice I said, "Ava?! Did you go pee pee on the potty?!" to which she of course answered, "Yeah!" I clapped and cheered and she got soooo excited for herself. If mommy is getting this excited, I must have done something really great! We cleaned up, de-clothed and triumphantly flushed the specimen down the toilet (to which Ava always screams, "Rolling!" as the water whooshes down).

Ava continued to sit on the potty for about twenty minutes, insisting that she would poo poo in it (though I knew she wouldn't), and drool on herself the sticky sugary goodness that was her first potty treat--a yellow skittle. My my, I remember the pride I felt the first time she smiled at me, rolled over, crawled forward, stepped forward, mastered using her little fingers... this is right up there!

Now I've heard the stories of moms whose kids pee on the potty around this age but later refuse to have anything to do with it, or whose journey toward diaper independence is a long one. But, nevertheless, I am still so proud of my little girl and can't wait to see how she continues in this process!

Shutterfly Promo

This season Shutterfly is promoting their brand by offering 50 free Christmas cards to all bloggers! The budget-minded mom that I am, I jumped at this freebie. They have a huge selection of great, modern cards to choose from, perfect for our little family (and yours). Shutterfly also is a great destination for Christmas gifts including personalized wall calendars, photo ornaments, photo mugs and more.

Here is where you can find their Christmas card selection. Some of my favorite designs are the Merry Blossom, Family Wall Red and Noel Lace. I can't wait to design our family's card this Christmas! It's such a great way, especially now that we have Ava, to share our family with, well... family!

I hope you all enjoy picking out your cards this season and a few special gifts for friends and family. I don't know about you but even though it's barely Thanksgiving, I'm already feeling the holiday spirit brewing in our home!

20 Months

Unfortunately this month has been marked by illness. Welcome winter and winter bugs! Ava has had an ear infection, two colds, a virus, a stomach bug and a horrible vomit-inducing cough that won't let up. However, amidst the tissues, motrin and carpet cleaner, Ava has managed still to grow and do new things.

One of the benchmarks of Ava's month will be her new interest in the potty! Just this last week she has asked to sit on the potty a number of times and loves to place all her stuffed animals and dolls on it as well. They go pee pee, we clap for them and make a big to-do. Just a few weeks ago I would have said she was not even close to being ready but then one day, the light when on and the first phase of potty-training had begun. This is not a process I am going to push until she is very ready but consider this stage of education, practice and pretend an important one!

This month once again Ava has made a giant leap in her independence and conversational and emotional skills. Blair and I regularly sit and marvel at the little human that does circles around us, amazed at her ability to interact and her desire to learn. Her new sweet bend is toward asking us often, "Ya OK?" if ever we seem slightly surprised, scared, hurt or if she labels a loud noise or action as potentially causing us harm. It is so precious and exciting to watch her become increasingly aware of our emotions and respond to them!

In past months Ava started labeling things around the house as "mommy's" and "daddy's" (this by the way is a very telling way to see how you spend your time). For instance, the car, iced tea, anything with a power cord and all tools are "daddy's", whereas mommy's things include coffee, dishes, laundry baskets, lotion and the like! Anyway, so this was a new trend in the recent months but in the last couple of weeks Ava has started wanting to know who gave her different articles of clothing, blankets and other baby items. Every time we put on her pink sweatpants from Nana she squeals, "Nanny's!" though you can all rest assured that your names are mentioned daily, whether you gave her something or not. The other day she saw an old pillow I'd stuffed under her mattress to raise it up a bit and she said, "Papa's!" I replied, "Papa's? Did Papa give you that pillow?" Her reply: an enthusiastic, "Yeah! Thank you Papa!"

Ava's vocabulary list continues to lengthen, faster than I can remember to write them all down. With that, here is non-exhaustive record of Ava's words this month: Coat, grass, broccoli, juggle, cracker, Morgan, OK, "apple" bar, nose, eyes, ears, teeth, purse, bag, house, bacon, kix, towel, snap, barney, wheel, applesauce, pasta sauce, rice, bow, zipper, church, dipe dipe (diaper), mess, star, bug, spot, bright, buckle, laundry, all gone, blankie, rolling, hole, ipod, ice, case, monster, oatmeal, football, coffee, frosty and painting!

This month also marked Ava's 1st Halloween... that she actually took part in! We dressed her as the cute teddy bear you see above, went to Emily and Brian's apartment (Blair's sister and her fiance) as well as some of our neighbors homes. Ava had a cold but enjoyed the outing, loved her "hat" and couldn't have been cuter. She didn't quite understand the giving of candy as evidenced by her prompt returning of the treat to the giver with a "Thank you!", but still she had fun. And of course she is benefiting from the holiday with the occasional, "Teet? Teet? (Treat)" shared with mommy from the bowl of leftovers.

A little history and how I survived the tummy bug

I have a stomach virus phobia. Many people do but I really REALLY do. Most of you know, shortly after Blair and I got married in 2006, I started getting sick with one thing after another, and after suffering two stomach viruses within a couple weeks of each other, I was hospitalized and never got better. Fatigue, pain, nausea, migraines, blurred vision, muscle weakness, brain fog... I had every vague but insufferable symptom in the book. I saw maybe ten different specialists with as many diagnoses and no end in sight. Needless to say, there began my hatred of stomach viruses and how they, without warning or permission, catapulted me and my life in a frightening and grim direction.

When Blair and I began talking to my many doctor's about starting a family, they basically told us not to wait for me to get better--I might never recover. So we decided to step out in faith and get pregnant. Every doctor said that I would probably feel better while I was pregnant and get a lot worse after the birth. I was terrified of this scenario, having to care for a baby when I could barely care for myself some days, but we decided to go forward anyway and not let this keep us from having kids.

Turns out, I felt horrible pregnant. But, from the moment I went into labor, my body did what it was supposed to do, I was able to muster the energy to push Ava out (my obstetrician was afraid I wouldn't be able to do even that), and have been healthy every day since. No doctor could see it coming or explain it. We call it a miracle.

With this newfound health, I still haven't let go of my intense fear of getting a stomach virus and the anxiety of whether or not I could get really sick again. It has gotten easier to handle over time but I still have to fight off panic at the mere mention of a friend with an upset stomach. With that, the idea of Ava getting her first tummy bug terrified me quite a bit.

But, this week we did it. Right on the heels of an ear infection and that horrible fever, Ava had her first stomach virus. Blair wasn't home and so I bore it alone, the cleanup, the crying, the fever, the first few hours of sleeplessness until Blair got home from work. It was awful but at the same time, it feels so good to have it over with. To have faced my fear, kept my spirits up for my baby's sake, dealt with the anxiety and pushed through it.

Thankfully, I have yet to catch this awful bug and give all the glory to God for that. I still am afraid of the first time I have to go through that again, but to have this behind me and to know that I survived is a great victory for me. As for Ava, she unfortunately had a horrible cold at the same time so is dealing with the effects of that but the traumatic night of the tummy bug is no doubt far behind her. I am so grateful for the resilience of children! And thankful for my baby girl for not only curing me with her entrance into the world but continuing to be a source for my own growth and refinement, my dependence on the Lord, and the realization of my own strength.

Homebody, Home Maker

A phenomena of the modern stay-at-home-mom, blogging is a prominent part of many of our days. Sharing our thoughts and families, as well as reading others stories, both of people we know and those we don't. It might seem strange to some, to "follow" the blog of a mom whom you've never met, but to me and many it is fun, comforting, and a great resource.

Lately as I've been thinking of the many moms I know or read about who seem to constantly be taking their children out on adventures and excursions, I've become aware of my tendency to feel inadequate. Not as a nurturing mother but as a provider of experience, education and excitement into my baby's life. Blair and I have only one car, and his job keeps him out of the house (and the car goes with him) during many of Ava's waking hours. Therefore, her times 'out', especially to do anything exceptionally interesting, are few. I read about other families going pumpkin picking (Ava and I did manage this one with friends but without Blair), to the zoo or the farmers market or to friends houses or wherever, and I find myself wondering if Ava is missing out. Or am I missing out?

In the last couple of days though, I have realized two things. One, though experience outside the home is very important, it is not everything. And two, I have much to be thankful for in the way God has made me suitable for this "line of work". I have had my share of bad days and bad weeks, when Ava nor I have gotten out of the house for four days straight and I haven't had a break in months. But, I've realized recently that God's also given me an incredible ability to be able to live in and enjoy these circumstances more than the average mom. I have always thought it a lesser quality that I am a homebody and don't mind being at home. I have many friends who really need and want to get out of the house every day and thankfully have the ability to do so. But, I am beginning to see that my contentment to be at home as much as I am has become a necessary quality for the sustainability of our family, and I am so thankful at this stage in our lives that God made me the way he did. If he had made me any different, I assure you there would have been many more breakdowns in our household than have actually taken place, and probably it would not allow Blair to do the work that he loves.

Someday I hope that I have the option to take Ava out of the house everyday, not just for a walk but to places exciting and stimulating and new. But for now, I have to acknowledge that she is still growing, learning, socializing and doing amazingly well finding new things to do around the house every day. I have to remember that I am a good mom, that it is ok and even an asset that I enjoy being at home, and that I am blessed to be able to stay home with my daughter at all. I have to believe that all those moms out in blog land that post pictures of their seemingly perfect, exciting and adventure-filled lives have no more perfect homes, children or marriages than I do. I have to remember that memories are memories, and especially at Ava's young age, she is building just as firm a foundation playing, cooking and exploring with me at home as she would anywhere else.

I can't say I'm not praying for change, but I'm learning to be grateful that I have the capacity to stay within these walls for such long stretches as I do and to allow my husband to work at what he loves. I am beyond blessed to get to spend my days with a sweet and content girl who also loves snuggling and staying in. Though our circumstances are not ideal, we were built for them as much as anybody could be, and I'm glad.

Fall

This afternoon I found out two things I wouldn't have guessed to be so. One, Ava still fits pretty well in her winter coat from last year even though it's a size 12mos and she is in size 24mos (though, I suppose this isn't a total shock if you look at how big it was on her last year). This is a huge deal as I've been oscillating between whether to spend the money on a snow suit, or just a warm jacket, or a one-piece snow-playing contraption that would be very convenient but not double as a coat. So many decisions for a thrifty family. At least now I know I can put off that decision until the first snow and see if Ava even likes making Frosty-the-snowmans before I spend $30 on snow pants.

(Ava in her coat today)

(Ava in the same coat last winter)

The second thing I found out today is that my little toddler can play in the leaves! It never occurred to me that she'd be old enough to do such an old kid thing but she is. And she loved it. I raked a small pile and she swung her arms up in reckless abandon and flopped right on in.

Double successes today!

TEETH!

Ava got her first two teeth at 16 1/2 months after a solid 8 months of teething (I'm not joking). Thankfully it didn't take another 8 months for the next ones to pop through, but it sure felt like it. Ava's top two teeth have finally made their debut, at 19 mos! I have yet to get a picture of them--knowing her it will be about 2 months until they are down far enough to be captured on film, but believe me, they are there! I am SO excited and can't wait to see my baby girl with a toothy grin!

The best part about new teeth? Yesterday Ava took two good naps for the first time in weeks and this morning slept in until 9:15! Praise the Lord for catching up on sleep!

Nostalgia

Two years ago today I was almost 20 weeks pregnant and just a few days shy of finding out Ava's gender.

One year ago today, Ava at 7 months old.

Today.

A Visit From Grammy and Pappy

We are ever so blessed that two of Ava's favorite people live just an hour and a half away. On Friday we had a fun-filled visit from Grammy (who Ava is now calling "Mimi") and Pappy. Here are the pictures to prove it!

Note to my Mom: If you click on any of these pictures, you can open them in a new window, right click and save to your computer.

My lovely mama

Ava loves to imitate Pappy!

Pappy making Ava laugh

Pappy is a great juggler, or as Ava would say, "Guggle Pappy? Guggle?"

First Fever

Ava has had mild fevers before but this week we've had our first experience with a very high one. On Saturday afternoon Ava woke up from her nap with a temp of 102 and last night she achieved her all-time high, 104.4. Needless to say, this virus had us a little scared and very sad for our little, miserable munchkin. We've seen the doctor twice though and they've ruled out any other causes, we just need to wait it out. In the meantime, Ava is drinking lots of milk (the only fluid she will rarely refuse), snuggling with us and spending most of her days watching cartoons on the couch. Being sick isn't ALL bad. :)

19 Months

As previously stated, this month has been overwhelmingly marked by Ava's growing vocabulary. She astounds me daily with the new words that will pop out of her mouth and the semi-sentences that come adorably trailing off her tongue. Here are the words of the month:

Hat, cheerios (chuice-ohs), apple, butterfly (buh-by), mop, (re)mote, wipe, wait, help, peas, book, puffs (bups), moon, milk, up, watch, cheese, jump, pumpkin, wall, ouch, home, peekaboo, music, stool, wet, towel, cup, bowl, house, paper, dirt, ew, rock, step, peeking, boots, stop, vacuum, juice, flower, pool and piggy. Also, "right back", "was is sat?" (what is that), "where'dt go?" and labeling items as "mommy's" or "daddy's". Just since starting this post this morning, Ava has said, purple, blue and heart. Add em' to the list!

Ava has become quite the little climber and adventurer this month and for the first time climbed the back of the couch on her own! No, not the usual front of the couch, mom looks over and finds baby sitting triumphantly. I'm talking about up onto the couch and then climbing up the back until precariously teetering on the tippy top, holding onto the window sill for support. It doesn't help her curiosity that she LOVES looking out the window pretty much more than any other activity. Our poor neighbors have a very committed stalker who knows every time they go to the mailbox, take their dogs for a walk, come, go, wash their car or mow their lawn! Ava's other victory of the month was learning to walk backwards and she loves to show this skill off for company.

In the last couple of weeks, Ava has started bringing me pieces of paper and wanting me to draw pictures for her. Her objects of choice are usually babies, but also include hair dryers, planes, clocks and moons. Speaking of... this month Ava has discovered the moon and every night we go out looking for it (and every morning. and afternoon.). Of course about two days after she fell in love with its celestial magnificence, the moon went into hiding and did not rise or set during her times awake. What a let down. But, a couple of days ago we were outside playing in the evening when I hear her running running running and then, "Moon! Mommy! Moon!". Excitement does not explain the emotion bursting from that little girl.

Ava's top teeth have been threatening to pop for a couple months now and just these last two weeks the teething has been hard. This morning Ava slept in (until 9:15!) for the first time in weeks which is usually a sign that the teeth will finally come through the gums in the next couple days. Thank you Lord! I am so excited to see my baby with top teeth and to relieve her of the pain that must be unbearable considering the length of time her little pearlies take to show themselves!

I caved and gave Ava juice for the first time this month! Doctor's don't recommend it anymore and we don't keep it in the house so it has never been an issue for us. I have tried to be very mindful of what I give Ava and though she gets treats every now and then, it is not something she expects or even knows the words for. A little while ago though, we got the ingredients for smoothies and therefore had apple juice in the fridge. After a boo boo Ava got one day, I decided to soothe her with a little juice treat and man was it a hit! We did half juice, half water and I will say, though I'm not a proponent of lots of juice drinking, it was still a great way to hydrate her a little bit and make her feel better!

Finally, another great story to illustrate Ava's developmental progress. For a long time Ava has mimicked adult behavior--stirring in her bowl, using a phone or cleaning with mommy. But this morning Ava actually set up her first make believe scenario and it was such a sweet moment! She was on her little car driving away saying "Bye mommy, bye bye" and blowing kisses, until she started repeating the word "work" over and over. I didn't quite get what she was trying to say but finally answered, "Ava, are you going to work like daddy?" and she says, "Yeah!" and gets on her car and drives away saying, "Bye bye mommy. Work!". I suggested she get her bag and put some things in it for work and she loved the idea. She gathered the essentials: a small bucket and a phone, slung her bag over her shoulder and off to work she went. Yesterday she visited daddy's office for the first time and it obviously made a big impression!

The Stats

Ava just had her 18-month doctors visit, to poke and prod and make sure everything is as it should be. She does have an ear infection in her right ear (we went to the doc on monday and got antibiotics) but that is clearing up nicely. Otherwise, she's perfect!

They asked how many words she says and I said... "Oh gosh, I don't know, 50?" and they marveled! Apparently that is a lot. Even though she was a slow starter, her vocabulary has exploded in the last few weeks and she really is talking so much. I already have 22 new words written down to put in her 19 month post, one of which came out today at the doc's office. Ava stood up on the table and announced, "wall!", placing her hand up against the wall behind her. Why yes, you smart little cookie! She did amazingly well with the doctor too, of course she cried for her two shots but did a fantastic job letting the doctor inspect her and even answered some of his questions herself!

We got Ava's flu shot today (so thankful to get it out of the way instead of waiting for the rush like last year) as well as her final Hep A vaccine. That means we are DONE with her vaccines until she goes to Kindergarten! A great milestone to have reached, I know Ava would be excited if she only knew.

And finally, the stats: She weighs 26 lbs 10oz (76%) and they measured her at 33 inches (78%).

A Picture Post

Just incase any of you are still on the fence about whether we have the most beautiful and adorable girl in the whole wide world, I will post a few new pictures to prove this. A few days ago we went to the playground that is right up the street, it had been a few weeks since our last visit and was Ava's first time REALLY loving it! She could do a lot more playing and climbing on her own and we got some great shots of her in action.

Even though this isn't the best picture I've ever taken,

I am in love with her face in this one! She looks so old in it... I don't know.

My beautiful girl and that sweet face just melt me!

There are many more new pictures in the album to the left, September 2010.

One and a half!

It is jaw-droppingly shocking to me that I can now answer the question, "Oh, how old is she?" with "One-and-a-half"! My baby is truly, in age, stage and manner, a toddler.

I worked at a daycare in the one-year-old room for a number of months before Blair and I got married. There was a stark difference between the 12-18 month crowd and the 18-24 month kids. I am seeing firsthand that change taking place in my little Ava! This month she has started talking much much more, her ten word vocabulary exploding into short sentences and more confident attempts at new sounds. Without my prompting she has started saying please and thank you at all the right times (not just signing), is now speaking the word "more" and has added "baby" to most sentences: "Hi baby", "Bye baby", "Thank you baby".

Other new words and phrases include but are not limited to: water (wawa), bubble, turtle, yellow, Ruthie, Erin, Breanne (Bree), noodle (noonle), puppy, one more, excuse me (usually just "eck-use"), off, in and out. She also says "uh oh" all the time followed by whatever word makes the most sense, like "uh oh wawa" when she drops her water cup or "uh oh mommy" when I undoubtedly do something "wrong" like drop food or leave a cabinet door open. She can also say about half the letters in the alphabet and recognizes a few of them by sight. She is starting to say consecutively, "ABC" (though it is usually ABD) and "123"! It's been so fun to watch her interest in the alphabet boom all of the sudden. She loves to hear the alphabet song and will try to sing it with me but often stops with a shy smile due to performance anxiety.

As mentioned in a previous post, Ava is a big mommy-lover (I don't often complain) and likes to be wherever I am. She is also the epitome of a snuggle-bunny! Here is another picture to prove it:

One night while making dinner I looked down to find Ava lying with her head on ducky and pulling the dishtowel down for a blanket. Mommy was busy so why not snuggle as close as she could get?

Another great story of the month that shows a lot about Ava's patient, careful, obedient and tidy personality happened just yesterday. I gave her her milk cup in the afternoon and she took it into the living room. I was in the kitchen and heard, "Uuuh..." a few times as if to say, "Um, mom? Something isn't right". She makes this noise a lot so I didn't go in until she continued to do it without coming to usher me toward her problem (no doubt a lost toy, I thought). After a minute, I went looking for her only to find her holding onto the side of my desk with milk spilled all over the floor, her feet mid-puddle! I said, "Oh dear, ok, hang on", went to get some paper towels and then began wiping. I started near the kitchen and as I got closer to her feet realized I was out of paper towels. So again, I said, "Hang on sweetheart, mommy needs to get more towels". Ava replied, "yeah" and continued to hold on to the desk leg, unwavering from her milky spot. I came back and tackled the largest puddle surrounding her feet. She patiently lifted one foot, let me dry it and the floor beneath her, then the other foot and floor. Once she was in the clear she stepped back and quietly watched me clean the rest of the spatter from walls and chair legs. All of this took a solid three or four minutes and where another kid might be stomping in the milk, rainy-puddle style, or come running into the kitchen with milky feet, angry that their precious milk was no longer drinkable, my darling girl just waited patiently TWICE while I went to get towels and clean her up. It amazes me the awareness she has at such a young age, the care and again, the patience! What a sweet little heart she has!

In other news: Ava has graduated to size 5 diapers (I was so glad to use the last of those size 4's!) and is getting at least one more tooth soon. I can see it just behind the gums in the top, left-center spot. There also may be one on the bottom right but we'll have to wait and see. "Any day now" for Ava means at least two weeks from now so who knows! Her bottom two teeth which poked through two months ago are STILL not all the way up. She is a super slow tooth grower, that is for sure!

Mommy's Girl

Ava has entered a stage where she won't nap well unless we play--hard. So yesterday we ran around outside for an hour, wrestled in the living room and then mommy needed a break. I laid down on the living room floor with a pillow under my head and took a breather while Ava continued to whirl with energy around me. A minute or two later, all was quiet and I couldn't see Ava in my periphery anymore so I sat up to find her. Low and behold, my little mommy's girl had pulled a pillow down from the couch, placed it on the floor behind my head and was lying down silently behind me, sucking her thumb. I nearly giggled with happiness at how adorable she was and what a sweet little heart she has!

Nurse Ava

Yesterday Ava and I were playing hide and go seek. During a particularly precarious "hide", I managed to cut myself on the faucet in the shower. Ava watched me apply Neosporin to the wound--uncap, swipe the ointment with my finger and delicately tend to my scratch.

Fast forward about two hours. I was unpacking a few things and handed Ava a box of unopened toothpaste to hold while I went about my business. I put away the other boxes of toothpaste and made my way into the kitchen. A minute later, Ava comes in saying, "Ducky? Ducky?", finds her Ducky on the kitchen floor and then disappears again into the living room. I didn't think much of it until I heard an unusual noise coming from Ava. I followed her into the living room to find Ducky splayed on the couch, the toothpaste box opened, cap flipped, toothpaste all over Ava's index finger and a delicate glob on Ducky.

My initial, "Ooh, no no" (after I saw the look of horror and disappointment on my daughter's face) was quickly replaced with, "Ava, were you putting ointment on Ducky's boo boo?" To which she replied proudly, "Yeah!"

Unfortunately what followed was a re-capping of the toothpaste-ointment and a few minutes of sobbing from nurse Ava who's supplies had been seized. Thankfully, Ducky came out of the ordeal only slightly stickier and smelling fresh, and mommy got another reminder of how smart and caring her little girl is.

Winter Boots

This just has to be shared. Ava LOVES her new winter boots and wouldn't take them off the day we got them (even though it was 85 degrees).

Mommy's Little Helper

Ava is doing so much these days that I thought I'd write an extra post in here rather than trying to remember everything for next month!

I remember vividly when Ava was still an infant, wondering what her little voice would sound like. Would it be quiet? Loud? Low? High? Sweet? Now getting to hear her voice is such a thrill (most of the time) and a delightful part of my day.

Ava's vocabulary is growing rapidly, as is her interest in the alphabet! She has a box of alphabet books (one for each letter) that she is very into now. She loves trying to pronounce each letter and actually gets more right than we would have thought! She loves U and I and when mommy sings the ABC's. She doesn't yet recognize any of the letters by sight but I'm sure that will start happening in no time. I forgot in my last post that Ava has been saying "Where are you?" when searching for her ducky or another toy, has muttered "Where go?" when she's lost something and just yesterday she said to me, "Mommy do!", shoving her toy in my hands and clapping with anticipation.

Yesterday Blair was working in the afternoon and evening so Ava and I had a quick dinner and went outside to play. We went for a walk and saw lots of lawnmowers and leaf blowers (her favorite), and then came back to the house. I've been working on some "spring cleaning" these last couple of days so as Ava played in the driveway I continued my work in the garage for a few minutes. I decided it was time to fix up our old, sorry looking wreath that has been hanging on our door, removing the sun-bleached berries and replacing those strands with ones from another leafy wreath. I sat on the bottom stair to the front porch picking berries off the wreath and watching Ava stomp in a puddle and work her way over to me. I told her what I was working on and with barely a word she sat down beside me, watched what I was doing and then started picking off faded, styrofoam berries, one at a time. She sat with me for a solid twenty minutes, the only words exchanged were the occasional, "You're doing a great job honey" and "Thank you so much for helping mommy". She didn't need to talk or move on to something else, she just sat and helped me work. I kept glancing at her, working hard and concentrating, and marveling at how big my little girl has become! She is almost a year and a half old--the big turning point into solid toddlerhood, and it shows. And boggles my mind.

Here is the before and after of our wreath, now much less sad and a wonderful reminder for me of our first mother-daughter project. :)

17 Months

This month was marked by our 12 day getaway to Cape May, NJ with Blair's family. Blair and I have spent time there together every summer since 1999, we got engaged there in 2005, married there in 2006 and then took our baby there for the first time last summer. It is a special, relaxing and rejuvenating place for us and it was such a treat to watch Ava fall in love with it too!

She had an amazing time, grew up immensely, loved the attention of 8 adults and all the new experiences that came with a beach vacation. Though she wasn't a fan of the roaring ocean, Ava loved playing in the sand and splashing around in her pool full of salt water. It took a day or two to ease into it but by the end of the week, Ava was covered in sand and loving it!

In the past couple of months Ava has started to enjoy having others attention but this month she has become much more outgoing, loud and eager to show off all of her toys and tricks. Her fantastic sense of humor that she's had since she was an infant is definitely turning into an adorable and well developed sense of self. She is still very observant, aware of others and their response to her, and has a quick wit even in the way she uses her eyes and body language. She is definitely the most interesting person I know and I love just watching her interact with her world!

These last couple weeks have been big on the language front. Ava does a lot of "noises" which only mom can decipher, but has just started speaking in short sentences and trying harder to make comprehensible words. She loves to sing "the happy song" ("Oh Happiness" by David Crowder Band) which sounds like this, "Happy, happy, happy" in the cutest, highest pitched little voice you can imagine. She also can say almost everyone's name in our extended family and can repeat many words and phrases. Things she has recently said on her own: get down, oh man, love you, thank you (without being prompted), and a much clearer version of mommy! For the first time in the last couple of weeks she is also actually referring to me as mama which melts my heart! Also, the other day, Blair reprimanded her for doing something and she ran full speed into the kitchen and said to me, "Daddy say no no"! I am so ready and excited to enter this time of her life, not only to watch her vocabulary develop but also to hear what sorts of things she's thinking about and wanting to share.

Oh, and have I yet to mention?! She got her first two teeth!! Alas, they do exist! I was beginning to wonder if they do toddler tooth extraction when the first ones popped through a few weeks ago, bottom center. It has been over a month now and they are still maybe a quarter of the way up (they really are just pushing through so slowly!) but now you can spot them when she flashes a big smile. I can't wait to see what teeth are next and what she looks like with a full mouth!

I will end this post with a few pictures to wet your appetite, the rest are in the August album to the left.

As for the other details... Ava is being stuffed into her 18-month summer clothes but can comfortably now fit into 24-months. I forgetting to include shoe size, she's in size 5's right now but will definitely be in size 6 in the fall. She's still wearing size 4 diapers though we are nearing the end of that era as well and soon I will try putting size 5's on her at night. She still takes two naps a day, for somewhere between 1 and 2 hours each, depending on the circumstances. Since she's been teething for so long, it's hard to know what she would do if not for that! On weeks where there are no signs of teething she usually takes two 2-hr naps, but those are few and far between. She is also still sleeping at night for 12 - 13.5 hours, sometimes not waking until close to 9am! I am a spoiled mommy, for sure.

A Peaceful Mess

My floors are covered in toys, pillows, shoes and unbreakable dishes. There is a load of laundry in the living room waiting to be folded which has long since re-wrinkled in the basket. Ava just went to sleep and I was about to google, "How to catch/kill/rid-my-kitchen-of fruit flies" when I thought, what better time to take a moment for myself? There really is no better or worse time I'm realizing, just time that if not spent being quiet, opening my Bible and praying, will no doubt be spent on something else.

As one of the illusive fruit flies ventures into my homemade trap and then back out (drat!), I decided to read in Philippians 4. I have felt God nudging me lately toward the word, the concept and the reality of contentment--something of which I am seriously lacking. Almost everything about my life is exactly what I would have chosen for myself: staying at home with my beautiful and rather (dare I say) easy toddler, a wonderful and supportive husband, a lovely home and in a word, plenty. And yet, even on the best of days I find myself wanting. And the worst of it, feeling entitled to more! My eyes are being opened to the fact though that nothing will satisfy me short of Jesus. I want a second car and yet when I have the chance to use the one we already have, I complain that it takes too much energy to actually get Ava ready and out the door. I want Blair home more but really no amount of family time is "enough". So, naturally I turned to verses 11-13 which read something like this:

"...I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances... I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether in plenty or in want...

Ah, yes! This is the answer I'm looking for!

...I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

At first I was disappointed not to have been delivered an action plan to blissful needlessness. But, as God nudged my heart further I realized what a blessing it is to have him as a necessary part of this process of growing in contentment, to have him as the ultimate supplier. It means I will keep going back to him when I'm feeling discontent and lacking in joy and fun and sleep. Instead of continually looking to change my circumstances (a never-ending quest), I can rest in knowing God will give me the strength to endure and even enjoy all those less than perfect days.