6 Months!!!

So, tomorrow is Ava's SIX MONTH BIRTHDAY!!! Can you believe it?!? She is already half a year old!! I just think that's totally crazy, and I just can't believe that 6 months has already flown by! Ava is growing by the day; some days I come home from work and I feel like she's actually gotten bigger since I left that morning! Totally crazy! I'll weigh her tomorrow and see how much she's grown...I'm pretty sure she's not in the 25% anymore. :) She doesn't have her 6 month check up appointment for another week, so I'll fill you in on that next Monday. Hopefully I'll be able to go to that one. Right now, I'm scheduled to see patients, but I'm trying to get a co-resident to cover for me so I can go (since I had to miss her 4 month checkup). :( We'll see! Well, Ava's doing great...really filling out now. She's about to grow out of all her 3-6 month clothes! Here's a great view of those plump thighs!

Ava continues to love to read. Sometimes she'll kind of talk along when I'm reading...like she trying to sound something out! It's so sweet!
Ava and I took a walk last week and visited the swings again. Daddy was at tennis, so we got to hang out...just mommy and baby. Look how sweet....
This weekend was so wonderful and relaxing! One of the most relaxing weekends I've had in a very long time! I didn't have to read any articles for school, the weather was BEAUTIFUL, Bobbi was in town....it was just great! We spent lots of time outside! We went to watch Daddy play tennis and then spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out outside in this fabulous Florida climate!
Ava's getting better and better at balancing everyday. She looks so much bigger and older in this picture! Gotta love that classic Ava stare!
How could I resist putting her perfect pouty profile on here!?
We finally got to get the clip on chair out! We brought it out a month ago, but it said it was for 6 months and up...so, here we are! Such a big girl sitting at the table! It'll be great for going out to eat!
She discovered grass this weekend...she just stared and stared at it. When I put her down, she just kept feeling it with her hands and pulling little pieces of grass up with her fingers. Very cute!

Ok, I couldn't help myself! Michee bought Ava this outfit before she was born (I think). It's kinda diva-ish and it was bright out, so she needed her shades! I mean....COME ON!!! What a cutie!
Super cheeks! That is one fabulous pout. She's gonna get whatever she wants from her Daddy!
So, we really miss the Chinese face. She only did it for a few days, and we haven't seen it since. :( But, we've been seeing a lot of this one...tongue sticking out!
Patrick propped her up here!
More outside time this weekend...just hanging out in the trees! She LOVES looking up at the trees! I think it's a view that she's just not used to seeing!
Looks like she might be crying...but she's laughing...I promise!
Here's Ava and Bobbi hanging out before Bobbi had to head back to Atlanta on Sunday! They has such a fun weekend! Bobbi babysat on Saturday during the day so Patrick and I could run a few errands. It was so nice, and I know they had such a fun time hanging out together! Ava is just so lucky to have such wonderful grandparents who love her so much!
So, everything is going great down here in Florida! I'm looking forward to making a trip up to Atlanta mid-March for a continuing education course! (The Hinman Meeting) It'll be fun to be home for a few days to visit with everyone! I finally started to exercise again! I started running this weekend....I'm on the couch-potato-to-5K-plan. I a 5K isn't much, but I haven't done any exercising for a YEAR!! So, it's a start! I'll keep you posted! I hope all is well with everyone! Make a comment and let me know that I'm not typing all this stuff for no one!!

Here's more pics of Ava at 6 months! Enjoy!

Bounce, Bounce, Bounce....

Ava has recently loved bouncing in her jumperoo! I just think it's hilarious....so, I wanted to share with y'all! Watch how she jumps from one foot to the other like she's running. I could just watch this all day long!! Enjoy!

Beads for the Baby

This was taken with Patrick's phone, so it's not great quality, but I thought it was too cute not to share! Happy Fat Tuesday!!!

The big switch :(

Well, we finally did it...we gave Ava her first bit of formula. :( Patrick and I made the decision this past weekend after we took a good look at how much stored breast milk I had left. Ava eats twice while I'm gone during the day, and I'm only able to pump once. So, needless to say, I was unable to keep up with her growing appetite. :( So, the supply is dwindling and and her demand is increasing, so we decided that now's the time. We planned to give it to Ava today for her 11am feeding...that way I was at work and didn't have to watch. :( I called Patrick from work and asked how she did...he said she did great! Didn't even blink! I was sad and happy at the same time...but mostly happy that she wasn't upset about the switch. So, I'll continue to nurse her every morning, when I get home from work, and before bed.

So, I'm just a little sad...I was trying to hard to just give her breast milk for as long as possible...but the fate of the working mother finally took over... :( But, I'm trying to be okay with it. There is some good news, though...since she took the formula so well, I can start to wean my pumping...which means actually relaxing during lunch!!!
So, everything else is going really well, and Ava has just been cracking me up lately! She's making so many more noises and lots of new faces these days! Her favorite new face is sort-of like a pucker...she kinda looks like she's trying to whistle. This picture gives you an idea of what I mean. It's like she's just discovered these new muscles in her face! Aunt Sarah came for a visit this past weekend, and when she first saw this face, she thought Ava was about to break down and cry...but, no. She's just a faker...and it's just her new favorite face!
The newest face (as of the past 2 days) is what we call her Chinese face. I tried to catch it in this picture. She totally squishes her entire face up...I didn't catch it at it's squishiest here, but at least you can get the idea! I'm totally LOVING this face. She makes me laugh out loud with this one!
Cute socks from Michee!
More grandparent clothes! The top is from Michee and the jeans are from Bobbi!
Her classic look! I just love her so! :)
She's starting to love her jumperoo! She bounces from one foot to the next...like she's running! Very entertaining to watch for some reason!
Bath time starts at 7pm every night...she just loves it and gets so calm! I guess she knows it's her wind down time! After the bath, she gets her lotion massage. I started singing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" to her during lotion time, and she totally LOVES this song...especially with the little hand motions! She really loves being sung to...her favorites are Itsy Bitsy and the Alphabet! She will stop immediately mid-cry if you sing to her!
Sitting up...being such a big girl in her crib! Her balance is getting so much better with sitting up!
So, I can't complain! Things are going great! We are really enjoying all her new tricks! We've got a busy next few weeks coming up...lots of visitors! Bobbi is coming this weekend followed by Walter and Steve the next. Then the next weekend is my mom's turn, then the next will be my dad! Crazy!! We're looking forward to everyone's visit! As always, here are some more pics to look at! Enjoy!

Swinging!

We decided to walk down to the park and show Ava what a swing was. She wasn't really sure what to think, but I think she liked it!

Couch Potato

Ava is just getting so sweet and so cute and so enjoyable....I don't want to miss a minute! Things are going great! I'm LOVING bedtime with no swaddle! Makes life much easier! She's still working on sitting up...although, she usually falls over when she smiles really big or laughs! Very cute. I hate to admit it, but she loves to watch TV. It's like she's mezmorized...as long as it's a show (cartoon) with lots of colors, she wants to watch it. I can be feeding her on the couch, and she'll actually pull away if she hears something interesting on the TV...then her head is just hanging all backwards and sideways trying to see it. We don't want a couch potato, but, man! She really loves it! She's also making tons of sweet sounds...she looks like she's really concentrating when she's doing it....I guess trying to mimic us. I've been trying to get a video of it, but she always stops as soon as the camera comes out...guess she's distracted.

So, here are some pics! Here she is sitting on the ottoman ....watching TV! Michee bought her this shirt for Valentine's day...but it's too cute...I couldn't wait!
Hanging out with Dad in her PJ's...getting in a little tummy time!
The sweetest profile ever...sitting on Dad's lap.
Ok, see what I mean?! Completely mezmorized! She was watching Nemo here...LOVES it!

She goes though just about ever emotion while watching a show...she looks scared here...but it wasn't a scary part. And I don't really think she was feeling scared; I think that's just what her reaction was to whatever was happening at that time. She recovered quickly!Hanging out on her mat with her doggies.
With Catcher. He's so good with her. She's starting to reach out to him when he is close enough. He just puts up with being poked in the ears and eyes!
More tummy time on Dad's lap. Uh...the eyes!
Here she was sitting in her highchair OUTSIDE while Patrick made dinner. The weather here is just crazy, but I totally love it. It's going to be something I miss about Florida when I move back "up north!" (That's what people down here call Alpharetta)!
Big smiles for Mommy!
One last tummy picture with Dad. She's definitely a Daddy's Girl! So, good news! Remember my little camera that I used to use for the short video clips that was ruined by breast milk?!?! Well, I figured out that the only thing that wasn't working was the lens wasn't opening automatically...so, I tried to open it manually and it worked!!! So, I've got my little video camera back! YAY!!! I'll try to post a video or two in the next few days...but no promises (grandparents!), weekdays are very busy! Another update, we weighed Ava this past weekend, and she was a hair over 15 lbs. I think she may be a little over 25th %, but we'll see for sure at her 6 month check up in a few weeks. Still no solid food yet...doing just great on breast milk alone. Her pediatrician said we should give her solid food by about 6 months, though...not really sure what the reasoning is since I wasn't able to be at the last check up. So, I guess we'll be doing that sometime soon. :( I'm kinda sad...don't want to feel like she's growing too fast and isn't a baby anymore. Not ready for those first teeth, either....she's much too young for that!! ;)

Alright, that's about all! Here's some more pics of her at 5 1/5 months part 2!!

Leaps and Bounds!!

Let me just tell you that it is so fun to watch my daughter grow and develop! It seems like things are moving so fast now! She is getting so good at sitting up all by herself! She doesn't get to the sitting position on her own, but if we plop her down and start to balance her, she'll stay up for a while! As long as she doesn't get too excited...cause when that happens, the balancing act is all over! She also talks a ton and really interacts with people now. She's very easy to make smile! Supposedly, this is the time that stranger anxiety starts to set in, although we haven't seen any of that yet. I have to admit that I'm sure I'll secretly love the day when she wants only me! :) Here she is being such a big girl and sitting up all by herself!
We had such a fun past two weeks! One thing we got to do is watch Patrick play in a tennis tournament (which, by the way, he won second place in)! It was the coldest day all year, and Ava was seriously bundled! She looks like the kid in A Christmas Story with those arms sticking straight out! She was so comfy that she decided it was nap time. Michee has been visiting us for the last few days which has been great fun! Here she is on Michee's lap...getting in a quick snooze!
More Michee and Ava while watching Daddy play tennis!
Ugh!! Just look at those beautiful eyes....and those sweet cheeks...and those pouty lips....Oh man! I just melt.
We LOVE her new high chair. She loves to sit in it while we do all sorts of things! Here she is in the kitchen hanging out while Patrick cooked! Just today, she sat outside in her high chair while we all did some yard work! The 5 point harness cracks me up! It seems she's strapped in good enough for take-off!
Here's her sweet laughing profile!
We also got such a wonderful treat, and Grandpa Mike was able to come for a day visit on his way to some business work! He must have played with Ava for 3 hours straight...and she just loved him! Here she is showing off her new skills!
Mommy and sweet Ava.
Ava still loves to look at herself in the mirror!
While Michee was in town, we all went to the mall and did a little shopping! Check out this SUPER cute green sweater she got!! It went just perfectly over her cute pink chord overalls!
So, I was a little sad, but we lowered Ava mattress in her crib by one level. :( We know she can't get herself to a sitting position yet, but we know it can happen overnight and we don't want any surprises! I'm a little sad...I'm just not ready for her to become a little girl instead of a baby....and I know she's still a baby...but, geez...it's going too fast!

Good news! Ava has graduated to sleeping without a swaddle! We just decided to try it since Ava was showing signs of not wanting to be swaddled anymore. We put her down on her back without a swaddle and she did alright. She woke up several times but was easily soothed back to sleep with a tummy rub or pacifier (for the 10 seconds that she holds on to it)!. Then, in the middle of the night, she screamed!!! So, we swaddled her back up and she slept the rest of the night. Well, just just kept trying night after night, and now she can sleep though the night sans swaddle. It took about 3 nights for her to totally adjust. ALTHOUGH, we had to put her to sleep on her belly for her to be able to sooth herself back to sleep. I was really nervous at first and checked the monitor a million times a night and didn't sleep well at all! But, she's very comfortable that way and if more than able to pick herself up and flip over to her stomach if she wants to. So, I'm feeling a little better about it now! So, anyway, it was a big accomplishment for me (in my mind)! It's so nice just to lay her down when she's sleeping instead of waking her back up trying to swaddle!

Still no solid food for Ava yet. She still seems totally satisfied with breast milk alone, although we are watching for those "signs!" I'll keep you posted!

Now for the bad news! I broke BOTH of my cameras in the past 2 days!!! I'm not even kidding! I dropped my digital SLR on the sidewalk at Patrick's tennis tournament and then spilled breast milk all over my little one that does the videos! Ugh! I can't believe they both are ruined at the same time. So, I had to go one day (today) without taking pictures...and it KILLED me! Sooooo....Patrick ordered one for me online and it's being shipped overnight. Thank GOODness! I wanted to take 45 pictures today of cute Ava, but no camera....I'll just have to make it up tomorrow!!! :)

Oh dear...that was a mouth full....sorry for the long winded-ness! Hopefully most of y'all are at work and bored and wanting to do something else for a moment! Talk soon!

As always, here's more pics of Ava at 5 1/2 months!

I stand corrected...

So, Patrick was right! He wasn't just exaggerating! Ava must have sat on her own today 30 times! The longest time was probably close to one minute! She's so cute sitting straight up like that! I just can't believe how quickly she's growing! I took a video of her sitting up (shocking, I know), but it was on the real video camera as opposed to my little digital camera...so, it's more of a process to get it online...but maybe Patrick will do it for me! If not...I've got pictures too! :)

Happy 5 months!!

Officially 5 months today!! And, oh how she's grown!

Todays weight and length: 14lbs, 1oz and 23 1/2 inches!
Birth weight and length: 6lbs, 6oz and 18 inches!

25th % for weight and 10th% for height! (Although, Patrick pointed out to me that "she got shorter" since her 4 month check up. So, maybe I'm a little off with the height...it's a little tricky to measure her length accurately with what I've got! So, lets assume she hasn't shrunk)!

She's changing everyday now! Just in the past few days, she's begun to sit up by herself for a few seconds at a time. (Patrick said he counted 10 seconds once, but I haven't seen that...and we all know his problem with exaggerating)! :) She also vigorously shakes a rattle, loves to watch TV (even if it's the news! I guess it's all those colors and lights!), and has started doing this spitting thing! It's actually called "razzing." It's like blowing bubbles and/or spitting through closed lips. Sometimes she does it when she's totally happy, but she'll also do it when she's upset or frustrated. I really think it's just her version of communicating, or talking, with us! I think it's just the cutest! :) Here's a little clip!



As I mentioned before, we go lots of tummy time these days. Here's a little clip for your viewing enjoyment! If you listen very closely...you may hear something funny...twice!



And just one more of Ava cuteness...I just can't get enough of her!



Well, we're just having a blast with her. She's growing so fast, and I just can't believe she's been with us for almost HALF A YEAR!!! Competently NUTS! Hope all is well with everyone! Talk soon!

WOW! 5 months!

Oh my gosh....FIVE MONTHS OLD!!! I remember when I had one month left before Ava was born, and I couldn't even imagine finally having her...much less her being here for FIVE months!!! Totally crazy!

Well, Ava is getting some pretty big biceps with all this Tummy Time she's enjoying! It was like all of a sudden...she liked it! I think her muscles just weren't big enough to hold her up for very long, so she got pissed and frustrated. But now, she's pretty much all smiles with tummy time!!She's also talking like crazy! She's making tons of noises and is actually starting to make a "duh" sound. (We've been saying "da-da" and "ma-ma" 678 times a day)! So, I think she's trying to immitate us. She really focuses on us...like she's concentrating when we're talking! She's so smart! She's constantly blowing bubbles and whispering also. It's very cute!

We've moved up another size in her diapers! She's such a big girl at a whopping size 2!! I weighed her about a week ago, and she was 13lbs, 13oz. I'm a total nerd and looked that up on the growth chart and saw that she's smooth sailing right along at the 25th percentile for her weight...which is where she's been since she was about a month old! I haven't measured her length, but I will on her actual 5 month birthday (Jan 12th). Don't worry....you know I'll let you know!! :)

So, GO DAWGS!!! (pre-season #2!) We had our coldest day of the year about a week ago, so Ava got to wear her Georgia sweat suit...once! Patrick went to New Orleans to see the Dawgs play over New Years...so, Bobbi came down to spend some time with Ava and me before she had to get back to work. It was so much fun, and I know that Ava misses her already! Ava and Bobbi!

Well, we take a bath every night. Ava is very used to them now and gets so calm when it's bath time! She's usually very mellow in the bath, but we were able to catch a smile!
After her bath, we always spend some time on her changing table. She gets all lotion-ed up and smelling nice which she just loves. It's her few minutes of naked time every day! She's just the cutest thing I've ever seen!!! And look at that behind! My how it's filled out since she was born...maybe she got Patrick's hiney after all! ;)More tummy time...from a different perspective! Notice there aren't bumpers anymore. :( We thought it was about time to take them off...she's pretty close to rolling over and I don't want her getting wedged in! The crib looks so naked without them, but I'm getting used to it!
All that tummy time is tiring! What a sweet sight!

Like mother, like daughter! No, your eyes are not fooling you...these are BABY SCRUBS!! Brigette got these for her...they're "newborn" size ...or 5 months...whatever! Aren't they maybe the cutest item of clothing you've ever seen?!?! I mean....draw string and straight leg pants?!?! Oh, this is just too much! Super close up of tummy time! Her lips...I just can't get enough!

Ok, for some reason, Patrick has been doing this to Ava lately. Taking her pants off and putting them on her head!! Her little ears are mushed! Poor Ava just has no idea yet....just you wait, Patrick...As always....more photos! I have two sets of pictures because I'm a little nuts...so, here's a link to the first set, and here's a link to the second set. They're from the last 2 weeks or so! Don't worry...it's actually not that many pics! Check back in a day or two...I'm going to try to put up a video or two. They're taking forever to upload!

Hope all is well...talk soon!

We're talking now!

Ava is changing so fast these days! She's so much more aware of her surroundings! She's holding objects with both hands and bringing them to her mouth, she's enjoying tummy time more, and she now responds to us by making sweet noises and talking! Here's a little video of her talking. The minute she saw the camera, she was very focused on it, so she didn't talk as much, but at least you can hear her sweet little voice!