Dancing with Daddy

I don't know why this is just so darn entertaining to me...but I just LOVE it! Patrick makes Ava dance all the time and I can't get enough! Here's a little video to tie you over until tomorrow when I'll post Ava's 7 month info and more pics! Enjoy!!




PS. Atlanta...HERE WE COME!!!! :)

Trying So Hard!!

So, Ava is still trying to crawl!! She's getting SO CLOSE!! It's like she just flexes every muscle she possibly can....she just can't quite figure out how to actually MOVE FORWARD! She's got this move where she pushes up on her hands and her toes...and nothing in between! Kinda like a push-up! Her butt sticks straight up in the air...and I just love it! I know she's just trying to figure out how to move, but she's just not working the right muscles...but she'll figure it out! Here's a little video!



We're looking forward to this week! It's a short work week for me since I'm heading to Atlanta for a continuing education course...The Hinman Dental Meeting. So, Ava and I are flying on Wednesday afternoon/evening! Patrick is driving the dogs (since we don't have a car that can comfortably hold 2 big dogs, a baby, two adults, and luggage)! So, anyway, I'll write again before we leave, and I'll (of course!) have some 7 months pics for you!

Have a great weekend!

6 1/2 months!!

Can you even believe that Ava is already 6 1/2 months old?!? She is growing SO FAST! Lately, I've been a little sad because I just feel like she's getting to that stage where she sometimes looks (and acts) like she's not this little baby anymore. :( I'm not ready for her not to be a baby. I mean, she's eating solid food and laughing at the right times and responding to her name as if she's 3 years old! I just know her teeth aren't far from coming in, and that makes me sad too. Cause when she gets those teeth, then it will really be true....she'll really be growing up! She still has that perfect, gummy, baby smile that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! Oh...I'm just a little sad about all this growing up. :( Don't get me wrong, I always get so excited when we get to the next step b/c I love to see her developing...but she's my baby. And I still feel like I have a new baby....but she doesn't look that new anymore. And sometimes she just looks so LOOOOONG!! Like such a big girl. So, anyway, that's what I'm thinking these days!Having said all that...things are really going so well. I enjoy being with Ava and watching her with Patrick. He's so good with her. She's so lucky to have such a wonderful and involved dad! Here's Patrick and Ava at bath time. Usually bath time is my thing, but every now and then Patrick does it!Ava is still on the verge of crawling. We used to have to prop her up on all fours, but now she gets there on her own from her belly. She still rocks back and forth with no actual crawling. If she's on her belly, though, she can scoot a little to reach a toy! She does however roll all over the living room. In the mornings, we usually lay her on her play mat for a little while when she's still waking up after she eats. Well, she used to stay there and play with the toys...but now she ends up 3 feet from the mat cause she just rolls and rolls and rolls around! So, she's definitely mobile now! Other updates- Ava talks like crazy these days...she's constantly making some kind of noise! Can't wait to hear what her voice is going to sound like! :)

Scooting to her toys...We had a lot of fun this past weekend...Michee was here and then Uncle Pat and Pop decided to come too! So, we had a full house! We all went to a local pizza place and ate outside in the hot sun! It was great! Seriously, I love this Florida weather! We've had visitors every weekend for the past 6 weeks! But, now we're not expecting anyone for a few weeks! We'll be heading to Atlanta mid-March, so we'll have a chance to visit everyone then! Here's Ava and uncle Pat!Here's a family picture. Patrick and I are both looking a little rough, but it's what we got, and Ava looks cute enough to make up for us! :)

Every now and then, we still get a little Chinese face!

Ava is starting to show interest in drinking from a cup (or my drink). She's taken sips from my water bottle...she's still not sure what to think when the cold water goes in her mouth. Don't think she has really learned how to use the sippy cup yet...but doesn't she just look so smart like she knows just what to do!? !
This just cracks me up! Last weekend was such beautiful weather that we spent most of out time outside. Ava was just chillin', taking it easy, and sipping on her fancy new cup in her sweet Seersucker outfit!
Look at those perfect little feet! ;)
So, everything is great...Ava is constantly changing and we are loving every minute of it. I hope all is well with everyone! Have a great weekend! Here are more pics of Ava at 6 1/2 months!

Lots of practice

Over the last week, Ava has been practicing and has gotten so good and deliberate with eating! The second you get the cereal on the spoon, she opens her mouth so wide! I fed her the other day and tried to video her with my little camera at the same time. So, it's not perfect, but she's just so wonderful and cute, I had to share! I'll post again this weekend with other updates and more pictures! :) Aren't you excited?!?

On the move and chowin' down!

We've had quite an exciting weekend! We started Ava on solid food!!! Well, I wouldn't really call it solid...more like mush...but it was exciting just the same. She did great. She pretty much just smiled the whole time, and that allowed me to slip the spoon in her mouth. After that...she pretty much just spit most of it out, but we're practicing! :) So, here are some pics!
She just thought it was so much fun!
Gotta love this face!

Ok, so the other big event this weekend is that Ava is now able to get on all fours and rock back and forth! It is SOOOO cute and I just can't get enough! She's just like this teeny little ball on the floor! Here are some irresistibly cute pictures of my sweet little girl!
I mean, come on! Could she be cuter? I don't think so!
Trying to get down on Catcher's level!
After a while, her hands start to scoot out from under her body...or her arms get tired and she falls to her belly!
So, far she just rocks back and forth, but I think she'll start to take off sometime very soon! I'll keep you posted! Here's a little video of my bunny getting ready to crawl!

Been busy....

So, you'll notice that Ava has a bit of a red eye with a little dark spot under her right eye. She was sitting on my lap, and Patrick was sitting next to me with the laptop...she she just leaned right over and hit her sweet little face on the corner of the laptop. This is right after she hit it. (She's much happier here than when she hit it). So, she developed a little bruise over the next few days...very sad looking. :( She recovered really quickly though...which made me feel better!

We celebrated Valentine's Day too! Here's Ava with her V-Day outfit. She's also sporting a pretty good black eye from her unfortunate encounter with the laptop. Her shirt says "All you need is me." So sweet! I came home from work on V-Day and I saw this! Oh my gosh, HOW CUTE!!! Ava was just sitting there listening to and watching Patrick play the guitar. It was such a wonderful thing to see. Patrick is just such a fantastic dad!
We had some visitors this past weekend...Walter and Uncle Steve came down for a few days. Here's Ava and I hanging out with them out back! They wore Ava out!
Black eye all healed up! Now you can focus on those beautiful blue eyes again!
Ava had her 6 month checkup this week! Everything was great and she is in perfect health. She weighs 15lbs 4 oz (35%) and is 26 inches long (2 inches longer than 4 months and 50%). She got her shots and SCREAMED bloody murder. I HATED it and scooped her right up, and in a matter of ONE second...she was all better. What a trooper! Ava still hasn't had any solid foods since she hasn't shown any signs of not being satisfied after her feedings. Her doc said that she is growing beautifully and said the longer we can wait on solids, the better for allergy purposes. But, in the past few days, she has been STARING at me while I eat and drink. So, I'm thinking about starting cereal this weekend. It's a big step for me...and I'm not sure I'm ready...but we'll see! Here we are at Ava's appointment awaiting the shots!
More waiting! She's just so happy!
Patrick and I went out for sushi for Valentine's Day. We got our first non-relative babysitter! One of my co-residents, Lesley, was so kind and came and hung out at our place while we got to go out. I put Ava to sleep before we left, so all she had to do was hang out with a sleeping baby! It was so nice to get to go out...so, thank you Lesley!
The cutest baby ever...hanging out with Uncle Steve this past weekend....

Everything else is going great! Michee just got here today...she's staying for a few days. It is actually perfect timing b/c I had to leave work today b/c I was sick with sinus stuff, sore throat, achy muscles, and a fever! Michee made me some fantastic homemade chicken noodle soup that made me already start to feel better. Hopefully I'll be feeling better tomorrow...I'm a pretty big baby when it comes to being sick...

So, anyway, that's about it. Here are some more pictures of Ava...in case you didn't get enough.

Six month photo op!!

We made another trip out to Keystone (about 25 miles from here) and had Ava's 6 month pictures taken. Here's the link if you're interested in checking them out!

Capturing Real Life

The password is: meaghan

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!