So much fun!!

We're having such a fun time with Ava these days. She's so animated and is very easily entertained! Patrick and I play 'hide-and-seek' and 'chase' around the living room, and she will laugh, and laugh, and laugh! She's started to do this funny laugh. I'll try to catch it on video. She doesn't really do it in this one, but she comes close. Here she is playing chase with Patrick....



Lately, she has really liked going to the neighborhood park. There is a swing set there and a little playground with a slide. She goes at least once a day to play....with her babysitter or with me after work...or both!! She has come, in the last 2 weeks, to completely LOVE the park! She gets so excited when we ask her if she wants to go! Here's a quick video of her on the slide!

Ava's One Year Pictures!

We finally (two months late!) got Ava's professional one year pictures done! This time, the photographer came to our place instead of us going to the studio. It went really well, and Ava was very cooperative. I think she liked it so much more since she could run all around and be outside! Here's the link to the site. The password is: ava1year

You can actually look at all the pictures we've taken so far, from newborn to now! But, I just really love her one year shots! These will be up until October 27th!

Click here for the photos at Capturing Real Life!



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Fun at the Park and Face Forward!

So, I weighed Ava again the other day....well, she was 18lbs, 12oz! I'm not sure, but I think she may have lost weight since 13 months!! So, I called her pediatrician and asked about when we could turn her car seat around since her legs are almost at a 90 degree angle and all smooched. They asked me lots of questions about head control, 5-point harnesses, and other stuff. Basically, she said that it would be alright if I went ahead and turned around her seat.....so, here she is! All happy and facing forward! It's so nice to see her in my rear view mirror!
We had such a fun day yesterday! We went to the park in our neighborhood twice and Ava was so excited. She pretty much ran the whole way there while talking and babbling and pointing and squealing! When we got there, she really liked the swing (especially sitting on my lap), and she also discovered the wonders of the slide! Every time she slid down, she got right back on and tried to climb back up! It was super cute. Here's a little video of her walking to the park!

14 months!

I am definitely loving this 14 months stage! She is so lovey and cuddly and wants her mommy to hold her, kiss her, hug her, and love on her all the time. And I, gladly, oblige. :) (By the way, she puckers for kisses and hugs on demand)! Just in the past few days, she's started to tug at my pants when she wants to get my attention. She says "me-me-me-me" for "mommy" and I am LOVING it! Every night we get ready for bed...take a bath, PJ's, tooth brush, then we always go out to the living room to say good night to Patrick. He usually takes her from me to try and give her a hug and steal a kiss....but the whole time, Ava just reaches for me saying, "me-me-me-me." I have to admit that I secretly REALLY love this....well, maybe not so secretly! I'm her favorite. ;) Which is good....cause she's mine! :)

Ava is starting to say lots of words (at least she's trying really hard). She has added many animal sounds to her repertoire.... horse, dog, cow, and "baaaa" for a sheep! Also, she's getting pretty good at "all done," "Salsa," "Pop," and "nah-nah" (banana). Ava absolutely LOVES to go outside, and she gets really excited anytime we talk about going out. Sometimes she'll sit down on the floor (waiting for her shoes to be put on) as soon as we say, "Do you want to go outside?" She's goes to the mailbox almost everyday....if you mention the mailbox, Ava walks to the front door! She carries the mail out and the new mail in! Lately, Ava has been really liking birds! Her babysitter, April, takes her outside almost everyday to watch the birds. If you ask her what a birdie does, she flaps her hand up and down and says "ffffffie" (fly). Very cute. :) She opens ALL cabnets, thows and kicks balls, puts shapes into her shape sorter, stacks her cups and building blocks, puts her puzzle pieces together, and LOVES looking at her Elmo balloon that Patrick got her her 2 weeks ago (it's still floating stong)! She's got a pink sequenced purse that she has her little animals in....she likes to carry that around!

She's really changing so much and becoming so grown up! (Although, she's still my little baby....not ready for her to be a little girl yet). Patrick tried to weigh her today and she was 19lbs 3oz (but she was very wiggly, so who knows how accurate that is! I'll try again this weekend)! She still faces backward in the car (she's supposed to be 20lbs AND 12 months....we've only met one of those requirements)! But, she's getting longer, and it's getting harder and harder for her to sit comfortably cause her legs have to be so squished aganist the back of the seat. I'm going to weigh her again this weekend....maybe we can get a better weight and finally turn her seat around! I know I probably say this everytime, but I just love her so much it is un-REAL. I enjoy her tremendously, and she keeps me smiling, laughing, and feeling full of love. I still get so excited when I pull in the driveway and know I get to see that smiling face RUNNING to me to say hi! It just can't possibly get better than this. She is my life, and what a wonderful life it is!

Here we are on one of these Georgia Bulldog weekends!
Oh, our little bunny is just so freaking cute!
Hanging out with Daddy.
Every now and then, she gets a treat for dessert! She gets mad when she eats it so much that she can't reach it anymore. We have to push it up for her again, then she's happy again!
Look at that little hiney in thos boot cut jeans!!
This is what she does when I ask for a hug..... awe.
Mommy and baby.
This is something Ava does all the time when she's in her high chair. She either does this and we immitate her, or we do it and she immitates us.
The eyes.
Here are more pictures of Ava's 14th month!

Simply the Best

Gloria Reeves MacMaster
1914-2008

It doesn't matter that she was the only Grandmother I ever had, it just matters that she was the best.

I love you, Grandma. God bless you.

Sleepy Baby

Driving back from Ava's birthday weekend in Atlanta....

New Toy!

So, just a quick little update!

Patrick found a new toy for Ava. It's this little tent thing that she can crawl in and out of. We put some of her toys inside, and she'll sit in there for 30 minutes playing! She really likes it! When we ask her where her tent is, she goes around the couch and starts to laugh when she sees it. It's super cute. I wish I had that of video, but this one will just have to do...

I mentioned in the last post that we switched Ava to one nap a day...well, sometimes she gets really tired around lunch time, and it can be a little of a stuggle to get her all the way through lunch! Here she is on a day that she just didn't quite make it....Poor thing!

Michee got Ava some Elmo slippers for her birthday. Ava isn't totally sure what to think of them...but she brings them to me almost everyday. She sits down so I can put them on, and then stands up and doesn't want them on anymore. Distraction works pretty well for her, so eventually she just goes about her business with her Elmo slippers!Ava got herself a little gameday outfit! Doesn't get cuter than this....So, instead of laying on the couch pillows...my bunny needs something more comfortable to lean aganist while she watching Elmo...so, I got her this pillow. She already goes there on her own and sits right down! Here she is....yes, you guessed it, watching Elmo! I wonder where she got that big mouth from? Hmmm......

13 months

It's already going so fast! Her second year of life. I can't believe it's already been a month since her birthday. Each time I post, I am amazed at how time seriously FLIES!!! Ava's doing great and changing everyday. She has officially gone from two naps to one. For a while, she would sleep at her first nap but never really fall asleep for her second...so, we made the switch, and she's doing pretty well with it. Now, we stretch her until about 12 noon and she'll take a nap anywhere from 1 hour to 2.5 hours. Usually about 1.5 hours, though! Until she starts to sleep a little longer for her nap, she gets tired a little sooner, so she's been going to bed slightly earlier... around 7'ish. So, anyway, she's adjusting pretty well! Another update---she is a stinker when it comes to eating. Well, really the problem is eating meat and drinking milk. She does't want to do either!! She is a fruit and veggie monster and that's pretty much all she wants. And cheese. She loves cheese. :) Who knows, maybe she'll be my little vegetarian?!? Any ideas on getting her to drink milk or eat the yummy food we've been making for her?!? I'm up for anything!

Ava's learning more animal sounds (and even some motions! ...like a crab pinching or an elephants tunk moving up and down). She's hisses like a snake and moos like a cow. :) It's super cute! Just in the past day or two, she's started to stack her cups....largest on the bottom and smallest on the top. She's been watching me do that for a long time, and she finally started to pick it up! Very cool. :) And stairs. She loves them. She wants to go up, then down, then up, then down. And she's not interested in crawling. Nope! She wants to walk! When she gets to the stair, she puts her hand up for help...as if we're ready to help her at a whim. ;) Well....maybe I am. Just a little. :)

So, Ava loves Elmo's World (which is a 20 minute segment on Sesame Street where Elmo talks about the subject/word of the day). She'll sit there watching totally mezmorized!The second she hears the intro song, her mouth opens as big as possible and the biggest smile ever appears. Then she runs over to me and puts her hands up...she likes to sit on my (or whoever's) lap when Elmo comes on. Of course, I love this. It gives me cuddle time. :) Here she is watching it on her own one day. We made sure she had a cozy spot to relax in!
Bobbi came for a visit and was typical Bobbi...she organized! She downsized Ava's toys and got these shelves. If makes me feel better just looking at them! They give me peace. Thanks Bobbi!
Love these cute PJ's. Pretty sure she's watching Elmo here. (You must think she watches Elmo all day long! But, really, it's about once a day)! Just LOOK at her! Looks like such a big girl here!
Looking at books with Daddy!
Yep, it's still there. :) Just checking!
More fun with Daddy.
Hanging out with her two favorites. :)
We built a fort. She really liked crawling under it...thought it was hilarious. Hi there! :)
So, she got a busted lip. :( Itsn't it sad?
Here she is helping Daddy with some yard work! For some reason, Patrick thought it might be a good idea to give her a stick to carry around!
She's ready to go inside now. :)
Ava discovered watermelon a few weeks ago...and man, did she approve!!
Mmmmmm!
This is her first corn on the cob. I thought she might take a few bites and be done....well, she ate the WHOLE FREAKING THING! There wasn't a single kernel left! Remember my visit home to visit my new neice, Emery? Well, here she is!!!

Isn't she beautiful?! :)Today just happens to be Booj's (Emery's mom!) birthday!! So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Booj! I had a great time seeing y'all! Can't wait to visit again!!!

Here are some more pictures of Ava's 13th month!

Ode to Aunt Sarah

As you all know, Ava's Aunt Sarah lived with us this past summer for 3 months! She watched and took care of Ava everyday while I was at work. Ava and Sarah had tons of fun together...going to the pool, going to the mall, going grocery shopping, reading a million books, playing dress up, watching the Backyardigans and Elmo's World, trying new foods, and playing and learning everyday! Ava came to absolutely LOVE her! How incredibly lucky we were to have Sarah here this summer. Of all the "nannies" in this world...there is no better than Sarah.

So, this one is for you Sarah.

Thank you for taking the best care of Ava. Never once did I ever worry about her. I always knew she was in the best hands, and you have no idea how that makes a worrying mom feel! So, thank you a million times for your endless efforts this summer. Can't wait to do all again next year!! :)
Just hanging out together on the couch!


Sarah even took care of our doggies!

I'm pretty sure this one was the last night that Sarah was with us. You can tell Ava loves her.

A birthday mess.

Lots of pool fun!

We love you Sarah. Thanks for a FANTASTIC summer!!

Ball Throwing Toy

Ava got this ball throwing toy from Keegan, Uncle Ian and Aunt Booj! She used to not really know what to think of this thing, but now she gets so excited when she pushes the button!!

Football is Here!

We're all ready for the GEORGIA GAME tomorrow! Just a little pre-game cuteness! Ava got to go into work with me for a little while today and show off her UGA attire! Everyone loved her, but they all kept saying that she had the wrong shirt on! No way! Ava's learning how to do the touchdown sign when I say, "Touchdown Georiga!" She's pretty good at it! I imagine by the end of the season, she'll be an ol' pro! Ava got this sparkly Georgia shirt from on of my very old friends, Nicole, before she was even born! And now she's finally big enough to wear it! She's even debuting her new boot cut jeans that fall off her little waist...(even with 6-12 months size)!

I'm heading home for a quick weekend to meet my new niece, Emery, and Ava and Patrick will be staying home. It's bitter sweet...I love long weekends cause I get to hang out with her and have fun. But I'm also dying to meet Emery! I know she'll be well taken care of with Patrick and Bobbi!

I hope y'all have a great weekend! And GO DAWGS!!!