Beginning a new year

Happy New Year! Happy Valentine's Day! Happy Living!

Where to begin? We had a lovely winter holiday in Montana and enjoyed spending time with friends and family. The New Year has brought a new job for Amber working to internationalize science curriculum at UW-Madison. Alan's work is going well and he is hopeful for some good news in April. Ava is growing up so quickly! She of course is physically growing and can now crawl and stand up on her own. She is very good with her pincher grip and loves to feed herself. Ava is close to 20 pounds now and any moment we expect she will get her top front teeth in. We have had to battle several ear infections this winter but the doctor is hopeful if we can make it a few more months her ear anatomy will change and Ava will not have to have tubes in her ears. Ava is a great dancer and loves anything to do with music. Although she has always loved books, she now enjoys reading them more than eating them. Ava moved to the next room at day care and she loves it. She is such a little social butterfly and this day care really suits her. I love all the activities she gets to do and foods she tries. Her favorite activities are anything in the sensory table, playing with the big girls, and of course she loves the "music man" that comes on Wednesdays. It has been fun to watch Ava move through developmental stages and blossom into her own little being. I love to spend time with Ava doing anything or nothing at all. She is such a joy in our life.

Ava enjoying her new toys

Christmas morning snack

Reading with daddy

Silly grin

Hello!

Blowing kisses

So sweet

Happy 10 months Ava!

Getting some little curls

So big!

Super star- Ava figured out how to trigger the music without letting go of the ball

Photo shoot 2012

December update

Where does the time go? We have been busy, busy just living and loving life! Again I'll let the pictures tell the story but here are some highlights...

* At Ava's 9 month appointment she weighed 16 pounds 3 ounces and was 26.5 inches tall. What a big girl!

* Ava continues to love food. She has enjoyed pretty much anything that she has tried. Some of her favorites are cheerios, chicken, cheese, yogurt, green beans, peas, squash, sweet potatoes, pancakes, toast, and black beans.

* Ava is so close to crawling! She spends a lot of time in the "crawling readiness" position rocking back and forth from her knees to her bottom. Ava seems to have the strength but needs to learn how to turn her legs around.

* Ava loves, loves, loves music. She claps and dances and just loves every minute. Every Wednesday the "music man" comes to day care and Ava is totally engaged for the whole 30 minutes!

* Ava continues to be very talkative. She has a wide range of sounds and syllables and is starting to string "words" together.

* We all survived Ava's first real sickness- a week long stomach bug over the Thanksgiving holiday. I am personally very thankful for Auntie Amanda who helped out in so many ways.

* We are looking forward to traveling to Montana for the holidays. Stay tuned for more stories!

Bright eyed at day care

Oh What Fun!

Open wide!

Dinner time with Grandpa Tom

Having fun with Nana Sherry

Ava loved meeting Henry and Ying

Ready for a walk in Seattle

Auntie Jen and Luke are so fun to hang out with!

My favorite travel buddy

We all had tons of fun with the Smith's over Thanksgiving

All tuckered out

Ava has taken a liking to Winnie the Pooh

First snow!

Where does the time go?

Ava's 6 month of life has been busy! So busy, in fact, we have not had a moment to blog. Here is a brief catch up.

Ava has been busy....
* Cutting her first two teeth
* Eating solids: she loves green beans as well as rice and oatmeal. She is also eating some finger-foods and is getting better at eating finger goods.
* Talking, talking, talking: da da da da all day long
* Traveling on her third air plane ride
* Sitting up all by herself
* Barrel rolling to get to where she's going
* Chewing on everything...those top teeth will be coming soon!
* Eating/chewing on apples, carrots, and celery and providing a lot of commentary about the experience.
* Busy, busy- always doing something

Playing with my toys, sitting up like a big girl!

Yeah Grandma Ann! So fun to see you.

Ava loves to play in her Step n' Play

Story time with Aunt Mary Kay...she is so funny!

Who knew a metal bowl would be so much fun?

Pretty girl

Happy Halloween!

Big girl in a big chair

Hello!

Sippy cups and sitting

Ava is growing and developing so fast! She is quite good at sitting on her own and her falls are usually because she wants to change position rather than just losing her balance. I do think she has been enjoying a new perspective on the world. Next up...crawling!

Ava has also been trying to drink from a sippy cup. She actually does really well with a normal glass, with assistance of course, but it is fun to see her holding on to her own plastic, spill-proof cup. The video below shows a particularly excited Ava using a sippy cup.

Ava's ear infection cleared up nicely and she started "liking" the amoxicillian about the time that her prescription was finished. I am sure this won't be the last ear infection, but I hope it is not the first of many.

By far the biggest development of the week is the arrival of teeth! Ava is getting both of her middle bottom teeth. Both teeth have poked through the skin and boy are they sharp! I think the whole process has been pretty uncomfortable for Ava but we have been finding an array of fruits and veggies that are good teething toys including cucumbers, apples, and celery.

Enjoying a beautiful fall evening on the porch

Laid back Sunday, watching football with Dad

It is so fun to sit up and play!

So in love

Alan and I are so in love with our sweet baby girl. Every day she surprises us with all that she can do whether it is sitting up or eating solid foods or making new sounds. Ava has such a sweet and joyful personality. She smiles all the time and loves to be around people. She is thriving at day care and is getting enjoying all sorts of new experiences like painting and playing with her friends.

This week she had her first ear infection :( but is quickly recovering and has been such a trooper. Ava is also eating more solids although the variety is limited to rice cereal, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, peas, and blueberries. 

Our baby girl is sitting up!

Ava's special corner at day care where she has been practicing her sitting.

Love that day care challenges her in new ways. Here is Ava's first experience with art. Although she did try painting with her hands, she ultimately decided it was more fun to chew on the paint brush.

Sitting up all by herself!

Playtime with daddy