Farewell 2008

This will be a year of exceptional memories...our daughter arrived into our world! I reflect back at what an amazing transformation our family has completed in 366 (leap year) short days. At the beginning of the year I was pregnant and patiently waiting to know what blessings were to come. I had such apprehension about the birth of our daughter, I was nervous about being a mom...would I be overly protective? God works such miracles...Our lives changed so fast, there was hardly time for a second thought.

February was incredible. No one in this world can describe to you the wonder and amazement that comes when you meet your child for the first time. We had family come and go almost the entire month. We are grateful for the help! It was quite a cold, snowy month...we didn't venture out too often...it was also a bad cold and flu season. I left my job to work part time so I could enjoy extra special time with Ava. It's been a challenge but the gifts we've enjoyed are well worth it.

When the weather warmed up, we got outside to walk and meet all the neighbors that had moved in during the winter. We learned that God had given us some wonderful friends to get to know. There were 9 babies born between August 07 and July 08 that will all be in the same class at school - in our corner of the subdivision alone!!

We've watched Ava grow and experience many firsts...a trip to Nana's at 2 months, baptism at 5 months, a trip to the airport to pick up Grandma and Grandpa, visiting with friends and family in many places (Quincy, IL - Mobile, AL - Murphreesboro, TN - Lake of the Ozarks, MO - Hattiesburg, MS). We even became evacuees from a hurricane in September. Ava learned to roll over, sit up, eat baby food, crawl, walk with the furniture, and make lots of sounds. I am sure that as time passes these things will fade in my memory as they are replaced with new and wonderful accomplishments, but they are for now my proudest remembrances.

Our wish is that you all have a safe, happy New Year filled with many blessings and much happiness.

Christmas 2008

We spent Ava's first Christmas visiting with all the family - almost. Out of all our travels, we somehow missed Uncle Mark and Aunt Nancy. Here are some pictures from each visit.


On the 20th we celebrated with Grandma and Grandpa. Ava wasn't sure what to think about the packages. She didn't dive into them, but she loved playing with the paper after the gifts were unwrapped. She even played with her toys in the boxes.


On Christmas Eve we went to have communion at Church then had dinner and gifts in Mississippi with my aunts and uncles. Santa came to see my cousins but left Ava's stuff at Nana and PawPaw's.


Christmas morning was no big deal for Ava. She watched and loved to play with the paper and bows. She got some fun gifts and really enjoyed inspecting her new treasures.


Hope you all had a Merry Christmas. We are very much looking forward to moving past the past month...it has been a crazy one for us. But we are very thankful for all the blessings in our lives and hope that 2009 is just as wonderful and fulfilling as 2008 has been.


Our love to all!

Santa Baby

We met Santa!! Ava was an angel...of course she really didn't have to look at him, just smile for the camera. It was a great night to go, we only had to wait for one family to finish up in front of us. We are headed down south for Christmas this year. It looks like Ava will miss her first "white Christmas"...oh well, we'll hope for another one soon.

The cutting room floor...

Well, getting a picture for the Christmas cards was a challenge this year. I never realized how hard it would be to get a good shot...here are some that didn't quite make the final cut! Merry Christmas...

10 months

Look at you!! How big you are...10 months have gone by really fast. I am amazed at all you have accomplished.

Today you are able to stand alone, you can walk behind your doll stroller and climb the stairs. I think that you would climb into your crib and into the bathtub with a little more practice...slow down, what's your hurry??

You are still about 19 pounds. You have started to eat corn and chicken with sweet potatoes. You aren't real crazy about fruit but I am sneaking it into your cereal in the morning...sneaky huh? You love to drink from a sippy cup. You love to have a few sips then pass it to me...you like to share. You love to eat the Gerber puffs, you humor me and try the fruit pieces but you don't care much for them!

You like to play peek a boo, so big, and pat a cake. You love to listen to me (of all people) sing Row Row Row your Boat in the car. At night, we lay you down in bed and you go straight to sleep...I couldn't ask for more!!

Here are some fun pictures from today...
You love your doll stroller, especially now that you can walk behind it!


Standing up all by yourself...holding a favorite - the remote :)


Although you are starting to learn about walking, this is still your favorite way to get around. You can almost tell by this picture how fast you are!


Believe it or not...you are actually laughing in these pictures. I just got you in the middle of waving your hands. You were "talking" to Lily, she was playing with her rope and you wanted to play too~

Splish Splash

We have a special night time routine that starts with your bath...Here's how it goes!

First, Ava plays while we run her bath water. Mostly that means she crawls over to her crib to stand up and try to pull out her paci and dolly. She gets the biggest kick out of that little game and laughs out loud...


Next we go into the bathroom to check the water. She loves to push her ducks into the water. Again, that's a really funny part of her day. I love to hear that laugh. I think if she could crawl into the bathtub by herself she would-


Splashin' around with some toys...



Getting dried off. I know this sounds kind of mean but I love the way she gets a chill and shivers... That's too cute.

"Walking"

Ava is practicing for her next milestone...walking!! She is really good at standing alone and has started to go back and forth between the chair, the table, and the couch. She is so proud of her new independence and she loves to clap for herself. Of course we are exstatic that she is learning so many new things. Here's a short little video of her walking behind her baby stroller.

Family Photo

Our Sweet Family...Isn't this a great picture!!??

More antics...

Tonight at bath time, Ava copied my actions. This was a first and of course - NO camera!! What kind of mother am I??? She took the wash cloth and dipped it into the water and wiped her left eye, dipped the cloth back into the water and then wiped her right eye...how sweet!

Last night she did laps around the coffee table. It must have gone on for about 10 minutes. It was really funny, she would do a couple laps then sit down like it was rest time then she would get started again. Funniest thing...after each rest break, she would start going in the opposite direction!

I didn't realize how much she likes to follow a routine until nap time today. Ava likes to sleep with a "dolly". Well, I noticed that hers was getting a little more smelly than I'd like. I washed it...tried to put her down several times while it was in the wash with no luck. Tonight when it came out of the dryer I gave it to her immediately...which means she got it downstairs before heading up for bed. She was so happy to see her "dolly"...she laughed and hugged it very tightly. It wasn't until I went to check on her just now and she is still clinging to it that I realized we need to have a couple extra of those on stand by!

Well, now I'm off to bed...hoping my rest is as wonderful as Ava's seems to be!

Happy Baby-

Happy Baby! She is such a sweet and happy girl!! We are so blessed...Just some cute ones I wanted to share.

So Big!

Ava loves to show off...today I was able to capture a quick moment of her innocently showing off. Of course, I enjoyed her entertainment for about 5 minutes before I remembered that my camera makes short video...duh... She initiated a game of peek a boo with her bib, I couldn't get her to do that again but she did "so big" on cue so that's what we have! You can hear Lily bark and see how quickly she turns her head, nosey little thing - just like her momma I guess ;) And then at the very end you hear her doing a little talking...Enjoy...

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving and enjoyed celebrating our first with Ava. The weather was magnificent. We woke up a little early to be down for the parade. We got a great spot at an intersection so there was plenty of room to spread out the chairs, strollers, and our friend's little guy Matt could run around safely. The floats and balloons were great. My favs: Rudolph and Frosty :)

After the parade we went and bought our Christmas tree. This was an exciting moment...last year, we decided not to put one up...it was very sad in the end...and I realized that all the work was worth it!! So, we got a tree on sale for almost nothing!!

We had dinner over at Dave's aunt and uncle's house. We enjoyed our visit and of course, stuffed ourselves with turkey! Ava was in great spirits despite having no sleep! She enjoyed meeting and playing with everyone.

Thank you, Brooke!!

Hey Brooke-
Ava wants to say thank you for the great lady bug card you sent her to wish her a Happy Thanksgiving! It is really cute and she's so glad that you thought of her. Sorry that we won't be there for Thanksgiving this year but we are excited to see you at Christmas!! Thanks again-

We love you!!
Ava, Amy, and Dave (& Lily too!!)

Officially Miss Priss

Well, today Miss Priss made her "official" debut. We finally have enough hair that will stay in 2 or 3 of her bows. This cute little bow lasted about an hour. Ava didn't seem to mind, the bow eventually slid out. And...these pictures, especially the second one remind me of my 9 month old pictures. It seems that she is starting to favor her mommy a little more...but she still looks a lot like her daddy!!!
I think that she looks so much more grown up in just the past few weeks...its amazing how much they change but still look the same...

Snow Bunny

Here is Ava dressed up very warmly for this cold weather that has arrived in St. Louis!! Our high on Thursday was 32 degrees and on Friday...another incredibly chilly day at 32! Tomorrow it's a big warm up, all the way to 46... Ava's babysitter, Nadya, had this outfit left over from her daughter and lets Ava wear it. Maybe I'll check the stores for one that she can wear all winter long :) Isn't she precious. It reminds me of that scene in "A Christmas Story" where the little brother has on his snow suit and cries out to his mom, "I can't put my arms down"...

40 Weeks

This past weekend my family had the pleasure of getting together for a wedding in Tennessee. It was a great time. Ava was so good, she really loved getting to play with her Aunt Jennifer and Uncle John...but I especially loved watching Nana and Pawpaw enjoy Ava. She got some "prizes" from them - a doll stroller and a puppy dog that sings with her. She has mastered standing with the stroller and even pushing it several steps. She is getting braver with her independent standing, she stood for almost 8 seconds before gracefully making a controlled motion to sit down. I realized that Saturday, November 15, 2008 Ava was 40 weeks old. That means I have had her with me longer than I was pregnant with her. And just like my pregnancy, this time has flown by and yet seems like she's been with us forever. I pray that our family will continue to be blessed like it has been the past 40 weeks!

Great Check up!!

Ava had her nine month check up today. She weighs in at 18 pounds 10 ounces and she's 28 3/4 inches long. What a long way we've come since 6 pounds 3 ounces and 20 inches... Everything else is picture perfect. We are so blessed!

Nine Months...

My Sweet Ava- You are nine months old today...I can't believe how fast the time has passed. I am amazed at all the wonderful joys you have brought into this world. Your daddy and I love you very much. We are privileged to know you. I look forward to the baby I see tomorrow and can't wait to see what you learn next! I love you with all my heart baby girl!!!

You sleep really good at night...pretty good at nap time, depends on the day:) When it's time, I take you up to your crib, lay you down, give you your paci and "dolly"...I tell you "night night". You like to roll over onto your tummy. Most of the time you talk a while but you rarely ever cry when you are in bed.

You eat rice cereal for breakfast, a jar of vegetables at lunch, and one at dinner. Green beans and butternut squash are your favorites...peas - oh, not something you like! But of course, you'd rather have finger foods. I think we are raising a very independent young lady. You drink four 6 ounce bottles a day (24ounces). You have started to be independent with a sippy cup but you get tired.

Here are some photos to remember this precious day...

You love to pull all your books out of the basket...we are trying to teach you to put them back in but that must not be any fun, you aren't in a hurry to learn how.

What a face...only a mother could love the left over carrots!! And - sadly that's after we wiped the face clean. Carrots stain everything :)

Ava and Mommy

Spending time with Daddy!

You are checking your balance...you can let go for about 4 seconds but then you grab on again quickly. You really know how to get around crawling so that's your preferred method of transportation.


A big no-no that you are learning...up the stairs. You are really quite good at the going up part. We will have to teach you how to come down safely as soon as you show us you are able to remember!!


"Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?"

There you have it...a nine month birthday. Tomorrow we see the doctor to see how well you are growing!

Row Row Row Your Boat!!

It seems as though nine months is not too early to have favorites... Ava has decided that one of her favorite songs is "Row Row Row Your Boat". It has a very calming effect on her. It has become a great weapon in my driving arsenal - when she cries in the car we simply sing...and she is quiet as long as we're singing...as soon as we stops she starts crying again. Mostly she's a good rider, I don't mean to imply otherwise - this happens mostly when we push the envelope. Guess it's time for some kids songs in my car!

In training as first born -

Have I mentioned how much Ava LOVES our dog and how little the dog cares for Ava?? In the past 2 days or so Ava has found great humor in learning to tease the dog. She stands or sits next to Lily while Lily is sitting next to me. Ava just laughs and points to Lily like she is about to touch her...Lily just growls a little warning. I can hear the banter now:

Lily- Mom, make her stop touching me!
Ava- I'm not touching you.
Lily- She's touching me.
Ava- I'm not touching you.

So on and so on and so on...

Baby fine hair

Well, its not obvious enough to show up on film yet...but we had a little ruffle to our hair after nap yesterday. She must have slept hard and well. One little spot on her left side was sticking straight up!! It's the little things in life that make us realize the miracles...

Spaghetti

Well, over the past few days Ava has been introduced to some new foods - textures especially. Last night she met two milestones...she waved "bye bye" to our parents as teachers educator, then at dinner she got to try macaroni and cheese...she loved it so much she pushed my hand out of the way faster than I could put them down on the table. Tonight she was able to try the baby food spaghetti. Boy was that a messy meal! While she still thought it was novel to feed herself - she wasn't so crazy about the way it tasted...no worries baby girl - I didn't like the taste I had either.

Ava's First Halloween

What a successful night!! The weather was gorgeous and the families were out to enjoy this special time together. I think it is fabulous to watch all the neighbors get out and enjoy a night as a family and get to know each other...and visit one last time before the winter drives us all indoors! We walked around the neighborhood...just visiting this year. We wanted to go early so Ava would be happy and we could be home in time to hand out candy at home. Here are a few pictures of Ava's first Halloween... Enjoy!! We hope that ya'll had a fun and safe night.

Halloween at Grant's Farm

Grant's Farm puts on a great "ghoulish" Halloween exhibit. We joined our Friends and dressed Ava up in her costume to brave the chilly, crisp night to find out how Grant's Farm does spooky! Ava slept through most of it...but we were glad to have Grandma Carroll here to share the night with us.



Fun with Grandma Carroll


Sleepy Baby!!

Bee Tree Park

Our fun times at Bee Tree Park. We wanted to get some pictures with all the beautiful fall colors and Ava playing with leaves...well, we struck out. The leaves weren't all that colorful at the park we chose. And, well, let's just say that Ava would rather eat leaves then play with them...

Ava's Antics

Well, I can't say that I have kept ya'll updated well in the past couple weeks...my apologizes. I have a couple stories to share-

First, Ava has found the stairs. As I was folding laundry a few days ago, I noticed that Ava was exploring the house as she usually does. Then I realized that she had found the stairs...by the time I got from the couch, around the chair to the stairs she had already made it up the first three!!! I think she might have gone all the way but I distracted her, she turned around, and lost her balance...good thing I was standing right there.

Then, a day or so later... She loves to play with Lily's water bowl. Well, she found the food. Lesson here...NEVER leave babies unattended to explore - good thing we don't because she had a piece of dog food in her mouth. I didn't freak out, I figure its a right of passage.

And of course...she has found her sense of humor. Today we were driving to the park with Lily and Ava...Ava thought that it was great to have company in the backseat. She laughed out loud for a good 5 minutes trying to get Lily to play with her. Lily is getting more tolerant but she still doesn't spend much time with Ava right now.

Sunday

We spent a nice Sunday together as a family...our sweet little angel didn't want to take a nap but we did alright anyway. We decided in church that this would most likely be here last time in "big" church. She is a great baby, really quiet, and likes to listen intently to the preacher...however she has become quite the mover, wanting to get up and down, go back and forth between mom and dad, and grab at the Bibles, Hymnals, and offering envelopes. Next week, we have to try the nursery! After church we had lunch with our church group at the Incredible Pizza...its the new Show Biz/Chuck E Cheese. Then we had supper with Grandma and Grandpa, and got to enjoy eating outside. And we did it ALL with NO NAP!

Here she is all ready for church...sitting so nicely on her changing table with mom and dad super close by in case she decides to reach out...


Grandpa was up in the attic and pulled down an old rocking chair...we thought that Ava might be ready for it in a couple of months. She showed us, she climbed right in and gave us the cheesiest smile I've ever seen from her.


One SLEEPY baby...no nap all day, it shows in her eyes. She didn't stop, she came on through the legs of the table and kept investigating the new space.

First Finger Foods

I bought Ava some of those Gerber Graduates Puffs today. She did great. I was impressed...I thought she might have some trouble with coordination picking up the tiny pieces. But no! She went right for it!! She wasn't really excited about the taste or texture...but she thought it was quite novel to be able to "feed" herself. She is growing up TOO FAST :)