I haven't posted in awhile, but quite a lot has happened, not all of which I can put into one post. But of one of the biggest life events that has occurred for Ava is that she has entered toddlerhood with a vengeance! I am talking screaming, babbling, pushing, hitting, ornery, running, destructive, sweet, funny toddlerhood.
Gone are the days when our daughter would just sit quietly in public like a doe-eyed baby, taking it all in while sitting and listening to her world in captivated interest. Gone. Gone, I tell you. Welcome to embarrassing shopping sprees, restaurant bans, and all out WAR. Now for the first few weeks, when she was becoming intolerable in restaurants and our grocery trips had become Hell on Earth, I passed it off to being sleepy, maybe overstimulated, maybe it was my fault or bad timing in the day.
Then on one sunny day, I took Ava on a pretty routine and mundane trip to the grocery. What happened was nothing short of an F5 sh#t storm. Immediately, she wanted to get out of the cart, so I buckled her in tighter. Then as I am deciding on which yogurt we'll like, I see my daughter's foot slung over the cart, she's giving full on grunts as she shimmies her body upwards, out of the belt and before I know it, she's standing up in the cart BOUNCING no less, giving out victorious cries of happiness. My GOD! I didn't know I had given birth to a contortionist! I picked her up, attempting to sit her back down...oh hell no! Her knees lock, she gives out immediate screams of rage, the entire dairy aisle is staring at me. I physically bent her knees and buckled her back in. And that was the end of it...I mean, me. Screaming, screaming, screaming. For the rest of the trip.
I put her on the ground to see if walking would make it stop, nope. She threw herself on the ground and wailed. Then when I tried to pick her up, she got up and ran from me. So here I am, I am chasing after a 12 month old through the soup aisle, she starts to giggle and I immediately feel my blood pressure reaching the tipping point as she grabs a bunch of cans and throws them onto the ground. When these types of things happen to me, I literally feel like I am having an "out of body" experience. I imagine that I am looking down on the situation and literally thinking, how did I get here? Who am I? Who is this child??
Anyways, I pick her up, in something like a football hold and I continue along. Now there's just something about carrying a 22 pound, kicking, screaming child that really brings life and your grocery list into perspective. Like, do I really need another bag of potatoes this week? No. Moving on. I get what is absolutely essential and I get into the shortest check-out line I can find and I set her in the cart, fully expecting the chaos to continue. But it doesn't. In the check-out line she is riveted to the cashier and the grocery belt. Life is back to normal. She sits in the cart and blankly stares at the cashier with a tear-stained face and a snotty nose. Never again, I think to myself, still shaking with a sore arm and back. Never again.
Just imagine how much fun she was the last time we went to a Thai restaurant...a month ago. The last restaurant she will ever go to again! It wasn't pretty. For those that are childless, I liken it to being handcuffed to that drunken best friend that you really don't know what to do with...you love them, and you know that they are really just "going through some tough times", but you also know that any fast movements or new places are likely to set him off. So you pacify him with music, shiny objects and happy water, until he passes out in a corner and you can get yourself a slice of quiet for the day.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Today you were being super cute, as if you aren't super cute everyday! I was sick, so I was pretty much in quarantine in the bedroom. Dad would bring you in to visit me and you would smile and squeal and throw your hands around my neck to give me a hug! Everytime I see that little face, my heart just melts! You are so sweet! Then when I came to say goodnight to you before you headed off to bed, you sat on my lap and leaned in to give kisses:) Then you would lean in again for more kisses, then you would do it again! I tried to not let you give me kisses because I am sick, but seriously, there was no way I could resist! I felt badly for not seeing you very much today, but I was glad that you got to hang out with Dad for a few hours.
The three of us spent yesterday gathering small pumpkins, buying cake supplies, designing favor bags and getting your outfit together. We are going to have a pumpkin decorating activity for you and all of your cousins, their supplies are going to be in the favor bags that I designed last night. There is also a pinata, just because I LOVE pinatas! Your cake is going to be ahhhmazing! It will be multi-layered, with the bottom being a grassy scene with flowers and a fence, the middle will be a hay bale and at the top will be a cute little baby pumpkin:) Your outfit is a pumpkin shirt, an orange and black tutu, orange and black tights that came with your Halloween outfit, and a little orange bow to put in your hair. I am so excited! Even though I don't think you'll remember your first birthday, I still want you to have the best time ever...just in case you do remember it!
I know that you don't realize it yet, but the Morse family is well known for their Halloweens! Grandma and Grandpa have all of the Halloween decorations that used to be in Moline, Illinois, and they are throwing a huge Halloween party right after your birthday party. This is the first time ever that all of the decorations will be in Fort Wayne and even though I have yet to see it, I know that it is going to be crazy!
Anyways, with all of the party planning and traveling, I just want to let you know that you are SO LOVED! You have brought this family so much happiness and laughter and I cannot imagine our world without your beautiful little smile and your sweet little voice babbling in the background during each and every day! This year has been the BEST year of my life and I am so proud to be your "mama"! You have become so smart, you know exactly what I mean when I say that it is bathtime or that it's time to brush our teeth! You know when to go to your playroom, when to go outside and when to go to the car when we are going out. You walk to the highchair now when you are hungry, to let me know that it's time to eat and you have even figured out how to eat with a fork on a few occasions! You give kisses and hugs and you are so sweet with the dogs, that you absolutely love! You say "mama", "dada", "baba", "dog", "uh oh", "no" and "that!". It is just amazing to watch you grow up and learn how to do and say new things! You are the best little baby that anyone could ever hope for and Mom and Dad love you more than anything in the entire world!
Friday, September 30, 2011
Happy 11 Month Birthday!
Happy 11 month old birthday, Ava Rose!! Today you woke up with a snotty nose and have been trying to get over a nasty cold that I think you picked up from last week's birthday party at Holiday Park. This afternoon, the three of us went to the grocery store after lunch and you are currently taking a nap (hopefully a LONG nap). I can't believe that in ONE more month you are going to be a year old! I am so excited to celebrate your birthday. Your invitations went out earlier this week and I am already getting a few RSVPs. While I am totally super overly excited for your birthday, I am also a little sad:( I honestly don't know where the time has gone. It literally feels like you are still my little newborn baby. Ok, so I know that you don't use a paci anymore, you don't use bottles anymore, you walk, you talk, you point, laugh, screech and even dance, but didn't you get the memo?? You are STILL my itty bitty wittle newborn baby waby boo boo! No, you didn't get that?? :(
A few months ago I was reading through some "mom" articles and one of the women wrote something that really stuck with me, "The days are slow, but the years are fast". If there was one parental truth in this world, THAT would be it. I can't believe how slowly some of the days have seemed to me in the past year. Especially when you were younger. I remember staring at this tiny little creature that could do absolutely nothing but look around and flail, and you weren't even very good at doing that. So maybe you really couldn't do anything but sleep and sleep and sleep and occasionally you'd eat. But whatever. I remember staying up with you all hours of the night when you couldn't sleep, staying up with you all hours of the day, just staring at you, wondering if I was supposed to be doing something for you, with you, to you, I didn't know?? And not everything was sweet and cuddly, there were long hours of sheer boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror. As you have become more of your own little person, the days move by a little bit more methodically. Your habits and your schedule are a bit more predictable...I know that you will throw your food to the dogs when you are full. I know that you will scream and holler when I change your clothes. I know that you are great at finding the one thing in the room that I don't want you to find, and that when you are tired you will run to me and start giving me hugs, pushing your little face into my arms and rubbing your snotty nose all over my sleeves (:I LOVE these cuddle sessions:). I am able to watch you learn new things on your own, watch you get into trouble on your own, and be amazed at the labile (flammable) little person that you are becoming!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Camping With a 10 Month Old...Never Again.
Let's start this post off right by saying, I hate camping. I hate bugs, dirt, grass, trees, public restrooms, public showers, wild animals and most people. While I enjoy scenic views and pretty pictures of nature, I don't want to be IN nature. The few times I have camped have been exhausting. The only thing I do like about camping is the campfire. In which case, I say put a fire pit in a backyard and enjoy nature 10 feet from your warm and cozy electrically furnished home.
So, when the idea was brought up, I thought, YEY!?! Let's take our baby on a camping trip with Roger's family over Labor Day weekend! There will be cabins, smores, and loads of family fun! Right? I had no idea if I would survive. In fact, I thought I might die. Sooooo...let's just say it started out great! We were up at 4am to make the LOOOONG arduous trip up to Fort Wayne, where we would unload our dogs on some family members, and then continue on up to camp...afterall, we wanted to get there early enough to partake in the family fun. It became a 5 hour car ride. Did I mention we were up at 4 am?
We get to the camp, just in time for Roger to cook everyone's breakfast. Ooook, it was kind of a good time, Ava was eating like a champ and afterwards she enjoyed walking around in the woods, picking up mulch, leaves, falling over in the mud. A while later, the family played some basketball, Ava fell asleep and afterwards we all headed to the waterfront, which was a good time, while Ava was asleep. But boy when she woke up, and we tried to put her in the cold lake water, all hell broke loose. She screamed and screamed and screamed and so I carried her away under some shade and we sat there for a while so that she could get settled down. What followed was a blur and frankly, it was such a long day with such randomness it's best to summarize events with a running list of actions that I would like to call "Camping Nonsense".
Ava crying, listening to a movie in a cabin, hearing my name on repeat, screaming babies, some interrupted naptime, a falling out of the bed, some more screaming babies, a trip for ice cream with a little bit of gossip, being yelled at by a gas station attendant, Ava walking around basketball courts, screaming in the showers, dark clouds, rain, rain, and more rain, dinner drama, Roger starting a fire, Roger cooking dinner, Eric slipping on stairs, Ava screaming her head off, swallowing a bug. Bed.
In the morning, I refused to get up, even when I could hear everybody else roaming around outside. I really just wanted to go home. You see, the thing about being a mom is that I work on compromise, flexibility, and patience everyday, but I thrive on predictability and a set schedule. Yes, my baby will be crabby in a new environment without a set schedule. That is obvious. What is not so obvious is that I need the familiar environment and set schedule MORE than Ava, and that without it, I pretty much hate the world. I barely slept the whole night and was exhausted, my arms and back were sore from the bedding, I kept listening for Ava in the middle of the night and so now that it was morning, the last thing I wanted to do was be awake.
When I got out of bed, my vision was blurry, I briefly wondered if I was suffering from stress-induced blindness, but then realized that would be stupid because we needed to pack up our stuff and I didn't have the time or the energy to go blind. I knew that after breakfast, we would be leaving, so I pulled myself out of bed and wandered outside. Roger cooked breakfast, I ate my breakfast, and then we promptly packed up our stuff, and by promptly I mean that it took us over two hours to figure out where the hell all of our stuff was and how we were going to fit it all back into our SUV while Ava screamed because she wanted to walk around with her push-walker. As we pulled out of the camp, I exclaimed, "Hmm, that was a good time!" Roger replied, "Yeah! I had fun!" I turned to him and said very matter-of-factly "We are never doing that again." Roger, "Nope."
So, when the idea was brought up, I thought, YEY!?! Let's take our baby on a camping trip with Roger's family over Labor Day weekend! There will be cabins, smores, and loads of family fun! Right? I had no idea if I would survive. In fact, I thought I might die. Sooooo...let's just say it started out great! We were up at 4am to make the LOOOONG arduous trip up to Fort Wayne, where we would unload our dogs on some family members, and then continue on up to camp...afterall, we wanted to get there early enough to partake in the family fun. It became a 5 hour car ride. Did I mention we were up at 4 am?
We get to the camp, just in time for Roger to cook everyone's breakfast. Ooook, it was kind of a good time, Ava was eating like a champ and afterwards she enjoyed walking around in the woods, picking up mulch, leaves, falling over in the mud. A while later, the family played some basketball, Ava fell asleep and afterwards we all headed to the waterfront, which was a good time, while Ava was asleep. But boy when she woke up, and we tried to put her in the cold lake water, all hell broke loose. She screamed and screamed and screamed and so I carried her away under some shade and we sat there for a while so that she could get settled down. What followed was a blur and frankly, it was such a long day with such randomness it's best to summarize events with a running list of actions that I would like to call "Camping Nonsense".
Ava crying, listening to a movie in a cabin, hearing my name on repeat, screaming babies, some interrupted naptime, a falling out of the bed, some more screaming babies, a trip for ice cream with a little bit of gossip, being yelled at by a gas station attendant, Ava walking around basketball courts, screaming in the showers, dark clouds, rain, rain, and more rain, dinner drama, Roger starting a fire, Roger cooking dinner, Eric slipping on stairs, Ava screaming her head off, swallowing a bug. Bed.
In the morning, I refused to get up, even when I could hear everybody else roaming around outside. I really just wanted to go home. You see, the thing about being a mom is that I work on compromise, flexibility, and patience everyday, but I thrive on predictability and a set schedule. Yes, my baby will be crabby in a new environment without a set schedule. That is obvious. What is not so obvious is that I need the familiar environment and set schedule MORE than Ava, and that without it, I pretty much hate the world. I barely slept the whole night and was exhausted, my arms and back were sore from the bedding, I kept listening for Ava in the middle of the night and so now that it was morning, the last thing I wanted to do was be awake.
When I got out of bed, my vision was blurry, I briefly wondered if I was suffering from stress-induced blindness, but then realized that would be stupid because we needed to pack up our stuff and I didn't have the time or the energy to go blind. I knew that after breakfast, we would be leaving, so I pulled myself out of bed and wandered outside. Roger cooked breakfast, I ate my breakfast, and then we promptly packed up our stuff, and by promptly I mean that it took us over two hours to figure out where the hell all of our stuff was and how we were going to fit it all back into our SUV while Ava screamed because she wanted to walk around with her push-walker. As we pulled out of the camp, I exclaimed, "Hmm, that was a good time!" Roger replied, "Yeah! I had fun!" I turned to him and said very matter-of-factly "We are never doing that again." Roger, "Nope."
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Video of Ava Walking
Cute video of Ava walking, taken from Roger's phone:) Sorry for the sidewaysness!
Walking some more...caught on video!
We took Ava to the mall yesterday so that she could run around for a little while in the play area after returning a Halloween costume to Old Navy. And yes siree...she took right to walking around! We even caught a brief part of it on camera. When Roger gets home from work, I'll post the video! She did such a good job! And it was the furthest that Roger has ever seen her walk! I could tell that he was so proud of her! It is SO exciting to see your baby do something new!
However, this morning...she's right back to crawling around. What a stinker! She totally knows how to walk, she just would rather crawl right now:) That's okay, I don't know what I'd do with a walker right now anyways!!!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Tuesday mornings with Ava
***Happy 10 month birthday to my little Ava!!!***
Ava's favorite thing to do lately is to be outside and explore. After her morning bottle, she starts banging on the front door like a Gitmo prisoner! My attempts to divert her attention bring on a tantrum, so this morning, I gave in. I got my morning coffee, attempted to put some shoes on her little feet (over her footed pajamas), and we went outside. I walked her around the yard for a bit. She was fascinated by some sort of a weed with white flowers growing next to our little tree. She wandered onto the sidewalk, played with some rocks, traveled up the driveway and eventually back up to our porch.
I sat on the porch at 7am, sipping my coffee, watching the sun come up while my baby girl rolled around in the grass and picked at the dandelions. Is there anything better?? Anywhere else, somewhere more important, that I would have rather been in that moment? Absolutely not. If that's not the best Tuesday morning ever, then I don't know what is!
Ava's favorite thing to do lately is to be outside and explore. After her morning bottle, she starts banging on the front door like a Gitmo prisoner! My attempts to divert her attention bring on a tantrum, so this morning, I gave in. I got my morning coffee, attempted to put some shoes on her little feet (over her footed pajamas), and we went outside. I walked her around the yard for a bit. She was fascinated by some sort of a weed with white flowers growing next to our little tree. She wandered onto the sidewalk, played with some rocks, traveled up the driveway and eventually back up to our porch.
I sat on the porch at 7am, sipping my coffee, watching the sun come up while my baby girl rolled around in the grass and picked at the dandelions. Is there anything better?? Anywhere else, somewhere more important, that I would have rather been in that moment? Absolutely not. If that's not the best Tuesday morning ever, then I don't know what is!
Friday, August 26, 2011
SHE WALKED!
Okay, so this blog is now officially the "Baby Walk Tracker!" Lol! Today after coming indoors from playing outside, Ava took like 5 steps towards me! We had spent about 30 minutes playing outside, she was holding onto my hands and we walked around the driveway and the sidewalk, periodically stopping so that she could investigate a rock, a flower, a weed! Really when we go outside, it takes about 30 minutes to travel approximately 10 feet because she stops at every little blade of grass or bit of concrete that she sees to touch it and sometimes taste it!! I am so proud of how attentive she is when she's exploring! She really takes her time to feel it, turn it over, throw it, pick it up, taste it, stare at it while rolling it in her hands for at least 5 minutes...I have no idea how her attention span is SO long!
At any rate, she loves playing outside. She loves watching the cars, the neighbor dogs, the bugs and she even saw a butterfly today! Everyday with her is something new!
At any rate, she loves playing outside. She loves watching the cars, the neighbor dogs, the bugs and she even saw a butterfly today! Everyday with her is something new!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Ava's FIRST STEPS, for real ya'll!
So yesterday, Ava took her first baby steps in front of Roger and my mom! It was so precious! Roger was coaxing her along with a marker, which she LOVES to chew on. Well she stood there for awhile and then finally took 3 steps towards him! I can't believe we didn't catch it on camera! I am glad though that I wasn't the only one that saw it, sometimes when she does stuff and I am the only one around, I wonder if people actually believe me when I tell them about it! Can't believe how fast my little girl is growing up! :*)
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
ZOO!!!
Yesterday Ava took her first trip to the Zoo! We went with Roger's family. Ava's Grandma, Aunt, and three of her cousins are in town, so it was a fun day, although very long. And while the sharks, bears, giraffes and lions held her attention momentarily, she was out cold in about 2 hours. I then had to wake her up so that we could go on the train, but she did a great job at the zoo! She was pointing at all of the animals, and some non-specific objects along the way. She also had some of my cheese pizza for lunch and got to be held by everyone along the way:) Of course, I forgot my camera, so hopefully I'll get some pics from Grandma if/when she posts them on Facebook.
Yesterday was also Ava's second time at a water park:) She had some mixed feelings about that. For the first 30 minutes, she was content to splash around in the water, but then started having a few mini-meltdowns, nothing too bad though. I think that some of the shooting fountains scared her a little bit. Overall, she had a great day with the family and did a great job for being out and about all day long with only one very, very short nap.
We got home late, and unfortunately were accosted by our WT neighbor's loose pitbull. I was NOT happy. As we were going up to our front door, the dog literally ran at us and was pushing up on the backs of my legs as I (hands shaking) unlocked the door, rushed in and slammed the door behind me. I am SO OVER their stupid dog. He is always loose and we have had to call Animal Control before when Ava was about 3 months old.
Anyways, what an exhausting day! Luckily Ava didn't even notice the crazy dog, she was passed out and went straight to bed when we got home. Today she has her 9 month doctor's appointment and then we are off for another fun-filled adventure with the family:) Another long day! WOOOOHOOO! :)
I LOVE MY LITTLE BUNNY!! <3
Yesterday was also Ava's second time at a water park:) She had some mixed feelings about that. For the first 30 minutes, she was content to splash around in the water, but then started having a few mini-meltdowns, nothing too bad though. I think that some of the shooting fountains scared her a little bit. Overall, she had a great day with the family and did a great job for being out and about all day long with only one very, very short nap.
We got home late, and unfortunately were accosted by our WT neighbor's loose pitbull. I was NOT happy. As we were going up to our front door, the dog literally ran at us and was pushing up on the backs of my legs as I (hands shaking) unlocked the door, rushed in and slammed the door behind me. I am SO OVER their stupid dog. He is always loose and we have had to call Animal Control before when Ava was about 3 months old.
Anyways, what an exhausting day! Luckily Ava didn't even notice the crazy dog, she was passed out and went straight to bed when we got home. Today she has her 9 month doctor's appointment and then we are off for another fun-filled adventure with the family:) Another long day! WOOOOHOOO! :)
I LOVE MY LITTLE BUNNY!! <3
Monday, August 8, 2011
Paci-free!!! Day #1!
I am so proud of myself and Ava!!! She has had a pacifier glued to her face for over 9 months now and I just woke up today and decided, ya know what...let's see what happens without it!!!
Lots of tears, tantrums, rocking, cuddling and comforting today. Oh...and Ava had a hard time too;) I just can't believe how relatively easy it's been, let's hope I can stick with this and be strong! I HATE having to carry around at least 3 or 4 pacis with me everywhere I go, constantly losing them, constantly cleaning them after she chucks 'em across restaurant floors!
I think it has been a success(for now)! Naptime and bedtime were REALLY hard today, but that's to be expected. We made it to the mall, the grocery, and played for hours without it. She is asleep right now and we have had a totally paci-free day! WOOOOHOOOO!
Lots of tears, tantrums, rocking, cuddling and comforting today. Oh...and Ava had a hard time too;) I just can't believe how relatively easy it's been, let's hope I can stick with this and be strong! I HATE having to carry around at least 3 or 4 pacis with me everywhere I go, constantly losing them, constantly cleaning them after she chucks 'em across restaurant floors!
I think it has been a success(for now)! Naptime and bedtime were REALLY hard today, but that's to be expected. We made it to the mall, the grocery, and played for hours without it. She is asleep right now and we have had a totally paci-free day! WOOOOHOOOO!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
A First - The Volcano Diaper!
So yesterday for some inexplicable reason, Ava's diapers were out of control!
I am feeding (trying to feed) Ava dinner. Roger has bought a new phone and is spending hour #3 searching online and/or playing with a phone at his spot on the couch. Ava is cranky, wiggly, and doesn't really seem to be hungry. In protest she has decided to start smearing peas all over herself, luckily she is only wearing a diaper.
For a moment or so, her face pauses, her eyes become round and dissonant, she is obviously pushing out a good one. I laugh a little and continue to try to give her a spoonful of peas.
Suddenly it happens...like lava oozing out of a volcano, a green and yellow pasty soup spills out over the top of her diaper into the high chair, all over her legs. Screams of horror, cries for help! Roger looks over, yelling, "Stop yelling!". Finally, he gets up and walks to the kitchen and screams, "IS THAT POOP!?!?"
As if stuck in a time warp, I move in slow motion as Ava's little hands curiously grab a fistful of diarrhea. Diarrhea poo dripping everywhere! "AHHHHHHHH!" the horror, I am still screaming and my mind has gone blank!
As if running only on adrenaline, I grab a hold of her arms holding them in the air over her head. Roger aimlessly runs around the house, back and forth, back and forth in a sheer panic. Can anyone help us?? Why is this happening!?! I can't stop screaming!
Now in control of her hands, my senses come to me. Roger is looking for our "dirty towel", the old towel that we use to clean up our nastiest of nasty messes, but we are both too stunned to communicate. I gather my words and yell, "clean, folded, quick!!"
Roger finds the dirty towel, unclicks her high chair tray, and wraps up the poo covered baby in a towel like a little burrito (sorry, burrito is the only thing that comes to mind). Ava, who was initially quieted by the commotion, is now laughing as mom and dad pull themselves together with unsettling shrill exclamations, "It's OK! It's ALRIGHT, EVERYTHING'S GONNA BE OKAY!!! YEYYYY!" He holds baby burrito at arms-length, I hold her hands over her head and we maneuver through the house, over baby gates, down hallways, through doors, the three of us in a locked position.
We make it to the shower, turn the shower on, is it the right temperature?? Okay, put the baby in. Wait, take off the diaper. NOOO, the smell!! Hurry! Poop, poop, never-ending poop! Detach the shower head and hose the baby down. Baby is hosed down, baby is clean, mom and dad are clean! Ahhhhh...sighs of relief and then finally laughter. We are beaming!We survived. We survived!!! WE ARE SUPER PARENTS!!!
I am feeding (trying to feed) Ava dinner. Roger has bought a new phone and is spending hour #3 searching online and/or playing with a phone at his spot on the couch. Ava is cranky, wiggly, and doesn't really seem to be hungry. In protest she has decided to start smearing peas all over herself, luckily she is only wearing a diaper.
For a moment or so, her face pauses, her eyes become round and dissonant, she is obviously pushing out a good one. I laugh a little and continue to try to give her a spoonful of peas.
Suddenly it happens...like lava oozing out of a volcano, a green and yellow pasty soup spills out over the top of her diaper into the high chair, all over her legs. Screams of horror, cries for help! Roger looks over, yelling, "Stop yelling!". Finally, he gets up and walks to the kitchen and screams, "IS THAT POOP!?!?"
As if stuck in a time warp, I move in slow motion as Ava's little hands curiously grab a fistful of diarrhea. Diarrhea poo dripping everywhere! "AHHHHHHHH!" the horror, I am still screaming and my mind has gone blank!
As if running only on adrenaline, I grab a hold of her arms holding them in the air over her head. Roger aimlessly runs around the house, back and forth, back and forth in a sheer panic. Can anyone help us?? Why is this happening!?! I can't stop screaming!
Now in control of her hands, my senses come to me. Roger is looking for our "dirty towel", the old towel that we use to clean up our nastiest of nasty messes, but we are both too stunned to communicate. I gather my words and yell, "clean, folded, quick!!"
Roger finds the dirty towel, unclicks her high chair tray, and wraps up the poo covered baby in a towel like a little burrito (sorry, burrito is the only thing that comes to mind). Ava, who was initially quieted by the commotion, is now laughing as mom and dad pull themselves together with unsettling shrill exclamations, "It's OK! It's ALRIGHT, EVERYTHING'S GONNA BE OKAY!!! YEYYYY!" He holds baby burrito at arms-length, I hold her hands over her head and we maneuver through the house, over baby gates, down hallways, through doors, the three of us in a locked position.
We make it to the shower, turn the shower on, is it the right temperature?? Okay, put the baby in. Wait, take off the diaper. NOOO, the smell!! Hurry! Poop, poop, never-ending poop! Detach the shower head and hose the baby down. Baby is hosed down, baby is clean, mom and dad are clean! Ahhhhh...sighs of relief and then finally laughter. We are beaming!We survived. We survived!!! WE ARE SUPER PARENTS!!!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Rocking the New Hair-do!
Her hair has gotten to the point that I sometimes can't even see her eyes! The solution...the "sprout". Because every little girl needs to have some style;)
Getting into trouble with the TV stand!
Look how cute I am!
Blowing raspberries at Mama!
Getting into trouble with the TV stand!
Look how cute I am!
Blowing raspberries at Mama!
Friday, July 29, 2011
A Life Changing- 39 Weeks
I can't believe that 39 weeks ago today, my water broke in the living room. 39 weeks ago to the hour, I was getting out of the shower, packing up for a weekend in a hospital. Tomorrow, at 4:29pm, Ava will be 9 months old. The exact amount of time that I was pregnant with her, 39 weeks. In those long weeks of pregnancy, my little Ava went from a bundle of cells to a living, breathing baby. It is so amazing to think about how much my life (and Ava's life) changed that day.
And everyday after that day has been life-changing for me as a new mom and for my little boo bug as well. Everyday that has gone by, I find myself loving her more than the day before, even when I always think that will be impossible! In the past 39 weeks, I have watched her go from a helpless newborn, unable to see more than 12 inches away, unable to even lift her head, feed herself, express thoughts or even process her surroundings to a crawling, cruising, screeching, talking, signing, self-feeding, laughing, kissing, little ball of energy and happiness! Oh my goodness, how much I love her! And while tomorrow isn't as momentous as a first birthday, it will be a very momentous event for the Mama that carried her for 9 months. Thinking back on that day will always remind me of how 39 weeks can change the world.
And everyday after that day has been life-changing for me as a new mom and for my little boo bug as well. Everyday that has gone by, I find myself loving her more than the day before, even when I always think that will be impossible! In the past 39 weeks, I have watched her go from a helpless newborn, unable to see more than 12 inches away, unable to even lift her head, feed herself, express thoughts or even process her surroundings to a crawling, cruising, screeching, talking, signing, self-feeding, laughing, kissing, little ball of energy and happiness! Oh my goodness, how much I love her! And while tomorrow isn't as momentous as a first birthday, it will be a very momentous event for the Mama that carried her for 9 months. Thinking back on that day will always remind me of how 39 weeks can change the world.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Too Smart for Her Own Good!
So yesterday, Ava decided to show me her new trick!! I can't believe how fast she is growing up and how smart she is getting! What a cute little stinker!
Friday, July 22, 2011
Bedtime is Achanging?
I give up on the nightly ritual. The past week has been out of control. Monday night, Ava refused to go to sleep. Tuesday night, Roger woke Ava up when he came home at 1am, and she didn't go back to sleep until 4 in the morning! Then was woken up at 8am by the stupid dogs. Wednesday night, she woke up at 3 and refused to go back to sleep until 6:30 in the morning. And each bedtime was pre-empted by something I'd like to refer to as the "Sleep War of 2011".
I am talking about hitting, flailing, kicking, screaming, sobbing and occasionally the physical wrestling match is interrupted by a maniacal laughing fit. Last night, after getting hardly any sleep this week and wrestling with a tired baby from 8 to 10, I broke. I gave up. I put her down on the floor in the living room, snapped at Roger, and then took a shower. I am done trying to "make" Ava go to sleep, especially when I know that she'll most likely just wake up at 3am to play (smack me around for awhile). And apparently Roger doesn't appreciate the deep frustration of battling with an 8 month old, day after day and hour after hour, so of course, I had to take it out on him. Imagine that. (I apologized later)
Anyways, I think it worked. She was up with Roger until 11 or so, they practiced walking the whole time and she actually stood on her own for almost 10 seconds! It was amazing! Then, when I got out of the shower to put her to sleep, she was out like a light. Ahhhh...I thought to myself, this is more like it! I went to sleep thinking that tonight was going to be different. Only to have my sleep interrupted an hour later by shrill screaming.
I went into her room and could see that her eyes were closed but she was screaming like I had never heard her scream before. I picked her up and she went crazy in my arms, screaming, smacking me, then choking, like she was gasping for air. I freaked out! I said her name a few times really loudly, then I started to cry. I had never seen her like this and it scared the heck out of me. She was screaming so loudly I thought maybe she was hurting. I checked her little hands and toes, her diaper for poo, I scanned her whole body to make sure nothing had happened, but I didn't see a thing. Then, just as suddenly as she had started crying, she stopped. Just went completely silent, eyes closed, sleeping like...well, like a baby.
It was terrible for me! I went to bed, but was so sad for her. I kept checking in on her throughout the night. Poor baby! As bizarre as it sounds, I think last night was the first time she has ever had an actual nightmare:(
I am talking about hitting, flailing, kicking, screaming, sobbing and occasionally the physical wrestling match is interrupted by a maniacal laughing fit. Last night, after getting hardly any sleep this week and wrestling with a tired baby from 8 to 10, I broke. I gave up. I put her down on the floor in the living room, snapped at Roger, and then took a shower. I am done trying to "make" Ava go to sleep, especially when I know that she'll most likely just wake up at 3am to play (smack me around for awhile). And apparently Roger doesn't appreciate the deep frustration of battling with an 8 month old, day after day and hour after hour, so of course, I had to take it out on him. Imagine that. (I apologized later)
Anyways, I think it worked. She was up with Roger until 11 or so, they practiced walking the whole time and she actually stood on her own for almost 10 seconds! It was amazing! Then, when I got out of the shower to put her to sleep, she was out like a light. Ahhhh...I thought to myself, this is more like it! I went to sleep thinking that tonight was going to be different. Only to have my sleep interrupted an hour later by shrill screaming.
I went into her room and could see that her eyes were closed but she was screaming like I had never heard her scream before. I picked her up and she went crazy in my arms, screaming, smacking me, then choking, like she was gasping for air. I freaked out! I said her name a few times really loudly, then I started to cry. I had never seen her like this and it scared the heck out of me. She was screaming so loudly I thought maybe she was hurting. I checked her little hands and toes, her diaper for poo, I scanned her whole body to make sure nothing had happened, but I didn't see a thing. Then, just as suddenly as she had started crying, she stopped. Just went completely silent, eyes closed, sleeping like...well, like a baby.
It was terrible for me! I went to bed, but was so sad for her. I kept checking in on her throughout the night. Poor baby! As bizarre as it sounds, I think last night was the first time she has ever had an actual nightmare:(
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Last night was...the best and the worst!
Of all the things that I miss about being a non-mom, it would have to be the ability to sit down and watch a TV show. I know that sounds incredibly lame and selfish, but come on!
Last night was the BEST night for me as a mom. For almost three hours, Ava was the PERFECT angel during our dinner with Anj at Scotty's Brewhouse (it really was amazing)!` I should've known that couldn't last. Afterwards, Ava had a meltdown of catastrophic proportions. I gave her a bath, put on her jams, read her a story, rocked her to...kicking, screaming, poking me in the eye, laughing non-sleep. I had to give her a bottle, not once, but three times. I rocked and rocked and rocked her. I sang lullabies and rocked some more. 20 minutes pass. 40 minutes pass. Finally, I thought screw it, she's not going to sleep, we'll just both watch TV together. (Just so that the facts are straight here, we don't have cable or DVR anymore and I only have ONE show every week that I care about, so Mondays are a big deal!) So we did, kind of. She was entranced by the Bachelorette drama on the screen for about 5 minutes. At which point she crawled over to me, climbed up to the couch and did a little dance while chanting, "Mama, mama, mama, mama", like a little obsessed tribal creature. I picked her up and there we were, on the couch, her wiggling around and flopping herself to and fro like a wet noodle.
OOOOKKK! I got up and tried the ol' rock to sleep routine. No such luck. So I did what any bad mom would do if she were missing her shows...I put her in her crib and shut the door so that I couldn't hear her crying. Big mistake. My heart could only stand about 7 minutes of her raging, screeching sobs. I went back in and tried to calm the beast. She was out of control mad at me. I tried to lie her down on my chest and we rocked for what seemed like an eternity, her eyes fluttered then closed, her breathing slowed and she went limp in my arms. Finally, she was asleep...and my two hour long TV show was over:(
Last night was the BEST night for me as a mom. For almost three hours, Ava was the PERFECT angel during our dinner with Anj at Scotty's Brewhouse (it really was amazing)!` I should've known that couldn't last. Afterwards, Ava had a meltdown of catastrophic proportions. I gave her a bath, put on her jams, read her a story, rocked her to...kicking, screaming, poking me in the eye, laughing non-sleep. I had to give her a bottle, not once, but three times. I rocked and rocked and rocked her. I sang lullabies and rocked some more. 20 minutes pass. 40 minutes pass. Finally, I thought screw it, she's not going to sleep, we'll just both watch TV together. (Just so that the facts are straight here, we don't have cable or DVR anymore and I only have ONE show every week that I care about, so Mondays are a big deal!) So we did, kind of. She was entranced by the Bachelorette drama on the screen for about 5 minutes. At which point she crawled over to me, climbed up to the couch and did a little dance while chanting, "Mama, mama, mama, mama", like a little obsessed tribal creature. I picked her up and there we were, on the couch, her wiggling around and flopping herself to and fro like a wet noodle.
OOOOKKK! I got up and tried the ol' rock to sleep routine. No such luck. So I did what any bad mom would do if she were missing her shows...I put her in her crib and shut the door so that I couldn't hear her crying. Big mistake. My heart could only stand about 7 minutes of her raging, screeching sobs. I went back in and tried to calm the beast. She was out of control mad at me. I tried to lie her down on my chest and we rocked for what seemed like an eternity, her eyes fluttered then closed, her breathing slowed and she went limp in my arms. Finally, she was asleep...and my two hour long TV show was over:(
Monday, July 18, 2011
Walking anytime soon?
Finally got Ava down for a nap! Roger and I slacked off all morning since he didn't have to work until 1. We all played with Ava's new "Band in a Box" (LOVE) after breakfast followed by some practice walking and horsey riding. I swear any day now she's going to just stand up and walk and I can't wait!! It's so exciting to see your little one accomplish their milestones! It's like affirmation that yes, you are doing your job as a parent and yes, this is a just phase and something new and more exciting is just around the corner! She is only 8 1/2 months old, but has already been crawling for about 2 months, so any day now...any day:)
OK, now that she's napping, I need to get in the shower and get ready for our birthday dinner date with Anj! We are headed to Scotty's downtown, I hope Ava doesn't have a meltdown:? Oh well, what better example of mommy reality for Anj to see, right?
OK, now that she's napping, I need to get in the shower and get ready for our birthday dinner date with Anj! We are headed to Scotty's downtown, I hope Ava doesn't have a meltdown:? Oh well, what better example of mommy reality for Anj to see, right?
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Slacking Blogger-Mom
Seriously need to get on the blogging ball! I am such a slacker in the blogging department...it's not like I am busy or anything! Lol! Right now Ava is doing some major teething, which means that she is also sleeping a lot more than usual. About 16 hours a day if I let her. So that leaves me some time to clean (yeah, right) and pull off some extracurricular activities. Like yesterday, I rearranged the entire living room and cleaned the kitchen and bathrooms. Ava and I also went to the library and we picked up another "Baby Bunny Book Bag".
Right now I am listening to our newest electronic addition to the house, a Blu-ray player that has Pandora on it. I've been listening to the "Adele" station all afternoon...which is AWESOME! Ava loves music too:) Right now she is attempting to walk, so we take a few steps here and there together. Then we'll have a seat and try to clap to the music. Every now and then we'll have a musical morning and we'll both play around on the piano. So far I've taught myself to play "Twinkle, Twinkle"/"ABC song", "B-I-N-G-O", "Doe a Dear" and "Happy Birthday" on the piano. Just think in a few years, I might be able to actually play real music, lol! She loves our musical mornings. And if I were to think about her short life experience, I would say that mornings are probably filled with some of her happiest times.
But all in all, a typical day (as if this exists)in the life of Ava: She gets breakfast (oatmeal and fruits) and plays with the dogs while I drink coffee and eat. Then we practice our sign language, take some practice steps, play with toys, stomp out a few songs on the piano or on a bucket, and play ball...all in the span of two hours before she starts getting cranky for her nap. Then we eat lunch, check the mail, sit in the sun (for 5 minutes), get dressed for the day and run errands. She usually gets a good nap or two in while we are driving around. Once we get home, it's time to play or eat dinner (rice and veggies or whatever mama and dada are eating), then bathtime, jammies, stories, and off to bed by 8 (usually). Again, her days are variable, as they should be, but there is some sort of outline of a general schedule within the day to day.
She has been such an easy-going baby lately. For about a month there she was a screaming, fighting, little bug that wouldn't go to sleep and would just cry and cry for no reason. But now she's calmed a bit. She's had about three teeth break through in the past two weeks and so she has been sleeping a ton and eating very little...not that it's great for her, but it's a nice vaca for Mom, if you know what I mean! Last Monday she even had a tiny bit of a fever, 102.5, and did nothing but sleep all day. But when she was awake she was super happy and agreeable so I just figure she is having some teething issues, which is giving me lots of spare time...I love it!
I am already thinking about what to do for her first birthday:) I am so excited to celebrate her birthday, even though I know she will never remember it, I want it to be special! So far, I am thinking that we'll do a Pumpkin theme, maybe a Charlie Brown Pumpkin theme, I don't know? That will be the easiest for the time of year, ya know. I am picturing a pumpking cake, pumpkin pies, pumpkin cupcakes, a pumpkin pinata, Roger's chili...I don't know, but I can't wait to put it all together:)
It will most likely be in Fort Wayne since Roger's grandparent's are coming into town around that time. Maybe...just maybe, we'll get away with having two Birthday parties?? A Ft. Wayne one and an Indianapolis one on her ACTUAL birthday, which will be on a Sunday.
Alright, time to go get my babay! She's up from her nap!
Right now I am listening to our newest electronic addition to the house, a Blu-ray player that has Pandora on it. I've been listening to the "Adele" station all afternoon...which is AWESOME! Ava loves music too:) Right now she is attempting to walk, so we take a few steps here and there together. Then we'll have a seat and try to clap to the music. Every now and then we'll have a musical morning and we'll both play around on the piano. So far I've taught myself to play "Twinkle, Twinkle"/"ABC song", "B-I-N-G-O", "Doe a Dear" and "Happy Birthday" on the piano. Just think in a few years, I might be able to actually play real music, lol! She loves our musical mornings. And if I were to think about her short life experience, I would say that mornings are probably filled with some of her happiest times.
But all in all, a typical day (as if this exists)in the life of Ava: She gets breakfast (oatmeal and fruits) and plays with the dogs while I drink coffee and eat. Then we practice our sign language, take some practice steps, play with toys, stomp out a few songs on the piano or on a bucket, and play ball...all in the span of two hours before she starts getting cranky for her nap. Then we eat lunch, check the mail, sit in the sun (for 5 minutes), get dressed for the day and run errands. She usually gets a good nap or two in while we are driving around. Once we get home, it's time to play or eat dinner (rice and veggies or whatever mama and dada are eating), then bathtime, jammies, stories, and off to bed by 8 (usually). Again, her days are variable, as they should be, but there is some sort of outline of a general schedule within the day to day.
She has been such an easy-going baby lately. For about a month there she was a screaming, fighting, little bug that wouldn't go to sleep and would just cry and cry for no reason. But now she's calmed a bit. She's had about three teeth break through in the past two weeks and so she has been sleeping a ton and eating very little...not that it's great for her, but it's a nice vaca for Mom, if you know what I mean! Last Monday she even had a tiny bit of a fever, 102.5, and did nothing but sleep all day. But when she was awake she was super happy and agreeable so I just figure she is having some teething issues, which is giving me lots of spare time...I love it!
I am already thinking about what to do for her first birthday:) I am so excited to celebrate her birthday, even though I know she will never remember it, I want it to be special! So far, I am thinking that we'll do a Pumpkin theme, maybe a Charlie Brown Pumpkin theme, I don't know? That will be the easiest for the time of year, ya know. I am picturing a pumpking cake, pumpkin pies, pumpkin cupcakes, a pumpkin pinata, Roger's chili...I don't know, but I can't wait to put it all together:)
It will most likely be in Fort Wayne since Roger's grandparent's are coming into town around that time. Maybe...just maybe, we'll get away with having two Birthday parties?? A Ft. Wayne one and an Indianapolis one on her ACTUAL birthday, which will be on a Sunday.
Alright, time to go get my babay! She's up from her nap!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Family Picture
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
Being happy...fake it till you make it!
I wake up every morning to that smiling, giggling, little baby and it truly makes my heart skip a beat...most days. It's hard for me to be giggly when I couldn't sleep the night before and the clock is telling me that it's 4am. Another night of less than 3 hours of sleep and Ava's ready to roll around and play. It usually goes something like this, "Ava, go back to sleep". "GGGGoooooooooooo" and some whining..."Sleepy time, Ava", *raspberries for 10 minutes, followed by screeches*. It's at this time that I pull her into bed with me and try to make her go to sleep by closing MY eyes. At which point she begins to pull my hair and put her fingers up my nose. "Ok, I am UP!" and I slowly move myself out of bed cursing under my breath.
It hasn't' gone unnoticed that on those days when I am feeling a bit cranky, it unfortunately tends to rub off on Ava. Her smiles turn to whines when I am not exactly a beam of morning sunshine, it even sometimes escalates into a full out tantrum by the end of the morning. So for the past couple of months, I make a VERY conscious effort to fake my enthusiasm for the morning routine when I am really dying to go back to bed.
Therefore, I smile and coo back at her and then we get up and snuggle while she eats her breakfast. Afterwards I get my cup of coffee and watch her crawl around on the floor and we play for the rest of the morning. It's amazing how I never thought about the fact that most moms with little ones always seem to be cheerful.
Now that I am a mama, I may be forced to be cheerful for all of eternity. Or at least whenever I am within earshot of Ava. Will this change my life? I think that it might. It may actually make me a happier person, or at least make me WANT to be a happier person. And that's what it all comes down to in the end, right? Being a parent doesn't mean that you are automatically a happier person, but I do think it means that you WANT to be a happier person, at least for your kids.
If it is true, that you can fake it til you make it, than I am currently being "made". And maybe someday I'll wake up smiling and giggling in the morning, anxiously waiting for AVA to get up out of bed. I may even stick my fingers up her nose so that we can start our day together:)
It hasn't' gone unnoticed that on those days when I am feeling a bit cranky, it unfortunately tends to rub off on Ava. Her smiles turn to whines when I am not exactly a beam of morning sunshine, it even sometimes escalates into a full out tantrum by the end of the morning. So for the past couple of months, I make a VERY conscious effort to fake my enthusiasm for the morning routine when I am really dying to go back to bed.
Therefore, I smile and coo back at her and then we get up and snuggle while she eats her breakfast. Afterwards I get my cup of coffee and watch her crawl around on the floor and we play for the rest of the morning. It's amazing how I never thought about the fact that most moms with little ones always seem to be cheerful.
Now that I am a mama, I may be forced to be cheerful for all of eternity. Or at least whenever I am within earshot of Ava. Will this change my life? I think that it might. It may actually make me a happier person, or at least make me WANT to be a happier person. And that's what it all comes down to in the end, right? Being a parent doesn't mean that you are automatically a happier person, but I do think it means that you WANT to be a happier person, at least for your kids.
If it is true, that you can fake it til you make it, than I am currently being "made". And maybe someday I'll wake up smiling and giggling in the morning, anxiously waiting for AVA to get up out of bed. I may even stick my fingers up her nose so that we can start our day together:)
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Need more fiber??
So I left her alone for a minute, I swear! I come back into the living room and she has torn down the books on the coffee table and was munching away at the pages! She looked so darn adorable I just had to get a picture...then I noticed what book she was eating, and it was just TOO perfect! Love it!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Finally a new post!
So the past few months have been a whirlwind and I am just now beginning to pick myself up off the ground! Little Ava has been a lot more demanding on my time and energy than I ever could have imagined. I think that when I finally decided to be a SAHM (stay-at-home mom), I had this idealic picture of finally having a clean house, a happy baby, lots of "me" time without worrying about the demands of an outside workplace...when really all I did was manage to bring the outside workplace, inside my home. Now my job begins at 4am instead of 7am, I don't get any down time for lunch breaks, bathroom breaks, any sort of break and I haven't watched a daytime television show in MONTHS! My daily 25 minute commute used to be the time when I thought about my day and found some peaceful "me" time...well that's gone. When I used to leave work at 4, well now I am usually not even out of my pajamas at 4. What's that you say?? You'd love to stay in your PJs until 4pm?? Try it for 7 months straight and then tell me how awesome it is. I am just saying, I would love to "clock-out" at 4. Unfortunately I think CPS would probably catch on. So my workplace is now 24/7 and it is now everywhere I go, no clocking-in or out, no breaks, no sub to call in and take my place...so things like getting dressed are like a past-time luxury. I definitely feel like I've taken a backseat in the hygiene department. I go days without even brushing my hair, it's disgusting. Some days after my shower I have to rub lotion in my hair just to make it slick enough to get the gigantic knots out. That's what happens when you get out of the shower to hear your baby screaming in her crib...you kind of forget about the whole combing thing.
When the baby goes down for a nap (if the baby goes down for a nap), I've got a disaster of a house to clean. Dishes, laundry, baby bottles to clean, dog piss, diapers, baby food flung all over the floor, toys cluttering up every room, did I mention laundry?? I HATE laundry, so that's usually the very last thing that will get done in my house, if ever. Yes, I have even bought new clothes on a shopping trip in order to avoid doing more laundry. I hate laundry. It's the devil.
Now don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade all of it for the world. I am just saying, when Roger leaves the house to go to work, I secretly curse him for an hour or so. What I wouldn't give to be able to get dressed, drop the baby off with somebody (ANYBODY)else and take off to do something unbaby related.
But then I look at Ava, she's such a happy, healthy baby...and I only have myself to blame. We play all day, we sing songs, we dance, we go to the park, she plays with the puppies, we run errands together, we are definitely an inseparable pair. And she is quickly becoming the best buddy I've ever had. Yes, she drools, poops on me, expects me to do everything, but she is also the best cuddle buddy EVER, her smiles make my heart skip a beat and I've never seen anybody laugh so hard at my stupid jokes. She is my whole world and I have a feeling that I am hers.
When the baby goes down for a nap (if the baby goes down for a nap), I've got a disaster of a house to clean. Dishes, laundry, baby bottles to clean, dog piss, diapers, baby food flung all over the floor, toys cluttering up every room, did I mention laundry?? I HATE laundry, so that's usually the very last thing that will get done in my house, if ever. Yes, I have even bought new clothes on a shopping trip in order to avoid doing more laundry. I hate laundry. It's the devil.
Now don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade all of it for the world. I am just saying, when Roger leaves the house to go to work, I secretly curse him for an hour or so. What I wouldn't give to be able to get dressed, drop the baby off with somebody (ANYBODY)else and take off to do something unbaby related.
But then I look at Ava, she's such a happy, healthy baby...and I only have myself to blame. We play all day, we sing songs, we dance, we go to the park, she plays with the puppies, we run errands together, we are definitely an inseparable pair. And she is quickly becoming the best buddy I've ever had. Yes, she drools, poops on me, expects me to do everything, but she is also the best cuddle buddy EVER, her smiles make my heart skip a beat and I've never seen anybody laugh so hard at my stupid jokes. She is my whole world and I have a feeling that I am hers.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Her first day at the park!
Here are just a few shots of Ava's first time at our neighborhood park with Roger and I...too cute! I swear we have the happiest baby in the world and we've got plenty of pictures to prove it!
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