5 1/2 Months Old

Ava had a very busy and fun weekend. We had Uncle Brad's going away party at our house on Saturday. Ava was having so much fun she decided that she did not need an afternoon nap. By 7pm she was a zombie! Everyone wanted to hold her... but Uncle Brad did most of the holding that afternoon. He leaves Friday for St. Maartin for Medical School. He will get to come home at Christmas and hopefully we will be headed there to see him this summer.
On Sunday Matt and I decided to take Ava to the pool. She had a blast floating in her little chair. The ice cream man came to the pool and we thought it would be a fun idea to get Ava her first ice cream treat. Matt chose a "Pink Panther" head with Bubble Gum eyes. We did most of the eating although we let Ava try a lick or two. She was more interested in touching the melting ice cream. This week the softball team has it's first tournament and I am planning on bringing Ava out for her first softball game. It is suppose to be 80 degrees on Wednesday so it will be a perfect day for a game.
Ava started eating rice cereal last week and is doing really great with it. We are planning on starting baby food in about two weeks. She is yelling out and kicking wildly now when she gets excited about something. She even wiggles her whole body if she is really happy. She is even wanting to stand up now with help. She will stand up for 30 sec to a minute before her little legs collapse under her. She is getting ready for walking for sure!
Nana took her shopping on Monday and people kept stopping her to talk to Ava. Everyone thinks she is so cute. I would have to agree! Going back to school has been a hard transition for me. I don't want to leave her in the mornings. It is especially hard if she is happy and wide awake. Thank goodness for the weekends!

5 Months Old

Ava celebrated her 5 month birthday inbetween both of her Grandma/Nana's Birthdays. We have had a busy and excited month so far. Mommy is going back to work on Monday so we have been transitioning back to Nana's during the day this week. I also started the softball season this week which has had Mommy missing her favorite time of the day- bathtime.
While out to eat at Margarita's Express on Wednesday... Mommy found something unexpected! A little tooth popping in on the bottom row. We knew the teeth would be coming soon with all of the drool and chewing. But a picture to post would be almost impossible since the minute you stick your finger in to feel it, she sticks her tongue out.
She is still refusing to roll over 99% of the time even though everyone knows she can do. She does it on her own time. She is also beginning the transition from sleeping all night in the bassinet to her own big girl crib. She sleeps from about 8pm until 1am in her bassinet and then 1am to 6am in her crib. We are also practicing finding our balance and sitting up on her own, although we are still needing lots of support. Ava is still the happiest baby I know minus the occational blow-out. But if she is crying she is tired, hungry, or sitting in filth. Otherwise, we are smiley, happy, and playful. Her laugh is infectious and her smile can make 1am seem like 1pm. Going back to work is going to be hard for Mommy this week, but I have to remember working now will allow us dance lessons in the future. I can do it! She is going to have a great time hanging out with Nana!

Ava in the KC Star newspaper

Ava will be in the FYI section of KC Star newspaper on Tuesday. The Star is running a story on babies that are dressed like Lady Gaga; she has a concert in town that night. Uncle Brad is a big Lady Gaga fan and he wanted to dress Ava up and send in the pictures. A few days later I get an email asking for permission to run the story with Ava. Be sure to pick up a copy on Tuesday.


On a sad note, Andrea has one week of summer vacation left. :( The summer has flown by as always, but it seemed to go even faster with Ava. Teachers go back next week and then the students come back on the 16th.

Naptime for Ava- 19 Weeks

Ava has begun to suck her thumb. She mainly does it when she sleeps but every now and again she will do it when sh e is hungry. I took this picture this morn ing as Ava took her morning nap in her crib. She is still sleeping in her bassinet, but I am working on transitioning Ava (and Andrea) to her crib. Ava has really found her voice the last two weeks and coos and screeches out loud a lot. We also bought Ava her high chair in preparation for cereal and solids in the upcoming weeks. She seems to like to sit in it, especially with Mommy and Daddy there to talk, laugh, and pick up her toys she throws off the tray. Grandma and Grandpa Holmes are coming up tomorrow and we will be heading to the city market and then to lunch. It is getting harder and harder for Mommy to share Ava with school just two weeks away. Mommy is already hating the idea of leaving Ava everyday. But Ava will do great in the cheering section at Mommy's softball games.

4 Months- 18 weeks old

Ava rolled over on July 13th 2010 with no cameras on. And once we got the camera out... she would not do it again. She did it with such ease when Matt was holding a toy out to her side. We have known for several weeks that she was able just not willing. But we all yelled and celebrated when she did it and I am sure the celebrating will go on until it becomes an everyday occurance. Today, we had a future falcon playdate over at our house. 6 Babies and 5 Mommies. Ava got to play with Adrian, Chloe, McKenna, Carlie, and Caylin for 2 whole hours. Yes there was the occational breakdown, but all the babies were very happy and interested in the light toys and of course the ceiling fan. It will be even more interesting when they all become mobile. Ava is now putting herself to sleep on most nights. She gets fed, cuddled, and then laid down. She will kick for a bit, find her thumb, and then is off to sleep. The last 2 nights we have put on a new sleeper for bedtime. She is now wearing size 6-9 sleepers... holy cow. I just realized we are not going to have any clothes later this year if she keeps growing at this rate. Her closet doesn't have many clothes past 9 months. We are off to get shots tomorrow (tear tear) and I am sure I will tear up whether she does or not. More to come soon!

4th of July

Ava was dressed up in her red, white , and blue colors to celebrate the 4th with family. We had family come over to our house this year to cook out and shoot off fireworks. Everybody had a good time until the rain came...just as it was time to shoot off fireworks. It took us a few days but we finally were able to shoot off the fireworks. Ava has started to suck her thumb now. We've tried to get pictures but it seems like she knows what we're up to and pulls her thumb out when we get the camera out. Pictures to come soon!

13 Weeks Old

Ava is 13 weeks old and growing like a weed. I took a sleeper out of her drawer last night, took the tags off, and squeezed it on her. I bet she will only be able to wear the sleeper 2-3 more times. She has the feet size of a 9 month old and she is now wearing outfits size 3-6 months. We had another big milestone yesterday when Ava reached out for Momma to pick her up. Nana and I cheered when she did it and our excitement startled her. I have been taking PGC continue education classes for teachers this week and I cannot wait for the weekend to come. Matt really wants to take Ava to the pool again and with temperatures in the 90's the water might be warm enough for her. We will also celebrate Father's Day on Sunday. Daddy's first official Father's Day. We had a feeling last year that we might be pregnant, but it was unconfirmed. Ava is also getting close to rolling over. She is laying on her side and reaching for toys. As soon as she gets that arm above her head she will be rolling everywhere. It's so funny that in just one week her reaching for objects has improved so much. She went from being shaky and reaching randomly and maybe getting her dangling toy to grabbing and pulling her toys hanging from her carseat handle. She is also touching and grabbing at Mommy and Daddy's face and nose. I can't believe how fast she is developing these skills. My newborn is becoming a baby!