15 Month Chair Pics...

Well, I decided to take Ava's chair pics for her 15 month mark (and then 18 month and then yearly at 2 and so on). Here's my ATTEMPT!!!!!!!!! I suppose she is a typical 15 month old.

Ok, so not sure what is even in her hand! A cotton ball?

You want me to sit in my chair? Not without my kitty!

Uh.......not so much!

Oh, I'll sit on this chair, all right!

And again, not so much! =)

ps: check out that LONG strand of hair!

15 months!

Miss Ava's 15 month stats:

Length: 30 inches - 30th percentile

Weight: 21 pounds - 20th percentile

Head Circumference: 19 inches - 97th percentile!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Still a peanut!

Travis took Ava to the dr. today for her 15 month checkup. All was well. She is doing all the things 15 month olds should be doing. I also officially used my child tonight to go to the other room and get something for me. Is that on the list? LOL. We were getting ready to go on a walk so I asked Ava to go get my shoes and bring them to me. It took me a few times of asking and pointing (and then her bringing me two different pairs before she brought the ones I wanted) but she did it. I was cracking up!

These pictures were taken on Labor Day. Travis and I stopped in Jacksonville to meet up with friends Alex and Stephanie on our way home from our annual trip to Pere Marquette State Park in Grafton (I'll try to post pics soon!). Anyway, we decided to meet up with them because we hadn't seen them in forever and they suggested Nichols Park (after partaking in some DQ!), which just so happens to be where we took some of our outdoor wedding photos so OF COURSE I was thinking----photo op for Ava!!!!!!!! =) She had fun running around the gazebo and even saw a puppy. This was her reaction!

Goals!

This will, I'm sure, be a work in progress, but I wanted to post a few of my GOALS for the upcoming weeks, months, years...who knows! Just so it's in writing!

1. Get together with Laura (and anyone else that wants to join in!) to make some bows for Ava (and Izzy) so we can stop paying $3 per bow!!!!!!!!! When we know we could make them way cheaper!
2. Scrapbook, scrapbook, scrapbook! (just in general and work on Ava's scrapbooks she will keep when she is older!)
3. Work on painting for the bathroom. Either something on a canvas or paint something on the wall! We'll see!
4. Take a photography class. Gotta learn more tricks of the trade with my camera. Still loving it though!
5. Learn to sew!
6. Wait, rewind!!! Get a sewing machine!!!!!!!!!

More to come!

A little bit of this; a little bit of that...

Miss Ava is 15 months old TODAY! I will get her chair pics sometime this weekend :) I figure I will take 15 month and then 18 month and then her 2 YEAR as I'm no longer doing monthly.

Here's a little bit of what she is doing.

• She said "uh-oh" this week. She has been saying "Uh" and "Ohhhh" for a while but she is now putting them together. It is so cute. Tammy, our sitter, said she likes to drop her cup and say "uh-oh" (oh and also feed the dog!)
• Speaking of, she has adjusted to the sitter quite well. It took a little while but she was only going one day a week so now that she is going every day, she is really seeming to like it. Emersyn is a little girl there (she's 4) and they seem to love each other! Our friends from our childbirth class also take their daughter Izzy there. She and Ava are 2 days apart.
• Ava is walking like a pro and even starting to run! She is definitely on the move!
• She loves animals! I got her a "fur-real" kitty at a garage sale for $1 and she is obsessed with it---even though I think it's a little creepy!
• She loves books. She is into a few right now: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See; a little Fishy book, My Pink Purse. She loves to read them before bed.
• She can finally clap correctly!! (LOL) Tammy, the sitter, and Emersyn taught her by singing "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!" It is too cute. Now, I know that most kids have already learned to clap by now, but no matter how hard I tried, she wasn't interested. She did sort of attempt it, but it was never quite right. =) Her clap is cute, too. She keeps one hand still and claps the other to it.
• She LOVES music (a beat-belt quality!). She will bop her head when she hears our fave song "Hey Soul Sister" (also my ring tone) and other songs on the radio and TV
• She LOVES being outside. Tammy, the sitter, takes them out and they have an awesome backyard. We'll often play outside when we get home and take walks over to Miller Park. The fits have already started when we make her come in. Sweet girl!
• She understands more and more every day. If we say things like "Do you want to go take a bath?" she will go toward the stairs. If we say, "Are you hungry?" she will go to the kitchen and "Ava, go get your kitty!" and she will go find it!
• She is still doing her signs. She has finally gotten "Please" but she can be stubborn and I really have to get on her to sign it.
• She jibber-jabbers constantly. Sometimes it really sounds like she is saying "What's that?" etc.
• She has started putting her hands up for "So Big!" It is hilarious! One day I was just talking to Travis and said something regarding Ava getting 'so big' and she did it! LOL. =)

I'm finally also back in the swing of things with school. I have my two classrooms set up and have seen almost all of my students. Tomorrow and Monday will be my last "first" days. With that said, I miss Ava a LOT!!!!!!!! I am luckily too busy during the day to really think about it, however, I soak up every single second at night with her. I am a little emotional about it too. I cried the other night putting her to bed because I had curriculum night and only got to see her for a little bit after school and at bedtime. I do really really enjoy teaching and so far, things are going well. Tomorrow is my first day to travel so we'll see how THAT goes!

August

August. Oh August, how I dread you every year! Even though there are still 2-3 weeks of summer days left in August, it always flies by! I swear, yesterday was August 1st and today it's August 16. I anticipate the new school year every year and have a HINT of excitement but since becoming a mommy, I also dread it like I dread WINTER---and if you know me, I HATE WINTER. On that note, I do love my job and don't really think I could be a stay at home mom, especially in the winter. I think I might go nuts. :) Not really but I think teachers have sort of the best of both worlds. We've had such a fun summer, making lots of memories...pool days, the zoo, play dates, sprinkler parks, walks, the mall, and just plain hanging out at home...And it's hard to believe that at the beginning of summer Ava was a brand new "walker" and now she is practically running. Being at the sitter is great for her, too, because she has become quite the "mommy's girl!" and she is frightened by just about everything. I guess that is just her nature, but being around other kids is good for her and something I want her to experience.

Another reason I dread August is the stress I start to feel. It always ends up working out fine (and not that I haven't been teaching long enough to know what I'm doing...) but I let myself get freaked out for nothing. I've already had one meltdown (you can ask Travis!) and then I have to tell him..."you know what time of year it is!" I also S.T.R.E.S.S. each year about my schedule but with obvious reason and this year since I am at my second school for more of my time (1.2 days compared to a half day last year) comes the sticky situation of travel time. I'm hoping and praying that it will get fixed but as of now, I have 20 minutes to get from one school to the other and be ready to teach. Not to mention I have 2 classes in a row, 20 mins to get to the other school and then have 3 classes in a row (pretty much the equivalent of 5 in a row, which I refuse to do!). I'm really hoping and assuming it will get fixed but in the mean time, I'm a little freaked out! I don't like to be rushed and stressed and I'd hate to show up for class each week and walk in the door with my purse, bag, coat, etc at the same time as the kids and have to make them sit and wait while I unpack and get ready. And honestly, I'm not sure where going to the bathroom fits in this equation---and again, if you know me, I pee more than a pregnant girl!

Well, enough of that. I'll keep you posted! Ava is off to the sitter tomorrow while I work at school (s) all day and then my mom will be here Wednesday while I work and then we are in school mode with meetings Thursday and Friday! I am so thankful I still have the half-day on Monday to prepare, as students will not come to area classes that day.

Happy August Everyone!

Summer

{Summer}...

I pretty much want it to never END!

We've been having so much fun this summer and Ava is learning new things every day, I swear...

She is starting to use a fork. You can see the wheels turning in her head and she tries really hard to get the food on the fork and then to her mouth. I usually help her with getting the food on the fork, and then it usually falls off the fork as she is putting it in her mouth. She even will pick up the food and put it ON the fork. Too cute! I love that she is starting to show interest. She still loves to eat and her favorite foods really haven't changed! She still loves CHEESE, Cottage Cheese, fruit, pasta salad, etc. I was afraid she wasn't going to be a big meat eater but she has recently began to eat more meat. She seems to like ham and turkey (ok) and she even ate some salsa chicken (crockpot recipe=YUMMY!). She loves corn dogs, which I'm not a huge fan of her eating but unfortunately a lot of restaurants really don't offer the healthiest options for kiddos (and we wonder why our country is obese???). For example, tonight we went to Buffalo Wild Wings and we got the mini corndogs but before we fed her those we gave her some grapes, cottage cheese and raisins. At least that way she had some healthy items. =)

She has also started to put the rings on the stacking toy ring (what is that even called?). She can put them all on pretty well! Not necessarily in the correct order, but hey, pretty good job Ava!

She has this little monkey (looking) toy that I got at a garage sale (imagine that) that came with these cute little balls. Some are clear with little rattle-y things inside and you put them in the mouth of the monkey and he says 'yum yum yum' etc. She LOVES putting them in where they go! So fun.

She can shake her head yes and no. Pretty cute. And I'm pretty sure she is actually saying "no, no, no" though it sounds like "no-oy, no-oy..." It sounds more like an actual word and not just the "n" sound.

Overall, you can tell she is understanding more and more every day. When you say, "Ava, do you want to take a bath?" She will go over to her chair (which blocks the stairs...LOL) and wants to go upstairs.

If you ask her if she is hungry, she will go to the kitchen, etc.

She stillllllllllllllll loves doggies and birds are her second fave. She loves to sit in her high chair and watch out the window for birdies (I really should get a bird feeder, I guess) and she loves to listen for the neighbors ever-so-annoying barking dog! :)

Loving life! and DENYING that it is AUGUST!

14 months...ALMOST

July 2009 (above)

July 2010 (above)

(LOVE this outfit. The shirt I actually bought new, the shorts were hand-me-downs from cousin Ella, and the SHOES----garage sale! of course).



In just under a week, Ava will be 14 months old! (sniff sniff...)


But with each passing day, she is getting funnier and funnier and smarter and smarter. Here are some things she is doing nowadays.

• Blows on her food. She has seen me blow on food that is hot or my coffee so she has to blow on just about everything even if it's a cold grape. LOL! She also wants mommy and daddy to blow on it for her.




• She tries to point to her nose. When you ask her "Ava, where is your nose?" She points to her mouth, I think!




• She did pat her belly the other day when I asked her where her belly was.




• The other night in the bath, I said, "Ava, we need to brush your teeth." and she turned her head and pointed to where we keep her toothpaste! I was pretty amazed! =)




• She still is obsessed (as the new sitter would say, haha!) with puppies. If she even hears a dog (the neighbor's dog barks all.the.time it seems), she starts 'barking!'




• She will look at one of the pictures I have on a shelf in her room and point to it and go "awwwwww...bay..." (I can't remember if I've already written this in a previous post)




• I will stand her up on her changing table to pull up her pants typcially and I'll ask her "Ava, where is the butterfly (in the painting I did on the wall in her room) and she will point to it.




• She signs "All done" "drink" and attemps "please" She still isn't really doing them on her own but she will do it after we do it usually, with the exceptoin of "All done" which she will tell you when she is done eating---let me tell ya!




• She loves the water but still cries every.time we rinse her hair in the bath. Not sure what is up with that. She hates it. I usually just tilt her head back and get it over with. I think Travis tries to be more gentle about it. :) It barely even gets in her eyes so I don't honestly know what the big deal is.




• We have a gate up in the kitchen where the stairs lead to the back door/basement but we use her little Pottery Barn chair to block off the stairs to the upstairs. It has worked just fine (and still kind of does, I suppose) but she has figured out how to move it so she can go up the stairs, which she loves to do and can do without much problem. We are still working on going down.




• She has a million and one toys (barely exaggerating) and she still loves to play with the most random things: package of diapers, remotes, phones, my workout steps, kitchen utensils...you get the point.


• She stands on her head a lot. She just decided to do that on her own. Pretty funny.

{Peek-a-boo!}

• She still LOVES music. She will bop her head in the car or anytime she hears music or (heaven forbid---I sing!)
• She is getting more into TV shows. I don't really have it on for her much but there have been a few times if she is bored or cranky, I'll turn on the ON DEMAND...soooo helpful! or her Baby Einstein DVDs.
• She still doesn't really clap correctly. When you try to put her hands together to help her, she stiffens up (???). It started out as kind of a rolling motion and now she will clap one hand on top of the other one (cracks me up!) but the other half of the time she will get it right.
• Still says "Hiiiiiiiii" to just about anyone and everyone when we are out and about.
• Seems to say "What's that..." That is what it sounds like anyway!
• She loves when I whip my ponytail around. She will just giggle and giggle.
• Is ticklish just about everywhere!

Well, that's all for now. Remember this is mostly for my purposes, but hopefully you enjoyed. :)