Ava's First Christmas

Christmas 2009

Ava had a great first Christmas. I think she loved it all.....from Christmas tree to Santa to all her new toys........and especially the wrapping paper. Christmas has always been my favorite time of year, but having Ava made it so much more special. God truly blessed Clint and I this year when he entrusted us to be the parents to our sweet baby Ava.

Ava meets Santa Claus

The best gift in my life has been this sweet little girl. Her daddy is the other best gift of my life. They have made my life so much more meaningful and complete.

We had a shorter Christmas break this year due to Clint's new job, but we were able to spend Christmas Eve in Nederland with Clint's family.

Aunt Melissa

Our family

Ava really liked the paper the toys were wrapped in. She wanted to eat it.
She was happy about this pig when she opened it. Her expression was priceless!
Grandma Polly helping Ava ride her new lion......she really likes riding around on it.Then we spent Christmas day in Georgetown with my family.

Uncle Mike showing her the new elephantOpening her new farm with Grandma VivianPlaying with her farm. She really liked to eat the eggs......uncle Alan was showing her how to work everything on the farm.Sweet baby girl resting on mommy's arm. She recently started preferring me to rock her like this rather than hold her like a baby....I love it, because I can kiss her cheeks so much easier.This is Ava's overall feeling about Christmas.

Clint Graduated from PA School

Clint is now officially a Physician Assistant. He graduated from University of Texas Medical Branch last Friday. He passed his boards two weeks ago. We are so proud of all of his hard work and dedication to this program.

We had a banquet and did some major celebrating the evening before graduation.The guys had a celebratory cigar.The graduate

This is Clint on stage......not sure why picture is so blurry.

Mommy and Ava are so proud of daddy.

Ava and her daddy

Ava at Five Months

Ava's 5 month photo shoot in her Christmas dress.

Our little doll
She loves to stick her tongue out

She thought mommy was very funny

In her little hat.....daddy is not a fan of all of her hats, but I couldn't resist this one.
She always lets me know when the photo shoot is OVER
Our happy girl.....
Monthly Bunny Comparison......she has clearly outgrown the bunny.
This is why the monthly pink blanket and bunny comparison are getting harder to shoot.

What Ava is doing at 5 months

1. She makes the funnies little giggle sound at random things

2. She can SIT UP by herself!!!

3. Her first little tooth is barely breaking through

4. She can hold her bottle by herself for an entire feeding

5. She no longer sleeps through the night. She wakes up once or twice crying. She just wants me to put her pacifier back in and rub her back. I need to break this habit SOON, but don't know how

6. She shows preference to me and Clint. Sometimes when we give her to someone else she cries and reaches for us

7. She is very curious about anything I am doing. If I am holding a paper, she wants it. If I am reading a magazine, she wants to turn the pages. If I am putting lotion on her, she wants the bottle. If we are eating, she wants to eat too

8. She eats rice cereal mixed with vegetables or fruit once per day. If it is the fruit, she can't get it fast enough and cries between bites

9. Her and Clint have this funny game where he lets out this bellow of a laugh and she giggles and giggles and over and over again they go. It is so funny to watch.

10. She really plays with her toys now and figures them out.

11. She loves to stick her tongue out like a little lizard. She will do it on her own or mimic us sticking our tongue out.

12. She makes noises and moves her hands when she wants our attention.

13. She loves to hug and kiss her stuffed animals. I think the kisses are more like chews, but she grabs their faces and chews on their cheeks. Her favorite is her bunny.

14. When I hold her close to my face, she gives me kisses too. She chews on my cheeks. I think it is because I kiss her cheeks so much. (this is actually how I found out she was getting her first little tooth)

15. She loves our daily walks through the hills and laughs at me when I try to run. She thinks I am trying to entertainer her.

Austin

We moved to Austin this week! Clint got a job here as an Orthopedics Physician Assistant. We moved into an apartment and he starts his job on Monday. Austin is a beautiful place, so we are excited to call it home and finally settle down.

Packing up......Ava wanted to make sure we didn't forget her.Styling in her Puma outfit.This photo is taken from the patio of our apartment. Clint is really enjoying watching the deer walk by.

We have had a week to enjoy Clint's last week off. This is the walking trail by our apartment. The views of Austin are quite impressive.

We put our Christmas tree up.......we were considering using Ava as the tree topper.Helping daddy decorate. She really wanted to chew on the tree branches.
Family Photo
Christmas is going to be so much fun this year having Ava to help us celebrate.

Happy Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving with our families this year, spending the first half of the week with Clint's family in Nederland and the second half of the week with my family in Georgetown. We always love being home with those we love.

Although, we saw many family members, we only managed to take pictures of one little sweet little girl.

Ava sitting in Grandma Polly's flowers.

This apple was mine when I was a baby and Grandma Vivian got it out for Ava. The first thing she did was try to eat it. We have a picture of me when I was her age trying to eat it as well.

Ava's First Cereal, Excitement & Playing with Dad

Ava's very first bite of cereal.......she wasn't so sure.

By the second bite, she was opening her mouth wide for more!She likes this whole eating thing. We have moved up to cereal mixed with apples and cereal mixed with peaches. She likes it so much that she cries between bites, because I can't get it to her fast enough. We're going to have to work on that.

Ava wearing her polka dots and tennis shoes

When Ava is trying to take a nap during the day, she takes her blankie and covers her eyes similar to this picture. This started because I used to cover her eyes when I was rocking her to sleep during the day and I guess she liked the idea.

When Ava is laying on her back on the floor or on our bed under the fan, she starts out smiling and then kicks her legs waves her arms and squeals. It is like she is so excited and happy that she can't contain herself.
Ava got these little "A" bloomers from her second cousin, Alex.
Clint & Ava playing with all of her stuffed animals. I walked into her nursery the other day and found them playing and it was too sweet not to capture.

Ava at Four Months

Four Month Photo Shoot

Bunny Comparison.......she had to hug and chew on the bunny.

This picture cracked me & Clint up!

Ava is saying, "Mom, you are embarrassing me with the naked pictures!"

She wasn't so crazy about the basket!

What Ava is doing at 4 months:

1. She finally transitioned from her swing to her crib!!! I thought it would be difficult, but it only took one night of adjustment. She still usually sleeps from 11pm until 6:30 or 7 am.

2. She has rolled over 5 times

3. She jabbers and giggles on and off. She will be vocal one week and then more quiet the next.

4. She knows mommy and daddy. Several times I have handed her to someone else and she sticks her bottom lip out and starts crying.

5. She has learned to throw a fit when she is hungry. We just can't get that bottle to her fast enough.

6. She likes for me to sing to her when I rock her.

7. She plays with her rattles and small toys and will chew on anything within arms reach.

8. She pulls her blanket over her eyes when she wants to sleep during the day.

9. She will stay up for hours if we are away from home, but gets cranky if she stays up more than two hours at a time during the day at home.

10. She likes tummy time a bit more now that she can roll over.

AND BIG NEWS 11. She used her little potty four times! (Two #1s and Two #2s) We are just now starting to try Infant Potty Training. My friend Melanie told me about this and she successfully potty trained her little girl. We are going to give it a go, but I tell Ava, "no pressure!"

4 month stats:

Weight 14 lbs 6 oz (68th percentile)

Height 24 and 3/4 inches (61st percentile)

Happy Halloween from our little Pumpkin!!!

Our little pumpkin in the patch.

Ava's Play date, Rolling Over & Sitting in a Chair

Ava had her first play date with one of her FOUR "boyfriends". Yes, four of our friends have baby boys or toddlers and they have claimed Ava as their "girlfriend". I haven't been sure how Ava would feel about having so many dates, but if all of them go as well as her play date with Joe, I don't think she will mind.

Joe is my friend Nikki's little boy and Ava was so excited when she saw him. She gave him a big old grin and he started squealing. It was the cutest thing. Then they just smiled back and forth at each other. This was the first time Ava was old enough to interact with a baby and I think we need to have more play dates. She just seemed to think Joe was the neatest little guy. I love this picture where he has his hand on her shoulder and she has hers on his leg. So cute!
Ava and Joe talked and talked to each other. I think that is the most I have ever heard Ava talk in a short period of time.
Ava ROLLED OVER! Ava was laying in bed with me the other morning.....we were having girl talk time. She was on her tummy and the next thing I knew she was rolling over to her back. Daddy was at school, so we had to call and tell him, but we are still waiting for her to do it again, so he can see. This photo was captured a few minutes after the first roll over.
Ava can't sit up on her own quite yet, but she can sit in a big person chair for a few minutes before toppling over.

Here is Ava dressed up for church. This is one of the outfits I bought her when we first found out we were having a little girl!

Ava gets in bed with us on Saturday mornings.........

Ava's First Trip to the Beach

Ava had her first trip to the beach on Saturday. We've assured her that Galveston is just a starting point, as there are many more beautiful beaches for her to visit.It was too cold for her to get in the water, so we just let her stand in the sand and get her feet a little wet.She looks so big in this outfit!The beach is one of our favorite vacation spots, so we look forward to playing on many beaches with Ava.
Saturday morning Clint volunteered at a walk for the Heart Association in Kemah. Ava and I did the three mile walk while daddy worked.