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.