Archive for November, 2005

Ava has found her toes and every time the socks are off…the feet are in her mouth.

Hello everyone. Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you enjoyed your holiday and had lots to give thanks for. We had a great dinner on Thursday with our friends Ryan, Kim, and their son Ethan. My sister Ginny and her friend Jake also made a visit and we enjoyed their company over the weekend. We have so much to be thankful for, and good friends and family are on top of our list. For all of our friends and family far away we missed you and think of you all the time. We are thankful for your presence in our lives, even from a distance. Here are the top ten things I am most grateful for in my life: 10) Coffee in the morning…can’t give it up. Love the smell and the taste with a little sugar and cream…perfect. 9) A hot bath with a cup of tea. During the winter I am thankful for my Ugg boots. I love to come home and put them on because they instantly warm me up. Of course, they are knock-offs, but I am still thankful for them. 7) My job. I am thankful to have a job where I enjoy everyone that I work with. We have a great environment to spend our days in, and everyone gets along so well. I am also thankful that it is a job that allows flexibility so that I get to spend time with Ava while she is growing up. I am still trying to figure out the correct balance between work and family, but in the meantime it allows me to try and do both. 6) A wonderful babysitter, Kim, who leaves my mind and heart at ease that Ava is well loved and taken care of during the time we are at work. 5) Having great friends that always keep me sane when life gets a little too hectic. 4) My tiny, beautiful home that I love. After growing up with the life of a gypsy there is something wonderful about having a home that is mine. A place of refuge for myself and our family. 3) I am thankful for the health of my family and friends. Working in a hospital environment reminds us that if we have our health, we are already blessed. 2) Our family. Our parents, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. We are blessed to have you all in our lives. 1) My amazing husband, who is the absolute rock of my life. And, our beautiful daughter, who reminds me everyday what life is really all about. Happy thanksgiving everyone!

Ava is learning to eat real food…or at least mashed up real food. She has mastered cereal and is moving on to fruits and veggies. So far she has had sweet potatos and apples. She LOVES them! Much better than she liked the rice cereal. The only problem is that she constantly grabs for the spoon and when she does she invariably sends the food flying. It ends up in her hair, on the chair, and of course on us. Yummy! In case you are wondering, I have tried the apples and potatos. Not too bad, I must say…

I kept trying to get Ava to smile her cute smile, but she would have no part of it when the camera was taking pictures. She would giggle and smile until the camera clicked, then it was gone. Everytime. She is little Miss Serious when something interests her. She loves to be carried around now and watch whatever it is that you are doing. She is now reaching out trying to grab things. Yesterday we learned the hard way that we have to be careful what is within her reach. Dave and I were chatting when she grabbed for my coffee and spilled it all down the table. Of course, I was already covered in baby spit-up, so what’s a little coffee??

I have been reading about digital photography and using lighting…and so this was my first novice attempt at playing around with lamp lighting. I don’t think it worked too well, but the one picture with Ava’s side profile is probably my favorite. I am hoping to take a photography class to learn more about shooting good photos. Lately, I have really gotten into the photography / journaling / scrapbooking thing. I am still trying to learn the Adobe graphics program, which is taking a lot of time that I don’t really have. But, maybe by the time Ava turns one I will have finished my first scrapbook.

These were pics I snapped of the dogs this weekend while we were hanging out. I hope we do a better job raising Ava than we have done disciplining the dogs. We really do try to be the “alpha dog”, as our bark buster-trainer and the dog-whisperer have taught us. Perhaps we need to kick them off the couch for them to fully realize their place in the species hierarchy???

Ava is able to roll over and push herself up on her stomach now. She isn’t crazy about hanging out on her tummy, but if she has toys around she will entertain herself for a little while. Isn’t she cute?

Ava is finally able to eat cereal…moving up in the world. After four months of milk only, she is still learning how to move her tongue and get the cereal down. And, we have learned not to try cereal when she is hungry, she is too impatient and tries to ram the spoon into her mouth like a bottle. We’ll get it eventually!

Ava loves hanging out with her Dad. Although, I think Dave might need a larger cup of coffee to keep up.