A beautiful winter morning

My brother Zac and I drove around after church on Sunday to take some pictures of the gorgeous frost. Here are a couple of the shots that I got.

Christmas has begun!

We had our first family Christmas party on Saturday and, of course, Ava had to wear her pretty Christmas dress and I had to take lots of pictures. (That's my job, right? Says it there in the job description, "Mom: cook, photographer, diaper changer, etc") Ava plays right along and lets us take her pictures when she's sitting so cute in the chair, playing with her Uncle Tod, and opening presents (that weren't hers, don't tell). Ava has lots of Auntie's watching out for her and making sure that her pretty dress doesn't get in the way of her crawling everywhere. You can thank Auntie Ellen and Auntie Wendy for tucking it into her bloomers so she could crawl. (No, it was not a new fashion statement we were trying to make. If you want fashion statements, check out Taylor, Samantha & Jack on Amy's blog. Follow the AnemaFive link on our page.)

I'll tell you when I want to get out!

Or, at least that's what I think she was saying when I suggested her bath be over. She LOVES bathtime! She lays on her tummy and plays with her duckies (she's got 5 or 6) or sits up and splashes and kicks her feet. The whole "washing her hair" thing she could do without and so as soon as the shampoo comes out she becomes a slippery little octopus with legs and arms everywhere and all of them are aimed at getting me soaked. Jeff somehow yesterday was able to get her to lay flat on her back while he rinsed the shampoo from her hair, how did he do it?!? (I swear he bribes her, promising extra puffs and chocolate.) Though Ava really loves her tub time I think that her favorite part is really before she even gets in. When I start running the water, she starts squealing and laughing and clapping her hands. She stands next to the tub and jumps around in a way that only a non-walking baby can. Surely those feet of hers are in the air because with that much energy and enthusiasm, how could they not be? The Bathtime Bop continues as I take off her pants, top, diaper, then it ends in a happy squeak as I plop her in the tub. Yay! Bathtime!

Ten Months Old Today!

I thought that I'd post a picture of Ava in her carseat the very first day that she sat in it. I thought it would be fun to see the comparison from ten months ago, today! Oh, baby girl, you're getting so big! She was so tiny in it that first day going home from the hospital. Now she's gotten to the point where we can't adjust the straps to get any larger and we're going to have to move her into a bigger seat. I try not to be sad at how big she is because it truly is a blessing but I do miss those teeny, tiny days.

Jazzed about winter

My cousin Emily gave Ava a beautiful coat for winter, its so cute! And warm! The hood is lined with fur so Ava looks especially cute when the hood is up. Unfortunately, when combined with an already tight baby carrier the result is akin to a straight-jacket (or perhaps picture the younger brother from the Christmas classic, "A Christmas Story"). Needless to say, she's not impressed. She doesn't mind it just as long as she's not wearing it sitting in her carseat. We'll have to move her up to a bigger carseat soon and hopefully winter clothes work better in that one. For now we just pack her up in her seat, wrap the blankets around her and carry her winter coat. Just in case. :)

All I want for Christmas...

I thought that I'd try and snag some pictures of Ava in front of our tiny little Christmas trees so that I could you know, "preserve some memories of Ava's first Christmas". The trees did great! Stood there, didn't move, looked cute for the picture. Ava Reese, on the other hand, did not see what the big deal was and thought it would be hilarious if she could grab the camera before I could snap her picture. I had to call in reinforcements in the form of Dad, who had until that moment been sitting on the couch laughing and watching the circus act. With the two of us against our one little cyclone (err...I mean, perfect angel) this is what we got.

Glamorous!

So, Ava has enough hair (just barely enough hair) for a pony on top of her noggin. But once its in there the little bit that goes in the bow stands straight up. I guess we need to let her hair grow a little bit more before its ready for the beauty salon. Do you see any red? I think she's got a hint of her Grandma Theresa's Irish red in there but it's usually just apparent in pictures that we take.

Ava's been sick with the flu and now a nasty cough. I took her to the doctor yesterday and had to do a few nebulizer treatments and a chest x-ray. Our doc didn't think that it was pneumonia rather just some bronchial congestion which I guess means Ava takes meds and we do more nebulizer treatments here at home for a while. She's a little cranky today but still really upbeat. Hopefully she'll be back to her usually goofy self soon.

California Cousins

Amy, Paul, Taylor, Samantha, and Jackson came to visit for Thanksgiving and, needless to say, we had a really great time! Ava thought that Sam and Tay were both very funny and it seems she still thinks that Jack is a toy for her. She loved to be by him but we had to watch her fast little paws because they could be a little rough at times. I'm sure it won't be long and he'll get even. Neither Amy or I knew exactly what the babies weigh but they were matched up pretty close in weight. Taylor was excited to see Ava because she knew (and let us all know) that Ava had missed her. :) Sam might have been a little unsure of her role among all of the ruckus because she usually ended up asking someone to "hold me like a baby" or it was "Pretend I'm Ava." We played lots of pretend with Samantha, "Pretend we're cooking cupcakes" "Pretend this is a kitty" "Pretend this is our castle".

Cake!

We had a date with Ellen and her kids one afternoon a week or so ago and had lots of fun! Ellen and I got creative with scrapbook paper and the kids ran amok (mostly coloring and eating paper scraps that fell from our table). For a snack after lunch, everyone wanted cake so Bailey, Pete, and William lined up in the seats at the island and ate their cake. Not to be left out, Ava Reese was discovered catching any and all crumbs that fell from above. No one is going to keep the goodies away from her!! Seems as though someone inherited her mommy's sweet tooth...

Irish Tempers

Most everyone knows that Ava is usually very laid back and a generally content baby, right? Well, today she showed her momma that there is definitely some Irish temper behind that usually calm face. Up until now she hasn't really noticed the gate at the top of the stairs and we were happy because its not somewhere that we want her to play. I guess that today she saw me run down to the basement and thought that she needed to follow me and so was waiting at the top, hanging onto the top of the gate when I got back upstairs. I told her that she can't play there and moved her into the living room. Not what she wanted to hear, I guess, because she gave me the stink eye, hollered at me in her baby way, and made a beeline back to the top of the stairs. Again, I went over, told her no and brought her into the living room and showed her the toys she could play with there. This still wasn't what she wanted to hear and once again I am on the receiving end of her unhappy glare and lots of that Irish temper. I stepped back by the dining table to see what she would do and sure enough, she makes a speedy move across the living room floor, around the couch, and over to the top of the stairs and climbs up to look over the gate. This time when I went over to retrieve her, I hope that I hid the laugh in my voice because who knew such a tiny person could be so stubborn? :)

Shadow? What's that?

I'm pretty sure that I never posted this and its too cute not to post. Ava discovered her shadow on this sunny afternoon in early October. I'm not sure what made her notice it at first but soon she was waving her arms around and laughing as her shadow danced around.

Now this is fun!

It was time to try something more than pureed baby food so I bought Ava some "Biter Biscuits" yesterday and they were a hit! To me they look more like a doggie treat but she loved them. Here's one of the pictures (you know we took about 20 pictures of her 7 minutes gnawing on 1 cookie.) She's doing her new grin that involves a big smile and lots of snorting and bopping her head. I guess we're raising a baby dragon but isn't she so darn cute?

Ava goes farming

We had a wedding to go to this weekend in Orange City, IA and then spent the rest of our weekend "helping" Grandma and Grandpa on the farm. Here are some pictures of Ava farming. As you can see, she was thrilled. :) Okay, so it seemed like Grandpa and Dad were more excited about showing her the tractor and combine than Ava but what can we expect from an eight month old? We'll try again next year.

Ava & Aidan

We went to see our little cousin Aidan for his First Birthday a week or so ago and here are some pictures. They both thought that the other was pretty funny! We'll have to get together again soon for more baby wrestling fun!

Lots of Catching up to do!

Sorry about the lack of posts, I guess that I have some catching up to do! I thought I'd start with the Halloween costumes because that's probably the most fun. :) We've had Ava in a few costumes lately and here she is as a Lion, Chicken, and Superhero (that's her Superhero parents with her).

Watch me go!!

This is probably Ava's favorite toy right now. She loves to crawl under and through it but sometimes gets stuck because she can't figure out how to back up out of it. It's also pretty easy to stand up next to and reach the toys on top. I personally like this toy because if its used as it was originally intended it keeps her stationary long enough for me to shower! A big thanks to Austin for letting us borrow his exersaucer!

Rain, rain, go away!

Ava and I made a trip down to Hawarden for lunch with Grandma Theresa today. We went to visit Grandma at work and then we three went over to Grandpa Marv's work to see him. Did I mention that everyone seemed to know exactly who Ava was, everywhere we went? It seems she's somewhat famous in Hawarden! The ladies at Grandpa's work said that he'd just brought pictures in earlier this week but getting to see Ava in person was way more fun! Ava was able to visit Grandma's co-workers and was even invited back behind the counter to work in the drive-up with Grandma. Ava was introduced to everyone and once in a while Grandma remembered me, Ava's chauffeur and wet nurse. So I started introducing myself as "Chopped Liver" or "The Girl formerly known as Daughter-in-Law" or "Ava's Mom". hahaha

It rained all stinking day so we didn't make it into our favorite shops in Downtown Hawarden. I'm not really a fan of damp weather though my short new haircut stands it remarkably well. It doesn't phase Ava because both her carseat and stroller have great canopies so between them and the blankets I throw over her she just thinks its a game of Peekaboo.

Ava's new kitchen

Jeff and I finally put up a backsplash in the kitchen and I thought that Ava would be the best one to model it. As you can see, she was pretty excited to be up on the counter and happy to share our "new" kitchen with you! Or maybe she was just thrilled to be up on the counter. :)

Four Teeth and Crawling!

This weekend Ava must have decided that enough was enough and this was her time to crawl. She may not be going all the way across the room on her hands and knees but she's definitely making progress. Sometimes she gets pretty excited by the simple act of getting onto her hands and knees and starts rocking back and forth, bopping her head to her own snappy music. She knows she's hot stuff. :) Only when it comes time to make a beeline for the newspaper or someone's smelly shoe does she drop to her tummy and goes into the old army crawl. She's got that move down and makes good time traveling that way. I think that she especially likes the laminate flooring because she's pretty darn speedy on that slick surface. It is much better than the carpet that I guess just slows her down.

Another tooth came in last week so for those of you keeping track that makes Tooth Number Four, two on the bottom in the front and two on the top (we call those her fangs). Ava doesn't quite understand why people are now so unwilling to let her gnaw on their fingers when it didn't seem to be a problem just a few short weeks ago. But she's been so good as they've come in and we can only hope the rest are this easy. She's finding lots of things to teeth on, have I mentioned that one of her favorite chew toys is the bar stools for our island counter? Yep, she's an equal opportunity chewer.

Our Family Portrait

Portraits of Ava and Company

We got our family portrait taken yesterday and the pictures are awesome! Thank you, Ellen and Nadya! My sister Ellen and our friend Nadya took the pictures of all of us last night in the "studio" aka Nadya's kitchen. Will, Pete, and Max were all present to help entertain Ava and make her smile. Jeff and I would alternate holding small children up behind the photographer to make Ava laugh (Will & Max weren't quite sure what to think of being photo props). Here are some of the results.

Any laces in those shoes?

Ava has discovered shoe laces and boy does she love them! She loves to pull on them but its even better if you let her get them in her mouth. She spent some time by her Uncle Levi's feet on Sunday untying his laces and today was at Great Grandma Sundermann's feet tugging on hers. I believe that I have already mentioned how much she loves to chew on shoes, right? If she's anything like her mother then this love for shoes will only get her into trouble in future years! (Who says 11 pairs of flip flops is too many???)

Tooth Number Three is definitely on its way, we can see it just under the surface. She's still doing really well but she's convinced that this teething process entails her to wake Mommy for some middle of the night comfort food. Ah, well, if she's going to keep up such a good attitude during the day I guess we can live with getting up once in the night. Of course this weekend when she spent the night with Grandma and Grandpa Kingma she slept through the night with no problem. :)

What do you mean I can't chew on this??

I tried to hide all of the cords for the computer behind the footstool but this Little Miss was not to be deterred. It might have been a tight squeeze but she found them! She looks pretty happy here but she was giving me the stink eye a moment later when I moved her out of there.

Homecoming!!

I took Ava up to Flandreau to watch the homecoming Parade with Grandma Lacey and Aunt Bev last week Friday. She loved the bands and all the people waving at her from the floats. Justin marched with the Junior High Band, Zac rode on the Senior's float, and our cousin Josh Lacey marched with the High School band. I got a picture later of Josh and Zac in their traditional Toga's, tie dyed with Flier colors. The boys had been out late the night before working hard on dying their togas so I had to be sure and get a picture. (Neither of their mother's seemed too impressed by their late night endeavor, perhaps because it meant getting in well past curfew. :)

Another tooth!

Ava has been working hard at maintaining her usual good mood while waiting for her second tooth to appear. Ava and I spent a lot of yesterday cuddling because she didn't feel so great. But it seems the end is near for this teething segment because Tooth Number Two is showing up today on the surface of her gum, right next to Tooth Number One. She's been such a good little trooper while getting these first two teeth and we hope that the rest of her teeth come in this well.

Ava's still doing the army crawl though she's constantly getting up on all fours as though she knows there is something more to do at that height. When she's in her crib and wants out she will get up on her hands and knees and try to grab the railing so its time to lower her bed down in the crib. Sometimes when she's just relaxing in her crib (supposed to be sleeping) she'll lie on her back, kick up her feet (propping them on the bumper pad) and suck her fingers on her left hand while twirling her hair with her other hand. It's pretty darn cute.

My Godchild, Malory, is here with us this morning and Ava loves the extra attention. She thinks that Malory is pretty funny and also that Mal's feet taste pretty good. We generally discourage her from sucking on other's feet but she's pretty determined. Yesterday it was my feet and last week it was her cousin Will's feet. At least she doesn't discriminate, right? :)

Our little Funny Face

Look how I've grown!

Ava two days old and ready to leave the hospital.















Here she is at just a couple weeks and so small.















How fast she's grown! She's really filled out now!

Construction Continues...

Jeff and his dad (a.k.a. Grandpa Marv) worked on the garage today, yay! They were able to put up most of the sheetrock in the garage today in just a few hours. Jeff will hopefully get the rest done this week and then we're going to work on putting some shelving up in the garage so that we can move the crap--I mean irreplaceable and valuable belongings of ours from the basement into the garage for storage while we then tackle finishing the basement. Wish us luck!!

Here's a closeup of Ava. Note the fingers? There are times that she'll take a pacifier instead but her digits are just too convenient most of the time.

Sitting all by herself!

Here's proof that Ava is sitting all on her own! :) She's doing so well and really seems to love this new phase. Look, she's so talented that she can even suck on her fingers while balancing! She pretty much keeps those two fingers in her mouth all of the time though there are times that she likes to switch things up a bit by chewing on her thumb instead.

Here's Ava Reese! Word on the street is that she's got the same fuzzy hair that her daddy had when he was a baby. I thought this picture showed that pretty well. :)

A tooth!!

The long awaited, much anticipated first tooth of Ava has arrived!! Grandma Theresa was changing Ava's diaper and I was keeping her occupied (she tends to roll and twist in a way that putting a diaper on her at times seems impossible!!). So, I'm making her giggle and there at the front of her mouth on her bottom gum is a teeny little tooth popping through! I know that its probably rather silly to be so excited but its so darn cute! And it seems like we've been waiting forever for it to come because she's been chewing on everything in sight since her three month birthday. Here we are, two days away from her seven month "birthday" and Ava gets her first tooth. We'll keep you posted, I"m sure there are more to follow. :)

Cluck! cluck!

Ava has discovered that she can make a new, cool noise with her tongue. She's clucking! It's adorable (but then, what isn't when related to Ava?) and she's so proud of herself! She is also sitting up all by herself and that seems to be more of a surprise to her than me. She sits there so cute and will start to fall over and catches herself with her elbow, most of the time. She's clunked her head once or twice before I could catch her but she's getting pretty good now.

At this moment she's crawled over into the dining room and is sucking on the leg of her swing. Yesterday it was the leg of the bar stool. The day before that it was the bottom of the cabinet. Sure, she chews on her toys but for some reason those don't hold their appeal long enough. I have to clarify that she is not yet "crawling" on her hands and knees but rather she's doing the army crawl, mostly pulling herself around with her arms and pushing a bit with her toes. Her other method of transport is rolling to whatever it is she'd like to chew on next.

Want to know what Ava's mommy's been up to? Yesterday I redecorated her doll house. Her dad bought it for her at a Garage Sale but I thought it was pretty out of date so I took it upon myself to put up new "wallpaper" using my scrapbook supplies. It was actually a lot of fun but more time consuming than I realized it would be. The four rooms took me most of the afternoon but it was more fun than cleaning up the concrete dust in the basement. Achooo!!

Amy, can I copy you?

So, I have a sister-in-law who is showing me up with her computer savvy by starting a blog, what should I do? I guess I'll start one too! It was a great idea, Amy, and I'm loving reading your blog so I hope you don't mind if I try to keep one, too. :) Though I think we both know who will be better at keeping hers up. :P This is my trial run, I'll write more later.