Ava Goes Swimming

Last Saturday we headed to Rich's parents to go swimming. We knew it was going to be a hot day, so we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to take Ava swimming. Since she is so fair (she has the most beautiful creamy skin) we lathered her up in sunscreen, bought a covering swimsuit, and kept her in the shade...I'm just a little paranoid she will burn. Ava was tired and a little cranky, so we weren't sure how she would react to the water, but to our surprised she loved it. At first she wasn't too happy, but as soon as she was floating in her sweet ride she just laid back and relaxed. She gave us some cute smiles and even kicked her feet...maybe we have a swimmer in the family?? Ava had a good time and we finally took her out not because she was unhappy, but because we thought she was getting cold. Now that we know she likes swimming I am really looking forward to summer. I am excited to take her back to Papa Bruce's and Nona Alicia's to go swimming and we even have a kiddie pool of our own for hot days.

Ava in her swim diaper that was just a little too big, but it worked. She is the cutest little chunk!!

Ava with her new swim suit. I like that it is 2 pieces (easy on and off), but also provides good protection from the sun.

Ava enjoying the water and her water lily tube.

Ava floating and kicking her feet.

Luca watching Ava and Ava watching Luca...I really think they are going to be good buds. I LOVE this picture...soooo cute!!!

In the Garden

This past week we finally got around to planting our garden. This year we decided to scale back because we are a little distracted and preoccupied. We planted four tomatoes, a couple of cucumbers, zucchini, and two kinds of squash. We still need to get some peppers and plant some corn to make our garden complete.

Along with our vegetables we have been enjoying all the flowers in bloom. My endless summer hydrangea has been blooming all year and is still going strong in a beautiful blue. My other two hydrangeas are just getting ready to bloom. We have also been enjoying roses and early spring had tulips and daffodils...I love flowers!

Ava Laughing

We have taken a lot of video of Ava, but we weren't sure how to work our video software to make it into DVDs or convert it into a format compatible with blogger. I think I have finally figured it out. Most of our videos are too long to post, so after messing around for a long time today I figured out how to use one of our programs to edit down a video clip...YEAH! So hopefully in the future there will be more videos of Ava. Until then please enjoy this old clip of Ava laughing. It is one of the only clips we have of her laughing because usually as soon as the camera comes on she becomes quiet and just stares.

4 month old photos

4 months

On Friday Ava turned 4 months...YEAH! I can't believe 4 months has already gone by and how much she has changed. We won't know her weight or height until Tuesday when we go to the doctor...so check back. I know she is over 13lbs. and Rich and I have our guesses (Rich=14lbs. 6oz.; Lisa=14lbs. 15 1/2oz.). Ava was so tiny at birth, but she is putting on the weight and is my cute chunky little girl...I love it!

Ava is definitely more active now and is beginning to enjoy her toys. She is still a little too small for her jumperoo, but with the help of a box under her feet she enjoys it for about 10 minutes a day. Ava is starting to enjoy her playmat and can entertain herself for a few minutes while I eat, fold laundry, or do a small chore. She is able to hold onto things for a few minutes and is discovering rattles and teething toys. Ava has also decided she likes bath time especially splashing mommy and daddy. But, Ava's favorite things are still reading Eric Carle books in the rocking chair and singing silly songs with mom and dad...I think these are our favorites too.

Now that Ava is more active we have been working on rolling over and having more belly time. Ava really does not like belly time. She usually throws a big fit, but we leave her there for a few minutes hoping she will eventually get so frustrated she will flip over. So far no luck, but she is definitely trying. Her legs are really strong, but she needs to learn to use her arms more. Sometimes I wonder if she will start crawling before she learns to roll over???

At 4 months Ava's favorites are:

-Eric Carle books

-standing on mommy/daddy's lap

-sucking on thumb and chewing on fingers

-silly songs (especially the ones mommy & daddy have made-up about poop)

-watching Luca

Ava's dislikes:

-being tired

-belly time

-getting out of the bath

Playtime

Ava Goes to the Dentist

Okay, okay, Ava only went to the dentist to say "Hi" to her Papa Bruce. Rich was really the one that had to go to the dentist. Unfortunately for him he has to have a crown, so this visit he had a temporary crown put on until the real one can be made. In a few weeks Rich will go back to see his dad to have the job complete. The crown that will be going on his tooth will be made by his brother Dave, so this will be a family affair.

My First Mother's Day

For the past 6 years I have always dreaded Mother's Day. It was just a reminder that I wasn't a mother, but so desperately wanted to be. It was a day I tried to put on a happy face and just survive without letting everyone know I was really falling apart inside. This year was different. This year I actually looked forward to Mother's Day and spending the day with my beautiful daughter Ava. I am a very lucky lady and I am grateful each day to be Ava's mom. I love her more than I can express and everyday is a good day with Ava. People are always coming up to Rich and I to say how happy they are for us and I don't know how else to reply, but to say "We are so happy too!!" I am so happy!! Being a mom is the greatest thing I have ever done and even on the hard days I am happy and so full of love for Ava.

*Kim thanks for giving me the gift of being a mom...I love you!

11th Anniversary

On Saturday, Rich and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary. To celebrate we went to Flora Tropicana in Elk Grove. It is a nursery that specializes in Japanese Maples, pond plants, and Koi. We have been planning to go for months, but have not had the chance. We bought a Zebra thrush for our teeny tiny pond and I admired all the Maples. I'm hoping to go back and buy a couple of Maples for our yard later in the year when we can borrow a truck.

We also went to Capital Nursery and bought a variety of vegetables for our garden. This year I didn't have the time (I wonder why??) to start seeds. Next year when Ava is bigger I plan to start our veggies from seed again and she can help. Rich also bought my mother's day present there. He has been trying to find a Lady in Red Hydrangea for me for a couple of years and he finally found one. I am so excited and can't wait for it to bloom. I love Hydrangea and this is my third plant. Each one is a little different and this one is pretty unique.

Before we left Elk Grove we went to one of Rich's patient's house. Rich has been telling me about one of his patients that raises Koi for a long time. Rich loves fish and it is his dream to have a nice pond one day. His patient has two beautiful ponds that are the homes to Koi and some wild ducks. We both loved their backyard and wish ours could be just as beautiful...maybe someday. Rich's patient was very generous and gave us the reject Koi. I didn't see anything wrong with the fish and I think they are pretty, but I guess in the world of Koi they are considered unsellable.

That night we ate Round Table at home and went out for dessert. Our good friends the Norman's were kind enough to watch Ava and Luca so we could get Baskin Robbins sundays. Rich enjoyed an Oreo sunday and I got a Snickers one. They were delicious!

I know this day might not sound excited or romantic, but we had a good time. Rich and I are easy going people and we just love being together. We don't need anything fancy or expensive...we just like being together.

It was our wedding anniversary, but we didn't get any pictures of us together. Instead we took pictures of our beautiful daughter...we would rather look at pictures of her anyway. The first picture is of Ava by a maple at Flora Tropicana. The second picture is of Ava bringing home my mother's day gift.

Ava's New Tricks

Ava is more active each day and is learning new things. We have been working on rolling over and holding onto objects.

Ava hates belly time, but is getting closer to turning over each time she tries.

She doesn't mind holding onto things as much, but she let's go soon after I put the object in her hand.

Rich Converts Ava

Rich's favorite band is The Cure, but I'm not a big fan. Rich decided to introduce Ava to The Cure at an early age, so he could covert her to the dark side. He makes her wear this "I love the Cure" onesie and plays cure lullabies while she sleeps.

The truth is I bought Rich The Cure onesie and the lullaby CD, so I have nobody to blame but myself if she turns out to love The Cure like her daddy.

Daddy Does Ava's Hair

One night after Ava's bath Rich got her ready for bed and did her hair. I didn't noticed until he was feeding her that she had a cute little mohawk. I was pretty impressed with Rich's skill and Ava's hair stayed like that for most of the next day.

Big Blue Eyes

Ava's 1st Wedding

On April 24th my cousin Matthew got married to Jessica. We attended the beautiful wedding at a winery in Lodi. We had a nice time and enjoyed seeing family. Ava got all dressed up in her pretty red dress, shoes (her feet are finally big enough for shoes...yeah!!), and hair bow. She did good until about 9pm, but then she began to get tired and hungry. She slipped into some P.J.'s, ate, and then had her first dance with daddy. Rich and Ava danced to the Righteous Brothers, Unchained Melody (awesome song). At the end of the song Rich even dipped Ava. She seemed to enjoy her dance, but as soon as it was over we left because the music was a little too loud for her and she really wanted to sleep. All in all, it was a beautiful night and a fun to catch up with family.

Ava with Papa Harry & Nona Carole.

Ava with Great Aunt & Uncle.

Ava thinks about eating cake.

Ava on the dance floor with daddy, mommy, & cousins.

Buddha Belly

Over the past few weeks Ava has really been chunking up. She has always had cute chubby cheeks, but now her legs, arms and tummy are getting chubby too...So Cute!! We love our chubby little girl and recently I have been calling her Buddha belly and rubbing her tummy for good luck.

Good Morning, Good Morning, Ava slept the whole night through. Good Morning, Good Morning, to me!

On Wednesday, April 29th, 2009 Ava slept the whole night through...YAHOOOOOO!!! I fed her at 1am and was expecting her to wake me up again around 5am, but when Rich's alarm went off at 5:30 I didn't hear anything. I waited and waited and didn't hear anything. Being a little nervous I went and peeked. Ava was sound asleep and seemed comfortable, so I let her sleep. Rich said goodbye to me at 7am and she was still asleep. I was excited about the possibility of Ava sleeping the night through, but also confused and unsure what to do with myself. Around 9am she woke-up with a very full diaper and an empty tummy. After I changed and fed Ava she was in a great mood for another hour before she decided to take a nap. Ever since then she has been sleeping from 1-9am and taking several naps in the afternoon. I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful this change is and how much better I feel after a decent nights sleep. I still probably only get about 6 hours of sleep, but it is much better than the 4-6 hours broken up in 2 hour increments.

I LOVE SLEEP!!

*The title is a spin off of the song "Good Morning" from Singing in the Rain. When Ava wakes up in the morning I sing this song to her while changing her diaper.

Ava finds her thumb

Over the past month Ava has really been interested in chewing on her hands and this past week she has found her thumb. She use to love her pacifier and couldn't sleep without it, but now that she found her thumb she can soothe herself to sleep.

"I WANT MY THUMB!!"

"AHHH...That's better!"

"Two thumbs are better than one."