10 Months

Technically, Ava is 10 1/2 months now, but with her being so active I'm a little behind on my blogging. We also wanted to take some cute 10 month pictures, but it is too hard now to get Ava dressed up, sitting still, and happy. So instead I will give you a brief update and some cute everyday photos.

For starters Ava is very active. She is crawling everywhere and wants to get into everything. Her favorite things to get into are of course the things she is not suppose to get into. We still race daily to Luca's water bowl and she likes to wait until my back is turned to go for it. She also has discovered cords, the DVD/CD player, and our DVD collection. The other day she was able to open the door where Rich's Wii is hiding, so we bought some door latches for the entertainment center and the kitchen.

Ava is able to pull herself up on almost anything. She particularly loves the couch, her toy bin, and the sliding glass door. She hasn't started furniture walking yet, but she is slowly beginning to figure out how to move her feet and shift her balance...oh no!! Also, Every morning and after every nap I find Ava standing in her crib and shaking the side rail.

Ava is still a good eater and has moved on to most table foods. She loves bread, cheese, and whatever we have. She often gets angry if we are eating, but not sharing with her. Ava feeds herself with her fingers and will snatch the spoon out of our hand to play with. She loves to throw her spoon and sippy cup, so we try and keep are hands at the ready to catch.

Ava is a chatterbox and sometimes a screamer. She likes to talk to herself in her crib and when playing. She also likes to talk to lights, Luca, and sometimes us. When she is not happy she is not afraid to yell and baby swear at us. Ava also likes to scream for fun. She will often squeal and shout while she is playing.

Recently, Ava has started waving and clapping. Ava will wave at people, but her favorite thing to wave to are lights. Her wave is cute and changes depending on her mood. Sometimes she will wave with her fingers and sometimes with a closed fist while just bending her wrist. Ava usually claps when she is happy or hears us say "Yeah".

This past 10 months has gone by so quickly. We are amazed each day at how big Ava is and how much she has changed. Looking at Ava we realize she is not a baby anymore and is growing into a little girl. We enjoy and savor the moments when she still wants to snuggle and give us love.

Some of Ava's favorite things are:
*Books ("Brown Bear, Brown Bear" always makes her smile)
*Nighttime turtle
*Musical Octopus
*Luca's toys
*Music
*Crawling through the tunnel and up & down our step

Ava Likes to Party

Ava loves music. We often listen to music or make up our own songs which Ava enjoys singing and dancing to. Recently, we have been singing "We like to party" by the Vengaboys (old man Six Flags commercial) and Ava bops along to the beat and tries to imitate the sound. Here is a short video of Ava groovin' to her new favorite song.

Muir Woods

Last weekend we went to the Muir Woods with some of Rich's family. We enjoyed the beautiful redwoods and tried to stay warm as we walked along. The cousins had a great time together and it was nice to watch them enjoy each other. I can't wait until Ava is big enough to run around with them and I hope this will be the first of many cousin outings.

We had a picnic lunch before we walked around the trail.

Nathan and Kobie had fun watching an American Crow and we learned they are as big as a Condor together.

Our family

Jensen family minus Steve who had to work. Steve, maybe we can do a cousin trip to the Jelly Belly factory in 2010.

The Young (Dave) Bowling family

Walking on the trail. I love that Nathan and Kobie are excited to be there...go boys go!

The tree behind them looked like a giant slide.

Ava with Aunt Sherrie.

Dave carrying a tired Bella.

Rachel and Lily. Rachel is the oldest cousins and is great at helping with the younger ones. Thanks Rach!!

Rachel, Lily, Nathan, and Kobie.

Banana Slug

It was so cold you could see your own breath. Ava was my little heater and we kept each other warm.

Ava the dare devil. Hold on!!

Rich, Ava, Dave, and Lily limboing under the tree.

Dave carrying two tired little girls....what a great dad!

The crew trying to warm up with some hot chocolate.

Videos Upon Request

The other day Rich was talking to his dad and he let us know we needed to put some more videos of Ava on the blog. So, Here's Ava...

Ava waving & talking to the water bottle

Unfortunately, we've taught Ava to be loud and she loves to scream.

Ava crawling

Little Italy

When we went to San Diego we walked through Little Italy on India St. We had high hopes, but were sadly disappointed. We kept wondering what we were missing and thought there must be more to it.

We did eat at Pizzeria Luigi which was featured on "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives". Again we were disappointed. To be fair to Guy Fieri the location we ate at was not the one he visited, but it is part of the 3 restaurant chain. The pizza was okay, but not the best we've ever had. Rich said it wasn't like the pizza he ate in Italy and we all agreed it is not a must have the next time we visit.
The one good thing that we found on our trip to Little Italy was Pandoro. This is an Italian Christmas cake that you sprinkle with vanilla powder sugar. The morning after our trip to L.I. Rich gave Ava some Pandoro for breakfast. As you can see from the sugar on her face she enjoyed the tasty breakfast treat.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Gelato

Just a few blocks from where we stayed was a gelato parlor. We were pretty excited because it is hard to find good and real gelato. We walked there one afternoon and found the place packed with people. Rich and my dad went inside to get our gelato while Ava and I people watched outside.

I got vanilla bean and Rich got a combination of chocolate and peanut butter cup. It was pretty good, but really messy. It wasn't as firm as it should be and melted all over the place. Ava watched us eat and look eager for a bite. I gave her a taste of mine and she went crazy. She bopped up and down and begged for more. Rich also gave her a try of his chocolate and of course she loved it too.

Playing in the Sand

Even though Ava has been to the ocean before (Monterey), this was her first time playing in the sand. We put her swimsuit on, lathered her in sunscreen, and then covered her up with clothes before heading down to the beach. Ava was interested in the sand and got really dirty. She scratched the sand with her fingers and crawled around too. The only problem was Ava was tired and keep putting her sandy thumb in her mouth.

While Ava took a break with papa & nona Rich & I built a sand castle. We didn't make this one as elaborate or detailed as we usually like because we knew our time was short with a sleepy girl wanting a nap. Ava did help daddy a little at the end and then had fun destroying it.

Before heading back to the hotel we wanted to get in the cold ocean. We took off our layers and nona stood by with a towel for Ava. Rich took Ava out and I was only brave enough to get in up to my legs. Ava did not seem excited and was not happy when Rich dipped her in the cold water. We wrapped her up in a soft towel and she was much happier. Rich was brave enough to get all the way in. He jumped into a couple of waves and then we headed back to the hotel to get warm.