Christmas 2008

Grandma Flo, Mom, & Dad

Ava after church Christmas Day Shelly & Addison

Ava & Grandma Chris

Ava opening up her nursery rhyme book

Daddy & Ava

Sally, Mom, & Shelly

Our Family Christmas 2008

Ava trying to get rid of her cardigan sweater...not a fan of it. We had a wonderful Christmas this year. My sister Shelly and family came to stay with us through Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve, my parents, Grandma Flo, and Aunt Donna also came over. We had turkey and all the fixings along with about a million desserts :)) It was fabulous, but not so great on the waistline! We then openend gifts which proved to be chaos once again. Maybe in about 5 years all the grandkids will be big enough to open their own gifts and enjoy the whole event. For now, there was some crying and whining, but overall it went pretty well. Ava did not have anything to do with opening gifts. She could have cared less. She just wandered about all the packages and picked up little pieces of tissue paper among other things she wasn't supposed to have. We would have never thought a year ago that she was going to be quite this busy this Christmas. She did play with a book that played music that she got from Grandma Chris, but other than that, there was just too much going on for her to sit and play with a toy. Ava loved her time with Sam and Addison. She would watch them run around and struggle to get her legs to move as fast as they were. On Christmas Day, we went to church in the morning. Gary, Joyce, and Joe came over late in the afternoon. We had a little lunch and visited with them. Hopefully, we can get together with the rest of the family soon.

A Short Visit to Bridges Bay in Spirit Lake

Look, I can stand up in the water!

Ava loved the lazy river! We joined my sister and her family at Bridges Bay Resort in Spirit Lake, Iowa for a short stay just before Christmas. We rented a little condo so we had plenty of bedrooms for everyone, and it was just a few steps from the action. The indoor water park was really nice and not very busy. They are not normally open on week days, but they were open for Christmas break. Ava really enjoyed the water more than we thought she would. She loved floating in her little ring around the lazy river. She'd just giggle and smile the whole time as we floated beside her. She slept in the pack-n-play a little better the second night. The first night was pretty rough. She certainly prefers her crib over that. Overall, it was a really fun trip.

A Sick Weekend for All of Us....

Feeling under the weather for a couple of days really makes you realize how much you take being healthy for granted. These pictures were taken today where Ava is doing the best of all of us. Ava started having cold symptoms early in the week and seemed quite cranky and I was right behind her. On Thursday when I picked her up from Katie's, she told me she thought Ava was sounding worse with more congestion and coughing. We decided to take her to urgent care where we found out she had her first ear infection, both ears no less. I guess I feel fortunate that we have made it this long without fighting an ear infection. Friday morning we were supposed to leave for Brad's cousin's wedding in the cities, and Brad and I could hardly move. We just felt horrible. I took a shower and had to lie down afterwards because it wore me out. Ava was cranky and you could certainly tell she was not feeling well. We felt terrible missing the wedding as we were looking so forward to seeing everyone, but I don't think either one of us could have stayed awake to drive. We are thankful to be on the mend and doing better. I still have Christmas shopping to do that I was hoping to finish on our trip this weekend. Between the blizzard and being sick, I am not sure when that is going to get done! Oh well! Christmas will come whether I am ready or not!

Ava's Surgery was a Success.....

Ava did not like the blood pressure cuff...

Before surgery rocking with Daddy

Cuddling with Mommy after surgery

It was an early morning for us to be up and at McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls by 5:30-5:45 am for Ava's lacrimal duct opening surgery. As the usual surgery routine goes, Ava was not allowed to eat or drink when she woke up that morning, and I was a little worried that she was not going to be in a great mood. We got Ava up right around 5:15 out of a dead sleep, and with her usual perkiness, she was able to stay awake for the whole trip over to Sioux Falls. She was pretty quiet, but kept those eyes wide open so she could see why we were in the car when it was still dark outside. The roads were a little icy, so we did not get to the hospital until almost 6 am. Ava was really good until we had to change her into the gown and the nurses checked her vitals. Once that was over, she was fine again. Then at around 6:45 they took us into the pre-op holding area where we met the scrub nurse and anesthesia people. Dr. West, the pediatric opthamologist performing the surgery, came in to talk to us as well. Everyone was very nice and reassuring. When they took Ava from us to take her into surgery, she went to the male nurse anesthetist without hesitation. She turned and looked at us, so we waved to her and said goodbye, and she waved back and smiled at us. That certainly made us feel better. They started the surgery at 7 am and paged us at 7:10 and told us it was over and she would be heading to recovery. We got to see her by 7:30. It was very short and she came out of surgery crying pretty hard. She was very happy to see us. Her eye was very red and watery, but other than that she was fine. They were able to just use gas sedation and never had to start an IV which was nice. She slept on me (shockingly!) for about an hour after surgery. Then she woke up and we offered her some food and she perked right up. By far the most traumatic was the blood pressure cuff and the stethescope. She had to do quite a bit of crying over those things, but other than that she remained in very good spirits. We left the hospital around 9:30 and headed to Fryin Pan for breakfast. She was cheery as ever and ate almost a whole pancake. We are so thankful that everything went well. It has been a week now since surgery, and you can definitely tell her eye is not nearly as watery or mattery as it was before. I am sure she is loving that I am not washing her eye all the time.

Ava is Walking....

At 13 months and one week, Ava is walking. It was kind of funny because Brad and I were sitting in front of the TV discussing whether or not she would be walking well by Christmas, and we thought there was probably a chance she would be taking a few steps by then. It wasn't a half hour later, and we noticed her taking a couple small steps between the end table and couch. Soon she was up to 4 to 5 steps between the ottoman and couch. She was so excited at her new found skill! We continued to move the ottoman farther and farther away, and she would keep walking to and from it, and we'd clap for her each time she made it successfully. Grandpa & Grandma VanMeeteren already got to witness her walking around. Today is only her second full day of walking, and she is cruising around the living room from one piece of furniture to another like a pro. For not really moving much at all two months ago, she has amazed us at her progress. Now, the mischief really begins!

The Christmas Lights Go Up & Some House Changes...

We apparently love to have projects going in our house because it is always something. We completely admit that we bring it all on ourselves, but we are once again doing some little improvements to the house. Brad is in the process of building our fireplace surround. He has the structure built as you can see in the picture and also has the electric firplace installed. The next step is getting the built-in cabinets installed on each side and then Brad will finish with putting stone on the structure. We hope to have it finished by Christmas. Also, my sister Shelly and brother-in-law Jason came to visit for the weekend. Jason was gracious enough to paint the kitchen. I have not been in love with the color since we moved in. I am much happier with the new, brighter kitchen. Jason did a great job painting. It was a busy house this weekend with the addition of two more kids running around, but we had a good and productive time.

Brad also worked last Sunday afternoon getting the Christmas lights up on the outside of the house. I watched (frightened on the ground) as he dangled on the roof. Fortunately, there was no injuries and the lights are up and working.

Ava is 13 Months Old

Ava, at 13 months old, is now officially able to stand on her own without holding on to anything. She has even taken a few side steps all by herself, so we are thinking she will be walking soon. She is so proud of herself when she is standing. We started clapping for her when she'd stand, so now she claps for herself. It is so hard to believe she is almost walking already!

So Curious....

Ava spends a lot of time lately watching and playing with household objects. For instance, doors are an obsession. She loves to open and "almost" close them over and over. She has learned that if she shuts them hard, she can't get them back open and the playing ends. So, she pushes them to nearly closed, and then reaches her fingers in the crack and pries it back open. She also loves to watch the bath water run. She has a lot of babble that goes along with this activity, although we are not sure what it is that she is saying. She loves to talk very loudly in the tub and listen to her voice echo. We are thinking maybe a future public speaker???

Our Little Character....

A preview of our Christmas Card & Ava's fish face.

Wow! Where did the month of November go? Life is busy and I guess the holiday season is officially here. Ava has been quite the character lately. She loves to make the "fish face" when we ask her for a kiss. She will give kisses, but she has to be in the right mood. Sometimes they are unexpected along with the surprise slobber that goes along with them. She is into everything from cupboards and drawers to pulling all the toilet paper off the roll (I wouldn't recommend buying the "double rolls" as it does take quite a while to roll back up!) She seems to be pleased with her progress in the movement category as now she can get almost anywhere she wants to go, but not on two feet yet.

The 12 Month Stats & Some Unfortunate News

It is hard for us to swallow as parents, but Ava has had her first birthday. I remember sitting in the hospital with out little newborn like it was yesterday! What a difference a year makes. It has been a busy week with the 12 month well check at the doctor, professional pictures, and juggling my responsibilities at both the clinic and my job at MN West.

Playing in the pantry with the blanket on her head!

Here is the skinny on Ava at 12 Months

Weight: 22 lbs, 10 oz (75th percentile)

Height: 30 inches (80th percentile)

Teeth: Still 4 on top and 1 on the bottom. The one on the bottom looks to be completely in, but all four on top are not all completely in. It does seem like it is taking forever!

Sleep: Daylight savings time has messed us up a little. Ava goes to bed a little earlier now (around 8 pm) and sleeps until 6:45-7:00 am. She still takes a morning and afternoon nap that totals around 3-4 hours.

Movement: It seems that any minute, Ava could take off walking. She crawls with lightning speed, pulls up on everything, cruises along all the furniture, and will stand for several seconds without holding on to anything. She is into everything right now. There is nothing that holds her back. She is obsessed with how doors work, pulling drawers open and closed, and she loves to get into the bathrooms. Her favorites there are standing next to the tub and standing next to the toilet (which does motivate me to keep things extra clean :)

Eating: Ava will eat just about anything. She loves her oatmeal and bananas for breakfast and eats whatever we eat for lunch and supper. She does not eat any fruit by itself, but eats all veggies we have tried. She also loves hotdishes and soups. She has adjusted to whole milk well and also likes her juice in her sippy cup.

Communication: Ava is quite vocal. It seems she is constantly jabbering about something or trying to get our attention. She tries to copy a lot of words we say and gets pretty close sometimes, but does not say a lot on command yet. She can sign a little...we have taught her "more" and "all done". I am not sure she knows what they mean, but she smiles and copies us when we sign.

Overall, we had a good visit to the doctor this week. Ava seems to be a healthy girl. She did have a slightly low hemoglobin, but nothing to be alarmed about. We will recheck it in 5-6 weeks. We also found out that the dreaded clogged tear duct is not going to improve on its own just as I had expected. We were referred to Dr. West in Sioux Falls who is a pediatric opthamologist. He recommended that we do surgery to open her tear duct or she would be plagued with a constant infection in her eye. The chances of it clearing up on its own are very slim after one year of age. The surgery sounds pretty routine and brief, so hopefully Ava will tolerate it well. We are only supposed to be at the hospital 2-3 hours and then sent home with no pain medications, just antibiotic eye drops. The surgery date is set for December 12th. Please keep us in your prayers that day.

Ava's 1st Birthday Party

We had a little party for Ava's 1st Birthday on Sunday, November 2nd. Those in attendance were Mom and Dad, Jason, Shelly, and the kids, Gary, Joyce, & Joe, Brittany and Zach Looosbrock, and Stacie Menken. It was a bit unfortunate that Ava was not in a better mood for her party. We had a very difficult night before as she was up crying for several hours throughout the night so none of us got any sleep. We are not sure if it was her teeth bothering her or what the problem was. She did take a couple of good naps and was only up for about an hour and a half while everyone was at our house. We had cake and ice cream and enjoyed time with family. It was my first attempt at decorating a cake. It certainly wasn't perfect, but it turned out okay. Ava didn't know what to think of her cupcake. She just touched it ever so gently, but didn't seem to think it was there for eating. Eventually, Brad broke it down for her and fed it to her, and she did like the chocolate frosting as evidenced by the picture. Ava recieved lots of very nice gifts. We are so thankful to everyone for coming and sharing her special day.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween was an absolute gorgeous day this year. Our little "butterfly" was a little warm in her costume sitting in the sun. Ava didn't seem to mind being in her costume. I thought she'd want to take the hat part off, but she didn't seem to care one way or the other if she had it on. We ended up taking her to Adrian trick or treating to see a few relatives and then home to bed to get her rested up for her first birthday! Brad and I were recalling that a year ago on Halloween we were the nervous "parents-to-be" and lamenting at how fast the year went....

Fun at the Pumpkin Patch,,,

On Saturday, we spent the rather windy day with a bunch of friends at the Pumpkin Patch in Lakefield. There were tons of activites for kids from hay rides to pumpkin painting. Despite the very windy day, the temperatures were pretty pleasant. We even managed to select a couple of pumpkins to take home from the rather "picked over" patch. Definitely something we will have to attend again when Ava is a little older. She enjoyed being outside as she always does and remained in good spirits despite not getting her nap.

Fall is Here...

This is my favorite time of year with all the beautiful colors and the weather starting to change. We have had an exceptionally nice fall this year in my opinion. Highs in the 60's and lows around freezing are perfect for me. Ava and I took a trip to the park to check out the leaves yesterday and enjoy a nice walk. Ava didn't know quite what to think of the leaves. She just sat there. It was like she forgot that she could move around and explore. Of course, we had to go to the park for her to see any leaves because we don't have any trees! It is kind of nice because Brad and I both hate to rake! Halloween will be here before we know it...