Ava is 18 Months Old....

Posing for Mommy I like to look at books Ava with her milk "mustache" under her chin

It's hard to believe, but little Ava is 18 months old already. I tried to have my own little "photoshoot" today. I had a hard time keeping her on the chair to snap pictures, so I can just imagine how well it is going to go at the professional photographer on Wednesday. We'll just have to hope for the best.

Here is the latest on Ava at 18 months...

Height: 32.5" - 75th percentile

Weight: 27 lbs 4 oz - 90th percentile

Sleep: Ava usually sleeps from 8:00 pm to 7:30 am with one two to three hour nap in the afternoon. It has been a little bit of a tough adjustment to the one nap as she is quite tired during the supper hour, but she seems to be doing okay.

Teeth: We thought she still had the 8 teeth she has had for forever, but we just recently noticed an additional tooth on the bottom right, so that makes 9!

Eating: Ava continues to be a great eater. She pretty much eats anything, and eats quite large quantities. She loves her veggies, grill cheese sandwiches, pizza, and any hotdishes. She loves to eat bananas, but we really can't get any other fruits going yet. She eats applesauce (with othe mixed fruits) each day, but no raw fruits. This is something we continue to work on. She loves yogurt.

Speech: We are amazed at all the words Ava has picked up in the last couple of months. She copies almost everything we say, and will attempt to say almost any word if you ask her. Some favorites include:

"nana"- banana

"side" - outside

"thu" - shoe

"thock" - sock

"pathi" - pacifier

"daag" - doggie complete with the sound it makes ' "woof, woof"

She really doesn't say many two syllable words except "daddy", "mommy", and "wava"-Ava. She is working on putting some two word sentences together, but has not perfected this skill yet. We are just enjoying the fact that she can usually show us what she wants and get her point across which is much better than us guessing.

Ava continues to love electronic devices and pulling things out of cupboards and drawers. She also loves to play outside. With the weather getting nicer, it is great to let her run around in the grass. She loves our neighbor's dogs, and talks and points at them pretty much the whole time she is outside. She is reallly fun to have around.

Brad's Little Brother Joe's Senior Prom....

Joe & Cassie Wilkening Cassie & Joe by the car

Brad, Sally, Ava, Joe, & Cassie

Brad's "little brother" Joe who isn't so little anymore, had his senior prom last Saturday. We ventured to Fulda for the grand march so we could see him all decked out in his tux and meet his date, Cassie Wilkening. It was neat to see the grand march, however, both Brad and I felt very old when we left. Unfortunately, Joe's prom night got cut short. Shortly after the "after prom bash" got started, there was an accident. He was playing on a large inflatable and was ejected off and hit the bleechers. He had a serious laceration on his face. He was brought to Worthington hospital where they discovered he had a couple of facial bone fractures. He was then shipped by ambulance to Sioux Falls. There, he met with a plastic surgeon and received stitches. After the swelling goes down, he has to return to the doctor and decide the extent of the fractures and if any surgeries will be needed.

We are happy Joe is okay and pray for a speedy recovery.

Ava's 1st Haircut at almost 18 Months...

the very "somber" Ava - scared to death Abby (my hairstylist) and Ava - still the stone face

Ava chatting on her phone

Trying on Daddy's Shoes

It was kind of a last minute decision, but I decided since I was bringing Ava with me to get my haircut, we'd try to get her's trimmed as well. I lured her over the the chair with a cracker. I gave the rest of the crackers to Abby, and went and hid so Ava couldn't see me. She just sat there as still as could be with an extremely serious look on her face as Abby trimmed her hair. Everyone else in the salon kept commenting on how good she was. I have to admit, I was shocked she sat so nice. After Ava was finished, I had my hair washed and cut. As soon as I laid back for the wash, Ava burst into tears. Apparently, she thought Mom was getting hurt or something. She quickly got over it and was just fine for the rest of the time we were there. I can't believe she is big enough to get haircuts already. How time flies!

A Visit to the Omaha Zoo....

Ava was scared of petting any animals Ava and Daddy in front of the zebras

Daddy and Ava in the indoor desert

We spent this past weekend in Omaha. We did a little shopping at the Nebraska Furniture Mart and also took Ava to the zoo. Ava did well in the car on this trip and slept through the night at the hotel. It was a little bit brisk at the zoo when we first got there, but the sun came out and it warmed up. Ava did a lot of pointing at the animals and talking about them even though we couldn't understand her. She seemed to enjoy being outside and seeing all the different things. It was a great workout for Mom and Dad up an down the hills with the stroller. Brad had never been there and I haven't been there since I was in elementary school, so it was fun to see it.

Spring is Here...

First Day in Shorts!

Ava loves the rocks!

Cuddling by Daddy (just for a second)

April has brought warmer weather which has been very welcomed. We had a rare day of 75 degrees so we hauled out the shorts and sandals and played outside. Ava enjoyed getting to explore all around the yard. We don't really need very many toys at this point because she is quite happy just running around looking at everything. She enjoys looking at the rocks around the house and rearranging them. We've been out for several walks and she seems to really enjoy her time outside. It should be a fun summer for her.

Easter 2009

Grandpa Glenn, Grandma Chris, Great Grandma Flo, Mom, and Ava

Great Grandma Flo, Grandma Chris, and Ava

Ava in her Easter dress Ava enjoying the "kissables" in her Easter eggs

The Easter Eggs were hidden

We greeted Ava on Easter morning and then brought her to the living room for a little Easter egg hunt. Instead of so much candy, the Easter bunny brought Ava a table and chairs. She did enjoy the kissables inside the plastic eggs "hidden" so well. It didn't take her long to figure out how to open the eggs, or that it was to her advantage to find more to get more candy. We had to bring the eggs to church where we hid goldfish in them. It was a great surprise each time she'd pry an egg open and find another goldfish. The fun seemed to never end.

Both my parents and Brad's parents along with Brad's brother Joe and my Grandma Flo came to our house for Easter dinner. We enjoyed ham with all the trimmings and some great desserts. It was great to get everyone together.