Ava is Keeping us Busy....

Brad and I agree that Ava seems to be growing "overnight". It seems like every day we are seeing her do something new that we haven't seen before. She is getting better at moving around. She spends much more time on her stomach (we have even caught her sleeping this way!). We think she finally figured out that this was the only way she was going to be able to move. She scoots around in a circular motion on her belly and can also propel herself backward just this last week or so. The backwards movement seems to upset her as usually she would like to be going forward. Ava also seems to be liking more "people food". She will now eat different foods we give her such as bread and pasta in addition to a jar of baby food once a day. She is not scared to open her mouth very wide for whatever you would like her to try. If only this willingness to try new foods would continue to toddlerhood...we can hope!

A Trip to Okoboji with the Kleis's

We were lucky enough to be the guests of Shelly & Jason at a friend's condo on West Okoboji last week. It was a very nice place with a great location...within walking distance to Arnold's Park and a beautiful view of the lake. Everyone had their own bedroom and bathroom which was great, and Ava slept in the pack-n-play up in a loft off of our room. Unfortunately, it had to be a midweek stay as the owners of the condo use it on weekends, so Brad could not spend the days with us. He did come down each evening and spend the night. Mom & Dad came up and spent one day with us at Arnolds Park and then had supper with us at the condo. We enjoyed the amusement park and watching Sam & Addison ride all the rides. Ava even seemed to enjoy riding the train that tours the park. She really couldn't get enough of all the surroundings and everything going on. She was a trooper in the stroller for extended periods of time. The nap was not a success in the stroller, but she remained in good spirits even though she was exhausted. She even took a ride on the carousel and seemed to think that was okay. Overall, it was a great trip. I hope we can do it again very soon!

Ava is 9 Months Old...

Another month has flown by and Ava is 9 months old already! Her doctors appointment yesterday went very well. The only concern is still her clogged tear duct in her right eye. They will continue to watch it and if it has not opened by 12 months, she will probably have to see an eye specialist and have surgery done to open the duct. Overall, she is a healthy girl at 21 lbs., 10 oz. and 27.5" long. This month has been marked by some significant changes.... Movement: Ava is rolling across the room now in fairly short order. She is never in the same place that you leave her. She will also spend some time on her stomach now without rolling over immediately, pushing her upper body up as high as she can. The lower body doesn't do much in this position, and it does upset her. She rocks from side to side while on her belly, but she prefers the continuous rolling for getting where she needs to go. Sleep: Ava typically sleeps from 8:30 to 6:45 am. She still takes a 2 hour nap in the morning and a 2 hour nap in the afternoon. Food: She eats 1/2 to 2/3 jar of stage 1 baby food once per day. She really has not taken a liking to any table food except ice cream (no thanks to Brad consistently feeding her vanilla as well as chocolate). We have tried tiny pieces of grapes, bread, potatoes, etc and she will spit them out and give us an extremely strange look. Teeth: Still no signs of anything in that department. I guess she inherited one thing from me (I got my first tooth at 13 months). Ava will also raise her arms when we say "so big" and clap her hands when we ask her to "patty cake". We are having a lot of fun with her right now as it seems she is really starting to put things together. We have even caught her trying to peek over her crib bumper to see if we are in her room. She is a character!

The head tilting continues & Ava learns to clap...

Ava continues to love to tilt her head at just about anything. She will do it to get your attention as well as check out new objects. Ava has also learned how to clap. Her version is a bit different than ours, but that is certainly what she is trying to do. She loves to copy us clapping and gives us a big grin. It is so precious to watch her learn to do things. You can just see the wheels turning as she is watching you...what will she come up with next?

Lisa & Roy's Shower

Yesterday, Ava and I headed to Wilmont OLGC for Lisa & Roy's bridal shower. It was great to see all the family again. Aunt Therese and Aunt Joann (with Julie) made the trip down from the cities. Aunt Mary came from Mankato which was really nice. Aunt Carol was great help with the food. Several of Lisa's friends came. Also, Roy's parents made the trip from Alexandria to meet all the family. It was a little humid, but overall it was a success. I think they had a good time. Before we know it, the wedding will be here!

Ava has some Visitors....

Madison Sieve 7 mths & Ava 8 1/2 mths Playing with the ball together Cameron VanBatavia 3 years, Ava 8 1/2 months Ava had some visitors yesterday. First Jason & Holly Sieve stopped with their two girls, Presley and Madison. Ava is just 7 weeks older than Madison and it is fun to watch them together and compare notes on how they are developing. Then later a neighbor, Cameron came over to visit for a little while. She loves to play with Ava and is quite the little talker. Cameron refers to our house as "Ava's house" and always likes to stop over.

A Visit to the Washington Pavillion...

For a last activity before Sandy and the kids went back to Tucson, we went to Sioux Falls to the Washington Pavillion. Shelly drove from Sioux City and met us there. The Washington Pavillion is the old Sioux Falls High School built in 1906 that was restored into a science museum with lots of fun things for kids to explore and learn. We saw a shark movie in the omnitheater which was pretty neat. All the kids (even Ava who is never quiet) sat nicely through the movie. It was a bit graphic at times, but all the kids did well. Toby even fell asleep! The hits for the kids were the boats in the water where you could damn up part of it to make the water stop. There was a hot air balloon that the kids could make float from the 2nd floor to the 4th floor. The top floor had all kinds of physical activities. Sam enjoyed the track that had a buzzer sound to start and then you ran and it timed him. There was bicycle racing, dancing, and about anything else you could imagine. The kids had a great time and did not want to leave. Ava managed to fall asleep in her stroller despite all the noises around her. It was a great time and we will definitely be heading back there again.