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.