Two Weeks Ago

Well, Ava finally met her Noni and Grandpa Bearden. We went to Columbia and spent a few days there hiking around and exploring. We saw a squirrel fall out of a tree and hit a rock and walk away! We also saw how much Noni and Grandpa love little Ava and I can't wait 'til we can see them again. Maybe that will be Ava's first plane ride?

Grandpa was absolutely smitten and it was really really nice to have another set of arms willing to take over when mine got tired of fighting Ava's wigglies.

It was really sad to leave. I always miss my mom so much when she goes home or I leave. I can't wait to see them again.

Carvin' Pumpkins... FHE Style!

Shawny's pumpkin, mike carved for her... Tigger.


Hunter and Tara's pumkins... Tara used the drill!!!

Mike's Michael Jackson tribute! Thriller pumpkin!

My ode to the '80's... ET. "Eliot!"

I love it when Mike cuddles with Ava. It's like the two people I love the most love eachother so much. There's just so much love going around it makes me high with it. Well, I can't even explain it well. I hope that Ava gets the chance to find her soul mate and have a little family of her own so that she can know this pure sort of love. I don't think you could ever know it unless you can experience having a child with your best friend first hand.

Even though Mike's job ended and things are looking a little scary, we are keeping our spirits up. I mean, yesterday we were rearranging the living room and we knocked over the frog's tank full of 5 gallons of water. We cleaned it up then laughed about it... luckily I had my carpet cleaner to suck the water out of the carpet. But then I went to cook dinner and looked in the freezer and all our meat was defrosted. Lovely. We threw away probably 50 dollars worth of food. I called the landlord - crying - he said he'd get us a new fridge. Then I noticed that May had come and gone and we hadn't gotten out our wedding cake. It's a stupid tradition but that busted it all for me and I broke. I was getting really sad and angry trying not to cry like an idiot when I opened up the cake, got a couple of forks and fed Mike a piece of cake and with tears in my eyes said, "Happy Anniversary." We both laughed 'til we cried sitting on the kitchen floor with 16 hamburgers on the grill.

I guess I have finally learned that you can't sweat the small stuff. It's all small, right? And now we have a new fridge. And Kermit the Frog is in a new tank and is doing fine. I hope we will be ok.

Homebodies...

Ava's favorite seat in the house! Thanks for the hand-me-down Nana!


Why does she looks scared in this one??? Haha! Yep, that's me new momma do! short and less "pull-y" if you know what I mean.

Proof that we look alike?

What a funny face. This kid cracks me up. And anyone else that's within 20 feet of her.

Well, now that my wonderful husband is home from work after his job ended it seems I am spending less time online. He makes me want to do all kinds of projects and hang out with him all day and so when the baby is napping I am not blogging. Haha!

What an angel huh?

Painted her toenails and fingernails while she was sleeping. It's the only time she holds still. And she has Mike's feet. Haha, sorry kid.

This smile melts my heart. Even when she's teething she's smiling.

Yeah, drool. Mmmm.

New teethers that we keep in the fridge. She likes them a lot.

Well. I am still working on getting on top of these posts. I don't want to forget anything as this is the "journal" that Ava will someday get. I am not really keeping a paper journal but by the time she is older we'll be flying in cars right? :)

I took Ava to the lactation clinic on Monday to have her weighed and oh my gosh she was huge. My four month old weighed 17.11 lbs. Hey, I am so happy that she weighs a lot. I know that she is doing well and getting the nutrition she needs. We have fully mastered breastfeeding but are still struggling with feedings outside of the house because she'd rather play with the nursing cover than eat and when we were at Nana's house for FHE she killed me because I knew she was hungry and tired but she kept hearing her cousins playing in the other room and would not settle down to eat or sleep. It seems that our main enemy when it comes to a sucessful feeding and naptime is noise.

I have found out though that it helps her sleep longer if she goes to bed later, which she's been doing the past few days- ugh. 9:00 instead of 7:00. Thank goodness for bedtime routines placed in effect early. She has been sleeping 7 to 8 hours lately... on most days. That's nice. She's a good baby.

In other news, I wonder if she will be this needy for ever. I can't even leave a room without her crying - real tears! - for me. It breaks my heart to hear her cry but I feel so bad that she is teething and I hope she will gain some autonomy soon. Often when she gets like that I just stick her in the stroller or put on my Mobi wrap and go for a walk around the block. If I walk long enough she goes to sleep. She loves looking at nature and it always quiets her down. I just don't want her to think that crying will get her something all the time. Especially now that she is figuring out her personal relationships. I do NOT NOT NOT want a spoiled baby. I wonder when it becomes spoiling rather than just meeting thier needs. Guess I'll have to figure this one out along with Ava. I guess it helps to know that my brother was like that to my mom and he turned out ok. :)