Starting New

So, I hate being the person who airs their dirty laundry. It's just tacky! But sometimes, there are things that happen that just get too personal and it just feels better to vent my frustrations and let my voice be heard. I worry too much about things that I can ultimately eliminate from my life and at the end of the day, that's what I'm going to do. Aaahh, the high road. I'm glad I took it. My head is high and my spirits are up. Thank you all for your kind words, they meant a great deal to me.

On a more positive note... Here is the scoop on Miss "A" and her wild and crazy ways. I've been away for so long so I'm going to bullet my way through her accomplishments and milestones.

(B)Ava is:
-"walking" with the help of her walker and Mommy's hands. She's like a tipsy sailor who is out on choppy seas, but she is getting the hang of it and it's awesome. How did this happen so quickly?

-standing on her own! record to date? about 20 seconds...

-teething like a crazy woman. She has two teeth on the bottom and like, 4, on the top. The one next to her front tooth on the right looks as though it might be the size of a grown up tooth. No joke. When I went to get her out of the car the other day I was shocked to see blood all over her mouth and shirt because she was teething the crap out of her toy while we were driving.

-possibly a picky eater? See, she eats when she doesn't have any teeth coming in and seeing how she is working on 4 at the moment, all she wants is her bottle. Poor girl... She does love to eat about a million Gerber puffs throughout the day but it stops with them. She loves to "do it herself" and sometimes, if I'm lucky, she feeds me a puff or two.

-a water bug. She absolutely loves, loves, loves to swim in the ocean and her baby pool. I've had to hide the damn thing off the back porch because if she sees it, she loses it when I walk in the other direction. And I mean, LOSES it! How do you explain to an infant that, "Mommy isn't filling up your pool at 7:30 in the morning." It's just not happening...

-a dancing machine. Sitting, standing...makes no difference. Girl loves to shake it.

-not afraid to give out the kisses. She is a big fan of the open mouth kiss and if you're lucky, she'll leave you a little strand of drool as she pulls away.

-confusing my sister in law's boyfriend with her Dada. In her defense, they look very similar!!! She was loving on Warren down the shore like crazy and she doesn't normally take to strangers too quickly. But, boy oh boy, she was all about climbing on him, being held by him, staring at him.... To say she was obsessed would be an understatement.

-an expert at pointing at things she knows. Like, "Ava, where is the moon? Where is Mommy's nose? Where is the butterfly? Where is brown bear? Where are the birds? " So smart!!! It's weird when we read books and I'm labeling because she pays such close attention. Man, am I a proud (bragging!) Mom, or what? Please, don't let me be the parent I can't stand... I promise, I won't do it...

-a total book worm. In a room filled with toys that play songs, light up, and practically play themselves I can confidently say that Ava will always go towards the books. She is just so content flipping through the pages and looking at the pictures. I love watching her point at the pictures she likes the best. Man, so cute.

-a big fan of finger puppet songs. She still loves, "Itsy Bitsy Spider" but we have always added "Oh Mister Sun" and "Where is Thumbkin" to our playlist. Thumbkin is so great because she uses her pointer finger and bends it up and down while I sing. So smart!

-11 months old on Tuesday. Oh. My. Word. Time to start planning her big birthday party!!! Themes, anyone?

-a beautiful sleeper and is currently pushing 11.5 hours a night with two naps in the day. Naps last about 1.5 to 2 hours and it gives me time to shower for nap one and then do chores for nap two. Free time? What the hell is free time? Free time ends up biting me in the butt when I waste time on the computer/couch/bed and get nothing accomplished. Booo. Sometimes I do allow myself to be a lazy momma though. Sometimes...

-making tons of sounds these days. I can't think of a time today when her pacifier wasn't in her mouth (for naps and such) when she wasn't hollering out some "words". Girl is a chatter box. Hmmm, wonder where she got that from?

-still loving her Dada on the computer. She is a major show off for him and her facial expressions and the sounds running from her mouth let us know that she is 100% communicating with him. It's so awesome.

-starting to protest things she doesn't like by fighting back with her body. Meaning, she will twist and turn and push off her carseat when she doesn't want to get in it, give me the stiff leg treatment when she doesn't want to be in the pack and play, and hold onto my shirt for dear life in an effort to avoid being put on her back for a diaper change. Strong willed, for sure.

-pulling herself up in the crib and pack and play and then gnawing on the railings.

-funny when she stares into the video monitor when she wakes up and it freaks me out because although I know she has no idea what it is, I feel like she knows I can see her through it. She's saying, "Uhhhh, I'm up now Mommy, come get me please!"

-opening up drawers like crazy. She already picked through Grandma's filing cabinet this morning and threw most of the important documents all over the floor.

-following me everywhere I go and climbing up my legs when she wants to be held.

-very heavy. Where are arms muscles?

-still growing that hair but we are no where near getting any bows or ribbons on her head. Boooo! I've been growing her collection, though!

-attached to her blanket that she uses in the crib. She now grabs it when I go to pick her up after she wakes up and brings it with her. It's officially a security blanket.

-ummm, just overall awesome. I'm sure I've missed loads of things but I guess those are the biggies.

Ava has this scent to her that is impossible to wash away. It is, without a doubt, the best smell in the entire world. It's that sweet baby goodness that is just so personal to her and when we're apart I can still smell it. Aaaah, I just love her so much.

I will try and do a Curt and Moe update tomorrow and then hopefully just get back into the swing of my blogging. I love doing random updates and everything but this past month was busy with vacations and parties... Tough life, I know.

Until next time...
(..and no, I didn't proof read. too lazy. too tired.)