Best Birthday Weekend

I just turned the big 2-9 and although we kept the special day low key, I had the best time with my family and friends. Curt took TWO WHOLE DAYS off from work to hang out with me. We intended on going to the Brad Paisley concert in Greenville and once we got online to buy our tickets, Curt realized the concert was in SOUTH Carolina. Silly Boy. He did still take his two days off and we took Ava to a really fun kids museum in Raleigh. I pretty sure she either got her nasty cold/diaper rash from the two new teeth she's about to cut OR the millions of toys she manhandled last week at both playdate and the museum. Oh well, germs make her stronger! (Not sleeping well at night, hmmm, that's another story...) This museum was great for Ava and although I do think she'll enjoy it a hundred times more in about a year, she still had an absolute blast while she was there.





Curt played Mr. Mom a lot this weekend and I have to say, I could get used to this! On Friday night I had a CRUD scrimmage at the o-club on base. Guess what kids? I love me some CRUD! I'm a tad more aggressive than I thought I'd be and I seriously get excited for practice and all that goes along with it. Curt and Ava tried to come and watch but she didn't quite understand why I wouldn't hold her and play with her so after about 30 minutes, Da took her home. We tried!!!



Oh ,and on Saturday night I had my first "Princess Party" which is a fun way for the spouses in the "Chiefs" (get it? princess and chief?) to get our own "Princess" name. I still have one more party to prove my worthiness but I think I'll manage. I made a batch of white chili was turned out to be the most popular dish there. Who woulda thought? We played some goofy games, had lots of food and drinks, and had our tribal council where 4 out of the 5 girls were named. I'll get mine in about a month!





Finally, last night we had our really good friends here to celebrate my birthday at the house. I made a HUGE pan of baked ziti and we had tons of fresh veggies and homemade salsa. So GOOD. My friend from high school, Nicole, also came over last night to hang out with us and it was just perfect. I didn't want this weekend to end...

As far as Ava, she's doing so awesome. (Nasty cold aside, of course...) She's a talking machine!!! We have some NEW ones, too! Instead of signing "more" she now says, "Mo"! So proud! She has also learned to ask for her drink of choice. Either "mlk" (milk) or "ju" (juice). She also says "hop" and "bop" (thank you, Barney!), and "ouse" (aka: mickey MOUSE!). Ava also has a favorite picture book that she used to love to read every night with my dad. She can pretty much point out every thing in that book that I ask her to find. It's quite impressive. Of course now, she prefers to point and label herself. She likes to point to the "babee" and the "ba-oll", or the "bottle". She's moved onto a fast paced walk, or something that looks like running. We had our first teeth plant into the hardwood floor this weekend and based on the amount of blood coming out of her mouth we were convinced she lost her front tooth. Never has she screamed so long or loud after a fall. What else? Oh- I also need to get this on video but Ava picks up on the hand and dance motions to songs so quickly. She's completely mastered "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Gumdrops", "Green Grass Grows", "Happy and You Know It", and "Oh Mr. Sun". Amazing. My kid is like a mini-Curt. His smarty pants ways are constantly impressing me too. She still loves puzzles and I bought 6 more to feed her obsession. She is eating like a champ, although we're still stuck in the nasty pruee'd goodies. She eats like 5 jars a day! She still loves crackers, chips, and anything else salty and crunchy. I'm trying to be patient and I look forward to the day where she wants to eat spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, chicken...the works. I'm sure we'll get there soon!!! She has her 18 month appointment coming up in a few weeks and with that comes her statistics, immunizations, and some answers to the infamous head tilt. More below...

So, Momma's out there. I watch Ava like a hawk trying to determine how often and when I notice she tilts her head to the side. I try and see if she's doing it only during certain activities, certain times of the day (in relation to being tired), and how long it stays tilted. What I've noticed is this. Ava is 100% right handed. Whenever she sits down to play with something, she always sits to the side of it so she can use her right hand. With that position comes her head tilt because she is looking down at the toy and off to the side because of where she sat. I notice in playgroup and other places with kiddos her age that it's not really common in other children. She also constantly has a toy in her left hand. So she's playing with the right hand and has her left hand gripping a toy. I may have to take a picture so you can see what I'm rambling on about. Another thing that I've come up with is Ava has never had a good track record for napping well. She goes down for a nap with no problem but the length of her nap time has always been inconsistent. So, back when she was an infant I dealt with this by holding her for all her naps. I would cradle her in my arms and the way her head rested in my arm caused me to stretch her neck in the exact direction that it's tilted. Our physical therapist and previous pediatrician thinks this is irrelevant. Me, I'm not convinced it didn't play into the problem. We're talking 3-5 naps a day in my arms for about 2-3 months. Oh geez. I know I'm not a doctor, but like I've mentioned a million times before, I think Curt and I will be so happy once we get a answer.

Our house is slowly but surely coming together. We've hung a couple things here and there which has started making things look much more like home. We still have lots to do and buy so I'm going to hold out on the pictures until it's all completed. The next big buys are looking like screening in the porch, patio furniture, and a fence for the yard. We do not want a dog yet so yes, we're trapping in our kid. She's a wanderer! Plus, I don't want any "Stranger-Dangers" lurking around my property. Not to be a downer, but have you ever done a sex offender check for your area? You should do it! No matter where you set up camp, I guarantee you'll have an offender registered within 5-10 miles of your nice, residential neighbor hood. It's a scary world out there and I'm not willing to take any chances! We're getting a security system installed here shortly. (PS: Our neighbor hood is completely safe but when Curt's away I just feel so much better making sure Ava and I are taken care of...)

On a much lighter note...

Pillow Fight!!!!



I put most of my pictures and videos on FB because it's quick and easy. Video uploading on here drives me crazy! I hope you enjoy the pictures, though!
I'll leave you with my latest obsession. Hurry Up, Spring!!!!!!! (Summer, you can keep your distance. We've never been all that close any way...)