Hey All! So, not much new to report in the Dougherty House. We're pretty settled into our routine these days and aside from some minor hick-ups along the way, we're doing quite well here in Goldsboro. Ava is finally over her ear infection until, of course, she gets another one. Fingers crossed we're at least done until she can verbally communicate with me when something is hurting her. Waiting for high fevers and sleepless nights is just no fun.
Here is what else is new with my busy bee.
First and foremost, we have many new words flying out of her sweet little mouth these days. I would go as far as saying we hear 2-3 new words a week ever since she started actually talking. Lately the favorites are "mouse, shoe, bye, down, cool, socks, car, and binkey". If Ava were writing this, those words would be typed out as "maw-sss, shooooo, bye, coooo, sss-cks, caw, bee-bee". Awesome. She's also now saying "tat?" and pointing to things around the house. She's asking me "what's that?" - WOW!!!! New words honestly make my day. I seriously freak out when she starts on a new one and pretty much find any reason I can to get her to say it again...and again, and again....and again.
This is how she watches Barney some days. Comfortable? Sure!
Ava is also big on Maw-Meeeee and we're basically attached at the hip. She likes to know where I am at all times even when we're just walking around the house. She can often be found playing in her room and over the course of time she'll venture out to check and see if I'm still in the kitchen or on the computer. She peeks, smiles, and then goes back to her room. Oh, and if she notices that I'm dressed and getting ready to walk out the door, she insists on being held for fear that I will leave without her. It's not a pretty sight when she's left behind with Da. Lots of tears... I think he understands this is totally normal for Ava and her age, but he misses the days when she was slightly obsessed with him. I'm sure it's just a phase and she'll be back to Da soon enough.
What does make her Da pretty proud these days is her climbing ability. This girl will climb just about ANYTHING. Just yesterday she pushed a toy over to the coffee table and used it as leverage to hoist herself up on top of it. Needless to say I can't leave her alone for long. She's quite ambitious and in some cases she bites off more than she can chew. She loves to climb onto the couch and although she knows how to safely get down, she has been known to get a tad too close to the edge and we did have one minor fall down to the ground. Lovely! Da has also got Ava throwing things overhand, underhand, AND on many occasions CATCHING!!! So proud...
She still loves to tear apart my kitchen, bathroom, office, her bedroom...and the list goes on. As a matter of fact, she's a little more interested in playing with non-toy things around the house. My house is completely Ava proof, yet she manages to destroy most rooms come bed time. Messy Bessy! She does still, however, love her toy room and I love taking her up there. I have a TV up there for me so we can seriously spend hours up there together. Sometimes she plays with me and other times she can entertain herself for what feels like forever. Good investment, that bonus room was. I'm sure we'll never be without a toy room in the future. Where the heck would I put all her junk???
Something that Curt is loving the most these days is spending time with Ava outside and going for walks in the evening if he gets home in time. The take a walk down the street to a stream where she watches the water roll by and she can pick up just about every rock she sees and throw it as far as she can! It's been beautiful outside here in NC and although I know the heat is coming (87 tomorrow!), we're thoroughly enjoying the days and nights of no heat or AC. So, Ava has been really funny lately with her walks. When she's out and about or in the house, she starts to do something that resembles at march? It's so cute because the arms are going back and forth and she picks up her legs and stomps them down. She's usually rambling sweet nothings into the air as she be-bops around and it's just awesome to watch. Such personality! Hmmmm, what else. Oh, well lately, whenever she gets dressed in the morning when it's time to put her pants on she stands up, turns around, and walks backwards to sit down in my lap. She's in reverse! I also keep telling Curt we need to put her in ballet when she turns 2 because she spends a lot of time prancing around on her tip toes as she floats around her toy room. So graceful! She just about runs like a crazy girl and we've had a fall or two which I think is a good reminder to her that she needs to be more careful. No more facial injuries, please. Mommy worries enough, thanks.
Don't mind our lawn. We're hiring professionals, asap.
I'm still taking advantage of the playdate in town but the last two times I went to pick Ava up she was crying! YUCK! I told the girls there that they don't need to listen to her cry for long periods of time but they assured me on both occasions that she had only been crying for a few minutes before I got there. You see, playdate is definitely convenient but it isn't necessary. I usually drop her off so I can run some errands but in most cases, they are errands where she can most certainly come with me, I just think she'd rather be playing. We'll see how next time goes...
We finally got Ava's haircut last week and it was a battle from start to finish. She started a freak out right around the time she was put into a booster seat and had the cape wrapped around her neck. NOT HAPPY. So, I tried to hold her and needless to say, she was inconsolable from that point on. Her hair was only cut because Curt held down her arms and I had her in a head lock. I'm NOT kidding.
Her eating still isn't where it should be, shocking! She does, however, let me know when she's hungry by going over to the pantry and pointing to where her food is inside. She can tell me milk or juice (m-lkkk or juuuuusss) when she's thirsty. She still always asks for crackers and if Da is around, she's looking for a chip (chiii). She throws back tons of purees a day so I'm not worried about her appetite. I'm estimating she's about 27 pounds so my concern isn't with her size. She's having some issues with texture, which stinks seeing how most of the food I'd like her to eat is slimy and wet. She won't go near any meats but I'm about to offer her peanut butter for the first time so hopefully she'll be getting some good protein from that. I hope she likes peanut butter crackers! Any advice on dealing with a picky eater is much appreciated. Remember, isn't not the taste as she'll eat just about anything that is smooth. I'm at a dead end...
We have her 18 month appointment next week so I'll be sure to update on how that goes. Yucky shots. Booooo. I did have a lengthy conversation with her pediatrician last week on her ear infection follow up appointment and he is so not concerned with her head tilt. He basically said, if it were something severe you would have seen a drastic deterioration in her overall health in the past year (as we've been noticing it since she was about 7 months) but because it's either been the same and/or better, it's most likely a result in the way she slept, the shape of her head, blah blah blah. I'm thinking about getting a second opinion. There's got to be a reason, right?
Okay, so that's mostly what's new with Ava... So in a few last bits and pieces, here is what else is going on!
PS: She loves to wear her fancy red shoes from Grandma. I couldn't be more excited... Shopping Buddy!!!!
Curt and I are still decorating our house but I've gotten picky, so it's not done. I promise I will get pictures up when we're finished. I'm putting out a deadline so we don't find ourselves living here for 6 months - year and still not be completely moved in. Seeing how we'll only be here 3 years, spending one of them moving in is just crazy.
Curt, Ava and I are doing a photo shoot with TLohse this Saturday and I can't freakin' wait! I have some many ideas. So many outfits... Oh man, I'm happy.
For Easter we're blessed with amazing friends to spend our time with and I'm really looking forward to Church and all the fod and festivities to follow. We're off to a brunch after church and then to dinner in the evening. It's perfect timing and I can't wait. I'm sure there will be tons of pictures of Ava in her Easter Dress hunting for eggs!
My sister is flying down to Raleigh next weekend and she's going to help me drive back to PA where Ava and I will spend 3 weeks with our families. SO EXCITED! Ava has gotten so much bigger since we were last home in January so I can't wait to go back for a visit. I hope she does well on the drive and even more so, I hope she can sleep well up there! I feel like every time we have an illness or a change in routine she has trouble getting back into a good sleeping pattern. We've done "cry it out" like 3 times since she was 7 months. Granted, I need to stop babying her when she is sick and letting her crash on the couch or letting her sleep with us when she wakes up at 2 am, so it's really all my fault. I justify it to myself by just simply saying, I can't watch her suffer when she's sick. I just can't... I always deal with the problem when she's healthy.
Curt has been working A TON. Do you sense a pattern here? He's taken on a job that is meant for two people so he's swamped. Oh, and he's started his masters program this month as well. Good times. It's only one class that meets one night a week, so it's not bad at all. It's just another thing on his plate. I guess he's the "real" busy bee in this house! Curt's a great dad and an awesome provider for Ava and I and although it may seem kinda crummy at the time, I know his motivation and hard work now will pay off later. (I hope!)
I think this blog has rambled on long enough so I leave with this... I hope you all have a wonderful Easter!
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