Dance Time!

"DAD! What are you doing back there?"


Sweet moves...


When Ava is SUPER grumpy Curt feels she is in need of some "Dance Therapy". That's right, "Dance Therapy". That basically means they go into the computer/closet/spare/junk room and get down to some itunes. It truly works because once the music and dancing stop in between songs, she goes from smiley to scream-y. Thankfully Curt has the energy and patience to help Ava unwind after her hard days of eating, sleeping, and filling her diaper.

This face is priceless...


I think she's spent...no more dancing!!!

Happy Halloween?

Okay, so I'm a terrible blogger if I don't have any pictures to share. Isn't that sad? Well, good news. We (Curt) have learned how to upload pictures onto the IMAC from our new camera, so be prepared for a couple posts as I update you on the past few months!

Ava is so spoiled by our family and friends! Gretchen is our great friend, who most of you know, that is now stateside and she has sent Ava so much amazing stuff. Ava didn't have a Halloween costume because I really never got around to finding something. So, Gretchen to the rescue! She had planned in advance to have a pumpkin suit at our house just in time for the holiday. Awesome... I was so happy when I opened the package because this meant she wouldn't have to go to her first squadron Hallween kid's party in something boring! So, here she is in all her cuteness. Curt placed her in some leaves for fun-clearly she's enjoying herself.

Wireless!

About 9 months ago Curt did something unimaginable! Now, he's a pretty smart guy so this will have to go down as one of his not so smart moments. He was told that the plug on our Dell desktop was dual voltage and he could plug it into an adaptor and then right into the wall. I guess you could say he needed more information because he learned very quickly that there is a small red switch on the back of the tower you need to flip BEFORE you do this. If you could only imagine the bang/crack/smashing sound that I heard down the hall you would know how we instantly realized that he made a big mistake. It sounded like a firework went off and all I said was, "ARE YOU OKAY?". His response was "dammit"...and then silence.

We then said goodbye to all our files and such that weren't saved yet on the external hard drive and decided that we needed to get our other desktop up and running.

The point of this long story is that when Curt blew up our computer he destroyed our wireless. Yes-no laptop. No Internet. I was so bummed!!! After months and months of being too busy to work on it, being TDY, and even failed attempts to fix it...our wireless is FIXED! I've been planted in front of the IMAC in our bedroom for a considerable amount of time (ummm, all day!) with Miss Ava napping and waking up to play right by my side. It's been wonderful...

Aaah, the little things in life really make my day lately.

Finally, last I looked we have over 400 pictures (yes-400+) of Ava to upload and share. Expect them shortly...

From Jen:

This was given to me as a suggestion from my great friend Jen who said she thinks of my (new) family when she hears it. I officially love this song, it's called "It Won't Be Like This For Long", by Darius Rucker---yea, the Hootie and the Blowfish guy. :) It's about a Dad and his little girl and it's just great. Definitely give it a listen. And yea-I cried when I heard it for the first time(and everytime after that-which was a lot). She's only 2 months old and she's growing so fast, it's honestly scary how quickly it's happening. We just love her so much. We just feel like we want to give her all the love that we have, and it feels amazing.

Thanks Jen-I love that you thought of us when you heard it. You're the best...

Mr. Anthony Joseph Santillo

Since I haven't had time to properly write about how overly excited I am for my sister Colleen and her Hubby Steve on their newest little guy, A.J.- I decided I will just up and steal this video that they have on their website to let you all take a look. He's just so stinkin' cute...we can't wait to meet our new nephew! Ava is so excited she has a cousin ALREADY!

Working On It...

So, once I learn how to upload the 4,756+ pictures from our new camera we have taken of Ava I promise I will post something worth reading. My Mom is going to send me some step by step instructions on how to do something I'm sure a monkey could do blindfolded. I'm not so computer literate and I would rather do it right than break our new and expensive toy.

Quick Recap on Team Dougherty:Baby Ava is good. Unfortunately I have started calling her "B" or "Bava". Hopefully I stop soon.
Curt works tons, that's nothing new! Thankfully he responds well to my requests (bossy orders!) once he steps foot in the door.
I'm feeling good, especially since I just slipped into ANOTHER pair of my old jeans. Thank goodness for breastfeeding which is the only reason I have shed an ounce of baby weight. I still love ice cream and eat it whenever I feel like it. I did however start a light workout which is more of a stress relief than anything.
Curt and I are looking forward to our next date night out which is Curt's Christmas party. Yes, I bought a new dress (well, 2...) and I'm totally looking forward to a delicious pint of anything really, and some time with Curt!

I'm hoping to get some time to tell you all about the last 5 weeks over the weekend but I can make no such promise. Life revolves around Ava so we'll have to see how it goes!

Keepin' It Real!

I have only minutes each day to devote to things outside of Miss Ava and today I dedicate them to the blog! Here are a few things I have come to learn since having the baby:

1. I wonder why everyone told me to "Get Sleep!" before the baby was here. Was there a place to stock pile it and then use when needed? If so, please advise...

2. Babies cry a lot sometimes and for no particular reason...that I am aware of. Babies also love to sleep all day and want to hang out all night. Interesting...

3. I miss alone time with Curt! We use to hang out when he got home from work everyday and have a snack together (we NEVER have dinner at the same time because of his work schedule) on the couch. Now he comes home and I immediately pass over Ava so I can do some normal things on my own, like ya know...brush my teeth, take a shower, sleep (small things, really...).

4. Sometimes I look at her and can't help but smile (screaming or not) and be amazed that we created her. I-N-S-A-N-E. Never in my life did I think it was possible to care for someone, worry about someone, and just unconditionally love someone like I love her. It's the best feeling in the whole wide world.

5. Babies spit up at any particular time. My winter wardrobe of cashmere sweaters has been replaced with hanes t-shirts and old hoodies in order to avoid ruining my clothes with an unsuspected shot of old breast milk. Oh, and good thing I invested so much in my handbag collection when all I can carry now is a diaper bag. (thankfully it's a cute one!)

6. "Pumping" is the best thing...ever. Sharing midnight feedings will keep me sane in the next few months I'm sure.

7. Curt is the best husband, ever.

8. Going to base to check the mail requires a great deal of planning in order to avoid a screaming baby rooting on everything her mouth touches for her meal.

9. We have never been as happy as we are right now.

10. Never turn down help or a free meal.