So, Ava is napping. Laundry is working. Dishes are clean. Toys are (sorta) cleaned up.
Could this be?
Do I have a “free” minute?
Hmmm, this is rare. So, I thought I’d take advantage and write up a quick bloggy blog!
Not much to report here in PA these days. Ava adjusted quite well once we first got to my parents house and we only had one bad experience with her sleeping in her old crib. Aside from a first day of adjusting to her old bed, she’s been kicking butt in the sleep department. We had a small bought with the stomach flu and it was hellacious from start to finish. This bug rocked her world and everyone in it. Just think...clingy, crabby, tired, crying, barfing, fever, and NO appetite for food or drinks. Oh, did I mention is lasted about 6 days? Nightmare. We ended up in the emergency room after a call to the nurse helpline and her advice was get to a doctor, and quickly. Evidently dehydration in a toddler is no bueno. My main concern wasn’t necessarily the clingy and crabby symptoms as much as the dry diapers even after 12 hours of sleeping and the dry heaving. So, off to the ER we went. They decided she wasn’t dehydrated *yet* but if she didn’t start taking in fluids that day, then and there, they would do an IV just as a precautionary measure. I can’t be sure, but I think Ava would all but freak out if they strapped her down to a table and inserted an IV. Could you imagine? So, they started her on some anti nausea medicine which THANKFULLY was enough to get her to take some juice and even a bit of milk that afternoon. What a fiasco! Since she was able to keep those liquids down we were pretty much in the clear about 24 hours after all the drama went down. Of course, with my luck, this all happens on a Sunday in PA where I’m a few states away from an urgent care center that takes my insurance, or even a doctor that she could see. Drama, friends. Drama. It took Ava about 3-4 days to get her appetite back and I will say that it’s still not as good as it used to be. Poor girl...
Aside from all the yucky sickness, we’ve been enjoying our time in PA. Of course, it’s going too quickly. We miss Curt a whole lot so we’re looking forward to getting back to NC this weekend so we can hang out with Da until he goes away again for work. Busy bee, that guy. We’ve been taking lots of videos lately just to make sure he doesn’t feel like he’s missing too much! I’m uber jealous of his work destination right now, I wanna go to Alaska! We’re planning on taking our honeymoon (5 years after we said “I do”) this summer on an Alaskian cruise and I am super excited! Most of you know I hate the heat so my idea of a good vacation doesn’t involve sandy beaches and hot temperatures. I’m weird. I know. Plus, I hear that Alaska is just beautiful in the summer so it’s the perfect match for Curt and I.
Things have been quite chaotic since I’ve been here so I didn’t even see friends until last night! Hopefully I can get a few more of my own “playdates” lined up before we head back south. Ava, on the other hand, has been loving her time spent with her bff, AJ. They’re just obsessed with each other. OBSESSED. AJ must kiss Ava at least 10 times a day. He’s just such a cutie! It’ll be tough to say goodbye again in a few days. Poor kiddos...
Ava’s been growing up by leaps and bounds since we’ve been home. I can’t believe how much different she is with each passing day. She even looks different! Less baby fat on her cute little cheeks, her hair is longer, her 24 month pants are fitting better (I couldn’t do the 18 month pants anymore, they were flood pants!), and she’s just a sponge with what goes on around her.
Here’s some of my favorite new things she’s picked up...
-Telling Maggie (our big golden retriever) to “Sit!” whenever she wants to give her a cookie!
-Asking AJ politely to “share? share? share?”, when she really just wants to take whatever toy he’s playing with and keeping it for herself.
-Counting!!!!!!!! She is a counting machine. This girl counts EVERYTHING. “One... Tee-ooo... Tree...” It’s super cute. I’m so proud!!!! (Check out the video on FB that we posted....)
-Walking around the house with the phone to her ear pretending to have a conversation even starting with a “hello” and some brief pauses in between her rambling to make sure she leaves time for her “Da” to talk. Of course he’s on the other end...
-Calling out for her “Poppy!” when she wants him to read her the book that they share daily. Oh, and evidently he’s the only one who is worthy of sharing her magna doodle with... Lucky Poppy!
-New words. Tons of words, daily. Copying, learning, remembering, using... It’s amazing stuff, friends.
-Asking for “uu-sic” as soon as she gets into the car. Meaning, hurry up Mommy and turn on the music! Her personal fave? Taylor Swift by a long shot.
-Requesting “fries” for every meal. Lovely.
-Calling her Aunt Mariel (aka: “Man-uel”) and Aunt Colleen (aka: Caul-yeen) by name.
-Having a sense of humor! I love watching her laugh at her own antics. Hysterical!
-Reading to herself. She’s big on the animal books. Pointing out a labeling each animal she knows. Piggy! Horsey! Moo! (cow) Howl! (owl) and many more...
-Communicating with Mommy! Ava’s been asking for a lot of the things she wants now by name. Of course, sometimes I just don’t understand what the heck she wants and in that case I say, “Ava, show mommy what you want” and she walks me right over to where I need to be to understand what she’s looking for.
-Chores! Ava is good about putting her dirty clothes in the hamper, putting up her toys when I ask her to (sometimes...), getting Mommy a diaper when she needs a change, closing doors, flipping off lights. I’m going to milk this for as long as possible!
-Dancing. This girl cannot get enough dancing in her life. We really only like the songs that we can do the hand/dance motions to so Barney has been a great resource for this ex-kindergarten teacher in helping Ava get her groove on to some sweet tunes. Our new faves are “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”, “Wheels on the Bus”, and “Clapping Game”. Oh, and I need to get this girl into a gymnastics class, stat. The climbing is out of control! Oh, and while I’m at it she needs some swimming lessons, too. We loves us some bath time before bed. Water Bug, fo’sho.
In a random note, without pushing my ideas and beliefs on anyone else. We’ve agreed on a way to discipline Ava and it seems to be working well! We’ve stuck with the “talk it out” and “timeout” method. You see, Ava’s young. Does she understand what I’m saying to her when she’s done something wrong” Not necessarily. Does she understand my tone of voice? Absolutely. In the beginning of all this I thought that maybe I was going a bit overboard on the timeout’s but over time, guess what? She’s aware of the consequence that would occur if she did something she’s not supposed to and it’s actually worked (most of the time...)! I remind her that if she hits Mommy, she goes to timeout. It’s just one minute, she knows she’s being punished, and she sits quietly, sometimes. Sometimes she’s crying because she’s mad at me. :) I will say that she hits way, way less and is being a better listener when I ask her not to do something. I’m trying to be as consistent as possible so hopefully over time this will be a great way help Ava grow up with some good values and be a kind and respectful young girl! I’m sure you’ll hear more of this in the future!
Oh, my sweet friends. My baby is no longer that, a “baby". She’s in full on toddler mode and although I’m glad she’s finally at a more manageable age, I’m already starting to miss my tiny munchkin days! (Minus the sleep drama, of course.) Perhaps we should start workin’ on making this threesome a foursome...???
Hmmm....
When does Curt get home again?
;-)
Finally... (Part One)
Only one of my most favorite Love Songs, ever. Expect to see it soon on a lil video project I have in mind... Enjoy!
Finally... (Part Two)
Help Me Raise Money For Cancer! I’m doing relay for life in just a few weeks and although soliciting money is so far down on my list of things I like to do, I couldn’t help but just make all my friends aware of what I’m standing up against, Cancer! If you want to help make a difference in the lives of those people out there who are or were touched by cancer, donate to the American Cancer Society! I’m super excited to be a small part of something so big and every little bit helps. I’m honored to be a part of Relay and helping raise awareness. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
http://main.acsevents.org/goto/moeq16
Monday, April 26, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Proud Momma Moments
1) Instead of yelling at me or crying in frustration when she needs something, Ava now asks for “hewp” when she needs “help”. Amen, friends. Amen.
2) Although we have yet to use it correctly, she’s also saying “tank-ooo” when I ask her to say “thank you”. She’ll be a well-mannered, young lady before I know it.
(ps: oh, and another opportunity to post a new picture? i’ll always take it...)
Sunday, April 18, 2010
TLohse Love
Tara is just so fabulous at what she does! We were so excited to meet up with her at Waynesborough Village in Goldsboro to take some updated family pictures. It was great timing because we were also able to get some professional pictures of Ava at 18 months, which is also really nice. It was a beautiful day for taking pictures because it was warm as could be and the sun was shining brightly the entire time. Tara is just so great with Ava and she’s so patient! Ava is at that "independent explorer age" so getting her to pose is just near impossible. Thankfully, Tara was able to get some amazing candid and still shots. I am just so happy with the final product (as always)! I’m sure most of you saw these on facebook, but here are just a ton of my absolute favorites. Enjoy!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Ava: 18 Months
ALREADY? Seriously? Is she seriously one and a half? I was looking at some pictures on my Mom’s computer from when I was living in PA last April and I can’t even believe how much Ava has grown over the past year. She’s such a little girl now. I can’t even believe it.
Well, we had Ava’s 18 month check up this past Friday and it went really well. I love her pediatrician, which makes visits super great, and we learned that she is doing quite well! Some of the biggies were that we knew she was right on par with all the developmental milestones that are set for her age. Gabbing away with new words coming out all the time, climbing, running, breaking rules, pushing her limits...all the good stuff! She’s in the 95% for her head, the 50% for her height, and she’s in the 75% for her weight coming in around 26 pounds. I’m happy to say that her doctor wasn’t too pushy on our food problems that Ava is having at home. She’s clearly getting the nutrients and calories she needs so as far as her willingness to try new things, he said don’t push her and she’ll do it when she’s ready. We continue to offer her new things daily and while sometimes she shuns it immediately, other times she willing to give it a small taste or a quick lick to see what it’s all about. We’re working on it! The other night she ate a couple bites of pizza and I think I ran outside and did a few cartwheels in the yard due to my extreme excitement. Aaahhh, the little things. For her head issue, both of the pediatricians on base have expressed to me how unconcerned they are with what I’ve described to them. They basically said that if it were something serious she would do it all the time, it would be getting progressively worse, she would have major side effects that would have shown up by now, and it doesn’t help that every time I take her to the doctor’s office she’s not doing it. Oh, and did I mention she hasn’t done it for the past few days? So weird... I’m going to keep my eye on her and I have to say, I was surprisingly okay with the reasoning and explanation that our doctors had to give us regarding my concerns. I can’t help it, I love her madly!!! I was actually excited to get her all up to date on her immunizations but of course her records were never updated in the computer to show all the shots she received while we were her in PA. Because my sister was coming into town that day I didn’t have time to wait for them to go through all the paperwork so even though I was going to try and come back later on that afternoon, we just simply ran out of time. Yuck! We left for PA the following morning so it looks like we’ll have to wait until we go back to NC in a few weeks to get Ava current. No yucky illnesses for us, thanks!
So, I’m here in PA for a few weeks while Curt is off training for work. I’m really excited to be home and I can’t wait to catch up with some friends and go out on the town with my sisters. I miss PA so much and I often find myself cruising around Chester County daydreaming about when Curt and I will pack up our family and head back north for good. We usually find ourselves planning our future dream house and all the wonderful things it will have inside. It will be just the right size with all the small details that we love throughout the house. One thing is for sure and that is when we do settle down, we’ll build from the ground up and make sure we’re nestled in a quiet neighborhood with big yards and lots of trees. I’m all about the privacy and a space to call my own. Someday...
Unfortunately someone hit my car the other day and I’m super upset about it. I mean, I finally get a brand new car at 29 years old and some jerk hits me in a parking lot and doesn’t even own up to it! RUDE. I can’t even explain how angry I was when I saw it. Just wrong...
Our drive up from NC to PA was pretty uneventful. Oh wait. That’s a lie. While approaching Baltimore Ava drank too much from her juice cup and then her goldfish got swallowed funny...which means we had an “upchuck” incident on 95 north. She was pretty freaked out after it happened and because I was driving and couldn’t help out, I had to pull over (scary!!!) and move to the back seat to I could attend to her screaming and smelly clothes. Good times. Mariel AND Colleen were both in the car with me so that made the drive way better. Colleen surprised me with her trip down because I only thought it was Mariel who was helping out that weekend. It was a great surprise! They got to check out my new house and visit with Curt some before we left the next day. Our family is ALL about the surprises...
We already miss Curt tons but we get to talk to him a few times each day. We like to call him and leave him silly messages while he’s at work and he said he really likes to hear from us even if he’s away from his phone. We’re big on the kisses and the “nigh, nigh” so we make sure that we at least leave Da some kisses on the phone even if he’s not around. Makin’ it work, people!!! Makin’ it work...
I’m hoping to be a good blogger while I’m here so hopefully more stories and pictures come soon! Ava adjusted well with her sleeping here but I still need to be prepared for an early wake up! I’m off to bed, my friends. Until next time....
(Sorry for the lack of pictures but they’re all on our home computer...and most are already on FB!)
Well, we had Ava’s 18 month check up this past Friday and it went really well. I love her pediatrician, which makes visits super great, and we learned that she is doing quite well! Some of the biggies were that we knew she was right on par with all the developmental milestones that are set for her age. Gabbing away with new words coming out all the time, climbing, running, breaking rules, pushing her limits...all the good stuff! She’s in the 95% for her head, the 50% for her height, and she’s in the 75% for her weight coming in around 26 pounds. I’m happy to say that her doctor wasn’t too pushy on our food problems that Ava is having at home. She’s clearly getting the nutrients and calories she needs so as far as her willingness to try new things, he said don’t push her and she’ll do it when she’s ready. We continue to offer her new things daily and while sometimes she shuns it immediately, other times she willing to give it a small taste or a quick lick to see what it’s all about. We’re working on it! The other night she ate a couple bites of pizza and I think I ran outside and did a few cartwheels in the yard due to my extreme excitement. Aaahhh, the little things. For her head issue, both of the pediatricians on base have expressed to me how unconcerned they are with what I’ve described to them. They basically said that if it were something serious she would do it all the time, it would be getting progressively worse, she would have major side effects that would have shown up by now, and it doesn’t help that every time I take her to the doctor’s office she’s not doing it. Oh, and did I mention she hasn’t done it for the past few days? So weird... I’m going to keep my eye on her and I have to say, I was surprisingly okay with the reasoning and explanation that our doctors had to give us regarding my concerns. I can’t help it, I love her madly!!! I was actually excited to get her all up to date on her immunizations but of course her records were never updated in the computer to show all the shots she received while we were her in PA. Because my sister was coming into town that day I didn’t have time to wait for them to go through all the paperwork so even though I was going to try and come back later on that afternoon, we just simply ran out of time. Yuck! We left for PA the following morning so it looks like we’ll have to wait until we go back to NC in a few weeks to get Ava current. No yucky illnesses for us, thanks!
So, I’m here in PA for a few weeks while Curt is off training for work. I’m really excited to be home and I can’t wait to catch up with some friends and go out on the town with my sisters. I miss PA so much and I often find myself cruising around Chester County daydreaming about when Curt and I will pack up our family and head back north for good. We usually find ourselves planning our future dream house and all the wonderful things it will have inside. It will be just the right size with all the small details that we love throughout the house. One thing is for sure and that is when we do settle down, we’ll build from the ground up and make sure we’re nestled in a quiet neighborhood with big yards and lots of trees. I’m all about the privacy and a space to call my own. Someday...
Unfortunately someone hit my car the other day and I’m super upset about it. I mean, I finally get a brand new car at 29 years old and some jerk hits me in a parking lot and doesn’t even own up to it! RUDE. I can’t even explain how angry I was when I saw it. Just wrong...
Our drive up from NC to PA was pretty uneventful. Oh wait. That’s a lie. While approaching Baltimore Ava drank too much from her juice cup and then her goldfish got swallowed funny...which means we had an “upchuck” incident on 95 north. She was pretty freaked out after it happened and because I was driving and couldn’t help out, I had to pull over (scary!!!) and move to the back seat to I could attend to her screaming and smelly clothes. Good times. Mariel AND Colleen were both in the car with me so that made the drive way better. Colleen surprised me with her trip down because I only thought it was Mariel who was helping out that weekend. It was a great surprise! They got to check out my new house and visit with Curt some before we left the next day. Our family is ALL about the surprises...
We already miss Curt tons but we get to talk to him a few times each day. We like to call him and leave him silly messages while he’s at work and he said he really likes to hear from us even if he’s away from his phone. We’re big on the kisses and the “nigh, nigh” so we make sure that we at least leave Da some kisses on the phone even if he’s not around. Makin’ it work, people!!! Makin’ it work...
I’m hoping to be a good blogger while I’m here so hopefully more stories and pictures come soon! Ava adjusted well with her sleeping here but I still need to be prepared for an early wake up! I’m off to bed, my friends. Until next time....
(Sorry for the lack of pictures but they’re all on our home computer...and most are already on FB!)
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Teach Me Somethin' New!
I love teaching Ava new things because I'm constantly amazed at how quickly she can learn things and even more importantly, retain whatever it was that I was showing her. About a week or so ago I said, "Ava, how old is Ava?" Of course, she looks at me like I have three heads, so I tell her, "You're one!" and I hold up my pointer finger while doing so. Well, ever since then when you ask Ava how old she is, she points her little finger to the sky and as of today she also says proudly, "one!".
Impressed.
Then again, she has been creeping over to the window lately and attempting to eat the wood around it. Oh, and she loves walking through the house making a "fishy face".
So...
This photo above is kinda funny because as you can see she was watching Curt mow the lawn for a good 30 minutes from her bedroom window. She kept calling his name but didn't realize there was no way he could hear or even see her. She tried to climb out the window but again, unsuccessful. Guess she'll just have to play with boring ol' Mommy...
PS: Sorry I love bragging about my kid so much lately. She also has tantrums daily ( usually involving whether or not she is required to wear clothes that day, as seen in the above pictures) and we're going through a lovely "hitting" phase as well. That, of course, isn't as fun to brag about.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Easter Weekend
**Blogger is being weird this morning so I'll try to upload my pictures tonight!**
We had such a fun weekend surrounded by friends for the holiday. Even though we couldn't be home with family, this was the next best thing! We spend Saturday morning with the most fabulous TLohse taking some pictures. We were really looking forward to the warmer weather coming around so we could update our family photos. Thankfully, it was absolutely beautiful this weekend. We were graced with a sunny and warm Saturday and we met up with Tara at Waynesborough Park for our shoot. It was a cute, historical town with a school house, doctor's office, post office, and all the works. There was even a couple great bridges we took advantage. As always, I'm really excited to see how these pictures come out. Tara just has the magic touch. Since Ava is so on the go these days she was all about running around and exploring the grounds. We had the best time!
Easter Sunday was spent at church in the morning and then off to the Lohse's for the best brunch I've had in a long time. Delish! I seriously sampled everything. We have some great goods on our hands here so I had to take advantage. Tara and some of the other mom's that were there helped put together a really fun egg hunt for the kiddos. Ava loved it! She caught on really quickly as she already loves to filled up any empty box or basket that is lying around the house. She made out pretty well considering she was the youngest one there! Since Ava isn't interested in candy just yet her Da made sure that nothing went to waste. So thoughtful, that Da of hers. What's kind of funny is that Ava came across as egg with the soccer ball pattern all over it and since it was clearly unlike all the other eggs she'd already collected, she promptly threw it right back out into the grass! No worries, I'm sure someone else found that lonely egg.
I'm super pumped for this coming weekend because Aunt Mariel is coming down to visit. She's even going to brave the ride back up to PA with Ava and I so we can come back home for a few weeks while Curt is away for work. We're going to have lots of fun with Aunt Mariel, even though she'll only be here for a day or two. Ava has so much to show her!
I'll leave you with our newest Ava'ism. She is now obsessed with walking around and saying with much animation, "Oh No!". Not sure where she picked that up from, but I'm assuming I've said that to her on many, many occasions. It's super cute and again, I'm just loving how much she's grown with her chit-chatty ways. What a big girl!
We had such a fun weekend surrounded by friends for the holiday. Even though we couldn't be home with family, this was the next best thing! We spend Saturday morning with the most fabulous TLohse taking some pictures. We were really looking forward to the warmer weather coming around so we could update our family photos. Thankfully, it was absolutely beautiful this weekend. We were graced with a sunny and warm Saturday and we met up with Tara at Waynesborough Park for our shoot. It was a cute, historical town with a school house, doctor's office, post office, and all the works. There was even a couple great bridges we took advantage. As always, I'm really excited to see how these pictures come out. Tara just has the magic touch. Since Ava is so on the go these days she was all about running around and exploring the grounds. We had the best time!
Easter Sunday was spent at church in the morning and then off to the Lohse's for the best brunch I've had in a long time. Delish! I seriously sampled everything. We have some great goods on our hands here so I had to take advantage. Tara and some of the other mom's that were there helped put together a really fun egg hunt for the kiddos. Ava loved it! She caught on really quickly as she already loves to filled up any empty box or basket that is lying around the house. She made out pretty well considering she was the youngest one there! Since Ava isn't interested in candy just yet her Da made sure that nothing went to waste. So thoughtful, that Da of hers. What's kind of funny is that Ava came across as egg with the soccer ball pattern all over it and since it was clearly unlike all the other eggs she'd already collected, she promptly threw it right back out into the grass! No worries, I'm sure someone else found that lonely egg.
I'm super pumped for this coming weekend because Aunt Mariel is coming down to visit. She's even going to brave the ride back up to PA with Ava and I so we can come back home for a few weeks while Curt is away for work. We're going to have lots of fun with Aunt Mariel, even though she'll only be here for a day or two. Ava has so much to show her!
I'll leave you with our newest Ava'ism. She is now obsessed with walking around and saying with much animation, "Oh No!". Not sure where she picked that up from, but I'm assuming I've said that to her on many, many occasions. It's super cute and again, I'm just loving how much she's grown with her chit-chatty ways. What a big girl!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Say Whaaa?!?!
This picture? Ava Monkey: Pre Hair Cut. Hot Mess!
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!
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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