Go, Go, Goers!

Scott and I had our first afternoon alone yesterday when we went to the MN State Fair. Grandma Deb did a great job baby-sitting Ava for several hours. Apparently she (Ava, not Deb) was a little fussy, but it was her first time away from both Mommy and Daddy at the same time, so I'm not surprised! We can't thank Deb enough for giving us the chance to have fun at the fair and not be worried about our little girl! (Although there were a ton of little babies there, and I did miss Ava while we were gone...she's never too young for her 1st cheese curd, right?!?) We had fun this morning at breakfast - I put a pair of John Deere (that's for you, Dad!) keys in her hand, and she actually held onto them for a while. I also brought out her super soft teddy bear/blanket, and she tried to eat it. So, that didn't last too long, but it was fun! We're heading to KC this weekend for a long visit with my parents...they haven't seen her since the end of June, so it'll be fu...

We had the last of our 6-week Mommy & Me class today...all of the babies have come so far since we met for the first time in mid-July. Today we took some really cute pictures of all of the babies and mommies. Here's one of all of the mommies and their babies - there was some serious crying happening during this shot: Here are all of the babies in wagon-wheel fashion - I don't know if you can see it, but Mackenzie (the baby to the left of Ava) has Ava's strap in a death hold...we were joking that Ava was going to have to go home with them tonight if she wouldn't let go. And this one is just too darn cute - I walked away for a second, and Ava was snuggling up to Jack. Looks like there might be some competition for Dylan! :) All in all, this was a great class to take. It offered so much support for all of the new mothers. It also gave us the opportunity to make sure that our babies were doing normal things, and that none of us were alone in the new-mommy phase. I woul...

Ava is two months old today...I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by. I return to work in a few short weeks, and although I'm really excited about our daycare provider (our neighbor), I'm sad to think I won't be spending all day with her. We had her two month check up this morning, and she is a very healthy little girl. Her doctor even commented how good-natured she was. The only yucky thing today was that she received 4 vaccination shots...she cried, but not for long. It just breaks my heart to hear her cry like that. At least we won't have to do that again until her four month check up, and Daddy will be going along with us for that so Mommy doesn't have to suffer alone. So, an update on her stats: 23" long - 96 th percentile 10lbs, 14oz - 50 th percentile 15cm head - 50 th percentile Looks like she's still tall and skinny! As my friends have commented, "She's going to be built like her mom!" I hope she's taller than me,...

Today we had lunch with a bunch of co-workers from BI, and my cousin-in-law, Dawn. Ava did a great job at the restaurant...she let Emilie feed her a bottle, and was pretty content for the remainder of the meal...until the end when she decided she was done being the happy baby, and started crying non-stop. Luckily, she calmed down when I held her, but I still felt bad that no one had a chance to hold the happy baby! These pjs are just too cute...this was right after she had a bath the other day. I wish I could get a pair in my size! Also, I had posted some black & white "artwork" by her changing pad. She loves to look at it, talk to it, and hit it! I put a rattle in her hand and she got a few good shakes out of it before she dropped it - I think she was distracted by the fine artwork!

Ava loves taking baths, thank goodness! We were bathing her last night, and we both noticed that she's almost outgrown the newborn sling that came with the bathtub we bought for her. Scott was making her splash in the water...it should be fun next summer to take her to a pool to see how she does there. On a non-Ava note, by dear hubby purchased a new addition for the backyard...check these out! We think they will end up in front of the garden - this may be the closest we ever get to living on a farm. Consider this a tribute to my dad! :) Have a great weekend!

Last night, Scott and I took Ava, Spanky, Darla, and Lucky for a walk. Scott managed the dogs, while I managed the baby. The dogs had a great time, pulling, barking, sniffing, and generally getting tangled up with their leashes. Ava must have been bored - check out this photo! By the end of the walk, she was fast asleep... I also took this photo of her asleep in her swing - I kept trying to prop her head up, and it kept falling. She seemed content to have it rest like this, no matter what I did!

Yesterday, Ava and I took a road trip to Wisconsin to visit my friend Lisa and her new son, Dylan. Dylan was born exactly one month after Ava, and we've been joking that they will be boyfriend/girlfriend. Their first meeting was pretty uneventful until we put them in the crib together. Ava reached for his hand (ok, she was probably just stretching, but the placement of it was perfect!) and then she got a big grin on her face. Dylan was in a milk-coma and didn't respond, but that's ok, Ava will be persistent! Have a great weekend!