ENT Follow-up

Yesterday Ava had her follow-up appointment with Dr. Karlen, her ENT Dr. She got a great report. Her hearing is now normal, the tubes look great, and her ears look great. We've had no infections since they were put in. We won't have to see him again unless she starts to get infections or if the tubes don't fall out on their own in two years.

Daddy was able to come to the Dr's appt. with us which was nice. He then hung out with Ava last night so that I could go out and have dinner with some friends. Cafe Latte cheesecake...life doesn't get much better than that! :)

Today we got off to a rough start. Ava was up early and was CRANKY!!! She was either whining or crying for the first three hours. Finally I put her in her crib, closed the door, went to my room to fold laundry and closed my door, and turned on the TV so I couldn't hear her. I have never let her "cry it out" before. I said that I would wait 8 minutes. After 6 1/2 minutes (but who was counting) she was out cold. She slept for almost an hour and a half. She woke up in a much better mood! She is getting another molar on top. I'm hoping that is what is causing the crankiness, meaning that it's only temporary. She is such a "strong willed" little thing. I keep telling myself that in 25 years this will be a good thing. I went to put her in her carseat after her appt. yesterday and she was mad that I took the car keys away from her. She stuck out that belly of hers, arched her back, and she slid right out of the carseat before I could strap her in. What happened to my sweet angel baby? I think that the little beast toddler is taking over! I thought this wasn't supposed to happen until they turn 2! What can I say...I guess she's just advanced. :)

Ava is going through a stage where she wants to wear her hats when she sees them in the closet. This morning she didn't want just one, she wanted 2. This goes for shoes as well. She never keeps them on when she's supposed to, but now she constantly brings me her shoes and wants to wear three different pairs at one time.

You would think that she could walk on her own the way that she pushes this stroller around. She'll pick it up and throw it to the side if something is in the way. We still haven't quite mastered the balancing act of walking on our own though.

Toddler room?!?

I picked Ava up from daycare this afternoon and as we were getting ready to leave, her teacher told me that Ava will be visiting the "toddler room" next week. I was informed that when they turn 15 months they start making daily visits to the toddler room and eventually transition in there by the time that they are 16 months. All I could think was, "Toddler? What are you talking about? She's my baby! She's not big enough to be in the toddler room!". Unfortunately I think that I'll still be feeling this was 16 years from now. So, next week our little girl will be heading over to the big kids room. I'm hoping that I like the "teachers" there as much as I have in the infant room. They are wonderful and I love reading Ava's daily reports of what she ate, what she played with, etc. We are so fortunate to have such a good daycare that is so close to our house.

It has been awhile since I have last updated. I'm kind of ashamed to say that I don't even have any pictures to post from the past week. Ava went to daycare last Wednesday through Friday. We all spent the weekend home together and it was wonderful...no road trips, just us!!! We went to the mall and hung out on Saturday. Nate and I rented a movie Saturday night and were both asleep on the couch mid-movie by 9:00. We really are getting old! Sunday we went to church and then got to go and meet Baby Kya. It was great to see Kya's mommy and daddy, and see their new place. We are so excited and happy for the three of them! I even got to squeeze in a little walk outside Sunday evening after we got some much needed housework done.

Ava has spent the last three days at daycare. She's now home for the rest of the week. Tomorrow morning we'll hang out and hopefully go for a walk, and then we have her follow-up appt with the surgeon in the afternoon. I'm anticipating a good report. I can't tell you how nice it is to not constantly have to worry about whether or not she has an ear infection.

Ava has learned something new over the past week...how to throw a fit. That's right, that sweet little girl whom I claimed was an angel for the first 12 months of her life is not so angelic anymore. She has perfected the art of arching her back and crying. This is quite irritating when she needs her diaper changed or when she's in the bath tub. I'm not sure where she learned her great technique from, but I'm not impressed! She has become quite demanding and stubborn at times. She must get this from her Daddy. :) In spite of this, she still blesses us with her kisses and that sweet little giggle (the best sound in the world). Man I love her...even if she is sassy!

A Rufflebutts kind of day

The humidity was high and the thermometer finally went above 70 degrees. That could mean only one thing...time to break out the Rufflebutts. I fell in love with Rufflebutts after Ava was born, and am slightly addicted to them. I've been waiting months for it to warm up so that Ava could wear her Rufflebutt bloomers. I had the day off so we were able to go for a nice walk this morning and then headed to the park after our trip to Target this afternoon. Watching the weather and it looks like tomorrow may be another Rufflebutts day! :)

The first two pictures below are from last night. All of a sudden she loves her Bumbo chair (which I was just getting ready to put in storage). She likes to flip herself around and sit in the chair. Once she gets herself situated correctly she'll look for me and then say, "yay"! Then she'll wiggle her way out and start all over again.

The legwarmers were just on this morning until the temp got above 70 degrees.

Look at that cute booty

We only read this book 12 times today.

On the road again

I apologize that it's been so long since the last update. We have been very busy this past week, and were "on the road again" this weekend. Last weekend I worked my first set of 12 hour nights in years. I survived, but have to say that I'm already dreading doing it again in five weeks. Nate had to work last Saturday morning and I had a funeral to go to so Grandma & Boppa came and got Ava. Ava had a sleep over with Grandma Sat. night, while Daddy, Boppa, and Uncle Wes went to the cabin to put docks in. Thank you Grandma for taking Ava!

Monday I slept, and Tuesday we were out running errands. Ava went to daycare again on Wednesday while I worked, and Thursday we picked Daddy up from work at 4:30 and hit the road. Our first destination was De Soto to spend the night with Aunt Lisa & Uncle Brent. This was a nice stopping point since our final destination was Kansas City. Unfortunately it was late when we got to De Soto so we didn't get to spend much time with everybody. Ava was evidently really excited about seeing them, because she didn't fall asleep until after we got there, which was at 10:15 (her usual bedtime is 7:00).

After seeing Cousins Reece & Zackery for a short time, we were Kansas City bound. Auntie Lisa (#2) & Uncle Craig were kind enough to open up their house to us for the weekend. It was so nice to see them and get to spend some time with them. They are such a huge part of my life, so I'm grateful whenever Ava can spend time with them; as I hope that they will always be a big part of her life as well. We were also very grateful that they have lots of room for her to play, and she had her own room to sleep in. I can't imagine trying to confine her to a small hotel room, and then trying to get her to sleep. We had wonderful weather while we were down there. Saturday Uncle Craig took Daddy & Uncle Wes golfing, while Auntie Lisa, Ava, and I hung out at the house and went for a walk. Auntie Lisa taught Ava a new word, "brrrr" she she touches something cold. Ava was saying it again today, and she thinks she's so funny when she says it. I have to admit, it's pretty cute. I already miss the sun and warm weather (as we watched the temperature drop drastically as we drove home today).

Saturday evening we got ready for the big event...cousin Jenny's wedding. It was a beautiful day for an outdoor wedding, and the venue was gorgeous. Ava had never met Aunt Patty, Uncle Terry, or cousins Kelly, Jenny, or Erin. Ava was all dressed up and so happy to meet them all. It was also great to see other family that we don't get to see very often. Unfortunately you never have enough time to talk and catch up with everybody at events like this. Ava was excited to meet everybody and tell them "hi", but was definitely over tired and ready to go by 9:00 (like I said, she's usually in bed by 7:00). Thank you to the Davis family for a wonderful evening, and a big Congrats to Jenny & David!

This morning marked the beginning of the grueling ride home. We actually made good time. It used to take it 7 hours, and today it took us about 8. But let me tell you, it was a long 8 hours. I spent most of them in the back seat trying to figure out what was going to keep Ava quiet as she flung toys as hard as she could. She was quite over tired but slept less than an hour and a half total all day. We leaked through a diaper and onto her cute outfit. As a mother's day gift, Daddy changed her and her outfit at McDonalds. That's right, nothing says Happy Mother's Day like lunch at McDonalds in Des Moines. Ava consumed more fast food this weekend than I would usually want to expose her to in 3 months. She's more interested in the bun than any meat or fries...she's obviously a woman who loves her carbs. After that it was back in the car. We have this CD that my sister gave me that has all these children's songs that kids are singing. A few months ago Nate refused to listen to it. He now realizes that this CD was actually a gift from God. Between this CD (that Nate now sings along with and whistles to), and us singing MANY versus of "Old McDonald" with exotic animals, we kept Ava quiet for brief periods of time. I did notice that at one point while I was singing she had both of her fingers in her ears. I would like to think it was due to an ear infection, but since she now has tubes perhaps she was trying to tell us to stop.

We are now home, unpacked, and exhausted as we get ready to start our new week. Ava has been sleeping soundly for three hours now and I'm getting ready to head to bed so I can be up early tomorrow for work. We hope that you all had a wonderful weekend, and a Happy Mother's Day to all you moms! I have to say, being a mom is the most difficult and exhausting job. However, when I hear those giggles, see those smiles, and watch her sleep, it's also the most rewarding job.

Now that Ava has her molars, I thought she needed her 1st toothbrush. She actually likes "brushing" her teeth.

At the park in Kansas City

Just hanging around on the monkey bars

Ready to head out on a walk in her new compact stroller that we got for the trip. Too bad she only kept her sunglasses on long enough for me to snap this picture.

Ava & Auntie Lisa getting ready to head out to weddings (they had a different one to go to)

Grandma V, Daddy, Ava, Mommy, & Boppa before the wedding

Ava finally getting to meet Cousin Erin who lives in Colorado

Ava & her men. She has each of them wrapped around her little finger...smart girl she is!

A sweet kiss for Boppa

Ava on the dance floor in hopes of catching the bouquet.

Enjoying a dance with her Daddy

Want a snack?

I have officially become "that mom" that I said I would never be. You know, the one that promotes childhood obesity by feeding their child to make them quiet. Ava and I went to Target today to get groceries and pick up a few things. Usually she'll make it at least 10 minutes before I have to pull out the snack. However, I think that she's now put two and two together...Target=Snack. We hardly made it past the entrance and she was already fussing. So, I gave her a "mum mum" which she immediately devoured in a matter of minutes. I then tried to distract her with some toys. She wanted nothing to do with them. She thought that my purse was more entertaining, even though it was in the back of the cart. This little girl is like a little Houdini. She can somehow twist around and stand up even with that seat belt tightly around her. So, I move my purse to the front next to her (at least she won't fall out of the cart and get a brain bleed this way). So I was once again "that mom". The one who has a list in one hand, coupons in the other, and a daughter with a pen who is writing on her coat while throwing everything out of my purse. It was at that time that I was grateful that I brought a back-up plan...Teddy Grahams! Yes, rather than dealing with the problem, I continued to pump my child full of calories. Is it the proper way to deal with the situation? Probably not, but it got us out of the store without a major meltdown from either one of us. Thank you Teddy Grahams!

Surgery Day

Today was a day for surgeries. Both Great Grandma and Grandma Great had cataract surgery this morning, and Ava got her tubes in. We were up bright and early to get to the hospital by 6:00 this morning. We were greeted by wonderful and cheerful people at Children's Hospital in St. Paul. We got to pre-op and went through all the questions, the child life specialist came in to go over "the mask" with us and Ava and let Ava pick out what flavor of lipsmacker she wanted in the mask (like she knew the diffence). Being my girl she obviously went for the pink one. :) Before we knew it Daddy was taking her into the OR and off to sleep she went in his arms. Twenty minutes later she was back in our arms and was ready to eat and drink. They had warned us that most kids are crying and upset when they wake up from the anesthesia. Ava didn't shed a tear. She did however immediately house a whole container of applesauce and some crackers. :) She did a great job and I have to say that I'm really looking forward to ear infection free days in our future! She is still on the augmentin and her stools were starting to show me that today. So off to the pharmacy we went again to get those darn $30 probiotics. Bring on the yogurt and probiotics. We do NOT want another repeat of the diarrhea situation we had the last time she was on augmentin!!! She's off to day care tomorrow. Please pray that she makes it through the day there without us getting a phone call that we need to pick her up due to "uncontainable stools".


Thanks for checking in on our little peanut, it was indeed a big day for her (and us)!

She seemed fairly happy about being at the hospital at 6 am

A little kiss from a worried Daddy

I loved these little socks with the skids on the bottom. She kept trying to pull the sock off because her pulse oximeter was on her toe. She also got a "fall risk" sticker. I suppose she is since she can't really walk.
Surgery is all done; just having a little snack.

A few more pictures from Easter...
"Look, I found my eggs"
Two of her favorite things this past weekend...Cousin Zack and books
Digging in to her Easter basket at Grandma Great's

Easter, Ear infection, & ER

We had a busy weekend in IA celebrating Easter, seeing family and friends, and meeting new babies. We had our ups and downs to the weekend, as Ava suffered from yet another ear infection and I made my first trip ever to an ER (as a patient) on Easter morning.

We started the trek down on Friday afternoon, as Nate took a half day of vacation so we could get down there early. I offered to drive (which never happens). My eye was bothering me so I quickly took my contacts out and put on my glasses. That lasted about 2 minutes and my eye was killing me. It was horribly red and painful. So, Nate took over driving duties while I sat shot-gun and cried out of my left eye for the next 5 hours. Ava did a great job all the way down to IA.

Saturday morning our friends Lee & Leah came to Grandma & Grandpa's and we got to meet their new baby Tyler. He is such a cutie, and so tiny next to Ava. Aunt Lisa and cousins Reece & Zackery came that morning as well. We also got to see Aunt Darlene, and cousins Carl & Kristin. Ava stayed home with Grandma & everybody else to dye Easter eggs and take a nap, while Nate and I went into Mt. Vernon to see our friends Nate & Meredith, and meet their new little girl Eden (and of course see their little boy Jackson who is so cute, funny, and full of energy). That evening Uncle Brent arrived to Grandma & Grandpa's and we all hung out, including Grandma Great & Great Grandma for dinner.

Sunday morning Ava was up early again (as she was Sat. morning). She was going down late and getting up early. She was spending a lot of time with her thumb in her mouth and her fingers in her ears once again. I'm glad that I got an antibiotic prescription filled on Friday and started her on that. She sadly just wasn't her happy self though. I was not my happy self either. My eye was killing me and I finally decided that I couldn't take the pain anymore. So, as everybody else got ready to go to church my mom and I went to the ER. I luckily didn't have to wait long at the ER. I was diagnosed with a corneal abrasion, given a script for some antibiotics, and we were out the door in about an hour. My eye is now feeling SO much better and looks 100% better. My eye no longer makes me look like a have a crack addiction. We made it back home before anybody else arrived. All of Grandma B's side of the family came over for lunch and the big Easter egg hunt. We lucked out with the weather...it was sunny and not horribly windy. That evening we went up to Grandma Great's house for dinner. Ava had yet another Easter basket there.

This morning we packed up the car and headed north. We stopped at Nana's for lunch and hung out for a little while. Ava was ready to get out of her car seat. We got home and unpacked around 4:00. Just in time for a little play time, bath time, dinner, and bed. It's going to be an early morning tomorrow. We have to be to the hospital by 6:00 AM for Ava's tubes. With that being said, I'm off to bed.

Hoping that you all had a wonderful Easter. Below are some pictures from Grandma B's camera. I'll get the ones of my camera shortly and try to get some on here.

Ava had no problems finding Grandma's "lid" drawer

Meeting Tyler for the 1st time.

Dying Easter eggs with cousins Zack & Reece, & Grandma B

Cousin Zack & Ava. Ava Loves him so much and he takes such good care of her!

"Sooo big"

Story time with Reece & Zack. If Ava had her way she would have sat in that chair all day long and listened to "stories".

Reading her book after church

Our Easter picture. Sadly enough I have on my "ER" outfit while Nate & Ava have on their nice church clothes.

Finding Ava's egg during the big Easter egg hunt put on by Aunt Darlene

Ava & Grandma B after finding all of Ava's eggs

Gradma & Grandpa B. with cousins Anna, Zack, Jakob, & Reece

Ava was not feeling well Sunday evening.

A good-bye kiss from cousin Reece