Happy Birthday

That's right, our big girl turns 14 weeks old today! Oh how we love her!!!

Ava pondering what we were going to do today...

So while we were talking she asked about it...

I told her we were going shopping and this was her response.

Once again concentrating very hard during tummy time (she takes this very seriously)

A few pictures

I've posted a few pictures below of the past couple of days...nothing too exciting. Ava had a very sleepy day yesterday. She took a three hour nap and still slept all night. I picked up a 7-11:30 pm shift at the hospital and Ava went with Daddy to hang out at Uncle Wes' house. She supervised while they put together his new grill. Last night was the first night that I wasn't here when she went to sleep for the night. For some reason I was really sad thinking about that as I headed off to work. I know that it's not a big deal. However, all of the "firsts" are a big deal when it's your first child.

Today we went for a walk and then to Target. This evening we went down to Bloomington to get together with some Luther friends. Ava was a little fussy, but overall she did a great job. It was getting close to bed time when we left so it was understandable. She now fast asleep. I could just stand there forever and watch her sleep, she is just so darn cute!

She has a busy day planned for tomorrow. We need to get everything packed up for this weekend. We're leaving for the cabin on Friday morning right after breakfast. Ava and I have a MNA meeting in St. Paul tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully negotiations went well today and we'll be one step closer to agreeing on a contract rather than a strike. Then tomorrow evening we're going to Grandma & Grandpa Veldman's so that Daddy can help Grandpa load some furniture to take up to the cabin. It's bath night tomorrow and then off to dream land.

We'll hopefully have some fun pictures from the new cabin when we arrive home next week. We're hoping for nice weather but it looks like storms and temps in the low 70's. Oh well, we'll still have a good time.

Daddy had to take a picture of his first meal out of the smoker. It was delicious, especially after working a 12 hr shift.

Ava trying to figure out the rattle

Ava looks abnormally long in this picture

I'm a Survivor

Ava survived her first weekend home alone with Daddy, and I survived my first 12 hour weekend back to work. Saturday morning we had a family friend, Cheryl, come watch Ava while Nate and I were both at work. Rumor has it that she was a very good girl (hopefully Cheryl wasn't just being nice and saying that). We very much appreciated her coming over, as we have yet to find somebody besides Grandma to watch Ava. It's hard to try to find somebody that you trust when you don't know anybody in the area. Daddy and Ava spent Saturday afternoon getting Daddy's smoker ready and testing it out with some chicken. So when I got home from work at 8:15 Daddy had a nice dinner prepared. I quickly ate (as Ava was getting hungry and tired as well), fed Ava, and put her to bed. Working 12 hrs was hard because I hardly got to spend any time with her except for feeding her and putting her down for the night.

Sunday there was a small wardrobe issue. I forgot to set out Ava's clothes (which I do everyday that I'm not home) Sat. night after I got home from work. I called Nate Sunday morning and asked what he had put on her. He said, "that Adidas outfit". Well, the only Adidas outfit that she has is a pink jogging suit that is lined and extremely warm (she sweats in it in the winter). Mind you that it was supposed to be close to 80 degrees on Sunday. Needless to say, after checking her legs to see if she was warm he changed her into a dress (she was probably dripping sweat). She and Daddy spent the afternoon at a BBQ with one of Daddy's friends, and were home by the time that I got home that night. I suppose if the wardrobe issue was the worst thing that happened to her all weekend she had a great weekend! Daddy really enjoyed his time alone with her. I'm glad that they got that time together, and Ava got to bond with her Daddy for a few days.

Yesterday Daddy and Ava went for a walk and then went to Golf Galaxy. I think that he's trying to talk her into playing golf at the age of 13 weeks. This is her second trip to Golf Galaxy. Personally I think that she enjoys shopping at the mall more. I only worked 8 hours yesterday so I got to spend a little time with her last evening. Grandpa came over and helped put a ceiling fan in Ava's room. Thank you sooooo much Grandpa! We know you were tired but we really appreciated it! Daddy grilled us some burgers and we just hung out. We got a phone call from Aunt Lisa asking if we could pick her up from the airport at 8:30 last night. Her flight from Des Moines to PA got cancelled due to weather in Detroit so she was changing her flights around. Daddy went and picked her up and Ava tried her hardest to stay awake for Lisa. Unfortunately she only lasted about 5 minutes after Lisa got here. I wish she could have seen Ava for longer, but she understands. At least she got to see her for a few minutes.

As for today, we just got back from our walk and I'm hoping that Ava will hang out quietly in her chair while I shower. We're going to try to make it to my "new mom's group" at the hospital. I think that this may be our last time. We're not so "new" anymore compared to the 2 week old babies coming in. Daddy just called and said that we might be going to visit Uncle Wes tonight. He evidently got a new grill and would like some help putting it together. Other than that, we're going to try to catch up on some laundry and start gathering up stuff to take to the cabin this weekend. We're leaving Friday morning and are very very excited to see the new place and introduce Ava to all our friends "up north".

I have no new pictures since I worked all weekend. I'll try to post some new ones tomorrow or Thursday.

13 weeks

Wow this week has gone by quickly! Sorry for the lack of updates. It's harder to do the updates now that I've gone back to work. When I get home I just want to play with Ava, and my bedtime isn't to long after hers.

Let's see, what did we do this week? Monday was a very hot and sticky day. We made it out for a walk and were home by 9:15. I was already sweating at that hour. We stayed in all day except for our trip to Target and to Lifetime gym. I wanted to check out the daycare there to see what it is like. Your baby has to be 3 months to go so that's why we waited until now to check it out. I was actually very impressed. It seems very clean and organized. I shouldn't worry about leaving her there considering that I'll be in the same building. However, it's still hard for some reason. I'm going to have to get over it because Grandma isn't going to be able to watch Ava forever. Someday she will have to go to her daycare center. I have no doubt that it will be harder on me than it is on Ava.

Tuesday we had Ava's physical therapy appt. It went well. They didn't have anything to add as far as stretches go. They are impressed with her neck strength, but note that she does still have a bit of a left head tilt. We stopped at Grandma's work on the way to our PT appointment. All the ladies there just loved her up. Ava loves the attention! That afternoon we went to my mom's group. Ava weighed in this week at 15 lbs, 3 oz. Her weight gain has slowed over the past week, but I'm pretty sure she's not starving to death! Wednesday and today I was back to work and Ava spent the day with Grandma. Daddy had a half day of work on Wednesday so he was able to take Grandma and his little girl out for lunch.

Tomorrow I'm going to the eye Dr. again. My eye has been bright red the past couple of days (which is slightly annoying and embarrassing at work). I've been wearing my glasses all day in hopes that it would improve and it hasn't. Ava will be coming to my appointment with me tomorrow. I'm praying that she cooperates and is good. She has been such a good little sleeper all week, sleeping around 9 hours straight. We are soooo lucky!

Well I have to head to bed, I can hardly keep my eyes open. Wishing you a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend! I will be at work all weekend (12 hour shifts). So please say a prayer for Ava and Daddy as they spend their first couple of days alone together.


Daddy & Ava taking a nap after Daddy got home from golf on Sunday...he fell asleep first and for a longer period of time. (if you're looking for Ava among the mess, she's in her swing)

Ava before our walk

Ava after our walk (all snuggled into her moby wrap)

So big at 13 weeks

Take 2

Take 2...that's what we'll be doing. Ava had her photo shoot today at 3:15. She had her little dress on and was looking quite cute. We went outside to get some pictures of her and she wanted nothing of it. We thought we would try a change of scenery so we came inside (it was horribly humid and hot out today). Yeah, the scenery didn't matter. I thought perhaps a wardrobe change may help. I went to go and change her and the little peanut fell asleep on the changing table. She was so exhausted for some reason. Luckily our photographer was nice enough to say that she would come over at a later date and try again. Thanks a lot Ang, we really appreciate it. Just so you know, she woke up from her nap, looked at me and just smiled her biggest smiles (little poop). So, we'll try again in a couple of weeks. Unfortunately she'll be a little older than 3 months, but hopefully she'll be smiling!

Ava and I survived our weekend at home alone. She was such a good girl all weekend!!! We didn't even really have a cranky time. We met up with my friend Molly and her two girls on Sat. for a little shopping and some lunch. It was nice to get out of the house and have some adult conversation. Molly has the sweetest girls, and they may be the most polite children I have ever met. I sure hope that we can instill that in Ava! Ava slept all night again. She has been doing so well with this. We went to church this morning. Unfortunately she had a blowout within the first 15 minutes of church. Hopefully not too many people noticed that she came back from the restroom wearing a different outfit. :) Daddy came home from his golf trip this afternoon. Ava snuggled in and took a nice long nap in his arms this afternoon. She just seems to know when a person needs some snuggle time with her. Daddy and her are now both taking a pre-bedtime nap. Daddy fell asleep first...he's getting to old to stay up late on these "guy's weekend trips".

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Thanks for checking in!

She didn't want to smile; just sleep. It's evidently exhausting being this cute.

12 Weeks

Ava turned 12 weeks old at 5:22 this evening. Every day I am amazed how big she has gotten. The time has gone by far to quickly. I'm worried that the next 18 years may feel that way.

Yesterday Ava and I prepared for me to go back to work. We spent the morning in St. Paul voting on the nurse's contract and pension. For those interested, 90% of voters voted to strike, and there were about 12,000 nurses who voted. We have until June 1st to try to settle a new contract. Otherwise there will most likely be a one day strike. Hopefully it doesn't come to that. Ava and I spent the afternoon reading books and snuggling. She was even nice enough to fall asleep on me and snuggle in for a little nap; just what I needed! Last evening Daddy, Ava, and I went for a nice long walk. She then slept for 9 hours straight again last night. She has been doing great!

Today I headed back to work. I snuck in Ava's room this morning to get one last peek and blow her a kiss before leaving for the day. There were only a few tears as I drove away from the house, knowing that for the first time it wasn't going to be my face that she saw when she woke up. I knew that she was in good hands with Grandma, but it's just so hard to leave. I didn't want her to think that I had abandoned her. I think that she was a little fussy for Grandma today, wondering where I was. Hopefully tomorrow will be a little better. I guess that the long walk that Grandma took her on wore her out. She is sound asleep right now. She's been such a little snuggle bunny tonight. It's like she knew that's what I needed after spending our first day apart.

Grandma will be coming over extra early tomorrow (5:15 am). Daddy is leaving on his annual golf trip up north with the guys. So, it's just Ava and me all weekend. The weather is supposed to be very nice so hopefully we'll be able to get out and enjoy that. Ava also has her photo shoot on Sunday. We hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Ava seems to be enjoying the Bumbo chair a bit more

She likes the Bumbo so much she tries to eat it. She has started to munch on anything that gets close to her mouth.

What a BIG girl!!!

Busy Little Lady

Ava has been quite the social butterfly the past few days. Unfortunately she wants to make sure that she doesn't miss out on anything and has been fighting her sleep like no other. This makes our sweet little angel not so sweet. She gets so over tired and so cranky. She'll cry and cry and isn't quite sure why. She's doing this just in time for me to go back to work. I really hope that this doesn't continue. I'll feel horrible if she does this for Grandma when she comes over to watch her. It's hard enough for me to go back to work when I know that she's at home and happy, it will be even worse if I know she's here crying. I can't believe that I have only one day left at home with her. How quickly time flies. I'm going to miss her so much!

Ava had another party to attend on Sunday. We went to church in the morning and then went to Prior Lake for Todd & Amy's wedding reception. They got married in Mexico in February, and then had a reception back here so that more family could attend. It was a beautiful day outside for the reception at the park. The food was delicious and Ava loved seeing Nana and all the other Aunties, Uncles, & cousins.

Monday we got to go out for an early morning walk before heading to St. Paul for a meeting at the hospital. Ava was very well behaved as I learned more about the different proposals for our upcoming contract. We vote on the contract tomorrow and I'm assuming that the majority will vote to strike. It's a somewhat scary time not knowing what the future holds. It's scary that if we go on strike we don't know the people that will be taking care of "our" patients. Are they good nurses with a good education and good experience? Are they kind and caring, or are they just in it for the money (because they will be making A LOT of money). Time will tell. As I've said before, hopefully it will not come down to a strike. I'm really hoping that negotiations will go well prior to June 1st (when the strike will most likely take place). Anyway, after going to the meeting Ava and I went over to Maple Grove. We picked up a couple "accessories" for her photo shoot which will take place on Sunday. Hopefully she'll be in a good mood and we can get some smiles for her 3 month pictures. After shopping we went over to visit Grandma. We had to put a car seat in her vehicle and make sure that she could figure out the stroller. We had dinner over there, had a minor meltdown, and then came home.

Today we were back at the hospital for our Tuesday group. Ava must have really turned Charlie off last week because he wasn't there this week. Looks like she'll have to find a new boyfriend. Today she weighed in at 15 lbs. Looks like she'll soon be moving into Carter's brand 9 months clothing when she is only 3 months old. I swear, she doesn't look obese (well maybe a little chunky in the thigh area). :)

Tomorrow will hopefully be a day of snuggles, smiles, and little conversations before I head back to work on Thursday. I'll keep you posted on how it goes!

This is one of my favorite images of the day. Every night Nate burps Ava and then takes her up to bed for the night. All I see going up the stairs is this little head with big eyes peering over her Daddy's shoulder. It's just the cutest thing!

Great Uncle Rick and Ava chatting it up at the party. I'm pretty sure they were talking fishing.

Lukas, Nate, & Ava

Nana & Ava. She looks so big in Nana's arms

Ava & Snoopy (Nate's stuffed animal from when he was little)