Mini-Novel

Lots has happened since I last posted. Let's see...

Spring has arrived and we, having suffered from cabin fever during such cold months, are very glad! We spend a great deal of time outside, to the point that I'm getting a farmer's tan on my arms. Yuck. Need to work on that. Ava loves, loves, loves being outside. She loves getting out of the house - whether it's to play outside the front door or to go places. As we prepare to leave, she'll realize we're leaving and she'll start saying "buh-bye" over and over until we're out of the door. Sometimes, we'd be poised to walk out (picture Ava eagerly grinning in anticipation of being emancipated from the four walls) and I'd suddenly remember something I left in the bedroom, which is in the opposite direction of the front door, and as I head down the hall to the bedroom, Ava immediately starts crying! I guess it's like torturing her - "Here we are, heading out of the door, to do your favorite thing -- whoops, I guess not!" It's like tantalizing her with a cookie right underneath her nose and as she reaches out to grab it, whisking it away out of reach. OH, the crushing disappointment! Okay, so do I need to explain further how much Ava likes being out of the house?

We went on a big trip to Florida with a couple of stops in Chattanooga to see a friend and in Birmingham to see two friends who recently had adorable babies. Ava did pretty great on the trip but alas, we didn't stop often enough to change her diapers so she got a bad diaper rash. Oops. We made a note to ourselves that next time, we'll slather her bottom in diaper rash cream for long car rides, sitting in wet diapers. Poor thing. Then, we arrived at Grandma's in Florida for Easter.

Ava's first birthday fell on Easter this year. We celebrated with a party the day before. I think Ava had a ball but I was sick with some kind of tummy bug. Bleh. I didn't get to enjoy her party (many thanks to my mom and sister-in-law for putting the party on while I battled nausea) but I was better by Easter afternoon. I made Ava a birthday crown:

Ava wore a dress that I made her for Easter:

Then Greg flew back to NC for classes and Ava and I stayed behind for a few more days. Ava played in the dirt road like I did growing up, she walked around looking at things, she visited with people, she ate fish and watched boats go by on a river, played in a kiddie pool, and she had a ball hanging out with her grandparents! She also got to play with her three cousins for a couple of days. 

Finally, it was time to go back home. I loaded Ava up at 8am (she's sitting in forward-facing seat now) and drove 11.5 hours from Florida all the way back to North Carolina. I have to say that 11.5 hours solo with a kid is not bad at all for what would normally be 10-11 hours. Ava was a real sport but it was hard for her to nap in the car because she is sitting much more upright than she did in the rear-facing car seat. Her head would fall forward and bob around so she kept waking up. Because of that, she was more tired and a little fussy. Anyway, I was super prepared for the this solo road trip with a baby. I had tons of toys in a bag within easy reach to toss back to Ava. I had cooler tote bag, which is basically a tote bag lined with insulation except mine is way cool and sassy, full of treats and drinks. In order not to stop every time Ava was hungry, I had spill-resistant snack cups that I filled with cereal, cut up cheese, and cut up fruit as needed. I absolutely love these snack cups:

The top is rubber and the kid can push her hand into the cup, grab the goodies, pull out, and stuff her mouth.Very handy for car trips but not the best for inside the house because crumbs do fall out. Anyway, I stopped about four times for bathroom breaks, gas, and to stretch. All in all, the 11.5-hour solo road trip with Ava was not bad at all but I don't think Ava and I would volunteer to do this again soon.

Within two days of getting back from Florida, we threw Ava another birthday party for the local peeps. Ava got two birthday parties - pretty spoiled, huh? We were bl'ssed to have friends and family celebrate Ava's first year of life with us at both parties. Good times!

(Notice the shirt? A friend made this for Ava. It has a "1" with a couple of flowers and I made the tutu.)

Ava had her 12-month check up yesterday. She's in the 90th percentile for height and 40th for weight. She got her shots and she's a healthy kid. Now, we're going to start loading Ava up with gluten (Cheerios and goldfish!!) and then get her tested for celiac, as it is genetic, at her 15-month check up. Ava's a great eater and pretty much eats everything we put in front of her so feeding her gluten isn't going to be a problem. In fact, after returning from the grocery store this afternoon, I handed her a snack up of Cheerios and the kid gobbled it up. There was no "eh, what's this?" reaction. 

Ava still loves playing peekaboo and being chased. She likes being read to when she's in the mood. She's still a mimic. She recently learned to start nodding her head, after months of shaking her head, but I don't think she knows what it means just yet.

I've been trying to teach Ava sign language pretty much since she was 6 months old. I play sign language videos for toddlers to her almost everyday. It's my fervent hope that she'll become fluent in American Sign Language so she and I can communicate well. I have always avoided taking care of kids (in nursery, babysitting, etc) because I can never understand their speech and I didn't want have problems understanding my own children as they grow up. If one day I should lose what's left of my hearing, my relationship with my children would not change because they would be fluent. It's been discouraging in recent weeks because I have been signing to her and getting vacant looks in response. But today....it was naptime and I was signing "sleep" to Ava. She very deliberately, slowly, clearly, and perfectly signed "sleep" twice back to me. I nearly had a heart attack! I am encouraged!

In other news, you probably know that Greg's firm had to let him go. Work at his architecture firm (the building industry is pretty hard hit by the economy) is drying up and they've been laying off people for a while now. Please be lifting us up as we seek guidance and wisdom.

Okay, Ava and I are off to play in the sunshine!