Thrill seeker!

Is it possible to get shaken-baby syndrome at 10 months? Either way...Ava doesn't care. She's having a blast. This went on for a good five minutes. Sergio was about to pass out!

Manhandling a greeting card

This year a bunch of family got me musical birthday cards. How smart of them! Ava loves them! They entertain her everyday. We bring them in the car, to distract her when she gets fussy. Then one day she learned she could make her own music. All by herself. Enjoy!

My crab-crawler!!

Actually, it's not quite a crab. It's more a tripod crawl. She uses her right leg to offer support. It's the cutest thing I've ever seen! She just started this weekend. Now, I can't leave her for two seconds!

First time in a swing (and on a slide!)

Another exciting adventure for Ava over Thanksgiving weekend was going on a swing. She loved it! Then, she went on the slide, but the little girl next to her had lots of boogers in her nose, so we didn't stay long there.

More Thanksgiving pics...

Thanksgiving at the beach!

Oh, what a great time we had. Maurice and Kristen (Sergio's brother and sister-in-law) invited us to Emma Woods for Thanksgiving on the beach. They camped in their awesome motor home, while we "glamped" at a hotel. It was Ava's first time on the beach, eating turkey and spending the night in a hotel. It was awesome.

Look out, Beckham!

Bend it like Ava! She showed us her soccer skills the other morning after brunch. She started kicking a bottle of Advil around. Then she started showing us some mad leg work. It was hilarious. Now I know which sport to start her in!

Not the good kind of steam bath...

A couple weeks ago Ava got extremely congested. Really ugly, barely-able-to-breathe nasal congestion. As any mom knows there's not a damn thing you can do about this, except steam, snot-sucking and time. Here's a shot of Ava with her daddy in our guest bathroom getting steamed out.
(P.S. the Rolaids in the background are Sergio's.)

A day at the park...

We went to a birthday BBQ for Jay Tromblee a couple weeks ago at the park. Ava had a blast. The fresh air, the grass and the kids! She was in heaven. I even got on the swing with her. She seemed to love it, but then I found spit up all over both of us a few minutes later!
* Thanks for the homemade quilt, Karen!

More pics from the soiree...

Some more pics from Mike's house. There are a few non-Ava shots. Heaven forbid!!!

Ava with daddy.Auntie Danielle, me and Uncle Jeff
Uncle Mike and me
Auntie Danielle and me
Auntie Danielle smooching Ava

Ava and Sophia!

Two cute babies in one shot! A couple weeks back, my brother Mike had a little soiree at his house. We had a super good time. Ava got to hang out with Sophia and Jack (Mike's dachsunds.) Ava is CRAZY for dogs, but doesn't get the concept of gentleness. She's grabs their furry coat and squeeeezes with all her might. Fortunately, Sophia didn't snip back!

Contemplating life...

Here is one of the few shots that Ava is being STILL. This girl is always on the move. If I'm holding her while I'm talking to someone, she's like a twister, spinning round and round in my arms.

Bangs!

Here are a couple shots of Ava and her recently trimmed bangs, compliments of mommy's scissors. Hey, I never said I was a stylist, and her hair kept getting in her eyes. Actually, the bangs are already growing out, and they look quite cute!

Blanket love!

Who knew they could be so endlessly fascinating? I'd try rolling around on the bed with one, but it wouldn't be as cute.

Man, oh, man...

Am I in love with this girl. One smile like that, and everything in the world is OK.

Separated at birth?

At least Ava's in on the joke.

King King ain't got nothin' on me!

Ava has gotten into the habit of ripping off her bib when she's done eating. I'm not sure why I find it so hilarious. She's like baby Hulk Hogan ripping off her shirt after jumping in the ring!
(P.S. Does anybody know the HTML code for rotation so I can fix this thing?)

Sweet dreamer...

Not much to say. Just a dreamy shot.

Happy 7 months, Ava!

This Sunday Ava turned seven months old. I remember when she was this tiny thing we had to swaddle, shhhhh and rock to calm her down. Now she's changed in so many ways. Her personality is bursting through, and I'm convinced she'll be the boss of all of us one day. (Hi Patricia! That's Ava's caregiver when mommy is at work.)

Let's get physical...

Last night Ava tried out an exersaucer, which was given to us by a family friend, Janie. She loved it, even though she was trying to jump like she does in her jumper. The jumping didn't work too well, but it's just another tool for me to use in my arsenal as I work from home!

Guess who has teeth??

If you guessed Ava...you are correct! My little girl got her first tooth. We think it happened on Monday, because she was crying a lot, and she's not a big cryer, especially during the afternoon. Along with her teeth are new traits, little signs of independence and frustration which I suspect are a sign of times to come. Oh...my little baby is growing up!

Mother's Little Helper

Ava having a hard day at the office. She had to train me on a few things to set me straight.