Ava: Five Months Old! :)

 Five months of cuteness!

I love this little bundle of pure joy! This month has been so much fun watching her grow and learn. Here are her stats:

Weight: *

Length: *

Diaper size: 1

Clothes: 3-6 month; 6 month pajamas

Holy Cow. What a month! She has changed SO much! She is sitting in her bumbo every day, holding her sweet head up, and interacting with anyone who passes by! She is a people watcher and that makes it so much easier to take her places. She faces forward in her stroller now, and she is experiencing a whole new world (cue Aladdin soundtrack). 

Tummy time is still one of her least favorite times. It's better because her belly doesn't hurt as much anymore but I don't think she looks forward to it. :) She can hold her head up and move it from side to side... and she's oh-so-close to rolling over. I'm in no rush whatsoever. She's my baby and I am okay keeping her that way for a little while longer. It won't be long before she's moving everywhere. Eek! :)

This skill has changed her life! ha :) Ava loves to grab! If you put it in front of her, consider it hers. She always ends up with clumps of Mama's hair in her hands by the end of every day! She is so much more coordinated now when she holds her toys and pacifier.

Bath time = Fun time!

Ava loves this time with her Daddy and Sister. Eric gets home just in time for dinner most nights, so he gets to play with them during bath time. They have so much fun! Addie is such a helper and loves to read stories to Ava and share her bath toys. 

Miss Personality.

Seriously, she is the happiest baby now that we got her tummy issues figured out. She is still nursing and has started solids (more on that next month). I cut out dairy and it made a HUGE difference in her quality of life. She is way more comfortable after her meals and she sleeps much better these days. According to her pediatrician, she's not allergic to dairy, but she just is super sensitive to it. He said we'll gradually work it back into her diet as she grows. For now, I'm staying away from it... especially since she's teething. That's enough pain for a baby in itself. :(

Speaking of eating... Ava is quite the fan of solids! We started with rice cereal, and her tummy couldn't handle it. I switched her to oatmeal and she LOVED it! I mean, I could not get it to her mouth fast enough. We tried a couple of veggies and she really just preferred the oatmeal and she kept it in her mouth easier.

Two things about this pic:

1. Ava loves the exersaucer. Her sweet little feet finally reach the bottom and she has figured out almost all of the toys. 

2. She always, always, always makes sure Addie is close by. It is so sweet to see how much these girls love each other. I know they'll go through phases like all siblings do, but for now, I am soaking up every moment.

Ava,

You are our sunshine.

We love you more and more each day! We thank God for you!

Mama, Daddy, and Addie

Trip to the Sip

We had so much fun spending an entire week in MS for the Fourth of July! I love everything about being home... the heat and humidity, the smell of salty air, the feeling of being in the house I grew up in, watching my kids play in the pool that I played in years ago... all of it. :)

 

My mom has a lot of pictures on her camera that I need to get, but here are some from my phone for now:

I love comparing pictures of the girls! Our friend, Liz, made this precious outfit for Addie. She is on the top in the summer of 2010 at my parents' house... Ava is on the bottom this summer at my parents' house. :)

 

A few shots from our time there... it rained all of the days except one, so we had to get creative. :) We went to an indoor water park, played tons of games inside, went bowling, made beignets... tons of fun!

 

We were able to go out on my dad's new boat one day! Addie loved it! :)

 

A few pics of Addie with her favorite cousins... top left is when we went to visit Daddy Bob, middle left is watching our own fireworks show, bottom left is making beignets, and right is my fave: Addie and Lexi listening to Papa tell a story! :)

 

My sweet travelers. They did an awesome job on the 7 hour trips! So proud of them! :)

 

...and finally, the many happy faces of Ava Rae! Love it.

 

 

 

 

Ava: Four Months Old! :)

Here is our little punkin at 4 months:

Seriously. Can't get enough of her.

I'll have official stats after her well visit, but here are my guesses:

Weight: around 12 1/2 pounds

Length: 23 inches

Clothes: 3 months (starting some 6 months if they run small); all pajamas are 6 months for baby long legs :)

Diapers: size 1

This month has been so much fun! Ava has really started to get into a great routine and a PRECIOUS personality! She wakes up between 6 and 7 these days... and she just wakes up happy! I love that! We hear her on the monitor just talking away and when we go in, she is so excited! :) She has breakfast and plays for about an hour or so and takes a good nap in the morning. She wakes up for lunch around 11:30 or 12 and is up for a few hours. This is her best play time. Usually, she goes down for an afternoon nap by 2, but here lately she has just been taking little cat naps throughout the afternoon. That could be because we are always on the go so it's hard to get a good afternoon nap... or I think it may be her teeth bothering her. Either way, she's usually fine to be awake as long as she still has her Zantac for her reflux. Don't ever forget that stuff. Oye. I made that mistake the other night and we were gone longer than expected. Epic Mom Fail. Never again. We are putting a serving of her medicine in my purse so we can avoid that situation if at all possible! :) Anyway, she takes her bath between 8-9 and is usually out shortly after that. She either wakes up once to eat or not at all. She is sleeping really well lately considering the teething...

Speaking of teething... Ava constantly has her hands in her mouth just grabbing her gums. I honestly hate this for her just like I did with Addie. I mean, it has to hurt! :( Now that Ava can hold things, that has helped. She can grab some things and get them to her mouth (teethers, toys, etc.) and when she can't, she will let us hold it so she can chew on it for a while. God love her. I know this phase will last a long time... I just pray that we can find something to make her feel better through it all. :)

Ava loves to laugh now! Quite possibly the cutest thing you've ever seen... she's doing very well following objects and voices and she always watch you walk away or walk into the room. She can focus on her videos for about 20 minutes these days and she loves playing on her playmat, too. Tummy time is not her favorite, but it's getting better! No rolling yet, but plenty of holding that big ole melon up and looking around! :)

Her exersaucer has helped a lot with head control! She loves looking up at the toys and pressing the buttons. I can't believe she's already big enough for it! :( Time is flying!

Check out that concentration! :)

This month, Ava went on her first road trip. We drove to Mississippi for the week of the Fourth of July, and Ava did great! We only had to stop a couple of times each way, so in my book, it was a win! I sat in the back with the girls and entertained them. :) I love the pics in this collage. She was in a happy mood!

The trip was fun for both girls! Addie had a blast since her cousins were there and she was spoiled by my mom and dad... and Ava seemed to love being there, as well. :) We did a lot of relaxing since it rained all but one day we were there. We did get some swimming and boat riding in, too. Very fun! :) Most of our pics are on my mom's camera. I'll have to do a separate post. :)

I did get some pics of her at 3 months in one of my favorite outfits of Addie's. :) Love this girl.

Happy baby!

Grabby Grabberson.

Sweet Ava...

Love you more than words, sister.

Mother's Day and Father's Day

We had a lot to celebrate this year with our two little miracles. PTL for these girls for the mothers and fathers that Eric and I are blessed to have in our life. :)

When I think back to our life before these two, I remember dreaming about what they would look like... how their voices would sound... what things they would like to play... how much sleep I would lose... :) Now that they are here, I literally look at them every day and think, "Wow. They are SO much better and more amazing than I imagined!" I mean, really, I know all parents think this, but Addie is pretty much the coolest person on the planet. She is hilarious, people... and I just know sweet Ava is going to continue to brighten my days as she grows. :)

All of these pictures were before she really smiled, so she doesn't look too impressed with our photo sessions. Ah, well... get used to it, sister. :) ha

I definitely would not be the person/mom I am today without this amazing woman. God really broke the mold when He made my Mama. If you knew my Mimi, you would see a lot of her in my Mama. I'm not going to even try to describe her because there aren't enough adjectives in the world to adequately describe her... plus, I'll start crying. Hormones rock. We'll just sum it up by saying that I love her VERY much. :) ...and obviously her grandgirls do, too! I am so thankful that she was with us on Mother's Day this year. We actually met my brother for dinner the night before so I'll have to get pictures from our dinner. We also met Eric's mom for dinner on Mother's Day... have to get those pics, too. Obviously, remembering my camera was not on the top of my list with that little newborn in the mix. :) ha

We didn't get to spend Father's Day with my dad, but as you can tell, he is well-loved by my girls. Again, God just really blessed me with this man. Sometimes I can't believe how much he does for me, for us... I love him VERY much, too!

The night before Father's Day, we went to Eric's dad's for a cookout/swim. As you can tell, Addie was excited! Sweet little fish. :)

I didn't get many pictures because of a sweet little teething infant... but this picture shows you how much fun was had. She didn't make it to the house before crashing. :)

I received my Wife of the Year award after taking my hubby to his favorite place for wings, Hooter's. On Father's Day. Yes, you read that right. I asked him where he wanted to go, and he said, "I want some wings from Hooter's, but we don't have to go there." We all know that means, "Let's go there." So we did. I actually really like the food there, too, and Addie always eats well. Win-win. :)

Sweet baby enjoyed her first Hooter's experience. :)

Side note: my mom actually sent Eric the gift cards for Hooter's, so she wins MIL of the year. :)

Addie and I made this double doozie cookie cake in lieu of naptime that afternoon. Well worth it! :)

I had to take pics of these three jokers by myself... this one is my absolute favorite! :)

Oh, wait. I love this one of Ava, too! ha :)

Eric is such a great Daddy to my girls. He works so hard for us and we are very thankful! Thank you, Jesus, for choosing me to be his wife! I am beyond blessed!

Ava: Three Months Old!

Hard to believe our little peanut is already three months old!

Here she is with her signature head tilt. :) We're working on head control. ha :)

Weight: TBD

Length: TBD

Clothes size: 0-3 month

Diaper: size 1

This child is becoming so much fun these days! Her sweet smile will light up any room. She loves to see people and hear them talk. She follows your voice and watches you walk away... and even whimpers when she can't see you anymore. :( One of her favorite voices is Addie's. I LOVE listening to Addie say things to her that we say... "Hey there pretty girl..." "You are just precious!" "Aw, it's okay Sissy." "I just love you, Sister!" :)

Ava's absolute favorite place is her changing table. She loves being in her room and some days her demeanor changes as soon as we walk in there! Speaking of, here are some pics of her nursery since I haven't posted any.

When we found out we were pregnant this time, I knew that I wanted to incorporate my favorite color (blue) into the nursery in some way... whether we had a boy or a girl. When we found out about Ava, I found this bedding and fell in love with it! It's called My Baby Sam: Pixie in Aqua. I love the combination of colors and the paisley/polka dot combo. My girls got me the mobile and the hamper (not shown). I'm so glad they did. Ava loves that mobile!

Took me a while to decide on her letters, but Hobby Lobby had these aqua ones that were just the right color. I added the little ribbons and they really stand out on the brown walls (we left the walls the color that was in this room before we turned it into the nursery. So glad we did! It looks fab with the colors of her bedding). Thankfully, she has a short name, so three letters were super cheap!

A friend of mine, Brooke, hand painted these for me! I LOVE these... so special!

This is a work in progress. All of the furniture was Addie's, so she still loves to use all of these books. We haven't found a good bookshelf for her room, but when we do, a lot of these will move to her room. For now, it works because she loves to read to Ava while Ava plays on her playmat. :) My mom found those little baskets at Hobby Lobby. Perfect match!

We made a shadow box of Addie's NICU things, and we liked it so much that we decided to make one for Ava. :) Her's contains her coming home dress, her hat from the hospital, her first diaper size, her "sunglasses" from her day under the billiruben light, her bracelet and crib sign, and a picture of her as Thursday's Baby. All I need to add is a picture of the Thursday's Baby display in the hospital.

My favorite part of the nursery: the curtains! I saw ruffled curtains on Pinterest a while back and my mom said she would make them for me... but we searched the internet to see if they were carried anywhere, and Pottery Barn Kids had them on clearance! Score! They were cheaper than she could have made them, so we went with them and LOVE them! I am probably going to get them in purple for Addie's big girl room! That rocker was my parents' that they used for my brother and me. We've used it for both girls. Love.

There are a few other things I'm working on in her room that I'll post later when I get pictures. :)

Ok, back to Ava. :)

She eats about every three-four hours during the day... and on average, she goes about 5.5 hours at night. We're having more nights at 6 hours, so that is super nice! One night we even went 8 hours! Holla! To be honest, I'm okay getting up with her. I think because it's our last baby I am savoring every second with her as a baby. She depends on me to eat and survive... and, selfishly, I love that. :) She takes simethicone (gas drops) with just about every feeding, and she lets me know when I forget to give them to her! :( She is still taking Zantac twice a day for her reflux.

Ava is just the sweetest thing... have I mentioned that yet? ha :) She still enjoys her Baby Einstein movies, looking at her "friends" in her carseat, napping in the swing, looking at her mobile, playing on the playmat, and being outside (when it's not too hot!). She also loves to be held facing forward so she can see what is going on around her. :)

My little love,

You literally light up our life. Your name, Ava, means "life" so that is not surprising at all. :) We all look forward to your smiles each day and how you are learning more and more all the time. You have the BEST big sister! She loves you and is always making sure you are okay. I am so happy that you will have her to grow up with and learn from... You'll learn to love her like we do. :)

We love you so much!

Mama and Daddy (and Addie :)