Merry Christmas!

We have arrived safely in Ohio at my sister Jenn's house. We have had a great time so far. Ava is still sick and is having a difficult time fighting this cold. But, as you can tell in the picture, she is still as happy as can be. She is crawling all over the place and crawled about 18 feet into the other room to see the presents. She loved playing with them and even ripped off the bows! She was so cute! If you would like to see more pictures of Ava and her cousins, please go to Jenn and Nelson's blog to see some more pictures of our fun week so far.

She's Crawling!

Last night while Curt and I were trying to recoup from the flu, Ava was playing on the floor. She saw a piece of string on the floor and was determinted to get it. She started crawling toward it! We were so proud of our little girl! For the past several weeks, she has been getting up on all four and rocking back and forth. She even figured out how to move her legs a few days ago but just couldn't figure out those arms. Last night, she figured it out but forgot to lift her belly off the floor. Here is a video of her doing her "army" crawl. Now we can't stop her and she's just beginning to be all over the place!

So Cute!

On Friday, I got together with my friend Katie, to make our girls Christmas dresses. We had a great time and they turned out really cute. Ava now has 3 Christmas dresses. One from her Aunt Jenn, one that I bought and now this one that I made. She will wear all of them too! No worries! :) She wore the dress that I made for her today to church. She got so many compliments and everyone loved her! Of course, who couldn't! :) Here are a few pictures after church in front of our Christmas tree.

My Best Friend

Last night was Avalon Aglow in our community. It was a holiday fair type of thing and it was great! My friend Shari and her daughter Bre came over to our house and then we walked down to all the festivities. Here is a picture of Ava with her best friend Bre. We had a hard time getting them to look in the same direction. This is the best one we got! :) Bre will turn 1 on the 17th and Ava will be 7 Months on the 14th! We can't believe how big our girls are getting!

So Big!

Ava is getting so big. She can now stand up on her as long as she is holding onto something (like in the picture). She can stand there for about a minute or so and then she loses control and falls to the side. But as long as I stand her back up, she can do it again. She loves to stand here and play with her toys.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Sorry we haven't put up any new pictures lately. Life has gotten a little crazy lately with all of us being sick. After we got back from Naples, I got sick for a few days and now Curt is sick. Ava decided she loved us so much that she wanted to pass along her sickness! What a wonderful daughter! :)

We are busy getting ready for Thanksgiving. Curt has a half day today and then will have the rest of the week off. We are celebrating the holiday by ourselves at our house. We are really looking forward to it. Tonight we are going to church for a Thanksgiving service. Tomorrow, I will be making a turkey and everything...hope it turns out! And of course, I'm sure football will be on ALL day! Then on Friday and Saturday, we plan on putting up our Christmas decorations and just relaxing at home. We will not partake in the Black Friday madness! We have officially finished all of our Christmas shopping and feel relieved that we don't have to venture out in the madness.

I will try to take some pictures of Ava and put them up soon. She is almost crawling. She can stand up on her own as long as she is holding onto something! What a big girl! I will try to get a video of that. She is still eating great! She loves every vegetable I give her but she doesn't seem to like any fruit except for bananas. I have tried applesauce and pears so far. She's a little backwards...most babies love their fruit and not the veggies! WE HAVE TEETH!!! On Saturday morning, Ava woke up with her bottom tooth pushing through. It is showing more and more each day and I will try to get pictures of it as soon as I can. She is a little on the fussy side but she's not too bad. Those Hyland's Teething Tabs work great!

Next week she has her 6 month appointment. It is about 2 weeks late as our doctor was out for 2 weeks for Thanksgiving. I'll definitely post the details about her doctors appointment.

Fun in Naples

Ava and I are back from our weekend in Naples, FL. We had a great time with my cousin Christie. Ava fell in love with her Aunt Christie and couldn't stop smiling for her. We spent the weekend swimming at the pool, on the beach, and walking around the town of Naples. It is a beautiful city but is filled with people over the age of 60! We were the only people under the age of 60 at our hotel! :-) Ava did really well in the car. She slept almost the entire way and only fussed for 30 minutes each way. Here are a few pictures from our weekend.

Last week, Ava was diagnosed with a sinus infection and has been on antibiotics since Wednesday. She is starting to feel better but still has a stuffy nose. She has also managed to spread her sickness to me and now I'm feeling awful! Just in time for my birthday tomorrow! :(
Ava has started sticking out her tongue all of the time. She is trying to do raspberries but hasn't really figured it out yet. She does blow bubbles though! It's so cute!

Aunt Christie with Ava

The three of us walking through downtown Naples. Ava wanted to drink our coffee!

Ava and I on the beach right after sunset. We ended up missing it but the clouds were still beautiful!

Ava sporting her onesie that was decorated by her Aunt Christie back at my shower over Christmas. I was really happy that Christie could see Ava wearing it. That is a 9 month onesie. So, for all of you who decorated 6 month onesies for Christmas....oops! They won't fit! :-(

Long day at the beach! Ava crashed right before sunset. But there wasn't a sunset anyway because of clouds. We were really upset.

Ava in her 2 piece swimsuit. Sorry, you can't tell though. She was adorable.
Aunt Christie with Ava right after sunset.
Aunt Christie and Ava walking on the beach. Isn't she adorable in her swimsuit, hat, and sunglasses?!
Just playing around at the beach. Gotta love those toes!

She loves to...

EAT! Wow, everyday I am amazed at how much she loves to eat. She will easily devour 2 servings of bananas and a full serving (4-6 Tbsp.) of cereal for breakfast. After we finish, she is still hungry but I don't know what else to give her except milk. So we finish with that. Then for dinner, she will eat 1 serving fruit, 1-2 servings vegetables, and another full serving of cereal. Then she will eat more milk afterwards and still act like she's hungry! What am I going to do with her?! She is definitely filling out though. People no longer say "Oh, she's so tiny!" I wanted to post some pictures or videos of her eating but since Curt is at class tonight, I couldn't take any and feed her. She eats quickly and gets frustrated if you don't give her the next bite quick enough. I will try to get some tomorrow night and post. We tried peas tonight and I wasn't so sure about how she would like them. She loved them of course! The only thing she hasn't liked so far was applesauce...still haven't figured that one out! I'll try to post some pictures of her eating tomorrow!

Rolling, Rolling and Rolling

Ava was playing on the floor today, rolling all over the place. I looked over at her and this is how she was. She was holding onto the blanket and must have rolled over several times. She was rolled up in the blanket and couldn't get out. She thought it was the funniest thing ever! What a crazy girl!

Working Hard

Ava has started to get the correct motions in order to crawl. As you can see in this video, she moves her legs great but can't figure out her arms. She has gotten up on her tiptoes with her legs completely straight and then has even straighted her arms so that he belly is completely off the floor. She hasn't done that very often and I haven't been able to get a picture of that yet. It won't be long though until she begins crawling. :-) She is doing great with eating! She loves bananas, squash, and green beans. We have given her apples and she absolutely HATES apples! She gives me a mean look every time I sneak some apples in! I'm such a mean mommy!

This is Shadows favorite spot in the house! Anywhere next to Ava. It is so cute. Whenever I put a blanket down on the floor for Ava to play on, it's only minutes later that Shadow decides to lay down next to Ava. Ava loves it too. She will roll over to her and start petting her and she just starts laughing. I will try to get a video of Ava getting excited to see Shadow. It's adorable. They are best buddies!

On Friday, Ava and I will go down to Naples, FL to visit my cousin Christie. Christie can't wait to meet Ava and I know that Ava will love her Aunt Christie! I'll post lots of pictures from our trip when I get back.

Mommy and Me Halloween Party

Today, we went to our Mommy and Me Halloween Party. We had a great time and it was so cute seeing all the babies dressed up. In my opinion, Ava was the cutest one there but I'm a little prejudice. Here are several pictures from our big day!
What a cute Lady Bug!
Ava with her best buddy Lucas the Lion! (He's holding her hand)
Andrea and I got matching shirts for Lucas and Ava. Aren't they adorable?
The Mommy and Me Group (missing about 8 moms)
The babies! (Left to Right: Gator Cheerleader, Lion, Ladybug, Charlie Brown, Strawberry, Tigger, and a Bunny)
Haylie Reese the Wiggle Worm
Jordan the Gator Cheerleader

Future Fincancial Advisor?

While Curt was trying to study the other night, he decided that Ava would like to hold/play with his finance calculator. She looked so cute holding it and we did not place it like this. :-)

Naked Baby!

After our walk the other night, we came back ready to put Ava to bed. Instead of putting her straight to bed, we stripped her naked and played with her on the floor for a while. She thought it was the greates thing being naked! As we were taking a picture of her laying on the floor naked, she got the biggest grin on her face. Little did we know that she was just peeing all over the blanket and floor! oops! At least we got a good picture out of it though.

Yummy Green Beans!

We have officially started Ava on vegetables. We started with green beans on Friday night and she loved them! I am making all of her food and it is much easier than I had thought. This week, she will also get bananas and sweet potatoes. She's getting to be such a big girl!

Happy Early Halloween!

Happy Early Halloween! Yesterday, we were supposed to go to a pumpkin patch with some friends, but it decided to rain so we had to cancel. But, Ava was already dressed to go to a pumpkin patch. We got an iron-on decal that says "Will Beg for Candy" and she looked absolutely adorable. Here is a picture of us before we went to the mall instead! :-)
I had to put Ava in the laundry basket. This was one of my favorite places to hide when I was younger and she looked so cute! The basket was in her room and we needed to go to my room so it was the logical thing to do at the time. She loved it and couldn't figure out where she was. :-) She's wearing her "Mummy loves me" pj's!

Ava's New Toy!

Over the past week or so, Ava has found a new toy! Her feet! She loves to grab them and even suck on her toes. I can't believe how flexible babies are. Here is a video I took tonight of her playing on the floor. She loves to make all kinds of noises...don't worry, she's not crying!

Wonderful Weather!

The weather has been wonderful here lately. Ava and I have enjoyed taking more walks...some with Shadow, some without. Today we took a walk to the local park and had a little fun on the swings. Ava was a "little" too small for the swing but she loved it anyway. She just thought it was the greatest thing. She is getting so big. She is officially in 6 month clothes now...YEAH!! She eats oatmeal for breakfast and dinner. We will start veggies and fruits starting next week. She is rolling over all of the time now. She has decided that she likes to sleep on her belly (I don't blame her!) and will immediately roll over to her belly after I put her on her back. She really wants to crawl but hasn't figured out how to lift her belly off the floor. We are working with her on trying to sit up by herself. She loves sitting in her bumbo but still falls forward after awhile. She is drooling like crazy and I'm sure there will be teeth popping up soon. She is getting more and more attentive every day. She will follow Shadow and then wonder where she went. She gets so excited to see people, especially Daddy when he gets home from work. I am excited to dress her up for Halloween. We have a Mommy and Me halloween party next Wednesday and she will be a ladybug. She looks so cute in the costume. We also have a cow and chili pepper costume that she will wear just for fun. Thanks Katie!! Well, that is all for now. I'll post more pictures later in the week.

Just Relaxing...5 Months Old

Ava and I were a little tired this morning so we decided to crawl back into bed. She loves to lay in Mommy and Daddy's bed and this time, she wanted to lay on my pillow. I think she is so adorable in this picture and looks so much like Curt here too. She was happy as could be just laying there. And of course, Shadow had to join her on the bed. Shadow thinks that our bed is hers and spends majority of her day on our bed...the reason for the light blue blanket! We've tried to keep her off our bed, but we've basically given up and have considered it an impossible task. :-)

Just an Update!

Here are some pictures that we have taken throughout the past week. Ava has really gotten to love sitting in her Bumbo. This picture was taken right when Curt got home from work and she was so happy to see Daddy. It was adorable. And she's holding her little lobster that Curt gave to her. She's a true Red Lobster fan! :-) Here is Ava with her buddy Nathan. Nathan was born only 8 days after Ava but is about 2 pounds more than Ava. haha :-) Bradley and Nathan came over to our house on Saturday morning while Kiva worked at a vet clinic nearby. We had a great time!
Ava decided to wake Mommy up from her Sunday afternoon nap. She was so happy after her nap and just wanted to snuggle up with Mommy.
This is what Shadow likes to do after we pick Ava up off of the blanket. She thinks it is her turn to lay on the blanket and get attention. It doesn't always work that way though! Shadow has been a little jealous of our attention since we got home from WI. She hasn't done anything too bad but always wants to take walks, get pet, or just talked to. She's spoiled!!!

We're Home!

We are back home in Florida now. We had a safe trip back to Orlando. Ava did not want to sleep on the plane at all. The only thing she wanted to do was to jump up and down the entire 3 hours plane ride. Luckily, the woman next to me was very nice and offered to hold her for awhile so that I could get a break. She even helped me change a dirty diaper on her lap!!! She was a brave woman!!! Curt was very happy to see us. Here are a bunch of pictures from our trip. Sorry there are so many but I had to share all of them. :-) Enjoy!

Ava riding Papa's motorcyle.
Ava with Great Grandpa &Great Grandma Cattanach
Ava with Great-Grandma Goetz
Ava and Great Aunt Judy
Papa, Grandma and Ava ready for a walk.

My Dad and I at the Marshfield Zoo. You can kind of see the tiger in the background.
Ava and I at the zoo. I love the color of the trees!
Great-Grandma June, Ava and I at the park.

Great-Grandma June pushing Ava through the zoo.
Ava Claire with Ava and Claire Critelli. The girls were so excited to meet Ava and thought it was great that they had the same name!
Sisters and cousins! My sister Jenn with her kids Emily and Alexander.

Great-Grandma June with all of the great grandkids.

The Cattanach cousins playing with Ava.

Cousin Emily with Ava.

Ava with Uncle Scott and Aunt Amy.

Ava with Uncle Dave and Aunt Michelle.

Cousin Jacob. Jacob loved Ava and just couldn't get enough of her. :-) I'm pretty sure that Ava loved him too.

Grandpa Cattanach

Ava's first bonfire at Great Uncle Dave's house. It was a little cold but we all had fun anyway. Next time she'll get to eat a smore.

Ava and Alexander with Great Uncle Lyle and Great Aunt Faith. Thanks for letting us come stay with you before we came back home. We had a great time and I'm so glad you got to meet the little ones! :-)