4th of July

We celebrated 4th of July by inviting our friends Tim, Shari, and Bre over for barbecue pulled pork. Curt did a wonderful job grilling the pork and it tasted awesome! We then walked down to our town center to look at the different vendors and booths. Shari and I thought it was hilarious how much a year can change your lives. This time last year, we were childless and carefree. Now the men are pushing strollers around town and we wouldn't want to change anything. We then walked back to our house to watch the fireworks. They let them off from an open field right down by our house. It was really nice because then we could take care of the babies but still enjoy the fireworks. Our neighbors decided to have their own firework show afterwards which we didn't care for too much. As a result, Ava was up until about midnight but as soon as she finally went to sleep, she was out until 7AM. YEAH!!! Here are some pictures from the evening. We had a great time and Ava did very good.

Happy 4th of July!

Ava wishes everyone a Happy 4th of July!

We will post more pictures later this afternoon.

Happy As Can Be!

Just Chillin' Out

Ava sleeping in her swing. This is one of her favorite places during the day.
















Ava fell sleep on Curt's legs last night. This proves that she can pretty much fall asleep almost anywhere.















This is a gift basket that we received yesterday from one of Curt's bosses. It's a wooden toy box with a picture of a dag and it has her name written on it. Inside of the box was a onesie, book, CD, toys, and a stuffed dog. It was a great surprise!

Ava's Appointment

Ava's appointment went really well today. She did some tests on her mouth and face muscles and ironically determined that her tongue muscles are working great! However, her cheek, jaw, and lip muscles aren't quite working up to par. Because these muscles aren't working correctly, it is causing her to take much longer eating and not being able to suck accurately. She showed me some exercises to do with Ava three times a day to strengthen the muscles. Since Ava is still so young, these muscles should be working accurately in about 3 weeks. If I do not see obvious changes in the next three weeks, I can go back to see her graduate student for free. Ava has decided that she hates these exercises and wants to scream the entire time. Luckily, they don't take too long.

Oral Motor Visit

Tomorrow morning, Ava will be going to see an Oral Motor Specialist. This a common visit for babies who have tongue-tied. Ava is doing much better with moving her tongue but the lactation specialist that I see thought it would be a good idea. The doctor that she is seeing is very well-known throughout the US and is currently doing a research study on babies with oral motor problems. Because she is doing this study, her visits are free of charge as well. According to her previous research, babies who have tongue problems eventually develop problems with speech and texture. We decided to go see her because we don't want any of these problems to come up down the road and since it is free, we didn't see a reason not to take the offer. I will let you all know how the appointment goes and what she says about Ava. Other than that, we are all doing great!

Curt's Birthday

Friday was Curt's 31st Birthday! I surprised him by having our friends Jason and Laura come over to the house to babysit Ava while Curt and I went to a movie. Curt has been talking about going to the movies since April but it just wasn't possible now that we have our little bundle of joy! :-) So when he got home from work on Friday, Jason and Laura were already at the house. We all had Subway and then Curt and I left Ava for the first time. We had a great time at the movies watching Incredible Hulk. It seemed really strange to be out of the house without Ava but it was great to go on a date as well.








Ava was a wonderful little girl for her first babysitters. She barely fussed and went straight to bed for them too. We were very happy when we got home to a quiet house and Ava in bed for the night. She then slept until 3:30! :-) Thank you Jason and Laura -- You're the Best!!!












Here is a recent picture of Ava and I. We were just getting ready to go out shopping for a little bit. So far, Ava loves shopping but doesn't really give me her input on anything. I'll have to work with her on that. :-)






This is a picture from Father's Day of our friend Bradley and his son Nathan. Nathan was born 8 days after Ava and they have become very good friends. The dads were very proud to be holding their first child! :-)

Aren't I adorable?

All smiles!



















Time to Sleep. Ava loves to sleep with her hand on her head like an angel. :-)












She's all ready for church! This is a dress that our friends Bradley, Kiva and Nathan got for Ava. She looked so adorable in it and got so many compliments at church.

















Ava is tired but is refusing to go to sleep. She is in a sling carrier that I have and it works like magic. She falls fast asleep within minutes of being in this and will stay asleep for hours if I would let her. It's wonderful for when I want to get things done around the house but she is a little fussy and just wants her mommy.








"I'm getting to be a such a big girl!" She loves to stand on her feet even though she's not really standing on her own.

Play Time!

Just Some Cute Pics

It's Bath Time! Ava loves bath time. :-)


We are headed out to a baby shower for a friend from church. It's Ava's first baby shower! She was very well behaved and slept through almost the whole thing. :-)

Big Yawn!

Nap Time with Daddy! Perfect for Father's Day Weekend!