Noises

This is a video that I took today while Ava was playing on the floor. She has started to make noises and sounds. At first we weren't sure if she was upset or just having fun. We have determined that she is just having fun even though she makes a fussy face sometimes. She is getting so big and will turn 3 months old this Thursday. I weighed her last week and she weighed 10 lbs. 7 oz.. We were thrilled since she has gained more than a pound in less than 3 weeks. :-)

2 Month Portraits

I picked up Ava's 2 month portraits yesterday from JCPenny. They turned out really cute! Here they are!

Mommy & Me Class

Today was the start of the Mommy and Me class that we have joined. It is the 1st three Wednesdays for the next 3 months. A bunch of moms get together and listen to a speaker discuss an important topic related to motherhood. Afterwards, we have time to mingle and some of the women go out to lunch afterwards. Todays topic was Poison Prevention, which was helpful but wasn't the funnest topic. Here is a picture of Ava with one of her boyfriends, Lucas. I taught 1st grade with Lucas' mother, Andrea, and Lucas is 2 days older than Ava. Ava was quite the flirt and couldn't stop staring at him. It was adorable!!

The Beach!

Well this is a little late considering I wanted to update this a few days ago. We did get home from the beach on Sunday evening. We had a great time enjoying God's creation and time with family and friends. Ava and I spent a lot of time on the beach while Curt went deep sea fishing on Saturday. As you can see from the pictures, I got some sun but luckily, Ava stayed as white as can be. Curt caught a 27" mackaral which was also the biggest fish caught on the trip! Way to go Curt!!!

We ate way too much food and had such a good time that we didn't want to leave. Thank you to my Uncle Stephen and Aunt Ellen for letting us come down and stay with you. It was a well needed trip away from home. Ava did extremely well the entire trip and even slept well in the pack 'n play.






My cousin Jared and Ava relaxing on the floor before heading out to the beach!















The beautiful beach!









Sweet sleeping baby!

Off to the Beach

Ava is now 11 weeks and 2 days old. She is getting bigger every day and she is starting to fill out. She is slowly fitting into her 0-3 month clothes. We can't believe she is almost 3 months old already, it seems like she was just born yesterday. Here is a picture of her from yesterday. We were playing on the floor when all of a sudden she fell asleep. She can pretty much fall asleep anywhere and anytime. Her shirt says "perfect is my middle name" but she wasn't so perfect when she woke up. She left me a surprise that exploded all over the place. :-) She thought it was hilarious and couldn't stop smiling when I was cleaning her up.


We have had a very busy but relaxing week getting things ready to go to the beach this weekend. We are leaving this afternoon to meet my Uncle Stephen and his family at a beach on the Gulf side of Florida. We are really excited as this will be Ava's first night and weekend away from home. We borrowed our friend Shari's pack 'n play and hopefully Ava won't even notice that it's not her crib. Curt is going fishing in the Gulf tomorrow morning with my Uncle and a family friend. He is really excited and hopes to catch some big fish. While he is fishing, Ava and I will be relaxing on the beach with the rest of the family. I will take lots of pictures and post them as soon as we get back on Sunday afternoon.

A Visit from the Clouses!

My Uncle Stephen and his family were also in town this weekend. Their daughter Abby lives here and they came by to meet Ava on their way to the beach. Here are a few pictures. We are hopefully heading over to visit them at the beach next weekend.

In this picture are (Left to Right): Caroline, Aunt Ellen, Jared, Hannah and Abby.











My Uncle Stephen

Ava's First Visit to the Beach

Here are some pictures of our trip to the beach. I was really nervous about taking her to the beach but my pediatrician said that it was no problem as long as she had a hat and sunscreen. Luckily, we have a portable swing that made the trip so much more enjoyable. Ava was adorable in her little swimsuit (thanks Lydia!) and slept the entire time we were there. She even got to touch the ocean for the first time! She didn't really know what to think but quickly decided that she was hungry. Since it went so well, we are probably heading over to the Gulf side next weekend to visit my Uncle and his family. Ava loves being outside!

Fun with Grandpa, Grandma and Auntie Mel

Curt's parents and his sister arrived in Orlando on Thursday morning and will be here until Tuesday morning. We have really enjoyed having them here and getting to know Ava. We have changed her schedule around quite a bit but she has been very good considering. Ava got to experience a lot of firsts this weekend and seems to have enjoyed herself. Some of her firsts were...visiting the Central Florida Zoo, a trip to the beach, and lunch at Red Lobster. She was exhausted every night but continued to sleep through the night like an angel. Here are just a few pictures from the weekend so far.



Dad, Mom and Ava at the Central Florida Zoo.

















Mom and Ava after a bath.















Auntie Mel and Ava!














Dad, Mom and Ava before church.
















Auntie Mel with Ava before church. Auntie Mel bought Ava this adorable outfit and Ava looked so cute in it! :)













Dad, Mom, Curt, Ava and I at the zoo.

Ava's First Play Date

Ava had her first play date today with one of my students from a year ago, Kendra. I have become good friends with her stepmom, Katie, and this was their first time meeting Ava. Ava was very good and actually fell asleep on the floor for the first time ever! I was impressed! :-) She was loved by all and loved all of the attention. Here are a few pictures from the day. This first one is Kendra.












Kendra, Kaylie (Kendra's sister) and Ava.






Kendra and Ava sleeping on the floor. Aren't they so cute??






Ava sleeping on the floor!!! She must have been comfortable since she has NEVER fallen asleep on the floor before. :)







Katie and Ava!

2 Month Check Up

Ava had her 2 Month check up on Wednesday. It went very well. The doctor said she is doing great and was still amazed at how alert she is for a 2 month old. :-) She weighed 9 lbs. 5 oz. and was 22 1/2 inches long. She gained 1 1/2 lbs. in the last month! She is definitely filling out. Since it was her 2 month appointment, she had to get her shots!!! I was prepared emotional and medically...I had the Tylenol ready! :-) She got 2 shots in each leg. I was told by the doctor that they really cry for the first 2 shots and then don't even realize they are getting the other 2 because they are still crying over the first ones. Well, that wasn't the case with Ava. She kept crying harder and harder. Afterwards, the doctor said that is the hardest she's ever heard a 2 month old cry! Poor little Ava! She calmed down as soon as we left the office and got into the car. She was so tired and slept the entire night. You can see her Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck bandaids in this picture. She was so cute!

Ava had a big day yesterday as well. We met Curt at his office for lunch and Ava got to meet most of his coworkers. She was her normal self...smiling, laughing, and talking all afternoon. By the time we got home, she was starting to get a little fussy and I realized that she had a fever. I immediately panicked and called my Aunt Faith for advice. She immediately calmed me down and said it was nothing to worry about and to just give her some Tylenol. After about an hour, she calmed down and then slept through the night once again. She's doing much better today.

As some of you know, my family threw a shower for us back at Christmas. Well, at the shower everyone decorated a onesie for the little baby (we didn't know that she was a girl so it was a bit difficult). She finally fits into them and as she wears them, you will see pictures of her modeling them off. Here is the first one made by my sister Jenn. She isn't quite "Daddy's Little Helper" yet but I'm sure she will be when she gets bigger. Thanks Jenn!


That's about all for now. We are just enjoying our life with Ava. We can't believe she is already 2 months old. Time flies when you're having fun! :-)