First Bites

Miss Ava had her first solid food yesterday. We started with sweet potatoes.

She was very interested in what I was doing and continually grabbed the spoon in my hands. 

My Sweet Baby Girl was not a fan of food in her mouth. There was quite a bit of spitting, tongue thrusting, shuttering, and mouth closing going on. It seems as though we have a lot of practicing to do. 

Six Months - Ava

My Sweet Baby Girl is six months old!  Seriously...how did that happen?!?  Ava is so much fun right now.  She is rolling all over the place, from back to front and front to back.  She is also sitting up all by herself. She loves playing in her jumper, chewing on just about everything, experimenting with her voice, going upside down with Daddy, and watching Sierra.

Ava's current stats:

Weight:  17 pounds 11 ounces
Height: 26 inches

Noah has truly mastered the cheesy smile.  Whenever he sees a camera, Bubs plasters his fake smile on and waits for the terrible ordeal to be over.

Ava simply LOVES her big brother!  Noah makes her giggle and laugh like nobody else.    

Thirty

My Super Hero is ready for surgery number thirty today.

We are heading over to Lucille Packard Children's Hospital for a 1:00 pm surgery. His otolaryngologist will remove the cholesteatoma in his left ear and attempt reconstruction. If you're super curious, and want to see some gross pictures, head here for more details. 

This will be the longest surgery Noah has ever had, 3 - 4 hours, and will require him to be intubated. Bubs has such a delicate trachea and we are nervous about damaging it in any way. Please pray for skilled hands of the surgeon and anesthesiologist and gentle hands of the nurses. 

Pumpkin Patch

We made our annual trek to the pumpkin patch this year and had so much fun with our new little pumpkin.  Last year, I was pregnant with Miss Ava and all I could think about was what this year would be like.  What would my Sweet Miss look like?  How would she impact our little family?  How would Noah be as a big brother?

And now...here we are.  My Sweet Miss is adorable (if I do say so myself), she is a simple blessing to our family, and Noah is the greatest big brother.  Before finding our pumpkins, we had a little photo shoot.

Look at my sweet babies.

I just love how big Ava looks in this photo.

I mean...seriously...babies in a wheelbarrow...how precious is that?!?

Once we started looking for pumpkins, Noah decided he wanted a "small, green one".  We looked and looked and looked until he found the perfect pumpkin.  It was small and green and had not a single blemish on it.  He was so proud!

While Daddy and I looked for our pumpkins, Noah had fun throwing clumps of dirt in the air and watching them break apart.

Unfortunately, this is our last trip to our beloved pumpkin patch because they have decided not to plant any more pumpkins after this season.  We said a fond farewell to Single Palm Pumpkin Patch and will be on the hunt for a new patch next year.

Five Months - Ava

My Sweet Baby Girl is five months old already.  She has grown so much this past month.  Because of her utter hatred of Tummy Time, she has mastered rolling over from her tummy to her back.  She is grabbing toys with both hands and is putting absolutely everything in her mouth.

Last week I bid a fond farewell to my maternity leave and headed back into the classroom.  It was definitely a bitter sweet day made bearable only by the love and hugs from my students. Unfortunately, Miss Ava has recently decided that she does not want a bottle.  That's right, my Little Miss who used to love bottles given by Daddy or Nana, had decided that she prefers the "real thing" and will not settle for anything less.  Period!  We have tried multiple different bottles, scoured the internet for hints and tricks, gotten suggestions from the pediatrician, and tried, and tried, and tried.  Miss Ava, unfortunately, will have none of it.  She has been marathon feeding while I am home, waking up at least once to nurse {previously she was sleeping 9 PM - 6 AM}, and nursing during my lunch time.  My feisty Little One is proving she has a mind of her own!

Ava's current stats are:

Weight : 16 pounds 6 ounces

Height: 26 inches

Look at that Little Chunky Monkey.

How precious are these kiddos?  Noah was absolutely giddy because he got to cuddle his sister...I mean...seriously...that kid loves to snuggle.