Our Life at Home

Who needs a spoon?

Big Girl

Happy Friday!

I am always trying to find new places to take pictures of Ava.  She is pretty good at sitting on her own so I thought that I would try to take some pictures on the steps in her room. 

At first, I thought she was admiring her shoes.  Little did I know that she was planning her escape and I didn't expect what happened next.

She got really excited and then...

she stood up. 

Doesn't she looked please with herself?  I don't know who was more shocked me or her.  I quick took the photo, threw my camera on the ground and then grabbed her before she fell over.  She is definitely a little dare devil.  It's seriously time to start thinking about baby proofing the house because I have a feeling that she is going to be on the move very soon.

You know it's time to lower the crib mattress...

When the mobile keeps hitting your baby on the head. 

Yep, it's time.  Way overdue, in fact.  Sometimes at night, Ava will pull on the dangling cats and we can hear her sucking on them through the monitor.  It took us a while to figure out what was going on.  Good Grief!

On an unrelated note, the other night, Paul and I were talking about nicknames and how we pretty much never call anyone in this house by their actual name.  And we conclued that our poor baby will probably never know her real name.

Ava is also known as Monkey, Babooshka, Avs and Ava-La-Roo

Paul is Harvey or Pumpkin

Bella is often called Belle, Jelly or Bella Jelly

Max is Maxie, Maxwell Tyson, Tyson or Sultan

Some of the names have a story behind them.  Others are completely random and have no point whatsoever. 

I know, we're weird.  What else can I say?

6 months old!

 

Little Miss Ava, you are now six months old!  Here's what you've been up to lately...

• My little social butterfly.  You love other babies and when people smile at you, you are quick to flash your big grin!
• You talk constantly although I have no idea what you are saying.  I hear you in your crib in the morning babbling away just having the best time in the world.
• You mostly sleep now on your stomach with your legs tuck under and your arms by your sides - very much like Child's pose in yoga.  This is a big change as you spent the first 5 months of your life sleeping on your back. 
• You sit very well now on your own.  You started to "tripod" in early December and now you are pretty great even without the aid of your hands
• You have two teeth on the bottom, which seemed to come out of nowhere.  You've been teething for what seems like many months and then suddenly one day after I'd convinced myself that your chronic drooling stage might last forever, two teeth appeared, just like that.
• We've started solid food in the last week and so far you've tried sweet potatoes, peas, pears, apples, bananas, broccoli and carrots.  I'm mostly letting you feed yourself, which means that your food is pretty much everywhere BUT in your mouth.  Do most people have carrots in their bathtub?  Because we do.
• You love your Daddy's voice and stop whatever you are doing and look up whenever you hear it.
• We sing a lot.  Some of your favorite songs are "Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, We're Going to the Moon" and "The Grand Old Duke of York".  
• You love books and we read every day.  I can't believe how much your attention span has grown.  We've read "Moo, Baa, La La La", "Barnyard Dance" and "I am not Going to Get Up Today" so many times that I know all the words by heart.
• One of your absolute FAVORITE activities is when we place you underneath a large rainbow parachute and pull it up and down.  You find it a hoot and so does everyone else.
• Bath time is probably your favorite time of the day and you've just started a new swim class this month, which has been really fun.  You've been my little water baby from the very beginning and that hasn't changed one bit.
• You went to the creche at my gym for the first time this month.  It was the first time that someone other than family has watched you.  You've yet to cry there and I don't even think you miss me, but you truly don't have any stranger anxiety yet so I know that might get a little more difficult as the months go on.
• We love you Ava and can't wait to see how much fun you have this month!

  

Somebody I know turns Six Months Old on Friday

And I am a little sad about it.  Why is time flying by sooooooooooo quickly?  Can I just hit pause now, please.  All her milestones are magical and I feel so blessed and privileged to witness them everyday but they are also a reminder that time moves on and my baby is growing up.  It's hard to believe that in another six months, I'll have a little toddler running around.  
  

Minnetonka Moccassins

I saw little Zuma sporting a pair of these Minnetonka Moccassins today and I have to say that this is bringing me right back to fifth grade because they were pretty much the shoe to have in my elementary school.  Minnetonka moccassins combined with rolling the bottom of my jeans so you could get the full effect of the shoe, of course and a canvas Spirit. Can you picture it?  Pretty cool, right?  My version of the shoe was not quite like Zuma's, but pretty close to the picture below.  I looked but I couldn't find a picture of a circa 1988 Minnetonka moccassin to give you the full effect but all I can say is:

Gwen, you should've called me!  I was trendy before I knew it and I could've told you how cool these shoes were twenty years ago!
 

Bathtime Fun

 
Rubber Ducky, You're the One!

Splish Splash I was takin' a bath...

 
Who wants tea?  I'll get this round, guys!

Enough work for today.  Somebody get me a margarita!

 

Race Entry Confirmation

I just received an email titled "Race Entry Confirmation".  Yikes, I actually registered for my first 10K race.  I'll be taking part in the Regent's Park Summer Races 10K series and so far I've only committed to the first race. 

I found this 10K training program on Runner's World website and I'm definitely not running more than 3 days a week.  I'm guessing my favorite days are going to be the ones marked 'Rest'.  Fortunately, I have about 12 weeks to complete the 8 week training program.

I plan to model my running style after Phoebe.  I just hope there aren't any horses in Regent's Park...

 

Ok, so maybe not as big as I thought...

 

This little monkey weighed in at 15 pounds, 6 ounces today so she is now she is at about the 37th percentile for weight.  We didn't measure her height this time, because I was running so late to our appointment so we'll definitely do that next month!
 

6 month check up

Ava is 25 weeks old on Wednesday, nearly six months old.  We have a check up on Monday and her last immunizations until sometime after her first birthday.  On November 11, at 16 weeks, she weighed 13lbs and if she continues along the 25th percentile for weight as she has done since she was about a month old, she is predicted to weigh 15lbs, 1oz this week.  But with the holidays and all, I'm guessing Ava might have put on a little more weight than usual (hey, it happens!) so I am going to guess she tops the scale at 16 pounds on tomorrow! ha!  I'll report back with an update later.