Ava's Newest Trick!

Ava can drink out of a straw now! I went to Starbucks to get a mocha frap while Chase was in speech this afternoon (I know I have a Starbucks problem!). I also got a cup of water so I could give some to Ava. What I usually do is put my finger on one end of the straw and then let her drink the water out of the other end. I let her hold the whole cup today and she actually drank the water through the straw! Oh my goodness...what a big girl!

Snow, At Last!

The kids finally got to see snow on Monday the 19th! We were up in NJ and I saw on the news that some schools were closed due to snow. So we piled into the car and Ivette drove us to Morristown, NJ so the kids could experience this thing called snow at last. They were so excited! Gabriella and Chase made a snowball right away and threw them at eachother. Gabriella made a mini snowman and Chase did the snow angel thing. When asked what he thought about the snow, Chase said it was just what he imagined it to be :)

Abbie Girl

I have not posted in quite some time. While we were away in New Jersey, my beloved poodle passed away. I know it might seem silly to some, but it was just too heart wrenching to write about her. I was hoping that posting this might be cathartic in nature, but it is still really hard.

Abbie had been having health issues for several months. On August 1st, she had an ultrasound that confirmed she had a cancerous tumor in her bladder and the cancer had spread to her liver. We already had reservations to leave for NJ on August 6th. Angela had told me to make sure I said my goodbyes before leaving. I did, but not expecting anything to happen while we were gone. She got very, very sick on the 19th and could not even stand on her own. My mother and sister brought her in Saturday morning and had to have her put to sleep. We arrived back in Florida early Sunday morning.

I cried the whole way home. I was so distraught that I was not home to be with her. Angela says Abbie got so sick at the end that she really believes she had no idea who was or was not there. It still is very hard. We buried her in the backyard Monday morning. My mother, sister, Chase, Ava, Louie and I were there. That evening, Paul, the kids and I said our goodbyes outside.

I still miss her terribly. She was a great little puppy girl and I really loved her very much. I still think I can here her walking down the hall or see her in the window when I come home. I miss her "knocking" on my door early in the morning and crying to sleep in my bed with me. I miss her incessant barking for my food when I sit down to eat and her crazy howling cry when she thought I went walking without her.

Abbie had more personality than most people I know ;) She will forever hold a very special place in my heart.

Sleepovers...

Gabriella went to her first "sleepover" last night. The Lafortunes invited her to spend the night and we decided to let her go. For those of you who know me well, I am super laid back in many respects but can also be ferociously overprotective at the same time. I know, strange mix, lol! It is 3:30 and she is still not back and I am missing her lots! I talked to her on the phone a few hours ago and she immediately started asking if the girls could spend the night at our house tonight. I take it she must be having lots of fun with them...ya think, lol!?

New Pics...bath time fun!

Here are some new pics from last night. Since I am not supposed to be carrying Ava, my Mom gave her a bath for me. She took Ava and put her in her Bumbo seat in the shower. It was so cute so I decided to take some pictures. Ava loved it!

Finally had the surgery!

I finally went ahead and had the "fissure" surgery yesterday. I was soooo nervous but, am thusfar, very glad I had it done. I am quite sore but still feel better than I did before the procedure. I am not supposed to be doing any lifting...and according to my dr. that includes Ava. Of course my father is watching me like a hawk to make sure I am not carrying her!

In some other news, Chase seemed pretty quiet and kind of sad this evening. We kept asking him what was wrong and he just said he was tired. Come to find out, he saw Jurassic Park 3 today and he was concerned that dinosaurs might come back to life. Apparently, Julia and Hannah told him that scientists have dinosaur DNA that they will use to make that happen. We reassured him that all is well and he does not need to worry about dinosaurs. Poor guy! He seemed to perk up quite a bit after that, lol!

Solid Foods

We are still trying solid foods here and there and Ava still does not seem all that interested. I really am not worried about it all and just offer every few days. I baked up a sweet potato today for her and let her try it. She did seem to like it more than the avocado or butternut squash. I think we will continue to keep offering her veggies every few days and then moving on to fruit!

Ava's 6 month check up!

Ava had her 6 month check up on Monday. She weighs 18lbs 3 oz and is 27 and a half inches long! That puts her in the 90% for weight and above the 97% for height.
Kerry said not to worry about her not wanting food right now and there is no need to push it. Breastmilk is the most important thing for her and solids are mostly just for practice. She sure is interested in watching us eat though! She loves to drink water out of our glasses too!

Ava's First Try at Foods!

We tried Ava on some solids for the first time this past Thursday the 12th of July. She opened her mouth for the spoon but seemed pretty indifferent to the avocado. We gave her a few baby spoonfulls and then she really did not seem too interested in having anymore. I tried with avocado again on Sunday and it seemed to be the same thing. I also tried some butternut squash yestereday and got a similar response. Except, this time she did the whole yuck face and shook her head, lol!

Teeth!!!

Well, it looks like somebody is cutting some new teeth! I know it is quite silly but I have been really sad about it. It is just a reminder of how fast she is growing! She is not really letting me look at her bottom gums...but it feels like there are two coming in at once. What a fussy she has been since Sunday though! Poor baby must be uncomfy with those toofers coming in.