Getting Bigger…

This week was Ava’s 1 year checkup with the pediatrician. Its hard to believe, but our little tiny bundle of joy has gone from a 5 lb 11 oz and 19 inches long to an 18 lb, 28 inches long little mobile chatterbox. Let’s see, so that makes it 12 lbs 5 oz of weight gain and 9 inches of height, plus millions of smiles all in one short year!

Here she is with her new growth chart (a very cool gift from Uncle John and Aunt Marcy – made from wood reclaimed from trees in Minneapolis) “proving” that she is 28” tall (or would be if she stopped jumping).

Ava doing a little “here’s one for the crowd” as she is playing her piano.

Oh, and the piano doubles as a toy to push around the living room. Here’s an action shot of her pushing it over…

Since Ava is a year old and got a new ride for her birthday, Mo wanted an upgrade as well – here’s Mo’s early birthday gift…now she and Ava can ride in style!

Time to head to the pool to cool off and wear Ava out a bit…

Ava’s First Birthday

It is hard to believe, but Ava is already 1 years old (7/13 at 1:26 PM to be exact). Our lives have been forever changed by our precious little daughter.

On Sunday we had a birthday party (a Baby-que) with a bunch of friends and their kids over. It was great to see all the kids and range of ages/activities that they like to do. A little preview of what we have coming in the next few years. Oh, and we were able to catch up with the adults too!

Ava’s birthday cake…

And Ava’s personalized cake just for her (Elmo of course)

A little post-cake, pre-bed milk (no more formula – Ava is on whole milk now).

Tuesday morning we gave Ava her “big” gift from us. Of course we had to get her a Radio Flyer wagon – although the new versions have seats, and a canopy to keep out the sun.

 

Later in the day Ava played with her card from Lola and Papa – she loves to dance when the musical card plays!

Ava is multitasking here – eating the plastic broccoli from her play kitchen while riding in the wagon.

Later she had to show off the wagon to her friend Sofie.

And of course she got to eat more cake for her actual birthday. And for the record she does love sweets – she is definitely our kid!

Flash back to a year ago, where this was the scene…

It is amazing that in just 365 days, our little tiny newborn has grown up into a (nearly) walking, chatty little toddler that loves to eat food, smile, and laugh.

Fourth of July Fun

While Ava doesn’t yet appreciate fireworks or the Stars and Stripes, she does seem to like it when more people are around. With the long weekend, Ava got to play with her friend Sofie. Here she is demonstrating how to play with the toys.

Earlier in the day, Ava rediscovered her green chair. We used this to get her to chill back in the days before she could sit up. Now she is learning to walk by pushing it across the carpet.

Of course she always loves playing house. The door is a hit – she never seems to tire of opening and closing it.

The next day, Ava was helping Mom put dishes away. I wonder if Maytag tests their dishwashers for this?

Happy Fourth to everyone!

Now we start the countdown on the final week of Ava’s first year….