The Trip to the Great White North

Howdy, pilgrim!

The trip to the great white North didn't involve any "white" (snow) this time around. Maybe for Christmas? It was unseasonably warm in Michigan while we were there.

We left the Friday night before Thanksgiving, after work. It was the craziest day I have had at work in a while, so it was nice to have a break! Doug and I drove as far as we could. We ended-up driving to and staying just north of Cincinnati. Ava had been sleeping for quite a bit of the drive. When we checked into the hotel at 2 a.m., Ava thought party-time had begun. We climbed into bed at 3 a.m. Ava never sleeps in bed with us, so, she thought it was time for fun... She kept standing up in the middle of bed, alternating climbing on me and Doug. Doug said he woke up to Ava doing her "thumb trick" on his forehead in the middle of the night. Needless to day, we got little sleep, but at least we weren't on the road driving...

We got up Saturday morning and made our way to Michigan. Ava did really well. She has officially outgrown her infant car seat, so we think she was a bit cramped for the car-ride up to MI. We had to buy a "convertible" car seat, to give her some extra room. This car seat should be the last one she will need. We decided on a Britax Decathalon car seat. She already enjoys it much more. It's like a little baby recliner, so she sleeps more in this seat.

We stayed with Grandpa Dean and Grandma Dolly, and were completely spoiled. Ava always has a smile at-the-ready for Grandpa Dean especially, even when she is plum tuckered-out.

Taking a bath in Grandma Dolly & Grandpa Dean's sink: A rite of passage for all grandkids












Rubber ducky, you're the one!













The Swash-buckling crew, Thanksgiving-style: Jordan, Daymian, Ava, Sophia and Olivia













Amazing how difficult it is to get a picture of five kiddos smiling all at once...













We visited Grandpa and Grandma Carey, Aunt Tracy, Grandpa Bill and Grandma Pam throughout the week, also. Aunt Jackie, Uncle Bill, cousin Mike and his dog Bosley were all up from Pittsburgh, so we got to enjoy some time with them, also, while over at the Careys'. Good times! Ava seemed to do very well, considering how much we ran her about town...

Ava and Grandpa hangin' out with Lilly












Aunt Tracy, Doug and Ava. Ava seemed to make fast friends with Aunt Tracy, crawling toward her while playing.











Grandpa Carey, Doug and Ava












Bosley, excited to see everyone (especially Doug)











The Puza sisters












Hangin' out in Grandma Carey's kitchen with Ava's favorite toy, the Leapfrog Learning table











Grandma reads to Ava












Cousin Mike (aka "Mitch"), Bosley, Ava and Doug. Notice Ava giving Bosley "the eye" in this picture... It's as if she's saying "Don't even come near me!"









Great Aunt Jackie settles in for a "long Winter's nap"











Great Uncle Bill and Great Aunt Jackie: all smiles











Grandma and Ava












Grandma and Ava












Grandma and Ava












Mike and Bosley












Ava and Great Aunt Jackie












Daddy and Ava












Grandpa and Ava












Great Uncle Bill cuts meat with precision and finesse.

A little music trivia for you... "How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?"








(Answer: Lyrics from Pink Floyd's "The Wall")

Ava is now standing up unassisted, without holding onto things. She doesn't yet understand she will need to put one foot in front of the other to walk. She LOVES to dance and sway her hips from side to side (WAY over to the left and WAY over to the right). It's pretty funny. Grandpa Carey calls her "swivel hips". Grandma Dolly encourages Ava by saying: "Swing it, sister!"

We also went to Uncle Danny and Aunt Linda's for Thanksgiving dinner. Aunt Sherry, Daymian, Jordan, Jamin, Ginger, Ginger's boyfriend Jake, Grandmother (Grammy) Lawson and "Baby Laura" were there to celebrate, as well. Ava and Laura both enjoyed playing with Aunt Linda's many toys! It's funny, these days Ava stands up 90% of the time she is awake. Aunt Linda's toys were so cool, Ava didn't even WANT to stand up. She wanted to play on the floor with the toys. (pics at later date)

My Mom and sister do their annual "day-after-Thanksgiving" shopping excursion, so I was able to join them this year. Getting up early to shop isn't my bag (no pun intended), but my Mom and sister have made a tradition out of this, so I couldn't refuse. The stores weren't as mobbed as I thought they would be, but "lines" abounded. (pics at later date)

We got to meet up with some friends, too. I will be sure to create a future post with those pictures.

We were fed well and enjoyed family and friend hugs in Michigan! I love this time of year, where we can reflect on God's bounty and our wealth in family, friends, health and so many other things. I find myself often singing the "doxology" when alone, as a prayer of Thanksgiving every so often. It's simple music and positive message resound: "Praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise him all creatures here below. Praise him above ye heavenly hosts, praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost." I find it one of the most beautiful and simple songs about thankfulness. How can I NOT have a good day when singing that?

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas...

With love,
Shelly, Doug and Ava

More Wildlife: The Pileated Woodpecker

The creek near our house is like a National Audobon Wildlife Refuge. We call the creek the "trickle" because it isn't a raging body of water, just a slow, not completely still, meandering stream of sorts.

One day I think I saw five different birds all bathing in the creek at one time: yellow finches, robins, blue jays, cardinals and others. The blue jays get territorial. The squirrels are everywhere, chasing each other. I've seen a silvery-gray heron in our creek. Sleek and beautiful. When I went to get a picture of it, it saw me out of the corner of it's eye and flew away. The wing span on the heron (or was it an egret?) was probably six feet, at least. There are minnows in our creek. Canadian geese hang-out in our neighbor's yard. I've even heard a story that there was an alligator found in the pond downstream from us, that the alligator was found only after a few geese disappeared. Hmmm...

We have a hawk that lives in the trees nearby. One day he decided to perch on our deck for a minute. What a pretty and HUGE bird. Rust in color. There is a cardinal nest nearby. There are many blue jays in our neighborhood, too. Aggressive birds, those blue jays.

Yesterday I went to work in the basement and noticed a little stirring in our garage. I thought it might've been the house contracting with the weather getting cooler. When I went to work on my computer, I noticed a baby bird had made its way into the finished part of our basement and was perched on a filing cabinet. I opened up all of the doors and the garage door, and went upstairs. When I came back down, the bird was gone. This is the third bird that has been in our house. The other two were in our great room (both flew in from the front door), but this one stayed in the basement. (We have funny stories about the birds that flew into the great room...)

One Saturday morning a few years ago, I got up early while Doug was sleeping. I heard a thud followed by a splash in our back yard. When I went out onto our deck, I saw that a very large turtle had tumbled down the hill into our creek. I ran over to the concrete silt "filter" and stood on it. The turtle, seeing me, ducked under the spill rock and hid from me. When I went to get Doug out of bed, the turtle was gone.

We've got big fat frogs in our creek, occasionally, too. One smaller frog made its way into our basement and hung out for a few days, unbeknownst to us. (He snuck in when the door was cracked open, we think). When we found him, we put him back out in the yard. There is a small blue-tailed lizard that frequents the crack near our garage door. I saw a cotton-mouth snake crawling through our neighbor's ivy (across the street). Doug didn't see it, but I heard it and turned quickly enough to see it disappear into more ivy. Doug has picked up two dead snakes in our yard this year, while mowing the lawn. He said one of the carcasses was at least an inch in diameter. That being said, I don't think our yard lends itself to a little one like Ava playing around by herself...Especially considering the nearby creek (and the fact that it is down a hill).

Working from home lends itself to birdwatching. Today I saw another cool thing. I saw a WILDLY red-headed woodpecker on a tree. By the time I got the camera, it was gone. I've seen woodpeckers before, but none like this one. I had to look the bird up on-line to see what kind of woodpecker it was, specifically. I attached a picture, but it just doesn't do it justice. On-line, I learned that "Woody Woodpecker" (the cartoon) was modeled after a pileated woodpecker. I've heard an annoying bird "laugh" for a few years now. I now realize this "laugh" is the laugh of the pileated woodpecker that resides in the trees above our house... The woodpecker I saw today had longer hair on top, and was BRIGHT, BRIGHT red. A sight to see.

http://echotourism.com/birding/pileated.htm

We enjoy the variety of God's creatures that stop by our house for a visit! It's always interesting . One thing the creek has taught me is that "life goes on". I know this all might sound a bit cheesy... The water doesn't stay in one spot, it is constantly moving and pushing on downstream. We must all evolve. Whether fast or slow, it gets where it needs to go. It knows where it needs to go. It takes another path if faced with obstacles (rocks). It IS life. (What is the fact, that humans are 80% water?) It brings interesting characters (red-headed, hard-shelled or blue-tailed) our way. They come in an out out of our lives (or in our case, our house :-)). It's pretty cool to have physical and figurative "life" running just alongside our house. It is literally as close to the house as it could be, without us ever needing to worry about a flood. We enjoy our little trickle.

As Woody himself put it best, "That's all folks."

With love,
Shelly

At Long Last - The First Tooth!

So we were comiserating with fellow parents on the subject of "teething". Because my first tooth came in at 2 1/2 months, I expected Ava's tooth to arrive early.

It finally popped through within the past week.









We had a good laugh with friends about how we've excused cranky-baby behavior on teething: "Yes, he / she is cutting a tooth. He / she is cranky." So, we've been doing this since Ava was two months old. She is eight months now. Our friends' baby didn't get teeth until 13 months, so they also blamed cranky behavior on teething for months, too. Who knew? :-)





You wouldn't believe how hard it is to get a picture of her tooth. She guards it like it's Fort Knox.











She looks like she is in hysterics in this picture. It was actually just momentary displeasure, I promise!












Relaxin' in her new "convertible" car seat. She was bit cramped in her infant car seat.












You can see the tooth in this picture, too.

I saw some baby toothpaste (minus fluoride) at the store, so we've given it a try with a finger "toothbrush". She seems to really enjoy having her "tooth" and gums brushed. We just tried it out yesterday.










Ava has now perfected the crinkley-nosed smile, complete with one sweet little tooth. This is her newest smile. :-)

She's growing so fast!



With love,
Shelly, Doug and Ava

Eating a Cracker

Ava eating a cracker
Video sent by thecareyclan

Starting to Climb

Ava Climbing
Video sent by thecareyclan

A Favorite New Toy

Who knew THIS could provide hours of entertainment?

Ava's Favorite New Toy - The Doorstop
Video sent by thecareyclan

Morning Glory

There's just something timeless, sweet and peaceful about natural morning sunlight in pictures.

I pulled up the blind on the front door the other day, and Ava was immediately drawn to looking out the window panes. She was in such a sweet mood, I couldn't resist taking pictures.

MMM, tofu!

Ava Eats Tofu
Video sent by thecareyclan

I enjoy the occassional burrito with extra tofu from Moe's or Willy's. Doug and I refer to their burritos as "Duraflame logs", because the burritos are about that size... They're huge!

When I originally became pregnant with Ava, I tried to eat as healthy as possible, which meant more tofu, soy, salads, veggies, etc. Not that I adhere to a strict diet (on the contrary ;-), but I do still enjoy those foods.

I thought tofu might be good for Ava to try, because it is firm but can be chewed up pretty easily. And chock-full of protein. I know, I know, many people might think this a form of torture... As you can see in the attached video, Ava wasn't a big fan of tofu, trying it for the first time. :-) She has never gagged, but this was a first. :-)

The next day she ate pieces of very-ripe avocado, which seemed to evoke fewer gag-reflexes. The "good" fats in avocado are supposedly good brain food...

We're still searching for other soft, chewy "finger" foods for Ava to eat...She is getting better at feeding herself. It's pretty fun to watch. Now that she eats finger foods, she watches EVERY bite we take, as if to say, "Can I have some?"

Shelly

She's a Dancin' Machine

Ava Dancing
Video sent by thecareyclan

Ava's favorite pasttime of late is dancing. Whenever music is around, she's feelin' groovy. It used to be shaking her bootie from side to side, now she's got the other direction down pat... It cracks me up every time she does this...

The beanie / beret was to keep her head warm... I had just given her a bath and she was shivering getting out of the tub. Luckily this outfit and matching hat are lined pretty thickly.

She is REALLY getting around these days. This morning she walked the entire perimeter of the activity table you see in this video, hanging on while effectively "shimmying" around the table. She's also getting a bit more daring by "letting go" occasionally.

I think pipsqueak is probably going to be walking by the end of the year, which would put her around 9 months or so. Only time will tell, I guess!

Hope you are all doing well, and bundling up! Can you believe Thanksgiving is NEXT THURSDAY? Ca-razy!

With love,
Shelly, Doug and Ava

Cool factor vs. kids

Can you have both? I have officially come to the conclusion that you can't continue to be uber-cool after kids come along.

This isn't a bad thing, kids simply provide an opportunity for a "reality check" to occur. Instead of talking about the coolest new gadget / electronic / CD / clothes / shoes / furniture / car you bought, you end up talking about the consistency of your little one's last diaper, what milestone they've achieved, how many teaspoons of vomit comprised the last "spit up" session,the extent of their last "bump" on their head, etc. :(

I will still continue on with my quest to be the coolest Mom this side of the Mississippi. Until then, the diaper conversations are essential...

:-)
Shelly

The "Grown Man" Cough

Ava has a rough cough. The kind of cough that makes people turn in public and look at her. The kind of cough that might make other parents question my effectiveness in parenting. The kind of cough that makes other mothers think twice about letting their kid play with her. The kind of cough that makes me feel sorry for her...

She's had this cough for a while (without a fever), and it doesn't seem to be resolving itself. I don't want to overreact, but I also don't want to "under-react"...So, we took her to the doctor today, to be sure that it wasn't anything to be concerned about. This was her first real "go-to-the-doctor-when-you're-sick" doctor visit, other than her scheduled "well-baby" visits. (Even though she's not technically "sick"). It turned-out, we shouldn't be worried. The doctor said she may have a bit of a cold, but that her cough was definitely related to teething. Teeth have yet to pop through in her little mouth, though. Her gums are SERIOUSLY bothering her, too.

She got a flu shot, also. I had no idea that they give babies two flu shots. One shot followed by an additional shot 30 days later. So, we'll go back in a month for more fun. I also got a flu shot, as they were administering them for adults, too.

Doug came to the appointment, too, with the doctor's office being right around the corner from his office. He offered emotional support during Ava's flu shot. Thanks, Daddy!

It was good to know she didn't need any antibiotics, and that she's healthy, with exception to being quite the exceptional mucous-production factory.

She weighed in at 18 lbs 14 oz, so she's gained 1 & 1/4 lb in 1 1/2 months. I think she's gotten taller, too, although they didn't measure her this time...

Normally I work from home and we take Ava to day care during the day, so I can get "work" work done. I brought her home with me after her shot today. She has been sleeping for over two hours, now, in her car seat! This has definitely allowed me to get quite a bit of work done. 'Cranked it out while she's sleeping, as I know she won't sleep forever!

We're ready to fight the big-bad flu bug!

With love,
Shelly

Le Petit Chef

We had a great time visiting with our friends the Schopers a few weeks ago. They have two little ones: Noah who will be two in April, and baby sister Riley was born this past August. They are both adorable! Riley is an adorable little princess and Noah holds complete, captivating conversations with you in a language that is all his own.




While visiting with them, Ava had the opportunity to have some fun playing in their gourmet kitchen!











Brandon told us that every kid needs a plastic hot dog. I would agree...Who needs a $100 "Tickle-Me Elmo" doll, when you can buy a plastic hot dog? (Hot dogs can do flips, too, ya know). It seems that each child that comes to their house finds and treasures the plastic hot dog. And so multi-functional! It can be a phone, as well as a wonderful source of pretend-nitrates!






It's funny how life has changed since Ava has been hangin' around... We even make it home on weekend nights by 9 pm or so, for the most part. Gone are the days of staying out into the wee hours of the morning, slap happy, seriously caffeinated (I know, we're crazy-folk), care-free and depending on sleeping in late the following day... But we wouldn't trade it for the world.

Le Petit Chef, mon cher!

Avec l'amour,
Shelly, Doug and Ava

Low-Key Weekend

Hello!

We had a nice, low-key weekend. Doug left Friday afternoon for Raleigh, NC, to attend a seminar that will help with his test-taking of the ARE exams. He has two tests left to take (out of nine; he has passed seven), and wants to get these tests out of the way, and become a certified architect. I'm glad he was able to attend, although we missed him! He drove back Saturday after the seminar, and got in around 10 pm. He missed us, too, he said.

So, that left Ava and myself to a girl's weekend. Ava is pulling up on everything now. On Sunday afternoon, while standing up, she let go and stood by herself for approximately 5 seconds before she lost her balance. She did this a handful of times. It was surprising to us when she stood by herself.

She is definitely cutting a tooth. You wouldn't know it by her demeanor, but there is FINALLY a large bump on her lower-left gum area. She doesn't like for me to touch it. I gave her some teething tablets, as I've heard they help with the discomfort. She smacks her gums constantly, now, which must help.

With Doug out of town, my "task list" was thrown to the wind. By choice. But, I tried to occupy Ava with a Baby Einstein DVD (she's finally somewhat interested in these DVD's) on Saturday. I left the room for a split second. When I came back in, the TV was turned-off, and she was standing next to the TV armoire, playing with the door to the VCR. She also figured out how to open the DVD player. I told her "no" and signed "no", but she looked up at me with the biggest grin on her face. I thought it was pretty funny, but didn't let on... She's turned the TV off with a remote a few times now.

She also pulled on the tablerunner on the trunk in our living room. Everything on the trunk (a breakfast tray with books, remotes) came down when she lost her balance, but luckily didn't fall on her... It did spook her. I think our living room is now going to be looking a bit sparse, but heavy on the kid-toy decorations...

How do parents keep lamps atop tables, I wonder? Ah, life's perplexing questions...

With love,
Shelly, Doug and Ava

Adventures In Baby Class

Dropping Ava off in class...
My Mom helps with the baby class at the church in Rochester, MI. We were fortunate enough to have Ava attend class while Grandma Pam was helping, when we were visiting in early October.

Grandma Pam often takes pictures of the little ones during class (when a free hand can be afforded :-) and puts the pictures in small photo albums for the parents. I joke that one day she’ll have the first picture of two babies that grew up, having attended baby class together, and got married to each other. The parents seem to like the pictures. I know I do, now that I am one of those parents. :-)







Mom has a very lengthy “play-list” of Baby Class songs with which I am not yet familiar. I’m sure eventually I’ll know them all… The songs in Georgia “Baby Class” differ (slightly) from those in Michigan… Actually, for Ava's age at our church in Atlanta, they actually just play through the hour.






Grandma Pam said that Ava behaved well. I was a little worried, because she seems to show affection by patting people she loves (Ava, not Grandma Pam :-) . Ava hasn’t quite mastered the idea of “gentle”, yet… With the babies being in such close proximity to each other, I was a bit concerned. She did well!

With love,
Shelly, Doug and Ava











Ava making friends and smiling at Reese Wise



















Mrs. Beth Paul teaching class













Brooke Burcham, Ava and Reese Wise













A happy girl



















Wanting to give a baby some lovin'













I've heard of voracious readers, but Bible eaters? :-)
































Kiddos in class













Such sweet little ones!














Learning about all of God's creations...













She loves ducks, too :-)