My Girl Wants To Potty All the Time, Potty All the Time, Potty All the Time…

We recently introduced Ava to the "potty". A neighbor recommended and let me borrow a book “Diaper-Free Before Three”. The book states that “the earlier you start, the earlier you finish”. Sounds good to me! We’re in the “introduction” phase, currently, letting Ava get comfy with the whole toilet experience. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to be a diaper-Nazi, but thought it couldn’t hurt to help Ava learn the process.



I told the day care principal about wanting to start the process. She says her own kids started the potty-training experience at six months, and were completely potty-trained by their first birthdays???? Whaaaa? Based on the book I’m reading, it appears that most other countries potty-train much earlier than we do in the United States. I found that pretty interesting. (The day care principal is from China.)



The first time I put Ava on the toilet (about two months ago), she wasn’t having it. She threw a fit, stiffened her body, cried, and that was that. My neighbor reassured me this was normal, and to casually give it a “go” again. Okay, if the following pictures aren't blackmail for when she's older, I don't know what will be... She SERIOUSLY looks constipated in these pictures, although she wasn't. In fact, this "round" didn't result in a full pot... Doug and I cracked-up when we saw these pictures. She was just having fun hangin' out on the potty chair, with her fun books...



A few weeks ago: I put Ava on the toilet for what seemed like forever. Normally a pretty “regular’ kid, she didn’t think it was time to “go”. She LOVED sitting on the potty-chair that Grandpa Carey made especially for her, though!



The next day: I put Ava on the toilet for 10-15 minutes. She didn’t go. I took her off, she decided to start tinkling in the bathroom floor. I immediately put her back on the toilet. No tinkle-sprinkle. I took her off the toilet. Tinkle-sprinkle on the floor. I put her back on the toilet, and she decided to go herself. Yay! Breakthrough!



The day after: Again, normally a very regular kid, she didn’t go when I thought she might. Seeing her hunched over and concentrating in her high chair at dinner (with her face turning a deeper shade of red every second), I knew it was time :-). I took her to the toilet, read through the “Elmo Goes To Potty” and “It’s Potty Time” books (complete with fun flushing sound effects). Twenty minutes later, we have jackpot! (or should I say “semi-full pot” :-)).



Since then, we've tried putting Ava on the toilet after each meal. Somehow I don't think she is associating the toilet with "going", completely yet. Hopefully we'll get into a routine and work-out the kinks... (okay, pun intended, sorry TMI :-) We've had some success a few times. I never thought I would do the happy-dance in the bathroom, because someone else "poopied". My how things have changed...



The poor kid has also been cutting more teeth (at least three, this time). They're cropping up everywhere! Truthfully, I'd rather they come in all at once, so she can be done with it for a while.



I am so gonna pay for these pictures in the future...

It’s a straight flush,
Shelly

The Bunny Family

Ava has her own "Bunny family", of stuffed animals, which are on a regular rotation in her crib. Yesterday we saw a different bunny family!



Looking in our backyard, we saw quite a few bunnies. We then figured out there are FIVE BUNNIES (four adults and one baby bunny) which reside next to our creek, in the far back corner of our yard. When I was transplanting lantana last Sunday afternoon, I heard something scurry in the wooded area, but thought it sounded too big to be a squirrel. Now I'm certain it must've been one of the bunnies.

Yesterday they were very playful, running circles around our backyard. Of course Ava LOVED to watch the bunnies. She said "Bah!!!!" (The bunnies didn't seem too phased by her constant pounding on the kitchen window, due to her extreme excitement). I put some carrots and lettuce out for them, which seemed to scare them off momentarily.



Ava loves the outdoors! When I bring her home from daycare, she gets upset when we walk upstairs instead of me setting her down to run out of the garage, to play outside. She loves to venture around and check-out nature. She's not afraid of getting dirty, either! I've been planting some flowers lately, and often she wants to help.

She officially "runs". I'm sure we're in for our fair share of bumps and bruises on the noggin', now that she's Speedy Gonzales.



Ava has been especially cuddly lately. She clings to my neck like a little koala bear. She gives many kisses and hugs. She likes to be held when inside, but when she's outside, set her down and watch her go!!!

It's amazing what Ava understands, lately. When it's time for Ava to take a bath, I undress her and then tell her it's time for a bath. She runs over to our stairway, waiting for me to open the gate, so she can walk up the stairs. It's hysterical to watch how she walks up the stairs. She holds onto our hands and likes to use one foot per step. I guess this is how she sees us walk up the stairs, so she doesn't think she should do it any differently. :-) She thinks she's grown!



Have a great weekend!

Shelly

P.S. - Our "pool membership" (at a neighboring sub-division) starts today. We'll be putting it to good use this year! The weather has been absolutely beautiful lately, with a bit of a breeze to keep everything cooled-off. Nice!

Happy Mother's Day!

We had a great Mother's Day, and hope you did, too!

I woke up to cards and two gifts on the kitchen table. For Mother's Day, Ava got a card for me, as well as two books I can read to her. One is the "Mommy and Me" Baby Einstein book. Doug said she actually did pick it out. It's funny; she LOVES the kangaroo on the Baby Galileo DVD. The Mommy and baby kangaroo are both on the cover of the book, so she "picked the book" for Mommy. Ava also made a card at school, that has her handprints in red paint. Doug had a very nice card, perfume and earrings for me.

We went to early service at church. Doug was sweet to drop-off Ava in the nursery and said he would get her if we got the dreaded / typical "page" in the middle of the sermon. Half way into the sermon, I asked Doug if he thought the pager was broken. (We've had this happen twice in the past; the nursery attendants tried to page us to no avail.) Doug said he would go check on Ava... She was FINE! We think we learned our lesson, that Daddy needs to drop-off Ava in the nursery (instead of me) for us all to have a drama-free Sunday morning. Doug drops her off at day care, so I guess she is used to that routine. Ahh, sweet sanity.

We headed home so Ava could take a nap, thinking we would go out for an early evening dinner and avoid the Mother's Day lunch rush. The day prior, we bought some flowers and landscaping supplies at HD, so Doug and I both worked on the landscaping while Ava took a very long nap. It is SWELTERING already, here in GA! The landscaping looks very nice, though. Doug and I came to the realization that we will NEVER have a garden in our back yard... We transplanted some lantana plants from our front yard into our backyard. There is SO MUCH CLAY in the back yard; we're hoping the lantana will survive and thrive. 'No vegetable gardens while we're living in this house! From our time spent in the sun, I got a bit of a sunburn on my shoulders, neck and the back of my arms from bending-down gardening. I am officially a "red" neck.

When Ava woke up, we thought we would go for an early dinner at Red Lobster on the way to small group. I LOVE their salads and broiled flounder. I used to work for "RL" in high school and during college. Ava didn't share mine and Doug's vision of a peaceful dinner, so we ended-up leaving RL earlier (scarfing down dinner). She wailed the entire way home. We haven't known what her deal has been lately; it seems like whenever she gets in her car seat, she cries. She definitely prefers to be walking around and exploring, instead of strapped-into a car seat. I figured it out yesterday... She is cutting at least two teeth on the bottom and one top-front tooth. There are two more that are also growing in. She hasn't been eating a bunch, hasn't been sleeping soundly at night, so this explained it. When it rains, it pours! I just pray that they come in quickly and with as little pain as possible.

All in all, it was a wonderful Mother's Day! Sunshine, flowers, long baby naps, a nice breeze and my sweet husband and little girl here, too. God truly blesses us over and over again.

We hope you were able to have a great day, too, spoiling your Mom and other family members.

With love,
Shelly

The Newest Hairstyles, Straight From Paris...

Pigtails, anyone? I've seen other babies with cute hairstyles; "waterfalls", side-ponytails, pigtails. Why not our kid? So, I attempted to fashion my daughter's hair into pigtails. I was laughing so hard, trying to take these pictures... She has STUMPS for pigtails. I won't be torturing her with pigtails for another few months, I guess. These little piggies were so short, I kept trying to get the right angle for a picture... There wasn't one! These pictures are over a month old, so she has quite a bit more hair now. Still not quite enough for piggies. :-)

Old MacDonald Had a Petting Zoo...

Today the older kids at Ava's school "graduated". All parents were invited to attend the ceremony, eat lunch at the school, and then enjoy the petting zoo (next to the playground) with their child.



Ava was overdue for a nap when I got there, but managed to stay awake until the animals arrived, after noon. When the animals got there, you would've thought the Beatles plane just touched down in America. Unbelieveable pandemonium! "It's a duck! AAAAAAAAHHH!" "It's a pig! WOOOOOOOOWWWWWW!" I'm surprised my eardrums are still in tact! Ava screamed right along with the older kids, so excited to see animals walk off the pages of her story books. She would wave at those critters she recognized most easily.



I was interested to see her response to animals roaming about freely, and I wondered if the animals would be friendly. Indeed they were, and Ava didn't seem one bit timid. Now that I look at these videos, I think Ava might've been more scared of the crazy kids running around, than the animals... As you can see in the attached videos--you may want to take some Dramamine first--we were walking in circles as I was taping...she liked to chase after the animals, but somehow they move a little faster than the stuffed animals to which she is accustomed... :-)



She got on a pony a few times for a ride, and seemed a bit more cautious than she was while petting the animals. She was able to pet a duck, rabbits, a billy goat, chicks, and feed a duck. (She wanted to eat the duck-feed herself, at first). There were also roosters, a ferret, baby pigs (so cute!), a guinea pig, and some other animals I can't recall right now.



I kinda felt bad for these animals. It reminded me of the little girl in the old Animaniacs cartoon: "I will love him and squeeze him and call him George". I was glad to see these animals were still this friendly and well-adjusted after possibly having already been poked, prodded, dropped and/or stepped-on by visits to other day care centers, just like ours! :-) PETA needs to refocus their efforts, I'm thinking. :-)

All in all it was a great morning. Ava fell asleep in the car on the way home from day care; the princess continues to sleep. I'm sure her dreams are vivid and animal-filled, this afternoon!

E-I-E-I-O,
Shelly

Petting Zoo at day care
Video sent by thecareyclan

Petting Zoo at Day Care 2
Video sent by thecareyclan

Petting Zoo at Day Care 3
Video sent by thecareyclan

The Big Bad Vacuum Cleaner

Ava has been so much fun lately! She has this little delayed laugh, if Doug and I are laughing at something. She gets the joke, just a few seconds after the punchline :-)



She also has fangs. Her top front teeth aren't growing in, yet, but the teeth beside them have arrived. So, she has a little "goal post" of sorts, in her mouth. (Score!) When she laughs and throws her head back while in her car seat (with her little nose scrunched up), you can see her little fangs. Doug and I laugh endlessly about the "fangs.



I turned on the vacuum cleaner yesterday, and she just about ran out the door. I've never seen the kid move so fast! She wouldn't stop crying or calm down while I was vacuuming. I had to pick her up and vacuum. Even then, she was petrified. She didn't want to get on the floor. She's seen me vacuum before, so I'm not sure where this newfound phobia came from. What's even more interesting, is that she isn't afraid of the vacuum attachment, but she's afraid of the vacuum itself. You see, we have what looks like an "old school" vacuum cleaner. It's a Royal stand-up vacuum, with a lot of silver chrome and a bag on the back. There is a light on the vacuum itself, so you can see what you're vacuuming in dark corners. It IS LOUD! Hopefully over time she begins liking the vacuum. :-)

The weather has been in the upper 70's and low 80's this past week. Nearly every day, after I pick Ava up from day care, we hang-out outside, enjoying the weather and pushing her Fisher Price car around the cul-de-sac. She LOVES the outdoors. She walked on the grass without her shoes on the other day and didn't seem to get freaked-out. She likes to feel the grass, too. About a month ago, she didn't like to feel a flower in her hand. Now, I think she is a bit more courageous with what she'll hold or touch. She enjoys watching the neighbor's dogs go for a walk, too.

She loves to cover her eyes with her hands, and then show her eyes. When she does this, she puts her hands in the air as if to say "ta-da!", like she's some little entertainer.



Shannon, Jorge, Bella and Abbey Flores were in town this past weekend, up from Columbus. It was great to visit with them. Being that they stayed with us Friday and Saturday night, Ava had a built-in slumber party! She really seemed to enjoy watching the "big kids", and learned lots from them! It was fun catching-up with them. We went to the park on Friday night and let the kids play. Doug and Jorge have extremely similar taste in music. When Doug brought-out his guitars, Jorge would play a tune that Doug would've played. Crazy! We had a great time with them, and hope they return for a visit sometime soon!







Ava now likes to "high five", and point at Mommy and Daddy's noses. She can't seem to point to her own nose yet, but is getting close. She runs around like crazy. Thinks she owns the joint, here. She LOVES her Barbie laptop, and types on it like she knows what she's doing. It's pretty funny to watch.

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When I walk up the stairs with her, she likes to walk up the steps (holding onto my hands), instead of crawling. The funny thing is, she likes to take only one step per step, just like an adult would. So, it's a stretch for her to walk with one foot on each step, but she does (with our help).

Oh, this was the sweetest thing. I was singing "Old MacDonald" one day, and got to the "E-I-E-I-O" part. I kept repeating it, and Ava was focused intently on my face / mouth, trying to understand how to say it. She now says "E-I-E-I", with her sweet little voice.

She can "woof-woof" like a dog, and if she sees a monkey in a book, she can "ooh-ooh-ooh".

Ava has an appetite like I've never seen. At day care, they tell us that she is such a good eater, and that they wouldn't believe how much she eats, if they didn't see it themselves. She LOVES ravioli, canteloupe, watermelon and just about anything you throw her way, with exception to green beans (lately). For example, one day at day care: she ate five fish sticks, a small plastic container of ravioli, an entire banana, two bottles of milk and part of one sippy-cup of juice. What can I say? The kid has an appetite!

These days have to be the best days yet, with her in our lives. It is so fun to watch her explore and find exciting new things about the world. She seems to meet every experience with a smile and so much happiness; we'll work on the vacuum. :-) For that we are thankful.

Enjoy the day and all it has to offer!

With love,
Shelly

Ava's "12 Month" Pictures

To keep with the tradition, we took these pictures of Ava in / around her rocking chair. She moves pretty fast these days, so these pictures were no small feat! Bribery with bubbles worked, this time. :-)



She's been a bundle of fun lately. Yesterday we surprised Doug by taking an ice cream cake and some balloons to his workplace, and went out to lunch with him (to celebrate his becoming an official Architect). He seemed pretty surprised. We then came home and Ava played outside for quite a while. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous, recently!



Ava LOVES dogs. Our neighbor was walking her dog, stopped and talked to us, and walked away. Ava kept yelling loudly (as loud as her little voice could go) at the dog and waving, like she wanted the dog to come back and play. :-) She enjoyed pushing her Fisher Price "car" around outside, and picking purple flowers (aka weeds).



This morning, before she and Doug left, I asked if she would give me a "high-five". She did! We haven't ever practiced the high-five, so it was cute. She thought it was hilarious and laughed.



Enjoy the weather!



With love,
Shelly

Douglas Paul Carey, Registered Architect!

At long last, Doug got the news he was waiting for! Six weeks and a day after taking his ninth Architectural Registration Exam, he received a letter from the Secretary of State saying HE PASSED!!!!!! He has dedicated the past two years to taking these nine grueling examinations, with Ava's birth and a kitchen remodel thrown in there.



I am so proud of my hubby for his persistence and dedication to this. I know at times it has been extremely frustrating to study, when everyone else is playing. Thank goodness he can put this behind him, now. It's over and done, and he's a legitimate Architect.




HE PASSED! HE PASSED! HE PASSED!



Congratulations, Doug!

Love,
Shelly, and your other sweetie, Ava :-)

P.S. - I believe that the following link will take you to the Georgia Secretary of State's Web site, where you can see his registration for yourself:

https://secure.sos.state.ga.us/myverification/

Easter!

We enjoyed time with family in Michigan this Easter. It SNOWED on Easter, so the egg-hunts didn't occur outside, but we had a great time! Grandma Carey noticed bunny tracks right next to Doug's truck, on the way to church! Wow... The Easter bunny really did come to drop-off Easter baskets!

Ava was a tired little girl during church, but seemed to enjoy a new bunny in class. :-) After church, we headed-over to Grandpa Dean and Grandma Dolly's to visit. Ava hunted for her Easter eggs, found them and added them to her Easter basket. After visiting for a while, we headed-over to Grandpa Bill and Grandma Pam's house for more egg-and-family fun. Ava seemed to momentarily forget how to pick-up the Easter eggs and put them in her basket, so Daymian and Jordan lent helping hands.

It definitely wasn't sandal weather for Easter this year, but we came back to Atlanta to pretty chilly weather, too. I think it's finally going to warm-up today, which will be nice.

We hope you had an egg-stra special Easter, filled with fun family times!

With love,
Shelly

Daredevil

1st Birthday Party

Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Carey for letting us throw Ava's birthday bash at their place!

Each year, Doug has Good Friday as a company holiday, so we try to take advantage of the long weekend. This year, we made the trek to Michigan to celebrate Easter and Ava's first birthday, with family. Ava did unbelievably well on the way to and from Michigan. We made great time until we hit the Michigan state line, where EVERYTHING turned to ice! It SNOWED in April!?! It seemed everyone on I-75 was going about 30 MPH, it was that icy. Fortunately we made it to MI safe and sound, staying with Doug's parents and sister Tracy.

Because Ava's birthday party coincided with Easter weekend, and because Ava loves all things "bunny", we had a bunny-themed birthday party. I made a cake in the shape of a bunny for her "smash" cake. She didn't quite know how to blow-out the candle, so we'll practice for birthday #2. :-) After kissing the bunny on the nose, she seemed to get into the frosting a bit more. She seemed to like it. She's almost able to unwrap presents; I think by Christmas she'll be able to really tear-into gifts.

At the party, Ava was able to celebrate with all of her grandparents, Great Grammy, and some other "Greats" (Uncle Danny and Aunt Linda). She received many fun gifts: a fun Tickle-me Elmo, lots of books, cute stuffed animals, fun ride toys, electronic remotes, cell phones, keys, a Barbie laptop, and very cool clothes. Thank you so much for spoiling her! (Party attendees were: Mommy and Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa Carey, Grandma Dolly and Grandpa Dean, Grandma Pam and Grandpa Bill, Great Grammy, Great Uncle Danny, Great Aunt Linda, Daymian, Jordan, Aunt Kristen, Olivia, Sophia, Aunt Tracy, Tom, Ginger, Jake, Lora. Great Grandma Burnis and Aunt Janice tried to come, but the roads were pretty dangerous, so they headed back home).

We had a full schedule while visiting, as always, but were able to see most everyone. We were even able to briefly stop by Grandma and Grandpa Spangler's house, to visit. Please keep Mr. Spangler and his family in your prayers, as he is currently in hospice care at home.

Easter Sunday Ava went egg-hunting at the grandparents' houses. She was a bit worn-out from partying too hard on Saturday, but she made it through the day wonderfully. She went to three sets of grandparents' houses! A world traveler...

We haven't been back a week yet, and miss everyone already. Thanks so much for showering our little family with your love, as always.

Shelly

Ava's One Year Pictures

The weekend after Ava's birthday, we took her to Babies 'R Us to have her "one year" picture taken. We had to wait 45 minutes before they could take her picture. She came in smiley and ready for a picture. While waiting, we played with all kinds of fun toys! She was like a "kid in a candy store", but she was a "kid in a toy store". It was funny to watch her get so excited about so many toys. Upon peeling her away from the toys (Elmo, specifically), she wasn't the happiest camper. She LOVES Elmo!

She was working on a tooth at the time, also. It has since popped through, so she now has her bottom front teeth and two top teeth (both next to the front) - she has goal-posts on top! :-)

Ava doesn't really sit still for pictures anymore. She's a mover and a shaker! It seems most pictures taken of her lately are of the back of her head; she moves that fast! :-) So, it was difficult to get both pictures below, because she wanted to get up and walk around. 'Still a happy girl!




This is her crinkley-nosed grin. What you can barely see in the lower-right of the picture, is her foot, which she hiked-up pretty high. Only for pictures :-) She may be a future karate expert or a Rockette, with this high-kick!

Average Kid?

We went to Ava's one-year doctor's appointment yesterday. She is a very healthy, developmentally ahead-of-the-curve, baby-girl (who detests most health care professionals, with exception to Aunt Tracy :-)).

She weighed 20 lbs, 11 ounces (with a... folks, trust me here... FULL belly of rotini pasta). I sent the rotini with her to day care, thinking there would be extra for another meal and she ATE IT ALL! (I think this kid must be part-Italian, with the amount of pasta she can consume). 20 lbs, 11 oz puts her in the 44th percentile for her age. I was shocked by this. She looks like such a big girl to me, that I thought she would at least be in the 75th %. I can't believe that the majority of babies out there are BIGGER than she is!

She measured 29 inches tall, which puts her in the 50% for her age. I thought she would be taller (again, she seems like such a big girl to me!). Her head is 18 inches around. No ear infections. Reason to celebrate! So, she's right around average for both height and weight.

She can now drink whole milk; the doctor gave the okay. So, suffice it to say, we made it a YEAR nursing. That was my final goal (after many shorter-term goals), and I am SO proud to say we got that far! It wasn't easy, especially at first. The first weeks seemed super-rough. As natural as breast-feeding SHOULD be, it isn't (at first). But, after the first month or so, things got much, much better. I am SO glad that we've been able to give her that leg-up as far as her health is concerned. And how much money have we saved by nursing instead of formula-feeding? Based on Web sites I've seen, anywhere from $1,400 to $3,163.86, for the year. Crazy!

Developmentally, Ava is doing some things in the 18 month category (crazy, I know). She can throw a ball, occasionally kick a ball, put things in containers, says more than 3 words. (I forgot the other "criteria" for 18 month babies). She is doing everything on the checklist in the 12-month category.

She got three immunization shots. Poor thing! When we came home, she should've gone down for a nap, so I put her in her crib. I listened to her babble to herself in her crib for at least 30 minutes, before I went up to get her. Obviously not ready for a nap! I thought she would be whiney and hurting from the shots, but she was just the opposite. Playing, giggling, playing peek-a-boo (a new favorite pasttime). What a happy girl! She crashed and burned later and didn't want to wake up, so we let her sleep it off.

We're so thankful for her health! We pray this message finds you happy and healthy, too!

With love,
Shelly

Baby Love

This past weekend, Ava became more interested in the baby doll that Grammy Lawson gave to her for Christmas.

We're not sure where Ava learned to "pat the baby"; she must've learned it from us patting her on the back, or in watching a teacher comfort a crying baby at day care. Either way, we thought it was super cute. She pats her baby quite frequently, lately.

Baby Love
Video sent by thecareyclan

She also looks more like a toddler, now. Within the past week or so she seems to have had a huge growth spurt. Her one-year appointment is this afternoon, so I'm anxious to see how much she's grown! (Not looking forward to the immunization shots...)

She now says these words frequently:
"Dada"
"Car" (LOVES pointing at our neighbor's car driving down the driveway, while in her high chair)
"Dog" (She gets excited EVERY time she sees a dog)
"Duck"
"Cow"
"Mama" (She still doesn't refer to me as Mama. I think Doug and I are both collectively "Dada". Over the past few days I've tried to emphasize that I'm "mama". When I say it, she just looks at me and grins. :-))
"More"
"Ball"
"Wow" (her all-time favorite)

She also says "Dah-dun" quite a bit (we're not sure if this is "thank you", or maybe "cousin"? We point to her cousins on the refrigerator quite often).

She also takes huge, fast steps and almost runs. She's into climbing on things now, too. She climbs up her "car" and stands on it in the middle of the living room. Yikes!