Visiting the Strauss Haus

(Sorry I don't have more pictures for this post... As you can tell, I'm better about taking pictures when Doug is around, for some reason...My Mom actually took this picture.)

Ava and I had a great time hanging out with Grandma Pam and Grandpa Bill last week. We stayed Sunday night through Wednesday afternoon. I think I picked-up a "bug" of some sort from the family reunion (or Ava's doctor's visit), so I sneezed & sniffled the entire drive from Kentucky to Michigan on Sunday. Ava also seemed to have a bit of congestion and the ear infection that "wouldn't quit". She continued to take Amoxicillin to cure the ear infection.

Ava was wiped-out from the traveling and the family reunion. Monday we took it easy and got take-out from Kim's Chinese Restaurant. Ava had fun hanging-out with Grandma Pam during the day, crawling on the floor, and perfecting her "standing" routine. On the subject of Chinese food, I SO MISS the good egg rolls from Michigan. The egg rolls in Atlanta are a strange concoction which exclude bean sprouts, but instead contain carrots and cabbage. So, I definitely enjoyed Kim's!

Ava made fast friends with Grandpa Bill, too. She flashed quite a few gummy-smiles his way, and seemed to enjoy his entertaining her. I wondered how this would go, considering he and my Dad are both tall guys with deep voices. But she seemed to LOVE the attention! We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Grandma Pam and Grandpa Bill.

We then visited Uncle Danny and Aunt Linda's house on Monday night, where Ava got to hang-out with Baby Laura again. (Ava and Laura originally met when Ava was about 7 weeks old). Uncle Danny, Aunt Linda, my cousin Ginger and Grandmother all hung-out with us. More on Baby Laura and Ava's fun in tomorrow's post...

Tuesday Mom, Ava and I went to Old Navy to find a winter coat for Ava as Michigan a little cooler than I expected. Ginger told us they had some cute winter coats at Old Navy. We found some very cute clothes and a nice dressy winter coat for Ava, with which Grandma Pam treated Ava. I also saw a "Daddy Is a Rock Star" long-sleeved black onesie, so I had to get it! I thought Ava could meet Daddy at the airport wearing this onesie, a pair of black velvet pants and some patton-leather shoes when Doug arrived the following Friday. All of the shopping wore Ava out. During our shopping excursion, we were able to surprise my sister Sherry while she was working. She said it made her day to see Ava. We then headed home and ate dinner with Grandpa Bill before he headed to play volleyball that night(as he normally does once a week).

During this trip, I was determined to get Ava's 6-month pictures taken, and hoped that everything would come together for a "four generation" picture including my Grandmother (known as Grammy to her great-grandkids), my Mom (Grandma Pam), myself and Ava. To make a VERY long story short, we were able to take both pictures at Olan Mills. I thought Ava's smile repository would be depleted, considering how long we had to wait, but she did very well. With a dirty diaper (found immediately after the "session"), a long wait, a tired and sick kiddo, spit-up aside, she actually SMILED many times! :-)

After the pictures were taken, we were able to quickly visit my sister's apartment in Rochester. Her apartment is in a very nice area and is a nice place. Her apartment looks out on a very pretty courtyard right outside her window. Sherry was cooking dinner for the boys, so we didn't stay too long. Sherry had it nicely decorated for Halloween. Ava seemed to enjoy Aunt Sherry's window decorations the most. My Mom dropped Ava and me off at my Dad's house, where we then were able to spend a few days. (Post on the visit with Grandpa Dean and Grandma Dolly to follow soon).

We had a great time at the Strauss Haus!

'Missing everyone already!

With love,
Shelly, Doug and Ava

Family Reunion(s) 2006

This message was written 10/09, but not posted until today so I could add pictures...

Hello, all!

I'm typing from the beautiful state of Michigan this morning! Doug, Ava and I all rode up from Atlanta to the Corbin, Kentucky area this past Friday night, for my Mom's Mom's family reunion (the Claxtons). We stayed with my Mom's Dad's sister, Aunt Jean Archer. Aunt Jean is a jewel! She always goes out of our way to make a SPREAD of food for dinner when we come up.




At the Claxton reunion, we were fortunate enough to also hang-out with my Grandmother, my Mom, my sister Sherry, her two boys (Daymian and Jordan), my Mom's brother (Uncle Danny) and his wife (Aunt Linda). Grandmother is definitely in her element at these family reunions, filling her role as social butterfly, graciously.






We always seem to have great weather when attending the family reunion in October. The area of Kentucky where the reunion was located couldn't be more beautiful. The combination of rolling hills, trees changing color, blue sky and crisp air can't be beat.








Because we stayed with Aunt Jean, you could say we had two family reunions; one for my Mom's Dad's family, and one for my Mom's Mom's family. This time of year is very special to me because I get to learn more about the way my relatives grew up, and about their families, too.







Ava did very well on the car ride up to Kentucky. She was a bit antsy by the time we arrived, but faired well. After the reunion, Doug drove back to Atlanta and I hopped in a mini-van with my Mom, sister, Ava, Daymian and Jordan. Good times! Jordan sat behind Ava, so he was able to provide unending entertainment for Ava. (Thank goodness he has that much energy, because I don't!) Jordan had her cackling and laughing out loud while driving to Michigan.




Ava's ear infections became a little more obvious while we were staying with Aunt Jean, although Ava has been on an anti-biotic since last Monday. When driving up to Kentucky, Ava was sleeping, but cried during her sleep while going through the hills around Jellico, Tennessee. I think the altitude-change / air-pressure didn't help her ears at all. But, she is chipper this morning and smiling once again. She was quite the party-girl this weekend, staying up late with the "fam".



Grandma Pam, Aunt Sherry, Uncle Danny, Aunt Linda and Grammy all are enjoying their smooch-time with Ava. I guess you could say we're going to be doing the "smooch-circuit" this week. This week we don't have anything particular planned during the week, with exception to an early Halloween party at Grandpa Dean and Grandma Dolly's house. So, Ava and I will enjoy hanging out with family and relaxing a bit. It's supposed to be beautiful here all week, although a little colder than Hot-lanta!


Happy Fall!

Enjoy the beautiful colors the season has to offer!

With love,
Shelly, Doug and Ava







Aunt Jean - She's a sweetheart!













God's country

The First Snow

The First Snow
Video sent by thecareyclan

More Later...

Hello, everyone! We made it back safely last night from the great state of Michigan, after a wonderful time with family and friends. I came back to 352 e-mails, so I will be digging out from them before posting to the blog.

We hope this message finds you well!

With love,
Shelly, Doug and Ava

Ready To Go!

Today I took a vacation day and made cookies ALL DAY LONG. When I say ALL DAY LONG, I mean ALL DAY LONG! :-) My Grandmother's annual family reunion is in Corbin, Kentucky, this weekend. Last year I made a cookie bouquet (in a terra cotta pot) with extra cookies on the side, to serve at the "potluck" style lunch. The kiddos that were there last year especially seemed to enjoy these treats on a stick. So, when I found out my sister and her boys were coming to the reunion this year, I decided to make them again.

I made 97 treats on sticks! Some were in the shape of flowers, some were jack-o-lanterns, some are smiley-faces and others are flower-shaped rice krispy treats on a stick. Michael's (the craft store) sells Wilton "treat pans" that I use to create the "treats".



After the reunion, I will be driving back to MI with Ava, my Mom and sister for the week. Doug will return to Atlanta for the week, and will then fly up on Friday the 13th (e-gads! :-), to join us for the weekend.

I am really looking forward to Ava getting to spend some quality time with her grandparents, and all other relatives! (I'm looking forward to spending time with them, too).





Ava looks more like a little toddler to me, these days. Doug says she has a "tall person head" (I have not been able to figure out what he means by this...) She has been a real sweety lately. We couldn't ask for more of an angel!
















A little FREAKY... Today when I was multi-tasking with cookies in the kitchen, Ava crawled over to me and started tugging on the back of my pantlegs at the ankle. She can't be close enough to me these days, it seems. When I turned around, I noticed she was STANDING UPRIGHT while hanging onto my pants! Yikes! All of these developmental milestones seemed to happen within a week or so of each other. I guess we're overdue on the baby-proofing. We'll be sure to do that when we return from MI.

Just an FYI, I may not be posting pictures while in Michigan, as I don't think I'll have room (amongst the baby gear) to bring the camera docking station... I will be sure to catch-up when I get back, though!







Also, an update... Prayers have been answered. Doug's Dad (Jim) had successful knee surgery on October 3rd. He has had previous operations on his knee, and the knee didn't seem to "take" (for lack of technical terms, here). The doctor gave him a new knee on the 3rd, and Jim will be released from the hospital on Friday. We are SO THANKFUL that he remains healthy and in such good spirits! Please continue to pray that this surgery / knee does the trick, and that he will be able to do the things he wants to do, without restrictions due to his knee. We appreciate it!

With love,
Shelly, Doug and Ava

Ava's Afternoon Nap...

Afternoon Naps...
Video sent by thecareyclan

Six-Month Appointment

She was a trooper! Ava was in good spirits when we went into the doctor today. I tried not to give-off any apprehensive vibes, and she seemed to remain full of smiles.

Weight = 17 lbs, 10 oz. / 79%
Height = 2 feet, 2 inches / 58%
Head = 17.52 inches

The doctor said Ava is very "athletic". I found that observation pretty hilarious. Our little 17 lb baby is athletic... :-) The doc said that Ava had very good back-control and seemed to be doing things that an eight or nine-month old would be doing (rolling, army-crawling, sitting up, holding onto things while standing with assistance). She is a very "busy" baby.

We found out Ava has an ear infection in both ears, although the doctor said she would never have guessed that, when walking in and observing Ava's happy demeanor. So, we're on some Amoxycillin to clear it up. Ava had been a goobery mess for a few days, but I contributed it to teething (she's chewing on everything in site). The doctor says that she doesn't think Ava will be cutting teeth within the next 8 weeks or so. It's a relief to know that, I guess.

The doctor said Ava will be needing lots of calories as she becomes more mobile. I'd say she's doing fine with her current calorie intake. For a while there, she was eating quite a bit, but that seems to have slowed-up in the past week or so. I think she was just going through a growth spurt when she was eating more than usual. I saw the other day that she has part of her neck "back". I couldn't see it there for a while. I wondered where it went... :-)

Ava also seems to have food "texture" issues. The doctor then suggested we hold off on solid foods and then reintroduce them in a week or so. When we got home from her appointment, I gave her oatmeal cereal w/mixed fruit and cereal crisps, and she loved it. So, I guess we'll stick with the bland stuff for now. At least she opened her mouth this time!

When she got her immunization shots, I had been tickling her a few moments prior. She was laughing pretty hard. Somehow I think that helped with her reaction to both shots. She cried for a minute, but didn't wail like she did at her last appointment. After I bounced her a little bit, she started smiling again, and was back to her sweet little self. She even smiled at the nurse who gave her the horrible shots. :-) So far so good; overnight she didn't get sick from these immunization shots...

A clean bill of health (minus the ear infection), and a prayer of thanksgiving!

With love,
Shelly, Doug and Ava

What a GREAT weekend!

Happy Fall, y'all!

We had a great "Fall" weekend, and hope you did, too! Only a few trees are beginning to change color here in Georgia, as of yet.

The weekend started out with a nice dinner at Houlihan’s on Friday night. Because I’m turning 30 on October 4th (yikes, I’m starting to hyper-ventilate, here), we got a coupon for a free dinner entrée.






(This picture was taken after church on Sunday)

On Saturday, we had a not so fun time at Olan Mills. Not because of Ava, but because of our "Debbie Downer" photographer. (Those of you who have seen the Debbie Downer skit on Saturday Night Live will catch my drift, here). Hoping to take our first professional family picture, we gussied-up and ventured out to the photography studio. (Please note: "gussying-up" does not happen frequently around these parts, with a little one's needs coming before perfectly-coiffed hair), so the extra-effort compounded our disappointment that the pictures didn't turn out.


(I swear we didn't pose her this way...
It's just that the shoes are too big and clunky
for her to move them).
The very young and flustered photographer was running an hour behind and not too positive from the minute we walked in the door. The photographer wasn't having a good day, to put it mildly. We pressed on, hoping to catch a smile of Ava's on film. Ava didn't smile too much, though, as I think she was freaked out by three people (Doug, myself and the non-smiley photographer) yelling and clapping in front of her, in hopes that she would smile. What's a little girl to do? We won't be going back to that studio, but hopefully will get that professional "family photo" sometime in the near future.

Our friends Amy and Mark Hoffman agreed to babysit for us on Saturday night, so Doug and I could go out to celebrate my birthday with dinner at Stoney River. From what the Hoffmans told us, Ava did well with them. Ava fought going to sleep, but went to bed at 8, which is fairly typical. Amy was even able to rock her to sleep. This was good practice for the Hoffmans, who are expecting a little guy on Christmas Day!

We don't often frequent Stoney River, but for a special occasion. Doug had a coffee-cured steak and I had pecan-encrusted swordfish. Yum! The bread they offer before the meal is called "stoney puppies", which I imagine would be something like a beignet (a French doughnut). They serve this bread with sweet, whipped butter that is flavored with cinnamon. I was in heaven. :-) And they, too, offered something for free, because of the birthday. We got an almond-laced top hat dessert with fresh strawberries and blueberries, complete with a lit candle stuck right into the Haagen-Daz ice cream. As Rachel Ray would say: "Yum-o!"


Sunday evening Doug and friends surprised me with a party at the local park. I thought we were going to meet and have a picnic at the park, but little did I know it would be a birthday surprise! Walking up to the pavilion, I asked Doug "what are the balloons for?" When I looked over at him, he had a Cheshire cat-grin on his face, so I figured it out at that point. :-) As we walked up, everyone sang "Happy Birthday". Thanks to all of our friends who made the night special. Melissa Baillairge made TWO (yes, two!) cakes. The Hoffmans decorated with balloons and streamers. It was very sweet. And the weather was PERFECT for hanging-out outside. Thanks, guys!

I'm allowed to celebrate all week, right? ;-)














With love,
Shelly, Doug and Ava

P.S.-Wish me luck... today is Ava's six month appointment, complete with immunizations! :-(

"The Great Pumpkin"

We were recently surprised by the arrival of the cutest little outfit in the mail from my Aunt Jackie, Uncle Bill, Cousin Mike "Mitch", and of course Bosley. As you can see, it is a little pumpkin outfit that Ava feels right at home in.















The funniest part is that Ava doesn't even know that the hat is on her head! She looks up at us, and sees us smiling and laughing, so she just smiles back.

Thanks Schulers!!!

-Doug

Ava Kisses

Two Sundays ago we learned that Ava knows what the word “kisses” means. Trust me, she has no shortage of receiving kisses. We’re constantly smooching her sweet, chubby cheeks and her little belly. I occasionally will ask for a kiss back: “Gimme kisses”. When I say that now, she has been grabbing both sides of my hair or my cheeks, and pulling my face close to her (ouch), opening her mouth, and slobbering me all over one cheek. She makes a little “aaah” sound, too. (Normally when I kiss her on the cheek, I make a loud smooch sound and she’ll smile).

No need to shower on days when I get “Ava kisses,” Ava takes care of the “shower” part for me…

Sometimes she randomly does this after I pick her up and hold her. It's the sweetest thing! She likes to give hugs when she needs them, too. She will put her arms around my neck and snuggle like a little Koala bear. It’s adorable. She isn't the super snuggle-bunny I imagined a baby would be yet (she's a very "busy" and active baby, crawling on you when you hold her), so the few times she does want to snuggle, I cherish!

When I asked if she would “gimme kisses” a few weeks back, she did. Doug was holding her at the time, so I then asked if she would “give Daddy kisses,” and she did! It melted my heart! It was the first time she has made it obvious that she knows the meaning of a specific word we've said. How cool that the word was "kisses". :-)

Other words:
I think she also knows the meaning of the word "more". She also gives big smiles and lights up when we cheer her on and clap. She gets a smirk on her face when I say the word "Mama" or "Dad-da", too. She's started to "talk" by using lowering her voice a little more and saying "oh". It's pretty cute to watch.

With love,
Shelly

Our Little China Doll

Ni Hao!

As you may recall from a previous post, our friends Jeremy and Marsha Duncan recently went to China to finally meet the little girl they adopted. They returned a few days ago, after a grueling 31-hour day of traveling, with their sweet little one in tow. Aidyn is now officially an American and a Duncan! To view pictures of the Duncans’ adoption experience in China, please visit the Web site below, where they kept a daily diary. What an amazing experience! I’m sure they’re glad to be home now, with Aidyn safe and sound.
http://www.adoptionvoyages.com/Aidyn.htm







While in China, the Duncans thoughtfully picked-up a sweet pink Mandarin dress for Ava!

Let me just say I am a fan of Mandarin collar fashion. :-) I actually bought a blue Mandarin dress for myself a few years back, for which I endlessly dragged Doug through Chinatown (here in Atlanta) to find. Poor guy, he really is a trooper! I don’t consider myself an “Amazonian” woman, but I am an XL in a Mandarin dress, and there weren’t many in that size to begin with…



I digress. Doug needed to drop something off at the Duncans tonight, so he went over after work. The Duncans surprised us with an Ava-sized Mandarin dress. Of course Ava had to try it on! She looked SO cute! (She wanted to eat it before she tried it on). And it fits very well. Thanks to the Duncans for the sweet gift!








With love,
Shelly, Doug and Ava

Ava Plays the Xylophone

Taken a few weeks ago. I think she's grown taller since this video was taken. She sits up on her own now, without the aid of the "Boppy" pillow. She now tries to pull up on a few things, and her balance is getting better.

Ava Plays the Xylophone
Video sent by thecareyclan

Ava In The Pack and Play

One happy little girl!

Taken a few weeks ago...

Ava In the Pack And Play
Video sent by thecareyclan

Daddy’s Concerts

Daddy Plays Guitar
Video sent by thecareyclan

Doug really enjoys playing guitar. Whenever he has a spare moment, he picks up one of his guitars and strums. In the video, he is playing his Baby Taylor (a back-packing guitar). He played music when we were dating and I would fall asleep to the full sound of his guitar. He played Pachabel’s Canon D (recorded it), to which I walked down the aisle on our wedding day. He played music for Ava before she was born. He plays for Ava now.















When Ava was first born, I think the sound was just a little too loud for her tiny new ears, but she now loves to hear her Daddy play. She seems very calm when he plays. She scoots over to where he is playing and holds her arms up, hoping that he’ll pick her up. She can’t get close enough to her guitar-playing Daddy.

Diva

When looking up the word “diva” in the dictionary, Mariah Carey’s picture might soon be replaced with Ava Carey’s picture! Ava loves her sunglasses. Miss Hollywood. Interestingly enough, she doesn’t claw at the sunglasses, like I would think most babies her age would. The picture of her with her sunglasses and pacifier says it all: “I am pampered!”

It seriously looks like she is posing for some of these pictures...








































































































This one cracked me up. She is actually grabbing for the camera, but it looks like she's trying to stop the "stalkarazzi".

Ava Hangin' Out

We bought this crazy bouncy contraption at a consignment sale this past weekend. It was originally $10 and then half-off that price, and just needed a little cleaning up. I’ve heard that kids really seem to enjoy Jumparoos, so this seemed to fit the bill. When we first put Ava in this seat, she loved it immediately! She bounces everywhere. When she is in this seat, she tries to walk toward you, but the elastic band pulls her back. So, she is in a state of perpetual motion, always trying to walk toward you, never getting there! She ends up spinning around, instead. It’s pretty funny…

Our house isn't falling apart; this door is near our laundry room, so you'll hear the dryer running during this little video clip.

Hangin' Around
Video sent by thecareyclan

Roots

Doug, Ava and I took pictures near church, at one of the oldest trees in the Dunwoody, Georgia area. This tree just happens to be on the church's property. It's absolutely beautiful, and HUGE! The span of the limbs is very long. The root system for this tree has got to be incredibly deep, to support a tree with limbs that far-reaching.

It really is a cool tree.
















Ava wore a dress to church today, which Uncle Danny and Aunt Linda were kind enough to give to her a few months ago. It is the sweetest, girliest dress you've ever seen! Ruffles for days! And of course, pink. (Is there any other color? :-) Her little chubby feet almost don't fit in the very fancy shoes already, so we had to take pictures while we had the chance!