Ava is 17 Months Old

It has been so much fun to watch Ava, especially lately. I can see the gears working when she watches something, trying so hard to learn all about the big wide world.



I've been determined that Ava won't become a tv junkie. We've tried to limit her tv-watching to one video or DVD a day (30 minutes total). I thought that was generous, but not to the kiddo! She LOVES Elmo! She will walk up to our tv, grab the remote, walk it over to me, walk back to the tv, point to it and say "Moh Melmo", all while doing the sign for "more". Oy! We're fortunate that the dvd's we do have are educational, but I really don't want her to rely on television for education. So, we just redirect her attention, if possible.



We bought tickets to go to Sesame Street LIVE in a few weeks. Hopefully she'll get her Elmo-fix there!



She is beginning to form short sentences. This past weekend, we repeatedly heard all about "Melmo". She now likes to repeat things over and over again, practicing. She is much more deliberate now about saying things, such as "Mama", "Dada", "Melmo", "More", "Happy", "Chomp", enunciating more and using the "appropriate" word for something. She's been great about letting us know what she needs. She looks at us directly when she is trying to communicate things, instead of babbling into thin air. Don't get me wrong, she does like to babble when she reads her books, but she also talks to us directly when she wants something.



She knows how to use a handle to open and close a door, now, too. We've had some thunderstorms lately, one which spooked her a little. She now says "dun-der" (thunder), and "awn-mower" (if she hears a lawnmower, leafblower, etc). She says "bye-bye, airplane".



This past weekend I went with a friend to some consignment sales and a garage sale. I found a Sit-and-Spin for $2. Recalling my own fond memories of the sit-and-spin at Grandmother Lawson's house, I had to buy it; she LOVES it! It also plays some fresh techno beats, surprisingly. She lugs the entire thing around the living room. I got some REALLY cute high-end smocked dresses and outfits, a Winter coat, three hand-made sweaters and some other nice clothes for her at the sales. Always good to get a deal on cute clothes! From what I understand, Atlanta is AMAZING for consignment sales compared to many other parts of the country... Not sure why? Here are some pictures of some of the finds...

















Ava seems very well-adjusted, and is ever-so-social. She says "Hieee!" to most everyone when we're out in public. She loves to kiss and carry her dolls, and enjoys taking care of a babydoll in the church nursery. She loves to know how things work. She's really into carrying purses and bags around lately, as you can tell below...



We babysat a friend's baby on Saturday. I went to check on him while holding Ava, telling Ava we needed to be quiet, "shhh". When we left the baby sleeping and closed the door, Ava would say "shhh". It was cute.

She doesn't sit still for very long. The doctor advised at her 16 month appointment that, as long as she is sitting still long enough to eat dinner, that is great; babies don't sit for long at this age, in general. It's funny, if she is interested in something, she could sit forever!



She is 22 lbs and in the 30th percentile for height and weight. This seriously surprised me, because she doesn't seem to be small in my opinion, eats well and has some meat on her bones. I guess this isn't such a bad thing, considering the obesity "epidemic" with kids these days. I'm not stressing about percentiles, but regardless of them, Ava is eating very well and seems to be growing so quickly! She has 12 teeth. I had a breakthrough yesterday when I was able to hold her down long enough to figure out how many teeth she has! I think she's working on #13, too. When we ask her to say "cheese", she now shows all of her teeth. It's a hoot! ;-)

We really try to feed her as many healthy foods as we can, with the occasional treat. I'm also determined that she will not be a picky eater, aka the "chicken nugget kid". She has been eating everything lately we put in front of her! She LOVES any kind of fruit. I would venture to say her favorite food is grapes. We have to remind her to eat only one at a time, as she gobbles them up! Occasionally she won't prefer ground beef or some meats. We just try to disguise them and she's fine with them.

(She's got a shiner on her cheek in this pic... Two on the same cheek, in one day...)


Doug and I both don't prefer salmon, so other than salmon, she's eaten quite a bit...tofu with spaghetti sauce, Fish sticks, avocado, black bean salsa, shrimp, scallops, blueberries (LOVES these), chicken breast, honey-glazed carrots, peas (loves them), chicken nuggets (I know, I know), tuna salad, egg salad sandwiches, peanut butter sandwiches, Nutri-Grain bars (an all-time favorite), ravioli.

Truth be told, it has been difficult to keep her menu varied and healthy. We've been told on more than one occasion that her food is the "best" of all kids at day care. That makes me feel great that others think she has good food... Being a first-time Mom, I would never know! She LOVES milkshakes, too. Knowing she is in the 30th %, I don't feel so guilty giving her one every once in a while... The straw doesn't leave her lips for at least 5 minutes!!!! ;-)

She's 17 months-old, and growing every day!

With love,
Shelly

Visiting Bulloch Hall

As mentioned in an earlier post, we went to Bulloch Hall when my Mom visited. Bulloch Hall is the childhood home of Teddy Roosevelt's mother. Teddy Roosevelt's parents were also married in the dining room of this house. Built in 1839, it was one of the first houses built in Roswell, GA.



Doug and I have both wanted to see this house for some time. We pass it every Sunday on the way to and from church, so it's practically in our back yard.



Before our tour...


The grounds were really beautiful! We also got to see the slave quarters on the property, where we read about the lives of slaves in the Roswell area. Very eye-opening! I didn't realize that wealthy families actually had a "shadow" for each of their children. The "shadow" was a child-slave, around the age of the master's child, who would go wherever that particular master's child went. The "shadow" slave also slept at the foot of the master's child's bed. It makes me so sad to think that a child could be born into such a life!



It was very cool to see one of the first houses built in Roswell, and understand how the area was developed. Cotton was grown in the area, and mills were built for textiles, near the Chattahoochee River. It was very cool to see another piece of the "old South".

Inspired by Scarlett herself, I was eyeing the curtains to see how I might fashion for myself an uber-trendy, bohemian-chic sundress... Security got to me first. No luck. :-) I kid. I kid...



Around Christmas, there is a historical reenactment of the wedding of Teddy Roosevelt Sr. and Mittie Bulloch, done completely in period regalia.



Only a true architect would take a picture such as this! ;-)


Corner Detail


http://bullochhall.org/page5.html

Rockin' Out on Her Guitar

Rockin' Out On Her Guitar
Uploaded by thecareyclan

Grandma Pam's Visit to Georgia

My Mom came down and stayed with us August 1-6. Ava, Doug and I each enjoyed our time with Grandma Pam. The weather was a bit hot, so we kept most of our activities indoors. We went to visit historic Bulloch Hall, took a trip to Costco (always fun!), and hung-out at the pool. Grandma took Ava to the park to play, while I worked one day.

Thank you for coming down to visit, Grandma! We look forward to seeing you again soon!

(I will be sure to post additional video on future posts).

Giggle Box 1
Uploaded by thecareyclan

Giggle Box 2
Uploaded by thecareyclan

With love,
Shelly

The Giggle Box

Da Bears

A New 'Do

About a month ago, we went for Ava's first kiddo "salon" haircut. Thankfully, Aunt Linda has been able to cut her hair in the past. I have cut her bangs a few times in recent months (isn't "bangs" a funny term?), but she needed a little more shaping-up than I could offer.



Ava didn't appreciate having shears in her face, or a complete stranger attempting mane-management, but the stylist was able to cut her hair nicely. Sucking on a dum-dum sucker always helps!





It's now only a month later, and her hair has grown back! We might be opting for pig / pony-tails in the near future, and just keep her bangs under control.

The Finished Product!

'Still Dating After All These Years

Eleven years ago today, Doug and I went on our very first date! He walked up to me after church and asked if I wanted to go to lunch with him. I couldn't resist a charmer such as Doug. As we began dating, my protective friends (at the time) thought "Who is this new 'Doug-guy'?" "Is he good for her?" It didn't take long for Doug to win them over, too.

We went to Chili's on that Sunday afternoon, and the rest is history. He recalls my asking him who his favorite architect was... He said he was pretty impressed by that question. ;-) I recall him telling me he had to get home fairly soon after lunch, because his brother and sister were in town, visiting from Phoenix and Vegas. The picture of Doug's family below was taken the day we started dating, before Joe and Kathy returned west.



I fell for him, hook, line and sinker. Doug then interviewed with Georgia Pacific in Atlanta, while living in Michigan, as he wanted a more stable job (than framing houses in Michigan, when weather would cooperate) before he married me. After landing the job with GP, he proposed to me on November 6th and was asked to report to work in Atlanta on November 10th. After a year and a half of living the fairy-tale life, we got married in Rochester, MI on January 24th, 1998. They had to snowplow the parking lot; it was so COLD! (We actually had both wanted to wait until Springtime, but both couldn't bear the thought of being apart from each other for that long.) The day after we were married, we drove a U-Haul truck down to Marietta, full of our belongings, setting-up life in a nice two bedroom apartment that Doug found. Two years and nine months later, we moved a few miles away, into our current house. Here we've stayed since, on our "honeymoon".

I thank God that he sent such an amazing man into my life! Here's to many more fun years filled with smiles, haunted houses, jazz festivals, train trips to Chicago, camping trips, kamikaze 150-mile bike rides, fun and romantic dates, and lots of guitar-playing.

I love you, Duggers!

With all my heart,
Shelly

Cheering a bit early for the Pistons

Aunt Freda and Uncle Dave were sweet to give Ava a Detroit Pistons cheerleader outfit for Christmas this past year. She finally fits into the outfit, and we think she'll fit into it this coming season, as well.

Here's the little cheerleader, cheering pre-pre-season!

(These pictures were taken about a month ago)









Ava's Version of Cheering...

The Word Bank, Part II

Grandma Pam came to visit this past week. She was able to serve as translator for Ava, also. We learned that Ava says a few more things, some of which we weren't recognizing at the time:

Almost home
Amen (may-mem)
Beep
Daddy home
Get down (not to boogie, but because she likes to stand on the couch)
Green
Hair
Hat
Green
Light
Nail (she points out EACH nail in wood, on the steps in our basement)
Rain
See it?
The end (when we reach the end of a book)
Tree
Whoa! (it is SO funny when she chuckles and says "whoa!")
Yellow (not sure, but she points to yellow street signs and says this???)

The list continues to grow...

Grandma Pam was also able to help Ava with differentiating between signing "please" and "more".

Thanks for deciphering the code and visiting, Grandma Pam!

With love,
Shelly, Doug and Ava

The Word Bank

My Mom meticulously documented my development during the first two years of my life, in my baby book. She even drew (see figures A and B below) a picture of a mouth, with an arrow pointing to each tooth and the date on which the tooth popped-through my gums! (And yes, I was 2 1/2 months old when my first tooth appeared!?!).

Figure A


I made a sorry attempt at a "tooth diagram" for Ava, but kind of gave up, as there were so many teeth coming through at once, and I didn't see a need for pinning her down and torturing her by looking in her mouth (this seems to be the worst punishment for Ava, at least).

Figure B


My Mom also noted in my baby book that I had said 100 words by the time I was 17 months old. So, last night, Doug and I got out our fingers and toes, and decided to count how many words Ava knows. Ava's word bank is a little over 50 words, currently! My favorite is that she calls Elmo "Mel-mo", and she sounds like she's from the Bronx when she says "bear" (it sounds more like "beah"):

1. Airplane
2. Baaa (when we ask what a lamb says)
3. Baby
4. Babydoll
5. Ball
6. Balloon
7. Bath ("Bah". says this repeatedly when we ask if she wants to go to the bath.)
8. Bear (Beah, when she wants her teddy bear)
9. Bee (loves to point out bees. She's not afraid of them, yet).
10. Bible
11. Birdie
12. Block
13. Boo-boo (she insists we kiss her "boo-boos" now).
14. Book (Bah-bah)
15. Bubble
16. Bus (she points to school buses and says "bah!")
17. Bye-bye
18. Car
19. Cow
21. Dad-da (and Daddy)
20. Doggie (dawh)
21. Door
22. Drink
23. Duck
24. Elmo (Melmo. She knows how to laugh like the “Count”–ah, ah, ah!)
25. Eye
26. Fish (??? - she has only said this a handful of times)
27. Flower (???)
28. Grandma
29. Heeeeh (when we ask what noise a horse makes)
30. Hi (she frequently greets many with a big "Hi!!!!")
31. Hot
32. Jesus (sounds like Jay-jee)
33. Mama (and Mommy)
34. MMM! (She LOVES chocolate milk, so we hear this often when she drinks it)
35. Meow (when we ask what a kitty-cat says)
36. Moo (when we ask what noise a cow makes)
37. More ("Moh, Moh" she signs "more" w/her hands when she wants more food)
38. Night-night
39. No
40. Nose
41. Ooooh!!!
42. Ooh-ooh-ooh (when we ask what a monkey says, or when she sees a banana)
43. Pig
44. Please
45. Poo-poo (she came up to me & said "Momma, poo-poo," when she had a dirty diaper.)
46. Pool (says this repeatedly when we ask if she wants to go to the pool.)
47. Purple
48. Quack-quack
49. Shoe
50. Thank you (doesn't use this often, currently)
51. Tree
52. Uh-oh
53. Vroom Vroom (when she sees a car)
54. Waah, waah, waah (when we ask what a baby does)
55. S'at? (what's that?)
56. Woof, woof, woof (when we ask what a doggie says)
57. Yes (yeah, yeah, yeah)

She understands so many words right now, but doesn't say them. I think her vocabulary will be taking off within the next month or so. It's so fun to listen to her sweet little voice saying all of these new words! She LOVES to talk to herself and hold elaborate, animated and colorful conversations.

She also knows a few signs. It's funny; she thinks the sign for "more" is also the sign for "please", which is cute. I guess I can understand why she might have these two mixed up...

I'm sure she knows and says other words, many of which WE don't currently understand. :-) Someday soon we'll crack the code. :-)

With love,
Shelly

Future Renderings Professional

I wrote a few weeks ago about Doug's amazing picture he drew for Ava to paint. Attached is the video of an architect's doodling of a house; his daughter completed the "rendering" (as it's known within the architecture field).

Ava Puts Finishing Touches on Renderings
Uploaded by thecareyclan

All Aboard!

We had a great time this past weekend with Kenyon, Anna and Ryan Ashton Fletcher. We all attended church in Ellijay, GA on Sunday morning, ate a quick lunch and caught the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway train to McCaysville, GA.



We enjoyed sitting in one of the train's open cars. The weather was beautiful, and the breeze when the train was moving was nice. The kiddos (Ryan Ashton and Ava) both did very well, considering the trip was one hour to McCaysville, a 1 1/2 hour stop and a one hour return trip. We got back to our cars around 5:30 p.m. or so, so it made for a long day for the little tikes. Ava fell asleep three minutes into the car ride home! (this is a record)

We did some sight-seeing in McCaysville, ate some ice cream, relaxed, and Doug took some architectural pictures.








I love this picture of Ryan Ashton and Ava:










This picture is for Grandpa Dean. There was a woodworking shop that sold hand-made items. I think this was turned on a lathe of some sort? We window-watched a man carving something in this store.



One side of the bridge / road was Tennesean, the other side Georgian. Boys took pictures on the Georgia side, girls on the Tennessee side.



A cool church being refurbished...



The conductor also came around and took pictures with the kids. The picture below of Ava with the conductor is absolutely hilarious. I love the pained look on his face as Ava tries to wiggle her way out of his arms.





Look at these big blue eyes!


Santa and Mrs. Claus (the Appalachian version) came around and greeted the kids for the "Christmas in July" train ride.





The man pictured below was an admirer of the kids. At first we were a bit skeptical of his admiration for the little ones, but he seemed safe enough. We found out he was a Grandpa of four little ones, three who live in different states. Ryan Ashton seemed to do well with him. As you can see, Ryan Ashton served as the sticker-repository; our stickers served as our ticket to get back on the traincar in McCaysville. :-)