17 months old

Ava would turn 17 months old on February 29th, IF there was a February 29th this year. :) So I will just write this today. I know 17 months isn't a "significant" age or anything, but to me it feels very significant because it's the last month she will be an only child. This month she will become a big sister and her life will be forever changed. I'm just going to write down some things that she knows/does for my own sake of remembering.

Words she knows as of today (purple ones are new words this month):

cookie, all done, water, happy, moo, baa, thank you (not tay tay anymore), truck, duck/quack (same thing right now) car, balloon (boon), cake, please (meese), flower (wow-wah), belly (buh-bee), clicker, cup, oh no, ball, bubble, up, apple, cool, Elmo, baby, no, grandpa (says poppy), grandma (says mama), ow/owie, milk (mee), paci (she actually calls it mammy), cracker, shoes, mama, hi, bye, more, uh oh, wow, cheese, book

These are the words she can sign: 

nap, milk, drink, mama, daddy, up, ball, banana, cracker, fish, bath, tree, ball, potty, more, grandpa, cat, baby, all done, eat, cookie, juice, one, bird

Random things:
*If you say "Pee Yoo", she will pinch her nose.
*She can (and LOVES to) drink from an adult cup and does it really well. She also feeds herself with a fork and spoon and refuses to be fed by anyone but herself.
*She knows how to unlock my phone, turn on the camera and turn on the music.
*She can swing on a "big kid" swing.
*She can jump with both feet leaving the ground.
*She high-fives and pounds it, and if you say "pound it" but don't close your fist, she will close your fist for you and then pound it.
*She gets INCREDIBLY excited when she hears the Skype sound and starts signing "grandpa" over and over.
*When she sees something that she obviously thinks is "cool," she exclaims "Wow! Wow! Wow!" over and over and over while pointing to it.
*She is actually pretty clean and organized. She will play with a toy and then put it back in the toy basket. She also likes to take napkins or paper towels and she will wipe the floors, windows, etc to "clean" them.
*She knows/recognizes cats, dogs and fish, but any other animal she thinks is a "moo."
*She is learning the ABC's and LOVES the Alphabet Song. If you say "Ava sing me a song," she starts saying random letters ("E I E A") trying to sing the Alphabet Song.
*Whenever she sees a can of hairspray, room spray or any kind of spray she will make a "Pshhhhh" sound to mimic the spraying sound.
*She is very independent and wants to walk vs sit in the stroller or shopping cart, which makes shopping very tiring sometimes haha.
*She loves to play "puppies" and will get down on the ground, crawl around and bark like a puppy.
*She is 27lbs 6.8oz (96th percentile), and 2'10" or 34 inches tall (100th percentile) AKA, off the charts.
*She started taking one nap and did that for about a week. Then, she got sick and could not survive on one nap. And she has been back to two naps ever since. Oh well haha.
*If you say "Ava throw your passy," she will take her pacifier out and throw it down as hard as she can.
*She LOVES to be outside and would spend the entire day outside if she could.
*She has a little "nervous tick" - when she gets upset or starts crying, she grabs her hair and that calms her down.

Overall, she is an extremely happy, friendly and social little girl - always laughing and saying hi to everyone she sees. Even as we are driving in the car and are stopped at a stop light, she is saying "hi" and waving to the people next to us. She loves playing with other kids and she runs up to other adults and wants them to hold her.


Ava, we love you so much and have loved having you as our only child the last 17 months! You are going to be such a great big sister - what a lucky baby brother you have! We can't wait to watch you continue to learn and grow.

Love,
Momma :)

Pregnancy update {37 weeks}

35 weeks

36 weeks

My wonderful baby shower a friend threw for me. Thank you to everyone who came!

Tah-DAH! I have reached that magical "37 weeks" when apparently the baby could "come at any time." (Not a chance, by the way - not my babies haha). To be completely honest, even though I am ready to be done being pregnant, I am not ready for this little guy to arrive just yet. I have things to do, people to see, places to go and a lot to get done to prepare for his arrival. If I had it my way, he would arrive March 12, right after my mother-in-law arrives. Then, we will be nice and ready. :) I haven't even thought about packing my hospital bags, haven't picked a name, haven't done one single load of baby boy laundry, haven't even bought diapers for his teeny tiny newborn bum.

I can't believe I am here again...ready to welcome my 2nd child into this world. I feel like it was just yesterday when I was counting down the days and hours until Ava's due date (probably because that wasn't very long ago after all haha). I am so curious to see how Ava will be as a big sister. I am curious to see what he looks like - will he look like Ava or will he look completely different? I am very curious to see how I handle it all - I feel incredibly inadequate and a tiny bit terrified that I just won't be "good" at being a mom of two. Ava still needs so much of my attention, how do I possibly divide my attention evenly? I think back to the thoughts and worries I had before Ava was born - I had no idea how to take care of a newborn...but I did it, and more importantly I LOVED every single minute of Ava's "newborn-ness." I'm hoping having two is something like that...that I will just somehow know what to do, know what they need, and then know how to ask for help when I'm lost and overwhelmed. I am beyond blessed that I have a VERY involved and hands-on dad in Bryson. He is the most wonderful father; I really couldn't ask for anything more when it comes to Bryson being a dad.

How far along? 37 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +15 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yes and no - I still fit into all my pants, but I wear maternity pants sometimes.

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: Completely uncomfortable no matter what position. And I have to use the bathroom 500 times a night.

Best moment this week: Moving to our new house - he has his very own room now. Putting all his little clothes into his dresser.

Have you told family and friends: Yes

Movement: Feel him moving ALL of the time! Very active! 

Food cravings: Nothing in particular. I just eat a LOT - I am a bottomless pit these days! 

Anything making you queasy or sick: No

Have you started to show yet: Um yes

Gender prediction: It's a boy!

Labor Signs: Not sure (feeling A LOT of Braxton Hicks contractions - more intense and painful than I ever had with Ava, but that could be nothing.)

Belly Button in or out? In, but completely flat 

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, Bryson might tell you moody though haha

Weekly Wisdom: 

Milestones coming this week: Congratulations! You've got what is officially considered a full-term baby, even with three weeks to go. That doesn't mean he's finished growing — in fact, he's still packing on about a half pound a week (at this age, the average fetus weighs about 6.5 pounds). That makes it a little crowded in your uterus, so he’s probably not kicking as much, though he’s probably stretching, rolling a bit, and wiggling (all of which you’ll be able to feel!). Right now, your little superstar is busy rehearsing for his big debut, inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid (to get the lungs ready for that first breath), sucking his thumb (to prepare for that first suckle of milk), blinking, and turning from side to side.

Well little guy, as much as I say I'm not quite ready, whenever you do decide to come, we are ready for you. I already love you SO much it hurts and I can't wait to kiss your sweet little cheeks all the way down to your itty bitty toes.