Laughing

This was the CUTEST thing I've ever seen!

Bryson was playing with Ava and she was full on laughing. 

REAL laughing!

Please ignore how horrible I look at the end haha.

This was a couple days later...I was playing with Ava and for some reason, she thought it was funny. :)

Little baby velociraptor?

Ava is loud. 

She sounds like a little baby velociraptor.

(whatever that sounds like haha)

Maybe you will understand what I mean when you watch this video...

Chewing on my hands

This is what you can find Ava doing 95% of the time:

chewing on her hands and talking up a storm.

Both at the same time haha. 

And usually, she's LOUD!

We even found her doing this at 6:00 in the morning. 

Just laying in her crib, wide awake...talking and talking to herself.

(Thankfully she fell back asleep eventually)

At least she's waking up happy, right. :) 

She's a sweetie peetie!

This is a video I took of her while we were in the car waiting while Bryson ran into the post office to mail a package. 

Also, this is what my desktop background looks like. 

It's okay, you can call me obsessed and I won't be the least bit offended. 

Have I ever mentioned...

...how much I LOVE this baby?

Well in case you've missed it the million other times I've said it...

I love her A LOT!

A lot, A LOT!

I feel like I know SO many people who have had babies recently or who are about to have babies.

It makes me SO nostalgic! 

I get emotional just thinking that 16 weeks ago, we were in the hospital with brand new baby Ava. 

Seriously the most wonderful, life-changing day of my life. 

I told Bryson seeing new babies makes me want another baby.

He kind of laughed and rolled his eyes. 

"Obviously not right now..." I quickly assured him.

But it's amazing how having one baby and experiencing this greatest joy

makes me want more and more! 

I love being a mom!

I truly feel it is my divine role as a woman. 

I love what President Ezra Taft Benson said way back in 1987 (when I was 2 months old) :) ...

No more sacred word exists in secular or holy writ than that of mother. There is no more noble work than that of a good and God-fearing mother.

President David O. McKay declared: “Motherhood is the greatest potential influence either for good or ill in human life. The mother’s image is the first that stamps itself on the unwritten page of the young child’s mind. It is her caress that first awakens a sense of security; her kiss, the first realization of affection; her sympathy and tenderness, the first assurance that there is love in the world.”

President McKay continues: “Motherhood consists of three principal attributes or qualities: namely, (1) the power to bear, (2) the ability to rear, (3) the gift to love. . . .

“This ability and willingness properly to rear children, the gift to love, and eagerness, yes, longing to express it in soul development, make motherhood the noblest office or calling in the world. She who can paint a masterpiece or write a book that will influence millions deserves the admiration and the plaudits of mankind; but she who rears successfully a family of healthy, beautiful sons and daughters, whose influence will be felt through generations to come, . . . deserves the highest honor that man can give, and the choicest blessings of God” ( Gospel Ideals, 452–54).

With all my heart I endorse the words of President McKay.

A Mother’s Role Is God-Ordained

In the eternal family, God established that fathers are to preside in the home. Fathers are to provide, to love, to teach, and to direct.

But a mother’s role is also God-ordained. Mothers are to conceive, to bear, to nourish, to love, and to train. So declare the revelations.

In section 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord states that the opportunity and responsibility of wives is “to multiply and replenish the earth, according to my commandment, and to fulfil the promise which was given by my Father before the foundation of the world, and for their exaltation in the eternal worlds, that they may bear the souls of men; for herein is the work of my Father continued, that he may be glorified” ( D&C 132:63 ).

Bryson said tonight how he loves being a dad even more than he thought he would. 

I always knew I would LOVE my baby

but I never understood how MUCH I would love her until she was here. 

Up All Night

Suddenly, I feel like Ava is a newborn all over again.
She was such a great sleeper up until 3 weeks ago or so. 

Suddenly, she wakes up 3 times through the night.

Hmmm...?

I really do want to know...why?

So tonight is our first night of "Sleep Training," where we put Ava to sleep "drowsy but awake."

We did our usual bedtime routine:

bath, PJs, bottle, book, song, prayer...

but this time instead of rocking her to sleep,
I just wrapped her up, laid her in her bed, turned on her mobile, kissed her little baby head and....

...and...

...walked out. 

:(

I was fully expecting her to cry right away. 

Instead she screamed. 

But not angry screaming.

HAPPY screaming. haha

Ava's "talking" lately has sounding more like screaming haha. 

She was just laying in her little bed, talking away...happy as a clam.

After about 5 minutes of this, she did start crying.
I let her cry for 3 minutes, went in and rubbed her head for a minute or two
and she fell asleep.

So now, she's out.
We'll see how the night goes.

Here's to a long night of sleep training.
Wish us luck.

We love San Francisco!

 Bryson and I decided to try to do something new in San Francisco every week. 

He is so good at finding cool places that we have never been before.

And I am really good at following him wherever he decides to go. haha

So last weekend, we drove across the Bay Bridge into the city, loaded up Ava in the Baby Bjorn and went to a park called Lands End. 

It was SO beautiful and it was probably one of the clearest days I have seen in the city. 

Not a cloud in the sky!

Perfect visibility.

We hiked along a trail for a while right on the edge of the cliffs on the water. 

It was BEAUTIFUL!

I didn't bring my nice camera, so thank you iPhone for always taking great pictures! 

After our little hike, we went to a GREAT place for lunch called The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen. We chowed down on a delicious grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. I would highly recommend this place! It was great!

Ava was SO exhausted after exerting herself so much on the hike (while riding comfortably in the Baby Bjorn), she fell asleep literally sitting up in Bryson's lap. One minute she was all smiles and the next minute I looked over and she was slumped over, dead asleep. Sweet baby girl.

She slept the whole way home and 3 hours after we got home.

We definitely wore her out!

Later that night, I was at a baby store and I saw this book, "Good Night San Francisco" and just had to buy it!

Who knows how long we will stay in the Bay Area, we could be here forever...never know.

BUT...Ava is definitely our "San Francisco" baby and always will be. 

We moved here while I was pregnant with her, so I've been toting her around with me, seeing all the sights even while she was still in my belly! 

I just think this book is SO perfect, so she will always have a little piece of San Francisco wherever (if ever) we go. 

It really was a great day in the city!

Can't wait for our next adventure!

We have our air mattress ready and waiting for anyone who wants to come visit!

We can't wait for you to love San Francisco as much as we do!

She found her voice

(At the risk of embarrassing both myself AND Bryson...)

Lately, Bryson has been saying this a lot...
"She's finally found her voice, and she's not afraid to use it!"
(if you know where this quote is from...maybe you should be embarrassed too haha..jk)

Really though...Ava "talks" constantly.
She babbles while she's laying on the ground, while she's in her Bumbo,
while she's sitting on my lap, while she's in her bouncy chair.
She babbles in the bath, she babbles in her car seat.
And it even sounds like she is singing as I rock her to sleep.

This girl is going to be a talkative one, I can tell.

Here's a video of a little of Ava's baby babble tonight.
Notice how CHUNKY she is!!
I just LOVE me a chunky baby!

Another thing you can see her doing in the video is intertwining her fingers.
She loooooves to sit like this - with her fingers crossed together like that.
Cutie.

Something I ADORE about Ava is how smiley she is.
She is just the sweetest, happiest baby.
Every single time I smile at her, she smiles back...without fail.

Here's a little video of Bryson making Ava smile.
He was standing behind the camera.
She was SUPER fussy, right before bath and bed time...but still cute.

Also, today I found one of the cutest little onesie outfits that Bryson's aunt had given us for Ava.
It's a little Ralph Lauren polo outfit.
I think she looks adorable in it!

She is getting really good at sitting up with a little support.
Whenever she is sitting in her car seat or her bouncy chair, she does what look like little baby sit-ups because she is trying to sit up on her own.
She still needs support, but she's getting here.

Someday, baby girl...someday. :)
Don't grow up too fast. :)

Baby book

Over the holiday break, I found my baby book!

This cute, slightly tattered, well-loved, carefully written-in yellow baby book.

I had seen this baby book before...

but I had never appreciated it the way I do now that I have my own baby.

I am SO glad that my sweet mom took the time to write down the things that she did.

She wrote down how much I ate and how much I slept.

She wrote cute things and she wrote down frustrations she had with me.

She glued in pictures and cards, recorded measurements and even had the copy of the positive pregnancy test she took home from the doctor's office. :)

It was the closest to insight and baby advice that I will get from my mom.

It was refreshing and SO needed.

I just soaked in every single word.

Then I realized...

I never bought a baby book for Ava. 

Fail...I thought to myself.

I couldn't go out and buy one now...

I wouldn't be able to remember all those things from the last 3 months. 

My grandma reassured me...
"But think of your blog! 

All these things your mom wrote down in this little baby book...

you've written on your blog!"

Then she reminded me of websites that will print out your blog, pictures and all.

And voila! 

I have myself a baby book. 

And someday, maybe Ava will appreciate it as much as I appreciate my own.

SO, on that note... :)

I'm going to write about Ava's sleeping habits, because I want to remember this.

She still sleeps most of the day...

which bums me out sometimes because I just want to play and play. :)

We always start her "nighttime routine" at 9pm. 

Bath, baby massage, bottle, books, wrap her up and sing lullabies 

and she it out like a trout by 9:30 at the latest. 

Then, she usually wakes up to eat for 5 minutes around 4:00 or 5:00 and goes right back to sleep

...then again 3 hours later, goes right back to sleep

...and then wakes up for good at 10am. 

So, all in all...she usually sleeps about 12 hours at night with 2 feedings in between. 

Once 10am rolls around, she is happy and smiley and she loves to laugh.

At 11:00 almost on the dot...I'm not even exaggerating...she is ready for her morning nap.

And she usually sleeps for 1.5 - 2 hours. 

After that nap, she is awake for about another hour

and takes another nap at 2:00, sleeping for 1.5 - 2 hours again.

Then, she takes her final nap around 5:00 and sleeps for another 1.5 - 2 hours.

And then the bedtime routine starts all over again at 9:00.

I was thinking yesterday just how few hours she is awake during the day. 

An hour or so in between her naps...

Really, only about 5 or 6 hours out of the day are spent awake.

Geez, the girl must be growing or something. :)

Anyway, here is a little video right before bath time tonight. 

Bryson and I always switch off...

one of us bathes her and the other one dresses her in her PJs after.

Tonight was Bryson's turn to bathe her.
So, Ava and I played on the webcam while he got the tub ready.

At about 1:15 into the video, listen for Bryson telling me the bath is ready haha. 

And if you are wondering why I put my finger in her mouth (haha), it's because, for some reason, she babbles like crazy anytime she puts anything in her mouth. 

So, if you listen closely, you can hear her talking a little bit. 

I discovered this when I was feeling her gums to see if she is getting teeth since she drools so much. 

(But would be a big fat no, thank goodness haha). 

And here are some pictures of my sweet, sweet baby girl. 

Ooohhh I could just squeeze those cheeks ALL DAY!

Hello, my name is Ashley and I'm an Ava-holic!

I'm obsessed! :)

Keeping in Touch

We were SO sad to leave our family after the holidays!

To make sure we stay as connected as possible to family, I always post pictures & videos on Facebook and write about things that Ava is up to on the blog. 

Like this little picture...how CUTTTTTE is this face?!?!

I could just eat her up!

BUT pictures and little 30 second videos are not quite enough. 

Thank goodness we have video chatting so easily available!

Tonight Ava g-chatted with Auntie Kait, Uncle Jayson and Grandpa Schooff...

(be careful of the faces you make while chatting with Ava - it might end up on the internet) :)

...and we have a standing tradition (starting waaaay back when Ava was a wee one haha) to Skype with the Websters every Sunday night. :)

We are thankful for technology that keeps us in touch with our family that lives TOO far away!

Overnight!

I swear Ava grew overnight!

Suddenly she looks HUGE to me and not like a newborn baby anymore!

She just gets even more fun every single day!