Our baby Ava

Memorial Weekend

2010-07-29T20:53:00.000-07:00

For memorial weekend this year, we were able to visit some of our family in Oregon. We were so lucky to get to visit with both Nick and my sides of the fam. Ava also got to meet her Aunt KC, Uncle Seth, and cousin Savannah. Even though there's a bit of a difference in age, I think Ava and Savannah will be so close.. they already love each other. Every morning, Savannah would say 'where's Aba??' It was so cute! They played together a lot more than I thought they would. They colored A LOT together... with markers, chalk, whatever they could find. Ava also got to meet her Great Great Aunt Julie. We are so blessed to have so much family and so many generations still. On Memorial Day, both sides of the family got together for a picnic at Diamond Lake, which was fun but I forgot the camera, so I have no pictures. The weather barely cooperated while we were there, it's the best time to visit Southern Oregon because everything was in bloom. It was beautiful there. There are quite a few pictures, so beware now!

GiGi and Ava at Lithia park
Dad and Ava at Lithia Park

the shirt says it all...
My absolutely darling niece, Savannah..

Ava and Savannah playing..

And lastly, I have been a HORRIBLE picture taker lately. SO, to my mother, sister, and Gramma: please send me pics from this weekend so I can post them on the blog and get prints!

Once again, sorry for the delay!

the never ending quest...

2010-07-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

so.. now that I have the birthday party out of the way, I am now on a neverending quest to update the blog... today I share with you some moments right before Ava turned one. First one being when she was actually able to eat dinner with us.. eating everything I made for Nick and I. This was huge! Now she pretty much eats whatever I make for meals! No more personal chefing! It has also helped me to alter our (my) diets because she pretty much always shares off of my plate, so I make healthier decisions! Another set of photos are from when I took Ava to a kid's play place when the weather was still nasty and we were both tired of being cooped up. At this point, Ava could pretty do everything except walk. She had a pretty good time, especially since we went later in the day and it wasn't as busy.

Playplace

infamous tongue ham...

Officially eating dinner with us!

ladybugs and tutu's

2010-07-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

Ava's first birthday!

What a fun weekend we had for Ava's birthday! We were surrounded by so many close friends and family. Ava is so loved and we are so lucky to have such wonderful people around us. The theme for Ava's party was Ladybugs and Tutu's. It was a great success! I had so much fun decorating cupcakes, making tutus, and cooking a ton of food. I also decorated the tables like ladybugs with tons of balloons everywhere! As a kid, my mom always threw the most awesome birthday parties for me, I can't wait to pass on the tradition to Ava. She got so many wonderful gifts, unfortunately, she pooped out before we could open them at the party. After her nap, the family stuck around and we opened her then. She got a TON of pretty clothes, many many books, her first babydoll and babydoll activity set, an electric 4wheeler, a swing, fun stuffed animals, a rocking chair, and a family pass to the children's museum. So spoiled! Thank you so much to everyone who could make it. Thanks to all my photography friends and family for capturing her special day.. if it weren't for you guys, I would have absolutely nothing!!!!

Photos by Rachael Wooten:

"Hi Carson! Thanks for coming to my party!"Ava's new 4wheelerthe cupcakes

the baby
the balloonsAva eating her first cupcake

Photographs by Tara Polly:

first cupcake

baby feetbaby face"what'd I do??!?!"

Jake & Aiden

Scarlett & Raef
gifts

Daddy and Daughter

party favors

decorations

Believe it or not!!!

2010-07-20T22:07:00.000-07:00

Yaaaaaaayyyy for husbands!!!!! Nick finally got the home PC working!!! I am up and running again!!! I will have so many updates You guys won't know what to do with yourselves!! I think I will start where I left off which would be around Ava's birthday :(. Thanks to the wonderful Tara Polly, I have fabulous pictures from the party! After that it's kind of a jumbled mess... but I think for archiving purposes I will just update what Ava's been up at each event with each post! I am super excited about the new design of the blog too! It is sooo much fun to mess around with. So, without further ado, I give you Ava from 12 to 15 monthes!!!!

everything new

2010-03-12T07:06:00.000-08:00

wow, let's see if I remember how do to this! January and February were the craziest monthes of Ava's life. I swear, every day she was doing something new. I've been terrible with pictures lately because my camera and I got in a fight and I've just recently forgiven it. So now that we're back on good terms, I expect more pictures are to follow.

Ava has absolutely amazed us with the speed at which she learns right now. In 2 monthes, she's learned to:
~pull herself to sitting
~creep
~crawl
~pull herself to standing
~walk along things
~push things
~bend over to pick something up
~put things INTO a container, rather than just dump everything out... tangent... as far as that goes, it hilarious to watch her right now, because she's all the sudden become an organizer (surprise, surprise), she puts her duplo blocks down the tubes of her toys that balls would normally go down. Also, Vader loves sleeping in the Duplo bin when all the blocks are out of it, Ava will come over and put whatever is around her in the bin.... with Vader still in it. Such a good cat, just sits there covered in toys, completely content because he's where he wants to be, regardless.

Okay, back to the list:
~she's also learned how to put different shapes in to the corresponding hole
~crawl up the stairs
~give kisses
~and the most exciting news..... HER FIRST WORD!!!

Nick and I thought we were just hearing things, but while at my friend's house, she saw their dog, and said "doggie"...even my friend heard it, and she was in the other room! From then on, any time she sees a dog, she points and says "doggie"... Then after that she starting saying "kitty" which sometimes comes out "titty"... but, she is her father's daughter, so that's not so surprising :). We think she can pretty much identify Nick and I as "mama" and "dadda", which she's been to say for a long time, but never really as a label till recently.

Papa and Granny C came out for the superbowl, it was so great to see them. Ava had so much fun with them. Every time I turned around Papa was whispering secrets in Ava's ear and she would just smile and giggle.. it was sooo cute. As soon as they got here, Granny C took over and told Nick to get lost. She fed her, changed her, and played with her. Ava all the sudden has a new best friend now. I swear that kid wanted them more than us!!! We also had a superbowl party which was fun to see our friends and hang out. My friend and camera goddess Rachael, helped me try and master my camera (which helped me to forgive it for being so temperamental).

The weather has been pretty decent recently as well, so I strolled Ava down to the park where I took her down the slide, went on the swings, and she felt fake grass for the first time (wasn't such a fan). It made me soooo excited for the summer to be able to do all these new fun things with her. I can't wait for the weather to turn around!

Pictures are to follow.. sorry I've been bad about updating... I've also recently gotten into a fight with our home PC, ergo NOT looking forward to working on pics and the blog, since I have to be on the PC in the cold study, away from everything. waa waa waa.. I know.

So our kid finally has some hair! This was her first bad hair day.. she must've been rolling around like crazy in her crib!

This is Acadia. She is Ava's first friend. Her mom, Holly and I work together. They are only 3 weeks apart. We took them to the Children's Museum together. Unfortunately, they really didn't cooperate with us taking pictures. at. all.

Diego watches over Ava all of the time. He is almost always by her while she plays. When she's not around, he guards her blocks for her. Just in case one of the cats might steal them. He takes his job very seriously.

Papa, Granny C, and Ava at the superbowl party. There he is, whispering in her ear. I'm assuming it has something to do with secret ice cream trips later on in life.

Papa and Ava, resemblence much??!?

This is Carson. at the superbowl party. with a purse. His dad was not so pleased! but his mom (camera goddess) and I thought is was great!

Carson again... I'd call him Ava's boyfriend, but he's a little too mature for her right now ;)

Ava's serious face... also Nick's, if you look close

Ava's Dr. Evil face, also Nick's, if you look close ;)

As many of you know, Ava is turning 1!!!! I can't believe it's less than a month away. To commemerate, I've taken her official one year photos... In a ladybug and tutu outfit, because that's the theme of her first birthday party. I was going to use the pics for invitations, but ran out of time. Now I think I'll just get it printed, and keep one for every year.

I also let Ava feed herself with a spoon the other day.. Which was perfect because that gave me the extra hands I needed to take the pictures of her doing it. She's really had a HUGE texture aversion lately, we've completely regressed in the eating department. So I was willing to try anything to get her eat. Turns out feeding herself, seemed to do the trick. Oh what and independant little one we already have.

wow. That was really long. sorry!

Photo Montage

2010-01-15T13:55:00.001-08:00

Here is a ton of pics of the crazy kiddo... there are a ton, so tuck in and enjoy!

Ava into the DVD's... again
Riding her car...

This ball is magnetic.. she loves it.. the top piece rattles... which she loves Her Farm... This is her favorite toy... it has so many different sounds, she'll play with it forever!

She loves to read books now. She practices turning the pages.

Her phone.. which rings.. and Vader chases the string.. so it's perfect for herThis is a new thing.. she'd put the circle in her mouth, then act like she's flexing and then would exhale really hard and the circle would go flying!!!

Standing up on her own... note the lack of hanging on... Bathtime!

In her toy box...

new new things!

2010-01-15T10:03:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all! What a crazy year it was! Ava is already 9 monthes old. I already can't stop myself from planning her first birthday! It seems like forever ago that she came. It goes by so quickly and is really just so much fun to see her grow and discover new things everyday!

Our Christmas was great. It was so nice to be with family and have the cousins together. Ava was totally spoiled by everyone this year! She is clearly much loved! She really needed bathtoys and just toys in general... man did she score! Hopefully I'll get some pics up soon of her with all her toys.

Nick and I for Christmas, bought ottomans for all of Ava's toys... who knew it would be such motivation to do all sorts of new things! Firstly, with all of her toys scattered about, she randomly figured out how get herself back to sitting for laying down... for the longest time, she would just try and do a situp and fail! Now she's learned to use her arms to help herself up and next thing ya know, it's all she does! Lay down, roll to desired spot, sit up, get toy, play!

With the new ottomans, she has also learned to hoist herself up from sitting! This is fascinating to watch, the amount of determination on her face is hilarious! But man is she strong! Once she gets everything in the right spot, up she goes! Like she's been doing it for years!

The ottoman holds all sorts of treasures not meant for babies... magazines, coasters, pens, cats. So not only can she get herself up... she cruises!!!!!! Hand out until she grabs above treasures!!! She HATES it when I try to make her walk while holding onto her hands... because she wants to have her hands free to grab!!! Once she's secured a treasure, she lets go, plops on her bum, and plays! Anytime she has such an accomplishment, she raises both of her hands in the air and squeals! Such personality already!

Well, that's all for now. I'll have pictures up soon with all her toys, I might even be able to get some video!

Christmas is almost here!

2009-12-20T15:15:00.001-08:00

We are in full swing around here with the holidat right around the corner. i think we've finally got our shopping done, now i just have to do laundry, pack, and clean! Then off to San Diego we go!

In the meantime, Ava and I have baked cookies, decorated the christmas tree, wrapped presents, and enjoyed rolling over and over and over!

Today, we finally bit the bullet and visited santa claus! it really wasn't that bad and really fun to see her with him!

Here are some fun pics from our first holiday season together!

(sorry for the quality, most are from my phone!)

Merry Christmas!

All is crazy on the Martinson front!

2009-12-07T12:35:00.000-08:00

Holy cow!!! Did ya see the countdown to Christmas! I can't believe how close it is! Our house has been crazy. We kicked it all off with an awesome visit from Grampa Rob. It was so great to have him here and so great for Ava to get to know him! They had a great weekend watching football (cheering for the chargers, of course), relaxing, and shopping!

The day after Rob left, my sister, Auntie Brianne came to visit for Thanksgiving! She and Ava hit. it. off.! On Thanksgiving, Ava got to try some turkey and loved it! She has now prigressed on to full fledged finger foods and self feeding! (well.... more like shoveling... but whatever..). Brianne was so great with her and I know that Ava is already missing her Auntie :(. We will live closer some day!!!!!

In the midst of all this.. Nick and I have, for some reason, decided that we need to get our morgages in order because of interest rates and the condo... we shouldn't put it off any longer! Besides, clearly I need and adult project!

Also, Christmas is right around the corner and we haven't even begun our shopping yet! Yikes! I have tried to take Ava's xmas pic for 2009, but there are WAY more outtakes than good ones... so I thought I'd share some... they are hilarious! Hopefully soon we'll take Ava to see Santa, which I'm so excited about.. I hope it goes well. Next weekend is Nick's xmas party, then we're off to San Diego for xmas... and the next thing you know.... IT'S 2010!!!! Crazy!!!

P.S. "official" xmas pics coming soon!

songs

2009-11-10T17:06:00.000-08:00

So... I've been trying to add good songs to the blog... some of the ones I have now, I like... but want some different ideas... so I'd love some suggestions in comments if anyone has some good ideas! Thanks for contributing and making our blog special!

baby updates!

2009-11-09T15:56:00.000-08:00

So, the little monster is actually taking an afternoon nap, so I thought I'd take the oppurtunity to post some updates! Ava has been sitting like a champ! I finally feel comfortable letting her alone knowing the chances of her accidentally tipping over are slim. She is so ready to be mobile though she rarely is content just sitting. She is getting so squirmy, you can barely hang on to her anymore. All she wants to do is MOVE! She finally anjoys tummy time, because she practices her high-centered army crawl! Then she gets frustrated because she's not going anywhere.. we are so close to mobility I'm already eyeing the child-proofing aisle!

She is also eating like a champ... (when she's feeling well). She has added peas, mangos, and oatmeal to her menu. The poor kid has had what seems like a never-ending cold with an ear infection thrown in the middle. No exaggeration, we had 4 days of a happy, healthy baby. Now, another cold. I feel so bad for her. It's also frustrating because I'd like to start weening her off nursing in the middle of the night, but I just don't have the heart to do it while she's sick.

In other news, even though she's been sick, she's growing like a weed!!! Nick and I have decided that she's stretching out.. her legs and arms don't seem near as chunky as normal, the proof is in that she's way easier to get in and out of the Bumbo! And she's already in 9mo bottoms.. she's definitely seeming longer these days! I have also decided that her outfits don't look finished anymore unless she's got shoes on! So, she now has black patten maryjanes, pink patten ballet slippers, and these adorable pink sneakers!

Oh! and this just in... she has learned to do tricks with her tongue! She's known about her tongue for a while now, but she's really been using it lately! She sticks it out ALL the time, she turns her bottom lip under and sticks her tongue out to look like her top lip, essentially giving her "fat lips"! The newest thing she does is runs her tongue back and forth along her upper gums as fast as she can... then giggles. It's so cute!

snnoooww bbbaaaabbbyyy!!

2009-11-09T08:22:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a lot of snow we've already had! I was so bummed when the blizzard hit, because was stilll getting over her ear infection/cold, so I was really apprehensive about taking her out to play in it ;(. BUT! It snowed so dang much that by the time we got back from CA, there was still tons of snow and bright blue skies AND a relatively healthy baby! soooooooo.... a photoshoot!!! I got some really pics of her playing with (eating) little snow balls I made for her, which she loved! "heya, how you doin'?" yay! for snow!!! hey fun! snowballs! "wow that's cold!" "...but I think I kinda like it!"

We also went to California over Halloween weekend to celebrate Auntie Lisa getting married!!! The six of us... me, Nick, Ava, Auntie Aimee, Uncle Jason, and cousin Kenny all went as the Flinstones... WHAT A HUGE HIT! It was a lot of fun, the babies bugged out early, since they haven't learned the value of "staying up late" yet! So they were baby-napped by Great Auntie Kayla and Ginger. All in all, it was a great weekend... especially since Ava did so well traveling! hope to get more pics posted soon!

Fall is here and Ava is 6 monthes old!!!

2009-10-12T12:54:00.000-07:00

Wow. Ava is 6 monthes old. I can't believe how fast it goes! She had a very good checkup, she is 16lbs., 26.5" long, and her head circumference is in the 92nd percentile! I can't believe she's 7.5" longer than when she was born.. imagine if you grew 7.5" in six monthes! No wonder she's eating all the time! She has been doing all sorts of fun things lately... the animals are a huge motivator in getting her to move around.. she's starting to creep! It's only a matter of time before she can get herself around. She's figured out that when she moves her body, she actually goes somewhere.. which is soooo dangerous! I had her in her car seat last night at dinner, and she all but creeped right out of it. Folks, she is on the move!!!! She has also been working on her pinching skills. I was so proud when I found out she can pick up crumbs... she loves to grab EVERYTHING with her index finger and thumb... you can watch her learn, it's amazing!

Nick has been in california several times for training lately, so this last time my mom came to help me with her! We had so much fun! It was so great to be able to spend time with just the girls. I can't wait till we live closer, and neither can Ava!

As far as food goes, I haven't really run into anything she doesn't like yet.. I've given rice cereal, teething biscuits, butternut squash, carrots, bananas, and this just in.... a tiny bit of lemon! I know I know, citrus is bad. This was Nick wanting to get a pucker out of her at the restaurant last night... and instead of a pucker, she LOVED it! She kept grabbing his hand and bringing it to her mouth so she could keep on sucking on it! I got some pics of her with the teething biscuit... man! talk about messy! After this instance, she now gets them with just a diaper on! It was everywhere! But she was having fun so that's all the mattered!

We scored a great cheerleading outfit from Nona. I've posted picks below! I need to call the Florida Targets and see if I can get her a Miami one too! We took her Costco with it on and she was a big hit!

I've really been wanting to take some six month portraits with her, but after this mini-shoot, I'm glad I didn't spend the money! The weather was great, the lighting was awesome, her outfit was still clean, and she was in a great mood. So I decided to take her out front in the grass with the fall leaves for some new pics. As soon as the camera was out, her mood went south and no smiles were in sight whatsoever! So, here is what I got. Consider them pensive......

So that's it for now! I know it was long! It's been getting harder and harder for me to get in here every week.

snow baby!

2009-09-21T15:45:00.000-07:00

I know I know! It's only September and we've had our first snow! I got so excited this morning that I hurried and got the baby all bundled up so we could get some picks of her first snow! I also got some picks of her in her really cute new overalls from Gramma Anna. SHe is growing up so quickly that I feel like I have to mark every event. Sad and fun all at the same time!

Here are her new overalls.. I know you can't see them very well.. but man! Look at those eyes!

Here is her face from trying to eat the snowflakes that melted on her face..she kept trying to suck it off her lips!

Cozy sleeper

2009-09-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

So, every Saturday, I have to go to work and Nick gets to stay home with the babe and have Daddy-daughter day. I can already tell that Daddy will be the favorite.. I can see it now: "Ava... let's stay in our PJ's, watch cartoons, and drink chocolate milk all day!" I'd say every other weekend when I get home from work... at 6:30... Ava and sometimes even Nick are still in their pajamas! They've usually had a great day just hanging out.. which actually, I love to hear! They love each other so much, it's so awesome to see their bond. This past Saturday, Nick had to get ready and pack to leave for training this week. So, he tucked Ava into bed with some toys, and got to packing. Ava was happy as a clown playing, chewing on her toys, cooing... then Nick realizes how it's all the sudden got pretty quiet... he looks over at her, and she's just about to fall asleep... he rushed for the camera and got some great shots. She clearly wore herself out!

tada! 4month pictures!

2009-09-09T10:06:00.001-07:00

Wow... It's like I typed what needed to happen.. and it just happened! So, without further ado.. here are her pictures from August!

Ava has learned to breathe through her mouth when her nose is plugged, which seems to be all time.. so lately I've had lots of pics of her with her mouth more open and more tongue hangin' out!This is pretty typical in our house nowadays.. Ava LOVES Vader and Vader LOVES Ava!Here is her official 4month pic... I think I saved the jpeg funny though b/c the lines look funny.. Jason? Help?This a dress that my mom got for Ava when she was first born.. it finally fits! Now I just need a fantastic party to take her to!!

I know it seems like the pics are slowing down... I have taken lots, I think I'm finding that I feel like I always have her doing the same things.. I'm working on getting more pics of her eating.. they. are. hilarious!

wow.. it's been a while!

2009-09-09T09:29:00.000-07:00

Man.. has it been a month already?? I can't even believe it. I don't even have the 4month pics up yet.. which turned out great and I will post today.. hopefully! Ava is 5monthes old now and I can't believe how big she's getting! Some milestones in the last month include: starting on cereal.. which she loves, not wanting to be swaddled at night anymore, and the newest development... rolling from her tummy to her back. Ava also enjoys standing... all the time! She can also bend over to pick something up and then get herself upright again.. She has also dropped a feeding at night, so we are that much closer to sleeping through the night!

We've had much fun the last month.. Granny C came to visit the beginning of August and help me while Nick was in California for training. We also finally got to meet our nephew/cousin, Kenneth Werner. How fascinating they are together! It is so unreal that they are only 8 days apart, what a trip! While they were here, we went to the zoo, went hiking up rock park (which the babies LOVED!), and went shopping shopping shopping!! Ava got some new winter clothes and we figured out what to be for Halloween for Auntie's Lisa and Marcie's wedding.

Next week, Gramma Anna will be in town to visit while Nick is once again in training. I CAN'T WAIT!!! I've missed my mom a lot lately... we will live closer.. someday! Look for pics coming soon.. Ava has to fall asleep, I have to start laundry, THEN I can post pics!

big huge 4 month baby!

2009-08-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

Quick stats post! Ava had her 4mo checkup today.. man is she getting big! She weighed in at 14lbs. 8oz. (64 percentile) was 25 in long (72 percentile) and head circumference was 16.6 in (70 percentile).. so all in all, very proportional, but also big!!! Her doc also said we can start cereal and stop midnight feedings! So I think I may be getting some good sleep here real soon! (que the chorus!!) I also had to fill out this 4month old development survey, Ava is developmentally that of a 6month old! Yay! She is so close to rolling over, next thing you know, she'll be mobile. In other news.. Diego jumped on our bed today like it was no big thing (for those of you who don't know, he is 135lbs. and the bed is very tall), needless to say, he was VERY proud of himself, then proceeded to lay down (on MY side) and take a nap... what a happy puppy.

random new pics

2009-07-27T12:17:00.001-07:00

So I've been motivated in photoshop again.. for a while I was over it.. I think I just needed some inspiration. I also finally finished organizing the gazillions of shots I have of Ava and I feel the need to post some great shots that got missed or looked over. The rest are just random around the house shots.. mainly of me trying to make some sort of technical device available for when Avs laughs.. we are so close to getting it on the camcorder.. I keep it at the ready every time she's on her changing table (that's where she likes to laugh.. don't ask why, cuz I don't know!) so, enjoy my picture overload!

Nona comforting baby Ava.. she was ready for bed.. this pic got looked over and I just thought it is so sweet, had to share!

For those of you who haven't seen, this is her nursery finally finished.. not quite as "lived in" as it is now though! oh yeah.. and I added ladybugs to the window and by the closet door, so it's a little more "girly".. have to get pics of that.. this is Ava's Polo Ralph Lauren outfit... what a balla! thanx Nona!

Ava right out of the bath.. I keep forgetting to take the camera up with me when I bathe her.. she is sooo cute when I dry her off!!!

fun with photoshop and a gorgeous pink dress that Emily and Josh got for her! We had no reason to dress up, but I knew she wanted to wear it so bad that I just put it on anyways and had a little photo shoot.. I love having a girl!

baby toes... need I say more?!? kids start early these days.. talkin' on Daddy's iphone.. sheesh

Anniversary weekend!

2009-07-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

So our 4th anniversary was this past weekend! Saturday night I surprised Nick by taking him out to dinner to an authentic Jamaican restaurant in downtown Denver while our friends Megan and Justin watched Ava. Much thanks to them! It was sooo nice to go out and know that she was loved and in the most capable hands of our friends! I think she made a good impression too, cuz all she did was sleep.. way to suck 'em in kiddo! When we got home, Megan took our first official pic of the three of us together (we need a remote and Tripod for the camera.. bad). On sunday, we decided we'd take Ava to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.. she did great! She loves loves to people watch, and man is there some good people watching in the springs! She saw lots of animals (which I have shamelessly posted below) I know we all have seen these animals, but I got a chance to use our super zoom lens.. I was pretty impressed with how close I could get.. the only animals we actually got that close to were the giraffes.. you could feed them!! That was awesome.

Giraffes! Yes! We really were this close! It was awesome!Elephant! (just for you Emily!) It was probly.... 20ft awayTiger! He was at least 75ft awayPorcupine! Who knew they could climb?! He was about 15ft up the tree!Hippos! Man, these guys were playful.. and huge!When we got home, we decided to take Ava to the pool for the first time! You can see she was pretty tired by the end (she just wouldn't go to sleep! Too much to see!), let her rest a bit, got her ready, and off we went!The water was a bit cold as the sun was hidden, that's really the only way we can take her out now since she's still a bit too young for sunscreen. Oh yeah... P.S. I kinda just didn't get to taking a 3 month picture.. so I've decided this is it.. sorry baby book.. already slackin'! =P

New talent.. habit.. whatever you want to call it...

2009-07-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

So Ava's newest thing is to put everything in her mouth! I sure do hope that her toys taste good.. Or I would assume that they do, because that's all she wants to do, eat her toys! I haven't gotten too many pics of this with different toys, just one in particular, her rattle. Although note all the toys in the first pic.. guaranteed ALL have been in her mouth more than once!
Enjoy!

Monte guarding the baby! (once again, note the toys!)look mom! I can hold it myself! (so proud!)chomp...chomp chomp...chomp chomp chomp...

yay!!! giggles!

2009-07-15T17:05:00.000-07:00

Omigosh Omigosh! Last night was pivotal! AVA LAUGHED! It was so cute. Actually, she was laughing at me.. and I mean at me.. not with me.. but whatever! I had just gotten home from work and Nick had her on his lap facing out, I sat on the coffee table right in front of her and said hello and asked her how her day at school was, then made a funny face at her and out came the CUTEST little giggle! I, of course, don't have any photos or video of the momumental achievement... But I am working on it! I did dust off and charge the video camera in anticipation of our first trip to the swimming pool, which has yet to happen... grrr... but you can all look forward to video in the near future!

Ava's first day of school!

2009-07-01T13:38:00.000-07:00

Wow.. how time flies.. Ava had her first day of school on June 23rd. She got all sorts of paraphernalia from her first day which will, of course, go right into her baby book. Because she had to be out of the house at 6am, I'm incredibly sad to report that I did not get any pics of her before she left.. it just wasn't on the brain.. at 5:30am! I was so worried about making sure she had enough milk that I'm surprised the only thing I forgot was a picture. :) Ava did VERY well on her first day. Her teacher's name is Miss Rhonda and Ava got to spend a lot of one on one time getting to know her.. I know Ava has fun while she's there because she's always so pooped when I get home that she goes right to sleep and stays asleep for at least 5-6hrs.. which in our world is huge! It's been really great to be back to work. I couldn't ask for a better schedule.. I think it's the only thing that makes it bearable to be away for a day. Here's some pics of her with her green moose.. he's her downstairs playmate. He's so soft that she always rubs her feet on him, but I don't think he minds.. he knows that's why he's loved!I love this pic.. Diggers gives her love all the time.. this time though, he snuck up on her and out went her arms into the "ahh! what just happened" pose.. she scares easily!This is Ava trying to suck her thumb.. note that the thumb is pointing the exactly opposite way.. ergo, she gets her whole fist in her mouth.. already learning stupid human tricks.

birthdays, holidays, etc. etc.

2009-07-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

Like I stated earlier, one of the reasons it's taken me so long to post, was because of all of these events! Nick's birthday was Fri. June 19th and Father's Day was June 21st. These were also on the last weekend that I had before I had to go back to work! This year, Nick and I decided not get each other gifts for birthdays and stuff because we wanted a getaway instead.. (probably next summer). So, for Nick's birthday, I made him breakfast, then met up with him around lunchtime so he could hang out with Ava a little. While at work, Ava sent him a candy bouquet and then when he got home, we made indian tacos for dinner and had cupcakes for dessert. So, all in all, I stuffed him with food! I took some fun pics of Ava in one of her new outfits from Nona, as well as Nick's bounty!

This is how she fell asleep while Nick and I were eating breakfast.. She must've been really tired!

After her nap, I got her dressed in her new Ladybug outfit.. which was very highly received by everyone we ran into that day!

Nick's bounty for his birthday!

Loungin' around

2009-07-01T08:40:00.000-07:00

So Ava and I enjoyed our last couple of days together.. we really just hung out and lounged around.. I pretty much just stared at her the whole time trying not to cry! The first pic of her in her swing.. that she wore out... so we ended up buying her a new one.. a GIRLY one! Well, guess what.. we tried the old swing the other day, and it's miraculously working just fine. Guess that was our first parenting lesson in her getting what she wants, even if she already has something just as good! Sometimes I wonder who has who wrapped around whose finger! We always put this blanket over her to keep her snuggled and she always pulls her hands out and grips the edge then falls asleep.. oh man is she cute!
These are pics of her loungin' on the bed while I fold laundry.. she lover her puppy that I got for her in Scottsdale.. it's so soft, she always pets him! I didn't mean to, but I LOVE the red backround of the sheets and pillows.. happy accident!

Ava and her entourage

2009-07-01T08:28:00.000-07:00

I know I know.. where have I been??? It's been crazy around here, with me going back to work, Ava in school, and all the holidays that have recently passed, I've gotten majorly behind! My other excuse is that my PC was acting up. So, today, I'm on the laptop (sorry Nick) because I must catch you all up! Ava is growing like crazy!! I thought it would be fun to post some pics of her and the other babies (her entourage, I've decided).. I swear, this is how it ALWAYS is! Wherever Ava is, so are all the animals! She has really been liking her playmat lately, she loves batting at all the stuff that's hanging and making noise!

2 monthes old! Can you believe it?!

2009-06-10T18:18:00.000-07:00

Here are the pics of Ava at 2 monthes.. It is so much fun to photograph her.. thank goodness for digital! She had her two month checkup and weighs 11lbs. 2oz. and is 22 1/4" long.. almost double her birth weight already! She also had her first round of shots.. she turned magenta and screamed till there was no air left. I kept her nice and drugged up the next couple of days and is back to normal.. So, without further ado, here is her "official" two month photo..

This was a really fun pose and thought it was a great idea, until I looked back at the photos and realized that Dad was giving his daughter cleavage in just about all of them! Oh well, better luck next time!

The rest of these are just DaddyAva pics that are precious and thought would be fun to share! Enjoy!

Our daughter... has found her tongue!

2009-06-10T17:22:00.001-07:00

So.. the news around here is my baby is growing up AND getting huge! First of all, she is done being a baby and prefers to be held like a big girl and prefers to sit like a big girl. My mom says she takes after me. :) in her words, I "found my independance" at a VERY young age! Ava is most definitely following suit.

She has also discovered her tongue! She rolls it around, folds it, and plays with it all the time.

As for growing.. she has started to outgrow all sorts of things.. mainly pajamas but the saddest is this great red polkadot dress that she only got to wear once.. I tried it on her last Sunday and it wouldn't button in the back :(.. barrel chested like her Great Papa. Unfortunately, this was the only pic I got of her in it.. I promise she liked it.. just had to get her used to it... which brings up I think she might be a tomboy.. just like me when I was a kid.. (believe or not!)

On the upside, her growing means that her wardrobe is expanding to include this fabulous green striped polo dress. She wore it to our neighborhhod picnic and it was a huge hit! Thank you Auntie Brianne!

So, I would just like to close with time flies and babies grow just a little too fast for my liking!

Jeans!!

2009-05-26T16:56:00.000-07:00

Today was a HUGE day!!!! As some of you may know.. I've been trying to get Ava in jeans since at least Mother's day.. every day I try them on her and they're too big... well, apparently I fattened her up enough because today... THEY FIT!! She looks so stinkin cute I took about a billion pics.. and I managed to get quite a few of her infamous faces... we also went to the salon today... which is always a big outting.. her jeans were, of course, a mega hit! enjoy!

look how cut my jeans are!! oops... going cross eyed...my surprised facemy Diego face... for those of you who dont know.. Diego has the same look.. looks at you through the side of his face.. she was making fun of him... I thought it was funny.. anywayme being a big girl chillin on the sofame loving my jeansme enjoying the sofa to myself..almost a laugh.. smiley happy baby

Nona's visit

2009-05-26T16:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! (I mean Tuesday... damn holidays). We had a great week last week! Nona came to visit and meet her grandbaby for the first time! We got to do lots of exciting things and of course took tons of pics! Hope you all enjoy! (I know there's a lot... but that's the point, right!)

shopping at the outlets... (we're training her early) pooped after shopping..
Her new jean dress AND mastering the binkie!the binkie falling out...naptime with her favorite.. Mr. Giraffe

Bath time.. thank you Nona for no embarrassing shots! :)
nice and clean in her new ducky robe. (Dad likes anything ducks!)Nona and Ava in her new robe

getting to know each other.. she was cooing up a storm!! perfectly content.. what a big girl! ready for bed and tired of her picture being taken!

still catching up...

2009-05-18T07:10:00.000-07:00

Ok. Hopefully this will get me all caught up! Most of these pics are around the house.. and firsts. Enjoy!

first bath... she was PEEVED!first shopping trip.. she was POOPED!the sleeping monster.. refer to previous post!Granny C and Ava.. and my new found obsession.. photoshop! More of my strawberry Ava.. just cuz she's so stinkin' cute!Nick trying to get Ava comfy on Diego.. D wasn't so sure...Ava with her new favorite toy.. Mr. Giraffe

photo update

2009-05-18T05:59:00.000-07:00

So... I forgot that I was trying to make this a timeline. I've already messed that up so to try and get the pics caught up on this, there won't be a whole lot typing.. just pics.. then I can get on with day to day stuff... these are at the hospital and our first day home.

Happy looking!

Ava just born

getting dressed with real clothes.. not too happyme trying to make her happy...going home (still wailing!)

Great Gramma Judy with Ava and Diego

Gramma Anna and Ava first day home

Dad and Ava

Me and my baby!

little monster

2009-05-13T12:21:00.000-07:00

Here are some new pics of the little monster! She's already a month old and amazing how much she's changed. She's finally amiling when she's awake.. don't know why, pretty sure it's not me yet, probly still gas.. BUT AT LEAST SHE'S AWAKE!! one step closer.

One might wonder why we call her our little monster.. it all started with a onesie... one she lived up to! She grunts like a monster, she eats like a monster, she makes little monster faces, she's the cutest monster we've ever seen, but she's still a monster.

The pics are from her one month "birthday?" "anniversary?" whatever. I'd like to try and take a pic of her with Nick every month.. we'll see how long it lasts! Her strawberry pics are me attempting to entertain her (monster!) so she doesn't want to eat.. It worked.. she already loves getting her picture taken.. danger danger.

I've been working like crazy on her birth announcement, so they should be in the mail shortly.. an endeavor I think I took on a little too late, but who cares.

We have arrived!

2009-05-07T14:17:00.001-07:00

welp.. It only took a month. I have finally devoted some time to getting this blog on board.. I didn't figure it would cause me to have to make so many decisions! I'm sure I'll still change things... just because I can. I'm really looking forward to using this to post all the pics and exciting times since we've had Ava. To keep the timing of this thing accurate, I've attached some photos of the babe that most have already seen. She loves to sleep (thank god!).. as you'll notice, is nice, but makes it hard to take a pic with her eyes open! So.. without further ado.. here is our sleeping (and screaming) babe!

Ava Marjorie Martinson
6lbs. 10oz. 19 in long

Taking Ava home

Ava sleeping.. and resembling a snake...

she's still cute!