10 Seconds of Ava

She's pretty expressive. But she doesn't even come close to her cousin Jaxon. I think he's got everyone beat.

A Mini-Update

Here's a little bit about Ava. She still does her funny spider monkey scoot-crawl. She can take a few steps on her own, but is in too much of a hurry to really try to figure out walking. If she holds onto one or both of my hands/fingers, she runs. She has no patience to learn the balance to walk on her own, so she speed crawls, or holds on to me (often just 1 hand) and runs. Even with my help she sometimes gets wobbly because she's in such a hurry.
She also loves to talk. She sometimes babbles for what seem like hours. Not a lot of real words mixed in there, but a few. She is in a book phase again. She looooves books. And stairs. Up and down, up and down.
She has a persistent yeast infection in her diaper region that we can't seem to permanently eradicate. The Dr. said that if it came back again soon after the last round of treatment, to bring her back and they would have to try a stronger oral medication that "has some side effects". You can imagine how I feel about that, but alas, I will have to take her in again tomorrow for the stronger medication.
She generally sleeps about 11 hours at night, and when she wakes Ryan gives her a bottle and she will sleep another hour or so. If we are attentive parents and stay on schedule, she will take a 1-2 hour nap in the morning and another one in the afternoon. If she misses her morning nap, she does NOT take a longer afternoon nap. In fact, it may be shorter.
She has become quite social and loves people. Learning to wave "hi" and "bye" seems to have really opened her up that way. I'm sure being in nursery for 2 months helped some too.

Halloween

Check out our costumes over at my creative blog!
And here's one of Ava in a Halloween headband. My sister sells these on Overstock.

She's gonna try an' stop me, but she can't run in those little high heels

I had a very very calm day until this.



via I Suwanee

Baby Girl Loves Straws and Cars

Ava love love loves drinking from straws. And she loves water.

She also loves her singing red car, lent to us by a cousin. Hours of entertainment. Here she is pushing the radio button.

Sunglasses on a Baby

Seems like everyone always has to have a picture of their baby wearing oversized sunglasses. Yes, it's redundant, but somehow when it's your own baby it's just cute all over again. So here is my token photo of baby in sunglasses.

Prudent Advice

I'm loving this sweet advice from mother to daughter, found on Babble. Head on over to check out the whole list. These are a few of my favorites.

2
Root for other people.
We all tend to envy other people's successes. It's not intentional; somewhere in our DNA it seems to be programmed that for every success for someone else, there is one less success for us. For every book published, there is one less book we will publish; for every baby had, there is one less baby for us to have. Of course, that is illogical. Fight off those thoughts; there is an unlimited amount of potential for everyone in this universe. Championing others is kind, and even more, it's a display of optimism that will seep into you and color your view of this life.

5
Live alone for a period of time.
I love living with you and your father; I also cherish the years I spent living alone. You shouldn't go from being someone's daughter to someone's wife to someone's mother without first being someone yourself. Living alone will allow you to discover who you are when no one is watching, what you need to get through a day, and ultimately that you are a capable, independent woman.

8
Be where you are.
Try not to think about where you need to go next or wherever you just came from. This is more difficult than it sounds, but work at it. It’s important for your head to be present in the place where your body is.

9
Unless you're playing a game, there’s no point in keeping score.
Running a tally of who gets what in life will only frustrate you and annoy everyone else. It serves no purpose; the way life’s benefits and hindrances are doled out will never make any sense.

13
Create a sense of family wherever you are.
Find people to love and love them unconditionally.

16
Everyone is a hypocrite.
Hypocrisy is not the blanket failure it’s made out to be; we all act in ways that conflict with the image we want to reflect or the values we want to embody. Try not to pigeonhole people with expectations; be forgiving of this inconsistency, both in yourself and in others.

23
The measure of your goodness is not the amount of love you receive.
It is the quality of the love you give to others. It takes a long time to learn this lesson, maybe more time than most of us have.

Excerpted from Prudent Advice, Lessons for My Baby Daughter (A Life List for Every Woman)

Two Front Teeth

Actually she has 4, with more on the way. She was teething pretty hard on Sunday.

She will be 14 months old this week!

Ava's 13 1/2 Month Report

Ava had another check up today, and weighed in at 18 pounds (as much as my co-worker's 4-month old). That's more than I expected since at last week's sick visit she weighed less than that with all her clothes and shoes on. But since she got over the stomach flu (and only got to eat toast and bananas and applesauce for several days, and Pedialyte, no milk), she's been eating much better. I guess it's showing! Hopefully she keeps it up. Her length was 29" (I think — I can't remember for sure), and the nurse commented that she is tall.
As far as percentiles go, weight is 5% (up from 3, yay!), height is 70% (I think), and her big ol' noggin is 90%. We have a tall, skinny, big-headed baby. And we love her to pieces! Her favorite new game is to identify our noses (and insert her fingers if we're not careful). I say "nose" and she reaches up and touches mine. She doesn't say it herself yet, but she definitely knows what it is.
I'll try to get some photos soon. I've mostly been taking videos lately. Need photos.

Sick and Sick Again

Sorry I haven't updated for a while.
Last week Ryan and I started as Nursery leaders. The next day I got the stomach flu.* Later that week Ava threw up. Then 2 days later she threw up again. Then 2 days later she threw up again. Then I took her to the doctor, because I'm a first time mom. FYI--the stomach flu is raging right now, everyone is getting it. And in kids I guess it can last up to a week (if it lasts longer than 7 days, see a doctor).
Ava's Dr. told us not to give her milk for several more days and just keep her on the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast). So my poor already skinny baby has now lost at least a pound, probably more. Tomorrow we will try reintroducing more foods, and maybe some soy milk (she seems to be a little sensitive toward regular milk). BTW, has anyone ever tried unpasturized milk for babies that are sensitive? It retains the enzymes that help the milk to digest, so I'm thinking it might be easier for her to take?
Oh yeah, so then Ryan came home from a 4-day convention with a cold, and passed it on to both Ava and I. So we're doubly sick. One of his bike reps told him that this is the first time in 10 years that he hasn't gotten sick at the convention. Seriously? Do these guys just never wash their hands or something? Time to start passing out the hand sanitizer.

In happier news, Ava is up and down the stairs all day long. And she loves bouncing on the bed and couch, and can even get off the couch by herself most of the time. Since she's been sick she's been loving bananas and Pedialite. And I've been loving NyQuil. After trying 4 different sippy cups, I finally found one that she will drink plenty from. Hopefully this means we can wean her off the bottle now (I just read that between 12-15 months is the best time to do that).

*Everyone I know says that when their kids go to nursery they get sick all the time. PLEASE do not bring sick children to nursery. And if you also work in the nursery, PLEASE clean the toys every week! The kids will even help you wipe them down. Unfortunately we have 3 nurseries, and we rotate toys every week, which means all our cleaned toys go to another class the next week and we get all the dirty toys.

Walking and (not) Eating

The latest on Ava is that she always wants to walk, all day long, holding onto my fingers (not solo yet). She also wants to go up the stairs making grown-up sized steps up them. I try to teach her to go up on her knees, but she's having none of it. Going down isn't much better. And she doesn't eat--naughty girl. Today I tried cutting back on the bottles to see if that would help, but it didn't seem to make much difference. She usually {usually=not always} eats one good meal a day, and the rest she'll barely touch the food. She likes cantaloupe and raspberries and strawberries, but that doesn't do much for weight gain. And if I put cream over them she doesn't eat them. And I put olive oil over fresh tomatoes, she's okay with that. Any suggestions for how to encourage eating? I'm already adding Carnation instant breakfast to her bottles, at the doctor's suggestion, to add calories.She likes hummus and green olives, which are nice and fatty, but not exactly a substantial meal. I try to feed her pasta, but she often spits it out.


She's doing very well though. She sleeps great and doesn't even get cranky from eating so little. Man, if I ate so little, I'd be cranky all day long. She likes bike rides, rolling her the ball back and forth with Ryan or me, balloons (especially with helium),kids,  and cats and dogs of any size. When she sees other kids or babies, she says "hi". I love being a mom.

P.S. I made that skirt for her.

Ava's First Birthday (Party)

The theme was stripes. (You can see more photos on my other blog).

I got helium balloons for the kids to take home with them, and Ava loved them. All afternoon she stared at them and pointed. When Ryan came home, she immediately pointed at the balloons to show him. And the next day when her balloon didn't float anymore, she loved it all the more because now she could grab it and squeeze it and bite it and push it around. (She got tangled in it a few times too). And by the way, she loves her bunny slippers.

She also got a set of Hello Kitty books from Grandma Cook (remember "kitty" was her first word), one of which, appropriately, begins with stripes!

The ULCER

No, not a stomach ulcer. THE ULCER. Utah Lake Century Epic Ride. Ryan did it last Saturday (it's a 109-miler around Utah Lake). He did well and Ava and I were there to greet him at the finish line. To me 100 miles is a big deal, something to train for. To Ryan, it's no biggie. But I'm still celebrating for him! Way to go!

Flat Out Broke (the tires, I mean)

How many flat tires have you had in your life? I bet Ryan can beat your record. This month alone, he has had 4 flats on the truck (the fourth was one of the new, two-week-old tires), and 6 flats on his bike in one day. I think he's on a first name basis with the guys at the tire shop. And when he got all the bike flats, he was riding with a seasoned bike mechanic, who also inspected and concluded it was just bad luck. I think we should probably invest in the rubber/tire market.

Camping and Hiking

Last weekend we went here:

and hiked this steepness:

To get to this lake:

 

Ava was a champ, did so well on the hike. Of course she wasn't the one carrying the weight...

(Pittsburg Lake, near Mineral Basin--back side of Snowbird--via American Fork Canyon)

It got very cold at night, so I had to share my sleeping bag with Ava. She's kind of a bed hog. I didn't get much sleep, but Ryan took her out for a drive (aka "nap") in the morning so I could sleep in. A fun time was had by all.

Ava's 11 month report

So the report and the photo are both a bit late. She's now up to 16lbs 8oz. Moving like crazy (I only got 2 still photos, the rest are blurry because she won't ever be still). Sleeping well (we got past that house-moving hump, thank goodness), and lots of fun. She likes to make fish lips and she does a one legged sit-crawl, which is giving the sat-upon leg some good rug burn. She likes when I walk my fingers toward her (she giggles); and when Ryan "attacks" her with his "claw" hand, she laughs and laughs!

See, blurry:

And this is how she likes to eat now. One leg up. Very lady-like.

And here's a cellphone pic of the fish lips, it's the only one I've been able to capture.

Ava's First Crawl

Ryan texted me this morning and told me that she finally crawled! She has gone in reverse a few times, but not forward until today. He said she looks like a spider.

Ava's 10-and-a-half Month Report

Ava just weighed in at 16 lbs. Boo.
I thought she was doing better than that. But she's now 28 inches, which is 50th % for a 10 month old, higher I'm sure for a 9 monther (her adjusted age). But weight-wise I'm not sure she was even on the chart.
Her doctor told me to try to increase nursings, and supplement with formula if needed. Actually he first recommended whole milk, but I'm a little nervous about that because of my family's tendency toward milk allergies/sensitivities. I may go ahead and try it though.... Her doctor is actually not to worried, because she is continuing to grow. I already add butter/olive oil and rice to her veggies (now her preferred food), oatmeal to her fruit, and I give her avocado several times a day. Avocado is by far her favorite food. She would probably eat a whole one if I let her. (That would have some negative consequences). She's gonna be the skinniest child ever to have a heart attack. Maybe the the oatmeal compensates for the butter?
Her first conscious word appears to be "kitty". And her bottom teeth are starting to come through, after many months of teething.
I'm thanking my lucky stars that she hasn't had any ear infections, and hoping that continues. I'm going crazy trying to sleep train her all over again after our move. It's harder this time. Harder on me, and probably harder on her too.

Century Ride: Check

This weekend I completed my first ever 100 miler (first ever biking event, actually). It was the all-women's Little Red Riding Hood Century Ride. Except for a little collision at mile 10 (no thanks to misinformation from a cop), it went fabulously*. We had a great time riding the scenic route in northern Utah and Idaho. The weather was great too. But despite 3 applications of SPF 50, I still got some funky sunburns. I definitely want to do it again next year (the ride, not the suburn).
Ryan and Ava were there at the finish to celebrate with me. Thanks for coming hon! And thanks Sheri for inviting me to join you guys!

Me, Michelle, Sheri, and Sarah (after the ride, wearing our free tiara's)

*amazingly neither of us was seriously injured, just a couple of bruises for me. Plus a very bent rim and spoke and handlebars, all of which got repaired by the fabulous support crew, allowing me to finish the ride. I may have to replace the wheel, and at least replace a spoke, so I'm glad I decided no to ride my brand new bike which has expensive wheels!
** Sheri and Sarah are hardcore. Sarah just did a half Iron Man, did the century today, is doing a marathon next weekend, is doing LOTOJA in the fall (a 210 mile bike race through 3 mountain passes--Ryan did it last year), and just signed up for a full Iron Man. Don't mess with her. And Sheri hasn't been on her bike in 2 years, and has a 4 month old baby, and still breezed through.

Welcome Home Jeff!

Ryan's brother, Jeff, recently returned home from his mission in Puebla, Mexico. Here he is meeting Ava! I think she likes him.

The Brothers Cook (and kids). Ryan (& Ava,) Travis, Jeff, Tyler (& Preston), Parker, Jaxon:

And the Cook lady clan with the recent returnee. Megan, Kat, Jeffers, Carolene, Me and Ava, Ashley:

Megs and Ava:

Ryan, Ava, and Jeff:

Welcome back Jeff! We missed you and we're glad to have you back!

Seriously? Snow?

We woke up this morning to snow covered roof tops and lawns, with heavy wet snow falling. This ain't no spring flurries. Oh, and in case you hadn't realized, it's the last week of May (I'm talking to you, Mother Nature)! C'mon!

Ava's 9 Month Report

Can you believe she's already that old? This is such a fun age, we're loving it. Currently her interests are sitting, spitting (raspberries), standing (with our help), bathing (loves the bath even more now), and freaking out if either Mom or Dad walks out out view. She loves other kids, and Ryan told me today that she tries to sing the hymns at church (I lead the music so I don't get to witness this). Still no teeth, and the teething seems to have eased for a couple of weeks. And as you can see, still not much hair.

Weight: 15 lbs 7 oz (5%)

Height: 27 in (25%)

Head: 17 3/4 in (85%)

Summer Sitting

Here's Ava showing off how well she sits.And chews.

Ava at 8 months

Here are some pics of Ava on her 8 month birthday. She's sitting pretty well on her own now, eating foods, dealing with emerging teeth (still haven't quite broken through), and survived her first cold. She's only up 6 ounces from last month, but the nurse said it's probably because she got sick. She generally eats like a champ.