Body Attack

So I started going back to the gym this week and boy has it been a kick in the pants. But, I have decided that on September 22nd I am going to run, and I do mean run, a 5K. So I have got to be very dedicated this next month. However, today I took a little break from the treadmill, or at least I thought it was a break. My friend Lindsay Grantham, talked me into going to a class called Body Attack. I don't know if any of you have ever taken this class, but it totally kicked my butt. It is a mix of running, squats, lunges, the list goes on and on, and by the end of the hour I was completely wasted. It was such a great workout and I plan on doing it every Friday from now on. What a great way to end the week. I am sure I will need all weekend to recuperate (sp?) Anyway, google it and find out if there is a class near you because it was great!

First Smiles!

Over the past week or so we could tell that Ava was getting really close to a real smile. We have been anxiously awaiting this fun milestone. We have had a few smiles that we thought were real, but we definitely got some real smiles last night. These ones were pretty obvious because she was in such a good mood. The top right picture is what we are calling the first smile. I am so bummed that it is blury but, at least we got it on camera. The other pictures I just thought were really cute and decided to post them too.

One Jealous Pup

So yesterday, I was taking some pictures of Ava, until all of a sudden she decided she had had enough so I picked her up. So, Buster took the opportunity to jump into the boppy and start posing. I guess he has had enough of Ava getting all of the attention, he thought he deserved a photo shoot. This isn't too surprising considering that before we had Ava we used to take quite a few pictures of our dogs. They have learned to pose for the camera.

When Photoshoots go...Sad!

So I thought I would post a few of the outtakes. These are pictures of Ava when she isn't feeling like a super model.
It is so hard to listen to her cry, but at the same time, she makes the cutest sad faces. I just can't get enough it, okay, maybe I can, especially at 4:00 in the morning and all I want to do is sleep.

Rub-a-dub-dub, Ava in a tiny tub!

So we have officially gone to bathing Ava in the bathroom sink, instead of the little baby tub. She just loves it so much and doesn't put up a fight at all, plus it is so convenient not having to get the tub out every time we bath her. The sink is the perfect size for her right now and she turns into the most relaxed little baby. I actually enjoy bathing her now, whereas, before I would be a little ball of nerves trying to get it over with before she started screaming or pooping, and since we have started bathing her in the sink we haven't had a problem with either. I just love the picture of her little bum, and I couldn't help posting it because, no, that is not a little piece of poop stuck to her bum, it is a birthmark! Isn't that the cutest place for it? The nurses kept trying to wipe it off in the hospital whenever they changed her, in fact, Josh and I did too the first few times. This picture will be the best blackmail later in life.

Growing up

So, I thought I would just post a few pictures. This is Ava after church last Sunday, just wide-eyed and bushy-tailed. She is awake a lot during the day lately, and I can't complain because she is sleeping so well at night. She is changing so much every day and it is so exciting. She is really starting to track us with her eyes and will just stare at our faces for the longest time. It is so neat to see her actually focusing on us and I think we are getting really close to an actual smile. We bought her a new bouncer seat and it has little toys hanging from it. She will lay in it for the longest time just looking at the toys. It is so nice that she is already able to entertain herself a little bit. She is so curious and whenever I am carrying her around the house her eyes are going crazy just trying to take it all in. Anyway, it is true what all you mom's say, she is changing right before our eyes. She is definitely not the newborn we brought home from the hospital anymore.

Another Photoshoot

Okay, so I am trying to teach myself how to take better pictures and I think I am improving, but I would still like to take a class. I couldn't resist taking the only few minutes that Ava was happy yesterday (yes, it was a rough day for both of us) and snapping a few. I got this outfit as a shower gift and loved it. I was so excited to see how cute she looked in it.

A Recovering Puppy

I thought I would attempt to blog about something other than the sweetest baby in the whole world, and that is the sweetest puppy in the whole world. Yesterday Buster went in to have his teeth cleaned. I had been putting it off for quite a while because they have to put him under anethesia and I was so nervous about it. But I finally had to bite the bullet and make him another appointment after I cancelled the first one. So yesterday was the big day. Josh took him in at 9:00 and I was so sick to my stomach the whole time, I made Josh call around 11:00 to see if he made it out okay and he had. I was able to pick him up a little later in the afternoon and he was one sad groggy little puppy. He had the cute little orange wrap on his leg where they put the IV in. He had to have two teeth pulled so his mouth is a little sore, but he is happy to be home. THe best part was, they gave him a new scarf and for any of you who know Buster, he was very excited about this.

1 Month Old!

Holy Cow! How time flies! Today Ava is 1 month old. On the one hand I can't believe it and on the other hand, I feel like we have had her in our family forever. She already has such a place in our home, lives, everything. She has been so much fun and has taught be to have more patience than I could have ever imagined. She is such a good baby and we couldn't have asked for anything better. We must have quite a few people on the other side looking out for us, because she is pretty darn perfect.

A Day at the Spa

Sunday night, after everyone left, Ava got really fussy and we realized that she hadn't pooped in a day, which if I have talked to any of you, you realize that is very unusual. We figured she must have gotten a little constipated because I had given her a couple of bottles of formula throughout the weekend. So we had the idea to put her in one of the bathroom sinks, because every time we bath her she poops. Well she didn't poop, but she sure did love it. She laid in that sink for a good 20 minutes just as happy and relaxed as could be. She was wide awake the whole time but so chill. Then we took her out and she got pretty upset again. I think she thought she was at the day spa. We put her in again last night because she still hadn't pooped yesterday and once again she was in heaven. I hope she doesn't think this will be the nightly ritual. We ended up trying to give her a suppository last night, even though we quickly realized it wasn't needed because the minute we put it up her booty she started going everywhere so we didn't even get any of the medicine in her. I guess she just needed a little stimulation. Anyway, we have had a lean, mean, poopin' machine ever since and she is one happy camper. Just thought you would all like to know.

Ava's Blessing Day

This past weekend was a great one. We blessed Ava on Sunday so we had lots of family in town. My mom and dad came and brought Drew and my Nana Sue. My sister, Kelcie, and her husband, Kevin, also came up. They got here Friday so we were able to spend some time as a family Friday evening and Saturday. It was a lot of fun just pretty much doing nothing. Sunday, we were up and at um pretty early. We have 9:00 church and I have quickly realized that I need to allow at least two hours to get myself and Ava ready and fed to be on time. So it was an early morning. It was a neat feeling in the house that morning, that with so many people in it, it was so quiet and reverent.

The blessing was so nice, Josh did an incredible job, I was a wreck. The blessing was beautiful and so fitting for our sweet little girl. She was a perfect angel throughout the whole blessing and throughout the meeting. We came home to a house full of people with some big appetites. So we had a little brunch and then people started leaving pretty quickly. It was wierd to go from a full house of people back down to just Josh, Ava, and I. But we are adjusting to the quiet and getting back into a routine. Thanks to everyone who came and made this weekend so much fun and the blessing so special.

Beautiful Ava

Okay, I couldn't help myself, I had to post the full shot of this photo so everyone can see how cute it is!

Ava's Blessing

We will be blessing Ava this Sunday. I am so excited to have family coming to town, but so nervous for Josh to bless her. I can't wait until it is over and I will have one less thing to have anxiety over. These are more pictures that my visiting teacher took of Ava in her blessing dress. You can't really tell, but the top right picture is so sweet. She is holding her dress up and her little feet are showing. I keep thinking this will be the best picture because she can do one similar to it in her wedding dress. I know, She is only 3 1/2 weeks old I am getting way to ahead of myself.

Ava's Announcement

I just got this announcement back today. My visiting teacher offered to take pictures of Ava and make an announcement. Of course, I jumped on it. I was so excited to see how great it turned out. I think she did an excellent job!