Ava cut her first tooth!!!

I can't believe it!!

Everything is happening so fast!

I am so proud of Ava...She amazes me everyday.

Her little tooth is on the bottom left center. Its sharp and has ridges and its the most perfect little tooth i have ever seen. She has had her fingers in her mouth all day just checking it out. She is especially active and restless today. Still in a content mood thankfully:)

Today was also my Dad's big 50th Birthday Party...Ava was definitely the belle of the ball. She had a crowd around her at all times. She handles strangers and people poking her and pinching her and kissing her chubby cheeks so well. she is such a champ.

I am amazed I get to be the mom of the coolest kid I know.

Damn. A tooth. Awesome! My life will never be boring again will it?!

Vida Mia Photography shoot today!

Even though Ava generally only has one expression when in front of a camera, today's shoot went so well! I was thrilled!

Ava had 5 outfit changes, our photographer Lauren is amazing, her son Liam is adorable and even Chris was getting into it! Ava was clapping and having a blast with Liam and her doll, it was adorable.

After the photoshoot we went out for dinner at Elephant Bar and Ava ate Winter Squash and mommy had a salad and daddy had a burger.

we are so so so blessed.

Mommy Guilt.

The tears have been flowing a lot this week!

Guilt over leaving Ava with a babysitter. Guilt that maybe I smother her? Guilt that maybe I drag her around too much to things Mommy likes to do like restaurants and friends houses.

I feel so overwhelmed. I know I need to take some time for myself and let Ava be home or with a babysitter (its good for her), at the same time i WANT to be with her. She is my favorite person in the world! Other times I really want to be with my friends or go dancing or something, then when I am there all I can think about is Ava and wonder if she is wondering where her mommy is?

OH THE GUILT.

I love my little Fancy so much... I just want to do right by her and my family.

Just feeling so emotional lately.

Communication!!

This is a really exciting time in our house! Ava is really, truly communicating with us. We say "Yaaay" and she claps, we say "Goodbye!" and she waves, I say "Ay-vaahhh" and she says "Maah-Maaahhh"...It is AMAZING!!

She says Mama on a regular basis now, usually in a whining or begging voice. But we are still waiting for "Dadda" to come out of her mouth.

For those of you who know Ava she is slow to warm. She doesnt smile and laugh and entertain like some babies. In fact, she stares you down. Not in a mean way but she does study people and focus very intently on their faces. But when Chris or I walk into a room, she claps and smiles! I can't tell you how that feels. Nothing short of pure joy.

Babysitter vs. Daycare

This is a decision all parents face at one point or another. and I decided to face both on the same day.

Ava is getting more and more mobile everyday so it isn't practical for her to be with me at work anymore. I arranged to have a good family friend, Elaine, watch Ava for a few hours a couple days a week. Today was our first day and it went GREAT. Ava was well rested and happy when I came to pick her up! She had 2 loving women giving her their undivided attention and I felt so relaxed and confident leaving her with them. And not to mention, Ava barely even noticed when I entered the room! She didnt even miss me!

So today I decided it would be a good time to think about joining a gym and taking Ava with me so she can have a little daycare/kid care experience also. Since she did so well, and I felt so confident earlier...what could go wrong?

This is the letter I wrote to 24 Hour Fitness Corporate:

I have been wanting to join a gym ever since I had my daughter who is now 8 months. My husband has worked out at 24 hr fitness for 5 years so I immediately decided I would try it. I called ahead of time letting them know I am considering becoming a member but that the kids club is a make it or break it deal.I got a one day pass.First, I was not greeted, I was hassled about joining and paying on the spot. I was not given a tour or even walked to the kid care room (i had to search for it myself), once inside the kid care room I saw one overwhelmed woman per 10 kids. Video games and TV blaring. Is this where my 8 month old is going to be?

So she brings in one more girl. an 18 year old girl with no certification or any kind of maternal instincts whatsoever. They asked for impersonal information, referred to my daughter as a number and slapped a sticker on her back identifying her. I had tears in my eyes and the two women didnt even attempt to console me. After my 30 minutes on the treadmill (which I had to find and figure out how to use. Not one employee showed me the gym, machines or otherwise) I went back to sign my daughter out. I walked in to see a 2 year old boy sobbing in the corner crying for his mom. The 18 yr old girl was texting on her phone and the other adult woman was holding and playing with my smiley daughter. I immediately ran to the boy and noticed he smelled like a dirty diaper. I alerted both women who acknowleged they smelled something and "maybe we should call his mom".

I stayed until the mom got there to console her son. As I was checking out of the kid care, completely shaken up and frustrated, the woman doesnt update me on how my child did or if she had fun or if i liked my workout. i felt disposable and like "a number" like the one on my child's back. She immediately asked for $4 payment for the 30 minutes. I told her I had a pass and wasnt going to pay. She told me "ok we will see you soon!"...I told her "no, i am not coming back." Neither woman or any other associate tried to make me feel better about my experience. I am going to make sure I let people know about the "kid care" at 24 hour Fitness!! I was appalled.

I was so disappointed. Even though Ava was smiley and doing fine (of course she was, she's confident in her mom's choice in caregivers!)..I just felt the care was below average, at BEST.

what to do, what to do....

Ava's room

Ava can CLAP!!

Ava was on a roll this weekend!

She decided today, not only can she wave but she can clap too!!

Everytime we say "YAAAAY!" she smacks her little hands together (palms open!) and smiles!

The whole not-crawling thing isn't bothering me so much anymore. I am raising a little genius!

So today we went out to breakfast with Grandpa J to MiMi's Cafe in Folsom and grandpa had a lot of fun playing peekaboo with her and bouncing her (hard!) on his knee. he also gave her little yogurt melts to pick up out of his hand and eat. Ava favors her left hand i have noticed...verrrry interesting:)

Then Grandpa, me and Ava went to Babies r Us and walked around and picked up an outfit for Ava to wear to Grandpa's 50th birthday party this weekend.We also bought her a very fun ball with a bunch of holes in it so it is easy for tiny fingers to grab. grandpa bought ava a gorgeous delicate butterfly ceiling hanging thing and also A floaty for babies in pools. its super cute. Grandpa was soooo generous :)

then we had to visit with Lily since she lives in LA and only can visit once every few months.

After a big day driving around we came home and Ava napped in mommy's bed and Mommy updated her blog.

Thats all!!