Todat Ava Was Having A Conversation

"Bob"-E pin?

With who, we're not sure and what you were saying, we'll never know. 

Today you were saying more than your normal "Dad,  Dad, Dad" and "Bob, Bob, Bob" which we've come to realize translates to "Mom, Mom, Mom" in Gravo-O speak.

You study our mouths when we try and talk to you, so we'll slow down and emphasize the syllables and mouth movements in hopes that you'll pick it up. 

I think it's working.

Your gaining a voice and holding the cutest little conversations. I wish I knew what you were trying to tell us. It better not be asking for my wallet or credit card. 

That'll come soon enough... 

It was as though you were holding a conversation with us, trying to speak on our level. It was baby gibberish, but was another level achieved in your development. You'll be talking soon enough.

Your mom said this has happened off and on over the the past two days but has really taken off today. 

You wouldn't stop talking - expect for when I tried to record it. Once the camera came on, you stopped. Not sure why you became so camera shy, there's been one in your face literally since the moment you were born. 

Today Ava Was A Bit Atypical

On a normal night when you get tired, we'll go sit in the master bedroom, let you wind down, and eventually put you in your crib for the night. 

Down goes Gravy.

I don't want to start bad habits, but you don't like to miss anything and will fight sleep until you can no longer go on. We know when you get tired, the signs are obvious to us now. You'll get squirmy, restless, and cranky. 

Tonight, Keith was over and hanging out with us. We knew you started to get tired but didn't want to miss any possible action. I tried in vein a few times to get you to go to sleep. 

Your mom also tried to put you down for the night. No luck. 

She brought you back out and handed you to me in the recliner. We relaxed and had your glow worm in hand. It calmed you down as it always does and eventually, you were down for the count. 

This just doesn't happen. It's rare for you to fall asleep in the living room so we sat for a few minutes to make sure you were sleeping and your mom took you back to your crib. 

Sleep tight little one.

Today Ava was A Stinker

You can thank your mom for this subject line.

It was early afternoon when I received a text from her with a video of you attached.

You were being your typical ornery self, blowing raspberries and chatting away. Your mom likes to refer to you as a "little stinker" when you get into these moods.

I get a kick out of these videos and watch them seemingly on a loop. 

These raspberries are a trip. From the randomness of when you do it to the intense look on your face.

It's an image forever burned into my memory. No matter how old you get, or how fuzzy my mind may become, this is something I'll always remember. 

Today Ava Enjoyed the Weather

I've been waiting for this day since you we're born, Grav-O. The mercury breached the 80s and you know what that means - you spent the day outside!

Splish Splash

Your must have known that I was a little perturbed at your sleep pattern yesterday as you woke up at 7:10 a.m. as happy as can be. We hung out until I left for work.

Knowing that it was going to be a beautiful day, I put your new inflatable pool on the patio and filled it for you. I figured by the time I got home the sun would warm it for ya.

I came up the side steps on my lunch hour to find you splashing around in the pool and your mom watching over you working on her tan. Sunburn more like it.

Lunch hour is the quickest hour of the day and not long after my feet hit the top step, it seemed like I was heading back down them.

I closed out the second half of the work day, we had dinner and back outside we went. This time on a walk through the neighborhood on our way to the park.

One of my new faves.

Your mom has been taking you on these walks when the weather allows it and she told me how much you enjoy the swings at the park. What an understatement.

When we placed you in that swing tonight, the tongue came out, the feet started kicking and the laughter didn't stop.

We swung for about 15 minutes, took probably 100 pictures (no lie) and went down the slide a few times. You even received a few compliments from two little girls ,saying on the slides and monkey bars. "You're baby girl is so cute!" They said more than once.

You made new friends. The one little girl even showed you how to go down the slide and how to navigate the monkey bars.

A few minutes later we said our goodbyes then finished our walk.

Too bad it's only going to be in the 40s this weekend ... This was a fun day. Can't wait for more of them this summer!

Today Ava Didn't Want to See Me

Who wants to go for a dip?

You only took one nap today, but to me It felt like you slept all day. Were you just avoiding me?

You didn't wake up for the morning until moments before I had to head out the door then when I came home for lunch you were napping and missed me again. 

Let's work on something here ... How about you sleep soundly through the night without waking me up in the wee hours for a bottle and a change? 

From about two months old until about five months you'd sleep through the night without issue. this ended when you got a cold and it ended the streak. Rarely have you given us a full nights sleep since then.

I think 7:00 a.m. is a great compromise for you to get up for the day. This gives you 10 hours of sleep and I'll be back from the gym for the morning. That would also allow your mom to sleep. It's a win-win-win scenario. 

Kapish?
 

Today Ava Was a Bookworm

Growing up, I always enjoyed reading, starting with the Berenstain Bears and Curious George then moving on to the Hardy Boys and eventually non fiction related to World War II aviation history. Yes, your father is a history geek. And you have a very special person to thank for that. If I haven't done so already, ask me to tell you about him.

Let's read, Dad.

Since your birth I had hoped you would feel the same about reading. Early on I felt guilty because we didn't read to you like we should have. Sometimes your attention span -or lack thereof - wouldn't allow us to read to you, most of the time it simply boiled down to me not doing it.

A lesson I learned as soon as I became a parent was to make time. It won't be long and well be going from me writing this post about you enjoying your picture books to us sitting down and reading this post reflecting on today. Long story short, time goes by way to quickly. 

Over the last week or so its excited me to see that your gravitating towards your books and want us to read them to you. It can get to be a broken record, reading the same book over and over, but if that makes you happy, then I'll read it as many times as you want. 

Today, as soon as you woke up, I set you on the floor and you crawled right over to your books, pulling them all off the shelf underneath the coffee table. You spread them out as though you were sorting them in order of preference. 

Before I left for work this morning you sat up right in front of me and pulled a book out. I could only assume you wanted me to read it to you. 

So, before I headed out the door we read. 

Today Ava Jumped Right In

I couldn't help but think that this is the first of countless times we'll take you to lessons, to practice, to games. At least until you're 16 and can drive yourself.

Water baby.

What path or sport you'll choose is in the hands of fate, but just know that you'll have the full support of both of us in whatever you choose.

My sports life was spent primarily on a baseball diamond and your mothers on the basketball court. We both played multiple other sports in our day but baseball and basketball were our niche.

Could the pool be your calling? It certainly wasn't ruled out tonight as you had your first swim lesson. 

Would you love it? Like you do your baths. 

Would you hate it? Like you did your baths during the first two months of your young life. 

Only time would tell. The moment came to dip you in the water, you didn't love it, but you didn't hate it. It was more a moment of contemplation. 

Your initial reaction was to survey the area around you and soak it all in (pun intended). Surrounded by other babies and their mothers; it was a strange new world to you. You handled it very well.

The instructor used different songs associated with certain movements. The goal of the class was to make sure you didn't fear the water. It was more of an adjustment than a lesson. 

Even when your mom accidentally submerged you, you resurfaced and continued on, no tears. I feel we have a water baby on our hands and who knows where this might lead us? Olympics in 16 years?

Just do me a favor, remind us if we as parents begin to push too hard. Our goal is to encourage you to enjoy athletics and do your best without crossing the line and causing you to get discouraged and burnt out.