Ava is Reading...

Don't mind that the book is upside down!!! LOL!

Happy Holiday's

Happy Holiday's

Here's a slide show of Ava at Dianne's house during playtime. ENJO!

The Great Frederick Fair!!!

Man, I can remember when I was a kid we would come all the way from Laurel Maryland to visit the fair and all its wonders! Now Ava is getting her first taste of all the fair has to offer. We walked and ate and saw all the lights. Usually Ava is fast asleep as soon as the wheels on her SUS (Sport Utility Stroller) start rolling. But this evening she was wide awake.

Decisions, Decisions!!!

We took Ava to the Mount Alumni Orioles game recently. She couldn't decide what team to cheer for so...





Ava had an unfortunate accident with the Red Sox Tee (actually dad had to clean the wheels on the car with it) so she won't be wearing that ever again. LOL!

Blessings...

They say that it takes a village to raise a child, that the community around a child plays a large role in their growth and development. We are so blessed to have such a great group of family and friends that work so hard and do so many things for our little girl. As I watch her grow and learn to recognize faces and voices I realize how many people have touched her already in so many ways I have to think that its a miracle that Ava is constantly with family! Thank you to everyone who has helped us so far along this journey of parenthood!

Ava spends most of her days with our very good friend and family member Dianne. Dianne is a childcare/child development professional who has just had her own son (Lakota, boy number 3) and has decided to stay home to care for him. This is the perfect setting for Ava. She gets to be around her brothers of varying ages and she gets the best care a parent can ask for. We always get updates about Ava's day through a journal which Dianne keeps to tell us about everything from her nature walk to the bus stop, her discovery of leaves, her love of cars (thanks Kostas!), and her eating and sleeping habits. Thank you Dianne for loving Ava so much!



Grandmothers are indispensable because of their knowledge of raising babies (Michelle and I turned out great!!) and their excitement of having babies around again! My mom came to stay with us and was more than excited about spending time and making memories with Ava. She would shoo us off in the morning so that she could have her special time and welcome us home in the evenings with dinner and laughs. Jo (my other Mom) always saves kisses and hugs for Ava. She's a grandmom for the second time and she is very good at spreading the love around. We get some much needed exercise when she watches Ava while we bike and hike the surrounding countryside. Thank you ladies for being such loving and patient (Grand)parents!




Looking back over the pictures and the memories, there are so many people who have shared in Ava's growth and helped us in some way to raise her. We are so blessed to have all of you in our lives. Thank you so much!

My Buddy and Me

“My Buddy, My Buddy,
Wherever I go, he goes.
My Buddy, My Buddy,
I’ll teach him everything that I know…
My Buddy and Meeeee!"

Dutch is Ava's Buddy!!!

4 Month Check Up

Ava had her 4 month check up and she couldn't be healthier.
She is, well was (2 Sep)
15'11oz and in the 95% for weight
25 1/2 inches long and also in the 95% for length
And much to her Dad's disbelief her head was only in the 65%
It is amazing that she has grown 8 lbs and 4 1/2 inches long in just 4 short months! She has mastered rolling over and has begun eating solids (well watered down cereal). As you can tell she is a great eater!

Huh? What? The Gambler?

What can I say? Its her favorite song from Dad. She loves when Mom sings "You are my Sunshine". We can knock her out in one or two songs. ENJO!

Graduation

We were honored to be apart of our oldest God Son's Preschool Graduation. Christion was the best dressed, most handsome little guy in the whole class!!! As you can see Ava has 3 brothers who will help Chris and I ward off her boyfriends!!!

Computer Problems!

Sorry about the delayed postings we have been having computer issues, it wouldn't read any USB connections. The geek squad wouldn't even attempt a fix. SO we are the proud owners of a new laptop so we should have more up to date posts. Granny, Chris's Mother is here for 2 weeks watching Ava so we will have some pictures of the Morales side of the family soon!

Visitors

Ava had the pleasure to meet some of the McLaughlin Clan. Nana (her Great Grandmother) was here for a month and her Auntie Kathy & Auntie Morag visited for a few days. Out of my Mother's side of the family (20 people) there is only about 4 of us with brown eyes so hopefully she will hang with the majority!!! And keep those big beautiful blue eyes!!

Water Baby!

We have a water baby on our hands! Ava absolutely loves bath time so it wasn't a surprise that she enjoys swimming as well. We have been hearing a lot about ISR, Infant Swimming Resource and we are determined to make sure she is comfortable in the water. She has been face under the water on three different occasions and I think we were more scared than she was!

Welcome to the World Lakota!

We recently had the joy of welcoming our third God Son and Ava's first little brother to the world. He is a spitting image of his oldest brother Christion. Next to him Ava looks like a giant. Please join us in congratulating Kevin and Dianne Hunt on having their third son, Lakota Spartaco Hunt!!

Morag's Photo Shoot!!

Our Aunt Morag recently came down from Rhode Island and she brought her super duper camera with her. Auntie and Grand Ma and Nana dressed Ava up and they had a photo shoot. Sit back and relax, there are about 50 pictures in this slide show!!!

Whoa!

Whoa! Its been a long time since our last post. I guess time really does fly when you are having fun. Ava has been the center of our joy since she arrived and she continues to surprise us at how quickly she learns and grows. She is grabbing and holding her toys and pacifier. She's a good pincher too so watch out!

We stopped by to see our college coaches at The Mount. Deegan wanted Ava to bless the track...



She is starting to play with her toys...





We read her favorite books all the time...



Bath time is so much fun!



And she loves to swing in the back yard!

EXTRA EXTRA!! Ava Addresses the Public

I don't think, as a parent, this stuff ever gets old!
Ava's a natural public speaker!

4th of July Weekend

The holiday weekend was a busy one for us. We went on our first overnight vacation with Ava. Heading down to Baltimore, the plan was to hit the Aquarium, watch the fireworks at the Inner Harbor and visit college friends in Towson. We stayed in a hotel overnight because we thought it would be easier to go from the harbor to Towson for the Mount Reunion. It seemed as though we packed our entire house into the X-Terra. I was very proud of us getting everything together!! I thought we did it; we got her pacifier, enough diapers and wipes, etc...... Until, we decided to freshen up after walking around the city all day!! I go to hop in the shower and what do ya know! We had left our suitcase with our clothes nicely packed inside on the bedroom floor! Ava had 12 outfits for 2 days while Chris and I had none!! Other than that the quick get away for the long weekend was enjoyable (well we could have done without seeing the stampede, but that's a whole other story!!) we look forward to introducing Ava to more of the world and watching our friend's children grow along with Ava.

Milestones

On July Second we celebrated Ava's 2-month-old birthday! Michelle made a cake using ice cream sandwiches, whipped cream and home grown raspberries! It was an amazing cake! Don't worry Ava, you'll get your taste soon enough! (Great) Uncle Steve was in town from England and got to get some hands on time with the new family member. He will be returning home soon and will be missed by us all!

ABC's, 123's!!!

The simpler things in life seem to escape us adults as we go about our busy days! I was eating a quick lunch and had an idea for a neat post. I couldn't find any O's or I's though...and I turned an R and an N around the wrong way...D'oh!!!!

Father's Day!!!

My first Father's Day could not have been more perfect! We went to Church, saw allot of old friends and made some new ones, thanks to Ava! We are normally a pretty quiet couple when it comes to meeting new folks, but with Ava we are thrust into the center of attention. I could not be happier with how everyone has received her or how open she is to new people. After church we went for a drive and did some geocaching around Middletown and Myersville (4/4). Caching requires a GPS and a keen eye for things that are hidden mostly in plain sight. But the adventure is that seeking caches takes you to some of the most interesting and out of the way places. We saw many homes and old barns that are characteristic of Frederick County. They gave us ideas for future projects.

Michelle bought me a great video game I have been eying for awhile and then she actually sat and watched while I played it for an hour!! That's a huge step for her!!! We spent some time in the backyard playing badminton the lazy way (the only spikes allowed were lime juice spiked with Vodka). There are no lines so we use mostly natural boundaries and 'naturally' we both had differing ideas as to what was in and what was out. Nevertheless we had some serious volleys that seemed to go on forever! Finally Mom wore me out, 2 sets to 1! Whew!!!!

McEnroe readies the serve!!!

While we played, Dutch guarded Ava from errant birdies! Atta Boy!!!

Daddy's Little Girl!