3 Months Old

Our baby girl is 3 months old!  She is growing and changing every day.  At her appointment today she was 23 1/8 inches long (still 50th percentile), she weighed a whopping 12 pounds and 6 ounces bringing  her up to the 50th in that as well and her head is now 15 1/4 inches - in the 20th percentile.  Ava is now "talking" like crazy and loves being on her play mat with her birds.  She has discovered her hands and they are constantly in her mouth.

Being away from her all day has been tough.  I most definitely rush home as soon as I am able.  Here is a video clip of my reason to race home each day.

She has been having a fantastic time with Daddy though.  I get daily photos and videos sent to me so I can see how she is doing.  They even went to a play date last week, I know the girls made Scott feel welcome.  :)  Only 14 more school days and I will be with her again!  My kids were so sweet when I came back though.  They made me a huge sign, wrote a book on how to take care of Ava and made lots of cards and letters.

I am already making plans for all that my girl and I will be doing this summer.  Lots of play dates, walks and hopefully learning to sleep through the night.

It was so hot inside we just went with the diaper.

First ride in her big girl stroller

She actually grabbed it!

How you doin'?

BFF

Ava's Baptism

On Sunday Ava was baptized at our church, Faith Presbyterian in McHenry. It was a wonderful day filled with family. Everyone came to the church followed by a luncheon at Scott's parents' house. Ava was such a good girl! When the pastor was praying over her we all got a giggle because when he said "Amen," she made her baby talk like she said it too. It was cute. We were so blessed by so many! Ava's Godparents, Steve, Scott's brother and Kristie, our friend stood with us.

 One of the best stories of the day, and I won't even do it justice, comes to us by way of Ava's friend Hannah (4 years old).

Hannah and Ava

 She is in our play group and was also at church that day. Hannah's mom, Jen, and Hannah came to see us after the service was over. Jen shared that she had been explaining what baptism was to Hannah and they were talking about it all week. Hannah understands that Jesus is always with her, but like most kids, doesn't understand why she can't see Jesus. So in the most sincere, childlike manner, when Hannah saw Steve, Ava's Godfather, at the front of the church, she (understandably so) said something to the effect of, "Is that Jesus? Did He come for the baptism?" You can look at the picture below to see why.

Ava's Godparents, Kristie and Steve

On another note, I had to go back to work on Monday. :(  The hardest part was actually leaving and giving her to Scott.  He had to tell me to give her to him.  I was teary eyed then and also walking into school, but after that I was fine.  Fortunately my days fly by and are nonstop.  Unfortunately, Ava did not do as well as I did.  A combination of getting up earlier than usual and not having me home had her screaming from 6:30 - 9:30 am.  Scott was smart and didn't tell me about that until after I had gotten home.  Today was much better for her.  We are all learning...we'll get there.  I am just so grateful that she gets this time to spend with her Daddy.  Only 21 days left!  (Yes, I most definitely have a countdown!)  My friend Deb at work was so sweet - she made me a countdown chain to tear off links and a special calendar.  It is so helpful to have so much support at work too! (Thank you Kim!)

Here are some more pictures from Ava's baptism.

Here are some pictures from our last pay date before I had to go back to work.  Don't worry, Ava is not missing out on the fun - Scott will be taking her to keep up with her social calendar.  :)

Hannah, Jen and Ava

Teri and Andi

Andi and Ava

Perspective

The time has finally arrived. I go back to work on Monday. I've been dreading this day just because I will have to leave Ava. I think that I need to *try* to change my perspective though. I have had 11 weeks to spend with my baby girl, one more than I had originally planned - bonus! I have gotten to learn her semi-routine, how to make her smile and how to bring her comfort. While I will miss her like crazy I know that she is going to get some amazing, quality time with her daddy. I know that she will be in good hands - and those hands love her just as much as mine do. It's hard not to be sad though...I know I will make it. You better believe I will be rushing out of those school doors as soon as I am able though. I've gained a new perspective in these past 11 weeks. Being a mommy will make me a better teacher I think. I believe that I will have more patience and more compassion for my students now. I might stop and think how my baby would feel in given situations. She has given me a new view on my day-to-day. On the same note, I will no longer be the first one there and one of the last to leave. (Not that I was there late every day, but those days are gone.) Perspective. I will do my job to the best of my ability in the time that is allotted during my workday - but I have another job now too. My job is to be there for my little girl and not miss those important moments. Of course I would stay home full time if I could, as would most of us, but I will take my time as I can. I will make the most of the moments I have. Perspective. So in 11 weeks my world has changed. I am in love with my baby girl. I am in love with my husband in a whole new way. I am excited to see the world through a new pair of eyes. Perspective. Do you have yours?

Loves her baths!

Last Week

This is my last week with my sweet girl before I have to go back to work. :( I am so sad! I know that I am so fortunate that there will only be one month 'til summer break but facing that month seems terrible. I have cherished every bit of time I have had with Ava. I know that she will be just fine-it's me that will have the problem. So this week I will make the most of everything. But I will be counting down the days until school is done!

My Hiccup Monster

Ava gets hiccups all the time. I think it's hilarious. Here is a clip of one of her hiccup episodes.

Ava's First Easter

We had a very busy Easter weekend! To begin, we colored eggs! Ava was a big help. We learned that the pink color is not very effective and the magic crayon did not work it's magic. Nevertheless, our first egg coloring was a success! On Saturday we spent the afternoon with my family for Easter and then after church on Sunday we spent the afternoon with Scott's family. Ava got her first Easter basket and went on her first Easter egg hunt! The first picture at the top has a little bunny in it, that was actually my bunny, it was made by my Grandma - so Ava's Great Grandma!

Story about the last picture: Ava was laying in her bassinet sleeping. I heard her wake up and do her typical talking and kicking around. I checked on her and she was fine, still just playing. A couple minutes later I checked on her again and this is how I found her. She has a future in gymnastics, that or Cirque du Soleil, haha. She's so funny.

Ava's acrobatics