Let them eat......meat.

Ava has decided not to become a vegetarian. I know this because Andy fed her turkey and sweet potatoes, and she ate it. You'd think she'd pretty much eat anything at this age, but she already has her own unique way of letting us know when something's just not her bag: she looks right into your eyes, and flat refuses to open her mouth. No fussing or fanfare; just pursing of her teeny little lips. In case you're wondering, pears are the first thing off her list.

There's nothing much cuter than a baby in a swing. The great big grin, the delighted giggling, the little legs kicking. And of course this is what we pictured as we gleefully pushed the stroller to the park for the first time. We got a few little smiles, but for the most part she just looked a little bored. See for yourself.

As long as she didn't hate it, we won't be giving up any time soon. As I said before, there's nothing much cuter than a baby in a swing.

Her college years are going to be very interesting.

I say this because apparently I'll be sleeping on the floor of her dorm room. Yes folks, its confession time again....

Ava slept in her own room for the first time a couple of nights ago! Yay, Ava! And yup, I slept on her floor. 3 nights straight. I'd love to say it was because she was having separation anxiety, but I'd be lying. Mommy just wasn't quite ready to let go. I'll pause here while you finish laughing at me. Done? Ok. Moving on.

I really do love this age. Almost every day there's a new first to be celebrated. Today, it was Ava's first meal in her big-girl high chair. We've been feeding her in the Bumbo (the blue, spongy little chair, for those who weren't sure) until now, but her fascination with her feet and proximity to them in there made meals kind of a challenge. I thought putting a tray on it would help, but she just wound up face down on the tray with her foot in her hand. The high chair keeps the tootsies out of reach.

One of Ava's favorite new activities is making funny sounds with her mouth. Adorable? You betcha. Funny? That too. But she likes to do it while she's eating. Check out this video to see what I'm talking about. Remember my advice about wearing old clothes?

The children's museum in Denver has an infant's section, so some other moms and I took our little ones to check it out. There were lots of soft places to roll around on, mobiles to play with, and a tiny bridge to help them practice standing. The kids were so cute checking everything out. And you've never seen anything quite as funny as a bunch of moms in a small space trying to figure out which baby "doesn't smell right". Fortunately it wasn't any of our babies - the poop smell took off with someone else's kid.

I'm going to try to sleep in my own bed tonight. Care to place any bets on whether I'll succeed? You should - there could be big money in it.

Ava loves the zoo!

Ok, so that title could very well be a big, fat lie. We took her there over the weekend and, well, see for yourself. Here are some pictures from our adventure.

Here she is marveling at the giraffes...

Delighting at the elephants...

Fascinated by the, uh, well, whatever this was.

She woke up about the time we were headed for the exit. Oh well. At least Andy and I had a good time - we love elephants.

Hey, when did we get another baby?

Ava was sitting in her Bumbo on the bathroom counter yesterday watching me dry my hair, when she suddenly noticed the other baby sitting next to her. She's usually sitting in something that blocks her view of the mirror, so this is the first time she's really gotten a chance to "play" with her doppleganger. She spent the next 10 minutes talking to and touching her reflection. I love when she discovers new things.

It was during that same hair-drying session that Ava discovered her new favorite game; one I have affectionately dubbed "Mommy, Fetch!". All of you that have ever had small children are familiar with the rules: Mommy places a few colorful toys in front of baby to amuse her. Baby picks up the toys, one by one, and drops them on the floor. Baby stares at Mommy until she picks them up and gives them back. This can go on for hours. Baby always wins. Now I know there will come a day when I'll start to find this game tiresome, but for now I find it hilarious, and think my daughter is a genius for figuring it out. If anyone out there is tempted to burst my bubble on this one, just let me have my fun. Besides, I think it's good exercise.

Ava is very into faces right now, and loves when Andy and I get close enough for her to touch ours. The only problem is that she's stronger than she looks, so when she manages to fishhook a bottom lip, grab a nose, or poke an eye, it hurts. A lot. But she's so cute when she's doing it that neither one of us has the heart to stop her. No matter how many times a week I cut her nails they're still sharp enough to cut glass , so we look a little like we've been in a fight with a bunch of angry cats. Ask either one of us if we think its worth it. I think you know the answer. :)

I resolve to be a better blogger in 2010.

With all the craziness of the holidays, I haven't had much time lately for blogging. All of you loyal Ava fans have lots to catch up on. So, without further ado, let's get cracking...

Since Ava's still too little to understand what - or when - Christmas is, we decided to have a little family holiday at home before we left for Iowa. She of course doesn't quite get the concept of opening packages, but she did seem to like some of the stuff. Aunt Brandy gave her a giraffe (at least I think it's a giraffe) with rattles and colors and spinny-things (oh my!) that she adores, and watching her try to get the sock monkey I got her out of her stocking was a riot. To the left and right you'll see pictures of her with some of her spoils. How cool are those shades? I like them so much I have a feeling they might make a reappearance somewhere in this post. Guess you'll have to keep reading to find out.

After fretting for weeks about how our little sweetie would handle a 12 hour drive to Iowa, the trip of course came off without a hitch. Ava slept most of the way, and Andy was happy that I didn't spend the whole drive tugging on his sleeve and asking if we were there yet. I'm not much of a road-tripper, and tend to turn into a 5 year old after the first few hours. You'll all be happy to know I was on my best behavior.

We were thrilled to see everyone in Iowa, but the most exciting part was getting to meet Braydon for the first time. It's hard to believe the babies were almost 5 months old before they got to be in the same room together. We took a million pictures, and everyone took lots of time cuddling each other's kiddos. Tyson and Charlie were incredibly sweet with the little ones, and are funnier and more enjoyable to hang out with every time we see them. Ava and Braydon are lucky have them.

Another exciting first for our little family was Ava getting a chance to meet her great grandmother. She had a little cold, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. She threw on her sunglasses (told you they'd be back) and hat and was ready to go. We had a terrific day at the farm hanging out with the extended family and can't wait to go back.

As I mentioned earlier, Ava's battling a cold. Actually, we all are. But since this is Baby's First Cold, I of course have learned a few things:

1.) A baby with a cold will sneeze the second you put a spoon full of food into her mouth, spraying that food all over both of you. Wear old clothes until baby feels better.

2.) Baby Tylenol is the greatest stuff on earth.

3.) Sick babies produce a lot of snot, most of which winds up on the parents. See my advice in point number 1 for clothing choices.

Happy New Year, everyone. Cheers to a great 2010!

By the way, I still can't figure out why my blog won't allow comments. I'm working on it, but in the meantime if you have something to say you'll just have to call me.