Monday, May 19, 2008

The newest member of our family...Rhet

Today we took a country drive out to an old small farmhouse and came home with a 5th member of the family. His name is Rhet, although Mayah likes to spell it Ret.


We debated between Rhet and Wrigley for a while, and Clint and I were leaning toward Wrigley, but when we got to Petco for some Puppy Chow, Mayah told the clerk that his name was Rhet. When we asked if she wanted to name him that, she said yeah, maybe Wrigley can be the middle name. And we asked if she didn't really like Wrigley, to which she responded, "I'm just not feelin' it..."


One of the reasons we finally decided to give into Mayah's demands was that Ava seems to have an infatuation with dogs! Every time we're at the park and a dog walks by, or she sees one on TV, she starts to grunt and point. It's the cutest thing ever. Today, when Clint sent me the Craigslist ad about the puppies, I showed the pictures to Ava and she went wild. When we finally brought the puppy home and gave Ava a chance to pet him, she got a little more timid. She will approach him slowly, and then back away super quickly as soon as he looks at her. This last picture catches her reaction perfectly. Hopefully she'll get over her initial scare and enjoy having a "brother."

Monday, May 12, 2008

Ava Walks at 10 months!!


As you can tell from this video, our little Ava is figuring out how to put one foot in front of the other and walk...at least short distances. She took her first steps on May 1, which is eleven days after her 10-month birthday. She's starting to do it more and more, and always in the least expected moments, which has made it difficult to catch on film. Tonight, we got it. She whined at first, but eventually gave in as you can see. In the same time frame, she learned to voluntarily give kisses and we love every slobbery one we get. Tonight, as she was being sent to bed, I asked her to give Mayah, Daddy and Mommy kisses, and she leaned out to each of us one at a time with little puckered lips (partially open). The thing she's also learned in the last couple of weeks which is beginning to show her stubborn side is to shake her head "no" when she doesn't want something. I walked her to the park today and played on the swing with her. I asked if she was ready to go home and she shook her head no. Then before bed when we asked for kisses, she actually shook her head no at first and made every attempt to avoid it. It wasn't until a few minutes later (after she walked a little more and got worn out) that she eventually gave in and did it willingly. Then when I went to lay her down for bed, as we got near her crib, she shook her head even more vigorously. She is going to be that kind of kid that has to have her way, or else she'll let you hear it. Sure is fun and cute to watch her grow and learn right now... but there will be times to come when I wish we could turn back the clock.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

HELP!!!

Nope, not a hair issue... Need another clue?




I think you might be getting warmer.....

I feel I should give you a little background first because I have not written too much about our little Ava. She is what I like to call "my little Curious George." Ava doesn't seem to be the kind of kid who learns from others' experiences, she is more of a first-hand knowledge type of girl! That is where she and Mayah are totally different. I am already afraid of what's to come with Ava. She will definitely keep Clint and me on our feet at all times and has proven to do so from the get go! She is always keeping me busy cleaning up after she's pulled every last Q-tip out of the box, or all of Clint's socks out of his sock drawer; or making me chase her up the stairs after I turn my back for a second.... and her personal favorite: sticking EVERYTHING in her mouth. Like when she found an old, tiny, fuzzy raisin on the floor at Whole Foods and was eating it before I figured out what it was, or the time I pulled a pebble out from between her two front teeth. It must not have bothered her, based on the enormous smile that revealed the pebble to me. Which brings me to my story.

This morning while I was making our bed, Ava was on the floor in the room playing with a doll of Mayah's that I had given to her to keep her occupied. I should have known that Ava needs something more interesting to keep her attention, because moments later I heard coughing coming from the bathroom. I walked in to find Ava with a tube of permanent hair color in her hand, the contents of which were dripping from her mouth. I freaked at the sight of red dye running down her cheeks, chin, hands and consequently everything she touched. My first reaction was to flush her mouth with water and wipe the mess off her face and hands. Then it dawned on me that it could be poisonous. I dialed 411-connect on my cell phone and asked for Poison Control, only to be patched through to an invalid number. More aggravated than before, I re-dialed and asked for a different number. This time, as I held my breath, it worked and soon I was talking to a rational human being on the other end. After describing the complete details of the substance Ava had potentially swallowed, I was placed on hold for what seemed an eternity (although it was only about 60 seconds in reality). The woman returned and asked one last pointed question, "It wasn't the developer was it?" I said no, feeling a little relieved, and then she continued to calm my anxiousness. She said I had done the right thing by flushing it down with water, and to just continue to watch carefully to make sure there's no problems with her airway. She suggested giving her juice or formula to coat her stomach and make sure she didn't show signs of vomiting or irritation. Once again, I'm grateful to have her survive the risks of a day in the life of Ava. There have been many falls, bumps, and scares that have left me wondering how she'll ever make it to her first birthday. This was just one more occasion for worry and relief at the same time. If there's one thing I can say about Ava, it is that there is never a dull moment. She is a full-time job and keeps me on my toes. If this is any sign of what's to come, I think she'll have an adventure-filled life.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Oh the tragedy ...


Who ever thought it would be such a terrible thing when the Dr. comes in the room and announces "Guess who doesn't need glasses..."? Well that's our Mayah! For weeks she has been complaining of poor vision, and trouble reading. Several of her friends got glasses and I guess she was feeling left out. Finally after I got tired of hearing her complaints I figured it was worth going in to the optometrist just in case. $70 and one broken heart later, we can now be thankful that Mayah has great eyesight. I keep trying to explain that I would give anything to not have to wear contacts or glasses but I am not getting through to her. She has been pouting ever since, so we had to send her to bed early tonight :(

Although I do remember as a child wanting silly things such as braces... things that as a parent make no sense. I do have to admit that wearing glasses nowadays is a lot cooler than when I was a kid! I felt so bad for her as I turned around and saw the tears streaming down her cheeks before we even stepped out of the room. Feeling embarrassed but not able to hold back her tears she buried her face into my stomach. I would have gotten the frames for her just cause I felt sorry for her, but the glasses she wanted were the most expensive pair in the place. The girl does have style! I just couldn't justify spending another $130 on a pair of frames just for play.