Ava's Blog

BEACH GIRL!!!!

2009-08-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

Although we haven't had the heat waves on the coast that much of Oregon has had, we have tried to take advantage of any nice weather we do have. Now that I have realized sand isn't very good to eat I really enjoy playing in it.

I WALK NOW!!!

2009-08-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

So mom and I are a few months behind, so let me catch you up. A couple of weeks after my first birthday (in May) I decided to walk. It happened just like that, one day I stood up and walked across the room - mom and dad were in AWE!!! Ever since, I have been on the go! I often catch mom and dad off guard with what I can reach - after all I am no shorty!!!

OPENING PRESENTS

2009-05-18T16:40:00.000-07:00

I received many fun presents. Mom wanted me to help open them but I was too distracted by my new toys. I also was busy entertaining my audience.

EATING MY CAKE

2009-05-18T16:13:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights from my birthday party was getting to eat my own cake. Mom got me my own personal cake. Everyone stood around and looked at me in anticipation, waiting for me to take the first bite. Grandpa Blondie was egging me on smear it in my hair - as if I had not made a big enough mess on my face and highchair. After I was all done eating, I was wheeled out (in my highchair) to the front yard where I was literally hosed off - but it sure was worth it!

PARTY CONT.

2009-05-18T15:11:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of me before I got to eat my cake. Everyone was looking at me - so I decided I should entertain them (mom told me I was a ham - hhmmm?). Here is also a picture of my first tan lines - I know very exciting.

It's MY PARTY!!!!

2009-05-18T14:59:00.000-07:00

Well I had my first birthday party - and it was FUN! It was very sunny outside so I got to enjoy my new pool that Grandma and Grandpa Spencer got me, I even got tan lines. We had many family and friends to enjoy the party with.

PRE-PARTY, PARTY

2009-05-18T14:46:00.000-07:00

Even though it is only Friday and my actual birthday party is not until Sunday - I got to eat my first cupcake tonight. My papa Wade was visiting so grandma Sandi made yummy cupcakes. I wasn't too sure about it at first - since I really haven't been exposed to much sugar. Mom is kind of boring - she doesn't even give me juice. Well stay tuned - the fun pictures are coming from Sunday.

I AM ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-05-18T14:33:00.000-07:00

Well as of May 14th Ava is ONE!!! She said that since she is a "BIG" girl now she gets to write her own blog - so here she is.

"HHHHHIIIIIIIIIII" to all my family and friends. Today I turned one - everyone keeps holding my finger up saying, "Ava you are this many". Not sure what they are doing but it is fun. Mom and dad keep trying to get me to walk but I am very content crawling - and quite good at it - not to mention when you walk you have to wear shoes. Even though today is my birthday mom and dad said my party is not until this weekend. So here are just a few pictures mom took today.

MAY

2009-05-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

May is Ava's birthday month. Here are a few pictures of her "helping" out in the kitchen. She is getting to be such a big girl!

MORE APRIL - PHOTO SHOOT WITH MOM

2009-05-18T14:11:00.000-07:00

Ava is quickly transforming from baby to little girl. We enjoyed having a "photo shoot" one afternoon as she was all dressed in her cute dress with no where to go.

APRIL

2009-05-18T13:35:00.000-07:00

In April we took Ava to Bandon to the petting zoo. She enjoyed all the goats and deer running around (from the safety of her stroller). She definitely loves animals - so much so that she felt compelled to "hug" the white skunk. We have all been enjoying and taking advantage of her generous hugs as well.

March

2009-05-18T13:24:00.000-07:00

So I know I am way behind with updating our blog. I will start with a few pictures from March - don't want any left out. In March Ava had well perfected crawling and pulling up.

LITTLE FLOWER

2009-01-31T21:31:00.000-08:00

So apparently mom got a bit carried away with the camera - but can you blame her?

I CAN CRAWL Jan. 17, 2009

2009-01-29T16:54:00.000-08:00

This past week Ava started crawling. She has also cut her first teeth. It seemed very all of a sudden. We were at Grandma and Grandpa Spencers and Ava saw something on the floor she wanted and crawled right to it - we were all shocked. Now she crawls everywhere and hasn't stopped. Our cat Cleo isn't too amused with the new found talents as one of Ava's favorite games is to chase kitty.

MORE JANUARY PICS

2009-01-29T16:43:00.001-08:00

Ava is now 8 months old. In January Ava and mom took a trip to Medford for a few days. While we were there we got to visit great-grandma Mabel and Harold. Ava had not seen them since she was 10 days old - so it was a much overdue visit. We also got to visit moms friend Andrea who has two daughters - Grace (who is 2 wks older than Ava) and Maddy who is 2 yrs old.

WEEKEND WITH MADDY

2009-01-29T16:01:00.000-08:00

In January we spent a weekend with our friends Brent, Heidi and Maddy Pahls. Maddy is about 10 months older than Ava. Maddy was very good about serving Ava "juice" and pushing her around on her airplane. Ava could not get enough of Maddy's car so at the end of the weekend Maddy decided to let Ava borrow it - thank you!!!!!!

ENJOYING THE NICE WEATHER - Jan 3, 2009

2009-01-29T15:30:00.000-08:00

We have been taking advantage of the nice sunny weather. Enjoying walks and going to the park. Ava continues to try very hard to crawl. Mom and Dad are scared for what life will be like with a mobile baby.

DRESS-UP WITH MOMMY

2008-12-26T22:12:00.000-08:00

For a shower gift Ava got a pair of scrubs (before she was even born), so today we played dress-up. She was more interested in eating the stethoscope than anything else.

FIRST CAR

2008-12-26T22:07:00.000-08:00

Ava got her first car and cellphone for Christmas - learning at a young age.

CHRISTMAS DINNER AND OPENING PRESENTS

2008-12-26T21:59:00.000-08:00

MORE CHRISTMAS

2008-12-26T21:48:00.000-08:00

FIRST CHRISTMAS (opening her stocking)

2008-12-26T21:37:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!! Gabe and I agree that this was probably our best Christmas ever. Even though Ava is still young it was so fun to share the excitement with her. Everything was so new and fun for her. We enjoyed sharing her with a lot of our other family and friends. Ava had many firsts on Christmas day as well. She had been saying "blah, blah, blah" but decided to add "Dad-da-da" to her vocabulary. Also as everyone was leaving she decided to showoff and waved for the first time - so sweet (and mom caught it on video).

TRYING TO CRAWL

2008-12-26T21:27:00.000-08:00

Ava has been trying so hard to crawl. Mom and dad are scared of the endless possibilities once she is mobile. In the meantime she spends lots of time sitting and playing with her toys.

FIRST HORSE

2008-12-26T21:21:00.000-08:00

Grandma Sharon cannot wait to get Ava on a real horse - so she got her this one to practice on in the meantime. Ava thinks she is quite a big girl.

6 months old!

2008-12-26T21:14:00.001-08:00

Well we are way behind on posting pictures. Here are some from around Thanksgiving.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM THE LIL' STINKER

2008-11-01T18:15:00.000-07:00

FALL IS HERE

2008-11-01T18:05:00.001-07:00

October often brings nice fall days for Brookings, which was the case last week. We were able to enjoy sunny days and evening walks before the rains start in. I took advantage of the sun to get some fun fall pictures of Ava. And also got some pre-Halloween pictures of Ava with grandpa in her skunk costume.

HERE KITTY KITTY

2008-11-01T17:48:00.000-07:00

Ava has taken up a new fascination with our cat Cleo (who prefers to ignore and stay out of reach of Ava). Ava gets so excited when she actually gets her hands on kitty. Also this past week Ava had her first encounters with grandma Sharon's puppy and one of her horses. It looks like Ava is going to want a petting zoo when she gets older.

Football Sundays

2008-11-01T17:35:00.000-07:00

Dad is ever so excited football season is here (mom swears it just ended and can't possibly be starting again). Ava however seems to really enjoy watching with dad. And Ava's latest trick is sitting up. These pictures are from Oct. 5-11.

Beginning of October

2008-11-01T17:24:00.000-07:00

Well I am very far behind on posting ever since I started back to work. Here are some pictures from the beginning of October. Included are pictures of Ava's first encounter with "solids". Gabe and I are so glad we had the camera and video camera on hand as the faces were priceless.

OFF TO CHURCH

2008-09-21T11:56:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Grandma and Grandpa Westergard came to visit. Ava got all dressed up for church. She wore her new dress from the Pahls and her handmade sweater by Linda. This weekend is bitter sweet as mommy returns to work Sunday night.

4 MONTHS OLD

2008-09-21T11:50:00.000-07:00

This past week we celebrated Ava's 4 month birthday and Grandma Sandi's birthday.

CAMPING

2008-09-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

Ava has turned into quite the lil' camper. Next she just needs to learn to ride a dirtbike. She wore her riding outfit (handed down from Logan) - but we will wait awhile to introduce her to riding. We spent the weekend with our friends Adam and Ben and Ben's dog Sophie (who plays the part of "Good Dog Carl").

GRUMPY TENNIS GIRL/HAPPY DUTCH GIRL

2008-09-21T10:32:00.000-07:00

Here are some of Ava's super cute outfits that she has only worn once due to growing too fast. Since they both are getting small I had to quick take pictures of her in them.

MY WHAT SCRATCHY WHISKERS YOU HAVE

2008-09-21T10:08:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Ava spending time feeling dad's face (his scratchy face). She now rolls over back to front, front to back, side to side, etc. She still gets frustrated when she is on her tummy though.

AVA'S NEW ROOM

2008-09-07T19:24:00.000-07:00

Although Ava has been in her own room since she was about 2 months old, we just now finally have it put together.

TRYING SO HARD . . .

2008-09-07T19:11:00.000-07:00

For the past couple days Ava has been trying so hard to roll over. Since she can't be on her stomach very much (due to huge spit-up problems), she is attempting to roll from back to stomach. Here are a few pictures so far.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

2008-09-07T17:04:00.000-07:00

As summer is coming to an end and the weather has been nice we are spending as much time as possible outside. Here are some more pictures from feeding the squirrels. This past weekend Grandma Sharon and Grandpa Gordon visited. On Saturday we took a walk through the Redwoods. Ava decided the trail was a bit too bumpy in her stroller so dad carried her on his shoulders for part of the way - as she drooled puddles on his head.

MISCELLANEOUS FUN

2008-09-07T16:43:00.000-07:00

I finally have loaded all my pictures from the past month and am getting around to posting. Here are some miscellaneous pictures. Ava's new favorite activity is her jumper. It is quite amazing because when we got it a couple weeks ago she couldn't touch the ground (so we had to use a book under it), now she can touch flat-footed. I finally obtained a picture of Ava, Grandma Sandi and Cleo cat taking a nap together - couldn't resist the photo-op. Ava went on her first camping trip this past month (see the picture in her fuzzy bear suit). Since camping is one of our favorite weekend activities we figured it was about time she experience it. Lastly, we visited Portland Labor Day weekend and finally met up with my good friends Sara and Kylie who each have a baby about a month younger than Ava. It was very fun to get together and see the babies.

3 MONTHS OLD!!!

2008-08-18T19:20:00.001-07:00

As of last week (Aug. 14th) Ava is now 3 months old. I have been bad about taking pictures lately - but here are a few new ones. The one in pink is of one of our many walks with her in her stroller. Our new evening pasttime is walking to the nearby campground and feeding the oh so FAT squirrels (see the picture with Holly and Logan). Our biggest news is that for the past two weeks Ava is not only sleeping in her own room but she sleeps ALL night. I feel like a new woman!

12 WEEKS OLD

2008-08-10T22:04:00.000-07:00

This past week has been busy. First Ava went on her first blueberry picking excursion (although we don't have any pictures to document). Then this past weekend Grandma Sharon, Grandpa Gordon, and Aunt Chelsea came to visit. Ava captivated everyone with her larger than ever smiles, sweet giggles and new talents of mimicking facial expressions. She also sported her hammer and nails shirt - showing dad she is ready to help him. Today we went to the river and Ava put her feet in. Gabe and I cannot believe she will be 3 months old this next week.

RENEE'S WEDDING

2008-08-10T21:55:00.001-07:00

On Aug. 3rd Ava attended her first wedding. We drove down the Eureka to celebrate Renee's BIG day!!!

BIG GIRL

2008-07-31T16:54:00.000-07:00

At first Ava wasn't so sure about sitting in her big girl chair . . . but then clearly she thought, "hhmmm I am pretty cool - I am sitting in a chair and holding my head up"!

SWIMMING WITH PAPA

2008-07-30T11:49:00.001-07:00

Ava had her first experience swimming this past weekend. Papa heated the pool to about 90 degrees and it was high 80's outside. Ava enjoyed floating around, kicking and splashing. These pictures show off (dare I say) Ava's physique. We love her more and more with the addition of each new roll!

I LOVE MY SLING

2008-07-24T22:41:00.001-07:00

Even though I am getting a bit big for it, I love my peanut shell sling (thank you Deanna)! It makes me feel like I am in moms tummy again.

PRETTY GIRL 9-10 wks old

2008-07-23T13:02:00.000-07:00

When dad dresses me . . .

2008-07-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

Gabe loves to pick out Ava's outfits and dress her. I just have to laugh though because Gabe feels she needs to be accessorized and dressed well even when we are just sitting at home. Here are some fun pictures of Gabe dressing Ava. The first picture we were just going outside to sit while Gabe washed the car. He insisted that she wear her pink shoes - which took him 10 minutes just to get on. The other pictures are of this past weekend. Gabe has been dying for Ava to wear a hand made sweater (made by Linda Dale). Well this is fine but it was actually nice weather this weekend, but Gabe insisted again that she wear it - and she had to have a hair pretty in too. So cute!

2 MONTHS OLD!!!

2008-07-23T12:37:00.000-07:00

Ava is (was on July 14th) 2 months old. This was a bittersweet day as she had to have her first round of shots. Mom dreaded this doctor's visit for weeks. Ava survived and so did mom.

MORE FROM BLISS STUDIO

2008-07-12T12:55:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pictures from Bliss Studio in Portland. To view all of Ava's pictures go to http://www.blissstudio.net/, then click on "children & families" and then "previews".

AVA'S FIRST PHOTO SHOOT

2008-07-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

Last week Ava and I made the journey to Portland to stay with my friend Annie and her two kids. On Thursday we took all three kids to have pictures taken by Whitney at Bliss Studio (the photographer who did my wedding). I wasn't sure how Ava would do only being 7 weeks old - but Whitney was very patient and was able to get some great shots and even some of Ava smiling. Here are just a couple from the shoot. When the rest are online I will post a link so you can view them. A BIG thank you to Whitney for all her patience with us!

MORE PICTURES . . .

2008-06-29T21:50:00.001-07:00

I forgot to mention in Ava's 1 month old blog that she has started smiling. To my dismay she is an early riser, and seems most happy when I change her first thing in the morning. She gives me her best smiles in the morning on her changing table (this makes me feel better about being up so early). So here are some pictures of her smiling and other random pictures.

AVA'S FIRST PARTY!

2008-06-29T21:37:00.001-07:00

This past weekend my work had a baby shower for Ava and I. Ava was trully the star of the show and was a trooper being passed around the room. Dena and Linda went above and beyond with food and decorations (no detail was missed)!!! Ava got some very nice gifts . . . a BIG thank you to everyone! Both grandmas and auntie Chelsea also attended the shower and daddy and grandpa came at the end to help retrieve the gifts and enjoy some cake. Thank you again to everyone for a great evening! Although I am in NO hurry to go back to work (and dread having to leave Ava) I do miss my co-workers . . . I shall see you all in September!

1 MONTH OLD

2008-06-22T15:29:00.000-07:00

Ava is now a month old (June 14). Here are a few pictures from her 1 month birthday weekend. For Father's Day we went over to Medford. There is a picture of Ava snoozing on Papa Wade. Before heading home on Monday Ava had a good visit with her great-grandparents (here is a picture with great-grandma Rohlf).

NAP TIME

2008-06-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

I love all the faces Ava makes - especially when she is attempting to wake up. She is a big stretcher as well. Here are a few of my favorite faces and poses during nap time.

Happy Morning

2008-06-13T10:43:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow Ava will be 1 month old (I can't believe it)! She is really starting to get very expressive. I wanted to try to capture some of her looks today. She was a little shy at first but quickly warmed up (what a good model).

LAZY SUNDAY

2008-06-08T17:03:00.001-07:00

A WEEK OF FIRSTS

2008-06-07T17:50:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Ava had her first public outing. We went to Eureka for a good friends bridal shower (there is a picture of Renee, Ava and I). Then this weekend Ava made her first church appearance. Grandma and I had a lot of fun dressing her up - she even wore shoes. After church she went to her first BBQ. All the church ladies enjoyed passing her around - as I chased everyone around with the hand sanitizer (can you tell I am a first time mommy).

Ava is continuing to grow fast, she seems to be working on a third chin (yes I said THIRD). Gabe is in awe at her belly and thighs. We really enjoy her awake and alert hours as she is tracking more and more with her eyes - we are anxiously awaiting her first real smiles.

Until next time . . .

3 weeks old

2008-06-03T21:40:00.000-07:00

Ava is 3 weeks old already. I can't believe how much she has changed. She is already growing out of clothes and fitting into the bigger ones - I suppose I shouldn't be surprised but I just thought she would be a tiny newborn longer.

First walk

2008-05-29T20:05:00.000-07:00

Today we took Ava for her first walk. We tried out our front pack. She seemed to like it - as she was very snug! The weather was finally very nice - it was great to get out and walk!

A few more pictures

2008-05-28T19:55:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more of our favorite pictures from the first 2 weeks of Ava's life.

Welcome to our blog!

2008-05-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our blog - this is a site where our friends and family can keep up on the happenings of our family - but most importantly Ava! I will try to post often - especially with lots of pictures. Ava had her 2 week check-up today and she now weighs 8lbs 11ozs (she weighed 7lbs 10ozs at birth). So she is growing fast - we keep telling her not to grow too fast. She continues to be sleeping well at night - she only wakes up once . . . hopefully this will last and isn't just a temporary thing. Well stay tuned for updates . . .