Welcome to Ava and Baby Boy's website!

Wow! Where should I start? We have a lot going on right now. Newest for Ava is her new preschool, which she absolutely loves. She comes home singing new songs and talking about her new friends. Ava makes five or six paintings each day, along with many toilet paper roll structures. It's pretty funny because she has an explanation for each of them. She makes some of the for Mommy and others for Daddy. We are soooo glad that she enjoys it so much and can't wait to go back later in the week. Hopefully we'll be able to move into Sylvania and she'll be able to go to school with some of her friends from preschool. Ava's teachers say that she is friends with everyone at school and will play with anyone who wants to play with her. They also say she is pretty smart for her age and speaks quite well. I have always thought so, but it's nice to hear it from her teachers too.

We had a great visit from Grandpa Ford and Sylvia. Ava got pretty used to having them around and actually wondered where they were after they left. We had a great cook-out while they were here and were able to visit with people that Wilf hasn't seen in quite some time. Even though it rained the entire day, we still had a good time. We also took Wilf and Sylvia up to a U of M game, where we all sweated quite a bit and left with pretty decent sunburns. We stopped for dinner at Mongolian Barbeque after the game and took a quick stroll around Ann Arbor. Their visit seemed to fly by, but we enjoyed every second of it. (Especially the yummy meals they cooked for us! ) We can't wait until we get to see them again.

The baby boy is still kicking and stretching like a champion. He still is nameless but we are working on it. He should be about 2 1/2 pounds now. Everything seems to be going well and it won't be much longer until he makes his debut. We are crossing our fingers for a birth date near to the 18th of December. I just really want to enjoy a holiday meal!

We've got our pumpkins out and Halloween window clings on the front door. Ava picked out her costume yesterday with a bit of persuasion. She had picked out a lady bug costume in a magazine, and I was perfectly happy to get it for her. When we got to the store she saw a Dora costume that I had to pull her away from. It seemed silly since it was just a t-shirt and shorts with a wig. I think the lady bug costume will be much cuter! She'll thank me some day.

Happy New Year! We brought the new year in with a potty trained Ava! We just have problems at bedtimes still. We may have to resort to Pull-Ups during naps and nights. It's a bit sad since she got the daytimes down perfectly, but we don't want to have her wetting her bed every night. So, we have some decisions to make.

Well, we hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve and that you all are excited for the year ahead.

Another day under our belts. We did have more accidents today BUT we also had a good BM! I was so happy that I was actually in tears. She also asked quite a few times to use the potty during her bath. I was surprised because I thought she'd just let it go in the water. She must really be learning her body cues. I'm soooo proud of her. It just really seems like a huge accomplishment, one that moves her closer to being a big girl.

Well, one more day of the same routine and supposedley she'll be potty trained. I'm sleeping in my bed tonight so that I can actually get some good sleep. Updates tomorrow!

Ava had numerous successful potties today. These are potties in the toilet and keeping the panties dry. She called me twice during her nap to go potty, but did wake up with an accident. I'm pretty sure that she had a bladder overload because she was sitting up before she had the accident. She must've just woken up and couldn't hold it. Since the nap, we've been to the bathroom approx. four times! I think she's catching on that she gets a piece of candy and thinks she might get one for just sitting on the potty. Smart cookie!

Comments
She is a smart girl.....so, Mom, you'll have to keep in mind..no potty - no candy! (small candies are very important---1 smartie from the roll or 1 mini M&M!)
AND a 'potty' dance and song after she's made it successfully to the toilet is a MUST! That's lots of fun too!
Good luck!
- Great Aunt Shani

We had a wet bed last night. She never woke up to tell me she needed to go potty either. I'm worried that she'll just potty in her bed and not be bothered by it. I actually slept on the floor in her room in case she woke up upset.

However, we have had a successful potty this morning. She piddled a little bit in her panties, but we made it to the bathroom for the majority of her potty. We're still waiting on the BM.....

I got her 21 new pair of big girl panties last nigh; Dora, Minnie & Daisy, and Princesses. (As I am typing this, she had another accident. She came and told me she had to go, but it was too late....) She loves her new big girl panties.

I'd have to say "So far, so good." We had a couple accidents, which we fully expected, but we think she is really learning that she needs to tell us when she needs to potty. However, we have yet to have a BM, #2, poo, or what have you. This is unusual for Ava. I'd say she is usually pretty "regular".

I know that I have not yet updated about Christmas, which was great, and other festivities, but I feel the need to document the potty training process that we started this morning. I actually got a book that guarantees a 3-day process. We threw all of the diapers away this morning and now only have panties! It's been about 45 minutes and we've had no problems, yet. She actually doesn't seem to bothered by it at all.

The only thing I'm really worried about, besides the accidents, is the fact that it is recommended that she only wear panties and a shirt. I'm afraid she's cold! We do have heat in the house, so I'm sure she's fine. I'm probably just being a bit rediculous.

So who is in charge of updating this site? Hhhmmm..... Well, it seems like we've been so busy that there have been no pictures taken in quite some time. We definately need to get on the ball.

Ava is still doing great. She has her own personality now and is starting to show some major mood swings. But she is my daughter so what can I expect!?!? She has started to get time-outs for her behavior. We hate doing it, but it seems to work for her and it's better than a spanking! Her vocab is still growing every day. I'm pretty sure she is the smartest two year old ever.

Ava is enjoying going to Linda's house again this school year. She has a couple other girls to play with this year. When we arrive at Linda's in the morning, at 7:00 a.m., Ava greets her with "Morning" every time. I just barely open the door and she is already yelling "morning". It's so cute! I just wish I could borrow half of her morning perkiness.

We've halted the potty training for a little bit. She was getting too stressed about it so we decided to give her some more time. I have a book that people swear by that will help the potty training process, hopefully. I think I'll try again over Thanksgiving or Christmas break.

Well, it's Sunday, so it's my work day. Yippee! And I need to start Max and Ruby for Ava. She loves her cartoons!

We had an accident. Darn it. Mike had just asked her if she needed to potty, she said no. She sat down on our big green chair and peed. She was really upset this time and cried. She even said "I crying". It was kind of sad because it was like she was disappointed in herself.

Yes, I realize it's been a really long time since I've updated the stories!! I do want to do a quick update today because something big is happening in Ava's life. She is wearing panties!!!! We started yesterday evening for a couple hours before bed. She did piddle in her panties once, but she was concerned about it and came right to me. I thought that was a good sign. She's in panties right now and has not had an accident. Hopefully she'll tell us before she is feeling something coming on.

Ava has blossomed into quite a smart little toddler. Her vocab is pretty extensive at this point, at least I think so. She can say pretty much anything that we ask her to. She can count to ten in English and Spanish! She loves animals. She knows pretty much all animals and their sounds. We're working on colors, but she is stuck on purple right now. Every now and then we'll get red or yellow.

Summer is almost over! We had fun at the beach this summer. Ava loved bike riding so much that we bought some for home. She even likes wearing the helmet we got for her. We've been to the zoo a couple times this summer too. I think we picked two of the hottest days to go, so it was a short visit. That's why we got a membership. We don't feel bad when we leave early.

Well that's all for an update right now. It's almost lunch time and Ava has gotten ahold of the digital camera.

Just got back from two days in London. It was amazing, and Ava was perfect. I will definately upload pics and a full story on Saturday. We have a full day of travel tomorrow to get back to Toledo. See you all soon!

We are here!!! The flight was long, but decent. Ava had a "pod" to sleep in during the night. We were pretty jealous because she slept pretty much the whole way, and Mike and I couldn't get comfortable. So we didn't sleep much, but she was rested so that's good. We had a bit of a delay coming in to Manchester yesterday morning. The pilot said that there was a bit of snow on the ground and that they were clearing the runways. When we landed his comment was "It looks like there was a bit of snow fall, but apparently they've never been to Chicago." Really, it was just a dusting! An extra hour in the air for not even an inch of snow. Oh well.

Right now we are relaxing after a mall walk and lunch. Mike and Wilf ran out to the store to get some Ava groceries and I think I'll go vegitate for a bit. Ava is napping thankfully, she had a melt down at the restaurant.

So we're supposed to be in England right now. BUT we're not! Long story short- lots of wind in Newark delayed our connecting flight, lots of snow in Detroit froze up our plane. We're on the run way, already deiced, ready to go and we were cancelled. Along with lots of chaos over flights out of here, we were at the airport until 2 a.m. when mom and Greg came to pick us up. We are heading out again today. We will prosper this time!!!! We're going to try again at 1 p.m. through Toledo. What a pain!

So hopefully the next time I write we are in England enjoying Easter with family!

We are off to England today!!!! We are all really excited, but mom and dad are a bit anxious. We are hoping for a sleepy toddler, or an easily amused toddler. Either would be great.

I will try to post pics while we are over there. I'm sure we will have a ton to share!

Where do I start? Ava is wonderful right now. She is learning soooo many new words and many new tricks. She can jump, run, and spin. She is still loving to dance and listen to music. She can actually name everyone in one of our photo albums. The only name that's confusing is Rene, because she still thinks that they are both Nate. She even says Shauna and Dewayne ("Dion").

I can't belive she'll be two in May! Time has absolutely gone by too quickly. I'm loving this stage, and wish that I could keep her this age for a while. I know the "terrible twos" are coming, and it sure doesn't sound like fun to me! Hopefully I'll have a child that just skips that stage. I'll cross my fingers.

Ok, well I'll close for now, but I wanted to let you all know we are doing well and Ava is growing like a weed. I will definately update more frequently. Take care!

Mike and I were eating pizza tonight for dinner while Ava ate her food. Well, Ava wanted some of our pizza so I ripped her off a piece or two. She didn't want that. So I gave her a whole piece. She ate almost half a whole slice of pizza!!!! Maybe I have a junk food baby on my hands and that is why she won't eat anything!??!?! Pizza, chips, and candy from now on. ;)

Today has been interesting. On the way to the babysitter's house this morning, Ava got sick. Really sick. When I went to get her out of the car, she was actively vomitting. Yuck! I'd tell you the contents since they were all identifiable, but I'll spare you that. :) So her and I have been home today. We've played games, watched movies, and she has napped almost all day. She's on her third nap right now. Sheesh...

Lately Ava has been a bit moody. On some days she will be the best kid ever, and on others she is a little pistol! She is at a great age right now because she is learning words, names, and sounds. Some of her most common words are "No" and "Stop". These are words the Mom doesn't like very much. I'm not sure where she gets the yelling of "No no no no" but she got is somewhere and we hear it quite often. Too often! On her good days, though, she is great. She loves to play outside with Daddy and Laney. She loves to see the leaves being thrown, which is primarily why we don't rake. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it!) And she loves to call "Naney" and making her run around the yard. We played ring around the rosey today and she absolutely loved it. It's funny when she really gets cracking up because she'll go into the silent-can't-stand-up laugh. What's better then hearing a kid laugh?

She's really into Dora and Nemo right now. She still likes the Backyardigans, but has new interests as well. We DVR'd Finding Nemo and she asks us to watch it three or four times a day. She'll actually go get the remote and say "Meemo". It's too cute to resist. I actually don't mind since I like the movie so much too.

We are still having eating issues with miss Ava. She can be sooooo picky some days, and eat anything the next. It's pretty stressful. Mike and I pull our hair out trying to figure out what she'll eat every day. BUT, she has no issues eating at the babysitter's house. Ugh. Apparently it's a sign of affection and trust when a kid acts out with their parents. And let me tell you, when Ava is screaming "No no no no no" after the fifth thing I've offered her for lunch, I feel loved. Oh, do I feel loved. ;)

Ava has tons of new words. Here's a list: Naney, Mommy, Daddy, Sheby (sheli), Shuby (Shauna), Ne (Nate), Mama (usually for grandma), puppy, kee (kitty), book, Meemo, Doda (dora), Ba Ba (Sponge Bob), Nahnana (banana), dish (fish), shoe, sock, bow (ball), tahree (tree), and of course No and Stop. These are all I can think of right now. She can also point out a bug or car when asked.

Speaking of Nate, I feel like Ava and Nate are really beginning to bond. They can't really play together yet, but Ava loves being around him. And I'm starting to notice Nate really appreciating and helping Ava. He does get annoyed when she wants to play with his toys, but Ava will sit right down next to him and watch him play. I love it!!

We had a great Turkey Day. We went to Nana and Papop's house and ate a ton of food. Ava loves being with Nana and Papop, and they love being with her. We stopped at Grandma and Grandpa Huff's house too to chit chat. Ava loves to point out all of the animal figurines in their house. She can't quite get horse down, but we'll work on that.

Well Christmas is coming!! The tree is up and we have lights on the house! It's exciting. Bring on the snow!! Ava will definately be making snow angels this year! We're looking forward to Thanks-Christmas with the Browns next weekend! Ava will actually be able to play with Camy instead of just staring at her weirdly. :)

We've been busy as usual. We are making more time for family activities though. It's been nice having family time. We have made trips to the park to play, a couple trips to the lake house, and today to Nater's birthday party.

Ava's latest developments include running and new words. She had a blast today chasing after Nate. Rene's house is perfect for chases. They both ran in laps around the house until they were stinky and sweaty. It was funny! Ava's new words are Doda (Dora), Baby, Woof, Boots, What's this (more like Zis?), and she continues with Puppy and Dotters among others. She actually looked at Baby Alex Yockey today and said "Hi Baby". What a smart cookie.

I think I can speak for everyone around Ava by saying that she really is a joy. I love her more than words can describe. She brings such an uplifting, happy feeling to my life and everyone that she meets. I love you Punky!!!

We have been pretty busy this past month. Mike finally finished his schooling and passed all of his big tests with flying colors. Woo hoo Daddy!! As a reward, we took a little vacation to Vegas. Ava stayed with Courtney and had tons of fun with her. They went shopping, went to a festival, and practiced their swimming skills. Ava loves spending time with Courtney, which made me extremely comfortable while we were away.

After the vacation, it seemed like there was no time at all before I got back to work. Yuck! Where did the summer go?!?!?! We're back in full swing now, and looking forward to winter break.

Ava is definately cruising around now. She can get to a pretty quick speed these days. Her steps are high and wide. It's pretty amusing! Her favorite word now is "Goggy" and "Dish", which are doggy and fish. She is always looking for the Goggy in books and pictures. She is also learning the word No. She hates to be in the stroller or carried at stores, so if I try to pick her up she yells "NO NO NO NO." It's fantastic. Little booger butt. She is still saying Hi to everyone she sees. If the person doesn't answer her, she continues to say Hi but louder each time. Oh, another funny thing that she does lately is tasting things. She touches things and then licks her hand. We thought that her tasting the dog water was the worst, but yesterday she touched a live fish then licked her hand. Yuck!! I think it was Grenpeppy that caught the fish, and she wasn't scared at all. She reached right out and touched it's fin. Then she promptly licked her hand. It was sooooo gross!

We went to a Thomas the Tank Engine festival in Flint, MI. with one of Mike's old friends. It was nice to get to see Josh and Josh Jr. Ava didn't really understand who Thomas was but had a good time running around outside. She got a tattoo, rode a carousel (sp?), and rode on an old fashion passenger train. Fun, fun.

Ava also has a new babysitter. Due to schedule issues, we decided to find a new sitter. Her name is Linda. She lives about five minutes from both Mike and I's work. It's pretty convenient. She has been there for about two weeks. It seems to be going ok. She only needs a sitter a couple times a week, the rest of the time she gets to spend time with Daddy.

Well I think that is it for now. I'm going to zone out for a bit to prepare myself for the school week. I'll try to keep this updated more often.

Well, I think that I can officially say that we finally have a walker!!! Ava is walking!!! She doens't quite have it mastered, but she is walking. We don't even have to coax her into walking, she'll just get up and walk across the room. It is pretty neat. She goes at a slow, very concentrated pace, but she gets where she wants to go. So HURRAY for Ava!!!

We also have acquired a piano. We got a piano from Mike's grandparents with the hopes of Ava playing it one day. We were playing a bit today as a family. Mike had the high notes, I had the middle, and Ava had all the notes with her feet. For some reason she felt that she should play with her feet. It was pretty funny.

Swim classes are still going well. This past Saturday, Ava went to class with Grandma. It was nice bonding time for the two of them. Next week it'll be Mom again, so your not getting away from the dunks anymore Miss Ava!

Well that's all for the quick update. It's time for bed! We hope all is well with everyone.