30 Days Of Thankfulness: Day 30

Well, today is the last day of November. This means that my 30 Days of Thankfulness are finished. Of course, I will still be a thankful person, I will just shift my focus back to more "potpourri-ish" topics. :) This will be another short post because my head is pounding so bad that I could vomit. I need to go to sleep.

I want to give thanks today for a wonderful month. I know that seems generic, but it truly has been a great month! My daughter has started walking this month, she has added a new word to her vocabulary (uh-oh), and she has two more teeth. Our family has visited out of state relatives and spent time with friends. We have announced our second pregnancy this month and heard a strong heartbeat at both appointments! 

Our family is so blessed. We are blessed to live in this great country. We are blessed to serve a God who loves us and wants what is best for us. We are blessed to have each other. 

30 Days Of Thankfulness: Day 29

I am about to spend some much needed time with my husband, so this post will be just a few sentences. 

Today I am thankful for life. I learned earlier today that a classmate of mine died over the Thanksgiving break. He apparently went into a diabetic coma and never woke up. I did not know him very well, but my heart breaks for his family. I still consider myself to be very young at 27 years of age. It just seems so young to pass from this life. I will be praying for his family during this time. I do thank God every morning for being able to wake up and enjoy another day. Tomorrow morning I will probably be a little more serious when thanking Him.

We never know when our last day on this Earth will be. What a sobering thought.

30 Days Of Thankfulness: Day 28

I have so many things to be thankful for today! I posted that I was 12 weeks yesterday and that I would be going to the doctor today for a check-up. My appointment was at 8:45 this morning and I did not know which doctor I would be seeing.

The first thing the nurse did was weigh me. I have told every nurse that I have seen, that I do not want to know what my weight is. I want to know how much I have gained/lost, but I am not interested in the starting/ending weight. I am so obsessive about numbers that it is just best to not know. The way I look at it, childbearing will last a few years and I will have the rest of my life to get the weight off. The first thing I was thankful for was losing 3 pounds! I am not on a diet, and it is certainly not a goal to lose weight while I am pregnant, but I did start out this pregnancy about 25 pounds heavier than I did with Ava. I will take what I can get!

The 2nd thing I was thankful for was the doctor I saw today. Dr. Elizabeth Emig was working today and I really liked her just from this first visit. She prescribed a medicine for my nausea (Zofran?) and assured me that it would help! She gave me the option of rotating around until I found a doctor I liked, but I am not that type of person. I like to just settle in and go. I asked her a few questions about her beliefs on labor and delivery and they matched mine. So, the little one and I will be seeing Dr. Emig for the duration of the pregnancy. 

One scary thing happened today! I went into my exam room and the nurse could not find the baby's heartbeat on the Doppler. She moved the wand around for about 5 minutes and finally said that we would go into an ultrasound room to make sure everything was okay. I really did not panic. I didn't cry. It has been my firm belief from the beginning that whatever happens is what I will deal with. When the nurse left, Jeremy asked me if I was ready to cope with the loss of this pregnancy. He was very concerned and very quiet for several minutes. I shook my head and said, "Yes. If that is what has happened, then it is God's way of letting us know that something was wrong. Either we wouldn't be able to take care of this baby, or the quality of life would have been so poor that death would have been better than life." I know that is probably a morbid response, but it is honest. Of course we would have mourned, we are human beings with hearts, but we also would have tried to understand the big picture.

A half-hour later, we were called into an ultrasound room. Right away, I saw a baby squirming and kicking! I didn't see the heart right away, but it was so obvious to me that this baby had GROWN since the last time we saw him/her! I think I remember Jeremy exhaling very loudly and saying, "Thank goodness!" I still didn't cry or tear up. I was just so thankful to see a healthy baby moving around! I think my exact words were, "Look at that baby." (In a baby talk voice) :) So, we were all three thankful to see a healthy baby!

The fourth thing that I am thankful for today is the relationship that Ava has with her daddy. I have read enough Dr. Dobson to know that little girls need a thriving relationship with their daddy. She could not be more blessed in that area. Jeremy loves her and she loves him. Many times, I just feel like the caregiver! I am certainly not jealous. I want them to have such a close knit relationship that if something ever happened to me, she would be completely okay with being raised by her daddy. That is one of the reasons I married him!

Here is a picture of our newest member of the family:

Jeremy and I have decided that we will find out what we are having. And this time we WILL tell the name. I have had a lot of people ask if we will keep the name secret this time and the answer is "no." However, we will not reveal anything until we know the gender. I have also had a lot of people ask if we will name our next child a name that starts with an "A." The answer is also "no." We like the names that we like, and we didn't want to create parameters with alliteration (even though my parents did the whole alliteration thing with my siblings and me: Brooke, Brittany, Brendon, and even my adopted sister was named Brandi)

Jeremy and I have had three girl names picked out and one boy name picked out. We used our first girl name on Ava. Her name was originally Ava Lauren Elizabeth, but Jeremy nixed the whole "two middle names thing," as he called it. :) We decided on Ava Catherine after my great-grandmother (Elna Catherine) I think we made the right decision! I still love what her name would have been, but Ava Catherine suits her better. Jeremy said that two middle names was a bit snobby. If you know my husband, he is all about relating to people. He didn't want a name that would make her seem better than anybody. :)

Although we still have two girl names picked out, we know what we will name this child if it is a girl. The third girl name is for a third girl (I hope that makes sense! There is an order to it all!) And we have always been set on our boy name. Let me just say this: Jeremy was named after a character in the TV show "Big Valley." It was a western TV show that his parents watched. It is fitting then, that if we have a boy, his name is also from a western. I won't say which one, but we LOVE it! :)

After today's appointment, I finally feel like I can breathe! We are so excited to be through the first trimester. My next appointment will be January 3rd. I will be 17 weeks pregnant and closer to knowing what we will be having! We cannot be more thrilled!

30 Days Of Thankfulness: Day 27

I am really proud of myself for keeping up this 30 Days Of Thankfulness! I did miss 3 days while we were in Tennessee, but I was not going to stop visiting with our family to get on the computer! I am not going to try and make up for those days either. I will just skip those 3 days and call it good! Let's just say that I was thankful for family, friends, and food! The 3 F's :)

Today is November 27th, and I am 12 weeks pregnant with my second child. So, that is what I am thankful for. I go to the doctor tomorrow for a check-up. I am very sad that I will not be seeing my regular ob/gyn. We recently found out that he has cancer and has taken a leave of absence. I wanted all of our children to be delivered by the same doctor, but right now he needs to concentrate on his cancer treatments. We pray for him and his family all the time and wish them nothing but the best. I really don't know who I will see for the rest of my pregnancy. I know that all the doctors in this practice are very good, so I have no doubt that I will be placed with someone great.

So far this pregnancy has been nothing like my pregnancy with Ava. I was actually scared of a miscarriage because I had NO pregnancy symptoms. With Ava, I was sick very early on and had almost every symptom in the book. There was no doubt in my mind that I was pregnant. This time around, I would not have a clue that I am pregnant other than the three positive pregnancy tests I took. With that being said, I have noticed quite a bit of nausea for the past three weeks. I am thankful for it since it reminds me that everything is progressing. Hearing the heartbeat was also very reassuring. Jeremy and I can't wait to hear the heartbeat again tomorrow!

Today I am thankful for a healthy pregnancy, morning sickness, and lemon juice (since it seems to be the only thing that helps the nausea!)

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 23

Today I am thankful for safe travel! Our family made it safely to Tennessee this afternoon! Ava is asleep upstairs and I have just finished a nice conversation with my mother in law. God is so good!

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 22

I am thankful for my friend Maggie! Today, I went to her house to get my hair trimmed and my eyebrows waxed. I got those two services for free! Maggie and I have a bartering deal that makes our lives easier. I watch her child for free on days when she has a doctor's appointment, and I get free haircuts! It saves us both quite a bit of money! Since I was stationary for most the time I was at her house, I only snapped one picture. Here is a picture of Avery and Ava playing together:

I am thankful to have made such good friends here in Alabama. I am also thankful that Ava will have Christian friends to grow up with!

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 21

I actually have some pictures to share! I will work quickly because I have had all day nausea. I really need to go lay down. Sleeping is the only thing that helps with the nausea!

Last night at church, my friend Peyton came up to me and handed me a sheet of paper. It was a really cute drawing that her 4 year old daughter, Lily Grace, had done. I was super impressed because Lily Grace completely covered the whole 8.5X11 sheet with art. If you have taken child development classes, you know that that is no small feat for a 4 year old! I think Peyton may have a gifted youngster on her hands!

 Peyton made a little note on the back of Lily Grace's masterpiece. I laughed so hard at the girl crow part! Just wait until you see the hair that Lily Grace drew on these crows! It is too cute and super creative!

 I guess Lily Grace noticed that my child does have quite a bit of hair! (She is very observant!) I love Ava's hair in this picture!

 A close-up of Lily Grace and Ava. Too cute!

My favorite part! The girl crows! I love that Lily Grace knew that these were crows and she colored them black (like I said, very observant!) I also love that she drew hair on them to distinguish between male and female. She is a very smart little girl!

I am thankful for gifts like this. I think the most sincere gift you can receive is something handmade by a child. Children are resourceful and creative. They may not have the money to buy a gift so they use their time and energy to create something totally unique from the heart. This beauty now resides on the side of my refrigerator! Thank you, Lily Grace!

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 20

I received a lot of feedback from my last post. I had several comments on my facebook link and several private messages. It seems that most mothers have those moments of helplessness. I have a hard time expressing how I feel in those moments and so I rarely blog about them. Part of me would like to think that I have it all together (even though I don't, I never did!) and the other part of me feels like I need to be positive because this blog is ultimately a memento to my children. I don't want any of my children growing up thinking that I struggled through motherhood. I want them to know that I have enjoyed every minute of it and they have made me happier than I ever dreamed I could be. Any struggles I experience are usually my fault. I tend to make things a lot more complicated than they need to be! :) I am working on simplicity, though!

Well, yesterday's post was very emotional. Today, I am going to focus on being a little more light hearted. This will not be a long post because I feel like I have been hit by a freight train. My allergies have been horrible the past two days and as a result, I feel lethargic and heavy. The nausea associated with pregnancy does not make any of this any better, but since I am grateful for pregnancy symptoms, I will not complain!

Tonight, Jeremy preached a sermon called Chasers & Racers. I won't go into all the details, but it was a great sermon! He always does such a good job. He makes me proud to be a minister's wife! I am thankful that he has that gift, but I am also thankful that Ava sat through the entire service!!! 

When Ava was a newborn to about 5 months of age, she would sit through an entire worship service. I really thought we had it easy! (we did) When she started getting mobile, she started going crazy! Since that time, Jeremy and I have had to take turns taking her out. As she has gotten older, we have been able to lengthen the amount of time that she spends in the worship service. She is still incredibly active, but we can usually contain her by offering a variety of things: puffs, keys, a bottle, teething toys, etc. The past month or two we have been able to keep her settled until about the last 10 minutes of church. Somedays, she strays from this and we just adapt, but most Sundays she does pretty well. 

Tonight was the cherry on top! She leaned her head against my chest while Jeremy was preaching and ate up most of her goldfish. She did get restless at several points, but I just kept alternating keys and puffs. We made it the whole way through! I was so relieved because this drainage has made me feel like vomiting! I think she must have known that I did not feel well, because she was very cooperative!

So, today I am thankful that my baby girl sat through an entire worship service!

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 19

I will probably start crying at some point during this post. I don't cry pretty, so I am glad that you are reading the words and not looking at my face. When I cry, I blubber.

This morning Jeremy and I woke up to hear Ava talking in her crib. We didn't open our eyes, we just laid in bed and listened. It was the sweetest sound. Eventually Jeremy got up to change her diaper and feed her. Saturdays are his day to get up with her. I always enjoy getting to lay in bed 5-10 minutes longer so that I can stretch and take my time.

We decided that we would go to Cracker Barrel for a brunch this morning and then go run some errands. We had a great time eating a meal together while Ava slept in her carrier. I went to Michael's afterwards to buy some scrapbooking materials that I will need for the church scrapbook and Jeremy went to Kinnucan's to buy a new pair of sunglasses. While he was in the store, I waited in the car with Ava. I pulled out my phone to check my Facebook and the first thing that popped up was a status by a friend of ours. He said that his parents were on their way to Memphis to be with his mom's only sister who had just suffered the loss of her only grandchild that morning. He didn't know details, he just knew that the baby was unresponsive when she had gone to get him that morning.

I don't know the family that this happened to, but I do have a child. All I could think about was my baby in the backseat cooing. I didn't cry at the time, but when Jeremy got back in the car, I told him what had happened. It was hard to even get it all out. I am so sad for this family and am reminded of how fragile life really is. We got home and I got busy taking care of Ava. I got her down for another nap so that I could try to catch up on some rest (I still am not recovered from my Twilight marathon)

She slept so long that I finally had to wake her up. If I hadn't woken her up, she would not have gone to bed on time (which means that she wouldn't be rested for church in the morning) We got into our afternoon routine and I forgot about everything that had happened that morning. Ava got really cranky for about two hours and I didn't know what to do with her. I couldn't give her medicine for her teeth because it would wear off in the middle of the night. She didn't want to be held. She didn't want to play with her toys either. I finally put her in her high chair and tried to feed her. It was an hour earlier than she usually eats, but I had to do something. Meanwhile, my phone was blowing up with text messages and phone calls. I was getting really stressed out because I couldn't answer my phone and I was afraid there was some kind of emergency. Ava was screaming and throwing her puffs on the floor creating a huge mess for me to have to clean up. Her food was taking forever to heat up and Jeremy had gone to the building to practice his sermon. I am hormonal and tired all the time and I couldn't do anything any faster than the pace at which I was already moving. I finally put my head down and started to breath in and out. I looked at Ava and raised my voice, "STOP CRYING!" I banged my fist down on the stove and started crying. I don't think I have ever cried because I didn't know what to do. There has always been some magic formula for making her happy. 

Eventually the food got to the right temperature and Ava ate every bite after a little prayer for peace. I calmed down and so did she. Immediately after she finished her food, Jeremy walked through the door. Ava cheered up at once! I think she just wanted to see her daddy. As we were getting her ready for bed, I thought of my friend and the family that lost their little one. I decided to call my friend and see how their family was doing. She explained that they still did not know any details but she would let me know when they did. At the end of our conversation she said: "Make sure you love on your baby tonight." A lump started to form in my throat and I had to find a way to get off the phone before I started to cry. It hit me like a ton of bricks that I totally did the opposite today! I was irritated and short-tempered.

I got off the phone, put my head down on Ava's changing table, and sobbed. I covered my face with my hands because I was so humiliated. God has given me this gift, and I was not appreciative today. Right about then Jeremy brought Ava into the room all wet from her bath. In between sobs I told Jeremy how I thought I was a horrible mother for being so easily irritated this afternoon. I just kept thinking about the family in Memphis who would love to hold their baby tonight. They would love to be able to hear him cry and fuss and see him throw his puffs on the floor. They would treasure every moment of cleaning up his mess. I reached out and hugged Ava while I cried. She, of course, was babbling away, completely unaware that Mommy was having a meltdown. I kissed her on her forehead and took her away from Jeremy. She is not a cuddler, but I tried my best to steal a few hugs when I could. I finally calmed down for the second time today, but this time with a new perspective.

I am so thankful for wake-up calls.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 18

It is a little late for me to be posting. At this time of night, I am usually swaddled up in my comforter watching Seinfeld or The Office. I wish I had one of those Snuggies right now actually (Christmas present idea! Hint, hint!!) You know you are old and boring when you request a Snuggie for Christmas!! (No offense to anyone who has requested one in the past. I am just trying to make fun of myself!) :)

Well the purpose of this post, like the past 17 posts this month, is to give thanks. I have a list of things that will make it onto the blog by the end of this month, but today I am going to derail for a minute and post something that is not on the list. Today, I am thankful that I am a stay-at-home mom. 

I never thought I would enjoy staying at home full time. I am not an amazing housekeeper or cook so I knew that being a stay at home wife was out of the question. However, when Ava came along, Jeremy and I both thought it was best for her if I stayed at home with her. I am not here to make anyone feel bad because they don't stay home with their children. I know plenty of women who are amazing moms and they work full time. That is just not me. When it came down to it, Jeremy and I had to do what was best for our family. Let me tell you, THIS IS IT!

I don't know why this didn't make my thanksgiving list this month. I guess I was just thinking of mainly material blessings and I overlooked this. As I was rocking Ava and feeding her the last bottle of the night, I got to thinking about how wonderful it has been to stay at home with her. When she needs me, I am there for her. I love that. 

This afternoon, during Ava's second nap of the day, she woke up screaming after only 35 minutes. She never does that so I knew something was wrong. I went into her room and found her sitting up in bed holding her giraffe lovey. She was crying so hard that gigantic tears were pouring from her eyes and she was already hiccuping. I picked her up and tried to rock her. She was inconsolable. Luckily, Jeremy was working from home today, so he was able to help. After 10 minutes, she was still crying just as hard as she had been when she woke up. I laid down on the couch and had Jeremy hand her over to me along with her giraffe. I massaged her ears (she loves it!) and ran my fingers through her hair. She continued hiccuping for several minutes, but she immediately stopped crying. She was very still for several minutes (if you have held my child for more than a minute or two, you know that she is NEVER still!!) :) I was worried because it was so out of character for her to be so still. She eventually perked back up and started babbling to us, but it was a scary few minutes. I still don't really know why she woke up. Maybe it was a nightmare. It could have been the new tooth that just broke through her gums (even though she had Tylenol AND Motrin) Or she could have just wanted me to hold her. I like to think it is the latter. :)

Anyway, today I am so thankful that my husband is able to support our family so that I can stay at home. I don't get to fix my hair every day or wear make-up. Right now I am actually wearing a Tweety bird t-shirt (yes, Tweety bird) but I feel like staying at home has taken so many complications out of our lives. I don't have to worry about getting a substitute teacher every time Ava is sick. I don't have to worry about taking personal days when all my sick days are up. I don't have to worry about a maternity leave. I just have to get up every day and take care of my child. It is not an easy job, but it is the least amount of stress that I have ever felt. I feel like I was made for this! Thank you, Jeremy, for making this happen! Thank you, Lord, for giving me the chance to be a mother!

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 17

This is not Brooke writing this blog. This is her husband, Jeremy. Brooke is currently in the middle of a "Twilight Marathon" at the local movie theater. She has been gone since 3:00 PM and probably won't be home until 3:00 AM. She will be watching all 3 of the previous Twilight films, followed by the 4th one ("Breaking Dawn - Pt. 1") at midnight.

Perhaps the biggest lie I could tell you right now would be: "I'm so jealous."

I'm not.

She has asked me to be a "guest writer" on her blog. She has asked me to write what I am thankful for, so here goes:

1. I'm thankful that Brooke is enjoying herself tonight, watching what might be the worst series of movies ever created by mankind. I am thankful that she finds pleasure in them, although to me, they are the most joyless, awful, depressing, and unintentionally hilarious films ever produced. But I'm thankful she got to go.

2. I'm thankful that I got to spend the afternoon/evening with my daughter, Ava. We went to Target, bought a new stroller, had sweet potatoes for dinner, and then went to the church building to hang out with some of the college kids (who were ALSO watching "Twilight"....it's hard to escape this thing). I just finished bathing her, giving her a bottle, and putting her to bed. I'm thankful that I could do that tonight.

3. I'm thankful for Brooke. She has been a great wife and is a fantastic mother. She is the love of my life and I can't imagine a single day without her love, companionship, and presence in my life. I thank God regularly for blessing me with such a wonderful wife.

4. I'm thankful that God loves me and that He is interested in my life. I'm thankful that I have a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ, and I'm thankful for my Church family at Northport. The blessings associated with my faith are too numerous to mention:)

5. I'm thankful that Brooke didn't tell me how long this had to be, because I think I'm finished:)

I think I'll watch some Seinfeld and fall asleep now:) Thanks for reading!

30 Days Of Thankfulness: Day 16

I am so thankful for couponing! I was introduced to couponing in January 2011, when a friend of mine (Maggie) invited me to a class taught by Tara Whitaker. I was very skeptical of coupons because of the pitfall of buying stuff you don't really need just because there is a coupon. I have fallen into that pitfall a few times, but I try really hard to only buy stuff we NEED. I always ask myself, "Self, do you need this?" If the answer is, "but I really might use it," OR, "I could learn how to bake," then I don't buy it. Chances are, if I don't already have it, I probably will not use it. And I hate baking, why would I buy 10 cake mixes? The only thing I like about baking is licking the spoon and eating the cake!

Anyway, I am thankful for couponing because it came at a time in my life when Jeremy and I really needed it. I was planning to breastfeed Ava for the first year of her life and then my milk supply did not come in (I was producing only 2 oz a day!) Jeremy and I were not prepared for the extra cost of formula. During Ava's first two months of life, she consumed $700 worth of formula. I know that sounds unimaginable, but it really did cost that much. When Tara taught me how to coupon, I saw that amount decrease to about $100 a month. Couponing was worth it just to help with formula and diapers!

With all that being said, I want to post my latest couponing adventure at CVS:

 My first transaction was all the above items. Regardless of what you might think, I did need the candles! I am a candle fanatic! I have to have candles burning in the house on most days. They are my one luxury item that Jeremy allows me to have! Anyway, I got $4 Extra Care Bucks for buying $12 worth of Glade brand (2 candles, 2 oil refills, and Windex) I also got $1 ECB for buying the Arm & Hammer Laundry Detergent. I had a coupon for $2 off of 2 Glade candles and a $1 off of 2 Glade refills. 

 In addition to saving $3 on some of my items, all the items I bought were on sale. With sales and coupons, I saved a total of $13.45. I spent $16.61.

 This was my 2nd transaction. I also had a Manufacturer coupon for $2 off of Pampers.

 This box of diapers was on sale for $19.99 (which is much higher than buying at Wal-Mart or Publix, but with coupons and Extra Care Bucks, it was too good of a deal to pass up!) When my diapers rang up, I handed over my $2 coupon as well as my $5 in ECB that I had earned from my first transaction. I also had another $5 is ECB that I had earned when Jeremy bought his elbow brace last week. That took $12 off the price!! I saved a total of $14.50 on this box of diapers because I bought it on sale and used coupons. I spent $9.79. I also earned back $4 in ECB when I bought this box of diapers!

 My 3rd transaction. Neither of these items were on sale, and neither had any rewards, but we NEEDED both desperately! I used my $4 in ECB that I earned from my Pampers purchase and only paid $5.46! I basically got the Bounce for free. :)

In all, I spent $31.86. But, I saved $31.95! I was very pleased with my purchases and my savings!

When I got home, my husband was skeptical (as he always is!) His complaint with my couponing is that CVS and Publix jack up the price of items that could be purchased a lot cheaper at Wal-Mart. I decided that instead of debating him, I would look it up for myself. Here is what I found:

• Box of Pampers @ Wal-Mart: $19.77 ($17.77 since I had a $2 off coupon)
• 26 oz bottle of Windex @ Wal-Mart: $2.49
• 32 loads of A&H detergent @ Wal-Mart: $4.99
• 2 Glade candles @ Wal-Mart: $6 ($4 since I had a $2 off coupon)
• 2 Glade refills @ Wal-Mart: $6 ($5 since I had a $1 off coupon)
• Bounce @ Wal-Mart:  $4.24
• Generic paper towels @ Wal-Mart: $3.17

The total cost of all the above items at Wal-Mart would have been: $41.66 

That is $9.80 higher than I paid. 

Also remember that Wal-Mart does not have the coupon rewards that CVS has. Yes, it takes some strategy and skill to save at CVS, but it is completely worth it to shop at CVS and not have to fight the crowd and cashiers at Wal-Mart! I can get in and out of CVS in 20 minutes. I wait that long in the line at Wal-Mart!!

30 Days Of Thankfulness: Day 15

Ava took her first steps last night! 

Jeremy, Ava, and I went to Jason's Deli for dinner last night after I purchased all my prizes for Bunco (and let me just say, they are some GREAT prizes! To me, at least!) We have fed Ava hardly any sugar up to this point. I think I have pinched off a miniscule piece of cake at a church fellowship meal, but that is about all she has had. Last night, Jeremy decided to give her a few licks of his chocolate ice-cream. I really didn't mind because she is 11 months old and my goal was to wait until she was a year old before introducing sugar. Close enough! Well, all it took was three good licks and she was wired!! 

Jeremy and I picked up Courtney Cooke on the way home. She stayed with us last night while her family is displaced from their house (a pipe burst in their house and all the floors are ruined) Ava LOVES Courtney! When we walked into the house, Courtney held out her hot pink phone for Ava to play with. Ava immediately started walking toward her! Jeremy and I thought it was just a fluke, so we had Courtney hold out her cell phone several more times. Ava walked  to the phone every single time! We were so happy!

I have heard so many people say that we try our hardest to get our children to walk and talk the first year of their life and we try our hardest to get them to sit down and be quiet for the next 17 years of their life! That is funny and true, but we are still so grateful that our little girl is walking and we got to see it!

30 Days Of Thankfulness: Day 14

Today I am thankful for wonderful walks in our neighborhood! The other night, Jeremy and I decided to take Ava for a walk to see all the beautiful trees and their colorful leaves. It was a beautiful sight!

30 Days Of Thankfulness: Day 13

Well, today Ava is 11 months old! It is so hard to believe that almost a whole year has passed since her arrival last December. I told Jeremy the other day that becoming a parent was the best decision we have ever made as a married couple. We are both so grateful for the chance to be HER parent. She makes it such a pleasure and a joy. She is not perfect and neither are we. There are times when I tell her, "no, no!" and she does what she wants anyway. There are also times when we don't follow through like we should. We are not lazy parents, we just realize that parenting is difficult and it is not humanly possible to follow through on EVERY little thing. In 11 months, we have already made mistakes. As a parent, you will. We just choose to accept those mistakes, learn from them, and try not to repeat them. :)

Well, this was not meant to be a parenting article so I guess I will get on with what this post is really about: Ava's milestones! Here is a list of the things she is now doing, not doing, or improving.

• Ava can now stand up in the middle of a room without using a prop. I am extremely happy about this one because I got to watch her do this TODAY! Jeremy and I were sitting in our living room this afternoon while Ava was playing with her little lime green football. She was crawling from the curtains to the ottoman when I looked over to see her just standing in the middle of the room. I looked at Jeremy and said, "did she just stand up by herself?" He laughed and said, "yeah, why have you never seen her do that?" I just shook my head and continued to watch in amazement. She did it two more times before I could actually believe it!
• She will now clap when I say, "YAY!" She gets a huge, silly grin on her face and stops what she is doing to clap her hands. It is amazing that in just two weeks, she has perfected this!
• Ava can babble sentences. It is the funniest thing because she still has all sorts of babble words that she uses, but she is now stringing them together to make babble sentences. It is so cute.
• She has perfected saying "dad." When I ask her to say "mom," she will mock me with her mouth, but she won't say it! I know she can say it because when she really wants me, she will call for me, but she is a stubborn little toot! It cracks me up when she won't say it but she will grin really big and mouth it to me. Stinker!
• She has started engineering things. This past week I watched her use a hanger to try and fish out a toy from her crib. Her Bible class teacher has also told me that when Ava could not reach the top of a play center, she pushed another object over to it and stood on top. I guess we have a climber on our hands!
• Ava is not walking on her own, but she will walk while holding our hands.
• Her new favorite game is "rug running." Jeremy will tell her to climb onto one of the kitchen rugs and he will pull her around the house. She laughs so loud! Watching them play is one of my favorite times of the day!
• Ava still has just 6 teeth, but I have a feeling she will be cutting two more in the next few days. When she is ready to cut teeth, she does not have an appetite and she wakes at midnight. We have been giving her Tylenol and Motrin to ease the pain and luckily it also cuts out the night waking! 
• She still sleeps 12 hours at night and takes 2 two hour naps. I am so thankful that she is a sleeper. We did start sleep training when she was about two weeks old, so I think that may have something to do with it. I also think that God just gave us a natural sleeper. 
• She is so easy to deal with! YES, there are many times when I have to take her out of the auditorium during church, and YES, there are times when I have to give her a little pop on the thigh, but she is so easy! (I realize that many people may not agree with the way we discipline, but please refrain from any remarks. I won't judge your parenting, so don't judge mine.)
• Ava is NOT a cuddler! She was when she was tiny, but she is more interested in what is going on around her. I always imagined that I would have a little cuddly baby who would sit on my hip until she was two, but that child is imaginary! The funny thing is, I am totally okay with it. 
• I can tell already that Ava is going to be a very strong-willed, independent child. I know many people who equate those two things with defiance and disrespect. I have to disagree. I am glad that she has those qualities. She will need them in this world. As her parents, we will make sure that she enters society having learned the lessons of submission and respect.
• Ava is a very social child. She has little to no problem going to another person. If I am standing near, she will hold her hands out for me, but she doesn't cry or fuss. She is a little bit intense with babies younger than her. She likes to talk and bang her hands on the table while she is talking. For older children, this is no big deal, but for little ones, it is a bit alarming. I am trying to work with her on being a little quieter!

I know I missed some things, but this is what I can think of now. Jeremy and I feel like God has truly blessed us with our Ava. It is such a joy to be her parent every day!

30 Days Of Thankfulness: Day 12

On beautiful days like today, I am so thankful for family and family dates. I have already given thanks for my family and Jeremy's family, so today I would like to give thanks for the family that we have started and the dates we plan to keep us close together. We have our little Ava, our bun in the oven, and each other. I am so thankful to God each day that I wake up and get to enjoy our little family. 

Today, we decided to go to the zoo. The high today was supposed to be 67 with a 10% chance of rain. It was perfect! We packed our little umbrella stroller and all of Ava's amenities and we were off! Ava took an hour nap on the way to Birmingham (which was perfect) We arrived at the zoo and tried to strap her into the umbrella stroller only to realize that it was BROKEN! Well, okay. That was not enough to deter us. We decided we would rent one. We got up to the counter to pay and the cashier told us that all the bathrooms were closed for the day. Yikes! That was a big one for me since I have a baby the size of a peach sitting on my bladder! She said she would give us half off of our admission and she would allow us to enter and exit the park as needed. Phew! That was a close call!

We had such a great time looking around the zoo. The elephant trainer was with the elephants today, so we got to see some neat tricks, and the 5 new baby lion cubs were on exhibit today! This is the third time Ava has been to the zoo, but it never gets old. Honestly, she was probably more interested in the paper map that she could chew on and the car shaped stroller that we rented, but Jeremy and I definitely needed this break. We didn't even follow the map like we normally do. We just walked very slowly around the zoo and talked quite a bit. Ava was very content to just be pushed around. It was such a nice break for our busy family! I thank God for days like today!