Cookie Cutters At Nana And Poppy's House!

How Could I Forget?

A few hours ago, I posted Ava's 14 month milestones. I forgot to include one VERY important detail! Ava's favorite word is...drumroll please..."NO!" She loves the word so much that she even says it in her sleep! That's right! One night I woke up because Ava was sitting up in her crib saying, "No," to her Grossy (her very gross pink stuffed giraffe that she sleeps with) Jeremy rolled over and asked what was wrong. I started laughing and said, "she's talking in her sleep! She is telling Grossy 'No!'" She laid back down and went right back to sleep! She is so funny!

How Fast Time Flies...

These pictures were taken in February of last year...

Greta's 21 Week Appointment

Two weeks ago, I went to my 21 week appointment with Greta. This is when we should have found out that Greta is a girl, instead we found out 4 weeks earlier because she would not cooperate with the Doppler. 

Our 21 week appointment was a routine ultrasound to check all of Greta's organs to make sure she is developing properly. My blood pressure was completely normal and I have only gained 4 lbs. with this pregnancy. At my next appointment, I will have to take my glucose test! I passed it on the first round with Ava, but I have a feeling that I could fail it with Greta. I have been so tired with this pregnancy that I wonder if my blood sugar is a little higher than it should be. We will see!!

Everything looked great on the ultrasound. Greta's little heart was beating at about 143 bpm. She was asleep when the techinician first took a look at her, and then she quickly woke up! It was very apparent to me that all 4 chambers in her heart looked really good. It was a really clear picture. Her brain looked good and so did her little kidneys. The technician was so good about showing us all the organs and explaining what each of them were and what she was looking for in each organ. We learned a lot! Ava decided halfway through the ultrasound that she would throw a fit and demand food. Luckily, I had some fruit in my purse and Jeremy was able to feed her. :)

Here is the clearest image we have of Greta:

Her profile does not look like Ava's profile, so we will just have to wait and see who she looks like!! Maybe we can have another ultrasound before she is born! One of the things I was so anxious about when I was pregnant with Ava, was how she would look. The suspense was killing me!! I can honestly say that I am just as anxious about seeing Greta as I was Ava. I have heard people say that each pregnancy is a little less thrilling than the one before it. I disagree!! It has not been that way for me! Jeremy and I talk to Greta the same way that we talked to Ava when she was in utero. I am still anxious to see my youngest little girl just as Jeremy is just as anxious to hear her voice. Every kick is just as amazing as it was with Ava. I had a wonderful pregnancy with Ava and I think that this one has been just as wonderful. Jeremy, Ava, and I cannot wait to meet Miss Greta! (aka Fancy)

A Barn & Silo

If you know me really well, you know that one of my dreams in this life is to renovate a barn into a house. Since we are still several decades away from that dream, I get by with just admiring barns and taking pictures of them. I especially like the dilapidated ones with washed out wood and holes in the roof. I grew up around farm equipment, barns, silos, and cows, so I see a certain beauty in all of it. When we were in Tennessee, Jeremy stopped on the side of the road so I could take pictures of these:

5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Blast Off!!!

We never miss an opportunity to play on the cheap "thrill"rides in the mall!

Cracker Barrel

Ever since Jeremy and I started dating (almost 9 years ago! WOW!) it has been a tradition to eat at a Cracker Barrel restaurant when we are traveling. When we were dating, I didn't tell him that I was not fond of Cracker Barrel. Naturally, I wanted to please him and let him have his way. It has just been in the last few years that I have spoken up and told him how I really feel! He, of course, does not understand why I waited this long to tell him. I think he thinks that I am making it up! :) Ava and Greta, there is a lesson in all of this: sacrifice is a good thing, but be honest too!! 

Anyway, on our Tennessee trip two weekends ago, Cracker Barrel was the only restaurant in sight for several miles and we were both really hungry. Sigh...so we went. I know this probably sounds silly, but I always feel fat when I go into a Cracker Barrel. The menu is predominantly comfort food, so I just get this feeling that I will need to unbutton my pants after my meal is complete. It just makes me feel yucky! The food is pretty good, though (chicken and dumplins platter with mashed potatoes and brown gravy, fried okra, and hashbrown casserole) Yes, that is a lot of starches. Yes, I could order a salad. Will I? No. I will eat a salad at home! :)

Well, I think this may have to stay a tradition because Ava loves all the activities on the porch:

Ava At 14 Months!

Monday was Ava's 14 month birthday! Here are few milestones and interesting things that she has accomplished:

• She still has just 8 teeth. All 4 molars are right under the gums and should break through any day now. 
• She still sleeps 12 hours at night and is currently transitioning to just one nap a day. Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday are the days that she usually has just one 3 hour nap. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, are the days that she usually has two naps. I don't know why that is the trend, but it is. At least it is semi-predictable!
• Her hair now reaches to the middle of her back in some places.
• She is still in size 4 diapers and 12-18 month clothing.
• She will now give hugs when asked. I will pick her up and say, "give Momma hugs!" She will lay her head down on my shoulder and put her arms around my neck. It is the sweetest thing! I ask her to give me hugs at least 20 times a day!
• She is starting to calm down at home a little bit. She is still very energetic, but she has started to cuddle more. This, of course, makes me very happy! I have to have my cuddle time!!
• Her vocabulary is increasing so much that I cannot name all the words she can say.
• She has added a few phrases to her vocabulary: "it's all gone," and, "I done."
• Yesterday, I gave her a toy to play with and she responded, "thank-you." (thattu) :)
• She walks around this house like she owns the place!!
• She is learning how to put objects into other objects and then take them out.
• She is also experimenting with pretend play: she will take fake sips from her tea cup, refill it, and then bring it to me to have a sip. I think I see an imaginary friend in her future!! She also pretends that she is talking on the phone!
• She has started carrying around her purse. I think that she will be a pretty well-balanced adult if she continues on this path. What I mean by that statement is that she will be a good mix of girlie-girl and tomboy.
• We still have not transitioned all the way to the sippy cup. She loves her bottle, and I just really don't care what our doctor says. :)
• She can play Peek-a-Boo.

I know I am missing some things (as usual) but you get the gist!

Here are some photos of Ava during this month:

Out on a walk with Mom and Dad. Yes, she wears hairbows. In this case, she took it out and shook her head back and forth while screaming like a maniac. This is what a walk is like with Ava. I am so glad that her wagon has a seatbelt because she hops up and down in her seat and screams at the top of her lungs, gleefully! She is a lot of fun!

 Eating a breakfast bar for dinner. She was extremely picky on this night!

 In the Target parking lot.

 Watching Tangled...still her favorite movie!

 Sucking a straw at Cracker Barrel

Playing in our hotel room in Murfreesboro, TN. She loved this little cubby underneath the nightstand!

 Lounging on the couch with a tube of her Orajel

Playing with a frisbee and some ping-pong balls. She learned that if she put the balls into the frisbee, they would roll around the edge while she walked. So much fun!

 Trying to pull my phone out of my hands!

 Sitting in a highchair at Kobe Steakhouse

 Asleep in her carseat before our Hobby Lobby outing

At Los Tarascos Mexican Restaurant. She loves the chips and cheese dip!

Just A Blip

Today is Valentine's Day. Jeremy and I always celebrate this day even though we know it is a scam. :) There is something sweet about receiving roses and chocolates and then going out on a nice dinner date with your spouse. Yes, we are consumers and have fallen into the trap, but we are thankful for any excuse to go on a date!

We had a good friend from church babysit Ava while we went to dinner at the Longhorn Steakhouse. We knew Ava was in good hands with Natalie, Sawyer, Canyon, and Baby Richardson #3! (Kerry was teaching a late night class) Jeremy and I thoroughly enjoyed our steak, lobster, shrimp, baked potatoes, and extremely sugary chocolate dessert. After dinner, it was time to go get our baby girl! We missed her! Jeremy's exact words as he was opening my car door (yes, he still opens my car door for me after almost 7 years of marriage) were, "let's go fill up this car seat." I laughed and agreed enthusiastically! We enjoyed dinner and the time spent alone, but were excited to see our little girl after being apart for 3 hours!

When we got home with Ava, I was in charge of putting her to bed. We went through our bedtime routine and then I rocked her while she held Grossy (her very gross stuffed pink giraffe that she sleeps with) Ava's eyes were trained on me while she laid her head on my shoulder. She was very drowsy, but kept looking at me while I whispered to her. I laughed at something and then Ava laughed at me. All the while, she kept her eye contact. I made popping noises with my mouth and she mocked me. She lifted her head off my shoulder made popping noises and then laid her head back down, all the while keeping eye contact. We continued the "mocking game" for several minutes before I finally laid her in her crib. She wrapped her arms around Grossy, rolled over, and went right to sleep.

It was so hard for me to put her down to bed tonight. If I could stay up all night staring into her eyes and playing our little game, I would. She is so precious. It was the perfect end to a perfect Valentine's Day.

Brittany's Wedding!

It has been almost 3 whole weeks since my last blog post! As you can imagine, I am REALLY behind! I got really tired of posting pictures to my Facebook account and then downloading them to my computer, so I just waited until Jeremy found the camera cable that he accidentally "borrowed" from me. I received the cable yesterday evening and have been itching to blog today. I have been really busy cleaning so this is the first chance I have had to catch up!

January 7th, was the day that Brittany Meischelle Watkins became Mrs. Eric Lassiter. Jeremy, Ava, Greta, and I made the trip to Texas to celebrate this momentous occasion. I was Brittany's Matron of Honor and Ava was her flower girl. Jeremy sat on the front row to get Ava as she came down the aisle and Greta stayed in the oven where she belongs (for now, at least!)

My sister got married in Corsicana, TX, at the Cook Center Planetarium on the Navarro College campus. It is a beautiful building with enough space for the wedding ceremony and the reception. My mom, my Aunt Charlotte, my sister, and I all went to the Cook Center on Friday evening to decorate for the reception on Saturday evening. My mom and sister made all the centerpieces for the tables and my mom made all the bouquets for the wedding party. It ended up looking great!

On the big day, I met up with my sister and all the other bridesmaids at a hotel where we posed for pictures. After that, we all drove to the Cook Center for the big event! Jeremy met me there with Ava, freshly bathed and dressed in her little white dress! He blow dryed her hair straight and put in her little flower clip that Brittany picked out. He is such a great husband and I don't know what I would have done without him!

As the time came for my walk down the aisle with Ava, I panicked. What would happen if she didn't do what she was supposed to do? I had planned on carrying her down the aisle, but my mom and sister both insisted that Ava walk. I relented, but asked my dad if he would stand guard at the end of the aisle just in case anything happened. At the back of the ceremony, my dad helped me get Ava to her spot and made sure that she was okay to walk down the aisle. He put her down and she proceeded down the aisle exactly the way she was supposed to. I was so proud! I couldn't believe it! It was too easy! Then, the audience let out an audible, "awww" and it was all over! Ava turned on her heels and RAN in the opposite direction. I was in three inch heels and could not run in my dress to catch up with her. My dad had already turned his back to us and could not see her running out into the reception area. My sister saw what was happening and got my dad's attention. He saved the day!! He caught Ava as she was making her way to one of the reception tables. He carried her all the way down the aisle for me and handed her off to Jeremy. Whew!! 

The rest of the ceremony was great! Brittany and Eric wanted a short ceremony and that is what they got! It was so neat to see my little sister tie the knot. I hope that she and Eric have a wonderful marriage filled with happiness and joy! Thank you, Brittany and Eric, for letting us be a part of your big day!