SLO Adult Ed

Mommy & Avi get out at least 3 days a week to do all kinds of cool things via the SLO Adult Ed program. Mondays we go hiking (I'm really bad, I don't have any pictures of the BEAUTIFUL places we hiked this semester), Wednesdays we stroll, Thursdays we go to class and hang out with other babies and mommies. Avi loves it and it keeps mama busy. We're signed up for next semester already!

Here we are strolling at Atascadero Lake. Look closely & you can see Avi. She has yet to grow into her stroller - which Grammy Louise bought for her. Thanks, Grammy!

Kelly

My 11-year-old cousin, Kelly, and my aunt Pam were gracious enough to take care of Avi during one of our wedding shoots recently. Kelly was a little nervous in the beginning, but she calmed down and was great with Avi! Look at how cute they are together!

Thanks Pam & Kelly for all your help, love and support! (Also, Kelly & Pam took care of Avi - on last minute's notice - while mama & dada went out jet-skiing to celebrate their 9th anniversary one Sunday morning. Thanks, again, Pam & Kelly!)

full circle

Grammy had the privilege of being the first person we told we were pregnant over a year ago. She had invited us to an opera in San Luis Obispo on Halloween. We had kept the secret to ourselves for weeks and couldn't hold it in any longer. We got a onsie (modeled on the grown Avi below) to share the news. When we handed the garment to her while waiting for the show to start, I thought she was going to jump out of her seat and fly over the balcony she was so excited!

Michael & Maren (dressed up Halloween-style for the opera) and Grammy Louise on the night of learning of her first great-grandbaby!

Here's Avi wearing the shirt we got to announce her presence to her Great-Grammy.

Sleep like a baby.

Don't you wish you could sleep like this: anywhere, no matter how uncomfortable, exposed or noisy it is?

Avi asleep in the Ergo Baby.

Radio Flyer

I've been waiting for this.  One simple dream of mine has been to see a child of mine wheeled around in a red wagon.  Well, the day has finally come, and I must admit it was even cuter than I imagined.  Avi rode with Levon, her 2-year-old friend, around Tierra Nueva.  Levon was given instructions to hold on to Avi's shoulders so she would'nt slide around.  He took his job very seriously (as seen in his expression in these pictures).  See a bigger version of the same pics at our photo blog.

Avi rocks!

Michael was fed up with all these "cute" baby clothes.  So, he took one of her plain white onsies and created a  couture rocker shirt for her.  It simply states: Avi rocks.  To see more of these pics, visit our photo blog.

Best Birthday Ever!

Today was my best birthday ever.  Despite the fact that I was woken at 6:45 a.m. to feed an unhappy baby and that when I tried to talk in Parent Participation she started screaming... what made it the best birthday ever was those things in a weird way.  Avi made this birthday so special to me.  Her presence - even at 6:45 a.m. - was a present itself!  And then, when suddenly, everyone in class turned to me (and Avi who was staring out while sitting on my lap) and shouted "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" and it startled the little Avi so much she started screaming at the top of her lungs and her little face contorted into pain and confusion, even that was a present - just her cute reaction to that benign (but enthusiastic) greeting.

After class, me and two friends went (along with our baby girls) to Sycamore Hot Springs for an hour soak in a mineral tub, then off to Marisol for some appetizers by the ocean.  The weather was perfect: sunny, blue skies, warm, the tiniest breeze to keep things not too hot.  Thanks, God!

 

Avi splashed her toes in the tub.

Avi's sleeping in the Ergo Baby carrier.

Laughter!

Avi's had a big week!  She got her first diaper rash which isn't too fun because sometimes she wimpers in pain (do you have any idea how hard it is to hear that?).  Some uplifting developments are she's laughing all the time and she also turned over (just once, from her tummy to her back).

Avi is always laughing!  She's the best baby!

eyelashes - watch out Liz Taylor!

No, we don't tint or use mascara on them - they are natural!

Precious.

In the last post, I talked about toys.  Well, I forgot to mention that Avi's favorite toy right now is fingers (her own and others').  She loves to grab them and suck on them - she practically made out with my index finger the other night.  I know I'll miss the days when such simplicity could entertain her.

Toys!

Avi's started grabbing things and pulling them to her mouth!  (Yes, that last sentence deserves an exclamation punctuating it.)  It is so weird, to see my 4.5 month daughter, carry her own toy to the car when we leave the house.  It is truly amazing.

I love this expression: it's the one she gets right before she's about to chomp down on a toy. She attacks it with a vengeance - as if it is about to jump out of her hands.

our Big Sur trip!

We had our first official camping trip to Big Sur.  The trip was great - beautiful weather and huge surf to lull us to sleep at night!  The one difficulty was in putting Aveah to bed.  She goes to sleep around 6:00pm, but mom and dad aren't ready for bed then.   At home, we put her in her room, turn off the lights, and close the door.  Well, in a 22-foot RV, you can't close the door because there is no other room!  So, the first night we tricked her - we turned on the stereo really loud to a radio station that was static - this drowned out all noises - and we put a little blanket over her head to cover the light.  But the second night she was not up for this - so we had to turn off the lights and go to bed with her around 7:00pm - which was actually nice - we needed the sleep!

The view from our campsite.

Avi got lots of kisses all trip long.

I LOVE this picture of my husband/best friend/lover/Avi's father & my little love, Avi!

Avi did lots of hiking, though she let us do most of the walking.  Here she's asleep in the Ergo Baby on Maren's back.

This rock had amazing waves crash through it.  Check out our photo blog to see another picture of it.

Sneaking a peek at Avi sleeping.

Here we are at Nepenthe - the nicest restuarant in Big Sur.

Checking out an art gallery with some amazing water fountains/waterfalls!

Swim Lessons

Here's Avi at her first swim lessons - age 3.5 months!  She did great!