Beautiful Baby contest

Avi has officially been entered into her first "beauty contest." I promised myself I wouldn't torture Avi with contest and beauty pagents and the like (unless she specifically wants these things), and I've already caved. Well, I've got a good excuse, the grand prize for this "Beautiful Baby" contest is $125,000 cash for college! So, if Avi makes it to the finals, I will be emailing everyone I know to have them vote for Avi. Here's the image we used, it was taken about 4 days ago.

Watch out Tyra Banks, Avi's beautiful (and she doesn't even need to take her clothes off to prove it)!

Why Avi's Cool, #25

Avi doesn't have fear. Only trust. Loud noises don't scare her, dropped metal pots on ceramic tile floors don't phase her. She can fall asleep during fireworks. When you play games of throwing her up in the air, she doesn't worry that you might drop her, only delight shows on her face. She knows no fear, she trusts.

Imagine if we could regain just a fraction of trust that all will be alright.

Avi you teach me profound lessons. You rock!

Love, your Mama

Why Avi's Cool, #14

Avi's cool because every time she looks in the mirror at herself, she smiles. No self-consciousness, no self-loathing or self-deprecation, just pure happiness. She sees a baby in the reflection, seeing the baby makes her happy, she smiles; it is that simple.

Imagine if we were all that cool about our self-image.

Avi you rock.

Traveling with Baby.

Avi, asleep like an angel, on daddy's chest.

Who said traveling with kids is messy? We do now! After all the Christmas gifts and traveling gear for a 6 month old and a bountiful trip to IKEA, we were officially M-E-S-S-Y!

Here's daddy putting together Avi's bed (pictured in parts in above picture). Don't you love how Avi gets in there and helps?

Avi and Daddy chilling in the Rialta on a day trip to the dunes in Guadalupe.

Pure silliness (on Daddy's part) pure cuteness and wonder on Avi's part (can you believe she is holding objects with both hands now?!?)

6 Months?! Time is a fly that should be swatted with a big, plastic fly-swatter.

Time seems to be on fast-forward with an infant. Our baby is already 6 months old. Emphasis on the word old. Half a year. 1/20th of a decade. 1/200th of a century. If Maren had a superpower, it would be to stop time and enjoy Avi as an infant for the next 1000 years. I (Michael), on the other hand, am a bit more accepting of Avi's warp-speed development, as long as I don't age through the whole process. I'd save my superpower on something more extravagant and lucrative, like the ability to instantly evaporate Avi-drool from my shirt. Or to hypnotize her to sleep straight through the night without a peep. But I'm sure I'll join Maren in looking back on these days with great fondness and a sense of longing. We already find ourselves in front of the computer screen, looking back on pictures of Avi at a week old, or a month old, and are amazed at how much she's changed in such short time. Thankfully, we have the superpowers of digital single lens reflex cameras to stop time for us, like the above and below pics of Avi on Dec. 27th- her 6 month b-day. This is surely one superpower we intend to utilize to the max.

Christmas 2009

Here are some pictures from Avi's first Christmas!

With Setti.

Cousin Kendall and Avi.

The Pedersen family.

Avi's first teeth!

Aveah showed me her first two little teeth today!  They are barely breaking the skin of her lower jaw, and they are white and wide.  I am so impressed with her big girl development!  This week has been rough with nights that had too little sleep.  The night before last, I think the most sleep I got was 80 minutes straight.  Last night, I begged Michael to take her for the first half of the night while I slept in the guest room upstairs.  He is such a good dad and husband, the little bugger didn't sleep more than 5 minute stretches for him, but he endured so I could get some sleep and sanity back!  Thanks, Michael!  Avi should be sleeping better now that the painful part is past (the breaking of the teeth through the gums).  Keep your fingers crossed!

Here's to 2010!

Avi is hoping for a monumental year in 2010. She intends to take her first walking steps which will subsequently keep her parents on their toes. She plans to pronounce some words (beyond the carefully articulated Latin she's been conversing with us in lately), including a couple of daddy's favorites like vermillion and caesura (well, maybe in 2011). Also, 2010 should see Avi's dinner menu expanding beyond mommy's stuff (even though that milk is as good as it gets-- organic, free-range, no added hormones, and it's even on the house).

Other note-worthy 2010 endeavors include sleeping through the night (her parents are so looking forward to this and letting mommy & daddy more easily escape on some dates (we forgot what the inside of movie theater looks like or the delicate ambience of a low-lit intimate restaurant). Avi is also looking forward to some international travel this year with Vancouver, Canada first on her list. Bike-riding will be on the agenda for 2010, as will be underwater swimming, baby sign language, inserting feet into mouth, opening cabinets, tagging our walls with crayons, simple game-playing, and ice-sculpting with a chainsaw.

And as in 2009, she will resume her ongoing success at flooring everyone around her with unabashed cuteness & wonder. Happy New Year, everybody.