Sign Language-Mastered! And more...

It is official that my little princess is able to communicate with us! It's been a few weeks that Ava's has been putting her hands together and saying "more?" which is great and all but sometimes we're left wondering MORE WHAT? Well, now she's been pointing and "saying" more--Yay! She's been having a little bit of a rough week; waking up at least once around midnight. She's been drinking a ton of formula (not doing so well transitioning to milk) so her diaper has leaked a few nights and other times I think she's had a bit of a tummy ache. I'm having the same tummy bug so I know how she feels :( Well, a couple times after changing her she clearly pointed to her bottle and "said" More! Sure enough she finished a 6 oz bottle each time...LOVE IT!!

In other news, Momma's got a J-O-B. I applied at Royal Staffing with Joe Cummings and he set me up with an interview at Euler Hermes selling credit insurance. I think I'll be getting the official offer letter next week but seems as though everything is set! I'm really nervous, especially since I'll have to travel to Baltimore for 2 weeks for training. I don't know how on earth I'm going to be away from my family for that long! John has said that if he's still out of work he'll bring Ava out to me for about a week of it which would be awesome!!! He does have a couple good opportunities though coming up so he may not be able to do it-and I really want him to do well so I'll deal either way.

Knowing that employment was inevitable I began looking into day cares a couple weeks ago....Sorry Davis! The 1st one we went to visit was Miss Beas which seemed a little bit cold and the lady seems a little unorganized and disheveled. No good. Then we went to KinderCare in T.O. which was pretty much a preschool. Safe and organized but very institutional and again kind of cold...especially for my child. No good. After searching ALL over the internet and asking every mom with no luck, I found the Conejo Valley Daycare Association-Thank God! I called over and they provided me with a list of every daycare with infant openings. Wow, did I speak with some awkward people! The third place I went to visit was an elderly lady that set up the daycare with her husband (a vietnam vet) to basically bring in some extra cash. When I asked about TV she said that she has it on the news a lot, but just for her! Well great, glad to hear that YOU and your news would be more important than spending quality time with my daughter!!

I'm of course calling during peak holiday season which doesn't help, but it seemed impossible! I spoke to many men which I was uncomfortable with. Many of the moms spent a portion of the day driving with the kids---ummm no!!! Not only is my child a terror in the car but that brings with it soooo many safety issues! Others were far away, many didn't have any infant opening and a number of them haven't even bothered calling me back.

Then comes Candace. After a thirty minute conversation with her about child care I got off the phone and told John this was the place for our daughter. I put stars all around the name on my list and eagerly waited for our meeting with her yesterday. I was so anxious that we drove by the place on our way home-btw, the it'ssuper convenient! It was quite adorable! They have a white picket fence with several candy cane decorations!!! Yay! So yesterday we went for our meeting with Candace and right away I was very pleased. As we walked up through the cute candy cane front yard I was immediately pleased to see that they had a glass front door!!! (I don't plan on spying on my child but it gives me the sense that they don't have anything to hide) Then I read the notice on the door that was titled "Kandylane Daycare"-sweet and I think it has something to do with her name, maybe it's spelled Kandace?!?!? Anyways, I hesitate on knocking while a watch the children playing freeze dance in the family room, she sees me and quickly welcomes us in. The backpacks are all places strategically in the entry and as we enter the updated kitchen the air is filled with maple syrup and I notice the tiny table with 6 chairs around it. The children all seem very happy and friendly. The boys are rough housing a little and the girls are skipping around. The other lady Kathy is attentive to all the children as she holds the youngest boy in her arms. They explain that both their daughters are 4 years old and are part of the program. Kandace takes John and I back into the Daycare room which is clean, warm and full of toys. We allow Ava to play and without hesitating she crawls over and starts playing with the make believe house toy. Kandace seems warm, knowledgable and motherly but is young enough to also relate well to me and be open to new ideas.

John and I walked out thrilled! We both agree that Ava will fit in perfectly. It's exactly what we were looking for. And strangely enough, after leaving I think that Ava is better off in that environment then she would be home with John or I. I think it's important for her to learn how to be part of a group of peers and gain independence. She is of course my little baby and always will be but this will give her a great transition into preschool and kindergarden. I really want her to LOVE learning and being with other children.

Happy 1st Birthday!

You're 1 whole year old Ava! This time with you has been amazing and I'm so thankful to your Daddy for letting us spend nearly every moment of your first year together. It's been full of firsts for both of us and we've both learn so much from each other. Thank you so much for making me laugh EVERY DAY! From your wiggles to "touchdown" to the way you tell me you're "all done" with dinner (and you MEAN it!) you're just THE most amazing girl in the world!

You're picking things up so quickly these days-you're so smart! You're the biggest flirt when we go out and about, batting your eyes and staring at people until they take note of how darn cute you are. Not a single day goes by without at least one person stopping to tell me how beautiful and funny you are-you HAM you! Today I took you to Kids Club at Total Woman and you made 2 bffs with a pair of sisters who absolutely adored you! It happens all the time, older girls just want to take care of you, like a real life baby doll-That's exactly what you are and how you act. Another thing you do it TALK TALK TALK! I love it but people around us in stores must think we're crazy. We carry on conversations for entire shopping trips, I just love your voice and hearing you vocalize your thoughts. I look forward to when we can truly understand each other...(except when your a teenager I know I'll miss these days!)

Win Win Win

I decided to not take the job at Total Woman because Dad says he's 99% sure that my claim will be extended by 13 months. So I got my friend Jenn the job instead!!! I told her about it, called Pam and said I have a girl she'll LOVE and I was right! The best part for me is I'll be watching Ari part time for Jenn and I can make some extra cash on the side. Everything really does happen for a reason.

Anyways, our Molly Bday celebration was this weekend....Love my girls :)javascript:void(0)

Decisions Decisions

Well, it started when I went to downgrade my membership last Friday at Total Woman. The lady asked why I was getting rid of the child care and I explained that my husband was laid off so I'll probably be going back to work soon and won't be bringing Ava with me to work out anymore. Then I innocently asked if they were hiring and she said Yes, that they were looking for a sales person. I took the Managers card and sent her my resume that evening.

Pam, the manager, called me Monday morning and we set up an interview for that day. We had a great interview except when introducing myself I called her Pat...lol! Anyways, she called back Tuesday and offered me the job. I just don't know if I'm ready to go back to work yet.

Anyways, I was asking Davis what he thought about me going to work. He said "I think that spiderman should take over for you. I don't think you should go back to work because your job is to have fun with the family. I don't think Ava would like daycare." And then after he thought about it for a few minutes he came back to the table and said "In Toy Story 3, Sunnyside Daycare is for all the poor toys. So daycare is only for all the poor kids. Ava would NOT like it!" We explained that daycare is for Mommy and Daddys that have to go to work and can't stay home all day and play. Davis thinks that if the parents are busy then maybe the Grandparents should watch the kids! I agree with Davis, what a smart kid!

Giving thanks

Thanksgiving came and went and I just want to say I am very thankful for life. I'm thankful Grandpa is still with us for the holidays-we've spent a lot of time with him lately and he still manages to make me smile. I'm thankful Ava is a happy and healthy baby and that the whole tort issue has come to an end so I can just enjoy my beautiful baby. I'm thankful for having the most awesome 6 year old stepson who is doing great in Kindergarden and got the citizen of the month award for October. I'm thankful for my marriage. I'm thankful for our beautiful home and the new kitchen that should be coming any day. I'm thankful for our dog Rusty although I miss Rambo terribly. I'm thankful for my parents who have really helped me to become who I am and constantly steer me in the right direction. I could go on and on but instead I'm going to go cuddle with my hubby :)

A bit of news

John won!! Yay!! And the good news is Steve mentioned that he would love to have John working with him on upcoming celebrity golf tournaments!

The other news, John lost his job yesterday. It's been months of them putting him through Hell and it's finally come down to this. We're taking the news very well and with the holidays coming up we're going to try and enjoy the break. It's unfortunate that we're unsure of what's going to happen but at the same time I think things can only get better from here.

Cranial Technology Stats

We had our exit appointment last week and I just wanted to write these down in case I ever wonder about them in the future.

At 6 months...cranial width=121mm cranial length=129 mm Cephalic Index 93.79 Cranial Vault Asymmetry 15mm Mid Face 5mm Skull Base 6mm

At 10.75 months...cranial width=123mm cranial length=144 mm Cephalic Index 85.41 Cranial Vault Asymmetry 3mm Mid Face 3mm Skull Base 3mm

Almost 11 months old

Ava is almost 11 months old, she's now a speedy little crawler but still no walking. I'm sure I've written this already, but Ava is my little dancing Queen! She wiggles whenever we sing songs or she hears music, it cracks me up everytime! She was a ladybug for Halloween-it was so cute when she was crawling across the grass, my perfect little ladybug :) Davis and Ava got into their first argument on Halloween, Davis didn't want her playing with the candy and Ava thought it was hilarious whenever he yelled at her. It was pretty darn cute.

I've started reading even more books to Ava lately and she's started to point at familiar pictures and such. She's rarely cuddly these days since she's got so much to explore but Daddy and I sneak in as many cuddles and kisses as we can. Ava also said something close to "mama" last week so I'm counting it! I'm still waiting for when she says it because she actually wants me-that'll be a great day! We're doing MyGym again on Wednesdays and our Miss Tia class is ending next Tuesday.

Last weekend we had a little celebration with the Mothers Haven group for all the babies turning 1. It was so cute to watch them all interact and surprisingly there were still no walkers. I just read on facebook that Lindsey Nelson's little girl Charleigh is walking at 8 months-CRAZY! I'm really looking forward to when Ava can walk and hold my hand. At the same time I know my life is going to get a lot harder so I can wait.

On the home front, we're getting a new kitchen!!! We designed a great plan and I can't wait for everything to be done. Thanks to my wonderful parents, our home is going to be entertainment ready by Christmas. Grandma Marilyn gave all her Christmas stuff to us this year so I'm going full throttle on the decorating for the first time. John says I've got to wait til after Thanksgiving...if it were up to me I'd be doing it right now.

Mindy called today and she's going to come down this week to see little miss Ava. It'll be her first time with Ava so we're very excited to see her! Hopefully Molly can come up too. It's been awesome that all my friends from college have stayed in touch over the years-it's always such a great time when we see eachother, we just seem to pick up right where we left off.

John and I have been perfect. We make a point to remember that our marriage comes first and he's absolutely my best friend in the world. We went to a Stoned Temple Pilots concert a couple weeks ago and we had so much fun together! We're going out with Caitlin and Drew this Friday too so I'm looking forward to that :)

College Reunion 2010

Kelli and Molly came into town and we had a sleepover at Caitlin's--It was a blast!!! I'm so happy for the preggers in my life :) One is 22 weeks and the other is 11 weeks-Yay to more babies!!!!

A little bad, but mostly great

Ava has been so darn cute these past couple weeks-so many changes!!! First of all, Ava's band is OFF!!! Oct. 1st was her last day-it was just getting so tight so I called and they said she was actually done the week before but they wanted to try and stretch it a little longer. It's been so nice to kiss her little head all the time. And we definitely will NOT miss that smell!

So we just got back from Lake Havasu (our best trip yet!) and Ava had an absolute blast!!! She LOVES the water-It was a little chilly but she didn't complain once when we took her in! And when I let her crawl in the sand she kept trying to crawl right into the water-not just a little bit, like she seriously wanted to go ALL the way in. She also has this new thing where she'll sing softly when there's any kind of vibration-when we went fast on the boat she sang the whole time or even now if I'm pushing her in the stroller over gravel she'll sing, I guess she likes the vibration in her voice? She's now standing on EVERYTHING and literally chases John and I around the house crawling like a maniac-but she insists on keeping her feet off the ground! Apparently my little princess doesn't want her feet to get dirty! And food is not a problem in our house, Ava likes to EAT! She eats seaweed, carnitas, sundried tomatoes, hummus, steak, bread-you name it! So today was our first day back and I decided to try out the tunnel again-it's this little play thing that's kinda like a tent. The first time I brought it out a couple weeks ago she went through it once-then went on to something better. Well, not the case tonight! We couldn't get her out of it! She kept crawling back and forth without ever leaving it entirely-like she was protecting her little space.

On a not so happy note-Rambo got in trouble again :( I don't even want to write details but it happened the night of Casey and Ambyr's wedding Sept 25th and John and I are very sad about the whole situation. Also, we've been dealing with a few things with Davis too. We're working on getting more time with him-in writing. Also we met with his school and plan on going to the conf with his mom and teacher next week. I think this will be a great step for all of us-to be the best parents to Davis that we can be :)

Besides Rambo, life has been great! I think the changes with Davis will be wonderful for all of us and I'm really enjoying watching my little girl grow up :)

9 Month Stats

We saw our new Pediatrician, Dr. Rubin today. Ava is still pretty thin! She weighs 16 lbs 14 oz (14th percentile) and is 27.5 inches tall (43rd percentile.) Dr. Rubin suggested adding even more formula to her meals so she gets more calories. Other than that Ava's right on track!!! And to be honest, I'm happy she's thin...much better than being a fatty :)

Clapping with Daddy

I forgot to post this one from last week



So tomorrow is Ava's 9 month birthday! During her 8th month she got 2 teeth, started crawling, clapping and waving! I wonder what the next 30 days will bring?

Updated CT pictures and Crawling for Grapes

Today was THE most amazing day! Yes, Ava is officially crawling!!! But even better, we got the mid treatment photos from Cranial Technology done-so far the results are UNREAL!! See??? The updated pictures are on the right-I can't believe how much better her neck is!!!! All my hard work is FINALLY paying off :)

Crawling and Clapping!

I'm a complete lagger and still have not bought a baby book but I want to make sure I have all these dates! So yesterday, for the first time, Ava was on all 4s and moved her knee forward! She's not crawling all over town but she is finally moving forward!!! Also, she started her version of clapping....which is like a sideways clap-kind of what you would do if you when you say "all done." I'm so proud of my little girl!

Also, this week we took Ava to sushi for her first time! She ate seaweed, rice, cucumber and edamame-and LOVED it all :)

8 1/2 months old already!

I can't believe how quickly time flies...I've been enjoying every moment and I'm so thankful that I get to stay home with Bubbaloo right now. We had another wonderful weekend with Davis and everything is just great.

So what's new with little Miss Ava? Well first she has been calling things "TAT"... like her very first baby doll that Grandma gave her yesterday, whenever she got a hold of her she would say "TAT"-lots and lots of talking but not so much the dada, baba stuff anymore. As Davis would say "I'm not listening, but I hear you." Davis was also calling Ava "my little Ava" it was so sweet!

Now Ava can get from a crawling position to sitting! She started on Wednesday and has now mastered the skill-It's very cute to watch. It's funny though because she's so good in the crawling position so why doesn't she just go??? I guess she'll get the hang of it soon.

Also, no more PT! We've decided that doing the stretches at home and using the tot collar will work just great and that driving down to Tarzana twice a week is not really practical. Her range of motion is so great already and we all think the tilt is mostly habitual. Once the helmet comes off we can use the tot collar even more which will probably solve the problem. Plus from what other Moms have told me-the tilt also corrects itself once they begin walking. So that's a HUGE relief for me!

Lastly, we had another appointment at Cranial Technologies last week-she grew another 3mm! The lady (don't know her name since Theta is gone now) said that she is looking great and usually when kids get the helmet on at 7 months they are in it 3 months...we were expecting 4 so this was great to hear! I'm still going to expect 4 but it would be nice if she was out a few weeks early. I have to admit I've been taking it off in public so she's only been wearing it like 20-22 hours a day....because of this if she has to be in it another month I'm ok with that. I just got sick of explaining why my kids wearing a helmet 20 times a day and to be honest it comes in handy when we're at home!! While she's been learning to crawl she's knocked her head quite a few times and I'm actually thankful she had the helmet on! I was telling John that even after she graduates I'm going to use it at home until it doesn't fit anymore :)

Random Summer Pictures

Sharing toys with Karma at the beach

First bikini :)

Snuggling with Grandma at the airshow

Hugs!

Watching the planes with Daddy :)

I see a future crawler!! She's a rocking but still hasn't fully gotten it down-Daddy thinks by September 1st she'll be on the move

GANGSTER

Learning to wave!! Just started last week :)

Pure Sweetness!

Quit looking at my funky hair Mom!

Cousins!

We had 4, yes 4!, kids sleep over here last night. Davis 5, Milla 3, Stephanie 9mo and Ava 8mo. It was actually really fun! And this morning Ava woke up with a little tooth popping through! You can't see it yet, but I can feel it! So her 1st toother is coming in at exactly 8 months old :)

We have an eater!

Ava started feeding herself! A couple days ago I started giving her these organic cheerio like puffs that dissolve in her mouth-at first she had no idea how to get them in! She probably drop about 90% of them on the floor. But after about 2 days she's now a pro-so yesterday I gave her some real food, that I tore up into itsy bitsy pieces. It's so nice because she's learning and she's completely entertained now when we're out to eat! Also it gives me a little bit more freedom to prepare meals and stuff.

Today we went down to CT-Ava grew another 3mm!!! It's been 4 weeks and she's grown a total of 7mm which I think is pretty good. I can't really tell yet but Theta said she sees it improving so that's a good sign. She told us that Ava could be in the band for up to 3 more months-for a total of 4. She also said that she doubts that Ava will need another one which is a relief because I've been reading a lot about kids having two or even three sometimes. It feels good to be 25% done :P

Last weekend we went to Kydan's outrageous 1st birthday party. To start with, I looked up the home on zillow because the address wasn't coming up in the navi-it was listed....at 2.2 million dollars! Anyways, we pull up and could hear the live entertainment streaming out of this mansion...as we walked out into the backyard I realized how magnificient it was! Kristen had done a jungle theme- a 3 tiered jungle theme cake, jungle linens on 90" round tables with chiavari chairs, the centerpieces we made up of 4 pinapples stacked with palm leaves coming out the top-surrounded with fruit and birds of paradise at the base. For the older kids, they set up a HUGE bounce house(seriously never seen anything like it!) and they had face painting-so all the kids had their faces painted like lions, tigers, cheetahs, and bears. To top it off the food was delicious! They had it catered with an omlet station, fresh fruit, bagels and lox, cheese ravioli type pasta and slices of filet. They served champagne for a toast and offered wine, coffee and soft drinks as well as juice boxes for the kiddos. All in all-she did a fantastic job! Now I'm super nervous about Ava's birthday...obviously it won't be as fancy! She'll be lucky if her WEDDING is THAT elaborate! Anyways, it definitely got me thinking about it-maybe a winter wonderland theme?

Neurosurgeon Appointment

We met with Dr Myung today at her Tarzana office. She usually works at Childrens with Dr McComb, who referred us. Dr Myung said that I am doing everything right and surgery is a last resort once we have absolutely exhausted all other options. She told us that the tilt does not affect the child and that she just performed surgery on a 16 year old, only because she wanted to become a model. Anyways, after 16 years the girl finally had her tilt corrected and the only negative side effect she had was that she felt a little seasick for 3 months which was her eyes adjusting. Not like I would EVER wait 16 years, but it's nice to know there is no rush.

We will meet with Dr Myung again after the MRI on August 10th.

I'm a BIG kid now!

So we're going up to Paso for the 311 concert tomorrow and Mom and Dad are going to watch Ava for the night. My mom thinks carrying Ava in the carseat is way too heavy so we decided to run to Target and experiment with Ava in the cart! I totally didn't have my little cover but we did it anyways and it went really well!!! She was so cute hanging on to the side of the cart for balance. I can't believe my little girl is really growing up!

Ringling Brothers Circus

We missed the 330 show so we ended up spending the whole day in LA. The circus was amazing!!! ***Note baby Ava crossing her legs in the cars-she's so ladylike!

6 month pictures

So Far So Good

So the first two nights have been great so I'm hoping we're in the clear!!! Ava has actually been sleeping BETTER with the band on-go figure! We've been putting her down about 7, then dream feeding her at 10 and she sleeps till like 730 with only waking up once in the middle of the night for her paci.


The only thing that really freaks me out is the heat! My car said it was 111 today in the valley and she was burning up while we ate lunch outside at Marmalade-never doing that again!!! I'll just have to be sooo careful because it really does trap the heat in there. Luckily with the blinds and the fan, her room is the coolest one in the house. Thank God we don't still live in Woodland Hills!

Another update-I learned how to install baseboard!!! Our kitchen was in desperate need-there was just a gap between the wall and floor, so I've been going to home Depot and each time I go I have some nice guy help me with the cuts and measuring and so far I've done 2 walls!!! I'm hoping to finish my little project next weeks so I'll post pics

Band On :)

7 months old and finally banded!! Today Ava and I went to CT in Pasadena to get her fitted in her brand new accessory. I was expecting her to scream like when I first put on tot collar so I was thrilled when the technician put the helmet on Ava without her even noticing. After Ava had the band on for about 10 minutes, the lady came back in and showed me how to take the band off her head. We then noticed a few red spots which she said is perfectly normal. The band was a little low on her face (you want to be able to see her eyebrows) and because of the tort she also wanted to shape the left side so that it doesn't rest on her shoulder. She went out to make the adjustments to the band and then came back in and showed me how to put the band on. Ava's eye seemed to be a little pushed down which she called the "mad dog" look so she showed me how to readjust it a little without taking it completely off.

So today and tomorrow Ava is supposed to wear the band for 3 hours straight, then we have to remove it for up to an hour (just really until the red spots go away) and she should sleep in it. Well, so far she wore it on the way home and actually FELL ASLEEP IN THE CAR WITH IT ON!!! After the first 3 hours I took it off for about 30 minutes because she really didn't have any red spots then we put it back on. It was just enough time for me to sneak some really cute stickers on! Then we took it off for bathtime and a stroll then put it back on for bedtime. Even with it on, she fell asleep in 15 minutes, which is actually better then she's been lately. So....so far, so good!!!

After the first two days, Ava will wear her band for 23 hours a day. We will take it off for an hour a day while she takes her bath (and we'll probably take her on her walk at this time too!) While the band is off you're supposed to wash the band with rubbing alcohol and let it dry. We skipped that part tonight-oops! Anyways, this will be part of the routine for the next 2-4 months :)

As for my reaction, I'm actually doing much better with the whole situation than I expected. I actually think the band is quite cute!!! When I took Ava to the office today I ran into Lisa in the hall and she had a couple questions but she was so sweet and kept saying what a beautiful baby Ava is. John says he thinks it's cute too so that's good. It'll be interesting to see peoples reactions over the next couple days...but the only reactions I care about have all been positive. Nothing can take away Ava's adorable little face and personality.

I was a little Peanut 2!

Turns out I was a small baby too! My mom called today and said she found my baby book with a record of all my measurements...I was basically the same size as Ava. I weighed 14lbs13oz at my 6 month visit and I think our head circumference was about the same too. I was 27in, so a little taller but pretty much the same. It's so funny cause mom was always wondering why Ava was small because she just doesn't remember how small I was. I always knew baby Ava was perfect but it's good to know that I was a peanut baby too because I was under the impression I was a huge baby and just didn't know where her size came from. Anyways, my mom showed us a 6 month picture of me too and Ava even looks exactly like me but with more hair and not as long of a face. Awwww, I love my little Mini Me :)

Home from Wisconsin

We had a great trip to Wisconsin for 4th of July but I'm so glad to be home!!! Traveling with two kids was surprisingly a breeze-they both were so well behaved the entire trip.

We went to the world famous Dr. McComb yesterday at Children's Hospital. He suggested that Ava have an MRI to rule out any neurological or bone abnormalities. Ava has to be sedated which makes me really sad. McComb is also referring us to an Orthopedic Surgeon who will be able to tell us whether she'll need surgery in the future.

Also, Ava was approved for her helmet right before we left for Wisconsin!!! We'll pick it up on July 14th. I already went to Blingyourband.com and bought really cute tickerbell stickers and some other bling I bought at target. I heard sleeping is an issue the first week so I also bought Ava a memory foam mattress topper so it's nice and cozy for her :) I have a feeling it's going to be like having a newborn again for a little while-all well worth it though :)

Landon and Ava June 25th 2010

Sitting-6 months 1 week and 2 days old

YAY! Ava is sitting really well all of the sudden. She starting sitting in a tripod position about 2 weeks ago but she would only last like 10-15 seconds. All the sudden the last couple days she LOVES to sit all by herself-sometimes with no hands!! Today she must of sat for 15 minutes straight while reaching out to play with toys and such.

Another new thing is now sucking on her lip-still no teeth but they must be coming in soon!!! She still LOVES to eat and is eating two meals a day-usually apple and oatmeal in the morning and a veggie and oatmeal at night. I hope Ava still loves food as much once those little toothers come in :)

On the tort issue, we went to Hanger who of course measured 7mm which they still said she would be a good candidate. Being neurotic like I am, I would rather go with Cranial Technology despite the fact they are all the way in Pasadena. We've been doing lots of stretches and I really think it's starting to work!!! I'll make an appointment for probably when we come home from Wisconsin to get fitted. I can't believe we're going to Wisconsin next week!!! I'm a little apprehensive about traveling with 2 kids but it will be really nice to see everybody and introduce them to Ava!

6 month appointment=even more confused

So today we went to a PT appointment and Masha remeasured Ava's head and got between 4-5mm (same as Savina did a couple weeks ago) Based on that they would not suggest getting a helmet for Ava. Problem is that CT measured 11mm and Dr Graham measured 14mm. Basically it comes down to anything over 8mm we would want to opt for a helmet. Anyways, I'm just absolutely confused, who's right? I'd much rather focus on Ava's tort and not worry about getting her a helmet...obviously...but then again if she needs it I want her to have it.

Then we went to Bromberg who really didn't have anything to add. I made an appointment with Hanger (another helmet company) for Monday and Bromberg wants to here what they have to say before moving forward. He said surgery is a last resort so wait on seeing Dr McComb at Childrens-the neurosurgeon.

Because of everything that's been going on we decided to give our little buggy a break and only do the oral vaccine today. She actually really liked the way it tasted and gulped it down. Other than the confusion it was a good appointment. Ava is hitting all her milestones, rolling, smiling, cooing, grabbing. No sitting yet but Bromberg didn't even mention it and I know older kids that aren't either so I'm not worried. As for measurements height is 25.25 inches, weight 14 lbs 2 oz and head is 41-Pretty much 20% across the board, my little peanut is growing, slowly but surely :)

John is on his way home from the Lakers Game-Game 7 of the Finals-Another victory!!! Lucky guy got to see 3 out of 7 of the finals games-what the heck??? He traded seeing the badger game in Vegas and footrubs for the rest of the year-so I guess we both lucked out :)

I have to say-her head looks pretty round to me?!?!?

DENIED

So John and I went to Cranial Technologies today and Ava was denied the DOC band due to her severe torticollis. The lady said to keep stretching her and come back in 3 weeks to see if we can do it at that time. My feeling=hopeless. I've been stretching for 6 months...I don't really know if 3 weeks is going to make any significant difference but we're going to give it our best shot. My poor little girl :( I love her with all my heart and just want her to get the help she deserves. I'm not a praying type of gal but I'm seriously praying that these next few weeks make a big enough difference so my baby can get her DOC band.

On a good note-I just posted the cutest video of Ava laughing at her doggies!!! She is seriously the cutest kid ever!!!

Appointment with Dr Graham=Bad News

So we went to Dr Graham last week at Cedars Sinai-he's the craniofacial specialist I've been waiting 2 months to see. Since Bromberg said at 4.5 months that Ava didn't need a helmet I just wanted to get a second opinion from somebody who knows what he's talking about. Anyways, Grandma, Ava and I drove down there last Wednesday and to be honest from what everybody has been telling me I really thought I was wasting all of our time. Even the nurse that checked us in was like "why are you here, for her head??? It looks good to me"

Anyways, we got in to Dr. Graham's office and he started to measure Ava's head. She wasn't thrilled about it but I appreciated that he was actually measuring her rather than "eyeballing" it like Bromberg. After taking many measurements, he said that Ava has "severe" torticollis and that she DOES need the helmet. He said that we need to kick up the stretching to 6-8 times a day daily and keep doing PT once a week for the next 4-6 months. He said that the there is transitional tissue that is tight in Ava's neck and that if I stretch it enough it will transition to muscles; if not it will turn to scar tissue which would have to be surgically removed.

Needless to say, my heart immediately dropped. I feel disappointed that I apparently haven't been doing enough and also really sad that my poor sweetheart has to wear a helmet :( I'm nervous about what people will say and how Ava will react to it. Summer is coming and I hope it's not too hot for her and I hope she can sleep comfortably with it. It's not even on yet and I can't wait til we can get rid of it!

I immediately made an appointment for Cranial Technologies in Pasadena. It's not the closest place, but it's the BEST. John and I are going on Monday so I'll have more to post then.

I've been constantly on the computer looking things up to make me feel better about of situation. Now I'm really worried because even though the helmet will correct her head shape, it does nothing for the tilt. Right now I feel hopeless. I keep on stretching her but every minute of it is hard on both of us. I'm happy I followed my intuition but I definitely doesn't feel good to know that I was right.

Rolling Rolling Rolling

Ava is Rolling both ways as of yesterday!!!! She's now 5 1/2 months old-she was rolling front to back at 3 weeks but just yesterday she rolled back to front :) So proud of my little girl

Also, today was Davis and Ava's first swimming lessons-with lauren berger!!! It went really well, Ava LOVES the water and Davis put his whole head in for the first time!!! I have the best kids ever!

I've been a bad girl

So much has happened in the last month and a half and I haven't written anything! I'm soo bad, then a started another blog to make it easier than signing into my old email address every single time but then I realized that I really need to just stick with this one. I can't keep up with one-why am I even considering two?!?!

So here was my one blog entry to Ava...and a couple recent pictures :)

Dear Precious Little Ava,

A couple weeks ago we moved into our new house and so far you love it! (At least I think you do) I set up your jumperoo and although you seemed a bit confused at first, you're now hopping and playing away! It's really cute because you're still a little small for it-it's supposed to be for 6 months and you're only 5-anyways, you use your big toe on your left foot to help bounce you since it's the only thing that can touch the ground! You now have your own room too-it is full of a cute ladybug theme because you're my little bug. Lately I can't help calling you Buggy-I think it comes from my parents always calling me Bug.

You get more beautiful with everyday. Your face has really rounded out and your getting so big!!! We went to see Caitlin's niece Anna who is 4 weeks old and you looked like a total kid next to her-it scared me a little bit because it's flown by so quickly. You were an adorable newborn but it was hard because you didn't smile and talk and giggle like you do now-now you're really my buddy! I just love the sound of your voice and all the talking you've been doing lately. It's the cutest little coos...at the most appropriate times! Just this week you started talking to strangers a little bit-like the receptionist at the doctors office yesterday-it was so precious to watch you have your own little conversation with her.

You're also a great little sleeper-more so in the new house. Every night we have a routine...we feed you dinner (so far you like carrots, sweet potato, butternut squash, bananas, and apples-I'm starting to make everything homemade) then you get a bath then we give you a bottle and put you to sleep. Your Daddy wakes up and goes to work around 530 and then you wake up at 6 and I bring you into bed with me to cuddle...we end up sleeping til like 8 which is amazing!!

Blowing raspberries on your tummy and your thighs is what makes you giggle most. If I just smile your way you whole face lights up which is priceless. I was looking at our hands today-yours is about half the length of mine now....with your long pretty fingers :) I just love everything about you baby, I'll write again soon.

Mommy

So anyways, the new house is awesome!! I thought I would be running home to the valley everyday but just the other day I was driving down and as soon as I got to Kanan I realized I really just wanted to be HOME! We have the most amazing Target here-I don't know why I'm even writing that-but it's just that awesome!

Today was a really long day for buggy, we went to mygym class than went and saw Babies with Elissa and Landon. I LOVED the movie! I couldn't believe the way animals were just all over the babies the whole movie and how interesting other cultures are. One baby was born then right away they swaddles him up and put him on a motorcycle with his mom, dad, and sister---THE WHOLE FAMILY ON A DINKY LITTLE MOTORCYCLE! The movie just made me realize how much we really do spoil our kids here, which is really fine by me but it's also good to keep in mind that a lot of this stuff is sooo unnecessary. Especially that stupid $20 dog toy "sophie" that I just had to buy! But it was such a cute little giraffe :)

I don't know how much of this I put into the letter but Ava is now sitting while supported, she's eating from her highchair, I make all her food. She still isn't rolling from back to stomach but is rolling stomach to back both ways. I think since I never put her on her back it might take her some extra time but we'll see. We went to the zoo 2 weekends ago-pointless for a 5 month old but Davis enjoyed it. Santa Barbara zoo is beautiful!!!

John is going to Indy this weekend so I'm really sad he's leaving but really happy I get to spend time with Caitlin and go see Sex in the City and go to Elissa's for a Memorial Day BBQ. She's heating the pool up so we can take the babies in :)

On the torticollis issue: I hate to bring this up because it makes me sad and I feel like it already takes over a lot of time spent with my daughter. Just writing about it now has brought tears to my eyes...anyways, I feel like I have to write so that I remember well enough to help others in my situation in the future. I've looked all over the internet for something real about the condition and I've found is medical bullshit-nobody tells you about the voice inside your head yelling at you to turn your babies head or how you should probably put them on there tummy to bed sooner then later. Anyways, today I met another mom who told me her son has torticollis. She's in our mygym class and her son is Rocco. Rocco has many problems she began to tell me about like his lungs not developing properly but she said torticollis is also on the list...he doesn't qualify for a helmet because his head is already so big and they think it's done growing for the most part. Anyways, this is the 4th baby including Ava that I know has been diagnosed. What I hate to hear most is that a lot of the times the doctors miss it at the beginning. In a way I consider myself lucky that Ava's was severe enough that we caught it early.

Anyways, the craniofacial specialist had to cancel our appointment today and rescheduled it for two weeks. After talking to Roccos mom she said it would be best to go straight to Cranial Technology first instead of wasting time with Dr Graham. I've already been waiting over a month so another two weeks really does seem like eternity anyways. I read on the internet that Cranial Tech is only in California so I consider myself very lucky to be close by. I'm really upset because the PT said last time that she's not getting much better so I've been working with her a lot at home on the strengthening exercises but I haven't gone back because A It's a long drive and B I really don't like people telling me that my daughter isn't getting better. I feel like all day everyday I tell myself LEFT, LEFT LEFT-Lisa, she has to look to her left!!! I have even caught myself yelling at John to do the same-it's a horrible way to be, not a fun way to live having a voice in my head yelling LEFT at me ALL DAY LONG. I also get really sad when I look at Ava's reflection. The assymetry to her face is a lot more obvious when I look at her in the mirror-again this brings tears on. The good thing is that all I see is her perfect little face when I look at her...It's the reflection that gets me. Anyways, last night I had another panic attack about the whole thing-thinking, what if she doesn't get better? I already want to look into getting her ear pinned back and the helmet but John tells me I'm just being impatient and that it's a process-that it's not going to happen overnight. Inside I do know that but I feel like it's been many nights with no improvement. I feel guilty too for not going to PT which is probably making things even worse for me. It just seems like now that she's been sleeping on her tummy for a month, now that I got the boppy nest pillow for her carseat, now that I'm doing the exercises ALL the time, I would hope to notice some improvement myself. But then there it is, her reflection, and it just makes me sooo sad. The feeling of helplessness when it comes to your child is the WORST feeling in the world. I've seriously never felt so sick to my stomach. So that's my update for now, it's not a very happy note to end on but it's the way things are right now.

4 month appointment

Ava,

We got to see Dr Bromberg today who said you are doing perfectly! He also told me I look super skinny so we're both huge fans of his today! As for measurements, you're now 24" long which is the 50th percentile-you moved up! Your weight is 12 lbs 6 oz which was still in the 25th percentile...so you're tall and thin, which you'll be happy about when you grow up :)

Dr Bromberg also gave you your 4 month shots today while I stood outside-I can't stand to watch you in pain! Apparently you didn't even feel the first shot but after the 2nd one I ran in and comforted you-you only cried for a second, you're such a good sport. Dr. Bromberg also noticed how sweet you are....You're my sweet little baby! Sometime when you smile you hide your face like you're a little shy, it's the cutest thing in the world!

So after the appointment we stopped and said hi to Daddy then went shopping with Greatgrandma Marilyn. Grandma bought you a cute new outfit and a few toys from Target. At Target we had a blast letting you pick out your favorites which were a little cell phone and a cute little vibrating froggy that made you giggle. Grandma LOVED hearing you giggle :)

4 months old

4 months old already! Wow time flies. I feel like Ava has really grown up the last couple weeks too. First of all, we have giggles! She giggled for me once on the changing table a couple weeks ago, then last week she thought the word "poop" was really funny, then this Monday she giggled a bunch for Elissa. I'm a little bit jealous that Elissa was so good at making her laugh but I'm really happy I was able to catch it on video. Also Ava has gotten really good at grabbing things-especially my hair and her o ball! My hair has really started falling out now, it she's not helping matters.

We went to our first My Gym class yesterday in Thousand Oaks, it was hilarious! They have a warm up session to stretch and dance and sing then they do activities like flying and tumbling and swings. We're definitely going to continue with the class-next time I'll take some more pictures but Elissa was able to get this one of the kids while they were getting a ride from Yukov-I think.

We also went to our mothers gathering class today where the topic was sleep. Jill said that now is the time where we should be putting them down to sleep while they are awake-we've been rocking ava to sleep while swaddled in her miracle blanket. So tonight I thought I would just give it a shot so I put her down drowsy without being swaddled at all...and it worked!!!! She's went to sleep at 8, then I did a dream feed at 10 and it's now midnight and she's still sleeping :) Now my only problem is that I can't get to sleep because I'm feeling really sick :(

Physical Therapy is going well, this week they said she went down from 8mm to 6 mm so that's a nice improvement. I'm working on taking Ava to a cranial specialist to have her measured more accurately so we'll see how that goes. I'm going to do everything possible to make sure she gets the best care possible. Our 4 month appointment is next Friday so I'll probably ask Bromberg more about it then. I also weighed Ava today and she was 12 pounds 5 ounces-my little peanut is growing!!!! By her 4 month maybe she'll be 13 pounds???

3 months 1 week 1 day old!

Wow-I'm a horrible blogger! It's been like an entire month-Good thing I'm the only one looking.

Anyways, milestones for Ava....she rolled over again, twice this time! It was just one day last week when she was doing tummy time on the couch-hasn't done it again since. She's getting so good at holding up her head though and she's starting to enjoy tummy time-at least the first 5 minutes of it. I'm finally realizing that she needs to be swaddled to take naps, OH and the biggest news!!! She's sleeping in her crib!!!! It started about 2 weeks ago and was an extremely easy transition for everybody-I think she's much better off in the crib to because her neck doesn't have as much pressure from being on an angle like the bassinet.

She had her 3 month appointment last Thursday-Bromberg said she's perfect! She's a little girl but perfectly proportionate and he gave me the name of a new PT that I'm taking her to on Wednesday.

Oh and the biggest news is that we decided to move to Newbury Park in May! I rented out the condo this weekend to a lady named Ava (CRAZY!!!!) and my new full time job has been getting everything set to go. I booked movers, plan on buying all Phil's furniture, rented storage, and I'm sending over the lease to Ava today. Things are going smoothly and I'm so excited to be moving to a house!!! We're all going to be so much happier!

2 months 1 week 3 days old :)

So Ava hit her two month mark and is full of smiles!!! She started smiling weeks and weeks ago but now she is really smiling at us, not at the sky or the wall. I was playing peek a boo with her at Molly's last weekend and she thought it was just the funniest thing! It's so nice to finally get a reaction to all my sillyness :)

On a sad note, Ava did have her shots last week. She had two shot vaccines and one oral. I had to excuse myself but John stayed with her and gave her a bottle immediately to settle her down. The doctor said Ava is doing great-he said her head looks nice and round and the torticullis is getting better. As for her weight, she's still in the 25th percentile...so she's growing, just at the exact same rate! We're lucky if she drinks 3 ounces in one feeding! Who would have thought that John and I would have a small baby?!?!? She was 9 pounds 10 ounces.

Ava is sleeping about 5 hours straight each night-so that's getting better. The problem now has been getting her to nap during the day! Poor girl get sooo tired but she doesn't seem to want to miss anything. She is so curious about everything and keeps herself awake ALL day! Today she seriously only napped twice for fifteen minutes each time.

I finally ordered a new stroller, it's the new 2010 baby jogger city select. I'm going to a store tomorrow to check it out before our mommy and me class. I hope I love it, I probably should have tried it out BEFORE ordering it but of course I chose to do it backwards :)