Ava meets Santa!

We had brunch Sunday morning at a special party where we were able to meet Santa and get a photo with him. Ava sat on Santa's lap and I told him what she wants for Christmas. Chris, Ava and I just happened to be seated right next to Santa's chair where we were completely entertained by the other children who were also there to meet him. Some were happy to see him, some were timid to be near him, but didn't want to miss the chance to let him know what they wanted for Christmas (I felt most "sorry" for this group of kiddos) and others were down right frightened! What an entertaining breakfast! I made sure to let Santa know that Ava has been a very good girl this entire year!

My cousin Knox

Knox Schroller is the oldest cousin Ava has and Ava is the youngest of all the cousins...until next August when Ava's cousin on the Hajdu side is born. Knox is 18 years old and about to go to college. He has been accepted and will most likely attend Baylor University in the Fall. Knox has five younger brother's and sisters and is very good at holding babies! He has the magic touch...as you can see from the photo of Ava staring and smiling at him. After these photos were taken, Ava fell asleep in his arms. Adorable!

Home wellness remedy

It's official...Ava is sick with a cold. This marks the first "official" sickness she has encountered her entire life. Last Wednesday Ava and I took a road trip to San Antonio to visit her cousins (the Schroller's) and both Elizabeth and Emily had colds. Neither of them could stop touching Ava because they love her so much. And...as life would have it...we brought the cold home with us. Two days after we returned to Austin, Ava was congested. We are sleeping on an incline, using saline solution and extracting what we can of her drainage. Poor baby...she hasn't skipped a beat. She is just as good natured as she always is...this cold hasn't set her back a step. Also, we read that a steam bath would help us help her drain the drainage. So...we ran the shower water as hot as it would go and I shut Chris and Ava in the bathroom. The photo you are looking at isn't a bad photo...it is of Chris and Ava standing in a hot, steamy bathroom.

Hands, fingers and toes...

Baby milestones are the cutest, sweetest things in life. Ava first began to chew on her fist and suck on her fingers before she realized she had hands...functional body parts! Once she realized that she had hands...she constantly stared at the right one. She has long, feminine, beautiful hands and she would admire the right one endlessly...until she figured out that she had another one just as nice on the left side of her body! She now uses them to grab toys. The next milestone was when she discovered her feet! She isn't quite where she grabs them on her own, but when we put them in her hands she laughs. When she is wearing her pink booties she really notices them and tries hard to grab them. She just doesn't have it ALL figured out yet.

Ava's first site of snow...in Austin, TX!

What I mean by "snow" is aka...slushy ice. Yep...the cold front blew in last night and brought freezing rain with it. Believe it or not we DID have snow flurries. Chris woke me up around midnight to check them out. This morning they were frozen to our deck. We showed them to Ava and she had no idea what she was looking at, but we took a photo to capture the moment!

Bathing in the bathroom sink

I hope that I always remember these days...when Ava is such a little girl. Sometimes I think that I can't wait for her to grown up and get to where she is walking and talking. I know that it is going to be so much fun to have a little person around the house to play with, talk to and teach new things. Then, at other times I hope that these days never end and can't imagine my baby girl not being a baby. At this age and weight Ava can still fit in the bathroom sink for her evening bath. She loves to see what is going on around her, opposed to laying down in the tub where she can't see anything. Sitting in the sink allows her to see and check out everything around her - even herself in the mirror!

Ava's first Thanksgiving!

Ava made it through her first Thanksgiving. We had such a fabulous time at her Papaw and Mer's house in Taft, TX...right outside of Corpus Christi where I grew up. Thanksgiving dinner was the most fabulous and scrumptious it has ever been...so was the red wine, desert and company. Ava met (pictured) her Uncle John (who hasn't held a baby in about 12 years!), Aunt Bridget and cousins Brooke and Johnny. That means...Ava only has three more Aunts to meet, three Uncles, and six Cousins! Whew...to date, Ava has met four Aunts, two Uncles, eight Cousins, four Grandparents, eleven second and two third Cousins and four Great Aunts and Uncles! Ava even has a first cousin that is due to arrive next year! Keep the family coming...Ava likes lots of love!

Little rocker baby and her daddy

Chris has always enjoyed music and although he hasn't picked up his guitar as much as he would have liked to over the last year he has found that when he is alone with Ava it is one of the things that keeps her attention the longest. She sat and listened to him for 30 minutes the other day! I love to hear him sing and play for her. She just stares at him and watches every move he makes. I hope their "jam" sessions together provide her the opportunity to appreciate and love music as much as her daddy does.

Ava meets her Papaw and Mer Hoge

Ava's meets her cousins

Ava met her cousins from Houston and Portland Oregon who were in Texas for our cousin Stephanie's wedding. We had such a fabulous weekend together at Hotel Galvez and then 20 of us spent several days at a bay house where we just relaxed and enjoyed each other's company! Ava has no idea how much she is loved! This was Ava's first raod trip, first hotel stay, first time away from home AND her first time to see the ocean!

Ava learns about farm and sea animals...

Chris ordered black and white cards with farm and sea animals on them. We show Ava the cards and she stares attentively at them...which we are sure indicates she is banking them to memory and as soon as she can use her words will name all of them perfectly! She is so darn studious!

Making room for Ava's things!

We quickly learned that babies need/have lots of things...swing, bouncy chair, baby bed, clothes, changing table, boxes of diapers, etc. When it was just the two of us we managed well in our two bed/two bath bungalow, but adding Ava to our family meant sharing what little space have. We also don't have a garage, but did have a dilapidated storage shed outside that held typical things a garage would - such as a mower and other lawn tools. Our main storage space for holiday decorations, photos, etc. is in our somewhat spacious laundry room inside the house.

Since Ava arrived, we have been shifting items to make space for her things. We lost an entire bedroom...and most of our storage space in the laundry room. We temporarilly rented a storage unit about 1/2 mile from our home...until Chris was able to coordinate the custom build of our new storage shed - demolish and haul off the old shed, relocate sprinkler heads, trim trees AND completely remove a tree. When it was all completed, Chris built shelves in our new shed and completely organized all of our items to maximize the space.

As you can see from the photo...the shed matches our home. It is BIG...and spacious and has plenty of room for us to store all of our things. The only thing...when Ava is big enough to be outside with her daddy...she is going to want the shed to be her play house. It is adorable and looks like a fabulous play house for a precious little girl.

Ava's first Halloween...

Ava let us dress her in her Halloween costume, but she didn't let us keep her in it for very long. As you can see from the photo, she wasn't that "into it." She roared like a lion alright. Our little lioness (per Steve McGregory) was that for all of five minutes! She even kicked her hind claws off. Ohhhh, what a little cutie. We had so much fun with her on her first Halloween!

Cutie patootie...

Mimi and Bopa Hajdu visit Ava

Ava's grandparents from Dallas made a visit to Austin to meet her! We had such a great weekend. Ava is at the perfect age because she is just starting to look and focus on things and people. Her grandparents were no exception. She was such an angel and loved spending time on their shoulders! She snuggled right up to them.

Ava's loves to play with her daddy and look at her birdie!

Ava is really beginning to respond to us by smiling, interacting by cooing and she focuses on objects like her birdie. Yep, we're beginning to play and have lots of fun together. She even tracks objects and people! She has the sweetest smile that is contagious and melts our hearts. She is staying up longer and has been so much more alert over these last weeks. It is truly amazing how much she has changed in such a short time.

Ava turns one month old!

Yep...we celebrated Ava's one month birthday. She is four Thursday's old ;-) The next birthday we will celebrate won't be until September 4, 2009 - stay tuned!

We have always heard that you are never supposed to wake a sleeping baby and now we know why! We quickly learned over the last several weeks how important that rule is to follow. So...with this celebration being no exception to the rule we let Ava sleep through her birthday...again. We made sure to make special wishes for her, blow out her candle and enjoy her chocolate cake!

Ava's monkey named Monte

Chris placed a cute brown monkey we received at a baby shower given to us by our family (Kyle Voorhees, my second cousin picked it out!) on Ava's shelf above her diaper changing pad. When he changes her diaper, I could hear him asking her, "Where is your monkey? Can you find your monkey?" She would stare right at it...and it began to be something we continuously ask her to entertain her while we are changing her diaper.

Then...Chris decided to name the monkey Monte...after my parents neighbor who we love and adore. Monte doesn't mind...and now will forever be known as Uncle Monkey!

10 minute rule

Chris and I decided to a new house rule called the "10 minute rule". The 10 minute rule applies to the person who is putting Ava to sleep and passing her off to the other parent. If the individual who is putting Ava to sleep passes her off and she wakes up within 10 minutes...they have to take her back and keep her until she is good and asleep!

This photo was taken during Chris's turn for putting Ava to sleep. He is feeling confident she is asleep, while asking me...IS she asleep? He gives me a thumbs up...hoping I will return the thumbs up...indicating a safe pass off!

PS...he indeed was successful ;-)

Lunch with the big girls

My friend Tonda was in town on business from Chicago. It is always great to get together with the girls (Heather (not pictured), Tonda and Emily) for chat and chow! Ava came with me this time...since my life now exists with her in it. I have to say I was a little intimidated to take her with me not knowing the outcome, but she was fabulous and on her best behavior! She was such a lady at our girls lunch.

And...we happened to know the couple sitting next to us with their (on the verge of) two years old little boy who entertained us quite a bit while he threw a fit throughout their entire lunch. I wonder if that is what we have that to look forward to...hmmmmm. Until then...sleepy, quite baby during lunch with the girls is just right!

AND...while the girls were doing the girl thing...Ava's daddy was out with the guys riding his mountain bike for the first time since Ava was born! Go daddy, go!

One week old birthday celebration!

Chris and I agreed that we would celebrate Ava's one week, one month and annual birthday's after that. We celebrated her one week birthday the afternoon of September 11th. We had a chocolate brownie (homemade by our friend Rich Mitchell), pink candle, sang to her and made birthday wishes for her. We really enjoyed ourselves...and Ava slept through the entire celebration ;-)

Big girl bath...

Ava's umbilical cord fell off after only eight days! YES! We saved it...for some reason...but the main point I am trying to make is that it meant that she could take a big girl bath! We thought that we would create an environment that we ourselves would appreciate so we brought out the candles...rubber ducky, organic baby oil and soft bath towel. Well...she had very little appreciation of any of this and screamed the entire time...only to exhaust herself and get a good nap with her mommy on the couch.

Ava makes three!

We have been adjusting to this baby! Life is different around the Hajdu house...that is definite and life is so much better with this little girl in our lives than we ever thought. Chris and I continuously stare at Ava and tell each other how beautiful she is...but in the first days of her life all we could do is compliment each other on what a perfect baby we made. It was pretty funny and conceited, but I believe typical of new parents. We have been blessed. This baby is beyond our expectations and wishes for each other and our little family.

We had a beautiful birth experience. Seriously! Birthing this baby was more natural than the breast-feeding experience has been. Chris was an amazing birth coach and the staff at Seton Medical Center were fabulous!

My OBGYN, Dr. Binford, delivered our baby and when Ava made her appearance to the world, one of the HCS staff members said, "You have a butter ball!"

Kate, my youngest sister was in the delivery room and caught every moment on film. We have some beautiful photos to show Ava one day of her being delivered.

Introducing.... Ava Elizabeth Hajdu

name: Ava Elizabeth Hajdu
born: @12:44 pm, Thursday, September 4th, 2008
weight: 8lbs, 0 oz.
length: 19.5 inches

We are so pleased to be home with our sweet angel. The wait was long and the journey arduous, but it was totally worth it.

Snug as a bug in a rug...

We just returned from the doctor's office where they monitored the baby's heart beat, determined whether or not I am having contractions and how the baby is reacting to them. Not one contraction to date and this baby has both a consistent heart beat and is moving consistently. Which means...she is both happy, healthy...as well as content on living where she currently is.

This baby's mommy (me!) on the other hand was admittedly disappointed to tears when the doctor said, "You are 1 cm (last week I was 1/2 cm) dilated and no effacement." In layman's terms...our baby isn't coming anytime soon.

The doctor suggested we either wait six more days and check again or induce labor and hope that my body responds favorably for a vaginal delivery. The doctor also believes that I have an "unfavorable cervix" and will possibly end up having to be induced next week anyway - that I am not going to progress enough over the next six days (even by 41 weeks) to go through the natural delivery process.

SO...we decided to induce. We check into the hospital Wednesday, September 3 at 7:00 PM. They will administer medicine at that time to help my cervix soften and then give me medicine the next (Thursday) morning to help my cervix dilate. By Thursday night our baby will officially be a little Texan and will have a name!

WOW...really? I looked at Chris in the doctor's office and said "Okay...this is what we have been waiting for, right?" Somehow, it feels unreal, scary and exciting...all at the same time.

Send prayers our way. We can't wait to update you on our little girl's arrival.

Love, Amy

Labor Day

So much for Labor Day...this baby's official due date. Our little girl has decided to let her potential September 1st birthday and coming out (no pun intended) party day come and go.

Tomorrow, we officially begin charging rent!

I have a 3:15 PM doctor's appointment on Tuesday, September 2nd and we hope for progress! We are so ready to meet and care for this baby!

Daddy wants to know...

Every time I say, "oooh, ouch, hmmmmm" my baby's daddy says, "Did your water break?" "Are you having a contraction?" and I have to take a deep breath and say, "no, dear. I am just adjusting my position" or something to the effect. He says he is ready for this baby to arrive so he can meet her! I am ready as well, but we need to give this baby a break as she is actually not scheduled to arrive for two more days ;-)

We have been in bed all day today watching college football and junk TV (breakfast and lunch as well). I love it! We just rinsed off and are soon off to the store to pick up some things...which will be our only outing and break up the day.

This baby has been stretching and moving my belly side to side. It is amazing to watch. Chris loves to feel her and try to guess which body part is which - massaging her as she moves around.

As much as we are amazed of the thought that this baby is in my belly...the more we will be amazed when she arrives. Hurry up little girl! We're ready.

Come on baby!

I went to the doctor today...my fourth weekly visit and despite the fact that my belly measures 40 weeks, I am (only) 1/2 cm dilated. After I heard that I stopped listening to what the doctor had to say about anything else. I couldn't help but think...geeeeeze...are you kidding? Could we be more ready for this little girl to arrive? What is this baby thinking? Isn't she ready to meet us?

This baby has been so darn active I can't help but think...you must be ready to get out of there where you will have more room to move around. I call her recent movements "alien baby" because she stretches the length of my belly - across opposite sides, of course...which makes her movements look alien. She will stretch and move my belly in an extreme a-symmetrical way.

Chris and I were at the store on Monday purchasing a glider chair and the sales person said, "wow, that is some kind of movement". She stared at my belly for quite some time and then called her manager to approve a 20% discount off of our purchase!

Baby shower with friends

Six of my girlfriends threw me and Chris a baby shower on Saturday, August 9th. About 40 of our friends attended and it was such a great opportunity for us to see everybody and enjoy adult time before this baby arrives. Being given a baby shower is a humbling experience. Everybody is so generous and we received so many beautiful things to help us with this little girl!

We had such a great time and I stayed up until about 1:30 AM with Tonda looking at everything...ooooohhing and ahhhhhhhing! Her sweet clothes are so tiny...blankets so soft and toys so sweet!

Chris, on the other hand fell asleep watching TV very soon after we got home - which he rarely does! He was so darn tired from the work week, putting the crib together, installing shelves in the laundry room for baby supplies, loading our baby gifts and unloading them once we arrived home!

We're getting there! I had no idea how much preparation was involved in getting ready for a baby. Although Chris says she would be just as happy sleeping in the dresser drawer and sleeping in her diaper, but I don't think so ;-)

Nursery fit for a princess

All of our baby furniture arrived piece by piece over the last week. Chris picked up and tackled putting together the crib last night - even after he had an exhausting week at work. I was so excited I could hardly stand it. All of his engineering skills were put to the test. He opened all of the packaging, laid out all of the parts, confirmed we had everything we needed and began to put it together. Not one mistake! And, it only took him about 1 1/2 hours. As the parts coming together began to transform into a crib all I could say and think was...what a beautiful, comfy safe haven for our little angel!

Then...it was time for the bedding. We added the skirt...freshly ironed, added the padding and sheet for the mattress then the bumper pads. Whalla...perfect! So many family members contributed to helping us plan this nursery. We were so proud of the finished product!

Love living for our baby

Going through all of my old photos has been such a journey. I have been blessed with so many good times over the years...lots of adventures, travels, love, friendships, fearlessness...times I would never replace, but choose to live again!

I also found my baby photos. And, lots of childhood photos of my sisters, mother and father. Life as a child was good...really good. The occasions caught on film after all of these years jogged my memory and took me on particular adventures once again.

It is amazing the difference between my childhood years, my life during my 8 year college stint vs my life in the professional and "adult" world. Worlds apart! I wish I would have stayed free-spirited throughout the years.

But, you grow up, have to become (at the very least reasonably) responsible, get a job and somehow become cynical along the way...influenced by people, begin to worry and care about what others think about you, allow yourself to believe you are what you aren't or what others think of you, blah, blah, blah and get sucked into a world of everyone’s confusion, fear and negativity.

I have always believed that what once was can be again. For some reason I stopped believing and stopped “living” as I was intended to live. It is easier to be sucked into becoming a negative person than positive and to live in fear than love.

Well…seeing all of the photos of my mother made me really miss her. She was so beautiful inside and out. Although I may not remember the shape of her teeth, the smell of her hair, and the sound of her voice…I certainly remember the things she taught me about life and people. She was wise beyond her years.

My constant thought over the last couple of days has been to RELAX, enjoy and strive to be more like the woman that my mother was. She lived in faith - not fear, never strayed from what she believed in regardless of what others thought of her. She lived her years to the fullest and I want to be able to say and do the same thing for our little girl.

Saturday...in the house

I hate to admit it, but today I am really tired of being pregnant! It feels selfish, but I want my body back. I want to sleep on my tummy, be able to get out of bed effortlessly, sleep through the night, walk normal, wear normal clothes, be at a normal weight, sit on the toilet in the middle of the night without wanting to fall asleep there…and many other things...

However, I feel like I was mostly productive this afternoon being in the house. I napped off and on today (completely necessary), washed the baby's clothes, and started a big project I have been wanting to complete for a long time! I purchased photo albums off of ebay and decided to chronicle photos I have collected my entire life. I ended up sitting at the kitchen table for hours sorting photos by event. The events span my entire life - no kidding. Talk about memory lane. I cried a little and laughed allot. I had forgotten some of the adventures I've taken over the years. How fun to re-live them.

I can't wait to finish my project. Again, it makes me feel accomplished and at least in control of a little something. Having all of these photos in a big plastic tub bothered me...now, I can go through them with our little girl and share with her some of the adventures I had before she came into my life.

Next big project...download the rest of my CD's...and download music on iPod for hospital stay.

Tomorrow, I am going to treat myself to a pedi/mani. Can't wait!

Nesting...

All of a sudden I got an urge to take care of business. I created a list of things I needed to pack and purchase for my stay at the hospital. I spent the next 3 1/2 hours organizing the house and packing my bag for the hospital. I kept thinking...if everything isn't in order, how can I possibly expect Chris to find anything in the house!

I talked to Chris tonight while he is away on his business trip and told him several things he (I thought he) needed to know (just what he wants to hear)...where to find the friends/family call list and email list, replace light bulbs in the backyard, when baby furniture is scheduled to be delivered, CPR class we need to attend, camera, hospital papers, what I recorded for him on DVR, where to find stamped/addressed envelopes to pay the yard crew, etc. What a good husband...he just listened and reassured me.

So...this is what they call nesting, I guess! It may not seem like much, but I got a big spurt of energy and completed some necessary (real or imagined) tasks for the anticipated craziness that I imagine will occur around here once this baby arrives.

I feel so accomplished!

Monday, Monday...

Chris and I have five full weeks until this sweet baby girl is due to grace us with her presence. We need every bit of this time to finish preparing for her arrival. AND, Chris just left town early this morning on a business trip...what I believe will be his last out of town travel until after this baby arrives.

I feel HUGE! Sleeping is an adventure! Quite comical to even begin to call it sleep...because it's more like napping throughout the night. Chris offered me a pair of his boxers and a t-shirt to sleep in last night and I didn't have the heart to admit his boxers feel tight on me at this stage of my pregnancy! Nice...

I haven't become tired of feeling this baby move in my belly. I can sit in bed and watch her for as long as she moves. And, sometimes she moves for 15 to 20 minutes. Finally, last night I told her, "you need to go to bed, little girl". While I am enjoying watching her move, I nudge Chris off and on and say, "look, look". He often says he wonders what in the heck she is doing in there.

The bigger she gets, the more amazing her movements feel. After I eat a meal, and definitely by the end of the day, my belly is so darn tight I wonder how it can get any larger for this little girl over the next month. Where in the world will she go? Seriously, how much larger can I get? I have no more belly left, but our doctor says she is scheduled to weigh 8 pounds, 3 ounces.

Pregnancy is a miracle.