We were so excited for Ava to see Santa again this year. Last year she was only three months old and she liked him (didn't even know that he existed), but this year she tensed up as soon as she saw him and even more as we walked closer to him. Poor little girl. No matter how much she didn't want to be around him we had to sit on his lap and snap a photo for our 2009 Christmas memory! 
I turned around for a second (or two) and when I looked back I found my little Ava IN the dishwasher. Yikes! What a stinker. She is a busy little girl and keeps me on my toes.
We have been invited to our friends (Brit, Peggy, Darian and Elle) annual Pumpkin Carving Party for several years. This is the first year that Ava has been able to attend. She got right into it! She was extremely entertained by all of the children running around playing in the lawn and lots of pumpkin goop to touch and taste. Chris carved a sweet face in our pumpkin while Ava watched (a little) and tasted the goods. We had such a great time and the weather couldn't have been more perfect! And...another thing that just tickled us was that a couple of our friend's children who attended Ava's first Birthday party remarked on how much bigger our baby has gotten. So funny! 
I bought these wings for Ava when she was very, very little. I thought...we'll never get into these big wings. Well...Ava is 13 months old now and can wear her wings while she plays. They hang on a hook in her bedroom right next to her closet. Whenever I am in the closet she points at them or tries to grab them. Finally, on this day I took them off and said to her, "do you want to wear your wings while you play?" Ohhhhhh, so sweet. She tried to see them while they were on her back...turning around like a cat does when he is trying to find his tail...which gave me a big laugh. After she figured out she couldn't see them...she forgot about them and played. It was fun seeing her walk around the house with them on.
One of our neighborhood churches creates a big pumpkin patch every year. Over the last couple of weeks there have been signs hanging on the iron fence of the church that read "The pumpkins are coming!" I was so excited to take Ava because last year she was just a month old when they arrived and I never got a chance to get her photo in the patch! So...this year, I was ready! I got her all dressed up and our Cousin Katy Fendrich helped me get Ava situated for her photo shoot. Ava is so serious when she is in a new environment. I couldn't get her to smile because she was just so seriously studying the pumpkins. She liked them though! 
Ava turned one year old on Friday, September 4th. It was such a sweet day. Chris stayed home from work to help me prepare for the weekend festivities - her Birthday party on Saturday morning and her Baptism on Sunday morning. It was a big weekend and I feel so blessed that everything turned out perfectly - despite the scare Friday night when it began to pour rain for over an hour! Several family members and friends joined us to celebrate Ava throughout the weekend - as it was all about her and what a blessing she has been in all of our lives. Friday morning Chris gave Ava her first ever Birthday present to open - one that he picked out special for her - a Dressy Bessy. Growing up, Chris had a Dapper Dan (cute!) and he always loved playing with him. Yep...Ava's daddy had a doll! It was sweet to watch her gently tear the paper. Slowly but surely she got to the box and once we helped her pull Bessy out of the box they were instant friends. 
We celebrated our sweet angel's Birthday and had her Baptised (photos pictured here) this weekend. She was such a good girl with little sleep and lots of activity all weekend. We celebrated her 1st Birthday Saturday morning and she made it through the celebration after having only 45 minutes of her usual two hour morning nap. Her cousins were here with us and they LOVE their Ava. They can't stop touching her. It is absolutely precious to see them together. It is somewhat overwhelming for Ava because they want to carry her and constantly see and be close to her. Thank goodness she was soooo tired this morning (Sunday) after her Baptism that she took a three hour nap despite the (loud) adult and child conversations happening throughout the house. 
We met some friends last night at Waterloo Restaurant on 360. The restaurant is best known for their spectacular outdoor facility - which is perfect for all of the children to run around and play in the sand and on the play scape while the parents enjoy each others company, a drink and dinner. It is very casual and of course, hot! There was plenty of shade and nothing to complain about because it was just so nice visiting with everybody. This was Ava's first adventure to Waterloo and she loved it. She is mobile now and was able to experience the sand box for the first time. It is so fun to see her become aware of all that life has to offer - even the little things. She ate some dirt and got lots of it all over her outfit and in her shoes. The front of her shirt and her bottom were literally black! It is also funny for us to have a little one with us at Waterloo. For years past we have met our friends and their children at Waterloo and this was our first time to have our own little one. Full circle! 
Ava and I were invited to enjoy the Cargoni's home in Rockport for a couple of nights and we brought our friends Kristin and little Fiona with us. Fiona is 7 1/2 months and Ava is 10 1/2. They sat next to each other in the back seat and because this was their first time to have to share car space with anybody they cried from Austin to Luling. Okay, that may not seem a far distance, but the mommy's felt like a stiff drink by that time. One of them would cry and work the other into a frenzy. We laughed because we didn't know what to do! We thought about turning around heading back to Austin, but were determined to hit the coast and relax (very much needed) for a couple of days. Ahhhh, we made it. We had a fabulous time taking walks along Water Street, sipping our coffee on the front porch - watching the sun rise, sitting the girls in the (too) warm ocean water and dinner out on the town. Needless to say, we were all exhausted when we returned home, but had such a wonderful time together. 
Little Miss Ava and I visited Tiffany and Kay at the Texas Facilities Commission (TFC) offices twice this week. We borrowed several strands of pearls from Kay for Ava's first professional photo shoot (photos to come soon). Kay is one of the attorneys for the TFC so we felt like big wigs walking into the Legal Department - especially when on our second visit the receptionist remembered us and just sent us down the hallway on our own. Ava took over the office. The legal department is made up entirely of women (YES!) and they let Ava have run of the place. It was so much fun. I let Tiffany take Ava to meet other people in the office and when I caught up with them she had a du rag on her head - precious. 
Ava and I made a road trip to see Mia Powell who just turned six weeks old. She is absolutely the tiniest thing and so sweet. Her big brother Jack was showing me all of his tricks and Ava loved going through his toy boxes in his big boy bedroom. It is always good to see Chrissy and JP. They recently left Austin for a job in Corpus Christi and then were relocated to San Antonio - one step closer to A-town although we are in SA often and can see them when we are there. We had such a fabulous visit and you could never tell that Chrissy just had a baby. She looks terrific! It was so fun posing the children for this adorable photo and to see it come out so cute!
Ava is about to start walking. She has been standing alone for about a month. Now, she can multi-task while doing it as seen in the one photo where she is standing while playing with her daddy's CD cover. We were in San Antonio yesterday visiting Chrissy and JP Powell (Jack and new addition to the family - sweet little Mia) and they loaned us this push toy. Ava immediately took off in their home and walked all over the place. 
When we were in Dallas for the weekend my sister in law's close friend knitted a precious hat for baby Addison (due to arrive later this month) just like this one and I fell in love with it. She went home, made one for Ava and shipped it to us! It is absolutely precious although Ava isn't enjoying it at the moment and not at all appreciative of the special gift custom made for her sweet little head. Get used to it little Ava - come fall you will be sporting it!
W
e celebrated Chris for the weekend! Yep...he got the full weekend deal for his first Father's Day. We surprised him with imported beer and dark chocolates on Friday, a Turkish espresso maker Saturday morning and breakfast in bed Sunday morning - complete with eggs, bacon, fruit, grilled zucchini and squash, pancakes, mimosa, coffee and V8 juice. Then, Ava and Chris relaxed while they laid in bed to catch up on the latest in sports and celebrity gossip. It is so sweet to see them together. There is nothing better in life than to see my baby and her daddy together. I love to see their bond and how they interact with each other. Ava stood in the window looking at him while he worked in the backyard Saturday morning. Who knew a little angel would bring us so much joy - it is beyond belief. We are fortunate to celebrate Ava every day and to share her little milestones together as a family. 
We spent the weekend in Dallas with the Hajdu side of the family. We celebrated the pending arrival of Addison Elizabeth Hajdu - due in late July to Scott and Amy K. Hajdu and big brother, Austen who recently turned three. We had a fabulous time. Ava got to spend much needed time with her cousins, Aunts and Uncles and her Mimi and Bopa. They haven't seen her since Christmas when she was only three months old. Chris and his brother Mark took Ava and her cousin Jack to the museum Saturday while the girls celebrated Amy K. at a baby shower. Ava loved the museum! With Jack's help she excitedly interacted with gadgets that made up the children's exhibit and even crawled through a life (kid) size ant maze. I think the photo featured here with Ava and her cousin Jack is precious. He is on his knees and she is standing next to him while he shows her how to work the puzzle. There is nothing more adorable than being with your cousins! 
We finally had time over the Memorial Day weekend to take Ave on the boat. We didn't sail but we put her in the water with her daddy and she loved it. Chris said that she kicked her feet the entire time. We had 70 SPF on her, a 50 SPF rash guard shirt, floaties on her arms, a sun hat and a float that had a special layer under it. We were very prepared! And, we had other life gear with us that we didn't use. I was still nervous about her being in the water, but can tell she is going to love, love, love it. And, her daddy took very good care of her as they swam and enjoyed their first of many times in the lake together! 
Ava is most interested in everything, but her toys. Books, CD's, cabinets, fringe decorated pillows and couches seem to be much more interesting. She recently discovered toilet paper. She had been eyeing the role in the bathroom for several weeks, but couldn't reach it until recently. This morning she tore up a dictionary and yesterday she tore up a CD cover of her daddy's...and he did notice it no longer existed. She is crawling all over the house. I am constantly chasing her and redirecting her. She pulls up on everything! She is very much into exploring her home - that is not baby proof and has lots and lots of things that are interesting to tear apart and put in her mouth! 
I met Sarah when she was attending Travis HS in South Austin. She has long been an advocate for children's health issues and when she was not even a teenager began lobbying our State Legislature to strengthen laws and penalties for individuals caught selling tobacco to minors. She was also well know for helping local advocates pass the original 1994 City of Austin ordinance that restricts smoking in public places. Yea! A girl after my own heart. Her attention to these issues so many years ago has allot to do with why reducing the influence of tobacco is a priority in our community and why we have one of the strongest city ordinances in the state restricting smoking in public places. I have always loved and admired her vision, enthusiasm and forward thinking. She graduated from Travis HS at the tender age of 16 and left Texas to attend Stanford University. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Biology and a Master of Arts in Education Policy she was accepted as a Rhodes Scholar and is currently half way through pursuing her Doctorate at Oxford University. When she comes to Austin to visit her parents it is so nice to see her. The last time we saw each other I was eight months pregnant. This time, she got to meet Ava who is eight months old.
My first Mother's (Day) Weekend celebration was fabulous. Yes...Chris and I decided to take the "Day" out of Mother and Father's Day and make it "Weekend" instead. My weekend celebration began when Ava and I walked into the house Friday following our afternoon walk. Fresh flowers, gummi bears (one of my all time favorites) and four Mommy Coupons were sitting on the counter. Mommy Coupons are redeemable at anytime. One coupon is good for a dinner cooked by the daddy - including the shopping and clean up. One coupon is good for a fabulous back rub - no matter how tired the daddy is! The third coupon is good for a day of pedicure, shopping and relaxation without little Ava in tow AND a coupon for one all night free of baby duty. WOW! I woke up Saturday morning with a beautiful package to open. It was a necklace with a framed charm of an adorable photo of Ava in it, her birthstone, a charm with her name and another charm with the letter "H". I really love it! I woke up Sunday morning to a fabulous cup of coffee followed by breakfast in bed. The menu: fresh mango, free range egg served in a homemade tortilla, buttermilk pancakes with syrup (yum!) and free range crispy pork bacon. Chris bathed Ava every night over the weekend...including Sunday, played with her most of the day and handled all of her feedings. By Sunday evening, Ava did not feel that it was necessary to come to me. I said "come to mommy", but she did not budge. We laughed because this has never happened before. She stayed in her daddy's arms and let him put her to bed. It was adorable. I absolutely love that they are buddies and that I had the most fabulous weekend ever! 
