Ava's Best Friend Forever!

Here is Ava's BFF - Lily! Lily came to visit a few weeks ago and we had so much fun with her. She is crawling around and pulling herself up. She will be walking before you know it! She even gave Sophie some exercise chasing after her. It was destiny that they were to be best friends - they have the same outfit!

My future floral assistant?

A budding artist in the making...

A visit from the Grandma's!

Ava was so lucky to be able to see three of her Grandma's over the last three weeks. I think they thoroughly enjoyed holding her and spoiling her as much as she did!

Here is a picture of my Mom or Emme (Finnish for Grandmother).

Here is a picture of Pete's Mom or Bapcia (Polish for Grandmother).

And, here is a pic of Brenda or Oma (German for Grandmother).

What a happy baby!

Ava has started smiling - A LOT! I was able to capture several of her smiles yesterday after her 3.5 hour nap. This just shows you how well she is doing now that I have adjusted my diet. What a cutie!

Not so good dr. apptointment...

Well, I listened to my Mother's intuition and took Ava to the pediatricia for her non-stop fussiness. Everyone kept telling me that she was just a newborn and newborns cry. Well, I knew something was up. So, after listening to her symptoms, the doctor decided to test some of her stool. Turns out, she has a dairy and soy allergy. Since I am nursing, I have to cut all dairy and soy out of my diet. Sure, sounds easy enough - just don't eat milk and cheese. Well, little did I know that soy is found in everything! Soy/Soybean oil is used in salad dressings, mayonnaise, crackers, granola bars, soups, bread, etc. And, of course dairy is used in all the good stuff - cookies and ice cream. :-) After a defeated trip up and down the grocery store aisles, I have found some staples to get me through the next 10+ months. I am committed to nursing so I will just have to make this work. If we were to even think about putting her on formula, of course due to the allergy she would require a special kind of formula that is extremely expensive.

So, with all of that being said, I have been dairy/soy free since Friday and we have noticed an immediate change in Ava's disposition! And, her eating and sleeping patterns have improved. She slept 6 hours straight last night (this deserves a post of it's own!).

Luckily, the pediatrician said that there is a very good chance that when she gets older she will not have this intolerance to dairy/soy. Of course we will need to introduce new foods to her very slowly to make sure there is no allergic reaction.

So, that is where we are. It will be tough, but it is something that must be done!

Family Photos!

Here are some pictures from our first family photo session. The fact that we got so many great photos is amazing because Ava was crying practically the whole time. Most of these were taken in between crying sessions!

Sophie Gets Jealous...

Of all the attention Ava is getting.

Ava discovers herself in the mirror!

Ava has never enjoyed bath time - until she discovered herself in the mirror! And, look at that tiny little leg and toes!

1 Month Old!

Ava didn't really want to cooperate for this picture. Something pissed her off majorly. Either it was me, or it looks like Arnold might be grabbing her butt!