The Journey of Our Little Girls

Update!

2010-08-12T23:11:00.004-04:00

First off, What happened to my blog? I can't seem to fix it! Not liking the "new templates"!

Wow! It's been a while. I don't even know where to start. Phil and I are now living in Madison, WI, and we love it here! There is soooo much to do all the time! Since my last post we moved. After months of searching for a home, we finally found a house! Let me tell you..that was hard! The homes in Madison were so much different then what we were use to. Not to mention that Madison is huge so it took us forever to figure out which part was good...like schools and the area. As of June 1 we have had our house and are really enjoying it besides for all the updates. Oh yea...and the pricing of homes and property taxes are much higher then Indiana's. So let's just say I am glad the house searching has ended. We were actually considering building, but the home would have taken too long to build so we would have had to switch apartments and then move again into the house. So we just decided to buy a home that was 10 years old and update it ourselves...haha...I can laugh now! Because that is no easy process! So far we have put new carpet in through the whole house...Thanks so much, Dad! We tore out the vinyl flooring and put in tile. We have painted rooms galore. The color chose for this house was awful! We have cleaned and cleaned, hung cabinets, made shelving for closed, and garage, treated the yard, pullled tons of weeds, moved furniture, and now we are in the process of tearing up the base trim and replacing it with white trim, and also buying new doors for the house. Which brings me to my next point. The houses in Madison all have oak or maple trim. We rarely saw a house with white trim and converting htis house to white is a PAIN! The slab doors they sell for the house have to be molded and painted. Basically buying an old home takes a ton of time! If you can buy a new house in your price range. I would totally do it. Oh yea...we got all new appliances and our water softener broke! Madison has really hard water all the homes have softeners. Anyways..enough about that! We owe a huge thank you to our parents for helping us get the house ready. My mom and and Phil's mom came to help paint one week and we about went nuts after painting so much but we fun staying up until 3! haha Helen also came back down to help with the girls for a week while Phil did a camp in Chicago. Thank you so much for your help, mamas!

About the girls! They are as darling as ever and I love every minute with them even though some times I do need a break! Ava can make Mia laugh hysterically...so cute. Ava just had her first dentist appointment yesterday. Phil's brother is a dentist in FW but I wanted to take her somewhere in Madison just in case she chips her tooth or something so I have someone to call plus the pediatric dentists have all the fun kid stuff. She checked out great, and only has 4 more teeth to go. Ava loves doing her puzzles, she could do them all day. She is also a mother hen. Constantly unbuttoning Mia's clothes and pulling off her diaper. She is talking all the time which is so cute. I love it. She tells me when she and Mia needs their diapers changed...haha..today we went and toured a preschool for next fall :( She is getting so big! She is still a really good eater, and loves to play outside. Yesterday she finally blew hard enough to blow her bubbles..:) She also likes to help me cook. I can sit her on the counter and she is a big help. She also hands me the dishes out of the dishwasher to put away. She is really trying hard to put on her own shoes. She has gotten it a couple of times but still struggles with it. She is a little sponge always watching what we are doing.

Miss Mia just got her first tooth two days ago! She was a little fussy but not much at all. She is not sleeping through the night. I'm convinved I don't produce good sleepers. Mia use to be very laid back, just kind of hung out and watched Ava. Well not anymore. She wants to be apart of it all. It is so cute. She wants to sit up all the time and watch everything. She has also gotten very vocal. Coo's all the time. She does roll over from her stomach to back but not from her back to stomach. She is not a big fan of rolling over. Ava wasn't either. She enjoys sitting in her exersaucer and bumbo. During her 4 month check up she was on the 55% for weight and 85% for height. She is really long and skinny. Ava will have her two year soon. Mia loves everyone and smiles all the time. WHen I go to the store I stick Mia in the Bjorn carrier...she just smiles at everyone even when they aren't looking at her...haha

Both girls are adjusting really well with the move, and are already use to our new home. We have found so many things to do here. We enjoy going to the waterparks, parks, storytimes, swim classes, butterfly gardens, zoo, and taking walks along the pretty lakes. When I get more time I will post more pics. Other then that we have been extremely busy! Phil is home this weekend so we are going to go live it up in Madison for the weekend and enjoy our time at home.

I will update more often, now that we are getting settled! Here is a pic of me with the girls at my moms. We spent a good amount of time In FW this summer!

Mia's One Month Photoshoot with Sissy Ava

2010-05-04T14:23:00.005-04:00

Ava and Mia went in to take a photoshoot for Mia's One Month pictures last weekend. Both girls did a great job under the spotlight. Ava seemed to be a bit of a natural in front of the camera. It was so hard to pick out the best pictures of the girls so of course we paid for the whole CD. Ava really loves her little sister and is being such a good little helper to Mommy. Everyone's schedule seems to be coming together in terms of nap time, bed time, etc.

On a side note, I want to wish my beautiful wife a happy Mother's Day this weekend. Her ability to mother these two little girls is so amazing. It seems as though she is the only one in the world that understands baby talk. With no breaks, and no time for herself, Kristal never complains about help or wanting to do something different. The only thing she truly cares about is loving her family and lucky enough that includes me. I love you baby, pretty soon we will have time alone, I promise.

Happy Mother's Day to our mothers back home as well......

Ava loves to hold Mia

2010-04-15T22:45:00.002-04:00

It has been 3 weeks and Ava is finally able to hold Mia. Ava understands she cannot grab her or touch her face, however, the video will show Ava' newest thing, grabbing her pacifier. Ava absolutely loves Mia and wants to hold her all the time. Luckily the dog keeps her busy or else I don't think Mia would ever get a break. All things considered, we are very lucky to have two beautiful healthy girls that are going to grow up and be so close in age, hopefully best friends.

Mia saw the doctor today for her 3 week checkup. She is now 9 lbs and is 75th percentile in both hight and weight. The doc says she is perfect! Enjoy the video and we will try our best to keep this blog updated......

mama...mia...mama...mia...mama...mia

2010-04-10T17:52:00.004-04:00

That is all Ava has on her mind!! She runs around constantly saying..mama...mia! It is too cute. She LOVES her sister so much she literally can't get her off of her mind! Ava is still learning to be gently and has gotten a lot better! I still can't leave the baby down on the floor or anything like that, because Ava will try to pick her up or grab at her head.

Have I mentioned yet how these two girls are completely opposite? Mia is very laid back. She only cries when she wants to eat. Ava was much more fussy. I never knew how hard I had it with her. Mia does eat every 3 hours, but with Ava I could never wait the three hours. Ava has a very dominant personality where as Mia does not...at least yet! Mia mainly sleeps and eats!

Ava is still growing like a weed! She is in a 2T, Mia is in 3 month sleepers! She out grew the newborn ones! Those did not last long! A whopping 2 weeks! Ava is also talking a lot more...we were in the car. Ava goes "mama..I want to eat" haha..she loves her food and babas! I never weened them from her because I knew it would backfire when Mia came. Plus it is something that comforts her. She never got hooked on a blankie or pacifier so she got hooked on bottles when I quit nursing her. Mia loves her pacis!

Mia after her first bath

My blue-eyed girl!

Mia in her 3 month sleeper!

Miss Ava has really long hair~

Completely passed out!

Pig tails

My mama and MiaHer arms too long for newborn!

Mia Catherine

2010-03-29T23:21:00.011-04:00

Welcome home Mia! She was born Thursday, March 25, 2010 at 8:35 a.m. She weighed 7lb. 14 oz!! My big baby! She was 20 3/4 inches long. We checked in the hospital around 3:30 a.m.. At that point I was 4-5 cm dilated. The day before I had my ob appointment and I was 3 cm. The contractions with her were not as bad as the ones I had with Ava. With Ava they were more intense and faster. This time they were more relaxed. I kept waiting for them to get worse and they never did. Around 6 cm I decided to get an epidural, not so much for the pain but I thought if something went wrong, I might as well get it. The epidural only took on one side so I felt everything on one side. Which was kind of nice because I knew when to push and I knew when she had dropped. This labor was not bad at all. The whole experience was kind of like deja vu beacuse Ava was born at 8:32 in the morning, and I went into the hospital at the same time. The only difference were the contractions and how I dilated.

Mia is doing really well at home. She is a good sleeper and eats really well. The pediatrician says she is perfect :) She got rated a 10 when she came out. They must love those big babies..lol..The only time she fusses is when she is hungry. Let's just hope it stays this way.

Ava LOVES her sister. As you all know she is obssessed with babies so this process was really easy. The hard part is trying to get her to be gentle. She wants to pick up Mia and hold her but she is way to rough so we have been struggling to find a way to keep up the baby. Miss Ava wants to be her little mom. Ava knows she can't touch the baby but can kiss the baby so she wants to kiss her all the time.

Daddy and his girls

Sleepy baby

The diaper changes have begun!

Our attempt to get a family pic...haha..you get what you get

Daddy and Mia

Momma and Mia

My blue-eyed baby!

Very peaceful!

Sooo many changes!

2010-03-08T23:17:00.004-05:00

Last time I wrote...we didn't have any plans..our life was up in the air! Now we are somewhat settled in Madison, Wisconsin. Phil was offered a coaching job up here so we decided to accept the offer! We have been here for about 2 weeks, and really like it. There is so much more to do here then in Bloomington. I am looking forward to the summer with the pretty lakes! When Phil took the job our insurance changed...to save a lot of money we had to have the baby here in WI. Otherwise the insurance plans were off the charts expensive! So...we had to get here as soon as possible to find doctors and so forth. Our house in Bloomington sold, we close on April 15. Once that sells we are going to buy a house here in Madison. In the meantime we rented an apartment to get somewhat settled before the baby comes. SO yes, I was 36 weeks pregnant packing up a house, driving to Madison to find an apartment, and then cleaning a huge house, saying good bye to old memories, and off in the car for 6 hours to Madison!! What a couple weeks it has been! We are finally getting settled here with most of our stuff in storage. Don't get me wrong...it has been hard...not having family to help move, unpack, get ready for baby. I am really proud of Phil and I...doing it all ourselves. My parents did help pack up some things, and watched Ava so I could come to Madison to find an apartment. FOr the most part we have been on our own which is difficult! We do miss having family and help around.

I just got a bunch of clothes washed for the baby as well as the carseat, and pack n play. The apartment is decently sized...a 2 bedroom, with a den, and 2 bathrooms. With most of our stuff in storage it is pretty spacious. I did find an OB, and we toured the hospital so now it is time to wait as we are 37 weeks along!

How is Ava doing? Really well! She has really taken the move very well! I think she likes the apartment better because it is one level so she always knows where I am at. She is such a toddler now it really amazes me how fast time goes.

A little bit about Ava: In the past month she has really gotten into her puzzles and is really good, she still loves her babies a TON, she runs every where, loves to dance on the elevators lol (thanks to hotel stays), says hi to everyone, loves to play outside, wants to always take lexy on a walk holding the leash, likes to stare at people, loves to eat spaghetti, avocadoes, strawberries, and yogurt, likes to shut the doors and open them to play peek a boo, still hides when she goes potty, is getting her third molar, likes to take off her diapers and shirts, loves to ride her horse, loves to play with cups, lids, and straws, repeats everything we say, loves going to storytime, very demanding when she wants something, calls Lexy-ayah, and loves to play rough on the bed with daddy!

During our wait time with the coaching jobs...we decided to take a little trip to Southern Cali! The weather and views are amazing out there! We loooved it! During our stay we spent a night downtown San Diego and then stayed in Temecula with Phil's uncle and aunt. They were awesome hosts as we went swimming, went to farmers markets, and went to Disneyland. We had an amazing time except for that Ava got sick the 2nd day we were there. That was kind of a bummer because she kept getting a little worse every day. I thought for sure she would fight it off, she always fought off her other colds, but this one was different. The night before our flight took off her fever went to 102 so I decided to take her to the doctor. Poor Ava had an ear infection so they put her on Amoxicillin. Her first antibiotic! I felt so bad because all week we had been so busy, she had a terrible cough, and probably felt awful. The next day we had to fly out so I made sure she had tylenol and motrin during the plan ride, but for the most part she slept on the plane. Although, through out the week her cough would get so bad she would throw up....at least every night...and of course she got in a coughing spell on the plane...and threw up! Luckily I brought a change of clothes, but poor baby...i felt awful!!! The next week we spent resting in Bloomington at home until we had to move! Now she is all better and back to her normal self. There is something so heart wrenching when your baby feels under the weather and doesn't act the same!

We will try to keep everyone updated as the due date is March 28! Last week she told me my cervix was thinning out...we all know what that means!! Now it's time to see what are going to do when I do go into labor because my mom is 5 hours away. Phil's mom is coming to stay the last week in March, but I'm pretty sure she will be here by then! As far as names....we are still unsure. Probably Zoe or Alivia...but we will see. The past two months have been crazy!! I really hope the rest of the year will settle down for us. Enough has happened already...it seems like it has been a year. HA! Keep us in your prayers!! As we know he has plans for us!

Hot tub....beautiful views!

Loved to throw the sand

Meeting Goofy...haha

Disneyland

Blowing bubbles

She has it right....running to the beautiful beach!

Pics

2010-02-08T21:51:00.002-05:00

Backyard fun before we left

Sharing her boots with Braden

Eating a popsicle with Lexy!

Lot's of Changes

2010-02-08T08:37:00.004-05:00

Since my last post, we have had a lot of changes. The Head Coach for Indiana recently got fired leaving the assistants out of jobs as well. The new head coach they hired brought their own staff so...we put the house up for sale and moved to Fort Wayne! We are currently staying with Phil's mom until we figure out where we are going. Lucky for us the house has already sold! The closing date isn't until April 15 so we still have some time. Phil should know within the next week or so where he is going to be in the coaching world! Got to love being a coaches wife...no stress at all! It has been fun having Phil home! I get to run a lot more errands easily!

As far as the pregnancy...we are having a girl!!! Such over due news!!! Sorry! We are due March 28...perfect timing?!! haha no! So as far as the baby...I may end up staying in FW to have the baby so I can have help with family or we may try and move our stuff before..not too sure what we are doing yet. Since the house does not close until April 15, we don't really want to sign or buy anything the mean time. So we still have to decide what we are going to do.

Ava is doing awesome! She really has started to talk which is sooo fun and cute! She loves having her Grandmas, Grandpas, Cousins, Aunts, and Uncles close by. She couldn't get more attention! Since our move back she has gotten 4 new teeth! Fun, Fun!! Everyday is full of fun for her! Except for Phil and I just got over the stomach flu which was AWFUL!!! Luckily though Ava did not catch it!

On Thursday we are leaving for California. We decided that we needed to get a way for a little bit. The three of us are leaving Thursday and coming back Wednesday. When we get back I will update with pics. We should also have an answer by then...we should know where we will be living. Well safe travels to me at 34 weeks, and Miss Ava who will probably get bored to death on the plane!

Video Finally uploaded!!

2009-10-27T19:02:00.002-04:00

Here is a video of Ava and talking.

18 Weeks and 13 Months

2009-10-27T18:17:00.004-04:00

Alot has happened since my last post. As of right now we are 18 weeks! Crazy to think we are almost half way there. This Sunday we will be 19 weeks. Monday, November 2, my Birthday, we will find out the sex of the baby. We have our appointment at 9 a.m. What a wonderful start to my day! Most importantly we pray that baby is healthy! I called the doc today and asked if they had any cancellations this week for ultrasounds and she said no! I tried to make my appointment this week a month ago and they didn't have anything open. So one more week...It's amazing how much faster things go the second time. I can already feel him/ her kick. Seems like I just found out I was pregnant.

We would also like to congratulate Steve and Cynthia! They welcomed sweet little Sebastian into this world on October 7. He was 8.5 lbs and 20.5 inches long. We drove home the following weekend to see him. Cynthia's due date was on the 2nd so she was almost a week late and boy was he ready to come out. He had little flub on his arms, long finger nails wrapping around his finger, and full cheeks. He was so filled out it was adorable! Poor Cynthia was in labor for like 19 hours until they finally did a C-Section. Her recovery has gone really well, it is just a lot more difficult to do things then a vaginal birth. We wish her well! Her parents have been there from Brazil helping her out, cooking, cleaning, watching little Sebastian. They will sure miss that help!

Moving on...I'm officially done breastfeeding. I dried up my milk last week. To wean her, I started mixing breastmilk and formula when she was 11 months, and then took it real slow. 2 months later I am done! She loves her cow's milk now! She would drink bottles all day if I would let her. She has 3 a day right now. She still has 8 teeth. She get's into everything!!! I feel like my life is the front cover of "I love you forever", because literally, she is into everything! Plant dirt, Lexy's food bowls, toilet paper, cupboards, refrigerator, cabinets, and drawers. Every time I turn around I have a mess to clean up. Ava is starting to vocalize a lot more. It is cute to see how much she understands when we talk. When we say certain things she will go do them. For a while now when she poop's, she will go and hide, and then come back with a diaper. She does not like sitting in dirty diapers!

Steve with his son

The youngest and littlest Presser boy's...haha

Ava meeeting her cousin, not sure what to think! Wanting to go walk around.
Eating at Takaoka, my favorite Japanese Steak House...thinking Ava liked it?! lol

Ava loves to climb...trying to get one of Steve's paintings...good painter!
Sweet little Sebastian. Such cute little features like his mama!

Ava having a good time in Sebastians convertible

Mad because she wanted to be outside. She LOVES to play outside.
My lil cuties!

We love the fall!

2009-10-06T19:40:00.004-04:00

I absolutely love the fall weather! It makes our morning walks so much more enjoyable and pretty. The trees are so beautiful to see. One thing about this fall that is really upsetting is that Hilger's in Fort Wayne shut down. Every fall I loved taking my brother and sister there, and was so excited to take Ava there. That was def a bummer!! The good news is that next fall they are suppose to re-open so I am so looking forward to that, and she will have cousins to accompany her, and a baby brother or sister!!! Enjoy our picks as we love pumpkins and leaves. So much to explore in the fall!!

Any day now Steve and Cynthia will be having Sebastian. Keep them in your prayers as we hope for a safe and pain free delivery!!

Aunt Gabby and Ava

Playing at Grandma Helen's

Investigating the leaves

Big stretch

Still loves her babies

Getting ready to leave for Kindermusik, and had to go out in the rain.

Vote!

2009-10-06T14:35:00.001-04:00

To the right of the screen you can vote on whether you think our second baby will be a boy or girl. We'd love to see what you think!

Pregnant Again!

2009-09-30T17:57:00.002-04:00

The day Ava turned 10 months old..I was late...sure enough baby #2 was in the making! Our due date is March 28, 2010. During our 8 week ultrasound everything measured out great. The baby's heart rate was 145. This pregnancy has gone by so much faster then with Ava. I can't believe we are coming up on 15 weeks. The other Presser girls, Marcia and Cynthia are also pregnant. Grandparents couldn't be more then excited to have their first Grandkids from all of us! Cynthia, Steve's wife is due any day. Marcia, Rich's wife, is due mid- April. We are so happy for them as well as Ava! She will finally have some cousins to play with!! Steve is having a boy and naming him Sebastian. In the mean time they were living with Rachel and Dick..until they found a house. They sure miss having them at their house! Steve and Cynthia also moved to Fort Wayne and bought a nice home! They have been really busy getting it ready for the baby. They have been showered with lot's of help and food...I'm sure they are happy!

So far besides for some nausea and being tired the pregnancy has been fairly easy. Not too many complaints! I am still nursing Ava...trying to stop, but it has been hard. That is how I get her to sleep. She does take bottles and formula now which is great. My next step is getting her off of formula and on to cow's milk. The doctor said I need to quit breastfeeding at 20 weeks so we will see! Well, that's the prego update! Love everyone and hope all is well!

Ava is 1!!

2009-09-23T18:29:00.008-04:00

So I am skipping out on facebook tonight to update my blog...haha. Seriously though, Where does time go?? Last weekend was crazy to say the least, but Ava and I drove to a wedding in Indy on Saturday and then drove to Fort Wayne on Sunday to celebrate her Birthday which was on Monday. Helen, Phil's mom, held her Birthday Party at her house! Which was awesome for us. She did an amazing job getting everything ready. I don't know what we would have done without her. We had a wonderful time with our family and friends. Ava did a good job with all her little friends. I am so glad everyone came and was able to spend some time with us. Ava is one lucky little girl. Ava had her one year check-up and weighed 22 pounds (50th percentile) and I don't remember her height..I am thinking 29 inches but it was 50th-75th percentile. She is definitely a growing girl who loves her food. Ava also loves her babies, Lexy, balls, making messes, going throught drawers and cabinets, playing with our spices, babbling non-sense that she thinks is funny, walking, climbing in and out of things, playing outside, going on stroller rides, and I am sure much more!

Here is Ava during our trip to South Bend.

Swimming with daddy

Fell asleep on one of our morning walks.

Precious little face

Birthday morning eating pancakes with dada

yum

One of her new faces..lol

Birthday girl!

Helen did a great job decorating!

Mama, dada, with our sweet baby!

Birthday cake

Singing happy birthday

Ava's friends Brady and Addison

Eating her cake

Reading cards

Loving her presents

Pregnant Presser Mama's! Yep, surprise we are pregnant!

Crazy Busy!

2009-09-07T12:36:00.002-04:00

Honestly we have been so busy the past month and half..I haven't had time to do anything for myself! I can't wait until things settle down. Last month we drove to FW every weekend, and unfortunately it carried over to September. Phil's season started late August so next weekend we are going to head to South Bend for Phil's games. That will be our last trip for about 2 weeks until Ava's Birthday! My little baby is getting ready to turn one.

About Ava she is doing awesome besides for her sleeping..haha..I just pray about that several times a day. She is now walking all over and loves it! She truly thinks she is big stuff. When she starts to walk she turns around and looks at you...waiting for a response. I'm going to put a video up soon...or as soon as this blog will let me! She just broke another tooth on the bottom so she has 4 on top and three on the bottom. Her biting other kids has gotten better...it's weird though...she only tries to bite certain kids. She gets really excited and while she is hugging them she tries to squeeze in a bite. Which is so weird to me that she even does it because she has never been around other kids that do it. She does it all on her own! SHe still loves food and will eat most of anything. Her favorite food seems to be tomatoes she will eat a tomato in no time. Which is funny because I don't care for them. Pictures and video to come soon!

July 4- Fort Wayne- Lot's of pics!

2009-07-15T11:46:00.010-04:00

For the 4th of July we all went back to Fort Wayne. We were home Thursday through Saturday night! We had a great time with everyone but we were ready to get home! Ava slept ALOT Sunday and Monday. I think she is just getting caught up on sleep! She was actually sleeping through the night at home, which was awesome. Of course that didn't last long.

Ava is still cruising along. She loves to walk when you hold her hands. She also walks with one of her walkers. Recently, she has been somewhat fussy. Her fifth tooth is going to come through any day now. Ava gets in Lexy's water and food bowl daily. We are having a hard time with that so we have just been putting it up. She thinks it's there for her to play with, and with the food..no clue. She will eat Lexy's food but not her sweet potatoes which use to be her favorite food.

Ava had a lot of fun in the lake and in the pool. She loves to be in the water as well as Lexy. We had a great time seeing family. Steve and Cynthia were home. They moved back to Fort Wayne, and bought a beautiful home with a swimming pool. Ava will have fun swimming with Sebastian!

While we were home we tried visiting as many people as we could, but it seems to get harder every time. Still we had a great time with everyone! Thank you so much for everything you did for us! Here are some pics from our time home.

Time for me to get off and start packing again. Ava and I are heading back to FW this weekend. Phil has a Bachelor party in St. Louis to attend. His best friend, Rob, is getting married!

Playing with her cell phone.

Bath time at Grandma's

Grandma Helen bought Ava a beautiful outfit but she would not wear the hat so we put it on Lexy.

Blowing bubbles with Lauren.

Napping with daddy on the hammock at the lake.

Pretty sure I see drool..:)

Looking off the pontoon into the sunset.

Eating some food while Gigi cuddles with my cute baby feet.

Yummy milk.

Driving with Papa..he looks thrilled...haha

Not too sure about that goat sucking my finger!

Playing with a gong

The infamous egg picture!

Riding on the carousel.

The wet rainforest.

Feeding giraffes close up!

Looking at lions with my Grandma!

Ava still loves to pull hair..lol..

Lexy really wants some love..

Walking around at a park

Hanging out with Uncle Steve

Trying on sunglasses at Grandma Helen's

In daddy's old walker...I think it's still safe :)

Snoozing away with Jomo..loved the hammocks.

My brother and sister tubing

Swimming with Uncle Steve

and daddy! Ava is thinking about something with her finger in her mouth. Whenever she is unsure about something..she has her finger in her mouth.

9 Month Check-Up

2009-06-30T19:47:00.005-04:00

Today Ava had her 9 month check-up. My baby girl is getting so big so fast :(
Ava weighed 20 lbs. (75% percentile), and was 29 inches long (90-95%). Ava had to get two shots..I felt so bad...the nurse bent her legs over the counter, and mashed them down with her stomach. Immediately Ava started crying I felt so bad...that had to kill. She cried more from that then from the shots. This lady did awful a while back so I scheduled my appt. on a dif day hoping that she wouldn't be there, it worked once, but this time she was there. I forgot to get her name so I know when not to schedule her appts. It is so frusturating..some nurses don't have any empathy!!!! Developmentally she was at the age of a 15 month old.

This past week Ava has really started to get around. The other day we were all in the basement. Phil was watching a soccer game..I told him I was going upstairs to watch Ava I would be right back down. A couple minutes later I came down the steps to see her on the 4th! I immediately screamed Phil and threw the toy down the steps to get her. I was so shocked to see her on the stairs all by herself. She also climbs up furniture, as well as my leg, to get things. She has stood by herself a couple of times. So basically I am shocked at how fast babies pick up once they start crawling. I feel like I can't keep up with her baby book! I try to write everything down, but my oh my every day she is doing something new.

This past weekend we celebrated Phil's Birthday. My mom drove down to watch Ava and I surprised Phil with a little trip to Oliver Winery and then dinner. I ended up having to tell him because my mom was late, and I thought we missed the tour and tasting. Luckily we ended up only missing the tour. We had a good time getting out except for Phil was exhausted. He has been doing camp the past two weeks Sunday through Thursday working from 7 a.m. - 11 p.m. In the mean time Ava and I have been staying busy by going to the pool, taking walks, going to the park, shopping, and so forth. My friend Ashley came for a visit with her baby Addison. We had fun with them.

Checking out her baby.Me at Oliver Winery

Ava loves swimming.

Ava loves giving kisses
Snuggling with daddy giving someone the finger...lol..she always does this with her middle finger

She loves to go through purses and bags. Daddy's Birthday cupcakes..

Still loves to chew anything paper.

Visiting daddy on his actual Birthday at work.

All the boys at camp...she was def outnumbered in the staff lounge.

She loves her swing.
Her two top teeth!

This huge bug I found in our house! Truly grossed me out. I don't mind killing spiders and ants but this thing was huge...this pic does not do justice. All of these pics were taken by our old camera because we lost the charger to our new one. I guess I need to buy a new one because I haven't found it yet!

We have a crawler!

2009-06-15T20:39:00.003-04:00

The day of our anniversary (June 1) Ava started crawling. We couldn't have asked for a better anniversary present. That evening Phil and I and Ava spent the evening at home. Phil and I are still contemplating on finding a babysitter in Bloomington. It is so hard to trust a college student, but we do need some date nights.

Ava is now crawling all over the place. She is also waving bye bye and hi. Two days ago she cut her two top teeth so she now has four teeth. She can also stand up from crawling. Tonight she was standing up using Phil's legs. She is one determined little girl. Ava also still has her love for baby dolls. She grabs her baby doll and kisses it and squeezes it. Anytime we are at the store she she gets sooo excited everytime she sees a baby or kid. She loves other kids. She also loves her dadda and momma. Ava is a really good baby. The past couple of days she has been a little fussy because she broke some teeth and got a shot! Other then that she a really happy little girl. We are so proud and blessed to have a healthy little girl who is flying through her milestones! I can't keep up! I can't imagine two!

Determined Ava!

Ava and daddy taking a nap.

Ava's room...we finally got it done! We still have to add pics and her letters :)

8 Months- An Intrepid Explorer

2009-06-01T08:29:00.016-04:00

11 days ago Ava turned 8 months! It truly amazes me to think I had her 8 months ago. I wish I could stop the clock. She cut her first tooth May 1 and her second tooth May 20. Ava is not crawling yet but gets on all fours, rocks, and moves backwards. She can also climb to her knees up onto my lap! :)

Since writing the above paragraph yesterday...Ava started crawling last night! Amazing! She develops so quickly. I knew it was going to be any day but no clue it was going to be the same day. We got a couple of videos. I will try posting them within the next couple of days. Ava is still a good eater and loves to eat her Summer Vegetable Dinner, and Pasta Dinner. Those are her two favorites. She likes her veges more then fruit. For snacks she loves eating bananas, (not the baby food) saltine crackers, and the Gerber Graduate Wheels. Most of the time I give her bits and pieces of what I am eating. She really likes guacamole! I have to pick out the chunks of avocados...who knows what those onions may do. I just recently tried yo-baby yogurt but she is not a fan. Ava still gets up in the night...I am so over it, but oh well!

Here is Ava with her teething biscuit.

Ava investigates everything!

Checking out the texture.

Lexy can't wait for her to drop it..she loves her teething biscuits.

Ava scooted to the magazines..she likes eating paper..and tearing it.

The weekend before memorial weekend..we flew to Atlanta to see my dad. Phil also did some recruiting. Ava snoozed after being awake all morning traveling to Indy. We had to wake her up at 4:30 a.m. for a flight at 7 a.m.

The intercoms were loud...the pilot scared her and woke her. We still had 30 more min. she could have used the sleep!
Time to swim!

Hanging out with my sisters!

Getting Rosy's paw! At first she was scared of this tiny dog...I think she was scared because she doesn't look like Lexy,

Swimming with dad.

I bought her some cute swim suits...but she would rather swim nude.

Dada trying to play some horse and watch me at the same time.

My dad's way of putting Madison's hair back so she didn't get her hair all messy.

Madison loved holding Ava. She was adamant about getting her to walk. She did not understand why Ava would not walk. Madison is in 1st grade going on to 2nd. This is why she thinks Ava can't walk..here's the story...

M-"I think I know why Ava can't walk."

K-Oh, really? Why is that?"

M-"Well you know...she's a little fff."

K-No, I don't know...she can't walk because she is too young."

M-"I can't say it because it will hurt her feelings." "She's a little, you know, fffaaa."

Finally she told me Ava can't walk because she is too fat..haha..poor little Ava.:)

Taylor made us a splendid welcome sign!

Made dad has a wii, so one night we were all playing bowling, and we all beat him. So he decided that we really needed to go bowling to see how good we were really were...haha can you say competitive? He beat us all haha...I beat him at the wii though!

Ava with my dad testing out the sleep number beds.

Ava LOVES baby dolls!

Not very happy

8 Months to the day!

Trying real hard to get a puff.

Her new baby pool...she loves it!

My mom and sister came down to visit us Memorial weekend...Phil was gone recruiting in Sarasota.

We went swimming that day...Ava got a little curl in her hair.

My mom and Ava

Momma, Dadda, Ava

2009-05-20T19:40:00.005-04:00

Here is Ava

Here is Dadda

Here is dadda

Momma on the right

Momma

Mother's Day

2009-05-12T21:46:00.009-04:00

This year I had a wonderful Mother's Day with my daughter and hubby! Let's not forget our little girl, Lexy!! The day started out great. Phil let me sleep in while he and Ava went and picked up Starbucks and flowers!! My favorite!! After reading his card I realized he scheduled me for a hot rock, full body massage!

Afterwards, we decided that we were going to finish doing yardwork. It was a beautiful day in Bloomington..Finally!!! The entire week was full of rain and clouds!! We were so ready for sunshine. We dug up some bushes, planted some flowers, and then went to pick out new bushes and flowers. We bought a magnolia tree, I can't wait for those pretty, white flowers to bloom.

Meanwhile, I went inside to get Ava down for her nap, telling Phil that Lexy was outside not on her leash. 30 minutes later, he came storming inside. Screaming "Our dog ran away." Let me tell you the night before we watched Marley & Me...of course I cried my eyes out! He continued saying "There was a deer in the neighbor's yard, Lexy ran after it, and I did not see which way she went. " He took off in his car, while I stayed with Ava. An hour later still no sign of our dog. I kept checking outside...no Lexy. I was heartbroken, thinking this deer hurt my dog, or that somebody caught her. Oh...a month ago I switched her collars and did not switch the tag so my tagless dog was out running about. Phil finally came back 2 hours later sweating, after running through woods, neighborhoods, yards, and much more. I decided to go drive around while he made missing dog signs.

When I returned home he had to leave to print off the signs, because our printer was "offline". On his way back home he saw a lady walking our dog!!! He immediately screamed "Lexy!!" This lady's friend found our dog, and luckily she recognized our dog from us walking her around so she decided to walk to her around until she found the owners. We are so lucky and thankful for people like her or else we would not have our dog. Lexy now has her tag on, and appt. to get a chip put in her collar! I was so happy to see our puppy and so was Ava!! We love our Lexy so much!!

Lexy has slept two days straight! She probably ran 15 miles, chasing that deer!! She was found far away!! Meanwhile, I switched my massage for the next day!! It was still amazing! After all of that, I showered and got ready for our dinner out! The day ended with a nice dinner, with Phil and Ava! Besides for my dog running away, I had a great day spending time with the three people I love dearly.

We have so much to be thankful for...Ava has been a very healthy, happy baby and our Lexy did not get hurt on her journey trying to catch a deer. Thank you Jesus for all that you have done for our family!!!

Our family at dinner on Mother's Day

Ava very intrigued by the noise at Hibachi grill!

My Sweet baby girl!!!

The Friday before Mother's Day my wonderful mother and Stepdad came to watch Ava so Phil and I could go to dinner together. She stayed and played with Ava while we enjoyed dinner out!

7 Months

2009-04-28T21:19:00.005-04:00

Ava loves going on walks

She also loves my cellphone!

Lexy decided to dig a hole in our yard!

So we cut all her hair off!

Our beautiful Ava is now 7 months old! Tonight Phil uploaded all the videos off of our video camera. I was watching the video of her being born, and I truly can't believe it was 7 months ago!!

Ava has became quite the social butterfly. Sunday morning we went out to breakfast, and every time she see's another child she gets sooo excited. It's hysterical. I ended up taking her to a table where a little boy was eating in his high chair. She was kicking her arms and legs while laughing. The whole table was laughing and smiling at her at how alert she was. It was so cute! The mom was laughing so hard, she wanted me to leave Ava there to entertain her son..lol. Ava says mama, dada, and ba.

Ava is also scooting. She scoots all over the floor. She will go backwards but not forwards. She loves to eat dinner. She eats a whole jar of Garden Vegetables or Summer Vegetable dinner those are her new favorites. She won't even eat a whole jar of her fruits. When we go out to lunch I take a banana...she thinks it is a real treat eating a "real" banana. I just use a spoon and mash a little bit up, she loves it! Last Friday Ava and I went to Indy to do some shopping. My mom met us there to spend some time with Ava! She misses her so much! Ava did really well shopping the whole day. Driving home was rather frusturating but we won't go there! Phil was gone for two days. When he came home he brought me some flowers and bought Ava a baby, and she was sooooo excited! It was so adorable watching her. She is going to be such a girly, girl. When I was at the store over the weekend, we walked by all the Disney stuff like Ariel, Cinderella, Belle, etc...she was excited..kicking her legs, smiling...Immediately I pictured her dressing her self in all these little dresses and shoes. Oh my...we are going to have some fun :)

This video is when daddy brought home her first baby!

Moving around

2009-04-19T20:42:00.003-04:00

The past two weeks, Ava has really been on the move! She scoots around quite a bit on her tummy. Here are some pics of her moving around!

Alright Mama! Come get me!

Bath Time

2009-04-19T20:31:00.005-04:00

Ava loves bath time. During this time Ava loves to chew on wet wash cloths, her duck, and her letters. The whole bath time is spent chewing. Ava is teething...I can't wait for her teeth to come through!!

Look how long my hair is getting!

Ava has the most sparkling, and curious eyes! She loves to ALWAYS know what's going on!

Easter

2009-04-18T13:27:00.004-04:00

Easter weekend we drove back to our hometown! What's new, right? haha It seems like we are always home! Anyways we had a great time visiting with family and friends. John (Phil's brother) even made it back from Connecticut. He also brought a lady friend! Saturday we spent the day with Phils mom's family. Sunday we spent the day at Church, with Phils dad's family as well as mine. It was a busy day! Phil's stepmom, Rachel, had an Easter egg hunt for the kiddos, she hid 273 eggs!!! Ava will have so much fun finding those eggs next year. I can't wait to see her running around..probably not finding them...but running around...lol. She will only be 1 1/2!

Saturday I went to the mall. I was going to have Ava meet the Easter bunny, but he wasn't there! I was sooo mad. Ava didn't get her picture taken with the Easter bunny this year. She did meet him at our mall earlier in the week, she kept staring at him it was to funny. I didn't get her pictures taken because she wasn't in her Easter outfit, but obviously I should have! Plus, I wanted Phil there to see her! Better luck next year!

Ava had a play date with baby Brady while we were home.

Ava with Uncle John

Uh-oh daddy she already likes coach purses! Ava with Great-Grandma Shona.

Ava needed a break on our drive home...she thought she would drive the rest of the way :)

Spring Pictures

2009-04-07T08:42:00.011-04:00

Here are some pics from a couple of weeks ago. The most recent pics start at the top.

Grandma Helen and Great Aunt Cathie came for a visit! Cousin Jamie was in town for work as well!
Jamie and Ava
Daddy

Grandma Helen had fun holding me while mommy and daddy ate!Yummy food!

Her teething ring got caught on her foot...:)

The sun is finally out..I can't open my eyes! It will take time to get use to this again!

Ava was pulling her self up on this toy
and then boom...she fell
Grandma Houser came to see Ava when we were in Fort Wayne

So did Addison and Ashley

and Kristy and Abby

The girls hanging out!

Shopping in FW..trying on some hats at the Children's Place...Phil calls it Children's Palace..lol

Some fun at the Great Wolf Lodge in Cincinnatti

Swim lessons from Grandma Vicki

My brother and sister in their cabin

6 Months

2009-03-28T13:42:00.003-04:00

Ava is now 6 months old. She is rolling over all the time, and loves to try and sit up. Lately I have been sitting her in her boppy. As she is sitting up the moment she reaches down for a toy she lands on her tummy. We still have some work to do! She also likes to sit in her boppy but most of the time she is leaning forward trying to grab anything and everything.

She had her 6 month check-up on the 31st. She weighed 18 lbs. 5 oz. (25-50 percentile) and measured 26 inches long. When we measure her we stop at the top of the head where as they stop in the back so last time we measured her she was longer. He also said her gums were red so she should be getting a tooth soon! She has been eating solid foods consistently for about a month now. She really likes her sweet potatoes and carrots. She sure knows when it is time for her food! She still loves to nurse as well. I hope I don't have a hard time weaning her. It's truly such a special time for mommy and baby. It is something you have to do to experience such beautiful moments. Boy oh boy do we LOVE our Ava. I love waking up to her talking and smiling in her crib. She gets the biggest smile when she sees me coming. YES, she does keep her head looking until I get there. Then, she will put it down and smile sooo big. It is adorable!!!

Ava has the sweetest personality. When Phil comes home she gets SOOO excited. If he walks by the room without picking her up she will start crying. Quite the daddy's girl. He of course comes back to get her :) She also does not like it when I leave the room. Ava LOVES her books. It is so incredibly cute. She will grab at the pages, and try to turn the pages. Her favorite book is called Good Puppy! Now whenever we say Good Puppy she starts to smile and laugh. Of course it is a dog book, because she LOVES our Lexy!

Ava has been getting up the night quite a bit lately. Well for a while now. I am hoping that is due to some teeth she is going to get :) The past two days my mom was in town so she got up with her in the mornings which was nice so I could sleep in! We have been extremely busy with the house. Trying to get it furnished..getting the yard done! It takes so much more time to keep this place clean! I constantly have to tell myself to sit down and do it later!! Miss Ava wants some attention!! lol I will post some pics tomorrow. All the pics are on our other computer. We have also have been so lucky to take walks!!! The weather has been awesome!!! Last week Phil's mom and sister came for a visit. We all took a walk to the park and for the first time Ava went in a swing. I have never seen her so relaxed!! I was mad though..I didn't have my camera!! I need to get one for our playset. Ava LOVES to be outside!!! She smiles sooo big every time the wind blows in her face. I love it!!

In memory of Wilma Slayton

2009-03-24T19:41:00.004-04:00

Last month while we were home early February we were blessed to spend some last moments with my Stepfather's mother. Wilma Slayton was 87 and passed away March 24 in Illinois. Wilma was a smart woman. Her mind was as strong as ever, even during the last minutes of her life. She was a loving grandmother and was very excited to have met Ava last month. When talking to her in the hospital last month she told me how she kept picturing sweet little Ava in mind. Her is a link to her obituary http://www.duffypilsmemorialhome.com/index.cfm.

During her visit to Fort Wayne she would start talking only to babble not making any sense. Immediately my mom called the EMS. The hospital took a bunch of x-rays and to our dismay found out she had stage four lung cancer, that also traveled to her kidneys and liver. Unfortunately, after this it was only a matter of time. It's amazing how fast cancer can take a life. We are very blessed to know that she did not have a painful death. Just last month she was walking around holding Ava, playing with her on the floor, walking around, showering and loving life. I guess death will eventually take it's toll on everyone. It's so sad! But now she will remain with our heavenly father.

My step-father Bill is holding Ava and Wilma his mother is in the background

Here she is with Ava just last month

Ava and daddy laughing!

2009-03-11T16:37:00.003-04:00

Ava loves her food!!

2009-03-10T17:25:00.003-04:00

New Home

2009-03-03T20:40:00.004-05:00

My mom came in town the day we closed to help with Ava. She was there to help us get some things in order. Thanks so much for your help! I pulled these off of Homefinder. I will take some more when we get it furnished. We need to get shopping to get some more furniture! We love our new, roomy home!! I love having a basement! We are looking forward to making many new wonderful memories in our home!

Mexico

2009-03-01T19:42:00.008-05:00

Finally!!!....Right? I know. Okay. Lot's have happened since my last post. We currently live in a new home, which we LOVE, Ava is eating lot's of food, and we made it back from Mexico.

About Mexico...we had an awesome time!! It was only a 2 h 45 min. plane ride. You did not have to bring a carseat, and you don't have to rent a car. Really it is an ideal vacation with a baby. Our rooms all had free long distance calling and free wireless internet. Which was nice while Ava napped! Ava did so well...I think I want to move to the beach. Just being able to walk out of our room everyday without bundling her or buckling her up was such a relief. We always had the stroller ready to go, so we just had to grab Ava and off we were for a stroll along the beach. Amazing!! I was not ready to come home to snow and moving! I was excited for the new house, but not for snow. I loved having family and friends around everywhere in Cancun and that does not happen here!! We don't have family or friends close by so that was fun to be around everyone all week. Steve and Cynthia had a great time visiting with everyone as well as playing beer pong. One of Steve's friends bought a floating beer pong table...so they were busy during the day!! While we hung out with the Grandma's, Aunt's and friends. The weather was awesome except for it was cloudy on their wedding day, but luckily that was the only day. Otherwise it was beautiful and WARM!! Ava def noticed the warm weather. I brought my breast pump along with us. WHile we were waiting in line at customs Ava became really hot and tired, the only milk I had was in the cooler in the breast pump and she guzzled it down! She started to enjoy cold milk on this vacation. She also enjoyed chewing on cold water bottles and water in her bottle.

Oh...and before we left (Tues.) I took Ava back to the doc on Mon. he reassured me that she would be fine but gave me an antibiotic just in case. He said that he did not hear bronchiolitis, he said she sounded mucousy so not to worry. I was VERY relieved!! Needless to say she fought her cold with no antibiotics, a little benedryl, and some eucalyptis sav for newborns. The benedryl really helped her nose on the airplane. I was scared that her ears were going to start hurting from the congestion but the benedryl cleared it right up. The sav helped her cough. I'm not sure when it finally cleared up but I was so HAPPY. I don't like having sick baby...AT ALL! Cancun was great, and I am ready for another vacation :)

About the move. We got home from Cancun..Sat. around 3 a.m. Packed all day Sunday and Monday and moved everything after we closed on Monday. I just now got all the boxes emptied and have the furniture rearanged to fit the dimensions of this house! We love the space and yard for Lexy. We have a lot on our hands to keep us busy. We still have to find more furniture but that will be a working progress.

Ava is doing amazingly well. We love her so much!! It is such an amazing feeling. We are very blessed with a wonderful baby, and very thankful for everything that has happened in our lives. With our new house, Phil's promotion, safe travels, and much more. Thank you Jesus!! Thank you for all you prayers during our visit in Mexico.

I started feeding Ava food three times a day starting Wednesday. I give her oatmeal in the morning, fruit for lunch and vegetables for dinner. So far she loves everything...lol..shocking..haha. Our Ava loves to eat!! She has tried bananas, applesauce, pears, sweet potatoes, and sweet peas. She really likes her sweet potatoes, those are her favorite. One morning Phil got up with her, and when I came downstairs she had sweet potatoes all over her bib. He gave her sweet potatoes for breakfast! lol Ava has rolled over a couple of times, but she is not a big fan of rolling over. She rolled over the first time the day before we left for Cancun.

Ava's FAVORITE toy!

2009-02-16T16:01:00.003-05:00

Since my last post. Ava came down with a cold. Tuesday night she woke me up in the middle of the night with a bad cough. I immediately ran into the bedroom to check on her. I felt so bad! I took her into the doctor's on Wednesday, he told me that she has a cold, because she had no fever. As a worried mother, I took her back to the doc on Saturday. Our doctor was not there so we met with someone different. She told us that Ava had a little bronchiolitis so she gave us some Albuterol syrup. So for a week now she has had this raspy cough with a little runny clear nose. Still no fever so I guess I am safe for Mexico. I just hope it doesn't take a turn for worse. I just started the syrup today so I hope she will be good on the trip.

Rice and much more

2009-02-10T22:09:00.007-05:00

When Ava turned 4 months old we decided to give her some rice cereal. I ended up giving it to her for two nights and then stopping. She didn't seem that into it so I thought maybe it was too early for her. At the bottom of this post we have a video of her eating rice that night.

Over the past couple of weeks Ava has developed into such a curious and busy little girl. She does not miss anything! Always looking around! I can't believe how much more alert she gets and boy does she watch everything!

Last weekend we drove home to Fort Wayne so my mom could watch Ava while we attended Phil's good friend, Rob's engagement party. This was our first night out! We had a lot of fun, but were very tired the next day. We left the party at midnight and drove back to Fort Wayne. I wasn't comfortable leaving ALL night, but I will when I am done nursing Ava. While we were on that visit Ava started to become really interested in food. Anytime I eat while I am holding her she tries to grab the food off of the plate or out of your hand. She ended up trying a little banana and loved it!! We mushed up some and gave a tiny bit to her...boy oh boy she was happy. She cried when we took it away. During lunch she kept grabbing the spoon so we dipped it in water and gave her some...she thought that was a treat too! She loves grabbing the spoon and putting it in her mouth. I have came to the conclusion that Ava is going to loooove food! She has been a good eater from day one! Never missing a meal and eating every 2-3 hours. So..I decided that she was ready for rice again. I just started giving it to her at night and in the morning..she is very content with that!

Ava really loves our dog, Lexy. She watches her all the time and thinks she is really funny. Lexy always comes and licks her hands...Ava thinks it tickles! It is sooo cute. I'm so happy that Lexy has done so well with her...for the most part :)

Oh...and we bought a house!! Phil and I decided that it was time for an upgrade so we bought a bigger home. We close on that house the 23rd of this month. Two days after we get back from Mexico! We leave for Mexico the 17th and come back the 21st at 3:00 a.m. PLEASE keep us in your prayers that we make it there and back safely, and that Ava has a good 4 hour plane ride, and most importantly we have a safe trip IN Mexico! Can you tell I'm nervous about going? Unfortunately, I probably won't update the blog until we get back, or maybe after we move who knows! Maybe I will get a second wind! We'll see! Well I am off to bed! Ava is still not sleeping through the night :( so I need to get my rest! Most nights she will get up anywhere from 2-4...which is not too terribly bad, but then other nights she will get up a couple times. What can I say she is a hungry girl...lol...

I am currently reading a book called "Nurturing your Child's Soul" by Timothy Jones, and LOVE it! I recommend this book for all mommies! I will quote my favorite paragraph tomorrow.

Ava trying to get her little Lexy

Ava sleeping..yes..she sleeps on her tummy!

Great-Grandma Slayton

Grandma Helen

Grandpa Slayton

Mommy and Daddy's first night away at Rob's engagement party

Ava's favorite toy!!! She loves looking at everything in her jumper!

Taking a nap with daddy..what a long weekend!

4 Months

2009-01-21T12:13:00.002-05:00

Can you believe it? I can't! Yesterday Ava had her 4-month check-up. She is now 26 inches long ( 95th), and weighs 15 lb 8 oz (90th). What a growing girl! She also got two shots! Luckily she has not had any side effects so she is doing good.

The past couple of days I noticed a rash on her back and legs. I remembered a while ago someone told me that their kids were allergic to pampers, which is what Ava wears so I decided to get huggies to test it out. I switched for a couple of days and the rash cleared up. I tried a pamper when she was clear and what do you know the rash came back. So now I have a bunch of pampers that I do not need! The doctor said she probably has sensitive skin so I had to go buy all fragrance free stuff for her! Which if you know me is really hard! I'm all about good smelling clothes, with the downy and all! Other then that she is doing really well!

Thanks for checking in on Ava! It means a lot to us!

Our visit to Fort Wayne

2009-01-19T10:00:00.007-05:00

Over the past weekend we drove to FW to hang out for the weekend. Phil attended a coaching convention in St. Louis so unfortunately he did not join us. While driving to FW I ran out of gas on the highway! Of course it was one of those negative freezing days. I forgot that Phil's gas gage does not work in his jeep. Luckily, Phil's friend Rob lives in Indy and was on the road! He immediately came to the rescue! We couldn't thank him enough! We love you, Rob!

During our stay at my mom's we mananged to get a good video of Ava giggling. (It's at the bottom) Thank you Tristan! Ava just loves her! She is really starting to laugh a lot more and a lot longer. Before she would giggle for a short time.

When she is laying on her back she wiggles her self all around with her feet. She will turn in circles on her play mat. She loves to stand when you hold her. She is also getting very vocal! Oh and she is now fighting her naps!! Lovely for me..I get to deal with that.

For all the coaches wives out there. You need to join http://www.marriedtothegame.net/. It's kind of like facebook for the coaches wives!

My chunker legs...her shoes help her grip the floor to move around.

All smiles...most of the time :)

Visiting Grandma Helen at work

On a play date with Addison

Ava telling daddy all about it!!

2009-01-07T20:41:00.002-05:00

Here is a video of Ava with daddy while mommy was at the gym.

False Alarm

2009-01-07T15:49:00.006-05:00

Yesterday morning Ava kept tugging at her ear. She found her ear a while ago and always plays with it, but yesterday it was different. She was grabbing it and scratched it with her finger nails. I can never keep them short enough. All of a sudden I looked at her and she had blood on her ear from scratching it. After that she would not leave it alone at all! I decided she probably had an ear infection. Plus, since we've gotten back from Florida she has had a stuffy nose. Some babies tug on their ear when they have an ear infection so I called the doctor and took her in. He examined her ear and said it was perfect! He said her stuffy nose is from the dry winter air. I was so relieved when he said her ear looked great. Ava weighed in at 15.5 lbs!! They didn't measure her length, but if I had to guess I would say she is 27 in. long. She is growing so fast :( and developing so quickly. I can't believe she is 3 1/2 months old! She holds her head up all by herself, and does not like to be cradled like a newborn. She is a very happy baby, smiling and cooing all the time! Her smile is one I look forward to everyday! We are very blessed with such a healthy baby.

Here are some recent pics of Ava in her toys. Phil and I decided to pull some toys out of the closet. She loves her new toys!

She loves this flower, but gets so mad that she can't pull it to put it in her mouth.

Our trip to Orlando

2009-01-04T16:24:00.010-05:00

As if were weren't busy enough we flew to Florida the day after Christmas. On Christmas day we drove back to Bloomington did a bunch of laundry and then left for Indy in the morning. The first couple of days Phil had to watch soccer games all day so Ava and hung out. He watched games from 7:30 in the morning until 10:30 in the evening. Those were some really long days for me!! Not to mention a reality check. No more laying out at the pool for Kristal! I didn't realize how much of a tease this trip was going to be with a little baby. Poor Ava had been from home for so long and then we took her to a strange place so far away! The first couple of days she did pretty good, but the last couple of days I was ready to go home. Ava is at the stage where it's hard for her to keep herself company because she can't sit so she depends a lot on us for entertainment. At the end of our vacation she was going to bed late getting up every couple of hours and then getting up really early. I started to get a cold towards the end I was pretty tired and miserable. Ava had a runny nose I think that's why she had such a hard time sleeping. She still has a runny nose but luckily she has not developed a fever or cough.

On the bright side of things we had fun putting Ava in the pool for the first time. She was not a big fan of the sun but I think she liked the water. Next year will be a lot more fun for her, because she will be walking in and out of the kids pool. The hotel is awesome for children. We stayed at the Gaylord Palms, it was about 3 min. from Disney. They always had something going on. Ava loved walking around the atrium looking at all the lights. She also loved listening to the music. Everyday they had concerts, a group would come and sing Christmas Carols.

Ava is now teething. She drools all the time and puts everything in her mouth. She is now able to grab everything in sight and of course it goes straight to her mouth. If she does not have a toy in her mouth she has her hands in her mouth. Lately, she has been sucking on her two middle fingers. She is also giggling a lot more now. I keep trying to get a good video her laughing, but still have not accomplished that! She is getting so big! Ava is in 6 month clothes already. I can't believe how much she is growing! She has her 4 month appointment this month, I'm anxious to see what they say but not for the shots.

Ava's first plane ride!

After about 30 min. and a bottle she snoozed. I was very happy!

Happy as a clam with her toy

The children's pool at the hotel.

The view from our room.

Another view

There were waterfalls all over the hotel.

Her first time on her swimsuit.

Checking out the pool temperature.

Wake up daddy!

About to go swimming

The adult pool

Mommy wanting a break...wishing Grandma was there.

Bath time

New Years Eve

The stage where concerts went on all the time.

On our way home with a cold :(

Teething like crazy.

Holiday's

2009-01-03T10:08:00.011-05:00

Where to begin? Well, let's start with our drive to Fort Wayne. Phil and I headed home a week before Christmas to freezing weather. The day we left home it was 60 degrees, when we arrived in FW it was 20!

Every day after we had something to do. We had her Baptism on the 20th and a Christmas on every other day. We were VERY busy!! Ava actually did really great. I was worried that she would get overwhelmed or exhausted from all the traveling but she actually did great and received a lot of love from all of our family. As far as her schedule...well let's just say she no longer has one!

On the night of the 23rd we had a big scare. It all started when John, Phil, Ava and I went shopping. We went into Williams Sonoma and decided to try their espresso machine. We all took a cup of the espresso. Later that day my stomach felt awful so I took some rolaids, drank lot's of water and felt fine. Then, Phil started to feel sick to his stomach. He was convinced that he had the flu so he would not take anything. In the mean time we were at his mom's for Christmas and we was laying on the floor. His mom decided that he needed some phayzyme (sp) so she gave him one of those. I had no clue what they were so I asked her and she said they help with all stomach problems including acid indigestion. The one pill wasn't helping so I told him to take another one, and he did. Later I learned that phayzyme helps people with gas! Which he didn't have. We ended up going back to my mom's so Phil could sleep. He went to bed still with a burning stomach. I kept telling him to take rolaids because it helped mine so he finally did. His stomach felt a lot better. Well, while I was in the basement I heard this big boom. My mom screamed "PHIL" so I immediately went upstairs. Phil passed out and hit his head on the sink. He was loosing his hearing, sight, and everything else, and was very sick with diarrhea. He ended up in the hospital getting two pints of fluids. The doctor said that he passed out because he was so dehydrated and that he either had the flu or food poisoning. That was the only bad spell he had. So, who knows what was wrong. Ava or I did not get sick!! That was a huge relief!! Most importantly, Phil is doing a lot better and has not had coffee since!

So Phil had that the 23 slept most of the 24th. On the 25th we drove back to Bloomington to unpack and repack for Florida. We flew out of Indy on the 26! Can you say busy? Pictures from Florida will come soon! Here are some pictures from our week home.

Braden, Abby, and Ava

ome.

Ava's Baptism

2009-01-02T21:00:00.005-05:00

Over the Holidays Phil and I had Ava Baptized. We had Ava baptized in the same church that Phil and I grew up in and got married in. We also had Father Jim Baptize Ava which is the same Priest who married Phil and I. Ava did great! She did not cry when they poured the water over her head. We pray that our little girl will have a healthy and blessed life!

Here is Ava with her Godparents, Uncle Steve and Kristy

Grandpa Dick and Grandma Rachel

Uncle John and Uncle Rich

Grandma Helen

Santa Baby and her reindeer

2008-12-09T10:57:00.011-05:00

It seems a lot went on this past week! Earlier this week we took Ava to meet Santa. Once Phil sets up our printer I will scan the pictures they took and put them on here because we forgot to bring our camera! She would not smile at all probably because we took her in the evening and that is her grouchy time.

Ava grows and develops sooo fast! She coo's so much more now, and smiles all the time. She is grabbing her toys while pulling them towards her. She has a lot more control with her head. When you hold her she looks around all over the place. She is very curious! She is even starting to distinguish people by their faces. Phil took her to work to show her off, and while a couple people held Ava she screamed when she saw who they were. He said he felt so bad. Little Ava is a bit picky of who holds her. She is also starting to drool a lot. She may be an early teether. We will see!

Phil grew out a "tourney beard" for his team. Once the tournament started he decided that he was going to let it grow until they lost. Ava and I didn't like it too much because it is so scratchy. It hurts your face! Anyways his team lost in overtime last weekend. IU was up the whole game 2-0. In the last ten minutes they scored 2 goals taking them into overtime where they scored on a PK. Not too fair, but oh well. Here are some pics that we took over the last week.

Daddy your beard really hurts!!

Ever since we've had Ava Lexy chews up things when we leave!

Daddy and Ava with their slippers

Ava, before we took her to meet Santa.

Grandma Helen bought Ava a Santa outfit! Here is Santa Baby with her reindeer!

Enough! Take this off now!

Seriously!

Finally

Smiles

Much better at tummy time

I drool a lot now!

Okay enough...What's on TV?

Sweeter than chocolate!!

2008-12-02T11:50:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I was able to get a few pics of Ava. She is smiling all the time! I love it! It brings tears to your eyes everytime!! Here she is grinning away. I must say she has the cutest double chin I've ever seen! lol We just looove her so much!!!!!

Thanksgiving In B-Town!

2008-11-29T20:10:00.007-05:00

Phil's soccer team is competing in a tournament so we had to stay in Bloomington to celebrate Thanksgiving this year. Which is good because that means they are winning! And yes, my husband had to work on Thanksgiving! Luckily my mom, stepdad, brother, and sister were able to make it down to join us.

Thanksgiving Day Phil and I joined his IU team at the Union and enjoyed a brunch with the team. Later that day we made a turkey meal. Thanks mom for doing the turkey!!! They really gross me out so my mom cooked the turkey while Phil watched! We had an awesome meal with the family. Ava wasn't too content, she gets so tired at the end of the day, but she made it through her first Thanksgiving! I can't wait until next year when she can eat some turkey with us!

Earlier in the week we had our first snow! It didn't accumulate but Ava and I had a great time watching it fall!! I get so excited each year for Christmas. It is such a wonderful celebration! All the thoughts of cuddling by the fire, watching the beautiful snow fall, being with family, drinking hot chocolate, decorating the house. I just love it all! It is such a cheerful time of year!

Ava's first tree...Gabby and Cam helped put on the ornaments.

Ava LOVES her swing. She loves looking at the lambs and herself in the mirror.

Daddy likes to dress me...hehe

Our first snow..you can barely see it, but I swear the flakes were bigger! (We are getting a new camera soon!)

2 Month Check-up

2008-11-20T11:32:00.003-05:00

This morning we had Ava's 2 month check-up. It went really well!! We even got out of there shot free! Thanks to the book What your doctor may not tell you about children immunizations and Jen Heuer.

Ava weighs 12.5 lbs. and is 24 inches long. That puts her on the 90th percentile for weight and height. Her head circumference was 38 cm which is 25-50 percentile. She has always had a small head! She is also moving along really well with her developmental milestones (smiling, cooing and raising head). Oh, and how can I forget...she is sleeping 7 hours straight!! I think once babies hit 2 months they start sleeping longer!! That is so exciting..I finally get to sleep again! We are so thankful for our little pumpkin!!

I thought I lost my camera but I found it in my lovely new purse....Ava's diaper bag!! So I got a couple of pictures before we left.

Daddy feeding Ava

Video

2008-11-16T13:25:00.002-05:00

Here is a video of Ava. I tried to get her cooing and this is what I got.

More Pictures

2008-11-16T13:04:00.004-05:00

Here are some more pictures of Ava. Ava has really grown to love her bath's. I like them too because they seem to wear her out for bath time! This week Ava has her 2 month check-up. I can't wait to see what they say. I know she is a growing girl! Two weeks ago I measured her length and she was already 24 inches long and weighed 13 lbs so we will see what they say this week!

Grandma Vicki

Grandma Helen...my feet are just like hers. They stick outwards.

My cousin Kristy feeding her a bottle

Lexy has a great time with my mom's dog Lexy..my sister does their hair!

My friend's baby Addison and Ava...they are a month apart

Safia and Ava

Last week we went to a recruit dinner..here is Ava..she doesn't like her hats!

Saying bye to daddy..he is off to Wisconsin!

Bath time

Ava's Fort Wayne Visit

2008-11-15T17:28:00.007-05:00

Last Wednesday Ava and I drove to Fort Wayne so we could visit some of our grandparents. We had a great time catching up with our families. Phil left Wednesday for Wisconsin with his IU team. They had a Big Ten tournament to participate in. Today they are in the finals their game starts at 1 so hopefully they will win the tournament! GO IU!!

Ava did really well sleeping at my mom's house. I thought she would have a hard time since she was in a new environment but she did really well. Her nights are kind of hit or miss. Some nights she does really well averaging a one night feeding but then other nights she may get up twice or she may stay awake for an hour...like last night!! She woke up ate and would not go back to sleep. We have a night light in their so I am able to see her, but last night she looked at me and kept smiling. She wanted to stay awake and talk. So...I talked to her for a bit and then gave her to Grandma :)

Here are some pictures at Jomo and Papa's house..I love their camera

My dad and sista's came for a visit

2008-11-09T20:10:00.006-05:00

Phil and I had a great visit this past weekend. My dad drove from Georgia to come and see Ava. The girls had a great time holding her. Friday night we went to a soccer game. This was Ava's second soccer game. She slept most of the time! We got the girls geared up in some IU swearshirts and hats.

Madison and Ava

Grandpa Jeff, Taylor, and Ava

Daddy and Ava

Madison dancing with Lexy

Taylor and Madison

Taylor dancing with Lexy

Grandma Jeanine, Ava, and Taylor

Mommy and Ava getting back from Church

Her shoes kept falling off

My Birthday!!

2008-11-09T20:04:00.002-05:00

Last Sunday I turned 25 so Phil, Ava, and I went out to dinner. I couldn't ask for a better gift!

Time to go! Look at her sleepy eyes.

Sleepy baby. We had to wake her so we could leave.

Tummy Time

2008-11-09T19:56:00.002-05:00

Here are some pictures of Ava on her tummy time mat. According to her mat she is 24 inches long. She is a growing girl! Ava was on it for about 5 min. and then she was done.

Who does Ava look like?

2008-11-03T18:00:00.007-05:00

Check the poll to the right.

Here is a picture of me when I was a baby.

John and Phil...Phil is the baby.

Ava lovin...Fort Wayne...Halloween...Smiles!!

2008-10-31T23:07:00.010-04:00

Last weekend Ava, Lexy and I drove to Fort Wayne. We had a wonderful time catching up with our family. Ava was finally able to meet everyone! Oh...Ava is smiling!! Every morning she wakes up with a big beautiful smile. For some reason she loves being on her changing table, everytime we put her on that she smiles. She is way more alert!

Here is Ava with her cousin, Summer

My Grandma and Grandpa with Ava and Summer. Meghan is on the end.

Meghan and I with our babies.

Summer and Ava

Grandma Helen

Daddy and Ava going on a walk

Ava on her changing table..I kept trying to get her to smile!

There she goes! Happy Halloween!

Playing with her mouth.

What is this light flashing all the time?

Going cross-eyed..Daddy hates it when I do this!

Deep concentration

More smiles

Yea...talk to me more...

Loves her mobile, but the camera light better!

Grandpa Dick and Grandma Rachel

Uncle Rich

Taya

Anna and Claire

Claire

One Month

2008-10-24T13:53:00.008-04:00

First off, I want to thank everyone who has sent us gifts, brought us food, and helped us with Ava. We are so lucky for such wonderful family and friends to help us out. We are very greatful for all of you!!

I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of things. At first I felt helpless..always tending to her needs...but now I have learned her crys' and wants so it makes things easier. I know when she will take nap, and when she will eat so I can plan around that (most of the time).

It's amazing how much love and joy babies bring to your life. There is such an unexplainable feeling I get every time she cries. Especially when they have to get blood drawn. I will never forget when the nurse was drawing her blood for the newborn screen. I was so upset with the nurse..I felt like she was squeezing her foot off. Ava was screaming so loud, I thought she was going to lose her voice. When the nurse left I had tears streaming down my face. I felt so bad for her and her little foot! It was very upsetting, I think Phil will have to take her to get her shots.

On Tuesday Phil and I took her to get her one month pictures taken. We found a wonderful photographer in Bloomington. She took 2 1/2 hours with us, because Ava was not on her best behavior. Let's just say Phil got peed on twice, she pooped twice, and I got peed on once! It was a long morning for little Ava. She was ready to get home! I will let you know when she puts the pictures on the internet. I am so excited I can't wait to see them.

We finally got our crib. Can you believe it? I only ordered it 25 weeks ago! I have not put Ava in it too much but she does like to look at her mobile.

I can't believe she is already one month old!! Ava is doing really well. She is awake a lot more during the day, and loves to look around. Although, she still gets up every 3-4 hours to eat. She normally goes to bed around 8 or 9 and gets up at 12 to eat and then every 3 hours after that. Her first feeding of the day is normally at 9.

She can follow things with her eyes, and smiles every now and then when you talk to her. Ava fits in her 3 month clothes now!! Well...some of them I should say. Some of them are still big, but she does not fit in newborn anymore! She is almost out of the newborn diapers. We have 10 or so left and then she will be in size 1, so...I guess tomorrow or tonight she will be in size 1..lol. Babies poop so much!! She LOVES her swing, the sound of blow dryers, and the sound of running water so getting ready isn't really hard. She has also noticed her hands!

I've been taking her on a lot of walks lately in her Bjorn carrier, and she loves it!! Every time she gets fussy I stick her in that and she becomes content.

Tomorrow Ava, Lexy and I are heading off to Fort Wayne. Phil is going to be in Ohio. IU plays Ohio State this weekend so I am going to leave town for the night! The game is on Big Ten Network at 12:00 noon Sunday. I really hope Ava does good in the car. It will be a 3 hour trip. I'm hoping she will sleep the whole time! I will post a lot more pics when we get back. She is going to meet so many people!

Ava and daddy before our pictures were taken

Concentrating on one of her toys

I love looking at lights

lol...Lexy got her paws shaved. She was bringing in too much dirt!

Sleepy

Her crib is here!!

All bundled to take a nap

Getting ready for our walk

Snuggled up in her bjorn carrier

Looking at her music, light toy

On our way to eat lunch with daddy

Week 3

2008-10-13T22:04:00.006-04:00

I cannot believe how fast time goes by. She has already been with us for 3 1/2 weeks!! This past week Ava has become more alert. She LOVES being talked and sang to. Her little cheeks are starting to get a little chub on them. It is so cute!

On Saturday we drove to the outlet mall and she did really well! Phil was gone for one night and missed her so much. He is such a wonderful daddy who loves to hold her, kiss her, and feed her.

One morning I was so tired, I asked him to watch her for an hour so I could sleep. Of course he did. He took her in to work with him without me knowing. I thought he was downstairs, but when I woke up I was all alone. I called him and sure enough he was at his office with Ava. He even took the bottle and diaper bag!! That was her first trip with just her and daddy.

Ava is a wonderful baby. She gets up in the night every three hours on the dot to eat! It will be nice when she can sleep through the night. Starting this week she has been going to bed around 7 or 8 and getting up around 8. She is our precious Angel!!

Sleepy girl

Tuesday night we met my Grandma Fox in Brown County.

Ava looking around

Kisses from mama

Daddy fed Ava her first bottle. Luckily, she takes bottles really well!

Week 2....Visitors!!

2008-10-07T13:02:00.009-04:00

The second week has gone really well with Ava. Even the sleepless nights! I never realized how much I took advantage of my sleep! I truly miss it!

We went to the doctor today and Ava now weighs 8lbs. 1 oz. She is a growing girl who LOVES to eat! I feel like I am feeding her all the time! She is more alert now then she was, spending more days awake. I try to keep her up as much as possible, but then at night she gets really fussy.

Hopefully I will be able to get her on a schedule soon! Right now we are going with the flow!

Ava also had her first big outing this week. Phil had to attend parent's weekend for his IU team. Every they have a brunch under the football stadium to honor all the seniors on his team. This year he has 8 seniors leaving. We were there from 11-2 and she slept the whole time! She did really well. I kept her in her car seat most of the time so people wouldn't touch her. I was a little scared that she would get sick. The pediatrician said he likes to keep babies in as much as possible until they are 8 weeks old because if they get sick before then they have to undergo a bunch of testing. I don't want that!

My aunt Laura, and cousins, Kristy, and Mindy came for a visit. This is Kristy's baby, Abby.

Mindy, Laura, and Kristy checking out Ava!

Grandma Vicki came with them to see Ava. She can't stand to be away from her!

Rich, Rob and his fiance Natalie came for a visit, Friday night!

In the car seat ready to go bye bye.

Ava loves looking at things now! It is so funny watching her concentrate on things.

Uncle Rich held me and rocked me and brought an adorable outfit that he picked out all by himself!!

Uncle Rich and Ava

Phil's high school friend, Julian Jordan stopped by with his dad and brother.

Ava sleeping in her swing

Ava does not like to be cold! She loves to cuddle in her blankets.

Trying to keep her warm during bath time. She loved being in the water.

Giving daddy a hug after bath time.

My first week home!

2008-09-27T21:41:00.013-04:00

Today Ava is one week old. We went to the doctor on Friday and she already gained weight! She weighed 6lbs. 13 oz. We had to take her back to the doctor to get her weight checked because we only stayed one night in the hospital.

The first week went really well, we couldn't ask for a better daughter. She is truly amazing!! Luckily, we had a lot of help from family. My mom was here all week with us, and Phil's dad and stepmom came down for an evening. We miss everyone already!

My first car ride! Driving home from the hospital.

I loved the car ride, slept the whole time!

Home at last!

Mommy and Ava at home!

I love my swing!

Grandma Vicki loved holding me!

I love my fingers by my face at all times!!

Who is this sniffing me all the time?

Jomo and Papa came for a visit and brought mommy a bunch of food!

My precious little hand!!

The Delivery

2008-09-26T17:31:00.007-04:00

Phil and I took all the classes...Childbirth...Breastfeeding...and Baby Basics, but I don't think any of them can really prepare you for what's really going to happen. It seems that everyone labors differently.

It all started Sunday morning at 9:30. I was having contractions on and off all day long. I decided to call the doctor to see what she had to say. She told me to wait until they were 3 minutes apart and when I wasn't able to talk through them. She also told me that some people can have contractions for days until they actually went into labor. They weren't consistent enough for me to think I was actually in labor or the start of my labor. We continued throughout the day...had a nice meal with one of his recruits.

Later that night I decided to start timing them. Sure enough every 6 to 7 minutes I would contract. I knew they weren't braxton hicks contractions but they felt like "period cramps". Still not convinced I laid down and tried to go to sleep. I laid their for about two hours until finally they got really bad. All of a sudden I felt this awful sharp shooting pain...I literally jumped out of bed and told Phil "let's go!" As I jumped out of bed I ran to the bathroom finding that my water was breaking. Trying to pack some last minute items while your water is breaking is not fun!

We finally got to the hospital at 2:30 a.m. The nurse checked me and I was 3 cm. dilated. Shortly after I started puking everywhere because the contractions were so bad. I decided to get the epidural. I contracted until 4:30. The anesthesiologist finally came!! I was so relieved...I have never felt such awful pain in my life! The nurse checked me after that and I was 6 cm dilated. She was coming fast! I must say the epidural is a great but yet such a weird feeling. My legs were so tingly...I didn't like that feeling at all. Not to mention that my blood pressure would not stabilize so I kept getting blurred vision, and then she would put me on my other side and I would start shaking uncontrollably. Teeth chattering and all! Pretty scary!

Finally, the best nurse in the world walked in! She made the biggest difference in our delivery. She checked me right away and I was 8 cm dilated. She immediately called the doctor to let her know that I was moving fast! I started pushing at 8:00 a.m. and had her at 8:32 a.m. Our precious angel finally arrived! Luckily, I was only at the hospital laboring for 5 hours. I never expected the puking, shaking, blurred vision...I must say it was quite an experience but one I would never change. Phil and I can't even explain the love we have for our daughter. It is so unexplainable!

Last Prego pic of belly! Can you believe she fit in there?

Ava Victoria Presser

2008-09-22T08:09:00.023-04:00

The News

Our 1st absolutely precious duaghter, Ava Victoria Presser, was born yesterday in Bloomington, Indiana at 8:32am. She was 21 inches long and 6 pounds 5 ounces in weight. Ava currently has long brown hair and big,blue oval eyes. We think she has my hair, shape of head, and ears. Everything else about her looks just like Kristal: her beautiful lips, nose, forehead, eyes, cheeks, arms, legs, fingers, toes, etc. It is amazing when you go back and put together all the peices that happened within the last 24 hours. The birth of a child truly is a miracle and Kristal and I are both very fortunate to have a beautiful, healthy daughter, Ava.

The Name

Kristal and I had decided on the name Ava right after we found out baby was going to be a girl at 18 weeks. For some reason that name just stuck out and was never second guessed. The name Ava means "a bird"which to us simulates setting her free into this world. The name Victoria is a family name from Kristal's mother, Victoria Slayton. The name Victoria means "victorious or triumphant." This name was appopriate for our little Ava because throughout pregnancy she has survived an early pregnancy subchorionic tear, the Ski slopes in Utah, the strip in Vegas, and mommy's singing in the shower when daddy's not around.

How's Mommy

I have always heard the love for your wife is magnified when your 1st child comes into this world. The process is a bit unexplainable, but today I have more love for my wife then ever before. The amount of strength and persistance she had over the past 9 months to finally bring the amount of love she did into this world is truly amazing. Watching her in the past 24 hours go through different emotions, pains, reliefs, joys, love, laughter, no sleep, and yet continue to look so beautiful no matter the condition is something only she can possibly do. As many of you know Kristal has always had a knack for motherhood, but I will tell you now 1st hand, Ava Victoria has been truly blessed with the most loving, caring, and protecting mother.

How's Ava? See for yourself...

39 Weeks...Still not here

2008-09-19T18:55:00.003-04:00

I wanted to give everyone a quick update. I went to the doctor yesterday and everything was still the same! I am hoping she will come in the next week, but we will see. The other night I did have a couple of contractions, but they went away and haven't came back. Phil is so cute! He is getting so excited for her to come. Every night he says " I think she is going to come tonight!" Other then that I have just been having the Braxton Hicks. I promise to post some pictures soon!

38 Weeks...The countdown is official!!

2008-09-10T11:18:00.007-04:00

Yesterday at my 38 week check-up, everything went fine! I'm not dilated yet. She said the baby has dropped and that my cervix was soft so that was good to hear. Phil and I are getting EXTREMELY excited. We can't wait for her to come. Hopefully next Thursday the doctors will have better news for us!! My extraordinary husband chose to stay home this weekend instead of traveling with his team to California to make sure he wouldn't miss out on our labor. Unfortunately, I think he could have gone...so far no action down there!

Tomorrow we are going to head to Indy to do some last minute shopping off our registry at Babies R Us. I love that store! Her crib still hasn't came...which is really frustrating! I just want to have her room done!

At 37 weeks we were given an ultrasound because I am measuring small. They weren't worried because every week I have been growing so they knew the baby was growing. The doctors just said that she was going to be a petite little girl which doesn't surprise me because Phil and I have small parents. According to her ultrasound her head measured at 33 almost 34 weeks and her legs measured at 38 weeks (I was 37 weeks). I guess her head is working at my advantage...I am just fine with her having a small head! She has my long legs as Phil's family has short legs. As soon as Phil starts taking some pictures I will post one of my belly!!

Congratulations to my cousin Jill and her husband Jon with their new baby boy, Braden!! He was 7lbs 1oz. Below are pictures of him, one with my sister, Gabby.

4 more weeks...Getting ready for baby Presser

2008-08-29T09:50:00.017-04:00

Over the past weekend Phil and I spent our weekend in Fort Wayne attending his soccer game, IU soccer party, and my baby showers! His brother John also came in town! Just in time to help Helen and Marcia with the party and shower! Thanks John! The IU party was great as they won 3-0! The showers were awesome. Phil and I are so lucky to have such amazing families.

Phil's stepmom, Rachel and Stepsisters Anna and Chrissie threw Phil and I a baby shower at

Chrissie's house. Here is Lana talking to her mom Becky at Chrissie's house eating cheese quesadillas.

Baby Presser's yummy strawberry cake. It's her first cake and she doesn't even know it!

Thanks so much for everything Chrissie. I had a great time!

Here is Phil in deep concentration putting together
our baby swing. Thanks to Grandma Vicki!

Marcia threw an amazing shower at her new house on Sunday.
She did a great job expecially with just getting back from China on Friday! Thank you for everything, Marcia.

Fabulous set up!

Marcia and Rich's backyard. Gabby had enough of the shower and decided to take a dip.

Even guys can go to baby showers! Here is John with his mom and Aunt Cathie. The boys

stopped by towards the end of the baby shower to say hi to all of their aunts and Grandma Shona.

Phil with his Grandma Shona Burkart.

Diaper Cake!

33 weeks...My first shower!!

2008-08-05T15:36:00.005-04:00

Friday night I had my first shower given by my Aunt Laura, and my cousin's Kristy, Mindy and Katie!! I would really like to thank to them for putting on such a wonderful shower. I am so thankful to have such a great family. Thanks to them they showered our baby girl with so many gifts. I know she will love them all!! I drove back to Bloomington today. Lexy was so excited to get back. Today I will finally be able to finally see my long-missed husband! The baby is doing great! Active as ever! I'm so excited to start getting her room put together.

32 Weeks...Hiccups and Backaches!

2008-07-31T15:41:00.013-04:00

Here is a picture of a baby at 32 weeks taken from pregnancycalendars.net. I can't believe this is what our baby looks like now. She has gotten so big! We are so anxious to meet her!This week she is measuring about 3.75 pounds and about 16 inches long. The past two weeks I have been getting the worst backaches at night! The baby gets the hiccups at least once a day. She normally wakes me up with them in the morning.

Phil and I just drove to Fort Wayne yesterday. I will be here for 1 1/2 weeks while Phil updates his coaching license in Wisconsin. I have my first baby shower August 8! I am so excited!!! I can't wait to see all the cute little baby stuff!

I had to put these pictures up. They are too cute to pass by. My sister, Gabby, celebrated her 10th Birthday with some of her friends at the Jonas Brother concert in Indy. Here she is in the middle singing her heart out!

Congrats to my sister, Meghan who gave birth to her beautiful baby girl July 29! Here is a picture of Summer one day old. She weighed in at 5 lbs. 14oz. and was full-term!!

Here I am with my sister, Gabby, at 32 weeks!! Tonight we went out to dinner with Rich and Marcia for Marcia's 29th Birthday! We had a great meal at Chop's. Below is excited Lexy and Phil. Lexy can't wait to have a sister to play with!

30 weeks...Third Trimester!!

2008-07-16T12:22:00.009-04:00

Our Little Girl's Stats:

She almost weighs 3 lbs.
She is about 15 inches long

I must say this summer is flying by. My dad, Jeanine, and sisters came up for a visit. We had a great time hanging out by the pool and going to a State Park. We went up to McCormick's creek to see a waterfall, and Taylor fell on the stairs scraping her knee. Our dog Lexy hurt her foot trying to cross the creek so we thought it was a good time to leave.

Here is my dad and sisters at McCormick's Creek.

To the right and below is Phil and Lexy after she hurt her foot. We were in Fort Wayne over the fourth of July to see John and his friend. We had a good day at the lake watching the fire works. Unfortunately, the speed boat broke down. We also celebrated Phil's Birthday. He turned 27 June 29! We also celebrated my sister, Gabby's B-day. She had a fun sleep over with 10 of her friends! She turned 10 July 15.

Phil playing with Cameron (my brother) in the pool. Cameron has came so far this summer with his swimming skills. He jumps in and goes under water!! Last year he didn't even like his face getting wet!

Phil is almost done with all of the camps that he does which is exciting. He gets exhausted out in the heat all day. I can't believe that we are 10 weeks away from our due date! It is getting so exciting. As far as the pregnancy it is going really well. I love watching my stomach move. Now that she is bigger it feels so different. The nights are getting harder to sleep. I just can't seem to get comfortable and she kicks like crazy at night.

As far as our 3d/4d ultrasound last week...it didn't turn out. When I figure out how to work our scanner I will post the pictures. She was in a breech position with her head all the way up in my uterine lining. She again had her hand right by her face, so we couldn't get a good profile picture. She did open her eyes and gave us a smile so that made it worth the time!

27 Weeks

2008-06-27T14:30:00.006-04:00

Our Baby's Stats:

Almost 2 pounds
14.5 inches long with her legs extended
Opening and closing her eyes
Sucking on her fingers

This past week I had to go in for my glucose test. I was paranoid at first but the stuff I had to drink was pretty good. Our doctor measured my stomach and listened to the heartbeat. Everything was right on!

Last night Phil and I drove to Indy to have the 3d/4d ultrasound done. I was so excited to see what she finally looked like. Well the appointment did not go as planned, because she was hiding behind the placenta the whole time. She had her face laying right up to the placenta so it was kind of like a blanket over her face. We did catch a smile. She kept her hand by her face the whole time sucking on her ring finger periodically through the ultrasound. We also found out that she has a dimple on her chin. She gets that from Phil! Above is a picture of her adorable little foot. We are going to go back for another ultrasound in a couple of weeks because the ultrasound tech was unable to get us good pictures.

Most importantly, we are thankful that this pregnancy has been so blessed with a healthy baby.

Our 26 week miracle girl

2008-06-15T11:32:00.008-04:00

The next month or so our baby's brain will be growing at a fast rate. She is about 14 inches, and weighs almost two pounds. She now has a sleeping pattern! Her five senses are fully developed. Our baby is about the size of this English hothouse cucumber! Compared to the quarter it's pretty long!

This week Phil and I drove to Fort Wayne to attend my sister, Meghan's, baby shower (1st picture on left), and we had to see Rich give his speech at the Canterbury Graduation! She is due August 8. My mom threw a wonderful shower for her! Good job, Mom!!

The pregnancy is going really well. Her kicks are alot more intense then they use to be. Sometimes she gets real low and kicks my bladder. I must say it is the weirdest feeling when she kicks down there!! Last week Phil and I painted her room. Phil actually painted the room twice. The first pink I picked out was way too pink so I had to go back to the paint store to buy a different color of pink. (picture on left) The second time I bought the VOC free paint so I could help! The room is done and it looks awesome! It's hard to get a good picture of the pink because of the light and computer screen.

I can't wait to get her furniture! Phil and I are still trying to decide if we are going to do the 3D/4D ultrasound. I really want to do it, but Phil wants to wait to see what she looks like. I guess I am too impatient!!

23 Weeks~ Pictures of my belly!

2008-05-29T21:28:00.003-04:00

This week our baby finally weighs one pound!! She is about the length of a ruler, and boy have I grown!! I'm really trying to adjust to sleeping on my sides, and it is hard. I keep waking up on my back! Later on this weekend we are going to celebrate our year anniversary and paint the babies room....pink!! Our little girl is still being really active. Over memorial weekend Grandma Vicki, Grandma Helen, and Gabby were able to feel her move! We had a great time visiting Fort Wayne. Phil and I took our moms and registered at Babies"r"us. We couldn't wait any longer! We were able to visit the lake and watch Rich try out his new wakekite! The baby and I are doing great, and Phil is anxiously waiting for her arrival! Thank you everyone for your support and prayers!

21 Weeks!!!

2008-05-14T21:47:00.006-04:00

Our little girl's stats:

Just over 10 inches long

Weighs 13.5 oz.

Moves an average of 200 times per day

Beginning to hiccup

Her eyelids and eyebrows are now formed

Phil and I had a great week in Georgia. We mostly laid around the pool. Unfortunately, I got severely burned on my belly and chest. The next day I woke up with a rash all over my stomach which was sun poisoning! It is getting better now, but my chest and stomach are still bright red. Other then that we had a great time. Last week in Indy we went ahead and bought the crib and dressers. The furniture takes 14 weeks to deliver so we decided to order it. I can't wait to put her room together. As far as the baby...she is doing great, still moving all the time. She puts on a show before bed and in the morning! We couldn't be happier!

19 Weeks....Lexy is Excited!!!

2008-05-01T17:24:00.004-04:00

Lexy (our dog) is really excited for the baby....Today we are 19 weeks along with she-baby. She is expected to be around 10 inches and 10 ounces at this point. Her arms and legs are starting to stretch out and I finally felt her kick!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let me tell you, it was special. Although Kristal feels her kicking all the time, she finally kicked hard enough so I could feel her.

All my friends are still in shock that there is such a thing as a Presser Girl. It's hard to believe, but I couldn't be more excited. I am just hoping she looks more like Kristal then me...

Kristal and I are heading to Indianapolis tomorrow to go shopping. I honestly think this excites her more then finding out the sex of our child! Hopefully Kristal is able to find maternity clothes that she likes in Indy since Bloomington has absolutely nothing. We are also looking at ideas for the baby's room other then all pink. After shopping, we are going to meet Rob (my Best Friend) and Natalie for dinner before heading home.

More exciting news, we are going to Atlanta to see Kristal's dad this coming Wednesday...I have a soccer event over the weekend so it works out perfect.

Other then that, we are doing great and thanks for the comments on the blog.

It's A Girl!!!!

2008-04-28T16:15:00.006-04:00

Here is a picture of our little girl!! The doctors appointment went really well. Everyone was so estatic when she told us it was a girl. During the ultrasound we watched her suck on one of her fingers, as shown above...it was so adorable. We are extremely happy that she is healthy. My mom and Aunt Gabby were extremely excited to be there with us. We are lucky to have them close enough to enjoy our little miracle! Phil and I do have a name picked out for the baby...but we won't tell anyone the name until she arrives! Enjoy the picture of her little profile..

P.S. Who do you think she looks like?

18 Weeks, Our Big News Week!!

2008-04-24T20:11:00.004-04:00

Today, we are 18 weeks and extremely anxious to find out the sex of baby. All we pray for is baby to be given a healthy life and hopefully everyone is praying with us. Whether baby is a boy or girl means no difference to either Kristal or I as both of us really want at least 1 of each anyway. Monday is the big day we find out in the Ultrasound. Vicky and Gabby (Kristal's mom and sister) are both making the trip to Bloomington this weekend anxiously awaiting the Untrasound. When we find out, we will post the suprise immediately upon returning home (5pm or so Monday).

This week, baby is now 6 inches long and 7 ounces in weight. The baby is said to be the size of a grapefruit. Kristal still feels the baby kicking at times and I am getting really upset because I have never felt that happen. One of these days baby will learn how to do a sidevalley inside and maybe then I will feel the pleasure of baby's powers.

17 Weeks...Whoohoo

2008-04-17T10:21:00.001-04:00

This is a picture of a what a baby looks like at 17 weeks. Our baby is now 12 centimeters from the head to bottom. It weighs 5 ounces. The finger and toe prints are developing. Fat deposits are starting to appear under the skin to help regulate its temperature. As for me..I am doing great. Our baby is very active. I can feel it move quite a bit. It is such a weird but awesome feeling. I love it!

My Beautiful Wife

2008-04-15T21:47:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone, I had to put a picture of Kristal up on the blog for everyone to see how beautiful she looks with her little pregnant belly. Here she is at 16 weeks and 6 days. She has slowly been growing out of all her designer jeans, poor her... However, now she has a valid excuse to go shopping......for stretch pants! I have always heard horror stories about wives during pregancy, however I must say, Kristal has always been in good spirits. If anything, she has been happier every day knowing how blessed we are to be able to bring a child into this world. She is going to be such a great mommy and I cannot even wait until tomorrow to see even the slightest changes with her and her belly. In 12 days I will be going to Lowe's to pick up either pink or blue paint for the guest room after we find out what the little one in her belly is wearing, I can't wait.....

We're Pregnant!

2008-04-15T18:00:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone! Here is a picture of our baby when he/she was 14 weeks/2days. The pregnancy has been great. I never had morning sickness! Our due date is September 25, 2008. My body is slowly changing as I just bought my first pair of maternity jeans. All of my pants fit, I just can't button them. On April 28 we will find out if the baby is a boy or girl so we are very anxious for that day to come. I just started to feel the baby kick last week! Phil and I are extremely excited about this baby. We are very lucky God has blessed us with this pregnancy.