Ava and Henry's First Date

Lolly and I took Ava and Henry on their first date the other day...a walk around the neighborhood. They seemed really into it ;).

We can't wait to bust this photo out when they are older :).

St. Patty's Day 2012

With a six-week old baby at home, we decided it would probably not be a good idea to throw our large annual St. Patty's Day party. However, we had to do something to celebrate one of my favorite holidays of the year! So we invited a few friends over to grill out and drink some green beer.

Ava also dressed up for the occasion :).

I managed to get a few photos of our friends and their kiddos who joined us.

Derek and Abby

Sarah and Tom

Tessa and Grant

Cyndi and Diana with Ava

Louie didn't want Ava to be the only one on Josh's lap :).

My sister Hannah and her boyfriend Cameron even joined us.

Hopefully we can have our big party next year!

Meeting Henry

Some of our closest friends, Lane and Lolly, welcomed their adorable son Henry into the world on March 15. The girls, minus Erin who was in Chicago, went to visit them in the hospital and meet the little guy. He is so precious!

I love this picture of all of us.

Henry and Ava were very close in size when they were born (he was just an ounce smaller and 3/4 of an inch longer). And if he is anything like his parents, Henry is going to be very tall. This is a good thing because Ava is going to need a tall boy to date one day :).

I absolutely love having friends with babies. Lolly and I as well as Sarah, who had Abby in December, have sent hundreds of baby-related text messages and e-mails to each other over the past few months. They keep me sane, and I can't wait to see our kids grow up together!

Ava's First Trip to Austin

As much as I wish we were able to live in Austin, unfortunately that is not the case. Nevertheless, I will try to take Ava down to visit my family as much as possible. And when we win the lottery, we can buy a lake house there :).

Ava made her first trip down to Austin just after her one month birthday. The trip was especially fun because Ava got to meet lots of family members for the first time, including her Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Jesse.

Both of them teared up when they met Ava. It was so cute!

My Mom also had a bunch of my aunts, uncles, and cousins over for dinner so they could meet Ava. I only managed to take one picture that night, of Ava and my Aunt Laura. She loved holding her and even came back later in the week for another visit :).

My favorite moment of the week was when we took Ava to meet her great grandmother, my Mimi. It was so special, and I will always treasure these pictures.

Look how proud Mimi looks :).

Me, Ava, Mimi, and Charlotte.

Four generations! As Mimi put it when Ava was born, "her baby girl's baby girl had a baby girl" :).

Ava also got to spend a lot of time at Grampsie and Nana's house.

I love this picture of Ava snuggling with her Aunt Bee.

In addition to hanging out with her aunts, Ava got to meet my Uncle David and his wife Bambi as well as Sarabeth's boyfriend, Stephen. He looks like a natural :).

During our trip, Ava also got to meet Lauren, her brother Brian, and her Mom.

Lauren and I also took Ava over to our friend Jennie's house for a playdate with her adorable son Levi. Ava had another playdate in Austin with my friend Madeline, who grew up down the street from me, and her sweet daughter Lucy. Ava was quite the social butterfly :).

We are going to make another trip down to Austin in a couple weeks to take advantage of the extra time I have to travel during my maternity leave. We will also be making a stop in San Antonio to meet some of Josh's family. I can't wait!

Ava - One Month Old

I can't believe how fast Ava's first month went by! She is such an angel, and despite the sleep deprivation, I have enjoyed every moment with her. She is super alert and is generally such a happy baby. I love her sweet little smile :).

We are going to take pictures each month so we can see how Ava grows and changes throughout the year. Here are my favorites from the first month:

One Month Stats:

• 10 pounds, 15 ounces
• 21 3/4 inches long
• 95th percentile height and weight!

Likes:

• The Nap Nanny - This was one of the best things we registered for! She loves sleeping in it, and we even used it in her bassinet for the first couple weeks. I highly recommend it!!

• Being walked "in laps" around the house
• The sound of running water - This may not be very environmentally friendly, but turning on the kitchen sink often made her stop crying...so turn on the sink I did :).
• Having her hair washed
• Soothie pacifiers

• Riding in the car
• Staring at Mr. Elephant during tummy time

Dislikes:

• Having her diaper changed
• Sleeping :)

Milestones:

• Lifting her head and turning it head from side to side during tummy time
• The "social smile" - I swear Ava smiled at me around 2 1/2 weeks, but she definitely did at 3 1/2 weeks. Here is the video to prove it:

Funny/Random Tidbits:

• Ava snorts whenever she gets really worked up. It is hilarious!

Newborn Photo Shoot

When Ava was one week old, my good friends Jesse and Rachel Leos of Jesse Leos Photography did her newborn photo shoot.

Here are some photos I took of them in action.

Ava was not the most cooperative baby because she kept waking up, but they managed to get some amazing photos. Here are some of my favorite images...

We got a few shots of Ava with her Dad, but at 8:30 a.m. and only a week after my C-section, I was not quite photo ready :). We will take some family shots at her three-month shoot.

To check out more of Jesse's amazing work, visit www.jesseleosphoto.com.