Ava - 12 Months Old

One year! My baby is one year old. It feels...strange! She's changing so much, so quickly right now that every day is so much joy with Ava. She's a little person now, and we are so smitten with who she is and who she's becoming. :)

There were soo many times yesterday that I'd tell Wynston "One year ago today we were...on our way to the hospital, sitting around waiting, watching Ava get her first bath, on our way up to our hospital room, etc etc." We knew life was changing in big ways that day, but we really had no idea how truly life altering the past year would be. We've experienced extreme joy, heartbreak, grace, support and entertainment. Life has slowed down, priorities have changed, smiles have grown deeper.

And then there's Ava. I am amazed at how much a child changes and grows in their first year. Ava is the coolest kid. I'm going to change format and frequency on these Ava updates, so here's a running list of Ava facts:

Little Miss cracks me up and is quite the ham.
She has a great real laugh AND fake laugh. She can also fake cough if provoked.
She may look like her daddy, but she chatters like her mommy.
She studies new things with focus before exploring.
As of her 4/29 doctor appointment, Ava weighed 20.5 pounds and was 29 1/4" long.
She has a large appetite and doesn't turn down much. She especially loves bananas, arrowroot cookies, hominy, peas, and string cheese.
Ava still has one 4 ounce bottle in the morning, another 4 ounce bottle before her afternoon nap, and a 4 or 5 ounce bottle at night before bed.
She generally goes to bed around 8 pm, and now likes to wake up at 6:30 am.
Little Miss has 7 teeth (two on top, four on bottom in a row, a space, then a new bottom tooth coming in).
Ava got her first voluntary hair cut this week. Her first haircut was right before her surgery. But we needed a trim of her bangs to keep them out of her face and help them grow out.
She started walking at 9 months, right after surgery. Then she realized her speed crawling was more efficient, so she quit walking. She picked it up again the night before her 1st Birthday Party, and showed off her walking skills at the party. Since then, she's been walking everywhere. The knees of her pants are thanking her. :)
Ava loves animals. She chases down the cat and dog daily, she knows to look to the yard when we ask "Where are the deer?", and she loves watching birds.
She can clearly say Dada, Momma, Sish (fish), and Ba (ball). She Vrooms when she sees cars, and is working on Lily (our dog).
She's mastering Patty Cake (she loves the end) and Itsy Bitsy Spider (cutest spider hand motions ever)!
Ava know shoes and socks go on her feet; she knows how to put hats on her head.
She still loves being outside and loves walks to the creek.
Little Miss is quite the dancer, but a REALLY good wiggler. It's super cute. I need to get a video of that on here someday.

Kid, we love you more than we ever imagined and can not wait to see what the next year brings! You're my silly girl with a fighter's heart. You've overcome amazing challenges at such a young age, and I won't ever let you forget how strong you are or how much we love you!

Birthday Pancake!

Ready for summer

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