Ava & Mila

Hi. I’m Ava. And it’s time for the Dora piñata. And to tell you the truth, I am pretty concerned.

You see… I love Dora.

And she better not shed one tear. Not even a little one.

Luckily, there is no bat involved. Just strings… coming out of her legs.

I got to pull the first string. Because it was my Dada’s special day.

Now it’s Diego’s turn. And when I say Diego, I mean Diego my friend. Not Diego, Dora’s cousin. In case you’re confused.

After a bit, I think we all heard Dora scream… so none of us wanted to pull anymore.

But after some convincing, we all kept taking turns and guess what? The very last string was the winner… and I pulled it… and lots of toys came out.

And guess what else? Dora was still smiling. Thank. God.

Hello there! Our little Ava is now 2.5 years old!! Yup, that’s also 30 months… or 130 weeks old. SAY WHAT?

At the exact minute Ava turned 2.5 years old, she was totally not napping. I slowly sneaked into her room to take a picture, ninja style, but she was already awake. Coughing her lungs out. Poor thing. She was sick for 10 days and had a fever for 5. This is her reacting to me drawing up her shades. Mama, that’s too bright!

On Friday, it was Dan’s birthday. As soon as Ava woke up, she went looking for Dada’s card so he could open it right away.

She finally found him sleeping on the couch. (No, I did not kick him out of bed on his birthday… when Ava has trouble breathing, she sleeps with me in my room so I can keep an eye on her and have her sleep safely with all the windows open. Which means no room for Dada.) She kept repeating ‘Open it, Dada‘. This was no ordinary birthday card. It was a singing card. A Dora singing card and she couldn’t get enough of it. ♫It’s someone’s special day! It’s someone’s special day!♫

Since Dada was awake bright and early (not by choice), we headed out for breakfast… and castle making.

At home, we had a lot of things to do. We were throwing a little party for Dan the following day and had a lot of things to check off the list. Good thing I just bought this water color set. It kept Ava occupied for a good portion of the day.

She seriously ended up making at least twenty painting for Dada’s birthday.

And when painting got boring, she watched an animal parade. That’s her new thing. Lining things up in rows.

Before long, we had a visitor… with a serious case of sweet tooth. Much to our delight, of course. Here are Ava and Nicole making CUPCAKES!

And here are Ava and Nicole making a MESS!

Yum!

For dinner, the four of us headed to our most favorite sushi spot in town, Sushi Marina. They were kind enough to bring out a special scoop of green tea ice cream for Dan. After helping him blow out the candle, Ava moved the ice cream in front of her and kept telling me to take ‘small bites‘ and said ‘you’re all done‘ and ‘I’m going to eat it all, okay?‘ quiet a few times. That’s my girl!!!

Oh. And she used chopsticks for the first time and actually got food in her mouth. The silly thing is, she kept calling them ‘fish sticks‘. Hehe

On Saturday, Ava was super excited. Not only was it Dan’s party. It was Dan’s DORA party!!! After her nap, she woke up ready to go. She stuck a special birthday boy ribbon on Dada that said ‘Shining Star’ and made us all wear party hats.

Look at me. I’m ready to party!

She was so excited to show her friend Grace all of the party decorations… especially her new picnic table.

Hey where is everyone? Ummm, not on our dead grass.

Oh here they are. Hello everyone!

Ava had lots of fun playing outside on her rocker…

…crawling through tunnels and on wagons…

…and cruising with her bike gang.

And when she was inside of the house, she could not stop screaming for Deets to come into her room… so he can become the Deets Monster. Silly girls.

And before long, it was Ava’s favorite part of the party. The cake.

The Dora ice cream cake!!!

Happy Birthday, Dada Dan!!

The cake was a great success. You can tell by Ava’s ‘take the damn picture already’ smile… and by the other kids totally ignoring me.

For the rest of the week, Ava played Dan’s singing card and made sure Yoda knew all about it too.

On Monday morning, her fever was gone so we sent her back to school. Bad idea. Ava woke up from her nap with a fever, a peepee accident and apparently from a nightmare. When we walked into her classroom, she was sitting at the table with her bottom lip out and tears running down her face. It seriously broke my heart.

Look at my little munchkin. She was so sad. I kept asking her what was so scary. She didn’t want to say. So I asked her if she had her school bus driving too fast nightmare again. She said no. I asked her if she saw monsters. She said no. I asked her if Mama left her. And she said yes. There goes my heart again. Broken.

I kept Ava home a couple more days this week. Poor thing didn’t want to eat anything. Not even soup. Her favorite. But I had a trick up my sleeve. Smoothie popsicles. And did it work?

You betcha! She helped me make them too. Fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, yogurt and apple juice. Yum.

Since she was sick, we just hung out at home all week. I placed her in the crib to see what she would do. She made sure to tell me that this was for baby and that she was a big girl who sleeps in a big girl bed.

We played grocery store a lot.

And when the toys in the house got boring, we went into the playroom… our Airstream.

On Thursday, she was finally back to her old self. We made a quick trip to the mall… where she insisted on sitting at a ‘curica stol’ (little girl table), next to our table. No high chairs today.

And we finally made it outside for some of this. Can you guess?

A bike ride! YEAH!! Have a fabulous weekend! BYE!!!!

Hi. Ava is now 128 weeks old! And this is our 501st post on this site. Wow wow wee wow!

Our week began with some Mama and Me time. Ava and I went to one of our favorite breakfast places in town to enjoy fresh fruit, omelets and lots of croissants… which she smothered with her new love. Honey.

Afterward, we took a stroll the Farmer’s Market where she devoured lots and lots of samples of white peaches… even after our large breakfast. So I bought some peaches and at home, she refused to eat them all week. What the?

Next on the list for a girls day out is shopping, of course. Ava got to pick out a new toy (she picked a horsey) for taking a dook on the toilet instead of in the dressing room where she was about to dook… in her underwear. Close one! I also bought her a new backpack (Dora, of course) that is lighter and easier for her the carry to school… with a change of clothes since on Monday she starts school without diapers or pull-ups. Ahhhh.

Later that day, we joined our neighbors on the street for our annual block party. Ava loves saying ‘it’s not too bright‘ but she sure didn’t say it once this day. (BTW, here I am with baby #2 at 30 weeks. Only 10 more weeks to go!)

At the block party, we enjoyed ourselves with drinks, food and live music. Ava enjoyed getting her face painted with her choice of any animal in whole world. She chose a butterfly.

The lady really doubted if Ava was enjoying the process. She didn’t respond to any of her questions. What did she expect? Poor kid had an audience.

Our shy little kid.

The music was a little too loud for our taste and Ava’s ears so we decided to have art time on our front lawn instead and enjoy the party from afar. Finger painting time!

On Sunday, we decided it was time to get out of this June gloom and head for some sunshine. So we ended up at the Lake Casitas Water Park. Oh man. It was lots of fun. Especially the lazy river. Ava’s first. She had a blast going through misty caves and waterfalls. Stay tuned next week for more pictures. Like this one. It’s tough to open your eyes under a waterfall!

So Monday marked Ava’s first day at school with real underwear. Here she is before school. All ready with her backpack full of emergency clothes. And waterproof shoes on her feet.

And how did she look at pick-up time. The same!!! Can I get a hell yeah!! Oh, and I should mention that Ava insisted on taking her backpack home everyday because the other kids will take it, she says.

But Day 2 didn’t go so smoothly. She pooped in her underwear. Oh man.

On Day 3, I told her if she poops in her underwear, the teacher has to throw out them out… and one this day she was wearing her favorite ones of all. Cinderella. So on Day 3, she had no accidents. Yeah.

But on Day 4, she almost made it. She a little accident when trying to get on the toilet. Oh so close! This is how we found her at pick-up time. Asleep. Belly exposed. Knee bent. Shoes on. Awesome.

Developmentally this week, Ava is starting to color within the lines. Imagine that.

And get a little braver with slides.

And we think it’s time to bust out her Christmas bike.

Because she keeps asking Dada to push her faster when we circle to block.

And at the walls, she is really focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. Totally reminded me of my gymnastics class… that I totally sucked at… but where Deets had a blast playing with the mats and rings in his sweatpants. Ah memories.

This week was ballet class #2. As we drive to class, Ava likes to remind us that she is not going swimming and that she is going to ballet class instead.

This class was more successful than the last. Lots more participation from Ava. But she did spent a portion of the class spinning instead of listening the teacher’s instructions. She was a bit out of control. Kinda reminded me of obedience class with Rudy. Me with a non-listening dog/kid. Causing trouble. I just hope at the end of this class, I don’t get a certificate that says ‘Congratulations Marlene Jerkobitch’, like with Rudy. Seriously. It happened.

Ava really responded to the jump on the dot instructions.

And enjoyed being a cocoon…

…so she can become a beautiful butterfly.

Jazz hands. Hehe.

After class, Deets and Carrie came up for a wonderful visit.

The visit didn’t start off too well… because of a surprise. Ava doesn’t like surprises too much. They showed up with a bubble machine that freaked her out. She seriously starting running to the dining room window when I said Deets and Carrie were here. But when she noticed a million bubbles on the front porch, she kept running until she landed in Dan’s arms so she can hide in his arms. But don’t worry, things changed the next morning. And I have pictures next week to prove it.

The great part of their visit is that they got to witness Ava after a ballet class. You would think the class would make her prim and proper. Ummm. Not even close. She gets so CRAZY after class. She turns in a firecracker. She started running in circles, doing head plants into the couch and started yelling ‘Hey Guys’ over and over again.

Ava isn’t too good at naming her dolls and stuffed animals. Her last horse is either called Neigh or Horsey. But when I asked her what we should name this dog, she said its name is Rudy. Ahhh. The funny thing is… the last time she took this dog outside, it got covered with those prickly pears things… just like our Rudy used to do. See?

Okay. Time to go watch this butterfly grow 600 6 times its size. Have a wonderful weekend!!

Hello. Our little lollipop is now 127 weeks old!

Last Friday was our final day of vacation. We checked out of our hotel room but stuck around the pool for a bit longer. Each and every day, Ava needed to build up the courage to get into this Las Vegas pool.

It’s a little too cold for comfort when you first get into it.

But after a few minutes, she walked down the steps and started swimming.

When pool time was over, Ava decided that it was no fun to wear a wet swimsuit so she insisted on stripping down to a clean pair of pull-ups… followed up by a box of juice.

On the car ride home, Ava slept for over 3 hour straight. Damn. Rough day at the pool, I guess. So Dan and I decided to keep driving and we pretty much made it to L.A. before our little lollipop woke up.

The next stop on the itinerary was Nona and Dida’s house. Ava immediately started to feed her dolls there…

… and run around the house like a wild child that just slept 3 hours and had energy to burn. But all those Vegas buffets must had made her grow an inch or two… because before we knew it, she bumped her head on the kitchen counter corner. It was sore for days.

On Saturday, we went to visit Nathan and play with his toys. After lots of running around and screaming at the top of their lungs…

… they wanted me to read them a story. Thanks guys!

We also went to the local ballet store to get Ava an outfit for her upcoming ballet classes. Check out Ava during her very first shoe fitting.

And here she is in her first dressing room… checking herself out. She kept saying ‘It’s not too small.’ No Ava, it’s just right!

We also drove down to Nicole’s to celebrate her birthday and her brother’s high school graduation.

She had a great time playing on the swings with Grace…

… and running away from the scary Dada Monster.

On Sunday, we were finally home. Just in time for Father’s Day. If you have ever been around Ava in the mornings, you know that she doesn’t like to let her Dada sleep in for too long. Dada, wake up! I wonder who she gets that from?

She said ‘Happy Father’s Day‘ and wanted him to open his present right away.

Dan already has a fake jersey from Target but now he has a fake one from the NBA store. Go Lakers! Maybe one day we’ll splurge on a real jersey for 200 bucks. Yeah right!

During Father’s Day breakfast, Ava did something for the first time. She spoke up to the waitress. A complete stranger! Imagine that! I told the waitress that Ava wanted a Mickey Mouse pancake for breakfast… and she immediately spoke up to correct me and said ‘No Mama. Minnie Mouse‘. Hehe.

As a special surprise, the waitress brought a brownie with the check, that was meant for Dada. Ava immediately said that this brownie was for Mama and Ava. And when she got to eat it at the Sprint store while Dada shopped, she took one bite and decided that this brownie was just for her… and so she kept her distance from both of us in order to do just that.

I was a little worried that her transition back to school would have some bumps in the road after a long vacation, but no. She was right back into her normal routine. And with a special gift for Dada, too.

A very serious picture of herself in a puzzle frame with the caption “Dad, I love you to pieces”.

Potty training is still going well. She wears pull-ups to school and underwear at home. When it was time for number two this week, Ava kept asking for a diaper. After lots of insisting that she was a big girl, she got the job done and got to enjoy a special bubble gift.

And this week, Ava officially became a ballerina. She was really concerned that her new pink slippers would get dirty on the grass so we had to take a really quick picture so Dada can continue carrying her to the car.

We were the first to get to the classroom. Ava enjoyed seeing herself spin in the mirror.

Her friend Grace was also in the class with her. Can you tell Ava was more than a little excited?

But when the class started, she was one of the shyest around. The teacher asked all the kids their names. When it was her turn, she whispered ‘Ava Lin‘. Hehe. I guess it’s from being one of two Ava’s in her school her whole life.

I didn’t realize that this was a Mommy and Me class, so I had to sit next to her and do everything the teacher asked us to do. And let me tell you, touching my toes and jumping over ‘rivers full of alligators’ was not an easy task. Ava was really shy during the first half of the class. She didn’t really want to participate. I had to help her out with lots of the activities.

But then it was time to stand up and practice our ballerina stances.

With a little help from these felt hearts.

And then she got into it. Especially when it was time to fly around the room like butterflies.

Check her out on her tippy toes. Too cute.

Good job ladies!

Last night, Dan rushed us out of the house to pick up his new fancy phone. We rushed out of there so fast, I forgot that Ava still had on her underwear and I had no spare clothes with me. Oh oh. I usually put on pull-ups when we are out of the house. Oh oh. But she did great. I made sure to take her to the restroom a lot to prevent any accidents. She actually asked for 2 out of the 3 trips we took. For a second, she squatted on the floor and started farting. I almost died. I immediately told her she needed to go to the restroom to do that. But she just looked at me calmly and said ‘No Mama. I’m just burping!‘. LOL. She cracks me up.

Okay. Time to go. We have cereal bracelets to wear.

And eat. Yum. Bye!!

Hi. I’m Ava and this is my cousin Nathan.

And he just turned two.

YEAH!

He had a party the other day and it was so much fun. We got to hang out with our Nona Vinka.

And hang out with my Dida.

And with my Mama too, of course.

Since it was his birthday, I let him hug me as much as he wanted. And now that he is officially in the two years old club with me, I got to show him the official two year old secret greeting… a  monster face.

Oh boy. It’s my favorite time of the party now.  Do you see what I see?

Nathan’s birthday cake! Hello Mr. Robot.

Once he was done blowing out the candles, they lite them for me. Hold Nathan for a second. It’s my turn!

Oh cake. I love you.

And melon? You aren’t too bad yourself.

After cake, it was time for presents. Open open open.

Can you believe what Nathan got? Yes an ATV. But look what else. A Mickey Mouse balloon. I totally stole it too on the way out of the party.

And if I had my way, I would of stole his bike too!

Hello! Our Ava is now 120 weeks old!!! And in love with flashlights!!!

Ava’s obsession with soup is still going strong. Dan made some soup for me a few days ago to try to kick some bug I caught but I didn’t have a chance to eat too much of it. The Soup Monster kept asking for more, more, more.

And there has been a shift in the sweets department. Ava now likes chocolate. It all started with this Easter Bunny. She ended up eating its ears… and its butt. Poor guy. He can’t hear or poop anymore. Nice one, Ava.

And eating bunny ears equals sugar high. Here we are dancing the energy off. Yes, Ava is dancing. She is doing her leg kicks.

A few minutes after our dance recital, I told Ava that Dada and I had to leave for the evening. She didn’t even blink. She kissed us good-bye and ran through the house like a maniac. I purposely told her we were just going out. I did not dare say the word ‘party’. That would have broken her heart. Here we are with the crew at Nicole’s retirement party.

Ava had a chance to spend some time with Nona Dinka at her house… and help her pack for her upcoming trip to Croatia.

She also got to garden with her Nona for the first time. I have really fond memories of gardening with my great grandma in my early years and I hope Ava has more chances like these to garden with her great grandma.

After a busy weekend of birthdays, the aquarium, trolleys and water fountains, we packed up the car and headed home. We figured out a new trick for getting Ava to sleep in the car. Put on her pajamas. It has worked three times in a row for us now and I am going to keep my fingers crossed that it continues. Having a toddler miss a nap is no fun for anyone. Trust me. So, here is Ava leaving. In one hand, Sponge Bob. And in her other, a mini bouquet of flowers from Dida.

As soon as we got home, we were hit with the gardening bug. The weather is warming up and it would be nice to take advantage of our yard. It’s been a while since we’ve done much back there. So, here is Dan. Digging up a few roses bushes in order to make room for our first vegetable garden. An organic one with no pesticides. Please stay away bugs!

Ava had a blast holding the hose to help water our brown weedy grass.

But she still has to learn the concept of watering the lawn only… and not her shirt.

She got really into using the little shovel too.

The very next day, we placed our first tomato plant into the soil…

…and Ava has been helping me water it every single day. And soaking herself from head to toe too.

So afterward, we go inside and pick something dry to wear. Ava has started to open her dresser drawers herself and pick out her own clothes. Here she is wearing her ‘monkey dress’. Her words, not mine. Because her monkey has the same white dress, but in a smaller size.

Ava’s drawing abilities have really improved this week. She drew this one all by herself. It is a ghost… with eyes, a nose, and a mouth. Told you! We couldn’t recognize jack last week! But not this week. This week we have ghosts!

Guess who has more coordination that her Mama? Ava!! She totally can kick a ball in a straight line.

Check her out! And check out Ava and Dada in their Lakers colors.

And she thinks it is completely ridiculous when Dada pretends he doesn’t know where the ball is. Silly Dada.

Little did Dan know that all this Lakers support and basketball playing would land him with box seats at a Lakers’ playoff game with Bobby and Glen. Let’s just say he was MORE than excited about this invite.

During our walks, Ava loves running down our alley.

And she especially loves peeping into this neighbor’s backyard… to stare at their pool. Peeping Tom! Peeping Tom!

The peeping doesn’t stop there. Here she is spying on the neighbor kids playing outside. She grabbed her step stool from the bathroom all by herself to get a better view. Peeping Tom! Peeping Tom!

Potty training is still going sloooooooow. We started to wrap cheapo gifts in pretty wrapping paper and placing them in the bathroom. Oh man did that work like a charm. She actually walked into the  bathroom all by herself and pooped in the toilet like a big girl. Without us asking.

Bribery works. Until we run out of gifts because she is on the toilet every few minutes trying to produce something… anything. Hmmm, it might be time to rethink our bribery plan.

Every once in awhile, Ava will discover some of her old toys and ask ‘that’s for baby?’. Hehe. Here she riding a ‘skateboard’. I just love watching her use her imagination.

Ava had swim lesson #4 this week. She is starting to kick a bit more. Paddling, not so much.

She refuses to keep her mouth shut in the pool. She is starting to associate a closed mouth with dunking her under the water. Smarty pants.

Her favorite thing is still jumping but in combination with watching the water drip from her bathing suit and diaper as if she is peeing. It’s pretty embarrassing. I’m sure someone in the pool is thinking she is taking a leak and giggling about it. But it’s just WATER. I swear.

Ava and I shower in the girls locker room together before we head home… so she can pretty much go straight to sleep since its bedtime when we finally get home. And here is Ava on the ride home. One. Tired. Goose.

This week our play date dinners have expanded to include Matheus and his family. I totally missed this dinner. I was home sick so I can’t tell you why the girls are topless and the boy is not. Hehe.

During sleeping time, Ava insists on covering herself with her comforter and little blanket. No excuses. She even places her hand on the blankets after we cover her up to make sure we didn’t forget. It’s so ridiculous… especially since our house is close to 80 degrees sometimes at bedtime now that spring is here. I’ve ordered her short sleeved pajamas to help out the sweaty factor but I’m not sure HOW I am going to convince her to lose at least one of her blankets. I think the transition to a big girl bed with a new thin comforter might be the way to go.

Okay. Say cheese. Here’s Ava with her ’camera’. No joke. Bye!

Hello! Our little Ava is now 119 weeks old!!!

Our week started off with a much anticipated trip to the Farmer’s Market. Here is Ava feeding Dada some tamales. She accidentally fed herself a bite and Dan screamed ‘No Ava. It’s spicy’. She spit it out as quick as a lightening bolt and saved her taste buds from the fiery inferno. Close one.

We picked up everything off our list: strawberries, blueberries and oranges. But Ava refused to leave until we bought some flowers. Kids and their routines. So she picked out these yellow pom-pom flowers that need no water. Good pick Ava. No water and no wilting. Perfect.

After the market, it was time to pick out a dress. A party dress. Poor Ava has no clothes. Nothing to wear. Yeah right! This girl has more dresses than anyone I know… put together.

Then we were off to Sal’s birthday party… to celebrate his big day with him and bubbles.

And sand castle making with Nicole.

And a birthday cake with Ava’s favorite fruit… strawberries.

After the sugar was well into their systems, it was time to run and run and run…

… away from the Diego Monster. AHHHH!!!!!

Back at home, I’ve started to make smoothies every morning. And I am not the only who thinks they are delicious. I can barely get a sip because Ava is constantly saying ‘my turn’ as soon as I take the cup from her.

What? I would NEVER do that! Or would I? Hehe.

At school, we found Ava asleep this week. Shirt up. Hand on belly. Dada style. Hehe. And shoes on too!

Also this week, Ava has been calling herself Aba. She has replaced all the V’s with B’s. And she is totally doing it on purpose. Because when I ask her to say her name she does and then immediately says Aba and giggles. Ava is also playing a lot more pretend games too. Pretending she has a turtle in her hand and we need to pet it. Pretending to cover up Dada with a ‘blanket’ that is a piece of paper. It is so great to see her using her imagination.

Swim lesson #3 was great this week. Here are Ava and I listening to the teacher’s instructions.

We practiced with the kick board a lot but Ava refused to hold it near the top most of the time.

And I had to dunk her under the water quiet a few times again but I wasn’t as bad as last time.

Our family and Grace’s family have been swapping dinner nights… which means dress up time for the ladies.

We have a BIG milestone to report. This picture sucks but it really did happen. Ava jumped! With two feet off of the ground. At the same time!!! YEAH!!!! It must of been her new ‘tenny’ shoes. They are magic shoes.

On Thursday, Ava showed up at ‘Nona’s house’. Hey Deets, do you know why I am here?

Do you know why I am picking flowers?

It’s my Nona’s birthday! Yeah!! More party time for me!!

Here are Deets and Ava decorating the cake with the letters totally out of order… Ava style.

Happy Birthday Nona Estera!!

Nathan and Ava had a chance to blow out the candles once Nona had her turn. Much to their delight.

And there was singing…

… and guitar listening too. Hey Deets, are you for hire?

Pajamas are on. Time to say good night. Bye!