Snow in Texas!

This is our second snow storm in TX in a week! We had a white Christmas and now more snow today. Hoping for a snow day tomorrow so I don't have to go into work. Ava is really having fun with this. She enjoys catching snow flakes on her tongue and eating it by the handful.

Mia's Tummy Time

Here's Mia having some fun during tummy time today. She usually isn't a fan, but if you time it just right, she can get her exercise without complaining too much! Pay no mind to my silly baby talk to her ... ha, ha!

Last Day at Home

Today is the last day of my maternity leave at home with Mia. Ava is at school today, so my Mom and I had a fun outing this afternoon and we are now relaxing at home. We did a little shopping (I got two back to work outfits for a steal at the outlets) and had a yummy lunch out, while Mia had a nice long nap. We took some pictures to capture the moment. I am not liking the fact that I'll be leaving little Mia, but I take comfort knowing she'll be in great hands with Grammy Joyce! Back to the daily grind ...

Maternity Leave Comes to An End

I'm sad to say that this is my last week at home on maternity leave. The time has gone so fast - especially the last few weeks! Doug's family was in town for Thanksgiving and the next thing you know, I have only days left before I return to work. I'm ready to get back into the swing of things, but really got used to be home over these last few months. I'm trying to savor this last week but also get the final things done on my to-do list - deliver Christmas packages and cards, finish Christmas shopping, work on my scrap books - Oh just too much to do! I made some good progress over the weekend and today, so I'm feeling good about that. Here are a couple pictures from our visit with Doug's family. Ava had Santa visit her school today, so we got 2 pictures with Santa this year! We were rushing out of the house to get to school early, so Mia was still wearing her pj's in the picture. They weren't even her Christmas pj's. You do what you can!

Visiting with Family

We're having a great time visiting with Doug's mom, sister and fiance. We've been spending the time relaxing, eating wonderful food, and spreading holiday cheer. We visited Santa at the mall and both girls did great! No crying for Ava like she did several times last year (boy how things change in just 1 year's time). We went to downtown McKinney for the Dickens' Christmas - Ava loved petting the animals at the petting zoo. This morning we were off to the Little Gym and plan to go out to eat tonight. How fun!

Ava's Thanksgiving Feast

Ava had a Thanksgiving Feast at her school today. Everyone brought a dish to share with all the day care kids, their families and the teachers. They got all dressed up in their special Thanksgiving hats and made their own special place mats. I brought Mia and made some corn casserole. Daddy met us there. Ava is starting to better understand what Thanksgiving is all about. Looking forward to Grammy Ann, Aunt Amy and Uncle Nick coming next week to share our meal on Thanksgiving Day!

Mia's 2 Month Appt

Mia had her 2 month doctor appointment today. She's doing great - no issues at all. She's growing well, getting bigger and stronger and is smiling and cooing a lot. She's still smaller than Ava was at this age. Her eyes are still pretty blue - but more of a blue/grey color. She got 2 shots and an oral vaccine today, but did well with those too. She really didn't cry too much and quickly calmed down afterwards, thank goodness. It did wipe her out though, as she's been sleeping soundly since we got home. Here she is this morning practicing sitting up in her Bumpo. Stats from today's visit ...

Weight: 10 lbs 9 oz (50th percentile)

Height: 22.5 inches (75th percentile)

Head: 14.5 inches (10-25th percentile) - she's got a petite noggin!

Mia at 8 weeks

Mia turns 8 weeks old tomorrow! Time is flying by so fast. Here is footage taken today. She is starting to enjoy play time (in short spurts) and we are seeing more smiles and hearing more coos. The fussiness persists, but is more manageable over the last week or so. No repeats of the 5 hour scream-a-thon we saw 2 weeks ago. We are trying to have her sleep in her crib in her room now at night. She did well and slept in there all night last night, waking up her regular couple of times to eat. She sleeps much better in there as I can nurse her in the rocker and quickly put her back to bed and she doesn't hear all our noises, especially with Doug and the dogs getting up at 6 AM. Let's hope she continues this and gets better at night sleeping!

Halloween Night

We had beautiful weather last night for trick or treating. A family down the street hosts a pre-trick or treating get together where we can all gather for a potluck and grab a bite to eat before heading out. Ava had been waiting for that party and the trick or treating all week. She was a pro this year, going from door to door, saying trick or treat and "thank you" after getting her candy. M&M's are definitely her favorite this year and her pumpkin basket was filled with them by the end of the night.

Ava's Halloween Costume Parade at School

All the daycare kids parade around the elementary school in their costumes each year for Halloween. Doug, Mia and I were able to attend the parade and watch Ava in action. She wore her Penn State cheerleading outfit to school that day as her costume, which was different than the fairy costume she was going to wear for trick or treating. When I arrived, many of the kids were changing into their actual costumes, and Ava wanted to change into her costume too. I didn't bring her other one, but luckily Isabel in her class brought 2 costumes to school that day. Isabel wore her cowboy costume and let Ava wear her princess dress. Problem solved!