Busy as a bee

We have a new-found love for Halloween.

Ava's Ninth Month

She talks! She dances! She has teeth (2, on the bottom)! What an amazing little person.

Our Baby's Got Mad Skills

Reading this blog may give you the impression that Ava's life is all fun and games. However, over the last 8 1/2 months, Ava has been hard at work improving some core competencies. Here's a review of her most recent achievements:

Pulling herself up
Ava is wreaking havoc on all of our furniture by using our coffee table as her own personal drum set. She's been pulling herself up for almost two months now and is currently working on "cruising" (using furniture to walk herself around a room).

"Walking"
Brody is still adjusting to an upright Ava, so it's taken us a few weeks to capture this skill on tape without Brody looking and sounding like a menace in the background.

Climbing Stairs
Yesterday we placed Ava in front of the stairs and she started climbing them, just like that. She's a natural. This gave her confidence to turn around and try to climb back down unaided, an area in which she is not quite as adept. This makes us rather happy to live in a one-story bungalow.

Standing
Ava can stand on her own, but not long enough for us to get out a video camera. We'll let you use your imagination with this still shot. Shake your head slightly as you look at this photo for 10 seconds--that's what the video would look like.
Pommel horse
Ava continues to break down barriers with her achievements on the pommel horse, traditionally restricted to male gymnasts. This video is actually from June, so you can only imagine how accomplished she is now.

Bassist Wanted

For the first time in six years none of our adjoining neighbors are in a practicing band, so Ava has taken it upon herself to fill the void. Marking an unofficial Portlander rite of passage, she has started jamming with her friend, Alexander Cash. Granted, they practice in a church school room rather than a basement, but let the record show there's no discernible difference between her drumming and that of our former neighbors.

Next up, a gig as a barista--when she's not on tour.

Ava's Eighth Month

Ava embraced summer's last gasp by roadtripping, playing outdoors with her friends, and spending quality time with her East Coast grandparents. The big surprise for all this month was the early arrival of her cousin Ian Gregory Edwards. They've since become Skype pen pals and she's looking forward to meeting him in November!

Our current project, Operation Plump Up, is in full swing. If you're in the mood for pureed apricots served with butter, full-fat yogurt, and heavy cream, pull up a chair next to Ava.

Ava-cation

Ava doesn't know many people but she is lucky enough to know some with vacation homes. Thanks MacSchweitzers for hosting us in Sunriver for Ava's very first vacation.

Hour three of the beautiful drive to Sunriver. Note the pacifier.

Brian and Helen quickly jumped into vacation mode. Baby? What baby?

Of course we slept in. And by "slept in" we mean "woke up really early."

Tiny baby. Giant bed.


Ava suffers through our trip to the playground.

Wildlife viewing

Ava gets her float on.

Ava enjoys happy hour.

Chilly evenings call for a sensible sweater.

New day. New pool.

Crawl, version 2.0

Ava would like a re-release of her crawling video. She's been honing her skills over the last two months and has a great deal to show for it. She has all but abandoned her downward dog reverse crawl, and now only utilizes the commando crawl in desperate situations.

Behold, the masterful...the incomparable...Ava:

Ava goes coastal

This August the family hopped in the car for Ava's first trip to the ocean.

Sure it's cold on the Oregon Coast, but that sun's a killer. Sunscreen makes Ava angry.

Overlooking Cannon Beach

Getting ready for her first toe dip

Ava does her best seal imitation

Oregon in August. Ava dons her beachwear: jeans and a long sleeved shirt.

See...everybody hates to leave.

Ava's Seventh Month

To put it lightly, this was a messy month for the Rabold family. But we won't bore you with the details of the two bouts of sickness that knocked out the entire family. Nor will we dwell on stories of Brody impaling himself on a five-foot metal post in the backyard. And we certainly won't mention how Heatpocalypse 2009 melted our brains and forced us to sleep in our unfinished basement. Let's just focus on the resilient Little Miss Ava Cakes.

Despite the obstacles, Ava spent this month trying to climb on things (mostly us), getting into and out of a sitting position, and "talking" (a term we use very, very loosely). Thankfully, Ava all but gave up on crawling and fell in love with sitting. As a result, we spent this month marinating in the rediscovered joy of putting our child down and feeling fairly confident that she would be there when we returned. We will enjoy it while it lasts.

Back in full health, Ava is ready to conquer the world.

You put your kickers in and you shake them all about

Ever have one of those moments when you realize, "Ah...now we're parents"? We had that moment this weekend when Ava had her first swim class. I believe it came right around the time we were singing "Motor boat, motor boat, go so fast" in our most animated voices with all the other parents. I can't prove it, but I think there was just the slightest bit of embarrassment reading on Ava's face.

We'll swallow our pride if it means Ava won't completely lose it in front of judging strangers. She was skeptical at first, but our high-pitched voices and wide-eyed gasps of enjoyment eventually won her over. Results, below:

No, you listen to me

Ava would like to read you a bedtime story.

6 Month Birthday Edition - Addendum

Half week / Half year
Note: While bigger, Ava is still not big. At 6 months, she still fits this newborn onesie.

Legends of the Crawl

We distinctly remember putting in a request for a laid-back baby. What ever happened with that?

Ava's Sixth Month

We made it! This was the finish line, right?

6 Month Birthday Edition - Flashback

6 days / 6 months

2 months / 4 months / 6 months


Then / Now

Happy 6 Months, Ava!

Some of us are more excited about the occasion than others.

In honor of this historic event, we are temporarily enabling comments on Ava's blog. Go nuts!

6 Month Birthday Edition - 25 Things About Ava

1. Ava's fingers are 1 1/2 inches long.
2. People think Ava is a boy no matter how pink her dress is.
3. Ava is a towhead.
4. It took Ava 14 weeks to learn how to breastfeed. It took Helen 6 more to forgive her.
   
5. Ava is the only member of her family with blue eyes.
6. Ava can sit up by herself for a maximum of 30 seconds.
7. Every once in a while Brody licks Ava on the face. Last week she finally licked him back.
8. Ava's favorite song is "Clap Your Hands" by They Might Be Giants.
9. As a Capricorn, Ava is quite ambitious. She generally grunts when practicing new skills.
10. Ava has many nicknames. Some of our favorites are Ava Flav, Pumpkin, Buttercup, and Bunches.
11. Ava is very sensitive to sound so we have developed very quiet evening activities, like blogging.
12. When Ava smiles she looks like a little ole lady. All gums.
13. Ava gets about 12 hours of sleep a night.
14. Ava's inseam measures six inches.
15. At 14-15 lbs, Ava is currently about the size of a house cat.
16. Ava's nose is like a tiny ski jump.
17. Ava believes there isn't enough time in the day to nap.
18. Ava was born four hours after arriving at the hospital.
19. Ava can scoot quite quickly. However, she doesn't use her knees and she only operates in reverse.
20. Ava's "I'm tired" scream reaches octaves previously unknown to man. If you are dubious, we invite you to a night of babysitting.
21. Ava always smiles when she receives compliments. She has been told she is so beautiful she looks like a "fake baby" on no fewer than three separate occasions. True story!
22. Ava loves being outside.
23. If you are hoping to upset Ava, you needn't look much further than pulling a shirt over her head. She goes ballistic.
24. Ava has inherited photic sneeze reflex, a genetic autosomal dominant trait, from Brian.
25. Ava doesn't care for sweet potato. Brody, on the other hand, likes it a lot.

Ava-cado!

At 5 1/2 months, Ava has accomplished what it took Helen 23 years to achieve: eating something green.

Free range chick