Big Babies

I love Friday nights. It's the only night of the week that Brent and I are home together and can just relax. Life has been hectic and stressful this past month, even more than usual. I began yet another job, on top of the 2 that I already had. It wasn't so much out of necessity, but I just kind of fell into it. I met this couple at the YMCA, they would bring their 14 month old son Max into the babysitting room. They had both been big shots at AT&T in Minneapolis, and then he got downsized and they moved back to Florida and started a business. I won't go into all the specifics, because it's kind of boring, but the company is in the insurance field, and they run it out of their home. They knew that I had worked in a corporate setting before I had Ava, and their company is really growing and they needed help, so they asked me to come work for them. I met with them one day and next thing you know I've been working there for the past month. Like any job there are pros and cons. One of the biggest pros is that I can bring Ava. They have a nanny who comes in everyday to watch their son, so she watches Ava too. She is a very nice girl and she gets along with Ava very well. So does Max. Darwin and Jenn, my bosses, are very nice too. It is kind of weird working in their home, but they live on a saltwater canal that feeds into the bay, and I sit facing the water and see manatees playing out there everyday. A con is that it is insurance. Insurance=boring. Darwin already signed me up for the course to become a licensed insurance agent for life, health and annuities. Bleh. And their company deals specifically with medicare programs, all that Part A and D and prescription plans stuff. Anyway, I've been doing that on top of the Y, and it has been killing me. Ava and I leave the house at 9am, and then don't get home until 8:30pm. I'm afraid it's been rough on her too, it isn't fair to her that she has to be dragged around with me to these jobs. So I've decided to stop working at the Y am just work with these other people. Ava then only has to deal with one other child, and she gets personal attention from the nanny. I get to eat lunch with her and hear her playing. My hours are flexible and we get to be home in the afternoons and evenings. Plus it pays more too.
Okay, now that I've rambled on about me (maybe I should start my own blog?)now on to Ava. As I mentioned before we missed her appointment with the doctor, so I have now idea how much she's grown, but it seems like we can see her growing everyday. Seriously, sometimes I look at her and think she looks bigger than she did that morning. She's wearing 12 month size clothing one her, it's a little roomy but she is growing into it. I think she has grown into her chubbiness, if that makes any sense. Her bottom teeth still haven't grown out all the way yet, but they are definitely there. I think her top ones are coming in too because she has had a runny nose for over a week now. She crawls so fast now, and she can walk holding onto the table pretty good too. She is starting to show a wider range of emotions too. The other day she was sitting on the floor in our room and she was pulling on the cord to the blinds. She started making these grunts, and I realized she was getting frustrated because she wanted to pull the blinds up so she could see out the window and she couldn't do it. She was really trying. She also gets so excited now. She waves her hands and makes this funny noise. I bought her this Fridge Farm thing that plays banjo music when she presses a button and she loves it. She'll press the button and as soon as she hears it she gets all excited and she looks at me, because I start doing a funny dance. She kind of bops along too. She's usually sitting on her knees and she'll start bouncing up and down. She loves it when I dance and clap for her. She also loves it when I sing Little Bunny Foo-Foo, she tries to copy the hand movements. When I sing to her, especially the ABC's, she will stare right at my mouth and it looks like she's concentrating on the sounds I am making, almost like she is fascinated by the different sounds. That makes me so happy because I know at that moment she is learning something. She loves to flip the light switch off. I turn it on again, and she will flip it off, and this can go on and on.
Since we have been working at the insurance biz, Ava has been exposed to lots of different foods, some I am not so happy about. The nanny has given her tater tots and french fries. Not in big amounts or anything, but I am kind of hesitant about introducing crap like that into her diet. She of course loves them. She has also eaten lots of good stuff too though, like peas and carrots, cheese, tomatoes, and even chicken. Ava doesn't really like to eat baby food. It's either that or she just would rather feed herself than have me feed her off a spoon. She loves eating people food. Last night I was eating pizza and she crawled right over to me and stood there holding on to my leg and demanded that I give her some. I would rip off little bits of dough and put it in her mouth. I would take a bite, then give her a piece, and this went on until the pizza was gone. I have to hide what I'm eating. I am pretty glad she is beginning to eat food like that because it's a lot more fun than baby food.
Well, it is late and I should get some pictures on here. We are excited because in less than 3 weeks we are going to North Carolina for Thanksgiving! I am not looking forward to the drive, but I am looking forward to getting the heck out of Florida for a few days and shopping for winter stuff for Ava. She needs everything!
Oops, I just realized I didn't mention Halloween. We took Ava trick or treating with Skylar, her 6 year old cousin. I wasn't going to dress her up but Brent bought a costume for her. It was a purple a black dress and witches hat. Of course Ava wouldn't tolerate the hat, but the dress looked really cute. It was so hot! We didn't really trick or treat, just walked up to the door with Skylar. Ava did score a Twix from one house though!

Ava trying on Daddy's Indiana Jones hat. She doesn't like hats.

Doesn't she look excited?




Ava and her Twix

Ava and her buddy Nathan. Yes, Ava is topless. She won't be naked in front of a boy again until she's married.

Mommy & Daddy at a Halloween party