Daycare update

Daycare was going better, but the last few weeks we've definitely taken a turn for the worse again. Ava has been crying when I drop her off, and I've spent most days walking out of daycare with tears in my eyes and crying on the way to work myself. Ugh! I can't believe my baby is old enough to realize that I'll be leaving her for the day!

I think it started getting worse again a few weeks ago when I noticed that she got scratched a couple times one week. Ever since then, it seems that she is afraid of the other kids. She cries whenever one comes near her. Ironically, she doesn't mind Sophie (our dog) coming near her, or licking her for that matter. (See... all you people that said dogs and babies don't mix?!)

I went in Monday morning and tried to be strong and name off my complaints. Number one being, the girls that work in the afternoon don't ever seem to know what's going on. Whenever we come to pick up Ava and ask how her day was, the girls in the afternoon respond with "I don't know, I just got here." Ugh! I had a really great talk with Ava's teacher Miss Lisa and she made a couple suggestions, one being to bring in a photo album of pictures of us for Ava to look at. She also said that Ava is a sympathy crier, meaning every time another baby cries... so does she. I think she is having a hard time getting used to all the noise and hustle and bustle of the room. Also, she is only at daycare 2 1/2 days per week, it will most likely take her longer to adjust.

Monday afternoon I got a much better report from the afternoon girls. (They must have gotten talked to, and are now afraid of me... the crazy mom with all the requests!) Tuesday and Wednesday went MUCH, MUCH better for Ava. We got to daycare about 20 minutes early today so that I could play with her there before I left for work. She was busy playing on the floor with her cuddle blanket and photo album next to her when I left.

Please keep us in your prayers. I was so close to looking elsewhere, but after talking to them on Monday I feel much better and am going to give it another try.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my mom's 50th birthday. We had a great celebration yesterday in Cedar Falls. We all went to Sakura, the new Japanese Steak House, for lunch. Afterwards, we went to Tyson & Rachel's and enjoyed a raspberry-filled vanilla cake that I made (very yummy, if I say so myself). I think she had a pretty good birthday celebration. While it might not be the Mexican or Hawaiian vacation she was hoping for, I'm pretty sure an afternoon spent with Ava is all she cares about.

Happy Birthday, mom. (Are you checking this blog?!) 50 and fabulous!

Photos from the past weekend in Kansas City. I will say, my aunts (and mom) sure know how to throw a fabulous party! We all had a great time and Ava wore her a very pretty party dress. (Would you expect anything less?)

Delicious treats at the shower

Beautiful centerpieces

Yummy cookies

Mmmmm.... cupcakes. I ate 3!

The bride-to-be, Sandy and her mom and future mother-in-law

The gift Rachel and I gave her

Sandy opening many great gifts!

Ava, Wendy, Verla, Rachel

Four generations

Ava and Nana

Ice cream on the way home. Ava LOVED it!

Weekend in Kansas City

We traveled for the second weekend in a row, this time to Kansas City, MO for Sandy & Jared's (Wendy's cousin) bridal shower. I took Ava swimming again and we did some shopping. Mommy got nothing, Ava got lots! Her clothes are so much more fun to buy, plus I don't have to try them on.

It was fun traveling down there, 4 generations of "Meinder's" women in the car. Grandma Frances Meinders, my mom, Verla, sister Rachel, Ava, and myself.

I'll try to upload photos tomorrow. I couldn't get the uploader to work.

Girls weekend in Omaha

This past weekend my mom, Rachel, Aunt Mari, cousin Kelsey, Ava and I went to Omaha for a girls trip. The plan was for Mari and I to go to a hair show on Saturday and the rest of the weekend would be spent shopping and having fun. We arrived on Friday afternoon, ate lunch and then headed to the mall to shop. Ava was not her usual happy self, so our shopping was cut short. We were up most of Friday night with a very unhappy, teething baby with a fever. (101.6) High to me, NOT high to the nurses on the phone that I called at 4 am.

Even though the weekend didn't quite go as planned, we still had a good time and Ava got to go for her first swim. She LOVED it! Her little legs were kicking away!

6 months old!

Half a year already! Our little sweetie is getting so big. She is such a happy, healthy little girl. If you've notice she is sure smiling in a lot of her pictures, this is for a couple of reasons. 1. She is just that happy all the time. And 2. She is such a little ham. Its like she sees a camera and instantly is posing and smiling. Hmmm... reminds me of someone I know. :o)

Ava currently weighs 20 lbs, 5 oz. This is an ounce less than at 5 months, which is probably because at 5 months we just weighed her at home so the scales are a bit different. She is still 99% for her weight. Ava's height is 27 1/2 inches, which was down to 96%. We are still wearing 6-9 month clothing, but she will probably be moving on to 9-12 soon. Still wearing size 3 diapers.

At 6 months, Ava can sit up extremely well on her own. She still hasn't rolled over (at least not that we know of). She still loves to be read to and she really loves her toys that play music or have lights. Ava is still a drooling machine, but hasn't cut any teeth yet.

Ava never really adapted to eating the rice cereal, so we pretty much gave up on it. We introduced fruits and vegetables this last month and she loved most of them. We've started mixing rice cereal in her fruits and veggies so that she's getting enough iron. Ava is still taking strictly breast milk. We haven't had to supplement with formula or anything.

After Ava's cold at the beginning of last month, she had a few weeks where she wasn't sleeping the best at night. She's slowly getting back on her schedule. It will be nice when she's consistently sleeping through the night again.

Ava is getting more adjusted to daycare, which is a huge relief. I have some friends whose babies attend the same center so they'll occasionally check up on her for me and they've said they've seen Ava playing with toys, happy as can be. Its definitely nice to hear that from someone who doesn't work there.

Daycare

I have been awful about updating the blog. Sorry and I'll try to get better!

Ava seems to have a chronic runny nose since she had her first cold a few weeks ago. I'm pretty sure it comes with being a daycare kid. That part sucks, but on a brighter note, daycare is going MUCH better!

Monday when I got there to pick her up she was sitting on the floor playing with toys, happy as can be. They said she had a great day, was very happy. She ate 2 bottles for them and half a jar of sweet potatoes!

We have also been feeding Ava solids for the past couple of weeks. She loves sweet potatoes, carrots, pears, peaches, and applesauce. She wasn't too thrilled with green beans and peas.