Three months old!

Look at those beautiful eyes!

Ava using her new camera to take some pictures of her own!  Do we have a future photographer?

Chunky legs.  Love them!

Loving that smile!  (I cannot get this picture to turn right side up!)

No doctor appointment this month, which mommy is thankful for!  Ella has officially started daycare and is adjusting perfectly.  She can literally sleep through anything and this has helped her immensely!  She is my good little sleeper, usually a 2-3 hour nap in the morning and afternoon as well and a few catnaps throughout the day and she still manages to sleep extremely well at night.  She sleeps through the night about half of the time.  

I am still cuddling/rocking Ella to sleep.  I think over the next month we will work on her being able to put her self to sleep in her crib.  I love rocking my babies to sleep, but also want them to learn how to put themselves to sleep.  However, I doubt Ella will have a problem.  As mentioned before, the girl can sleep anywhere and everywhere.

At three months, Ella weighs 16 lbs, 6 oz.  I didn't even attempt to get a length measurement, so we will have to wait until next month's doctor appointment for that.

At three months, Ella:

• smiles spontaneously and is very easy to get a smile from.
• sometimes squeals in delight
• recognizes mommy (maybe daddy and Ava as well)
• holds head steady when upright
• has really started "playing" at her playmat.  She is kicking her legs and swinging her arms at the objects.

We have started using cloth diapers about 90-95% of the time.  We still use disposables (size 2) at night because they are more absorbent and sometimes when going out and about, depending on how long we will be gone from home.  I am really liking cloth diapering!  Even Darren, who I thought would think it was a pain has no problems with it.  Ella is currently wearing size 3-6 month or 6 month clothes. A lot of the pants seem long on her, but the shirts fit great.  Cloth diapers are a bit bulkier, so the bigger size clothes seem to fit better over the diapers.

Ella's eyes are still looking blue.  

Happy Birthday, Ava!

We celebrated Ava's birthday in style over the weekend.  First on Friday, she got to go to school to celebrate with her friends.  She wore a cute "Happy Birthday" shirt and got to wear a crown!  I love that they make a big deal about the birthdays at school.  Everyone deserves their own day to feel special!  She even brought treats to share with her friends.  There is a severe peanut allergy at her school, so everything needs to be store-bought and peanut free.  We picked out Hostess Ding Dongs and she was so excited and even asking me all week if she could have one.  I was so surprised when I went to pick her up and her teacher told me that Ava didn't want to eat one of her own treats that day.  Funny girl!  Once we got in the car, she had one though!

Saturday morning we had her favorite donuts for breakfast (with candles!)  We played at home in the morning and then after lunch we went to the Isle Casino/Hotel where we had a room reserved.  We knew Ava would enjoy swimming and boy, did she ever.  Thank goodness Uncle Tyson was there to go from the cold pool to the hot pool (as Ava called it) with her!  The hot tub (hot pool) was the perfect temperature and big enough for all of us to swim around, even Ella and baby Kai enjoyed it!  Kai cracked me up because he looked so relaxed and was lounging in a floaty all afternoon!  We ordered pizza, had cupcakes, opened presents, played Candy Land, swam in the giant bath tub before heading to bed.

Happy Birthday beautiful girl!

Having fun in the pool.

She loves her aunt Rae Rae!

Even Ella had a great time!

Opening presents from Mommy & Daddy.  She got headphones for the Kindle Fire, Dora Candyland, a kids camera,  finger paints, brushes and watercolors, Dora stickers and a few books from Ella.   

We need this bath tub at home!  

Baby Kai relaxing in the pool!

Of course my eyes are closed, but otherwise I love this photo!

Sunday morning we headed out around 10:30 to get ready for Ava's party with our friends and family.  We had a tea party theme this year.  I asked Ava several times what she wanted and she said a tea party.  She was also so sweet when you asked her what she wanted for her birthday, her response was always "a cake and balloons."

Checking out her tea party cake.  

With her friend Carter at her party.

How Ella spent most of the party.  

Unwrapping gifts!

Baby Kai looked so cute at the party!

With her Uncle Joshy.  She loved his gift!  

At three years, Ava weighs 40 lbs and is 39.5 inches.  Over 90th percentile for both, but I obviously knew that.  She's been topping the charts since she was two months old and I can clearly see that she is taller than most of the kids in her class and even a lot of the kids that are almost a year older than her!

Ava is the sweetest little girl I could have asked for.  I can usually (95%) of the time count on her being well behaved.  Lately, she has been testing us and pushing the limits in some things.  She hates having her teeth brushed and tries anything to get out of it.  She also has learned that she can hold her pee all day long and tries to tell me she doesn't have to go when she hasn't gone for several hours.  Its annoying and impressive all at the same time.  I can't even hold my pee all day!

She has become the best big sister to Ella.  I can see that they are going to be the best of friends and I love that!  She is really good at sharing and I hope that continues at Ella gets mobile and into everything of Ava's!

Ava loves everything girly.  She loves to wear pretty dresses, bows, and jewelry.  She loves tea parties and princesses.  Ava loves to sing and dance and is really enjoying her ballet and tap class that we attend once a week.