A Mother's Reflection

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to send out the latest update on Ava. We went to the doctor yesterday...which was pretty eventful as she got another round of immunizations. Ava did amazingly well. So well that after she had gotten the shots she stopped crying, and was able to patiently wait till we arrived home to eat...What a trooper! We also discovered that she has gained a couple more pounds, and now weighs....drumroll please...a whopping 11 pounds 13 ounces! Close to 12 pounds! Ha! We celebrate it, even though she is still a little peanut on the growth charts. The doctor told us we could start cereal once a day, so expect some photos of the first eating event. Since we have been having so many problems with her sleeping, we also developed a plan to help teach her how to sleep. We will begin the process tonight...I am not looking forward to it...in fact I have been a big complainer about the whole thing...(I hate being a complainer!) My loving husband continues to remind me that we live for today...and not for tommorow. How easy it is to forget this at times. Often times when I wake up in the middle of the night to feed her...I dream. I dream about when she will say her first word...I dream about her touching her feet on sands of a warm beach...I dream about her first day at school...I dream about her dancing...all of them great and wonderful dreams...but then I am reminded that I need to live in the today...the here and now...and delight in the ways she is blessing us moment by moment. Her smiles could light up a room...they do it daily. Her quirky expressions have her father and I laughing all of the time. (From her atomic poops...to her drool that covers her father's shirts (that one gets me every time- for those of you that know Corey he hates to get dirty :))) to her defiant kissing sounds to prevent her from being put down to sleep.)She cracks us up! We were reflecting on how much we have had to sacrifice as a result of the challenges that she has thrown at us since she has been born, but we wouldn't trade them for the world. She is a gift...and we are so grateful...gladly (and I know that Corey shares the same sentiment)- would we trade it all to be a parent to her. So that being said, and with tears in my eyes...I leave you with some photos of our little princess...in her fabulous jean skirt and fashion tights (all great gifts provided by great friends...)

Warmly,
Cyndia for Corey and Ava