Zoooooorific

So, we visited the Pittsburgh Zoo yesterday. Ava seemed to enjoy herself. Her all time favorite attraction was the monkies followed closely by the fishies. She was pretty much afraid or apathetic towards every thing else. Mommy's favorite was the polar bear exhibit. Here are some photos from our trip.















Pink birdies














Fishy.














Ava to herself: I wonder if I can get in there?














That is one big fishy!














Hi bear!














Hot! Hot! Hot! Especially with an additional 23 lbs.














Holy Crap!














Yes, she insisted on walking across the rickety bridge.

Daddy says relax!

It seems that Ava has inherited one of her daddy's most cherished pastimes-- RELAXING. If relaxing were a sport, Matt would be named Most Valuable Relaxer with a full spread of his accomplishments in The Indiana Evening Gazette. Instead, here are several pictures of what he and his daughter do best-- relax baby.















Relaxing while working.














Relaxing.














Still Relaxing .














Passed out.

Dance Party

As I'm sure you all are aware, Ava looks a lot like her daddy. What you might not know is that she has her mother's spunk, brilliant sense of rhythm and dance ability. Yes, if So You Think You Can Dance (my favorite reality show on Fox) has a 20th season, I'm sure Ava will win.

In order to spend nearly every waking moment with a 17 month old, one has to get creative or Teletubbies will rule the world. That is why she and I have open house dance parties on an almost daily basis. They are just as you might imagine-- I put on some dance music (something I can sing along to of course), I bounce my head to the beat and dance (or as Matt likes to say, I move in a spastic manner). In turn, Ava erupts with fits of laughter and attempts to mimic my super, awesome moves. She mostly just nods her head and stomps/kicks her feet as she slowly, but gracefully spins around in a circle. Ava will break out into extreme hysterics if I turn my head upside down so my hair flops back and forth. This move is a complete show stopper for her!

Now open house dance parties aren't just limited to our house. We generalize to other settings as well. Just last night the three of us had dinner at Luigi's. On the way home Ava started to cry because she was tired and did not have her blanket :( . Matt turned on the car stereo in an effort to distract/soothe her. What came through the speakers was very unfortunate and hardly soothing--the Clarks (we were riding in daddy's car). However, our little Ava sensed a beat and she couldn't deny it. Her head, and curls, started bouncing to the beat. She couldn't exactly stomp or spin, seeing as how she was harnessed in her seat, but I think I may have seen a shoulder shrug! Be it The Clarks, Metallica or a cell phone ringer, Ava will rock out!

Picture Time

I'm stealing your bike, Riley.

I can do it all by myself.

What? I didn't do anything?

I'm making an important call, mom.

Mommy you said @%*#

It has been really hot. Not just hot, but humid. Now, when it is humid my hands tend to swell. I was trying to take off my wedding rings to moisturize when they became stuck. In a moment of pain and panic I muttered the word F*&*. My sweet Ava was laying on the floor staring lovingly up at me when she replied, f*@*. My eyes began to widen. Surely she did not say what I thought she said. F*@* she said again, as clear as if it had come from a dirty trucker's mouth. Now, I know our baby is super smart, but I didn't think she was quite ready to be swearing like a sailor. She has repeated my utterances day in and day out, but they all have been words and phrases I have proudly shown off to her grandparents. I'm pretty certain f*@* would not be on their list of things to boast about their granddaughter. I have to admit, it was kind of funny to hear such a nasty word coming from such an angelic face. I quickly changed the subject to Ernie, her new favorite character on Sesame Street. Luckily, we haven't heard the word since. We are back on track with her day to day vocabulary of mommy, daddy, bubble, Po (her favorite Teletubbie), Arkie (just to taunt Grandma Trudy), CiCi, NA, poop, ewh, Ernie and her all time favorite, which she repeats countless times-- Riley (WYley). I guess mommy needs to swear more secretly!