SeptemberFest

I really meant to write about this before I left for my trip to STL, but lack of time and procrastination were a factor.

Oktoberfest came early. Ava had her first beer sampling at age 18 months, and if she could speak in complete sentences I'm sure she would tell you that it was the best thing she has ever tasted. It has been several weeks now, but it is funny just the same. We went to dinner at Bruno's Restaurant (where I work) to eat dinner. When I say "we," I mean Matt, Ava, Riley, my mom and I. I ordered a draft of Yuengling in an attempt to cool down and relax. Ava decided that she no longer wanted to sit in her highchair and opted for a much comfier spot on my lap. I think she was just plotting to get closer to my frosty mug of beer. As I raised the glass to my lips, Ava watched intently. I put the glass down and she reached for it. I pushed it back. As I turned my head to talk to my mother, Ava stretched to reach my beer. She put her tiny little hand into the glass and then sucked on her hand. She must of enjoyed it because she tried to go back for seconds! I moved the glass to the opposite end of the table behind a table tent. Ava wailed as she attempted to crawl across the table in search of the Yuengling. My relaxing beverage turned in to a game of hide and seek. The beer hid and Ava tried to find it. In order to finish my beer, I had to sneak a drink when she wasn't looking. I'm glad my daughter has such a refined palette, but I am not willing to share my beer. You'll have to wait until you can order your own baby bean.

Home, Sweet, Home

Ava and I have been going to vist great grandma Syster between once and twice a week while I'm only working part- time. Gram really looks forward to our visits, as do Ava and I. Ava mostly likes to show up and house everything Gram puts in front of her (and that's a lot). I like to go visit because I feel so safe and at home there. It is so serene and peaceful out in the country. The fresh air, the green grass, the plentiful trees, the spacious yard is so soothing.

Last Thursday, Ava and I made our weekly visit. When we arrived the table was set with sloppy joes, corn, noodles in beef broth, salad, bread, and for desert-- angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream. This was only lunch mind you. Once lunch was over, Ava was fed oyster crackers and no-bake cookies for snack. What can I say? The girl can eat and grandma will never stop feeding her. We eventually made it past the table to go outside. Gram had made a special trip to K-mart that morning to buy two balls becasue she knew we were coming to visit. Ava and gram bounced the balls on the porch and of course Ava tried to eat the smaller of the two balls. MMMMMmmmmm. Rubber is good. Afterwards, we basically chased Ava around the yard and down to the corn field as Gram warned Ava not to touch any of Mr. Altemus's sweet corn. Ava was like, screw the sweet corn, there are rocks down here! After school let out, Mike came down with his two dogs to say hello. Ava quickly scurried into Gram's lap, clenching every muscle in her body everytime Coby and Sarah came near her. Of course once the dogs retereated into their own yard, Ava was all like, bye Mike, bye puppies. Apparently puppies and men are only cute from far away. Anyway, enjoy the photos of our time spent in the place that is home.

Hello, My name is......

At nearly 18 months, little miss Ava has named everyone in her family. She has even granted her grandmother with a name. Ava calls her GrandmaTrudy, Trudy, except when she says it sounds more like Tooty. Why not, right? This is her name after all. I guess Grandma or grammy is just out of the question for Ava bean. Well, hey at least it's something. For the rest of the family it goes something like this:

Mommy- self explanatory
Daddy- again, self explanatory
Cici- for Aunt Courtney
Riley- pronounced Wyley, although the R sound is coming along
Mammy- for her Great Grandma Syster
Papap- no need to explain
Na- for Grandma use to be Visnesky, was Syster and now is Manecke
Juchin- for Uncle Justin
Heather- we're still working on this. I think she said it once and it sounded kinda like Heaba
Eli- for Eliot
Chip- for Uncle John, this is what baby brother Matt referred to him as and still does. Weird.
Jo- for Aunt Mary Jo
Ryan- this sounds almost right on
Emmie- for Emma
Arkie- I think this may be her favorite name to say

Ava often runs through the list of people she holds near and dear at various points in her day, and if in the same room, she points to the person's chest and identifies him or her by name. Her newest feat is naming herself. She points to her chest and either of the following things come out: Emmie, Avy or Abee. Most often times it is Abee. It is the cutest thing ever and she does it at the most random times. I have been asking her, what is your name? Then I point to her chest and announce, your name is Ava. She hasn't quite yet caught on to responding to this question. I'll ask, Ava, what is your name? Her response: a knowing smile and a laugh. She'll point to her chest and say Abee an hour later.

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.