Ava Appleseed

Ava Appleseed
Originally uploaded by Ava's Antics

A couple of days ago Ava wanted to have an apple after getting home from the baby-sitter's house. Since they had just walked in the door, Doni handed her a whole apple (peel and all) to buy herself some time to get situated. Every other time Ava has had apples they have been at least sliced and usually peeled. I figured she'd carry it around for a little while and end up throwing it at Sassy. In the past, she's seemed to prefer her apples without the skin. This apple was no crabapple either; it was a biggun'! She'd have to open her gob up pretty wide to actually get a bite. (I hooked on using British slang because we just finished watching the second season of Extras on DVD.) I know snakes can unhinge their jaws, but I'm pretty sure two-year-old Fisks cannot.

Less than five minutes later Ava had managed to get her first bite! I don't know how, but she somehow broke the laws of physics to make that happen. There is no other explanation. After that she steadily worked her way deeper and deeper into the apple. Most people, when they eat an apple, work their way around the exterior. Ava, however, chose to chew straight through the apple. By the time I picked up on her unique technique it was too late - SHE HAD EATEN RIGHT THROUGH THE CORE! Either this apple had no seeds or we'll be seeing them soon in a browner, smellier context.

Ava's vocabulary is exploding. She used to just say "baby", "poopy", "mama", and several other words. She seemed content with this. How many words do you really need to get by? She seemed to think she could manage with a few essential words until she graduated from high school. For everything else she could get her point across with a variety of grunts and gestures. (Jeremy: "That's how I got through High School.") Doni would tell a legend about how Ava would say "daddy" all the way home from the babysitter's house. I say legend because Ava appeared to think it was taboo to say "daddy" in my presence. I probably hadn't heard her say it for a good six months. Yesterday I picked her up from the babysitter's house. As soon as she saw me she said "Hi daddy!" as clear as a bell. I quickly double-checked to make sure it was my daughter and not an impostor. Nope, it was my baby girl! Two points for dad! I relished in it because it could very well be the last time she acknowledges me until she gets through her teens. Till then I'll respond to grunts and pointing.

Oh Man!

We've created a monster. While Doni was home with Ava yesterday (because she had President's Day off), Ava picked up one of her mom's phrases. You know how people say "Oh, man," if they drop something, come just short of 1st place, or have some other disappointment? The "Oh" is lower-pitched in contrast to the higher-pitched "man". I'm not talking about this kind of "Oh man". Disappointment, not excitement. Please note the difference.

Last night we're watching Unbeatable Banzuke, my new favorite show. (Kindra, no making fun of me in the comments like you did when I said I watched Ninja Warrior. That's quality television.) On this show contestants try to work their way through an obstacle course. That doesn't sound too bad right? The entertaining part is that they have to complete the course while walking on their hands, while on stilts, on a unicycle without touching the ground, on a bicycle without touching the ground, on top of a 6 foot tall ball without falling off, or other highly difficult means. I think my favorite part is the English translation of the Japanese announcer. He says things like, "Meet Nogatu Kawasaki! He prefers stilts to shoes!"

One of the obstacle courses has contestants walk to three different elevated platforms. Between each are blocks of foam that look like crib mattresses stood on end spaced 8 inches apart. To complete the course you have to walk across the tops of the foam blocks without falling. For the viewer's added enjoyment the foam blocks aren't secured to the ground and they break after slightly bending.

Probably 90% of the contestants can't successfully complete the course each show. 20% of those that don't make it are usually within arm's reach of the finish. This leads to a lot of, "Oh man," moments. I'm not sure if Doni and I started saying it first or if Ava did, but she was chiming in right along with us after the near finishes.

This morning, after my tossing and turning all night and Ava's coughing all night, Ava woke up at 4AM. I got up to give her a breathing treatment. She's really good about wearing the mask and will even put her nose back where it goes if you move the mask off of her face. So, we're watching Backyardigans at four in the morning and her mask falls off. Cue Ava: "Oh Man!" Classic.

I ended up staying home from school today because Ava isn't feeling well. When I took the mail out to the mailbox I noticed two guys digging up our front yard. Turns out the plumbers decided to come out and fix our leak today instead of tomorrow! Cha-Ching! After I came back inside, Ava and I went into her room in the front of the house. I pulled the blinds out of the way so she could see what was going on. As she walked up to the window one of the plumbers walked on the sidewalk directly in front of her window. She was playing it cool watching him go by when Sassy suddenly realized there was someone on the other side of the glass. Sassy went into ALL DOGS ALERT mode and scared the living daylights out of Ava! I have never seen her that frightened. She nearly fell trying to turn and run to me. Her face made grimaces I didn't even know were possible. I picked her up, soothed her, and yelled at Sassy to shut-up. Ava's crying began to let up as she let out a whimpery "oh man!"

When It Rains It Pours

As some of you know, we're having some water issues. Last week on Monday the water company confirmed that we have a leak in the water line coming into our house. Well, that would explain how we could possibly use 24,000 gallons of water in one month. Thankfully, we are enrolled in the water line protection program that our water company offers. A plumber has been out and determined that the leak is in the yard (NOT under our house's slab foundation *whew*). We won't have to pay a dime to fix it as the repair cost is estimated under $5000. We're saving money because we're trying to move. This leak could have really hurt our bank account. God is good.

On Tuesday Sassy apparently decided to fast for the Lent season. She refused to eat on Wednesday. Thursday, she threw up 8-10 times over the course of the day, 2-3 times of which were mostly blood. To say the least, we were concerned. I called our vet to find out he was out of the office that day. After calling a couple more veterinary clinics I found a veterinary hospital nearby that could see her. Since they didn't have any open appointments I had to drop her off because they were going to work her in between appointments. Later I got a call saying I could pick her up at 7 PM, when they close. I showed up at 6:50. An hour later, after they finished with their last scheduled patient, I met the vet. Surprisingly they had not done much for her yet. We discussed some diagnostic options and decided to get a abdominal x-ray and give her some subcutaneous fluids (fluids given just under the skin instead of in a vein). When they brought her back out to me in the waiting room she looked like the hunchback of Notre Dame because of the fluid bubble in the nape of her neck. They sent us home with a three-drug regimen, some special dogfood, and the optimistic hope that she would probably start eating again tomorrow. Oh yeah, my wallet was also $271 lighter *ouch*. Happy Valentine's Day Sassy.

On Friday Sassy continued to not eat, but she was at least not vomiting. Progress is progress and I'd take whatever I could get. That is, until she started to belch/vomit/reflux as soon as the veterinary hospital closed. On Saturday I took her back to the veterinary hospital, again having to drop her off. That afternoon I picked her up after some blood tests, another medicine to take home, and a $180 bill *double ouch*.

On Sunday Sassy took a sabbatical from her Lenten fast and started to eat again. She has continued to eat since. Sassy, I'm sure Jesus will understand that food was maybe the wrong thing for you to give up for Lent. Maybe next year.

So, the water is going to be taken care of. Sassy is once again eating. We're no worse for wear right? Wrong. Ava coughed throughout the night from Sunday to Monday. In the morning she woke up wheezing. We made an appointment for her with the doctor in the afternoon. After her wheezing got worse and worse Doni took her in early. Now she's got cough medicine, an antibiotic, and a rented nebulizer machine. She's doing a little better already and is cooperating with her nebulizer treatments beautifully. That Backyardigans coma sure comes in handy!

Nebulizer Treatment
Originally uploaded by Ava's Antics

Read Me A Story

Last night while Doni was getting her hair trimmed, Ava got into her coupe and read her baby a story (the baby is next to her in the seat).



The next video is Ava trying to Flintstone her way across the floor. As you can tell from the video, she wasn't too happy about her progress. At the end you can hear her yell "Mom!", not remembering that she wasn't home.



This last video is one I saw on YouTube. I don't know this kid or his family, but its definately good for a laugh!

Bedtime Kisses

Grapes and Pigtails
Originally uploaded by Ava's Antics

Last night Ava started walking towards her bedroom. Based on the time, I told Doni that she might be going to bed. If she's acting tired and we ask her if she wants to go to bed or take a nap, she will usually start walking towards her room. Other times, like this time, she'll walk to her crib and lift her arms to be picked up, placed in her crib, and laid down. Doni and I will ask for a kiss and she'll usually give us each one before she gets her pacifier. As usual, I got a kiss and then Doni got one. Then, she slipped into an ongoing loop where she would kiss Doni, then she would kiss me, then she would kiss Doni, on and on and on. Through smiles and laughter, we played along to see how long she would continue. After 20-30 kisses she must have remembered why she came to her bedroom in the first place. She leaned toward her crib reaching for her favorite doll Sally (she calls her "Baby"). We laid her down, give her her pacifier, covered her with a blanket, and left the room. She was probably out cold in five minutes. Let's hope our next baby goes to sleep this well! (No, Doni's not pregnant and we're not trying)

First Haircut

Ava had her first haircut this morning. We weren't sure how she would handle it. I saw something on the Parent Hacks blog that said you should refer to it as a "hair trim" instead of a "haircut" because kids associate cuts with pain. So, this morning we would catch ourselves saying "haircut" and then immediately correct ourselves with "hair trim". It probably doesn't really matter at this point because she doesn't really know what a cut is anyway.

She did really well! We went to a Cookie Cutters salon that recently opened up by us. We were able to put in a video and she lapsed into a Backyardigans coma. It also helps that Doni frequently messes with Ava's hair. Consequently, Ava was used to everything that was going on except the scissors.

Right Room, Wrong Porcelain

Here we are, nearly three weeks into our potty training escapades, and the first time Ava has used the toilet is the only time she has used the toilet. Granted, we're not putting her on the toilet as consistently because she still doesn't seem to get the point. Tonight she went up to Doni saying "Poopy" and pointing at her diaper. A quick pat of the back of the diaper revealed that Ava hadn't pooped so we blew it off. Two minutes later she had grown a brown tail. (P)oops!

Maybe she does get the point. Normally she'll say "Poopy" after she has done the deed. This is the first time she has said it beforehand. Was she saying it purely because she felt the impending poo coming? Or, was she saying it because she felt the impending poo coming AND was telling us so we could get her on the toilet? I think it was more likely the former based on her previous toilet misfires. Hopefully she'll continue to tell us about her No. 2 deliveries in advance so we get a second chance at getting her on the toilet.

What if she does understand that you go potty in the bathroom, but is just confused? Last week she pooped in the tub. She WAS in the bathroom, just not on the toilet. Ava, you're getting warmer.

Faking it

The other day I went into Ava's bedroom to get her up in the morning. I had heard her making noise through our monitor, so I knew she was up. Usually when I come into her room in the morning and turn on the light she'll stand up and shout at me like a monkey at the zoo. This day was a little different though.

I opened the door to her bedroom, turned on the light, and looked in her closet for an outfit. There was a stillness to the room like a lake in the early morning fog. "That's weird," I thought. I picked out an outfit and went to see why she wasn't giving me her typical barrage of squeals. I looked into her crib and there she was. She was laying down on her side with a blanket covering her upper body and face. She was completely still except for a slight flexing of her fingers. I started playing into her game. "Ava, where are you? Are you still sleeping? You must be pretty tired." Her fingers slightly moved again, but she was maintaining her statuesque pose with the determination of a street performer. I reached into her crib and began to slowly pull up her blanket. Her body tightened as the tension built, keeping herself from springing the trap too soon. As the edge of the blanket passed her chin I saw a sly smile develop. Not much farther to go. The moment climaxed as her eyes were revealed to be wide open. She finally let loose the shouts and squeals that I had been anticipating. I acted surprised so that she could enjoy her own comedic genius.

The truth is I pulled stunts like this when I was a kid. I remember countless times I would feign sleeping while in the car on the way home just so Dad would carry me in to bed when we got there. I probably did such a novice job at it that my faking was as easily identified as Ava's. Still, many times I would succeed in getting carried to bed.

Ava, I'll play along, but you'll have to wake up pretty early in the morning to fool your daddy.