My name is Ava (with a short o)

Ava has started calling herself Ava (with a short o) the last few weeks. It is so adorable that I just had to capture it on camera!

A vacation just isn't complete without a trip to the ER......

We were so excited to spend our last week of summer in Lake Tahoe with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Sandy, and Uncle Jake, but we quickly learned that a higher power had different plans for us. Before we left, Ava had started a fever, so just to be safe we took her into the doc to get her looked at. Doc said she looked good other than a mild ear infection. We were given a prescription that we could fill if her ears got worse and were given the OK to head out on vacation. Our travel day went well and all seemed fine when we arrived. We had a nice afternoon with Grandma and Grandpa driving through the mountains and hanging out at our very nice house near the lake. Things took a turn for the worse that night when Ava woke up wheezing. I wasn't too worried,  but stayed awake all night listening to her just in case it got worse. 

In the morning you could see that she was struggling to breath and in so much pain she couldn't even swallow a drink of water. We realized this could be something serious and took her to the Urgent Care down the street. By the time we got in to see the doctor her condition was worsening, so after monitoring her O2 levels and discovering she was at a 90%, which I clearly remember from the NICU is not a good sign, we were sent to the Emergency Room. We spent the rest of the day getting tests done and trying to figure out what was going on with our little sweetheart, who by the way was an absolute champ through all of this! Luckily her O2 levels quickly rose back to 99% so that made all of us feel more at ease. After looking at her x-rays we were told she had an infection in her lungs and were sent home with a harsh liquid steroid and a baby inhaler. Her condition just seemed to worsen, she couldn't keep down the steroid, and her temperature kept rising as we got home so we made the decision to head back to LA in the morning. The airline was amazing and quickly got us on a flight, free of charge. 

After getting home we got Ava into her pediatrician who diagnosed her with Croup and gave her the right medication. Within 12 hours or so of leaving the doc you could finally see her improving and the fever going down! 

It is a bit alarming to me that the ER misdiagnosed her and gave her meds (meant for adults) that made her sick, but I am just thankful for my mommy intuition, my amazing husband, and the loving/supportive family that surrounded us during all of this. I know I will look back and know that this really wasn't a big deal and Ava's health was never severely in danger, but for a first time mommy who has had a pretty healthy baby thus far, this was very frightening! 

Here are some pictures from our adventures in Tahoe. I am sad that there aren't more family fun pictures, but hopefully next year's vacation will turn out a little different!

Snuggles with daddy while waiting for the results of the chest x-rays. 

Ava was not a fan of the breathing treatment, however, Steve made it as entertaining as possible for everyone. 

Getting some Auntie (Titi) time before heading to the airport.

Snuggles with "Titi" and "Petty"

Ava is sick of being the patient....it's monkey's turn!

Feeling a little better so daddy let her take the dog for a short walk. 

So happy to finally have my smiley girl back!! 

Ava's biggest accomplishment all summer..................

Pooping in the potty!!!! Ok, I know that is too much information, but we were so shocked and proud I just had to share. It has only happened once and I do not foresee it happening again anytime soon. She is way too young for potty training, but we've got the equipment out just in case. She showed interest in it the other day and went into the bathroom and said, "potty" so I decided why not and let her hang out on there with some reading material and a snack. Much to my surprise she started saying "poop" and then all of a sudden it happened. I think it was pure coincidence that she just happened to be playing on there and had to go, but either way I will take it as a step in the right direction. However, we will hold the serious potty training until after her second birthday.

Here we are just testing the potty seat out. She decided that it wasn't so scary after all, especially when you get to have snacks and toys with you. 

This picture may or may not be appropriate to post, but I just couldn't resist! 

Hanging with GG and G-Pa

Ava had so much fun hanging with GG and Gpa (or pa-ja as Ava calls him). 

Summer in Chicago......long overdue

As we get ready for another vacation I realized I never updated the blog with pictures from our Chicago trip. With school just around the corner, sickness invading our house, and keeping up our energetic toddler things have been quite busy lately!

Here are some pictures from our trip!!

Ava loved the bike Mimi and Papa got her! 

Enjoying the playground in the middle of the swimming pool

Having so much fun she in a pool just the right size!

Hanging with Papa on the deck

Ava loved the park behind my parents' house. They had Geese, dogs, and  a lot of space for her to run around. 

First time at Dairy Queen

She couldn't get enough. Ate all of her cone and then moved onto mine!

Visiting G-Pa and GG in Wisconsin. 

Cousins making a mess at Aunt Nancy's house. Thanks Aunt Nancy for letting us invade, we had a blast!! 

Cousins!!

Making music with Mimi at the Children's Museum

Air tunnels are so much fun!

Captain Ava 

Showing Papa her favorite ipad games

For some reason she loved the corner of the stairs in my parents' house. She would run down the hall and sit down for a while and just watch everyone around her. 

Ava discovered there is nothing better than midwest corn. Learning how to eat it the right way from Papa

Visiting baby Lily in the city. 

College friends reunited, with a few extra guests this time!

Looking at beautiful Chicago while visiting Brooke and Lily in the city. Brooke has the most amazing view from her condo downtown. I was nervous to get close to the edge as it is 22 floors up!!

Steph on the other hand had no problem going near the edge.  She is a little more used to the city life than I am anymore. 

Loves hanging with Auntie Kearston. 

As much as I love Cali, I do miss this city. Have some wonderful memories here and it will always hold a special place in my heart. <3

Blackberry Market with Mimi and Auntie Beth. Ava wouldn't touch her grilled cheese sandwich, but she had no problem taking down this vanilla cupcake. How can I get mad, she gets it from her mamma!

Visiting the brand new and oh so adorable baby Lila! Check out Ava's glare....not sure if she is ready for a sibling anytime soon. 

Just being cool wearing her glasses

Another great part of the trip is that I got to spend some quality time with my sis (baby free!). We enjoyed her beautiful new place in the city and a night out celebrating Kearston's 30th birthday. 

Pizza was a must on our last night in Chicago. Ava loved it! I have never seen her devour pizza like she did here. Must be because we do have the best pizza on earth. 

One last stroll through the park before we head back to California and of course Mimi's monkeys had to come with us.