Well, summer is half over and it’s hard to believe that this time last year I was sitting here completely dumbfounded with a newborn.   It seems like yesterday, but also seems like 10 years ago if that makes any sense.  We’re still house-hunting and boy is it slow going.  We’ve expanded the search but still haven’t found the right place.

Thanks to everyone who came and helped celebrate Ava’s first birthday- it meant a lot to us and without my mom, it was a bittersweet time.  (Though now that time has passed, not having the meanness that is Anastasia and Drizella is a blessing!).  Ava was a bit stunned by the chaos, and was particularly upset when the piñata was being knocked about.  I suppose we should have considered that when letting her play around with it and thinking it was her new doggie.  Duh.  But, she had a great time and we are just overwhelmed with everyone’s generosity.

Also, very special thanks to Ava’s god mother and the whole Brogdon-Peel family who loaned out their spectacular home.  What a lucky break for us and they couldn’t have been more gracious hosts.  Mark even managed to take time away from the restaurant to spend time with us.

There are several new additions to the Ava TV section.  One is the invite we used for her birthday…so you might have seen it.  It’s meant to be old fashioned looking for those that are confused about the quality, but it’s a funny compilation of a day in the life of Ava.

Hope to have an update on the home situation soon!  Much love, Bonnie

Ava is doing great and has so much energy it’s hard to keep up with her at times. She laughs TONS, crawls EVERYWHERE, and eats EVERYTHING. She is the happiest little thing I think I’ve ever met. Leaving her periodically for work events is brutal.

Nothing much new to report. Mother’s Day was bittersweet, heavy on the sweet. We still can’t decide where to buy, here or up north. There are tradeoffs both places…we’ll figure it out. We spend a lot of time swimming here since Ava loves the water so much, and the weather affords a nice lifestyle. The alternative of course is what will be better for Ava in the long run, not to mention being closer to family and many friends. I’m so sick of the subject…..

Love, Bonnie

It’s been an action-packed couple of months.  We had Jason’s mom and her husband for a visit…we went to see my dad and Jeannie for Brett and Nikki’s engagement….Auntie Nina came for a visit…Kylee came and went a few times….and Ava started her swimming lessons!  Nothing but non-stop action in this family.

So Ava is doing great and is just so fun and incredible.  She is loving and fun, particularly when Kylee visits.  She’s looking more and more like Jason with the dark, long eye lashes, but the McBride gene is hard to miss.  Lately, her favorite activity has been to go to the park and swing and play in the sand, which we did today.  She’s very social- loves other babies and children.  She’s 18 lbs and 27 inches.  Hasn’t had any problems with her shots- fingers crossed it continues.

Her swimming lessons are hilarious.  The babies are 6 – 12 months and it’s amazing how they manage in the water.  The first time I had to dunk her under water I thought I would be sick but Ava actually seemed to like it.  Her bathing suit is a riot too- we’ll take pictures next time.

Still struggling on our next move as far as where to live/buy/rent.  We are selling the Mill Valley house and it looks like we’re getting out just in time.  It’s hard to imaging buying here in LA but it’s tough to argue with the weather….75 degrees as I write this.  But, it seems dumb to miss out on a great buying opportunity so we need to figure out where we want to be and make it happen.

It continues to be very difficult not having my mom around, but we’re grateful for everyone that’s been so involved in her life.  We’re pretty sure you’re grateful too!

Love,
Bonnie

Ava is now 6 months old and doing great.  She is in the 80th percentile for both height and weight and meeting all of the standard milestones for her age and then some.  She is still super alert and focused- it cracks us up how often people remark on this.  She will just stare directly into the eyes of whoever she comes into contact with.  Ava also remains a very happy, smiley baby.  We feel so lucky!

The holidays were good- very quiet.  Ava loved meeting Santa though, which you can see for yourself in one of the more recent photos.  I am such a sucker I actually bought the DVD of me bringing her to Santa’s lap and cooing and squealing at her- generally making an ass of myself.  Speaking of…I met Hillary Clinton recently and blathered all over her about Ava and how I had coughed up the money for the event (yes, I said “coughed up” to her) so that I could tell her how I had supported the first female President of the United States.

We brought Ava to the Zoo not too long ago which was a big success.  She loves to people watch and loves the attention she gets from strangers (because she’s so adorable ).  The animals held absolutely zero interest for her.

Nothing else to report other than we are thinking of actually buying a house here given current market conditions and interest rates.  While I would still like to ultimately raise Ava in Marin, it looks like we might be here for awhile.

Oh- and thanks so much to everyone who has sent in comments for Ava’s baby book!  They are all going in (some of you guys are so hilarious) so keep them coming.
Love,
Bonnie

Ironically, nursing a baby frees up a lot of time- as long as what you want to do only requires one hand and can be done sitting down. Maybe as I go along the site will improve but for now expect it to be pretty rudimentary.

Ava is spectacular and truly the best thing that has ever happened to me. She is incredibly alert and focused and definitely has some Irish in her. The good news is she can generally be soothed easily and is a very happy baby. She is 8 weeks old and had her first set of shots the other day. She weighed in at 10 lbs 10 oz. which puts her in the 75th percentile.

As for me, I’m doing great albeit a bit tired some days. With most of the baby weight off, I am feeling more like my old self. Bella the dog is doing well too since I’m able to exercise her again. Jason is as in love with Ava as I am and is a very hands-on father. Tonight we are leaving her for the first time to celebrate his birthday and my fingers are crossed that I don’t waste the evening calling home to check in!
Love,
Bonnie

Ava is 4 months old today!  Last week at her doctor’s appt our suspicions were confirmed: She is a chunky- monkey, gaining 2 lbs in the past 4 weeks alone, and remains in the 75^th percentile for her size.  She continues to meet all of her age appropriate milestones and then some, already rolling over and even sitting up on her own for short periods of time.  She loves her Jolly-jumper and her legs are getting so strong it can be difficult to hold on to her when she’s squirmy.  The doctor told me that given her size, I should begin looking for signs that she is ready to begin eating rice cereal.  I nearly fell over…she is growing up so quickly.

We all headed to Cayucos for Thanksgiving and had a blast (see pictures).  Kylee and Ava had some much needed bonding time as did Ava with Grandma and Grandpa and everyone else.  I missed my mom quite a bit and thought of her a lot, so was glad to be with family that week.  Ava unfortunately caught her first cold though and also started teething so we had a few sleepless nights.  I return to the office environment part-time tomorrow and I’m already wondering about how wise of a decision that was.  I feel like I will be lucky to last a week.

We still hope to be in San Francisco for the holidays and hope to see many of you soon!

Love, Bonnie