The Gardner Gang: Ava is ONE!

On December 3, 2009, at exactly 2:30pm, Matt and I met the child that we had prayed about for so long... Ava Louise Gardner. She weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces and measured 20.5 inches long. It is hard to believe that it has already been a year since our beautiful daughter was born, and yet, it is hard to remember what life was like without her.

Now, at one year of age, Ava weighs 22 pounds, 4 ounces (75th percentile) and measures 31 inches long (95th percentile). She crawls around the house like a mad woman and pulls up to her feet on everything imaginable. She hasn't mastered walking yet, but we're working on it! She will take steps when someone holds her hands, or when she is holding on to her walking toy. Ava has managed to stand by herself for several seconds on occasion. I am sure the art of walking is just around the corner for our Shoogie Boogie, which means a whole new world for her... and us! Here are just a few more things happening for Ava right now:

-At one year, Ava has 11 teeth in her mouth: Her top 4 front teeth, bottom four front teeth and 3 of her 1 year molars.

-She can point to and identify most objects in our home, and common objects outside and around town.

-Currently, she is able to say: Mama, Dada, Buh-Bye (while waving, and sounding very southern bell-ish), Uh-Oh, Moon, Ball, Book, Balloon (Boo-ooon) and on occasion, bow.

-Favorite Foods: Bananas, yogurt, blueberry waffles, any/all veggies and fruits, cheese, hamburger meat, milk, pumpkin bread, spaghetti... the list could go on. I guess it would be easier to say, Ava is not a picky eater!

-She loves playing in her kitchen, looking at her picture flashcards (her favorite ones to identify are: girl, pumpkins, snowman, tiger, lion, horse, monkey, dog and bear), crawling over and under each and every kitchen chair, playing with Fergie, going to the pet store, eating at Tokyo Express and of course, spending time with Mom and Dad!

Along with Ava's First Birthday, came the final photo shoot with the bear. Below are just a few pictures from the 12-Month shoot. May I just say, getting Ava to lay down next to the bear at this point, is impossible.

December 3, 2010: One Year