1 year!!!

Wow, I can't believe how ridiculously overdue this post is... I really don't even know where to start.

Ava turned 1 on April 19. A week later it's finally starting to sink in that I have a 1 year old. I can't believe how quickly the past year has gone by. We had Ava's birthday party the Saturday before her birthday and we had a great time. She got her first taste of cake which she loved. My sister baked Ava her own special cake with no sugar so that it was a little healthier than regular cake. It tasted a lot like banana bread and clearly Ava enjoyed it.

Erin and I posing with Ava's awesome cake.

Ava is going to town on her cake!

Matt's parents came down for the party and brought a surprise with them-they flew Matt's brother in from New Orleans! Neither of us had any idea that he was coming, so it was a great surprise. He hadn't seen Ava since Christmas and I think that he was pretty impressed with how much she had grown and how much is able to do now.

A few friends were here for the party too, but there weren't too many people. It was nice just having a small group. It definitely kept things mellow and not too overwhelming for Ava. She was able to play with my friend Teisha's son Gavin who is 7 months, and her daughter Adria who will be 2 in July.

The birthday girl in her big girl chair from Aunt Erin and Uncle Mike.

A few days after her birthday, we went to the doctor for her 12 month check up. Ava's doctor told me that she looked perfect, which I know but is always good to hear from a trained medical professional. She has slowed slightly on her growth, the doctor said that she will start to grow at her own rate now since she doesn't have to catch up anymore. Here is a comparison of her 6, 9, and 12 month stats:

6 months 9 months 12 months

weight: 15.6 lbs. 18.3 19.1

length: 25 1/4" 28" 29"

head circumference: 16 1/4" 16 3/4 17.5

Ava also had her appointment with a NICU doctor at the developmental clinic. They do this every 6 months for the first 2 years. They were very impressed with how well Ava is doing and said that verbally she is at the 12 month mark and beyond. She is right on target with her gross and fine motor skills, as well. I really wasn't worried about anything because I think that she's doing great and I know she's perfect!

After the clinic and before her dr. appt., we had some time to kill, so we headed up to the NICU to visit some of the nurses. They had just started building a new NICU when Ava left the hospital and it is almost all finished now. It's awesome. It's so much bigger and seems much more quiet. As nice as it is, I hope that we never have an extended stay there. The nurses and the head neonatologist were all excited to see Ava. They remembered her well and were so surprised with how big she has gotten. Ava charmed them and was showing off the whole time. It was great to see some of the women who helped care for Ava when she needed it the most. They will always have a special place in my heart.