What fun crawling can be...

Ava Grace loves her new found freedom, except when she can't go fast enough to keep up with me moving all over the house. Either way, she has learned to navigate through our living room very well. Here are a few pictures of her crawling that her Daddy took one afternoon.

I am still amazed how when there are so many toys to play with on the floor that all children seem to find the smallest particle of food or dirt to be interested in instead. I wish my eyesight was that good!! Ava Grace has found many things for us on the floor that we didn't even know were there whether it was found on the main floor or under a table - she has discovered a lot. While crawling around one day at Cece's, we noticed that Ava Grace had gotten into a box that had a spool of ribbon in it and guess what? Yep, she started unraveling it and eating it. It must be fascinating to unroll everything when you are this age.

Thank you, Pop Pop

Pop Pop painted a rocking chair for Ava Grace. Seriously, it is just her size. He painted it in bulldog blue and added her name to it. When we first put her in it, she held on for dear life and thought we were just going to leave her there. Now she smiles and even laughs when we put her in it and make it rock back and forth. I know she will learn to love this chair more and more as she grows. Thank you Pop Pop for painting this rocking chair!! You're the best!!

9 month appointment

Ava Grace had her 9 month check-up last week. She is now weighing in at 19 lbs., 13 oz. and is 28 inches long. We have a big girl on our hands!! They had to prick her finger for a blood panel and I am proud to say that our little girl did not cry or wince when they stuck her or pushed on her finger. Yeah for Ava Grace!! She didn't have to get any shots this time which was a nice change. Her pediatrician was also very encouraged by the report from Shriners. Everything about her appointment went really well.

Zac Brown Band

Tim and I actually had a date last Thursday night!! We took Ava Grace to stay with Meme and Pop Pop while Tim, Steve (his brother), and Debbie (his sister) went to grab a bite for supper at Chief's. If you have never eaten at Chief's....it is a must next time you are in the upstate. You can find Chief's in several locations. Anyway. After supper, Tim and I went to Converse College to hear the Zac Brown Band. It was awesome!! We sang our hearts out and didn't care how bad it sounded!! The only problem was that the concert was outside behind Twitchell Auditorium. Although that sounds fun (and it truly was), Tim and I didn't know the concert was going to be outside, so we weren't prepared with chairs, towels, blankets, or jackets. Oh well!! It was so much fun though!! Many of you have probably heard of the Zac Brown Band. Tim discovered them about 5 years ago in Atlanta and we have loved them ever since. If you have never heard of them and like country-type music, then check out their website.

Fun with Ellis

Ellis and Ava Grace visited their grandmothers at the same time which meant that Natalie and I could visit with each other too. We don't see each other as much as we want to since Natalie lives south of Atlanta and we are in North Carolina. So, when it works out that we come home at the same time, we really enjoy our visits!! Ellis will be 2 in May and is so cute and such a busy little girl. Ava Grace was mesmerized by her and all of her energy. We know that Ava Grace will have that much energy very soon. Mrs. Dawn (Ellis' Mimi and Natalie's mom) said that she wanted to keep Ava Grace and Ellis one night to see which one could out talk the other. How funny!! While at Mrs. Dawn's house, Ava Grace saw Mammy. Mammy is Natalie's grandmother who shares a birthday with Ava Grace (about 83 years a part). So neat!!

9 months old

Ava Grace is 9 month old!! Hard to believe, huh? She is so busy these days that it is hard to remember what all she has learned in the last month. The biggest accomplishment is that she has started crawling!! Yes, it is official....Ava Grace is on the move!! It is so exciting. Tim and I love to watch her try to navigate and move to things that she wants that are not too far away. Even with the hip dysplasia, she seems to be moving ok. Other accomplishments: she has moved to Stage 3 foods (and eats everything we give her - EVERYTHING), she is starting to pull up on furniture and people, talking more, and can entertain herself with toys for quite a while. We are having so much fun with her everyday!!

Happy Easter from the beach!!

HAPPY EASTER to everyone!! The Easter Bunny found Ava Grace (even if she was at Cece's house). We went to church this morning and Ava Grace saw lots of people that couldn't believe how big she has gotten. She smiled and showed everyone her teeth!! I dressed her in a blue and white smocked gown with white tights, white sandals, and a white sweater (it is always cold at the beach on Easter morning). I must say....she was the prettiest little girl in the whole church!!

We have been at Cece's house since Friday night. Yesterday (Saturday) was a very busy day. It was over 70 degrees here and absolutely beautiful (I hope to take some of that weather back to the mountains)!! We were out and about all day visiting people and shopping a little. Cece and I took Ava Grace to the beach for the first time. She was barefooted and loved crinkling her toes in the sand. I let her sit in the sand and she loved how it felt slipping through her fingers. I think she even got a handful in her mouth - oh well!! I took her down to the water. We stood in our barefeet while the extremely cold water rushed over out feet. She enjoyed her quick visit to the beach. I know she is going to have a blast during the summer when we come for another visit.

Ava Grace has enjoyed playing with different toys at Cece's house. She has also pulled at Dixie's legs and tried to play with her!! She just laughs when Dixie gets close to her. Too cute!! Ava Grace also visited Price and Paige at the shop (Priceless Desserts) on Saturday. Paige even gave her a taste of some yummy, homemade icing!! You know she loved that!! Ava Grace sat with Price for a few minutes talking to her. It is always so wonderful to get a hug and visit when we come home. We just love Price and Paige (and her yummy treats!!).

Ava Grace's appointment at Shriners

We had Ava Grace's appointment yesterday at Shriners Hospital. It went pretty well. It is like I told Mom, it isn't good news or bad news....it is just news. Ava Grace has been diagnosed with Developmental Hip Dysplasia. Looking at x-rays, it was obvious that her left hip doesn't look like her right hip. Her right hip is perfect according to the doctor and the bones in her left hip don't quite match up. If she were younger, they could put a harness on her, but since she is almost 9 months old, we are sort of in a waiting game. The doctor seemed encouraged, but needs to wait until she starts walking to really figure out the next step or step of intervention. It is possible that when she begins walking that the bones and ball/socket will "work itself out". It is also possible that it won't and she will have to be casted or have surgery to correct the bones structure. In about 80% of cases like this, the child's hip turns out to be perfectly normal. Of course the other 20% makes me a little nervous. So, in essence, we are waiting on her to begin walking (she is already crawling, so who knows when she will learn this new skill) and we go back in October to determine what to do next. Ava Grace doesn't even know anything is wrong - she is in no pain and is moving about as freely as possible.
It was a wonderful experience at Shriners!! I have always believed in what they do and have witnessed their miracles (some of you know my cousin, Avie). Tim's parents went with us to the appointment because Tim was out of town unfortunately. We all felt very good about the discussions we had with the doctor, nurses, and staff. Ava Grace was perfect too!! She didn't cry when they had to x-ray her and she didn't wince when they were moving her legs all around. She actually smiled most of the time...imagine that! :)

I just wanted to give you an update of our appointment. Thank you so much for your emails, texts, calls, and prayers. We know that Ava Grace will be just fine no matter what route we have to take for intervention.

Mommy & Me at Sarah's birthday party


Ava Grace's cute toes THROUGH the blanket during a nap.



Just relaxing with a snack.



I love the camera!!



Ava Grace and Daddy hanging out before school.



Aunt Stacey, do you like my outfit?




I'm supposed to be taking a nap.

We're baaack

Hey! The Perry family is back in commission with our computer. I can remember when we didn't have computers and now sometimes I wonder what I would do without one. Isn't that sad?
So, let me update you on a few happenings. We had baseball games this past weekend and although they did not turn out the way we wanted them to, we did learn some good news!! Alan DeRatt, who pitched for UNCA the last 4 years, is coming back to Asheville. Alan was drafted last year into the Rockies organization. Their class A club is in Asheville, so Alan will be back in town playing for the minor league team, the Asheville Tourists. YEAH!! We were so excited to see him and his parents this weekend. We hope to see more of them this summer!! Good luck Al!!
The Zinman's and Wohlwend's were in from California for the weekend to see their sons plays baseball. It is always so great to see and visit with them!! The Zinman's brought us a treat ALL the way from CA. In a small, blue bag we found some yummy lemons!! I mean these lemons made it all the way across the country and I don't care what anyone says, these lemons don't taste like the ones in the stores. Isn't it funny how when something comes directly off of a tree (lemons, oranges, grapefruits) they taste even better?? Thank you so much, Mr. & Mrs. Zinman. We'll see you in May!!
Ava Grace and I participated in a "Donkey Walk" at church on Saturday. No, we didn't walk a donkey and No, we didn't ride a donkey, but there was a real donkey there named Bailey. Bailey came to church on Sunday for the children to participate in the "Donkey Walk" which carried us around our church yard as we read the story of Jesus riding into town on the donkey before the week of Passover and Easter. It was really neat!! There were so many children that I couldn't get close enough for Ava Grace to actually pet the donkey. She did notice her though when she shook her head once. It was really neat and the children at church seemed to really like it!!
This is our last week at school before spring break and you have NO IDEA how excited I am to be away from school for a week!! It has truly been nuts and I am ready (and very much need) a break from school and the constant stress that I am under.
Ava Grace's appointment at Shriner's is this Friday. We will let you know what we find out!! I will post another email shortly with the pictures that I haven't been able to upload because of the computer issues. So, check out the next posting!

Well.....

Well, if it isn't one thing, it is another. So, our computer is fixed and I was so excited to have it back home in operation only to find out that now our keyboard and mouse won't work. WHAT?!?!?! AUGH!! OK...so I tried not to get frustrated about it and I actually haven't even been back to the computer to see what the problem may be or what else I need to go buy. I wish I knew more about computers. I have a feeling I could save myself a lot of money!! Oh well!!

Ava Grace has officially had her first day of school - middle school at that. We had to work today to make up for snow. She has been great - just playing and entertaining herself. Olivia is at school with her mommy too, so Ava Grace was excited to see her. They go to the sitter's together every day, so there was finally someone familiar to her. Anyway. She has eaten her yogurt, taken her morning nap, had a snack, and is currently banging her sippy cup on a toy. What fun!!

We are going to go to Tim's baseball game this afternoon against Radford. The weather is supposed to be really nice here (although we haven't been outside since 8 am when it was pretty cold). We are really looking forward to being in the sunshine and hopefully pulling the bulldogs through for a win!

I just wanted to update you on our happenings for the day. As soon as I can get the rest of my computer at home working, I will upload pictures. I do have some pretty cute ones (I'm not biased at all!). Have a great weekend!!