Ava rolls, Jonah waves

We've had fun watching Ava practice her rolling the past several days. She decided to do the opposite of what most babies do, and she's been working on rolling from her back to her tummy for a few days. We had lots of close calls over the weekend, but she just couldn't get it done.

This morning, I put her down on her back and went into the kitchen to do a few things. When I came back into the living room, she was on her tummy. I asked Matt if he had turned her over, or if she had done it herself, and he said that he didn't do it, so it must have been her! We put her back on her back, pulled out the camera, and recorded her second roll from back to front for posterity:



Jonah was going to show us his back-to-front roll, too, but he got a bit camera-shy when it was time. :)

Works, in progress and otherwise

I was a prolific knitter for a few years when I first moved to Boston. I made hats, scarves, and a handful of blankets. I even knitted and quilted a couple of bags. But my knitting has fallen by the wayside since I had children.

Here's Ava wearing the hat and sweater I made for Jonah:

The hat, he wore. The sweater, not so much. It was my first (and so far, only) attempt at a baby sweater, and I'm not sure I followed the instructions exactly right. By the time I tried to put it on him, I could not fit it over his head. Honestly, though, I think it's because I knitted it wrong, and not because it was too small. So I ripped out the neck, and it sat on a stitch holder for about two years.

Fast forward to this winter, when I pulled it out again. My mom took it home with her and gave it to someone she knows who finished up the neck. It's not like in the pattern, but at least it fits over her head.

The pattern included a blanket, too. I started it while pregnant with Jonah. Here's how it looks today:

Maybe before they go off to college....

Video Bonanza

Okay, this is a truly self-indulgent post. But I think the grandmothers might enjoy it.

Video #1: Here's Ava, on the road to becoming a little chatterbox. This one is a few weeks old, and she's already even more talkative than you'll see here.



Video #2: This is primarily for Tiffany. Here's Jonah, enjoying his guitar. This time, without turning the camera sideways. :) Next time I post video, I'll get him "grooving" and singing "Dancing Queen."

Sleep when the baby sleeps

I'm starting to think the whole "sleep begets sleep*" thing is a load of crap. I totally bought into it with Jonah, but I could never really document that he slept better at night when he slept better during the day. His daytime naps were crappy until he was about seven months old, at which time he finally settled into a consistent twice-a-day nap routine (from his previous three or four 30-45 minute naps a day routine!). But his nighttime sleep didn't really change - or get any better. In fact, he didn't even sleep through the night (and I mean real sleep through the night, not the "five hours is sleeping through the night" definition) until he was 15 months old.

So let's talk about Ava. The girl can sleep, and I love her for it. When she was six weeks old, she slept for 6 or more hours, four nights in a row. I was giddy from all the sleep. She's been a good nighttime sleeper from the get-go, regularly doing four hour stretches even at a week or two old. And I've been preaching the "sleep begets sleep" gospel to anyone who will listen.

However, this weekend seems to discount that particular gospel. Her naps are less than consistent. Some days it's 30 minute catnaps all day, others she'll take a good afternoon nap (or a good morning nap), and still other days, she seems to sleep all day. On Saturday she took a three-hour nap in the afternoon. It was great, because not only did it give both Matt and me some downtime, but it mostly coincided with Jonah's nap. Saturday night, she was a bear to get to sleep (it took over an hour of walking around the house in the dark), and she woke up twice overnight, having trouble falling back asleep the second time (which was about 5:30 AM).

On Sunday, she was in the Baby Bjorn and the stroller for good chunks of the day, and did most of her napping in 20-30 minute stretches in them. She only had one nap in her bassinet. Sunday night, she fell asleep with no trouble at 8:15, woke up once around 9 and settled right away, and then proceeded to sleep until 5:45 AM. That's right, almost 9 hours in a row. I'm still recovering from the shock.

Today (I'm writing this on Monday, but not posting til Tuesday) is another story altogether. I had to wake her up twice from naps (once to go the doctor, and once when we arrived), and now she's napping again. All bets are off, since she had shots today, too. One thing this kid is not, and that is predictable!

*Dr. Marc Weissbluth

Ava Vitals

Two-month doctor visit today!

Weight: 12 lbs (63rd percentile)
Height: 24 in (87th percentile)
Shots: Three (she was smiling again less than five minutes later!)