WHEN: April 17, 2011
WHERE: Chaska, Minnesota
Better late than never!
Three weeks ago our only niece, Ava, turned two and I have been meaning for some time to get a post done about it. We were there the day she was born and we were back in Iowa for her 1st birthday last April, but this year we had to settle by using Skype (which we were thankful for nonetheless). I am at a disadvantage to write a post about her birthday this year when we weren't there to celebrate with her. So, I had to employ a different approach. In fact, this post has little to do with her 2nd birthday or how and where she celebrated it. Instead, it is a look back on the first two years of her life and how she has grown up. It's my version of being celebratory and sentimental, in my own temporal, quirky way.
I have downloaded dozens of pictures of her (208 exactly) from the past two years from her mom Steph's blog, plus a few I've taken myself, and chose from those my favorites. My original plan was to choose around 25 for this post, but turns out there were too many I just couldn't exclude. So, I bumped up the count to 50 of my favorites, some of which I have edited but all of which I have posted below. I know most of my readers are quite familiar with Steph's blog, so the pictures may not be new but they may have been forgotten. Either way, I think they're pretty cute!
I have started from day one and progressed forward, illustrating how much she has changed in two years. For those in our family, however, we know exactly how little she has changed (at least in size). At her 2-year checkup at the pediatrician, she only weighed 5 pounds more than her 6-month old brother, putting her in the 5th percentile for weight. She's a feather-weight, and frankly, we like her that way!
As I clicked through the dozens of posts and hundreds of pictures Steph has posted about Ava over the past two years, I was surprised to notice marked stages of Ava's growth. I collected the pictures by working backwards through her blog, so I witnessed the changes myself in the reverse order in which I have presented them in this post. She grew out of her newborn stage in a few short weeks and quickly became a "baby". Then I noticed a change around July of last year, when Ava seemed to grow in to a toddler and no longer look like a baby. Perhaps those aren't the best names for the stages, but I think she did noticeably change in those time frames. I suppose Steph has her own personal opinion on the matter as well. I'll let you decide for yourself. I have included the dates the pictures appeared on Steph's blog. They may not be the day the picture was taken but are fairly close.
Without further ado, I present the sweet, sometimes naughty, frequently silly, sporadically messy, but always precious life of Ava Page, April 2009 - April 2011.
April 17, 2009
Just minutes old.
April 19, 2009
April 20, 2009
Arriving home fro the hospital
April 30, 2009
May 10, 2009
June 4, 2009
Ava's first professional photo shoot
June 23, 2009
It was hard to pick my "favorites" from the hundreds of options, but this has always been my first favorite picture of her and it remains in my "Top 5".
July 13, 2009
July 19, 2009
August 20, 2009
September 7, 2009
September 17, 2009
October 7, 2009
I am a softie for Ava in this outfit. I couldn't choose a favorite, so I chose three!
October 24, 2009
I love those socks and the tiny feet inside!
October 24, 2009
A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!
October 31, 2009
Halloween caterpillar
December 1, 2009
If this one isn't in the Top 5, it's in fierce competition for 6th!
December 1, 2009
This is another one of my Top 5
December 24, 2009
Merry Christmas!
January 25, 2010
PJs and bed hair..."morning babies" are the best (when it's after sunrise, that is) :)
January 27, 2010
Is that smile not contagious, or what??
April 4, 2010
April 9, 2010
Ava in her (first) Easter dress
April 14, 2010
April 28, 2010
Perfect for the camera, messy for mom, great for memories :)
May 17, 2010
It doesn't take a mother to love that face :)
June 1, 2010
The joys of being a child
June 11, 2010
Definitely another one of my Top 5!
July 5, 2010
Those cheeks, that outfit, and the toes peeking out the bottom are a shoo-in for another Top 5!
July 15, 2010
August 5, 2010
August 31, 2010
August 31, 2010
September 21, 2010
Socializing...what she does best!
October 4, 2010
Shy cowgirl?
October 13, 2010
"Big" sister!
October 22, 2010
"Vogue Ava" - setting trends, flirting with trouble, spreading smiles
October 22, 2010
October 26, 2010
This pictorial compilation would not be complete without one of Ava in her Hawkeye gear
October 27, 2010
November 4, 2010
All girl. All cute.
November 22, 2010
"Trust me mom, I know what I'm doing."
January 1, 2011
January 13, 2011
January 25, 2011
January 26, 2011
March 23, 2011
March 23, 2011
Dress-up, multi-tasking, make believe...a woman in the making ;)
April 5, 2011
My most recent Top 5 - that outfit and smile kills me :)
April 17, 2011
Two years old and the outfit still fits a year later!
Happy Birthday, Ava Page!!
Two years old and the outfit still fits a year later!
See you in a few weeks!
2 comments:
Oh Jesse perfect trip down memory lane. Makes me smile, makes me tear up, makes me crazy happy. She is the cutest little baby girl. I love her millions!
I love that you did this Jesse! Such sweet pictures, they bring back lots of memories :) Hard to believe 2 years have come and gone so fast!
Post a Comment