my lovely baby bump

here she is at 29 weeks!

29 weeks

Zoe & I had our 29 week check-up today.  All is smooth sailing with a normal gestational diabetes test and normal blood pressure.  Overall weight gain is right on track, although the milkshakes and fancy chocolates from Brugge, Belgium are probably contributing as well.  :)  Zoe's heartbeat was at a strong 150/160, and Ava was there to hear it too.. which was super sweet.  The OB said she is head down, and her size is right on track.  Now time to go get a flu shot!  It was a great appointment, and we will have our next one in 3 weeks.

In other news, I will be on the Arizona Midday News next Tuesday, September 20th for a prenatal yoga segment.  They will be featuring Desert Song Yoga & Massage, and long-time prenatal yoga instructor, Evon Hart.  It will be myself & another expecting mom to demo 5 different prenatal yoga poses during the segment.  I am excited to be a part of this since I also practiced prenatal yoga with Evon back when I was pregnant with Ava.  The segment will air on NBC Arizona Midday at 1pm.

Happy Labor Day weekend!

We are in the final 90 days until my due date, November 28, 2011!  

It is starting to look like fall in the stores, but no such luck with the weather.  We are just hoping temperatures drop below 110 for a little relief.  Today we finally got some overcast skies with a little sprinkle of rain which was refreshing in comparison. 

I went to an Ultrasound Institute to get some free shots of Baby Zoe completed by medical students.  It was so facsinating to see how she is laying, and what she was up to in there.  During the ultrasound, she had her head on my right side, right up against the placenta.  She was curled up in fetal position with her legs crossed.  She had her foot up by her mouth at one point, and her hand was up by her face.  Her lips where moving really fast breathing in and out fluid.  It was amazing to see her this far along, and her little antics were so sweet.  We got some new shots of her while I was there, and they even offered for me to come back in another couple of weeks to get some more!

 

In other news, daddy decided to take today off so he can have a 4-day weekend!  We spent the nice overcast morning at the zoo.  We saw lots of animals, and Ava went on her 1st camel ride with daddy!  We finished the day with 3 carousel rides in a row!  It was a nice family outing.

Ava's Cheeto Dance

   After school, we came home to
    have lunch like always.

   Ava didn't eat much, and it was
   almost time to lay down.

   She found the bag of Cheetos
   Puffs that I mistakenly left 
   in the family room from last
   night.

   Of course she started
   chowing down on them..
and did a special little dance
too.
  
I think this is my favorite
video of her since the
infamous "If You're Happy
and You Know It" video.

Pre-school, nesting & activities

Ava's first two weeks in Ms. Rhonda's 3's class have been great.  She seems to be adjusting no problem.  We have been encountering some more challenging behavior at home; including a regression in potty training, defiance, and more tantrums.  I think some of it could be linked to my baby nesting mode.  I noticed when I wasn't as focused on the baby stuff, or talking about it as much, Ava's behavior improved.

We should be getting the girl's bedroom furniture in the next couple of weeks.  Just a tiny bit trim work for me to do in their room, and we are officially done with the home improvement checklist before Zoe arrives.  I have been sorting and organizing baby clothes, drawers, etc.  When Ava saw me unpack the Baby Einstein videos, she insisted on watching them.  Luckily, this only lasted for two days and I think she got it out of her system.  She will be quite the big sister, I'm sure.

Otherwise, we have officially wrapped up swim lessons for the summer.  Ava loved them, and made huge strides in her development since May.  She is now taking a weekly preschool ballet class with a couple of her friends.  She has been doing well.. still practicing on the listening.  We just started a new Saturday activity.. tap and acrobatics.  She did really well for her first time, and I think this will be a fun fall activity for her.  I have attached several videos of Ava in action.  Enjoy!

 

A week until preschool starts

Ava's school is closed for two weeks (last week, and this week) for teacher training and renovation.  Next week she will be starting in the 3's room at her preschool with a new teacher, Ms. Rhonda.  Ava will go to preschool 3 mornings per week, and I'm looking forward to some down time!

We have been enjoying the free time scheduling fun activities with friends & family.  We have been continuing swim lessons, and this will be our second week of dance lessons (see previous blog for video!).  We enjoyed some mall shopping & playtime with Grammy & Grandad last week, and Ava rode the mall train with grammy.  Last Friday Ava & her friend Spencer enjoyed a morning of open gym playtime together.  We stayed busy over the weekend with swim lessons, a birthday party, and The Smurf Movie.  This morning we met up with friends Maggie & Spencer for the playtime at the mall in the A/C.  Ava has also been very busy at home with all her new toys from friends & family for her 3rd birthday!  Here are some pictures of our additional time off together:

 

 

 

 

summer dance class

We signed up Ava and her friends Eloise & Maggie for a summer dance class together.  They all did great in their 1st class, and we are looking forward to the next!  Click on the link below for photos & video from class:

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