By July, our summer was already in full swing. We spent lots of time playing with friends, swimming and going to art and gymboree classes. It had been suggested that we get Ava's speech evaluated. We knew that she was not talking nearly as much as her peers and low and behold, she qualified for therapy. We have always been proactive in any of Ava's care so we welcomed this opportunity with open arms. To see/hear the progress that she has made since her therapy began is amazing. I never thought that I'd be SO excited every time my daughter told me NO...but I am!
We had an exciting 4th of July weekend. Aunt Jess came to visit and we had a big cookout paired with YUMMY sangria. To celebrate the 4th, we hit the pool during the day and that evening went to watch fireworks at the Great Plains Mall. This was really Ava's first year of being awake to watch fireworks and she LOVED them. She kept saying "tars" (stars) and doing the hand signs to twinkle twinkle little star...how sweet!! Needless to say, after this excitement, she was wiped out. She fell asleep before we even left the parking lot.
Apparently, one of the water mains for our street happens to be in our front yard...and on the afternoon of the 7th, it broke. Thank you bull dozer operator for that!! What a nightmare. We ended up with a LARGE hole in our yard. The water company was working on it from about 1pm to midnight. Thankfully, they fixed it before they were going to have to crack into our driveway!!!
We did a little more birthday celebrating with a party at Monkey Bizness for Kate and Jill's 2nd birthday. This is ALWAYS a hit and wears kids out very quickly:) Later that same day we packed up and made our way to the Osage County Fair. We enjoyed some yummy carnival food, played a few games and Ava got to ride on a couple of kiddie rides. Of course, she wasn't scared at all and enjoyed every second of it. That night, Ava got to spend some quality time with Grandma Belinda while Rick and I spent the evening catching up with friends in the beer garden at the fair...yay!
Ava had her first dentist appointment. She, of course, did awesome! Everything looked great:) These guys have it figured out and know how to cater to the kiddos. I couldn't have been more pleased with the staff. They even give out ice cream to the kids...hmmm?
Let's see, I was invited to play BUNCO with some gals in our neighborhood, which ended up being super fun. I had never played before and I really enjoyed it. Mostly I enjoyed meeting some new people and enjoying the snacks and good wine:)
July 18th was a super fun day for a couple of reasons. First, my good friends from back home drove up to spend the day. I quickly gave them a tour of the house then we went for a YUMMY lunch and drinks at Mi Ranchito. We sat on the patio and soaked up the sunshine and caught up on all of the latest gossip...you just can't beat that! It is such a blessing to have remained such good friends with everyone. Most of us have been close since Junior High, a couple of the girls have known each other since way before then. Even though we live more than 3 hours apart, every time we get together it's like we haven't skipped a beat. We just pick right up where we left off. They are my forever friends and I love them all dearly! After lunch, we headed back to the house and continued the gossip session on the porch for a while before they had to home:( Second, it's the anniversary of Ava's heart surgery!!! I remember it like it was 5 minutes ago. Ava's hospital stay started after what was supposed to be a routine cardiology follow up on the 13th. She was admitted later that same day. After numerous other scans and tests it was determined that she needed the surgery...and soon. To make a LONG story somewhat short, she was scheduled for 8am on July 18, 2007(I have come to appreciate Ava being the first case of the day..that always seems to work out in her favor, the surgeons are "fresh" and the no eating or drinking thing is easier too, plus less chance of delayed start) I remember Dr.O'Brien, the surgeon, coming in shortly before 7 to check her and make the lovely marking on her where she now bears a proud scar in it's place. I also remember asking him if he got plenty of sleep the night before and if he was feeling good that day...heck yes I did! Luckily, he was and is a fantastic surgeon who also happens to have a darn good bedside manner, which is hard to come by in a surgeon. We all had a little chuckle and he reassured us that she would be in good hands. I understand that doctors and nurses do this kind of thing every day, but we don't! She's our baby girl, she's it and there's no room for having a bad day. We then made our trip to surgery. Rick and I were able to stay with Ava until she had to leave the pre op area...we gave our hugs and kisses and left her with the nurses, a very difficult thing to have to do. The wait was excruciatingly long and exhausting...but were thrilled to hear that she made it to the PICU and was getting settled so that we could see her. Following a quick and confusing meeting with the surgeon, we were on our way. We were prepped for what we were to expect when we saw her...but it was nothing like I had envisioned!!! We walked in her room and I broke down immediately. I was obviously not prepared for what I was seeing. Our precious little girl, who tipped the scales at almost 7 pounds earlier in the morning, looked like she was now at least 17 pounds!! She was so swollen, I could barely recognize her. She was hooked up to so many machines with tubes and wires coming out from everywhere. Her breathing tube in her nose, central line in her neck, chest tube in left side, arterial line in left arm, IVs in both feet, a urine catheter, blood pressure cuff on right arm, she was in the middle of having a blood transfusion, pulse ox on toe, 5 heart monitor leads and later that night they inserted a feeding tube in her other nostril for medication that could only be given that way! HORRIFIC!! On top of all of the tubes and wires that got where they needed to be, it was just as difficult to see and know that someone struggled to accomplish that, judging by the looks of the various other needle pokes. Looking back now, it's hard to realize that that was really only the beginning of a very long journey. I still, to this day am amazed by the strength of our daughter. I wish that everyone could know her like we do, I wish that everyone could see that she is without a doubt the strongest person I have ever known. She is a miracle in every way, she is my hero!!!
July was definitely a big month! I left Ava for the first time in her life for more than 13 or 14 hours!! On the 22nd, Ava and I packed up and drove to Nana & Papa's house so I could get her settled in. In the wee morning hours the next day, Jessica and I made our way to the St Louis airport for our trip to California! It was such a needed break and we had such a good time. Rick was going to be working there part of the time so Jess came along to keep me company as my sun bathing partner. The first two nights we stayed in Huntington. I LOVE it there. Everyone is so mellow, you definitely get the chill surfer feeling from that beach! The last two nights we stayed in Newport. I had never been there, but didn't have a problem settling right in. I called Ava at least 3 times a day while I was gone. She had such a blast with Nana & Papa. When we returned home, I was so excited to see Ava. I had this huge reunion played out in my head....well, it didn't exactly happen like I had envisioned:( She was not happy to see me and screamed when she had to leave my mom. Little stinker!!
**Ava's week with Nana & Papa, written by Nana**Ava had a busy week in the country. She enjoyed visiting with Uncle Derek and Aunt Renee, they played together with the dogs, Mattie and Kate. She loved the dogs and they loved her!
Ava got to spend a day with Uncle Jason and cousins, Leah, Sarah and Michael. We all went to the park, the Leapfrog Fun Center and got to eat at McDonald's.
Ava got to visit some of her Great Grandparents. Grandma and Grandpa Otto and Grandma Groene all LOVED seeing her.
She visited with Great Aunt Cat and Spicy the kitty. Ava loves animals, so the kitty cat was a big hit.
Ava enjoyed MANY stroller rides with Nana to see the cows, and Mattie the dog always went along.
We went swimming at Uncle Allen and Aunt Connie's with Nana and Papa and Uncle Jason, Aunt Amy, Leah, Sarah and Michael. It was a fun day!
Nana created a mini water park in the back yard and Ava loved every second of it. There was a pool and a fun sprinkler that she loved to run through. One evening, while Uncle Joe and Aunt Nyla were visiting, Ava got to swim with Dixie the dog! Of course, that was a hit!!
On Sunday, Ava got to go to church with Nana and Papa...but that ended with a little quality time with Papa...outside of church! The three of us enjoyed going out for breakfast afterward.
Every time we got home from being out and about, there was a new message from Mommy. Ava loved listening to them! Nana played them over and over again and Ava loved them EVERY TIME!!
Well, I think that wraps up most of July. Enjoy the slideshow!!
