Little Ava is already 9 months! This is my favorite age. She interacts with people, sits up, laughs, eats and so on. My baby is getting so big!

Stats:
Height: 2 ft 3.5 inches (45%)
Weight: 15 lb 5 oz (8%)
Head: 44 cm (55%)

• She loves food. She's grabbing at everything in her sight. She's like a ninja, grabbing things off the table so fast!
• She sits up on her own now.
• Not crawling yet.
• She loves standing and bouncing.
• She throws her body around when we're holding her now. We need to be careful and hold on to her tightly, otherwise she'll try to jump out of our arms.
• She has terrible constipation. It's actually really sad. Poor thing is eating more solids now, but she's getting more constipated too. Started giving her water in a sippy cup during meals.
• She has two teeth (bottom). I think the top two are coming soon.
• Her sleeping has been a little up and down, but its getting back to normal and she's sleeping better at night. Her naps have always been good.
• She just learned about splashing water. Bath time can get quite messy.
• She enjoys clapping her hands and waving.
• She has this goofy crooked smile.
• She sweats easily (just like Dad).
• She likes swatting at your face, grabbing your lips and pulling your hair.

Ava is such a character. She's sweet, impatient and goofy. She loves being around people and watching everything around her. She smiles at anyone and anything. She gets so excited when she sees something she wants or likes and she has this goofy little smile. She wants to be around Erin all the time. It's pretty darn cute. I love that she hugs me, reaches for me and lays her head on my shoulder intentionally. She doesn't cry much, but yells quite often. Changing her diaper is a HUGE task now because girl won't stay still anymore. She's eating all sorts of things now: beef, rice, breads, yogurt, all sorts of fruits and veggies, and etc. She LOVES all foods but strangely doesn't gain weight.

Pumping while Traveling

I took my very first trip away from the kids! Flew out to New Orleans for a weekend. It was only for 3 days, but it was a pretty big deal considering it was my first time away and I was still nursing my 9 month old. Since I was still nursing, I had to pump throughout the trip. I had never done that before. There was so much to consider and think about before leaving for my trip. What to pack? Will the airport allow this? Where will I pump? Is there a fridge? Should I freeze or refrigerate the milk? and so on.

The pump I'm currently using is really compact and it can be battery operated, which is perfect for traveling! You won't always have an outlet to plug into. I use the Lansinoh Signature Pro Double Pump.

Here's what I packed for my trip:

1. Breast pump
2. Large cooler bag (I purchased the black one shown below. Simple, big and inexpensive)
3. Small cooler bag (gel lined) (This small one was to use in case I was out long and needed to pump and store the milk immediately)
4. Ice Packs (3)
5. Milk bags (25)
6. Milk containers (4)
7. Pump/Accessory wipes
8. Bottle soap
9. Ziploc bags (large and small) 
10. Nursing cover
11. Tote bag
12. Extra pump parts
13. Nursing pads 
14. Extra Batteries

Apple Picking 2016

We visited Oak Glen last weekend to check out the apple orchards. It was the first time for all of us.  I've always wanted to go apple picking and since we live pretty east now, it only look us a little over an hour to get there. Not bad at all. Both girls ended up sleeping on the ride there and back. There are several orchards in Oak Glen, but we chose to visit Willowbrook Apple Farm. I could tell it was one of the smaller orchards, but it got really good reviews for that reason. We got there just before the orchard opened so we were able to get prime parking and didn't have to wait to do anything.

• We made apple cider first. It was SO sweet and it was 100% apples. So yummy. It took a million apples to make just a gallon though.
• We picked apples next. Erin had a blast.
• We then headed over to Snow-Line Orchard to try their famous mini apple cider donuts. They were pretty yummy (had to wait 30 minutes for them though). We ate a quick lunch there and headed back home.

I could tell Erin enjoyed her time at the apple farm. I think Erin was just old enough to appreciate it. Ava sat in the stroller for most of the time, but she was content just watching us while sucking on a baby apple. Glad we got to check it out. Next stop, the apple farms in Julian!