Baptism, Birthday and Tubes

This has been a big week for Ava. On Sunday she was baptized and had lots of fun entertaining the congregation. It was a beautiful service that included a special solo by Ava's "Auntie" Kristin. Both Ava and Hannah wore matching red dresses that we had purchased in China - red is a color of joy and celebration in China. Even Doug wore a silk shirt he got in China. My dress looked Asian but was purchased here (I'm guessing it was probably made in China though). Afterwards, we enjoyed a yummy catered lunch with family and friends - which Ava slept through. :-)

On Thursday (Nov. 15) Ava turned 1! Hard to believe our little baby is already a one year old. We enjoyed an impromptu celebration with my parents who came over for cake. Ava certainly enjoyed her cake! Hannah had fun decorating the big cake for the rest of us. Ava loved opening her presents - the best part for her was eating the wrapping paper and chewing on the boxes. Our present to Ava is this really cool bounce and spin zebra - thanks for the idea, Kristin. She and Hannah both have lots of fun riding the zebra. Hannah was insistant that she give Ava a big sister gift just from her, so she picked out a sorting toy. Nana and Papa gave some cute gifts too; Ava's favorite is the blocks that crinkle and make noise when she chews on them. We look forward to celebrating more with Doug's family and the rest of mine next week.

Yesterday, bright and early we headed to the surgical center where Ava had tubes placed in both ears. It went really well. Ava did great! The doctor told us that it was a good thing he put tubes in her ears because they were really bad. I'll spare you the gory details. Having tubes should make a big difference for Ava - she should be hearing better and should not get any more ear infections. We are so thankful that everything went well.

We marvel at how well Ava has fit into our family. Despite dealing with chronic ear infections, giardia, colds and croup, Ava has been a happy, easy going and content little baby. She has adjusted very easily to life with our family, for which we are so grateful. We thank God for the gift of Ava he gave our family, and we are so thankful for Ava's birth parents who gave her the gift of life.