Ava's FIRST Steps!!!

Of course, there's a ton of things I need to put on the blog, but I've been really busy with planning a squadron fundraiser ever since we returned from vacation (the auction is over now, so I should have more time to blog!). Anyhow, this is the FRESHEST thing on my mind and I wanted to share it with all of you.

As of tonight, October 7, 2008, Ava Holt is officially WALKING! For the past month or so, Ava's been taking 2-4 steps and then stopping to squat...standing back up and then taking a few more steps, then squatting again. To us, those steps didn't really qualify as walking...just step taking. So, tonight Moose and Matt were on the floor playing with Ava while I cleaned up the kitchen after dinner. Moose was holding Ava's wind-up frog toy and Ava started walking towards him to get it (she took about 10-12 steps). She knew she was doing something different and of course, we cheered her on along the way. She was so proud of herself and we were over the moon with excitement. Since I was doing the dishes, I wasn't able to get to the camera fast enough and only caught the tail end of Ava piecing together the art of walking for the 1st time. I can't complain though...at least I got something!

Hope you enjoy watching Ava take her first real steps walking as much as we have...

WHAT happened to our little infant? She's no longer a baby!

Uncle Moose

On Labor Day, our very, very, very good friend, Moose, showed up at our doorstep. I've known of Moose for a long time and have been able to really get to know him over the past three years in Germany. It's a LONG story, but at the Academy, he and my brother were in the same squadron their last two years--they were squadron commanders together. So, Matt and my brother were together for the 1st two years and Moose and my brother were together for the last two. Odd, I know. Anyhow, Moose is the most wonderful person and he just adores Ava. He thinks Ava is the funniest little kid in the world and Ava does nothing but flirt with him. It's quite funny. He's even given her a new nickname since being here...he calls her, 'Bulldozer' or 'Dozer' for short, as he thinks it's hilarious that she bulldozes through the house with wreckless abandon. The funny thing is that she actually responds to her new name.

Anyhow, here are a few pictures of Ava and Moose spending some time together. I'll be making dinner in the kitchen and look over to find Ava sitting in Moose's lap fascinated by his cell phone or a book. It's just the cutest thing.

Ava wasn't so fond of the new blow up penguin that we bought for her. We now know why it was on clearance...

But the bongo drums made for many smiles...
That penguin is still looking at me...

25 Years Later...

Today, August 30, 2008, marks a big day in the life of Ava Holt. It's not her birthday or any common holiday...instead, today Ava is the exact same age (to the day) that I was when I came to America to be a part of the Allen family. It sounds cheesy, but the reality of my adoption has really started to sink in lately. I've always known that I was adopted but I never thought about how significant my adoption was to all of the parties involved (to my foster family in Korea and to my loving family in America). I've always been extremely thankful to my birth mother for her selflessness and ability to see past herself and her needs, wants, and desires in order to give me life (i.e. not aborting me) and then going further by giving me away in order for me to have a better life somewhere else in the world. On the flip side, I've also always been incredibly thankful to my wonderful adoptive parents and brothers for their selflessness and ability to open their hearts and lives to the orphan that they barely knew anything about at the time. They have loved, cared for, and nurtured me since before they even met me, and they are the only family I know, love, and call my own. I couldn't have ever even dreamt of having a more phenomenal family than the one I was blessed to have been chosen by 26 years ago. I've been given countless opportunities, an education with 2 degrees, and I've been given more dreams than most people could ever imagine having.


Anyhow, the reason I've been thinking about my adoption lately is because of Ava. I can't even begin to imagine giving her away and never seeing her again and I can't even begin to fathom missing out on the past 9 months, 4 weeks, and 1 day of her life. Having her in my life puts my past in such a different perspective and makes me even more thankful for being adopted.
It hasn't been until today that I can ask my mom if Ava is anything like me...if she was the same size as me, had the same amount of hair or teeth, or if she had the same personality or mannerisms as me. As much as I haven't wanted Ava to grow up, I've really been looking forward to this day because I'm so excited to know if this little 20lb incredibly beautiful baby girl is anything like me. She's so much like her Daddy, which makes my heart smile, but there's always been a part of me that's wanted to know what characteristics I gave to her.


As a surprise, my mom sent me a package filled with some of the things I came to America with on my Gotcha Day (the day I was adopted) and some of my clothes. However, the best surprise inside the package was the outfit that I flew to America wearing. Of course, given today's significance, I got the privilege of letting Ava Holt wear it over 25 years later. She looks so precious...

Here she is with 'Monkey Chee Chee,' my beloved comfort item as a child (she was in the package too)...

1-year Anniversary

Today, August 28th, marks Matt's, Ava's, and my 1-year anniversary of living in the US together. Can you believe it? We sure can't. It seems like it was just yesterday that we boarded that plane in Frankfurt and headed west. My belly seemed big at the time, but Ava was just a little squirt back then. We can still remember leaving Germany at 57 degrees and walking off the plane in Vegas and it being 106. Strangely enough, this year the temperature doesn't seem as hot as it did last year. Maybe it was because I was pregnant...or maybe it was because within the course of 12 hours, the temperature managed to almost double outside. Whatever the case, it isn't as miserable outside as we remember it being last year. But then again, we spend minimal time out in the sun these days. Only another month and we can go back outside before 8pm!

Now that we've been Stateside for a year, it really hits us that Ava is almost a year old. Boy, time flies. It's been a quick but eventful year and we have been very blessed. We miss our life in Germany so much, but can't complain about the sweet life we have here in Vegas. They always say that 'home is where the heart is,' but we see it as 'home is where Ava is.' She's made us a family and we can't imagine not having her in our lives. Speaking of...I'm beginning to hear 'mamamamamama' and 'dadadadadadadada' emerge from the hallway!

Here are a few pictures that we took 2 nights ago. They're of Ava 'fingerpainting' for the first time with some spilled pears on her high chair tray (we usually wipe the spills up before she can get pointer into them). Once the pears seemed to have lost their painting ability, we supplememented with some yogurt. Hence, the Hitler face Ava gave herself.

This one is for Matt's sister, Whitney. Apparently Ava has inheritied Whit's childhood hand squeeze as an outlet for her frustration and passive aggressive anger. It takes massive force to peel her fingers back to unfurl her fists. As you can see, she was mad at me because the pears were 'gone' and instead of getting her some more, I was taking her picture.

And lastly, the 'Yogurt Hitler face' that Ava gave herself...

...we're still laughing at Ava's unfortunate painting coincidence.

Passport to Adventure

Ava standing up all by herself without holding on to anything...except her new passport!

It's official...Ava's passport arrived today! Although you can't see the picture very well, it's highly entertaining. When I took Ava to get her picture taken at Walgreen's, I didn't realize what a task it was going to be (I had to hold her up against a white pull down background without being in the picture). Ava was great (as usual) and we were in and out of the store within minutes. However, the only picture that worked for the crazy passport photo rules (and the one that is officially in her passport) was of her looking dead at the camera sticking out her tongue. I thought it was hysterical and Matt thought it was the best picture ever taken of her. It just captures her so well. What do you think?

She thought it was so fun to look at herself...
She's ready to get her passport filled with lots of fun stamps...

...Ava giving her gangster signs

Snug As a Bug In a Rug

Ava LOVES her new crib bedding. It's fluffy, plush, and soft...not to mention the source of so much entertainment. Each night before we go to bed, Matt and I check on the monkey in her crib. Well, this is what we found when we went inside her room on night of the 25th...

Usually, she has an arm or leg propped up on the bedding, but this time it was her whole body. We've debated on whether or not to give her a pillow (she LOVES sleeping on ours), but now that she has her new crib bedding, it's as if she has pillows all along the perimeter. The pictures make it look like she doesn't have much room, but the bumper was just fluffed before she went to sleep. After she plays in there, the fluff is about half that plush!

Walk, Sit, or Stand?

It started with Ava finding an empty diaper box and pushing it around the kitchen. Pushing the box was one of the 1st times we saw Ava 'walking' on her own.

Then she realized that it was far more exhilarating to ride inside it than to walk behind it.

What started with the playmat moved to her mower then escalated to an empty diaper box. What can we say, the kid loves to be pulled around the house.

There's Something Stuck to Ava's Mower

Ava has been going through the stage where she wants to be pushed or pulled around the house. It all started with the playmat and has moved to the mower. While she thinks riding is hysterical, we think the pictures are even better.