Oh-Bla-Di

I’m so excited to add this photo to a long line of photos commemorating Hoffman kids and Caspers kids meeting for the first time.

Thank goodness for forever friends.

As I mentioned when I wrote to Ava last week, one of the reasons I was so certain that adding another child to our family was a good idea is that it was so very clear that Ava was going to be an amazing big sister. Of course, seeing the two of them together has been a bit overwhelming to the emotions. Ava’s accepted Noah with an open and loving heart, which has made the transition just that much more easy on us all.

Ava and Noah met for the first time in the hospital, on the day he was born. We were a bit nervous about how it would go, since she’d been so determined that her new sibling was going to be a baby sister. Sarah did a great job prepping Ava for her visit, since by the time she arrived you’d never have known that her initial reaction to the news of her baby brother had put her in a state of complete shock.

Her first reaction was a little underwhelming, since a balloon was still the major attraction…

But, she warmed up to the idea of holding her baby brother and took to the activity like a fish to water.

Since we’ve been home, Ava’s been willing to help fetch things we need for Noah, to hold diapers during changes, and to just be sweet to him in general. Given how much her world has been rocked in the last few days, she’s doing really well adjusting to all the newness.

Of course, we’ve been working on keeping boundaries in place, rules the same, and as much normalcy for Ava as possible. She’s been testing us a bit and a little more needy, but we’re already seeing progress in how she’s doing. It’s amazing how big she seems now (and how heavy)! Doozy brought Ava her own baby doll when he came and that baby has been a near-permanent fixture in her arms and her bed at nighttime. Love that.

We’ve been learning to balance the needs of two also. Luckily, Noah doesn’t need much beyond the basics yet, so we have time and energy still to let Ava know she’s still our number one girl. Mostly, that just means letting her be a part of anything we can…so far, so good.

Love that our family has grown. Love that Ava loves her brother. This sibling thing is going to be pretty great, I think. Can’t wait to watch them grow together.

At some point, Ava requested the book Green Eggs & Ham as her nightly read.  To be honest, I think maybe a babysitter read it the first time, but it’s been part of our nightly ritual for the last few weeks.  It started out that Matt or I would just read the book to her.  Then, she started wanting a turn when we were done.  Now, Whoozy “reads”  to us first, and then it’s Mommy or Daddy’s turn to read.

Ava’s recitation of the book is pretty good and has actually gotten better since this video was shot.  Generally, she has the right topic on the right page, even though she doesn’t read it verbatim.  I think, though, that my favorite part of her “reading” is the inflection she uses to tell the story.  Let’s just say she’d make a pretty good parrot, if she were looking to change species.

On July 23, 2010, Ava perpetrated her first con.

Scene of the crime: Red Robin

Facts of the case:  When approached by the manager of the restaurant to ask how her day was, Ava responded that it was her birthday.  Even when informed that that statement was a lie, the manager offered Ava ice cream if she finished her dinner.  Ava snarfed down a whole dinner of mac n’ cheese.  The manager made good on her promise and ice cream was delivered along with a whole group of singing waitresses.  Matt and I laughed in a fair amount of embarrassment, Ava loved the song, thanked the nice ladies and went to town on the ice cream.

Verdict: Can’t argue with free ice cream, right?

So, we celebrated Ava’s second birthday, again.

After we  spent a day exploring Grammie & Grandpa’s backyard, which is quite the wildlife refuge in it’s own right, we ventured a bit further south to take a look at Tanganyika Wildlife Park in Goddard, KS.  The ride to the park was pure anticipation.  Ava was very ready to go on her “special trip” to “see animals.”  Of course, she also spent some time with Daddy spotting more mechanical animals.  Shouts of “Pumpjack!” were ubiquitous on this drive.

Tanganyika is an “interactive” zoo.  We really had no concept of what that meant, but it turns out that means it’s smaller, you basically get to walk in the pens and it’s perfect for the littles.  The whole family went on the trip which was great because that meant someone was always ready to help Ava get to know the animals.

This was Ava’s first zoo experience and it was just exactly the right size and time for her to enjoy it.  We headed out to be there when the park opened and were done by lunchtime – having seen and done every last thing in the park in that amount of time. 

We saw giraffes, a rhino, kangaroos, lorikeets, goats, turtles, bunnies, a camel, snow leopards, white lions, and lots of lemurs.  We actually got to touch the giraffes, goats, turtles, bunnies, and the camel and then walk amongst the kangaroos, lorikeets & lemurs.  When they say interactive, they mean it. 

Feeding the turtles

Feeding bunnies

Feeding goats with Uncle Wes

Walking with kangaroos

Checking out the rhino, who finally stood up so we could see him!

Probably the biggest hit of the day, and the first thing we saw when we went into the park, were the giraffes.  They were wandering pretty free and then would walk right up to the observation platform to get some lettuce treats.  Super  cool that you could pet them.  Ava was very brave and went right after getting to know those giraffes. 

We had such a lovely time at Tanganyika and can’t wait to take Ava for more visits with the animals.  I’m pretty sure she had a good time too, since this was the view from the front seat of the car on the way home…