BeautyRevealed | The Blog of Melissa J. Dillon

“One generation shall praise Your works to another,
and shall declare Your mighty acts.”

- Psalm 145:4

I can’t believe you’re four months old already, Ava Baby ! You have changed so much in the last month, I don’t quite know where to begin.

You gained quite a bit of weight this last month and you have chubby legs now! Love.them.soooooo.much!

We have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow which will tell us your new weight and percentile. ***Update*** You now weigh 13 pounds, 15 ounces and you are in the 50th percentile!

You love to blow bubbles (raspberries). You work up spit in your mouth so you can blow it all over!

We sometimes think you look exactly like Daddy when he was a baby, and the next minute we’ll think you look just like Mommy.

You’ve begun to sleep through the night on some nights. Some nights we still feed you once.

You’ve been loving the sound of your voice. When you play, you like to yell and scream just for fun.

A lot of strangers stop to look at you, touch you, & and ooooh and ahhhh over you. You just smile.

You love to go down to the lake on hot summer days and put your feet and legs in the water to cool off.

You also like to lay in the grass and look up at the trees blowing in the breeze.

You are such a happy baby most of the time now. You smile so much!

You like to spend time out at Marmie and Papa’s cabin and at Uncle Jodie’s house, too.

You still like to be swaddled when you sleep. (Which is so hot this summer!)

You love to stand… you think you’re pretty BIG stuff now!

It’s hard to get pictures of you without your hands in your mouth. You luv to suck on your fingers!

You enjoy listening to Daddy play his new Ukelele.

Your new favorite song is “The Wheels on the Bus”… you especially love the beep, beep, beep part.

You had your first wood tick this last month… we had to bring you in to the Doctor to help us get part of it out. You did so good even though it hurt.

You love to sit up in your Bumbo seat. You sit on the counter by mommy as she does dishes and you blow bubbles and “talk”.

You giggle when we blow on your belly and tickle you. I love to hear you giggling… it makes my heart melt.

You love your bath time. You start smiling when we start running the water now.

Uncle Jamie talked with you on the phone yesterday and you smiled so big and listened intently the whole time!

We brush your hair straight after your bath, but when it’s humid outside, your hair curls up. It’s so cute.

You bring SO much joy to so many people, Baby Girl. You are dearly loved.

Here’s a picture of Ava and Uncle Kogi after her 4 month photo shoot. We are so lucky that he loves to take pictures of his favorite niece! These last pictures were done down at the beach by our house.

“There aren’t enough days in the weekend.”

- Rod Schmidt

“A father carries pictures where his money used to be.”

-Unknown

Father’s Day was so special this year. Of course the main reason being that Mark is a Daddy to this precious little one, and I’ve been so touched to watch him love and care for her with such tenderness and adoration. Ava has been in love with her Daddy since the day she was born. Mark was the first one to hold her in the hospital, and a bond was formed instantly between these two. Then when she was transferred down the hall to the NICU, Mark went with her and did not leave her side. He held her for hours until I could finally come and join them. Even when she was just hours old, she would follow the sound of his voice and just gaze at him.

Ava lights up when Daddy comes home from work in the evenings. It has blessed me so much to find that Mark is a real hands-on Dad. He carries her around when she’s fussy, plays games with her, makes her giggle and laugh, blows “raspberries” with her , changes poopy diapers, puts her down for her naps, plays guitar and sings to her, and gives her lots of kisses. It melts my heart to watch these two, and I couldn’t have ever imagined what a excellent father Mark would be right out of the starting gate. My love for him grows stronger and stronger as I watch him in this role. He is a hero to both Ava and me. We love you, Honey. Happy first Father’s Day!

One of my most favorite things in the whole wide world is the special relationship between Mark and my Father. I think the thing that initially drew me to Mark in the first place was how much he was like my Dad. They are both extremely laid back, kind and compassionate, easy to talk to, and soooooo funny. So when we moved to Minnesota a few years back, it was a great joy for me to watch as these “two peas in a pod” developed a close and trusted relationship with each other.

Daddy leads a Bible Study in his home that Mark and I have attended for the last 3 years. Both of us have agreed that it is by far the place we have grown the most spiritually, and we’ve learned some exciting and challenging things. As the truth of God’s word begins to affect and change our lives more and more, we are so thankful for Dad’s teaching gift and wisdom… especially now that we are instructed to “bring up this child in the way that she should go!” We need all of the wisdom we can get! Thank you, Dad, for being such an example to us of a humble and faithful servant with a heart that seeks after God. I couldn’t have asked for a better father. Happy Father’s Day!

Ava loves her Papa. My Dad stops by almost every day after work to see his little “punky”, and she gives him the biggest smiles when he arrives. I absolutely love the fact that Daddy works so close to our house so he can come by often. It does my heart good to see my little girl and her Papa finding such delight in one another!

For Father’s Day, we grilled burgers at Jodie’s house and ate on his deck in the beautiful sunshine. It was such a relaxing day… naps were even involved. I’m pretty sure that most Father’s would agree that a day of rest and napping is just about as special as it gets! Ha!

Thanks, Jod, for taking such great pictures again. You have such a talent for capturing beautiful memories!

Ava’s been thinking she’s pretty big “stuff” now that she’s standing… (with assistance of course!! ).

We were blessed with a special treat this year when Mark’s Dad, Lewis, called to say he was flying up to visit us from Oklahoma the Monday after Father’s Day. We haven’t seen him since last November, so he hadn’t even met his granddaughter yet. It was a quick trip, but so special for all of us. I love these pictures of Mark and his Dad on the morning he was able to hold Ava for the first time. Lewis’ eyes flooded with tears, and Mark reached out and lay his hand on his shoulder… I was so glad to be able to capture that moment on film. I will remember it always.

It was so wonderful that Ava could spend time with her Grandpa. It’s hard to be so far away… especially when she grows and changes so quickly. For Father’s Day, we got Lewis a photo album so he can fill it up with pictures with Ava as she grows. We will send lots, we promise!

Mark was so blessed to have his Dad come… even if the time was short, it meant the world to him to be able to visit with him and watch his Dad hold his baby girl. Life takes on such a new meaning when you have a child.

What a heritage our little girl has with such godly men to love her and watch over her. These three men have a God-given authority in Ava’s life, and I will raise her to give them the honor and respect that they deserve. And I know that in return she will receive a legacy that will continue for generations to come. Happy Father’s Day Mark, Daddy and Lewis! We love you!

“The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have
passed at home in the bosom of my family.”

- Thomas Jefferson

Ava Baby, you’re three months old today! Here are a few things about you now:

• You are so happy now in between your feeding and your naps. You play for a long time and smile and “talk” like crazy.
• Your favorite toy is your “jungle gym” from Uncle Lloyd and Aunt Inge. You play under it about 6-8 times a day and never grow tired of it.
• You are starting to laugh! You like to try to imitate us laughing or coughing. It is so cute!
• You have started to do so much better in your car seat this month… You like to go places now.

• You go to Uncle Jodie’s every Friday night to watch LOST and have dinner. But now that the Series is over, we’re going to have to find a new show.
• You love to watch your Daddy playing guitar. I think you will be very musical someday.
• We had to take you to the doctor since you were not gaining weight. Now we are supplementing with formula as well as breast milk to help you “chubby up” a bit more.
• At your last weighing you were 9 pounds, 7 ounces… so tiny for 3 months old! You are only in the 2nd percentile for weight. We have another doctor’s appointment on Monday to check your progress. I have a feeling you have gained quite a bit in the last week. (*** Update *** At your appointment we found out that you gained 1 pound and 1 ounce! You now weigh 10 pounds, 8 ounces… way to go, Sweetie!!)

• You’re still not sleeping through the night… you usually wake up once to eat, but because you’re so tiny, it’s important to give you all the feedings you need.
• You’re still in newborn diapers and outfits!
• At nap times and bedtime we swaddle you tight, give you your pacifier, and snuggle with you while we sing “Moon River”. Then we lay you down while you’re drowsy and you usually go right to sleep. It has been such a relief to Mommy and Daddy that you are sleeping so well now.

• You love to suck on your hands!
• You are doing so well with your tummy time… your neck is getting stronger, and you have more control over your movements.
• Mommy still cries when I look at you. My heart is so filled with love for you that it just seeps out through my tears sometimes.

• You really like to stay in a routine. You don’t like to change things up very often… it makes you feel insecure.
• You make all sorts of cute noises now. One of our favorites is when you croak like a little frog.
• You love to take walks now on the walking trail. At first you weren’t too sure about the stroller, but now you love to look around at the great big world outside.

• You l.o.v.e your Papa and Grandma, your two uncles and your Auntie Ang. These are the faces that you see the most, and you give them big smiles when you see them.
• Your Daddy can get you giggling really well!
• At Bible Study on Tuesday nights you are mesmerized by the guitars and the singing! You love to listen to the Worship to God.

Happy 3 month birthday, Sweetie! Daddy and I love you so much! You are more precious to us than words can express.

* All photos again by Uncle Jodie.

I’m a little behind in my posting due to some very valuable lessons in sleep that we have been giving to a certain little girl. We believe that God must have big plans for this child because she is spunky! Sleep did not come naturally for Ava at all, and she sure let us know it… but, whew!, she is finally getting the hang of it. She almost begs to go to sleep now, and we are able to lay her down and she doesn’t even fuss. Her naps are like clockwork, and Mark and I are soooo relieved (and ready to collapse from exhaustion .)

Be back soon with pictures from the last couple of weeks.

Uncle Jamie thought his little Ava was so cute that he put her on her very first magazine cover! Isn’t this the cutest thing? You can make your own at magmypic.com.