Everything happens for a reason!

Look at those lips!!


Outside playing...



(What mom, I am trying to read!!)

Everything happens for a reason is my new mantra. Unfortunately, the nanny that I loved accepted a position the night before we made her the official offer. I was CRUSHED! She came to our house on Wednesday night to meet Ava and I was ready to make an offer, but Mike still wanted a couple of the references to clear first. We were waiting on Big Brothers Big Sisters to confirm that she worked there and had passed the background checks with them. I did 2 background checks that came back fine, but he still had to do this to make him feel comfortable. We were just about ready to leave on Thursday morning to go over to her house and check it out and she called and said that she had accepted a position that started in May with a couple that was 6 miles from her house. We are about 25 miles. Like I said, I was crushed. When we started this process, I was already thinking that we might not find anyone "good" enough to watch Ava and that she would have to go to Daycare. I wasn't loving that idea of daycare for her age. So, when we met Cynthia, I was so excited and had accepted that she would be our nanny. So back to the drawing board we go. Cynthia has offered to help out, so Mike is going to talk to her on Monday and see if she can help for April. We have no one lined up for May, but my mom has agreed to watch Ava 3 days a week for June and July and then we have to decide what to do. Well, as it turns out, one of the girls that we originally sent a message to on the website we are using for finding a nanny (care.com) had emailed me and said that she is currently a nanny but is going back to school to get her Masters and that our schedule would be perfect for her in August. I emailed her and we are going to meet her on Sunday. I am not going to get my hopes up this time around!! It would be perfect though. So we will see. keep your fingers crossed.

What's new, well Ava is discovering space. She loves to walk in between things where it is a small space. It is cute to watch. She walks behind the highchair all the time. This morning after our walk she walked by the tree and the brick wall. She loves to run on the couch too. I know, I did this one to myself and it is a bad habit. She will cry when she wants to get up. She likes to go from one end to the other and if you are sitting in the middle of the couch, she will walk/crawl over you as if you are not even there.
We had our second class at Gymboree. I think it is good for her to be around other kids. She is still hesitant at the end when we all sit in a circle and sing. She throws a fit when i try to bounce her or make her sit on the big parachute. I think it will just take her time. She likes to observe and when she is comfortable, she will join in. She is that way with anyone. When Cynthia was here, Ava came right over to me, but as the evening went on, she was OK with her. She is my observer and very cautious at first. We go every Friday so I am hoping that she will warm up. They are opening a Great Play, which is similar, right at the end of my street, but I saw the schedule and all the classes that she could go to are either during nap time or right when she would wake up. So i will have to wait until she drops one of her naps to go there.