My little Geisha doll...

Mommy and Daddy's friends, Jeanne and Curtis got Ava the most adorable outfit. Daddy busted out his camera and took some great shots.

Lost Pines

We decided to take a mini vacation to celebrate Megan's 11th birthday at The Lost Pines Resort in Bastrop, TX on June 6th. The resort was a perfect place for the girls to play, swim and burn some energy. And a good opportunity for mommy and daddy to get a few moments of R&R - we wish. Megan and Ava had a blast playing in the pool, tubing around the lazy river and sliding down the slides. I wonder if Megan's favorite part of the trip, was the swimming or the after dinner smores.

Weee.....


Mommy taking an 'Ava' break to shoot some hoops with Megan...

A moment of peace for Megan and Ava...

A usual scene; Mommy chasing Ava...

May...

Ava is officially walking. Of course she is trying to skip over the walking and head straight to running. She looks like Frankenstein in a rush. She has also picked up a few new signs, and made up a few of her own, which I have no clue what they mean.

Here is Ava's first official 'school' picture. This was taken in March at St. Lukes. I still wonder how they got her to stay so still.

We had a great mother's day at the Kingwood country club. Ava had fun hanging w/both her sets of grandparents

Not sure why she was pouting, but she was laying it on thick.

And her famous fish lips. Daddy thinks she looks like the predator.

Over Memorial weekend, Ava got to go swimming. She absolutely loves the water! It is especially fun when daddy throws her in the air.

Or when 'my' Megan is holding her.

Bluebonnets!

We took Ava and Megan to Brenham for a photo shoot with the bluebonnets on April 12, 2008. Da da took some great shots!

Pictures

Here are some really cute shots daddy took of Ava on March 30, 2007 (13 months old).

Bubbles

Ava loves bubbles in music class (March, 2008)

Grass

We were in Kingwood yesterday (March 15, 2008); Ava was very excited about playing in the grass, something she doesn't see much at home.





Ava also thought it would be fun to try a little walking with the assistance of mommy and grandad.

New Cousins

Ava's new cousins. Born March 3, 2008.

Addison


And Ethan



With Auntie Lisa and Uncle Craig

Happy Birthday, Ava

Ava is 1 year old! Since my last posting she has grown two more teeth on the bottom; with a total of 8 now. She is such a speed crawler, I don't think she can be bothered with walking right now. She has no problems getting around with her toys.

She had a great birthday with family and a few friends. The party was on February 3, 2008; same day as the Super Bowl. We had a Hello Kitty theme and she got some great gifts. When we sang happy birthday she started getting a little overwhelmed and then she got very excited. But there was no stopping her when she was eating her birthday cup cake. Ava was basically shoveling it in her mouth; I think she must like chocolate like her mama.

Here are some birthday pictures

Teaching her sign language has paid off a little bit. She has started signing milk, eat and possibly has made up her own sign for more. She only really does it when she feels like it, not always when she wants something. I am hoping it will click soon. However, she has been clapping and can blow kisses.

Ava's one year appointment was on February 6, 2008 (her actual first birthday). The Doctor said she was doing great. Ava was 19.3 pounds (5%) and 18 1/4 feet long (25%).

Here are some pictures of Ava. She loves her new wagon!

Welcome to 2008!

Happy New Year! Since my last posting, Ava has been busy changing and growing. As she approaches her 1st birthday, she started pulling herself up onto anything and everything she can, in addition she is 'cruising' in circles around the coffee table. She has mastered the art of crawling and is a speed demon. She has six teeth now; 4 on top and 2 on bottom.

Over the past 6 months I have been trying to teach her sign language. I have only been doing a few basic sings with her; milk, eat, done, drink. She just started signing milk. I don’t think she is specifically asking for milk, just food in general. At the same time, she started clapping and lifting her arms when we say ‘so big’.

This is a video of Ava on her first Thanksgiving laughing at Megan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJOf1p-ZlH8

Here are a few pictures of Ava

Ava at music class

Here is a picture of Ava with her friends Lily and Jacob at music class. Ava is so used to posing for the camera, she was just all giggles!

Ava is 8 months old!

Ava Danielle Gilley

It has been about eight months since I have updated this blog. Things have (obviously) been very busy. Ava has been growing like a weed! At her 6 month appointment, she was in the 75% of height and 50% in weight. She seems to be right on track developmentally as well; which is always a relief. We are still awe struck about her gorgeous blue eyes and blonde hair.

Ava just started a mother’s day out program at St. Luke’s on Monday’s (9-12) and Tuesday’s (9 – 2:30). She is having a lot of fun; she paints, plays in the sand and loves her buggy rides. They are keeping her entertained and very happy. Mommy is happy as well. On Monday’s I have her enrolled in a music class. She loves it, she sits there and stares in amazement while trying not to laugh. She is a serious baby; wonder who that is like? We also have a few different weekly play dates; Ava loves spending time with her friends. On Friday’s I take her to swim lessons. She splashes and kicks in the water and has finally stopped crying whey the teacher dunks her. Maybe we have a future swimmer in the making.

We are also happy to report that Ava has recently started crawling. She is a girl on the go! Now she can get what she wants. I still haven’t decided if that is a good or bad thing.

Daddy has taken up photography, so he has been taking pictures of Ava like mad. Here is one of Ava at the pumpkin patch and one in her Halloween costume.

I promise that I will update this site more frequently. Ciao for now!

meet ava danielle.

more more!

Erin & Ava could be leaving the hospital as early as tomorrow morning. If you'd like to send anything, please do so to their home address...
4214 Drake
Houston TX 77005

baby gilley has arrived!

6lbs 2oz
18 1/4 inches

the latest!

from mark:

"no baby g yet. the doc gave Erin meds to induce labor at 4 am which started contractions. about an hour ago they gave her IV pain meds which zonked her out. she's looking pretty peaceful right now."

breaking news!

sarah here... the doctor has induced labor, and baby gilley is on her way!

4 weeks to go...

I went to the Doctor today for my 36 week appointment. So far, I have been lucky and have had a very healthy pregnancy with no problems except for the common annoyances; all day sickness, fatigue and restless leg syndrome. And of course the non-stop cookie cravings, so annoying – yea right! Today started off uneventful, as usual, until my doc measured my belly, also known as (thanks to daddy) ‘the’ Bella. Bella has consistently been running a tad small for her growth. Normal measurement should equal your number of weeks plus or minus 2 centimeters. Bella has been on the small side, running between 1cm and 2cm below, but still within the normal range. Except for today, she was running below the 2cm range. So, my doc ordered an ultra sound immediately. He wanted to make sure BG’s growth was on the right track. After the tech took measurements of her head, arms and legs, it was determined that she is a little small, but well within the healthy range and her growth is progressing along well. They even think she weighs approximately 5 pounds 10 ounces! However, after the ultra sound they were concerned about the low levels of amniotic fluid. The amniotic fluid level wasn’t dangerously low, but is lower than average. He didn’t seem too concerned because everything else is going so well, but he does want to keep an eye on the levels with an ultra sound at all my upcoming appointments. In the meantime, we will keep doing things as we have been, and hope it doesn’t change much in the next few weeks. Thanks to all my wonderful friends and family who have been so supportive of our family, we are so lucky to have you all in our lives. This baby is already so lucky and so loved and she isn’t ever here yet! Mark and I can’t wait for her to arrive so we can all meet her!.

Welcome!

Hi and welcome to Baby Gilley’s website! This website is an account of my journey during pregnancy and of BG’s growth in and out of the womb.

Currently I am 29 weeks along and it has definitely been an adventurous ride, to say the least. With 11 weeks left to go, we are gearing up for her arrival! I am excited to finally be in my 3rd trimester, in the end of my pregnancy and of her birth. And like clock work I am experiencing all the symptoms – fun, fun! Please keep checking in for our progress as her birth becomes near.

Here is my most current photo of my belly's growth.