The Aquarium of the Pacific

After going to the world's largest aquarium in Atlanta, it's probably all downhill for Ava as far as aquarium experiences are concerned, but the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

The aquarium had all the things you'd expect to see at an aquarium like fish, seals, and starfish.

And some things you wouldn't expect like tropical birds.

After visiting our ocean-going friends, we decided to eat some of them, and enjoyed a meal at the very kid-friendly Buba Gump's with our fellow land-lubbers Lori, Alex, and Michael.

It's Summertime in Irvine

As the days get hotter we spend more time trying to cool off outside. Abby and Ava now regularly go to Parent & Me swim lessons at WaterWorks in Irvine, and we purchased a water table so Ava can play in our back yard (if you look carefully you might even be able to see Ava's new bottom teeth).

Since we live in Southern California we have no excuse not to go to the beach, so we do that too. The water is a bit too cold for Ava, so Ava plays on the beach while the rest of us eat sandy sanwiches.

All this time playing in the water also makes for a great excuse to try on lots of new swimsuits.

Ava Can Stand Up And (Sort Of) Walk!

For the last several months, Ava has been able to sit up, crawl, and get around by scootching along furniture or the wall.

Of course, she still likes being held too.

Over the last several weeks, Ava has learned how to stand by herself, and has even been able to take a few steps on her own.

To help her become more mobile, we hold her hands and walk all over the house, the yard, and the park. We also got her a walker that is shaped like a lion - if you flip down the handle she can ride on it too. She can really get moving and can now walk all around the house with the help of her trusty lion (which we have creatively named "Lion"). I'm sure soon enough she'll be walking everywhere all on her own.