Meeting MORE family and friends:
James' family FINALLY got to meet their newest family member. We have been busy playing with cousins, Grandma, and Auntie Nicole for 3 weeks before they go back to Washington where they live. It's been lots of fun! Ava also loves spending time with her Mimi, Papa and Auntie and continues to develop a sweet bond with them.
Along with introducing Ava to more family members, we also had the last of our four meet and greets. Now I think almost everyone has had the opportunity to meet little Ava. On the 17th, James' work threw us a beautiful meet and greet at his work during lunch. They had decorated in pretty pink colors, and had Princess and Disney galour. Ava was thrilled with her sweet goody bag and we were blessed by his coworkers who attended.
Last weekend we had a get together in Simi Valley where James' extended family and his best friends from high school got to meet Ava at long last. It was another great day filled with celebrating!
Health:
On the 18th of the month Ava had surgery to remove her adinoids and to get tubes put in her ears. The operation went well and the recovery was smooth. She is breathing better through her nose and, we assume, can hear much better. There have now gotten her checked out by several doctors and there are no more major medical concerns for her at this time. YAY!
Little Sweetie after her operation. Mama not happy that her baby isn't happy :-(
Progress/Therapy:
We completed Ava's IEP testing (Individual Education Plan) this month. Ava has qualified for Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy and, best of all, she has been placed in a special day preschool class at the elementary school down the road. Ava has gone for two days already. Mom has cried when dropping her off both times :-( The class is only two hours, four days a week and is intended to get special needs children who are high functioning ready for mainstream Kindergarten. She seems to be having a great time and enjoying the challenges that the classroom setting presents. We are excited for her to have this opportunity and believe she will flourish.
Ava is still not speaking but has a total of 30 signs that she uses all the time! I never feel like I don't understand her. She's great at finding ways to communcate exactally what she needs (and WANTS...she's is pretty darn bossy :-)
Home Life:
I think we can say that we are officially settled in as a family of three and life is pretty normal (or as normal as it can be with a four year old) No more tears when it's time to brush our teeth or change our clothes. She's one well adjusted California girl. She loves the beach and the pool and anything to do with water and sun! I can't say I blame her after having experienced a true winter in Pavlodar. She is even more affectionate and loving than she was before which we didn't think was possible. She brings light and love to everyone around her. We rarely meet someone who doesn't comment on her beautiful smile and sweet nature. We are blessed!!!
Special Events
Father's Day: This month we celebrated Father's Day at the beach and had a great time honoring some great Fathers!
Dance Lessons: Ava is such a little Dancing Queen that we thought we'd sign her up for ballet class. She does a great job following the teachers directions and most importantly, she has a great time.
Professional Photos: We wanted to get some professional photos done of Ava before she grows up any more! We were pretty pleased with them
We hope that you had a great month of June. ~The Letterneaus
2 comments:
Thank you for these photos.
Our month of June was great too.
We wish you a very very great month of July !
Your family is wonderful.
Lots of thoughts.
Katy, Mikaël & Olivia
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing. And I'm so glad Ava's surgery went well. Hope next month is even better!
Happy 4th of July,
Lou Ann & Lexie too
Post a Comment