It has been so much fun to watch Ava, especially lately. I can see the gears working when she watches something, trying so hard to learn all about the big wide world.
I've been determined that Ava won't become a tv junkie. We've tried to limit her tv-watching to one video or DVD a day (30 minutes total). I thought that was generous, but not to the kiddo! She LOVES Elmo! She will walk up to our tv, grab the remote, walk it over to me, walk back to the tv, point to it and say "Moh Melmo", all while doing the sign for "more". Oy! We're fortunate that the dvd's we do have are educational, but I really don't want her to rely on television for education. So, we just redirect her attention, if possible.
We bought tickets to go to Sesame Street LIVE in a few weeks. Hopefully she'll get her Elmo-fix there!
She is beginning to form short sentences. This past weekend, we repeatedly heard all about "Melmo". She now likes to repeat things over and over again, practicing. She is much more deliberate now about saying things, such as "Mama", "Dada", "Melmo", "More", "Happy", "Chomp", enunciating more and using the "appropriate" word for something. She's been great about letting us know what she needs. She looks at us directly when she is trying to communicate things, instead of babbling into thin air. Don't get me wrong, she does like to babble when she reads her books, but she also talks to us directly when she wants something.
She knows how to use a handle to open and close a door, now, too. We've had some thunderstorms lately, one which spooked her a little. She now says "dun-der" (thunder), and "awn-mower" (if she hears a lawnmower, leafblower, etc). She says "bye-bye, airplane".
This past weekend I went with a friend to some consignment sales and a garage sale. I found a Sit-and-Spin for $2. Recalling my own fond memories of the sit-and-spin at Grandmother Lawson's house, I had to buy it; she LOVES it! It also plays some fresh techno beats, surprisingly. She lugs the entire thing around the living room. I got some REALLY cute high-end smocked dresses and outfits, a Winter coat, three hand-made sweaters and some other nice clothes for her at the sales. Always good to get a deal on cute clothes! From what I understand, Atlanta is AMAZING for consignment sales compared to many other parts of the country... Not sure why? Here are some pictures of some of the finds...
Ava seems very well-adjusted, and is ever-so-social. She says "Hieee!" to most everyone when we're out in public. She loves to kiss and carry her dolls, and enjoys taking care of a babydoll in the church nursery. She loves to know how things work. She's really into carrying purses and bags around lately, as you can tell below...
We babysat a friend's baby on Saturday. I went to check on him while holding Ava, telling Ava we needed to be quiet, "shhh". When we left the baby sleeping and closed the door, Ava would say "shhh". It was cute.
She doesn't sit still for very long. The doctor advised at her 16 month appointment that, as long as she is sitting still long enough to eat dinner, that is great; babies don't sit for long at this age, in general. It's funny, if she is interested in something, she could sit forever!
She is 22 lbs and in the 30th percentile for height and weight. This seriously surprised me, because she doesn't seem to be small in my opinion, eats well and has some meat on her bones. I guess this isn't such a bad thing, considering the obesity "epidemic" with kids these days. I'm not stressing about percentiles, but regardless of them, Ava is eating very well and seems to be growing so quickly! She has 12 teeth. I had a breakthrough yesterday when I was able to hold her down long enough to figure out how many teeth she has! I think she's working on #13, too. When we ask her to say "cheese", she now shows all of her teeth. It's a hoot! ;-)
We really try to feed her as many healthy foods as we can, with the occasional treat. I'm also determined that she will not be a picky eater, aka the "chicken nugget kid". She has been eating everything lately we put in front of her! She LOVES any kind of fruit. I would venture to say her favorite food is grapes. We have to remind her to eat only one at a time, as she gobbles them up! Occasionally she won't prefer ground beef or some meats. We just try to disguise them and she's fine with them.
(She's got a shiner on her cheek in this pic... Two on the same cheek, in one day...)
Doug and I both don't prefer salmon, so other than salmon, she's eaten quite a bit...tofu with spaghetti sauce, Fish sticks, avocado, black bean salsa, shrimp, scallops, blueberries (LOVES these), chicken breast, honey-glazed carrots, peas (loves them), chicken nuggets (I know, I know), tuna salad, egg salad sandwiches, peanut butter sandwiches, Nutri-Grain bars (an all-time favorite), ravioli.
Truth be told, it has been difficult to keep her menu varied and healthy. We've been told on more than one occasion that her food is the "best" of all kids at day care. That makes me feel great that others think she has good food... Being a first-time Mom, I would never know! She LOVES milkshakes, too. Knowing she is in the 30th %, I don't feel so guilty giving her one every once in a while... The straw doesn't leave her lips for at least 5 minutes!!!! ;-)
She's 17 months-old, and growing every day!
With love,
Shelly
