Darn that Frosty. After what seems like years of consecutively viewing the 1969 version of Frosty the Snowman (yes, even in 85-degree June weather in Georgia), we're SERIOUSLY regretting it in more ways than one. Ava's new-found freedom to get out of bed in the morning now likes to be exhibited in the wee hours of the morning. Oh, say 4:30 or so.
We think Ava is afraid of the "magician" in Frosty the Snowman. Ava now knows the word "afraid". She says she is "afraid of the man". I think the magician (Professor Hinkle - and yes, we know his name and all characters in this movie) jumps out of a bush near the North Pole a little too quickly for Ava's liking. Professor Hinkle then blows out "Karen's" campfire in a mean-spirited way and goes after Frosty for his hat.
Ava hasn't yet caught on to the fact that Professor Hinkle partakes in the joyous parade around town at the end of the movie, letting Frosty have his magic hat, after all. She is SERIOUSLY scared of the "uh-gician" and tell us so repeatedly. It's so frustrating when you can't do anything about it! For now we're refraining from watching "Frosty" and try to distract her.
Ava is definitely learning boundaries lately. In Ava's immediate class at day care, she is the only girl attending with six boys. They frequently open the partition wall to the older class (which fortunately has girls in it!), so she is around girls some, also. Last week, Ava was bitten by a boy in her class that wanted her toy. When I asked if she did anything prior to "the bite", the teacher said no, that she didn't do anything to warrant a bite (not that anything would, I guess).
Interestingly enough, the day care isn't supposed to tell me which student bit Ava. Now that Ava has become extremely vocal, I seem to get a daily report from her about her activities at day care. After the "bite incident", on the car ride home, Ava said to me: "Will bit me on the arm. I said 'No-no, Will. That's not nice.'" So much for keeping the "biter" a secret? These little conversations with her definitely serve as teaching opportunities with Ava, to help her in dealing with any future situations like ones experienced. :-) She is fending for herself... The teacher in Ava's class at school says she knows when someone isn't being nice to Ava, because she hears Ava telling them off: "No Caleb, that's my toy. No-no, Caleb. That's not nice. That's my car. Caleb took my car." It's AMAZING how vocal she has become in the past few weeks!
She now has days without any potty accidents and is able to vocalize to her teachers when she has to go "potty". For this we are EXTREMELY thankful! At home we continue to put a Pull-Up on her before she goes down for a nap and also at bedtime. At daycare, they put her cloth training pants on and wake her up early from her nap (after 1 to 1 1/2 hours) to use the potty. Interestingly enough, she doesn't have any accidents at day care. (When I have her home, I like for her to catch-up on sleep and am not yet interested in changing-out sheets, etc, everyday. So, I guess when I feel comfortable, she could be 100% potty-trained! :-)
She now thoroughly enjoys Dr. Seuss books. Previously, there seemed to be too many words on the page to hold her attention. Her favorites now include "Green Eggs and Ham", "The Foot Book" and "The Cat in the Hat". She also LOVES to read her Bible, and asks that we read the "Storm" story to her over and over (with Jesus calming the sea when with disciples). She also now counts to twenty. She can write a little "a". She continues to be very focused when working on something. Even her day care teacher commented on this, that Ava takes the time to do the craft / project on which they work, whereas some kids don't have that much of an attention span. She LOVES playing with Play-Doh, coloring and stickers. She throws with both her left and right hands (and even at the same time). She bats left-handed, but writes right-handed. It's going to be interesting to see which handedness she finally chooses. (Daddy is still hoping for a "lefty" :-).
I have to mention I find her skill for differentiating cars amazing, at this age. We have neighbors that have a Honda Element. Whenever she sees any gray Element, she says "Olivia's truck!" Another neighbor owns a red Mustang. When out running errands with her recently, she said "Mr. Charlie!" I turned around to see Mr. Charlie passing by in a parking lot with his red Mustang.
We took our first dip in the local pool last week. I am still a bit hesitant to trust "water wings", but she is starting to like the water a little more, now that the water and the weather have warmed up. (This 8.5 month pregnant lady says there is no denying that the weather has warmed up...) She did swim on her own with the wings without me holding her last Friday and seemed very proud. Giggling while kicking in the water, with a big smile on her face.
Sentences Ava has said recently, which I found interesting:
"Uh-oh! What happened? Where did he went?" :-)
"Morning!" (She greets us in the morning saying this, lately).
"I'm scared of the man. The uh-gician."
"The man was walking on the ship on the sea with the dog." (after watching The Little Mermaid)
"I want to go sleepy". (wow, was this surprising)
"I'm gonna go get the mail. Okay?" (she's really into getting mail these days!)
I'm pleased as a peach that Ava is able to vocalize what she wants, her preferences, how she feels and what she thinks. She really has been so good, ESPECIALLY considering we're supposed to be in the midst of the "terrible two's". She seems to roll with whatever comes her way, at this point. I think it has helped to especially explain things to her and be as detailed as possible in doing so. I just pray she takes baby brother's arrival and presence in stride. She seems excited to see him, and we talk about him CONSTANTLY, but we'll see how it goes when he gets here! (Keywords for parenting success at this age seem to be "preparedness" - i.e. bag 'o tricks big enough for a restaurant trip or lengthy stay anywhere- and "explanation").
I do need to take some "belly pics". We're 36 weeks tomorrow. Our due date is still 07/01. I feel like a beached-whale these days, but the scale is telling me I've only gained 21 lbs. I don't feel like an arthritic beached-whale, yet. (That may happen in the next few weeks). What's really funny is that I haven't stepped FOOT on the treadmill with this pregnancy, but will probably gain a little less weight than I did when pregnant with Ava. I guess the treadmill just made me hungrier? I have been staying active (planting grape plants, tending plants and flowers, tiering-off a hill into our backyard with landscape timbers, etc, running around after Ava), just not "exercise cardio" this time around.
The docs seem to think I'm right on target for a healthy 7- 7 1/2 lb baby boy. They say he is around 5 lbs right now. My blood pressure is great, no swelling yet - even with this crazy heat and humidity. PLEASE pray that baby boy Carey decides to make his entrance before the docs mandate a c-section. (I asked the doc if it was "smart" to attempt a VBAC and she wholeheartedly said "yes", which made me feel great). I'd like to avoid a c-section if possible, but am ready to do whatever is best for the health of this little one. And he's definitely an opinionated little guy! I'm running out of room torso-wise, but he just seems to want to move organs (albeit necessary ones like my stomach, which is now up near my clavicle, I think :0)) out of the way by continuously kicking / jabbing. That, or this kid is Pele reincarnated. Some nights I just let him take over and lay entirely flat on the couch, letting him have his way so he can do his acrobatics. :-)
Heartburn has continued to be manageable with the prescription they gave me a few weeks ago, thank goodness! The fatigue has definitely kicked back in, but not in an overwhelming way; I feel like I just require more rest these days. Doug and Ava have both been great and patient with me, thank goodness!
We'll definitely be providing more updates as our due date approaches! Please keep us in your prayers for a safe delivery and a healthy baby!
With love,
Shelly, Doug and Ava
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