Avery turned one on September 9th. Even though she still seems like a baby to me, she is a big girl in so many ways. I have forgotten how fast a year goes and watching how much she's changed, I am reminded how quickly they move from baby to toddler. In just a few short months, my little baby will be all gone, replaced by a big girl ready to take on the world or at least scream at it when she doesn't get her way.
She was an early walker and an early talker, not prepared for both I am stunned to see this little tiny person walking around, looking like she's about 10 months old, yelling "mo" (more) when she wants whatever it is that you have or "how" (house) when we yell at the dogs to go to their beds. She hates being left out and often you will find her standing at the gate yelling "My" (Miles) when he retreats to his own playroom for some uninterrupted alone time. She's heard the word "out" so many times she usually leaves a room repeating "ow" over and over. My favorites are "nye,nye" and "bye,bye" usually followed by a little finger wave and if your lucky some blown kisses. Daddy has the privilege of hearing "Dada" followed by a great big smile anytime he comes out of his office. And of course there is the classic, screeching "Mama" which is usually accompanied by lots of tears anytime I leave the room. She is by far the most committed shadow I have ever had.
Avery is a lot like her brother. She's a big climber, having already fallen off the back of the couch and into/on most of her toys. If you tell her "no" it is like putting forth a challenge that is immediately accepted and she quickly reaches her goal of getting on top of, under, into, behind, between whatever it is she was told not to do. She is also a button pusher. Mine of course, but I mean the literal kind. Our TV goes on and off hundreds of times a day, as does the stove light, the DVD and DVR players, the remote control light, my phone, her video monitor and every possible noise making toy. She has an affinity for a dancing turtle that plays "Whip It" but is so broken it no longer moves and has been replaced by the sad little sound of gears grinding. In it's heyday, which was only slightly less broken than it is now, it would twist side to side and swing it's arms to the music, which is how Avery has learned to dance/twist.......from a broken mechanical turtle!
Avery is also very different from Miles. Miles never danced and he was very much a people person/baby. He would light up a room with his smile and he smiled at everyone. We could pass him from friend to friend when he was little and he was happy for the attention. Avery smiles at almost no one. And even though her smile could light up a room she usually just eyes it and its contents suspiciously. She saves her affection and big grins for those she knows best and everyone else ends up wasting their energy trying to get her to react at all. She is like the worst patron at a comedy club. But my little deadpan can be so sweet and giggly when she wants to, and it is usually her brother who can make her laugh the most. As soon as I say, "Miles, don't do that you'll scare your sister." I turn around and she is belly laughing like Santa Claus.
She is a great eater. I have the child of my dreams when it comes to feeding her. I can count on half of one hand how many things she doesn't like. I just hope it lasts. Her diet has included everything from salmon to avocado to beef stew. Whatever we eat, she eats. She was actually giving me such a hard time with the baby foods, that I just stopped feeding them to her and switched over to table foods. Now that she is being weened, she was given the green light for milk and that's where the red light came on. She doesn't seem to care for it, but I have found that rice milk goes over a little better, so I will switch over to that and start mixing the whole milk in as time goes on. I know that she doesn't really need to be nursed for nutrition anymore, but it is my last link to her as a baby and I am not rushing the process. She is doing a good job transitioning on her own and I will follow her lead....for now.
Avery likes you to think you are making all of the decisions for her, but that is where she is smarter than all of us and she is really the one running the show. Someday she'll have to show me how to do that (after I get her to stop sucking her thumb). Daddy always says she's his little princess and she can have whatever she wants. Just wait until she brings that first boyfriend home! Luckily, we have many, many, many, many............years before that happens.
One year ago, this new little person entered our lives and now we couldn't imagine life without her. She makes us smile, laugh and cry, all at the same time. She is a lot of work and a lot of fun. Most importantly, because she is our second, we've taken the time to appreciate all of her milestones, the good and the bad. She will be a big girl forever soon enough, but for now she is still our baby.
Happy 1st year Baby Avery~We love you!
She was an early walker and an early talker, not prepared for both I am stunned to see this little tiny person walking around, looking like she's about 10 months old, yelling "mo" (more) when she wants whatever it is that you have or "how" (house) when we yell at the dogs to go to their beds. She hates being left out and often you will find her standing at the gate yelling "My" (Miles) when he retreats to his own playroom for some uninterrupted alone time. She's heard the word "out" so many times she usually leaves a room repeating "ow" over and over. My favorites are "nye,nye" and "bye,bye" usually followed by a little finger wave and if your lucky some blown kisses. Daddy has the privilege of hearing "Dada" followed by a great big smile anytime he comes out of his office. And of course there is the classic, screeching "Mama" which is usually accompanied by lots of tears anytime I leave the room. She is by far the most committed shadow I have ever had.
Avery is a lot like her brother. She's a big climber, having already fallen off the back of the couch and into/on most of her toys. If you tell her "no" it is like putting forth a challenge that is immediately accepted and she quickly reaches her goal of getting on top of, under, into, behind, between whatever it is she was told not to do. She is also a button pusher. Mine of course, but I mean the literal kind. Our TV goes on and off hundreds of times a day, as does the stove light, the DVD and DVR players, the remote control light, my phone, her video monitor and every possible noise making toy. She has an affinity for a dancing turtle that plays "Whip It" but is so broken it no longer moves and has been replaced by the sad little sound of gears grinding. In it's heyday, which was only slightly less broken than it is now, it would twist side to side and swing it's arms to the music, which is how Avery has learned to dance/twist.......from a broken mechanical turtle!
Avery is also very different from Miles. Miles never danced and he was very much a people person/baby. He would light up a room with his smile and he smiled at everyone. We could pass him from friend to friend when he was little and he was happy for the attention. Avery smiles at almost no one. And even though her smile could light up a room she usually just eyes it and its contents suspiciously. She saves her affection and big grins for those she knows best and everyone else ends up wasting their energy trying to get her to react at all. She is like the worst patron at a comedy club. But my little deadpan can be so sweet and giggly when she wants to, and it is usually her brother who can make her laugh the most. As soon as I say, "Miles, don't do that you'll scare your sister." I turn around and she is belly laughing like Santa Claus.
She is a great eater. I have the child of my dreams when it comes to feeding her. I can count on half of one hand how many things she doesn't like. I just hope it lasts. Her diet has included everything from salmon to avocado to beef stew. Whatever we eat, she eats. She was actually giving me such a hard time with the baby foods, that I just stopped feeding them to her and switched over to table foods. Now that she is being weened, she was given the green light for milk and that's where the red light came on. She doesn't seem to care for it, but I have found that rice milk goes over a little better, so I will switch over to that and start mixing the whole milk in as time goes on. I know that she doesn't really need to be nursed for nutrition anymore, but it is my last link to her as a baby and I am not rushing the process. She is doing a good job transitioning on her own and I will follow her lead....for now.
Avery likes you to think you are making all of the decisions for her, but that is where she is smarter than all of us and she is really the one running the show. Someday she'll have to show me how to do that (after I get her to stop sucking her thumb). Daddy always says she's his little princess and she can have whatever she wants. Just wait until she brings that first boyfriend home! Luckily, we have many, many, many, many............years before that happens.
One year ago, this new little person entered our lives and now we couldn't imagine life without her. She makes us smile, laugh and cry, all at the same time. She is a lot of work and a lot of fun. Most importantly, because she is our second, we've taken the time to appreciate all of her milestones, the good and the bad. She will be a big girl forever soon enough, but for now she is still our baby.
Happy 1st year Baby Avery~We love you!
