19 Month Update

Here are some fun, cute and new things in Month 19:

• Instead of saying "yes" we get lots of Uh-uh and Mm-mm.
• She is starting to talk in sentences and figure out how to respond to things. For example, this morning I went upstairs and she said to Hung "Where is the mama?" and Hung said "She's upstairs" and then Avery said "I don't see mama". We get phrases and little sentences like that all the time. It's so fun being able talk with her!
• Avery is really enjoying her babies lately (and her Minnie and Big Bear). She likes to put a bitty/blanket over them and rock them to sleep. She strokes their hair and says "shhh, it's OK" and if you come over to her she'll put her finger over her mouth and tell you "shhh" to be quiet so we don't disturb the "sleeping babies".
• She likes to serve meals to her animals and to us. She tell us "sit" and we sit at her little table and she serves up a feast.
• You can also see her imagination really starting to work - Like she'll have a little container and then pass out "cookies" to everyone and say "yumm" as she eats her pretend cookies.
• Avery likes to climb on and open the ottoman all the time and is very proud of herself when she gets up there.
• Every morning she likes to put her Paci ("Patsy" as she calls them) back into her crib and then claps for herself and says "ta da". She'll also tell you she's a "big girl".
• Avery is really into her boo-boo bunnies and ice packs that Hannah and Ella got her. She'll start asking for "boo boo" and then go to the freezer and pick out the ones she wants and then put them on her imaginary (and sometimes real) "boo boo".
• She likes to sit on the potty before bath and read books but that is about it for any interest there so far.
• And, of course, she still loves her Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Minne's Bowtique. As soon as Mickey ends she starts asking for "Bowtique" (last month it was just "tiq").

A Visit from Grandpa and Grandma T

We had such a nice weekend with friends and family. On Friday night, we had dinner at Courtney and Mary's. Avery had so much fun checking out all of Ava's toys, eating pizza, and playing with Ava and Savera. For some reason, Ava was obsessed with Hung all night and all the girls took a liking to Mike and were climbing all over him at the end of the evening. It was very cute and it's so fun to watch the girls play together.

My Dad and Teri arrived late Friday night and we had such a fun day with them on Saturday. Avery woke up and got presents from Disney (Minnie slippers, Minnie hat, and Minnie barrettes) and she got her first Asian doll which was named Avery (for real - she was meant to have this doll). It has a pink bow like Minnie and she loves it. Avery got lots of attention and was one busy girl all day. She played lots of pretend kitchen, went for a long walk and listened to the doggies and birdies, played at the park (couldn't get enough of the swings and was not happy when we made her leave), watched basketball and cheered with her poms poms (and saw Michigan make the Sweet 16!!), went out to dinner and ended the night at Snapperz. Phew!

On Sunday, we had dinner with my mom, Chuck and Cullen. My mom made a great meal and Avery loved rough housing with Uncle Cullen and playing with Hershey, G and Papa. A great end to the weekend!

Avery gave herself some "soup" and then gave Grandpa a TON of food to eat - he was a very good sport!

A Visit to the Library

Avery and I finally checked out the local library with Jaime and Brooke. Avery loved playing with all the books, puzzles, toys and computers. Avery also enjoyed "feeding" her water to all of the toys she played with. The two girls spent a lot of time at the drinking fountain - both were totally obsessed. It was a nice way to spend a morning and am sure we'll be back!

 

1st Swimming Lesson

We had our first swim class last night and Avery loved being in the water. She did great at putting her nose, teeth, ears and eyelashes in the water - although the ears and eyelashes she only wanted to try once. She liked playing with the toys and also tried "jumping" off the side into my arms. We need to work on bending our knees and jumping as she pretty much just walked right off the ledge.

The Monon Center has a really great kids pool and she enjoyed wading in the shallow end and watching the big kids play before class. It will be a fun place to go as she gets older.

And please excuse the black eye...She fell while trying to get into a cradle that is actually made for her dolls and gave herself a pretty bad shiner.

ROAR!

Avery loves to scare us with her Tiger impersonation!

18 Month Stats

We just came back from Avery's 18 Month Check Up. She did great and is hitting and exceeding all milestones. We are going to try to start working more on potty training the next 6 months - wish us luck!

Height: 33 1/2 inches (93rd percentile)
Weight: 27 lbs 4 oz (80th percentile) - Slimming down!
Head Circumference: 47.2 cm (70th percentile) - Not sure about this measurement as it is smaller than her 15 month??

She had one shot in her leg today - She didn't even cry and was more interested in her pink band aid.

School Photos - January 2013

We got another set of stellar school photos today. I think my favorite is the one with the frog. As you can see we really dressed up for the occasion - Sweat Pants!

Snowy South Haven Weekend

We spent the weekend in South Haven with the Boltons, Hutsons and Tobins. It was great to be able to spend time with our friends and also meet babies Luke and Carson. I loved holding a little baby again!! And Avery loved following Hannah around and copying all the cool 4-year-old things that she did. She played well with Ella, too. We stayed busy with sledding, an indoor playhouse, games for the adults, mani/pedis for the ladies, and an easter egg hunt for the kids. It was Avery's first real time playing in the snow and she loved it. I actually hope we get some more this month so we can take Avery out again in her gear and play. She also quickly discovered how yummy it is to eat fresh snow.

The only snafu of the weekend was poor Hung forgot his work laptop and didn't realize it until we had arrived home after the 3.5 hour drive. He needed it for work on Monday am so he drove there and back AGAIN to retrieve it. Luckily, the weather was good, he was home by 8:30, and he got to listen to the awesome Mich/MSU basketball to make the drive go a little faster.

Fun in the snow!!

 PURE joy!

 Playing around the house with Hannah and Ella

Enjoying Deanna's Indoor Playhouse

All the Cute Kids Together :)

Avery's First Easter Egg Hunt - Luckily she had Hanna to help her out!