Rock-A-Bye Baby

Avery loves her baby doll cradle more than her stroller or vacuum or Elmo. Avery's Aunt Laura gave her this cradle, one that Laura used to play with when she was a little girl. Avery's doll, Danny Boy, might get thrown around quite a bit (in a room that looks like it got hit by a tornado), but there are some tender, caring moments and it is an absolute joy to watch!

After...

After the last few weekends of painting, painting, painting, we are 95% done! I need to finish painting the trim around the doors and trim on a small section of the back of the house. Oh, and get address numbers, too. Mom and I (and Avery) filled my pots with flowers today. I love when my mom helps me with my flower pots - she is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to plants! I hope to have a garden and yard like hers one day!

18 Months

I find it so hard to believe that Fred and I have an 18-month old. Where has the time gone? Pretty soon she'll be 18 and off to college. Ugh. That is why it's so important for me to savor every second I have with her. I can't get enough hugs and kisses and sassy little "No's" from my sweet pea. Her personality is infectious and she loves to try new things on her own. She has mastered farm animals, and knows where many body parts are located, can count to three ("waa, toooo, feee"), and say "a, b, c, d" on a good day! Here are some of the words she can say:

-dog
-kitty
-Elmo
-bug
-shoe
-sock
-brush
-cracker
-water
-baby
-fish
-fishing
-blankie
-binkie
-juice
-please
-brush
-teeth (when we are brushing our teeth)
-cheese
-potty (yes, we are in the early stages of potty training!)
-icky
-no
-ear
-nose
-eye

She loves music and tries so hard to sing along to songs like "Old MacDonald", "If You're Happy and You Know it", "Itsy, Bitsy Spider", "Rock-A-By Baby", "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", "Ring Around the Rosey", and the alphabet. She loves Elmo and Sesame Street. If you can't already tell, we are so proud of her and we're just amazed at what a great little girl she is turning into. :)

**On Tuesday Avery had her 18-month appointment. She was 20 lbs, 4 oz and she was slightly over 31". So, looks like she's still in the 3rd percentile for weight. She apparently likes it there, that's where she's been since she was about 2 months old! And she's over the 30th percentile for height.

To celebrate one and a half years old, I gave her an Oreo. She loved it!