First of all, Avery had an amazing Christmas!! I think having her birthday a couple of months before gave her the practice she needed to understand opening gifts. She totally "got it" this year and had a blast. Growing up, my parents made Christmastime so magical. We had so many traditions that made it such a special time, but being a parent and seeing your own child experience those traditions makes it so much more magical. Since Jon proposed on Christmas Eve (5 years ago) I will always hold that as the best Christmas ever…but seeing Avery's excitement Christmas morning is just as exciting!!! It was great to spend that special time with just the 3 of us before the madness of visiting families set in.
Although she rang in the new year with a 103 temperature, Avery and I had the best time while I was out of school for 2 weeks. In true Megan fashion, I had a full on breakdown/meltdown/crying fit the Sunday night before going back. It still hurts just as bad to leave her as it did when I returned from maternity leave. Everything in my gut instinct tells me I'm wrong every time I go back after a break. She just grows so fast and is at the most fun stage, that it makes me worried about how much I am missing. I know she'll be in Kindergarten before I know it and it kills me to think about how much I am missing out on these precious early years. I just have to keep praying about it. Right now, it is what it is, though and it makes me cherish our weekends and evenings even more. We have a 3 day weekend coming up (Thank you, Dr. King!) and I am already planning something fun for us. :)
At fourteen/almost fifteen months Avery is a hoot! She honestly blows my mind every day. Her vocabulary is insane. I try really hard to narrate everything we do in a non-baby voice and we read books constantly, and it is all paying off. She is naming everything. She knows cracker, cookie, banana, juice, blueberries, water, cup, eat, blanket ("buppy"), kitty, puppy/dog, monster, ball, up, out, George (Curious George "Geege"), bear, socks, shoes, bow, keys, bath, night night and when all else fails, "THAT!". She can point to pictures and name the familiar faces. She can follow verbal directions better than most of my Kindergarteners (pick up all the socks and put them in the basket) (go put the bowl in the cabinet) (can you hand me my phone?) ( lets pick up the balls/legos/cars) (shake your booty) (hide) (give the babydoll her paci) etc. She says "thank you" but we are still working on "please" as she can be a demanding and impatient little girl! :)
She has also become quite the helper! She loves helping Mommy and Daddy change the laundry, dishes, clean up, vacuum, put groceries in the cart, feed and play with Abby nicely, put her clothes away, wipe counters/tables, my little assistant even hands me my toilet paper! LOL I have no other choice but to take her with me when I have to go..Things you don't think about until you are a mom! ;-)
She has always had an interest in make up and when she was about 8 months, I gave her an old brush to pretend with. Well Miss Smartypants has realized it's not the real deal, so she gets MAD when I don't share my good stuff with her. I can see what our fights will one day be about! Haha. She also loves to put on lotion and chapstick, brush her hair and teeth and says "piddy" when we put in hair clips and ponytails. She's totally my girl.
At the same time she is making Daddy proud by loving her toy cars and trucks he got her for Christmas and MegaBlocks as her favorite toys right now. Seeing them play trucks together on the floor seriously melts my heart. She is the most perfect gift from God.
