16 Months

Slow down Avery! You are growing (and going) too fast! Avery turned 16 months on the 23rd, and I kept waiting to add some pictures and post. Pictures will just have to wait for later. Each month I think that things can't get any more fun and time can't move any quicker, but somehow both things happen.

We don't have any new height and weight reports this month, but Avery is starting to feel heavier. She's still struggling to fit into her 12-18 months and 18 months clothes, especially in the length department. Her 12 months and even some 6-12 months clothes are still fitting just fine. Shoes remain a size 4 (I hope) and diapers remain a 3.

Sleep habits remain about the same also with bedtime between 7 and 7:30. She usually sleeps until at least 6:30 am. She's been pretty good about 2 naps of 1 to 1.5 hours this month with a few days of bumps due to teething. I'm pretty sure that the days of 2 naps are coming to an end. I'm hoping to hold on at least through the holidays. Avery rarely looks tired during the day, so we nap by the clock. I'm hoping that the next baby can give me at least a yawn when it's ready for a nap.

Avery remains quite the eater as long as it's on her terms. Lately she heads right to her chair at Jen-Jen's, ready to climb up and eat breakfast. One dad jokes that he's never seen her not eating in the morning. Vegetables have made a comeback and broccoli/cauliflower with cheese, butterbeans, peas and carrots, and sweet potatoes are all acceptable. She's also had collards and cabbage. She's also eating chicken better, even when it's not in nugget form. Fruit is still a hit along with cottage cheese, yogurt, and cheese. She is still not a milk drinker and also does not care for green beans, ground beef, eggs, or foods with red sauce. Many things are deemed inappropriate before they even touch her lips. She feeds herself with a spoon well as is working hard on scooping items up. If she can't, she picks it up with her fingers and touches it to her spoon before eating it. Sometimes fingers and spoon work together. Avery cut a bottom tooth last week for a grand total of 8. We're really dragging out that process.

She is still a big chatterbox and is repeating more and more words that we say. One day she may pop up with something she shouldn't be saying. She talks, and does everything else, on her terms, so she's not going to say something when you ask her to. She has also started singing this month which is just hilarious. There are no words in any of her songs, but she knows how to draw her sounds out and includes high and low pitches. The talking had to take a backseat for a few weeks this month while she perfected her walking. We hardly see crawling now as she works on her running. She loves to walk around carrying at least one thing but forgets that if the object is big she should still be watching where her feet are going. My favorite thing for her to carry is books. She loves to bring books one at a time for us to read and look at. She still likes to climb but luckily has not attempted anything big or too scary. Her new slide is a hit and she's sure she can do it on her own.

Avery still loves her toys and also her odds and ends like markers and shoe boxes. She loves to slide boxes between her legs, position them just right, and try to sit on them. It's a bit tricky on her shoe boxes though! In the last week or so she's started stacking collections of things on the bookshelf. It doesn't look like I'll be putting Santas on the bottom three shelves this year so I won't have her help rearranging those. She also loves to peek under her crib, our bed, the sofa, etc. to see if she can spot Felix or one of us peeking from the other side. Sometimes she and Felix play fun games while he hides under the couch, and he seems to love it as much as she does.

Our little girl has become even more loving this month. She loves to come and give me big squeezes around the neck and does the same while I'm holding her. She is still a kisser, and her favorite targets are pets. She's also a wallower and rolls and climbs all over us while we're on the floor. Her most favorite time to do this is after dinner when everyone is home and on the floor. House and schoolwork can wait when there's a little girl to love on. No matter how mobile she is, those hands still shoot up for us to hold her at different times. She's usually pretty good about this but goes through spells (like after time at Lolli and Poppa's) that she wants to be held more. Avery loves her family but is still very much a mama's girl.

Hopefully I've hit on all the main things Avery is doing these days. As her mama I could go on forever! In this season of thanks we are so overwhelmingly grateful that Avery is ours. We have many things to look forward to in the upcoming holiday season and know that they will be even more fun and busy with our sweet girl.