Giving Thanks for our Blessings: Avery is 17 months old!

Avery turns 17 months old tomorrow! She continues to be little Miss Independent, and is busy, busy, busy! Try to slow this girl down, and she lets you know how she feels about it... I think this has been the most challenging age for me yet. It's fun watching her learn new skills and start to understand more words, but it's also very tiring and scary at times since she is completely fearless. I think that Danger is currently Avery's middle name =)

She is still wearing 18 month clothes, size 5 shoes, and size 3 diapers. We go in next month for her 18 month check-up and shots, so we'll see how much she has grown then.

She is still a good eater... I think her teachers are shocked by how much she loves fruit and vegetables. One day they told Ted, they had never seen a child eat so much broccoli! She loves just about anything. She has really gotten on an oatmeal and blueberry kick lately. I'm so glad she is such a healthy eater.

She sleeps very well at night, as long as we stick to our routine. She takes her bath, brushes her teeth (which she HATES!), puts on PJ's, reads about 10 books, snuggles/rocks for a minutes or two, then she wants her bed. She still sleeps with her paci and likes a little blanket at times. She is usually down by 8pm and typically sleeps until 6:30 or 7am. We can't complain too much!

She takes one nap during the day, usually from 11:30am-1:30 or 2pm.

She loves her routine at "school." She is about to move up to the next class, which makes me sad. She has been in the "baby" classrooms, which are connected, for over a year, so we know and love all the teachers. I'm curious how she will react to moving down the hall to the toddler room, with a new routine, and new teachers. I hope she does okay.

She continues to babble and talk like crazy. She has started singing the ABC's and other little songs. She shakes her head "no" when we ask her certain questions. She seems to really understand a lot of words now.

Her favorite activities are reading books, playing outside, going to the park and playing on all the slides, CLIMBING on anything and everything, playing in her new kitchen, walking in our shoes, giving the dogs bones or treats, emptying drawers and making a big mess, and playing with her little friends and cousins.