15 Months Old

I thought that after Avery turned one, I wouldn't post monthly updates anymore. But I found that I looked back at this blog often to remember little details about her life that I otherwise might forget. So while these posts may not be strictly every month, I will try to update as things change (or as I have time).

She has turned into even more of a chatterbox than she was before (if that's even possible). We hear non-stop babble most of the day. She loves to pull toys and books out from her bins, and usually will put them back in if we ask her to. Her favorite thing to do these days is carry things from one room to the other. I found a sweet potato in her room yesterday when I put her down for a nap. And I often find clothes from her hamper in other parts of the house.

Avery's favorite time of day is if I let her watch Barefoot Contessa while I'm getting dinner ready. She gets so excited, yells "Ina!" and will watch an entire episode. If I am in the kitchen cooking, she has to be right in there with me mixing and stirring with bowls and spoons as well. If she sees me near the oven, she will bring me an oven mitt. I can't wait to start baking and cooking with her! We might have a little chef on our hands.

She also loves to eat, and has a pretty sophisticated palette. She prefers sweet potatoes roasted with paprika and garlic to plain baked sweet potatoes, and loves a mushroom, onion and Swiss frittata instead of plain scrambled eggs.

Avery can say "grandma" and "grandpa" and knows who they are. I showed her a picture of my parents the other day without saying their names, and she pointed to them and correctly identified them. She can also say "Rachel" and "Beka." Her favorite food to say is "apple." And while she can say words for milk, banana, applesauce, yogurt, etc. they don't sound quite like they should yet. When we read her Bible story each night, she says, "Jesus." She has been doing the signs for "please, more, and all done" for quite a few months now. It is extremely helpful to cut down on some whining and interpret what she is asking for. She tries as hard as she can to imitate what we are saying. She can usually get the right inflection and the right number of syllables. I'm sure we'll start hearing more real words in the next few months.

The memory and imagination of a 15-month old never ceases to amaze me. She walks around the house with her play phone saying "Hi, Dada." And she often puts bowls or clothes on her head and yells, "hat!" My mom sings "Jesus Loves Me" to her all the time and has been teaching her the hand motions. It's been a few weeks since she has heard it, but yesterday I asked if she wanted to sing a song (she loves singing solos) and immediately started singing something that clearly included the word "Jesus" and pointing to herself.

Avery constantly makes us laugh - more often on purpose these days. She has discovered she can be the center of attention, especially around strangers. She is becoming less and less shy and will wave and smile at anyone who talks to her.

She is still an excellent eater and sleeper. She often sleeps over 12 hours at night, with a 3 hour nap in the afternoons, and she'll eat almost anything we put in front of her. We have been blessed with such a good, easy baby, and yes, we have been warned that we might not get this lucky with our next one. Avery, thank you for the best 15 months of our lives! We love your silly personality and the slobbery kisses we get many times a day.