17 Months {a little late}

In the event that I am behind on my blogging {which is usually}, I sometimes backdate my posts so that they will correspond with the correct date. I've done this several times with Avery Claire's monthly posts. I've never been over a week late with these, though, so I figured I'd just be honest and let the date reflect the chaos of our lives recently. In the moving mess, I could not find the signs I made and printed and had ready for the monthly post. Nor could I find/get to necessary materials to make a decent on. Circumstances, folks.

Avery Claire, at 17 months, you:


- are obsessed with cows. I don't know why it's your favorite animal, but you look for cows all of the time. We don't live near too many pastures, so we don't see them very often. You love to moo and you love for us to moo, too!

- are saying "Mama" all of the time. You've said it for awhile, but now you walk into the room looking for me and calling for me. Melt.my.heart!!

- say "ruff, ruff" if you see a dog. You try to say anything we ask you to. Daddy and I both heard you sing "happy birthday" after a party at daycare a couple of weeks ago. I swear it sounded like you were really singing it!

- have adjusted wonderfully to daycare again, which is such a blessing to us!!

- love to brush your teeth!! That's how I get you to stand still so I can dry your hair {which we only wash ever 2-3 days}. I hope your hair never gets any oilier!
**I have to add a funny story here. You are one of the first kids at daycare each morning - it's at Mrs. Teresa's house. So, you and Mrs. Teresa's granddaughter play in the kitchen and Mrs. Teresa's bedroom while she gets ready in the mornings. Teresa walked into the other room one day last week and left you two in the bathroom with Lily brushing her teeth. You grabbed the toothpaste and Mrs. Teresa's toothbrush {oh, yes!!}, squeezed you a little toothpaste and started brushing away!! She thought it was pretty funny that you knew just how to do it! Once upon a time, I would have freaked out at the thought of the germs that could be spread on a toothbrush.

- are still such a great sleeper. You've been passed from bed to bed this summer, and you haven't skipped a beat. We're so thankful for that!! You go to bed at around 8 on weeknights and I wake you up at 6:25. You stay up a little later on the weekends and sleep until 7:30 or 8:30. You take a nap for a couple of hours every afternoon.

- love to go. You are happiest when we are on the go. You might be Miss Cranky Pants at home, but if we head to eat or just to Walmart, you're happy as can be. You get that from your mama!!


- have been Miss Cranky Pants in the afternoons lately. You really just want to be outside 24/7. You whine and whine until we go out. And we just want to sit down (inside) for a few minutes before it's time for dinner/bath/getting ready for the next day. You love to run around in the garage and down the sidewalk on our street. This is the face I see in the afternoons when you want me to hold you and take you out!!


- grab your little backpack and tell us "bye" all of the time. You still say "be right back".

- love to drive. Papa and Nana bought you a pretend steering wheel and it entertains you forever in the car. You have a Little People jeep that you love to drive around. You always make the "vroooooooom" sounds while you drive.

- are such a good mommy to your babies. It warms my heart to know that you learn how to treat your babies because of the way we take care of you. It's so precious.

- love to hold on to napkins or toilet paper. You wad them up and shred them into tiny pieces. You get that from your daddy.

- can point on command to eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hair, feet, arm, hand, etc. If I'm getting on to you and am close to your face, you try to distract me by pointing to my eye and saying "eyeeee".

- got eaten up by mosquitos at daycare your first couple of days back. You can still see the scabs. Poor baby. We sent OFF with you asap!!

- love clothes and shoes. You love to look put on different shoes and have started trying to wear Mommy's flipflops around the house. I love it!

- are such a silly girl. You bring so much joy and laughter to our house. Or wherever you are.

- run everywhere you go. We tell you constantly to slow down so you won't get hurt - because you rarely watch where you're going. I know I say "be careful" about 50 times a day. You are usually squealing while you're running. The closer to bedtime it gets, the wilder you are.

- are getting more/longer hair every day. Your hair is growing so much; it stays in your eyes if you don't have a bow in. You're pretty good about wearing your bows, until you think it's funny to take them out and throw them.

- are such a friendly girl! You wave at everyone we see. We meet at least one new friend wherever we go because you befriend someone.

- are growing so much. You look like such a big girl sometimes it makes me cry....like when I was drying your hair and I realized how far your little head came to on my leg!

- are obsessed with lotion. You use anything that could be a lotion bottle and pour it on your hands and rub it in or on you or us. Most of the time, the only way I can get you to lay still to get your diaper changed is to hand you the lotion or butt paste tube - opened, of course. You will have it no other way.

- understand everything we say. You are a very smart girl. We can tell you to do just about anything and you will do it!

- you jabber all of the time. You know what you're saying even if we don't.

- like to write. Tonight, you got the top off of a pen and wrote on your Pottery Barn chair before we could stop you. I have soaked it and am currently trying to wash it. Let's hope the pen marks come out.

- copy everything we do....swishing mouthwash, blowing our nose, chewing gum, anything and everything.

- are very, very stubborn strong-willed. I know that's a good thing in the overall scheme of things. But I am probably going to really need James Dobson's book about raising girls before you start school. Thanks to Tia, it's on the shelf waiting on me whenever I a spare second!

- love to say "huh?" I ask you every day if you ate lunch, took a nap, played with ______ {Leah, McKinley, Madison, Kirby}....you either shake your head no or you say "huh?"

- are absolutely the most beautiful little girl in the entire world. We couldn't imagine life without you. I thank God every single day for you, for your Daddy, and for the wonderful life we have together. We could not ask for a sweeter, smarter, more strong-willed, precious child than you. We love you so very much!