Avalon at Eighteen Months

Our baby is getting so big!!! Actually she is still pretty small compared to other girls her age, but she is still getting too big too fast. We are also seeing glimmers of the terrible two's, which is making me long for the days when she was just a little baby I could carry all around in a moby wrap. Avalon is now 22 1/2 pounds (25th percentile), 30 1/2 inches (25th percentile), and her head is 18 1/4 cm (50th percentile). However, I am sure she has had a growth spurt since we saw the doctor so I am very curious to re-measure her height. There is an old wives tale that you double a girls height at 18 months to determine their adult height, which means she will only be 5'1"!!! Not that there is anything wrong with that...but she definitely wont be the star of the volleyball team.

Although the tubes in her ears did not cause an initial onslaught of speech, about 3 weeks after the surgery she became much more chatty. She now says a lot of words: Mama, Dah ee (daddy), bubba, meee (please), babi (paci or banana), mine, no, duck, ball, mah (more) and moo for cow. She also mimics our speech constantly. She began speech therapy, and the therapist basically said that she is fine and is already doing great. The therapist was also qualified to assess feeding issues and at first was very concerned about Avalon's eating, but at the second session she brought in an Occupational Therapist and they decided that she is just a very picky eater, and will continue to have chewing difficulties until she gets more teeth. That was a big relief. I continue to feed her a lot of soft foods (jarred meats, cottage cheese, and yogurt) just to make sure she is getting some substance.

Avalon continues to be a great sleeper at night, and her naps at school are improving. Unfortunately her naps on the weekends are fairly short. She loves to dance, do any sort of art, and is obsessed with balls. She and Waylon do really well together. Her teachers tell us that at school their outdoor playtime overlaps for just a few minutes, and Waylon will stand at the fence between their play areas chatting with Sissy before he has to go inside. When he leaves, Avalon stands crying, "BBBBUUUBBBBBBBAAA!!!!!!!!!!" and her teachers have to hold her and console her for a few minutes. However, Avalon and Waylon do not always get along and during a recent struggle for a blanket, she got a small chip in her front tooth. I am absolutely dreading the injuries that lie ahead.

Avalon is such a doll, and truly is our little peanut. Its been amazing to experience the differences and similarities in watching she and Waylon grow. Its also been interesting to experience this stage of parenting without being exhausted and nauseous from morning sickness. I am trying to cherish this time (especially before the two-year-old tantrums get too bad) since the baby stage is almost gone.

I am LOVING sundress season. Its so much fun to dress Avalon up now that she walks well and can show off her coture collection. Special thanks to Emma and Lilia for this beautiful dress. Avalon loves it!
Avalon is starting to realize how much fun daddy can be, and has a lot of moments where she only wants him.

She is obsessed with shoes, especially these pink crocs. I am obsessed with the cutie patootie rolls she still has on her thighs. We call them her chunk a monkas.

Super star!

Still a blue eyed girl. Waylon's eyes changed color after he was eighteen-months, but so far hers seem to be true blue.

Loving life now that she can hear. She often lifts her hands to her ears and says, "ooowww" for "loud" when a car, helicopter, or any other semi-noisy thing goes by. You realize how amplified it must be for her since she heard so little before.