6 Months

Ava turned six months last week and although I say it all the time, it has really gone by in the blink of an eye. A few weeks ago she started sitting up and scooting backwards across the floor. She's gotten really good at sitting up now and rarely tips over. She seems so much more content being able to sit up on her own and play. She also 'talks' constantly and I just cannot get enough of hearing her sweet little voice. After a month of eating solids she is really getting the hang of it and seems to especially like a few of the foods I've introduced. Another huge development is that she is actually sleeping through the night! After my Mom's visit she started sleeping a lot better and was getting up typically only a few times each night. Then about a week and a half ago she slept in a 7- hour stretch and has continued to do so every night since (with the exception of last night, she had a cold and was miserable all night). I feed her before I go to bed and she sleeps until at least 6 am and then goes back to sleep usually for another hour. I cannot tell you enough how happy I am about this new development!!

Starting at about 4 months Ava got upset when almost anyone but me held her, she would stick her lower lip out repeatedly and then after a few minutes she just couldn't contain it anymore and she would start wailing. As of yesterday it seems this phase has completely passed. We had a family birthday party at our house last night and despite the fact that she had a cold and was up two hours past her bedtime she was a very happy little girl. From the minute the first person arrived she was smiling and putting on a show, she really seemed to love being the center of attention. It was a different side to her personality that we had not seen yet. She is quite a charming little peanut, I think she is going to have all of us wrapped around her little finger!

Recap of November

November was a great month for us, we had my Mom, my sister-in-law and nephews in town visiting. Having my Mom here was fantastic, not only did it give me a much needed break but the kids got to spend some quality time with her. Ava bonded with her right away which was surprising given that she is experiencing a serious Mommy attachment right now. Evan got along great with her as well and really enjoyed the one-on-one attention she gave him. She gave him little presents (early Christmas gifts) every day so he got quite spoiled!

We had our first snowfall (about 4 inches) of the season which was a lot of fun. Unfortunately it kept us from seeing my sister-in-law and nephews as much as I would have liked to during their stay. I had a nasty case of bronchitis and laryngitis so I was in bed during the course of the few days we had snow but Aaron stayed home from work and took Evan out to build a snowman, sled and have a snowball fight with the neighbors. We almost missed Thanksgiving due to the snow but fortunately in the late morning it warmed up and everything melted quickly so we were able to get up to the farm for our traditional Thanksgiving dinner in the Kristoferson cabin. It was wonderful having Amy and the boys with us and Evan loved having his cousins to play with.

The Sunday following Thanksgiving we went to a tree farm to cut down our Christmas tree as we've done the last several years. We went with our neighbors and after trudging around for about an hour in the mud and not finding anything we liked we all ended up buying one on their lot that was already cut. What is ironic is that Aaron thinks they had their pre-cut trees shipped in from someplace else! The kids got to visit with Santa so it was still a fun event for everyone. Evan was tentative with him as you can see from his very awkward smile!

"Mommy, what do I smell?"

About 7 or so months ago it seems as though a switch turned on in Evan's olfactory glands. He never made any reference to smell whatsoever and then all of a sudden he started talking about it constantly. It all started when he smelled exhaust fumes and now he smells things that we don't even smell. He is quite proud of this new talent and tells everyone "I have a great sense of smell". It is hilarious to hear him describe what he smells, he comes up with the most random descriptions. The other day he walked out on our front porch, sniffed the air and said "What do I smell?". As usual, I did not smell what he was smelling. He paused and said "It smells like pomegranate juice or wine". A couple of months ago we were in the parking lot of the grocery store and he asked again "What do I smell?" and then answered his own question with "it smells like breast milk". He sure knows how to make me laugh!