Christmas

We had an awesome Christmas this year. Evan was really into it which made it that much more fun for all of us as a result. As he was opening gifts on Christmas morning he kept repeating 'This is the best Christmas I have ever seen!". Ava did amazingly well as we took her from place to place disrupting her nap and night time sleep schedule.

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!

So proud!

About six months ago Evan learned all of the letters of the alphabet by sight and the sounds they each make. It was so amazing to watch as he learned the stepping stones of reading. A few weeks ago he memorized the sound that the letter 'A' and 'T' make together so it seemed like he was getting close to sounding out some basic words. Sure enough tonight he read his first word "BAT"! It was so exciting!

5 Months

At 5 months now Ava is rolling from her stomach to her back and vice-versa. She just recently learned how to roll from her back to her stomach and loves to show off her new trick. She started eating solids this week and so far she hates it! She makes the funniest faces, it is hilarious! Her legs are getting really strong and tonight Aaron stood her up on the edge of the fireplace and she held on for a really long time by herself. During this time she and Evan actually played for the first time together. Evan was laughing hysterically at the fact that Ava was reaching out for his Thomas the Train. Then as quickly as it came the peaceful moment was over and Evan got upset that she was touching his train. I think it took him by surprise that she was already interested in his toys.

Ava still sleeps pretty horribly but during the day she is the happiest, sweetest baby. She just adores Evan and lights up every time she looks at him. My Mom (a.k.a. Nana) is visiting this week and she really connected with her as well. In the last month she started being fearful around people she did not know well. I was not sure how she would do with her Nana but she loved her!

My Mom gave me a HUGE gift this week - my first complete night of uninterrupted sleep in over a year (I slept very badly during pregnancy as well). It was amazing! Fortunately Ava took a bottle from her even though she's not had one in a couple of months. She actually cared for her overnight for several nights so I could catch up on sleep. Evan was not in on the deal unfortunately and woke Aaron and I repeatedly one of those nights but aside from that we got several great nights of sleep in this week. I have never slept so poorly in my life so I have become a bit obsessed with sleep in case you can't tell!

Halloween

This Halloween was especially fun as Evan was more excited than I have ever seen him get about anything. In the weeks leading up to 'the big day' he perused costume catalogs with Aaron and I and every costume he saw he wanted. Ultimately he waffled between a ghost and dark vader as he called him (he has no idea who he is!). He started waking up in the middle of the night for the last few weeks saying that he saw ghosts in his room so I decided that any scary costumes were out. He had just recently showed a lot of interest in super heroes so I went out on a limb and bought him a Superman costume. Boy, was it a hit! The best $17 I have ever spent. He wore it every single waking minute that I allowed him to. It entertained him for hours. It was so sweet seeing him flying around the house and jumping up and down in his little red cape. By the time Halloween rolled around the costume had numerous holes in it and several food stains. We could barely contain him before we headed out to begin trick-or-treating, he was bouncing off the walls. Finally my Dad (a.k.a. Papa), Evan, Ava and I met up with our neighbors and hit the pavement. After about six houses Evan was more interested in his friend's light saber than he was trick-or-treating, he kept asking me to hold his bag. Ava was a trouper (as she usually is when I drag her around doing activities for her big brother) for the 45 minutes we were out.