Growing Up

I already filled you in on Lily's progress but both girls have been growing up right before our eyes.
We had been telling Ava that when we got back from Utah she would move into a "big girl bed." But we chickened out! Ava is a great sleeper and loves her crib , so in the end we thought why rock the boat. We compromised though - we now leave her crib bar down full-time. She can climb in and out as she pleases, but still feel safe in her crib. Both Elliott and I thought that this would also allow her some extra freedom to climb out and get whatever toys or books she would like to get after we leave the room. We have discovered however that Ava truly respects the boundaries of her crib regardless of what we tell her. I have told her that after naptime (and when she wakes up in the morning) she can climb out of her crib, open her bedroom door and come to find me.

She doesn't. She won't. She refuses.

When she wakes up she cries out as usual. You go in to her like normal. She talks to you like normal. Then you have to give her permission to get out of her crib, she answers cheerily "OK!" then climbs out and moves on with her day. Maybe someday she will venture out on her own (I swear she climbed out at naptime today to get some of her musical instruments because I could hear her playing with them) but until then we are just grateful she hasn't taken this bit of freedom too far.

As for her other freedoms, Ava can now open our doors with the greatest of ease. So upon returning home I put safety knobs on the doors where I don't want her to go - Lily's bedroom, our bedroom, and the front door. She hates it, but it is a lifesaver to me. Kinda. When I am putting Lily to bed sometimes she stands outside the door and screams (or knocks) because she can't come in, which is distracting to Lily (needless to say).

Here are a couple of Ava-isms for your amusement:

* (Ava playing with Legos, talking to herself) How does this work? I have no idea!

* I got a new mattress Daddy. It's so lovely!

* (Wearing her new sunglasses): Look at me, I am so stylish!

* (I was trying to explain how we put two words together to make a sentence): Like puzzle pieces!

Lily is more of a chatterbox than the last time I wrote. Elliott and I are constantly amused at her endless stream of inflection and mimicry. She adds new sounds and words to her vocabulary all the time and we find great joy in communicating with her.

I have to share this picture with you - too cute! We had family dinner at our house a few Sundays back and in order to try and amuse the kids (mine, cousins and friends) long enough that the adults could play a little game, I put on a show (Monsters Inc. I think). Here's all of them lined up on the couch enjoying it: