9 Months at Home!!!

9 months at home, with Mama and Baba.  Spending so many crazy, memorable moments with family and friends.  We couldn't have asked for a better, more fulfilling 9 months.  Thank you for filling our lives with joy and so much love, Ava!!

1.  So many new words over the last month.  Jacket, bath, bed, sleep tight, wo ai ni (I love you), ap-sauce, b-fast, chicken, foo-ball, ball, ma (milk), more, mine, movie, "Move It" from Madagascar, water, shoes, socks, see ya, please, thank you, slide.  You still tell lots of stories that we don't understand yet, but we're getting closer and it's so fun to hear you talk even when we can't understand it all!  You are a very animated story teller :) 

2.  You have been really focused on recognizing family members and knowing their names lately.  You  often pull out her photo book we sent to China with family pictures and "study" it.  Earlier this month I spent some time tacking family pics on the refrigerator and labeling them with their names.  She loves this and we review the pictures and names for probably 15-20 minutes daily.  She is quite the studier :)  I'm certain that comes from Baba!!  From doing this she is fluent with identifying and saying Lau Lau, Pappy, Nai Nai, G-Pa, Uncle Bobby.

3.  You graduated to a toddler bed around a month ago.  The first night you rolled out of bed, but after that did well and slept through the night for several weeks.  But the last week and a half have been  rough and we're not certain what has been going on.  You are waking up on average 4 times nightly; occasionally on the ground but every time you wake up crying and sometimes kicking your arms and legs.  It really seems like you are having nightmares, which makes Mama and Baba so sad.  You are always awake before one of us can get in your room to cuddle but we so wish we could stop the nightmares for you.  This is such a helpless feeling as a parent.  You are not scared to go to bed at night so from our research that shows that you are not remembering your nightmares the following evening~thank the Lord.  Praying that this doesn't last too long.

4.  You enjoyed your first Halloween.  You were able to Trick-Or-Treat 3 times.  The first time you were really confused as to why you had to wear a monkey outfit but once you started getting candy for it you were much more agreeable.  On Halloween night, we only went to a few friends/neighbors houses and the rest of the evening you really enjoyed handing out candy to the other trick or treaters.  

5.  You also made yourr first trip to the pumpkin patch to pick out your own "puppy".  Yes, you called your pumpkin, puppy!!  Too funny!!  You did not enjoy carving the pumpkin and certainly did not want to help clean out the seeds but did enjoy painting your "puppy" in order to give it that Ava style.

6.  The biting at daycare has been up and down...really you probably went about six weeks without biting and then all the sudden (along with the not sleeping) you've bitten a couple of times.  I always feel so bad when I learn you've bitten another child.  I think I'd be angry as the other parent, so maybe that's why God put me on this side as I have so much more compassion when the teeth are towards my daughter.  Hoping that with your words increasing the biting will decrease and go away forever.
7.  You love to play and honestly Mama and Baba love it too!!  We all get to run around the house and act like kids every night.  It's awesome!!  Some of your favorite things to play with are your huge bouncy ball, kitchen, bowling set, building blocks, and your y-bike.  We pretty much play from after dinner until bath time every night.  This way we all go to bed extra tired but it's so worth all the memories and fun.
8.  You still love your books.  We probably read through 5-10 books a day.  Some of your current favorites are:  Mr. Brown can Moo, Mommy Hugs, I Love you Stinky Face, Connor the Conductor, Who Says Quack, and all of your touch and feel books.
9.  At the end of last month we were able to spend a few days in Colorado in a cabin with all of Matt's family.  It was a wonderful, relaxing getaway.  It's so fun to watch and hear all the cousins running around a cabin; chasing each other, teaching other, playing games, and just having a great time!  I so wish they could spend more time together.  They have such a ball, as do all the adults.  I am truly blessed to have such an amazing in-law family.  
10.  You saw your dentist for your six month visit and your love for brushing your teeth showed.  He was super impressed and could tell right away that you love brushing your teeth!  The other day you were so excited when Baba came home from his dentist appointment with a new toothbrush...which you quickly stole for yourself ;)

Picking out her "puppy"!!