Here I am, posting another monthly update, shaking my head in disbelief. I can't believe our tiny little Aviannah is only 2 months shy of her 1st birthday!
Actually, I think she's very aware of the impending milestone because she sure seems to be determined to grow up these days. She's still not crawling (so close!) or pulling herself up but boy oh boy! I'll get to that in a second.
This month has been absolutely nuts. Christmas season is always busy, plus we had the added business (and bonus!) of working to finalize her adoption. Dec. 18 was the day she became a Letkeman, and ironically enough, it also was the day she decided to get sick. She got a horrible cough that kept getting worse and by the 21st we were so worried that we drove her in to RUH at 1 in the morning (so thankful for Auntie Leesa who stayed behind so we didn't have to drag a sleeping Cassidy in as well). Thankfully it was just viral but it took her quite a while to kick it. She basically didn't eat anything for 2 days which had me super worried but thankfully she liked Pedialyte so we were able to keep her hydrated. She was on the mend by Christmas time but it took a good 2 weeks for her to get back to her normal eating habits. I think this is the reason that she has stopped sleeping through the night. She's eating like a horse lately, and I'm guessing she's going through a growth spurt plus making up for the period that she was sick. Maybe I'm wrong on both accounts, but whatever the case she's not sleeping through the night anymore and it. sucks. Anyway, we survived Christmas and Aviannah survived her cough and we're all doing well now!
Aviannah, like I mentioned before, is determined to grow up. She has just recently started regularly holding her own bottle. She used to do it every once and a while but now she actually PREFERS to feed herself then have us feed her. What?? We have gotten into the habit of giving her a bottle before each nap time and bedtime (we also did that with Cassidy and she grew out of it, so here's hoping Avi will too!) and we're finding she eats way more this way then she did when we would feed her. Sometimes though, I just want to cuddle with her and give her her bottle. She will have none of it! Seriously, it's ridiculous! I tried just today and she fought and squirmed so much that I eventually gave up, laid her down and handed her the bottle and she was happy as could be. She also will not cuddle. She doesn't even sit still on my lap anymore. She is either reaching for something or trying to roll off. This kid does not sit still. If she's on the floor, she's moving. She's mastered using her arms to get her around without having to get her legs up under her and she uses that method or rolling to go where she wants. I can't believe how resistant she is to being held. She prefers to play on the floor then to sit on my lap and play. This change seemed to happen so fast and I'm not ready for it! Good grief, she's still my baby! Where does she get off thinking she doesn't need to sit with Mama anymore? (I am really really glad she's developing so well and enjoys her play, I am. But I miss cuddles.)
Her vocals seem to have exploded over the past month. She babbles constantly and it's the cutest thing! There's been quite a few times where we can tell she's trying to repeat what we're saying! She already says "Mama", "baba" (what we call her bottle) and "hey". I can tell she's trying to say "dada" too. I think we're going to have an early talker. She is a girl, after all!
Her hair is coming in nice, mostly on top. I got it into the tiniest ponytail last night and she didn't seem to mind at all! She still loves solids and is just starting to be able to handle things that aren't pureed. Up until a few days ago she would gag and puke on anything that wasn't baby food, but she's been doing good with little chunks of real food these last couple of days.
She cut her second tooth the other day and now has both bottom teeth. She can also stand unassisted if she has something to hold onto, like the couch or her exersaucer. She's getting really strong. The OT and PT were concerned that she wasn't using her left side as much as her right but just recently I've seen her start using both sides equally. She saw the OT and PT last week and they saw it as well and said that she's making great progress so that's great!
This is definitely my favorite age so far! I love how her personality is coming out more and more and how interactive she is. Seeing her interact with her world and discover new things is my favorite part of parenting. I remember marveling at how wonderful it was to watch Cassidy get so excited over a mud puddle, or a pinecone on the ground, or a plane in the sky. I love seeing the world through a child's eyes. It forces me to stop and appreciate things that I otherwise wouldn't have. I often think back to where Jesus says we must become like little children to enter the kingdom of heaven. I have a better understanding of what He means by that the more I watch my children grow. I love their sweet innocence and childish wonder.
That's all for now! Time for me to start thinking about birthday parties (sniff)
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