2.5 YEARS OLD TOMORROW!!!

• at last weeks doctors visit Ava was 22lbs(9.97kg) and 82.5cm tall. Still well below the 5th percentile, but her growth is following the proper curve on the charts.


• just now in a size 4 diaper. Size 4 shoes or boots. Clothing pretty much a size 18 months unless it's a big make then she can still wear a size 12 months. "Super Centre" brand clothing she still wears size 1(12 months).


• favorite activity: JUMPING!...she will jump off of any elevated surface she can find...be it a toy, a step, the curb etc...or if nothing is available, like when we are walking through the parking lot heading to the grocery store...she'll just jump on the spot...you'd think I had a rabbit attached to the end of my arm!


• she can independantly do a wooden puzzle with eleven different shapes...but is more likely to do it if you tell her it's time to "clean up" than if you just asked her to "do the puzzle"...performance anxiety I guess!


• according to her preschool teacher she has very good fine motor skills...holds a crayon/pencil, spoon, fork as an adult would. She is able to copy a vertical line or circle


• intially had no interest in TV or videos, but about a month ago I put on one of her "signing time" videos and the girl is now an ADDICT! Everytime I turn around she is signing that she wants to watch "signing time". By the way her favorite sign right now is "Friend"


• ever since we started graduated hours at day care, this is the conversation I hear over the monitor every night: "Iliana friend, Jacob friend, Katie friend"... the names of the kids in her day care.


• other than a few stomps of her feet the first day, she willingly goes to day care and thoroughly enjoys the kids and all the activities of the day.


• language has exploded over the last 3-4 weeks...she talks constantly and will repeat everything I say...but then again I am pretty well the only one who can understand the majority of what she says. She gets the intonation and syllables correct but the word itself is sometimes difficult to make out.


• didn't have much interest in crayons so we tryed markers(tip from Tiffany) and she loves them...now if I can just get her to colour on the paper instead of the tray on her high chair!


• Ava has taken on the evening chore of feeding our two labs. She is so proud to carry a cup full of food for each from the kitchen to my bedroom where their food bowls are...and if she isn't distracted by some toy enroute, bending over to pick it up, all the kibble actually makes it to their bowls!


• over the last couple of months she has initiated signs of affection in the form of hugs, kisses and signing and saying " a uv oow"...translated to "I love you"


• she will now actually sit through a story to its finish instead of trying to turn the pages before I get the first few words out.


• I had NO CLUE how much work and how hard being a mother would be! Ava you are my world and I love you more than life itself...the good days way outnumber the rough ones!