Avery's Newest Behaviors

My beautiful daughter always makes me proud with the new things she's learning.  It always makes me smile when she takes a new concept or idea and really runs with it.  So here are some short stories and lines about the newest things she's learning and some of her adorable behaviors to go with it.  ;)  Enjoy!  :D

Naming Objects
Avery has been learning more words lately, and is getting very good at pointing out and identifying objects in her book.  One night when I got home from work, Michael excitedly told me a story of their evening together and how at the end of Avery's "Ten Commandments" book, she could identify almost every item on the last page!  These items include: boy, girl, shoe, kitty, puppy, frog, turtle, fly (short for butterfly), and tree!  She knows lots of other words too, but this was one excited moment Daddy had to share.  :)

Hot
Avery learned the hard way this winter about the word "hot" when she touched the glass on the fireplace.  She didn't burn herself too bad, but it definitely cemented the word "hot" in her brain.  Since then she has come to learn (not the hard way) that the microwave, stove, and oven are also hot.  She knows that the foods that come from those places are hot and that she'll need to blow on them.  Well, the "hot" concept has also translated to books.  Any time she sees a fire in a book she'll say "hot", shake her hand, and blow on her hand (her own sign language version of hot).  She is VERY good with this concept and stays away from things when we warn her that they are hot.  :)

Thank You
Every time we give something to Avery, we say "Thank you" as we do it, to begin the idea of manners and to show her when they are appropriate.  Well, she's slowly picking up on this idea and has begun saying "thank you" when we give things to her.  I would say she says it about 50% of the time.  We'll get bettter.  I just love that she's saying it at all.  :)  She mostly says it when she asks for a drink and we give her one.  She also says thank you when she gives things to other people, like when she shares a toy with Dayton or gives my phone back to me, as if to remind others to say "thank you" as well.  ;)

Sssshhhh
I like that Avery is beginning to understand the concept of someone sleeping and that we need to be quiet.  She has learned to put her finger to her mouth and say, "ssshhh" when she sees someone or something laying down or with their eyes closed, either in real life or in a book.  When I lay on the couch and close my eyes she'll shush Dayton, and when we read the "Puppies" book and get to the page where the puppy is sleeping, she'll shush me and we'll have to whisper through the rest of the page.  Yesterday she brought her stuffed Clifford into the living room while Michael was playing his guitar.  She layed Clifford down on a pillow, then shushed Daddy.  :P  Hopefully this continues when we're asking her to stay quiet so her brother can sleep.  ;)

Body Parts
Avery likes learning the different parts to her body and pointing to them.  She also loves pointing to and poking other people to help them identify.  ;)  Her favorite is ears.  :P  She likes to poke her tiny finger waaaaaay into your ear, then look to the other side of your head, and poke the other one as well!  Avery is good at identifying: ears, eyes, nose, mouth, hair, toes, and belly button.  She is learning and getting better at identifying: cheeks, shoulders, hands, fingers, knees, feet, chin, and tummy.  She is such an eager learner!  It will be so fun for her to go to school, I'm sure!!

Books
As always, Avery loves to read her books.  She's especially loving pointing out objects in them lately.  She has a Veggietales "flap" book that she's been reading more lately.  I hesitated to get it out, thinking she would rip all the flaps off, but she's done very well with it.  :)  She got a new book when she went to the doctor last week.  It's a Clifford book about farm animals and their sounds.  I think she'll be learning lots of animal sounds soon.  :)

I just love watching her grow and develop!  It's such a joy to see her learning and establishing her personality more and more each day!  I just love her!  I know she'll be a great example of a lifelong learner and that she'll encourage Connor to learn lots of new things throughout his life as well.  :)  What a great kid we have!!  :D  I am one proud Mommy!  :D