Eleven Months

Ava is really changing and growing up quickly, becoming more and more independent and we are seeing more of her personality coming out. In the last month she has become very mobile although not walking yet she can get to just about anything she wants to and she is pretty quick about it. She has also learned to throw a fit when she cannot have what she wants, complete with screaming and back arching. She is really wanting to talk and attempts to mimic just about everything we say except mama and I’m almost certain she is holding out on that one just to torment me! While last month her obsession was pulling all the books off her bookshelf, this month it is pictures. She loves to walk up and down the hall and look at all the family pictures while we point out who is in each photo. She says “whoozat” (interpreted whose that) to each picture as we walk by, so big! Her current favorite is the picture of Oscar in the living room and we have to look at it at least a dozen times a day and she attempts to say his name. She also says “Aya” when she sees pictures of herself. She has also started doing a new groove when we are riding in the car and music is playing where she kind of gets a serious look on her face and bobs her head to the music. She is finally starting to get more teeth only instead of cutting her top front teeth next she is cutting her top side teeth, it is a pretty funny sight to see when she throws her head back and you just see those two little fangs as we lovingly refer to them (you can see them in one of the pictures below). A couple of weeks ago her and I both got to experience something new, Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease and let me just tell you it is no fun! She started running fever and it lasted a couple of days so we finally took her to the doctor and he said she had HFMD and a double ear infection. The HFMD caused her to have ulcers on her throat so she was in quite a bit of pain between that and the ears and cutting two teeth. A couple of days later I started running fever and then developed a very sore throat so I went to the doctor and he thought it was the flu or strep but both tests were negative. The next day when I started getting blisters on my tongue, lips and gums I realized I too had HFMD. Thankfully the last week or so we have all been healthy. And I'm also sooo very thankful that the last two nights she has slept two hours straight after being back to waking up several times a night wanting to be fed for several weeks now. Tonight we celebrated her 11 month birthday with some of her favorites for dinner- macaroni, mashed potatoes and corn- she is a girl after her mama's heart and loves those carbs! Then we topped it off with some cookies and cream ice cream another thing she and I both love!