At 42 months Avery loves to watch TV, her parents, her toys, Perry, playing outside, being overly affectionate towards her brother, eating chocolate chip granola bars, and being sneaky. She dislikes going to bed and is not too fond of being reprimanded. I feel like a broken record where her dislikes are concerned. :)
Avery has been a television watching fiend. It escalated after Dean was born and I let too many days slide with too many cartoons. Now she will ask to see the iPad or her phone to "play a game." This is actually code for "pull up netflix and watch cartoons" while I wash dishes or fold laundry or anything that doesn't involve me being right next to her. Another day I turned off the cartoons to go over some counting skills and numbers with her. After a few minutes she said, "So what, I'll go get the iPad!" Sneaky, that one. She still loves Phineas and Ferb, but she has also started watching Dora, Diego, and My Little Ponies again. She still loves to play with her Perry/Agent P stuffed doll and she has really been playing with her MLP figures again too.
While she does love television, she also loves to play outside. We've been enjoying great weather off and on over the last few weeks and have ventured out many days for a walk around the complex and usually end up having various adventures involving the stairwell. She loves to pretend the landing is her house and I come to visit, etc. We've also started going back to the park, something we both enjoy! I love being outside on the gorgeous days and letting her run around and expel some of that extra energy. It benefits us all, I think. ;)
Avery loooooves her brother! Sometimes a bit too much. I have several photos of the two of them, or at least I'm pretty sure there's a baby boy in there somewhere. I feel like I'm always reminding her to STAY OUT OF HIS FACE. Of course the reminders do no good, 'tis the way of an older sister I guess. A couple of weeks ago Avery and I both fell ill with a yucky virus/cold that resulted in high fevers. I tried my hardest to keep her away-ish from Dean those days. On the second morning of fever, she sat up in bed and tried to kiss him as I was talking to him and changing his diaper. I gently reminded her that she was sick and to NOT BREATHE ON HIM. Really, I was gentle, I knew she felt bad! Anyway, she started crying and told me she just loved him so much. Break my heart! Of course this month she has also told me that maybe he should go back in my stomach because "it's not always awesome to have a baby brother, " and "we should take him back because sometimes it's hard to take care of a baby," and finally that she didn't want to babysit him anymore. Because I often make her stay home and tend to the baby while I go out and get my party on before Deran gets home...not really! She is so dramatic! I think she gets that from her daddy.
I will miss Austin when we move later this spring, but one thing I'm looking forward to is more playmates for Avery. She mostly interacts with adults and I think sometimes we expect too much from her at three. I know some of the behavioral changes have been since Dean arrived, but I also think my girl misses her cousins and friends. She still attends her Gymboree class and I know she loves to play with other littles!
This month has passed in a blur!! We visited our families for the first time (and probably last time before the move) and it took us an extra TWO hours to get home. Soooo, traveling with two kids is a bit different and I think best done around bed time. ;) I've been keeping notes on my phone because Avery has said and done some hilarious things and these days if I don't take care of whatever immediately, I'll likely forget. So without further ado, a couple of paragraphs that don't flow but are filled with my sweet girl's craziness...
One day I said, "Oh, Avery!" and she replied, "I'm not O Avery. I'm just Avery Kate, spelled double S-N. It means you're going down, Momma!" She was really going on about wanting a horse and I told her she has lots of horses to play with (my little ponies), "A pony is not a horse. It's not like a cat. It's ears are up, see?" One night she wanted me to put an outfit on Dean but I told her I had to wash it first, "Well start washing them, girl!" She told me she will love me "forever and forever and forever and forever and forever and forever!!" I told her I will love her back, then she said, "You will never leave me." I said, "I will never leave you." Then, "You will always be there for me." I replied, "I will always be there for you." She's making statements, not asking questions. I think she knows how much she's loved! She squeezed me in a tight hug and said, "Come here, you!" Love her so much!!
One night I told her it was bath time and she told me "riding a horse is more fun than taking a bath." I told her I'm sure that it is but we don't have a horse and it's time for a bath. She then got on all fours and went around the living room saying that Lulu (yes, he's still with us) is pretending she's a horse. And speaking of imaginary things, one morning while I was feeding Dean on the bed, Avery was jumping all around pretending chihuahuas were climbing up the bed. "How can I escape them?!" she asked me. I told her to climb the stairs and get into her plane! She looked up at the ceiling fan I was pointing to and said, "Actually, that's just a fan." OF COURSE IT IS. But there were chihuahuas climbing up the bed?! Clearly, only one at a time can use her imagination.
One morning she kissed my calf because she just loves me too much. Random acts of loving sweetness?! Okay! She recently had this conversation with Deran...
Avery: Can I have a kitty like Aubrey?
D: No, you're allergic.
Avery: Can I just keep it in my room without me?
D: Then why would you want one?
Avery: 'Cause I'm crazy.
Crazy, indeed. Avery has been known to "forget" her pants in the bathroom a time or twenty and one afternoon I remember shouting, "I don't want to see your hiney again until it's time for a bath!" Fun times, fun times...
And the last little tidbit that made me smile happened one day while I was reading a Wonder Pets book to Dean. I was trying to include Avery by asking her questions about the animals on each page. When the WP saved a baby kangaroo it led to a discussion about marsupials. We'd read a book several months ago about animals native to Australia so I started talking to her about these things again. First we talked about possums being marsupials, then I said, "Oh, and a koala!" She was like, "Huh?! A koala is a possum?!" :)
Avery at 42 months is incredibly sassy and sweet. She made us parents and our lives are better with her. I can't wait to see what the next month has in store for our favorite girl and her kid brother!
As always, the monthly iPhone tribute - top to bottom and left to right: 1) early morning grumpy eye 2) swinging "not too high!!" at the park, 3) sitting on the stairs, 4) crazy, just...crazy 5) super girl! 6) sporting some crazy glasses from a craft fair, 7) waiting in line at Sam's and reading a new Lalaloopsy book, 8) avoiding sleep and looking fancy with her leopard sleep mask, 9) bubbles!
Happy 42 month birthday sweet girl, we love you lots!
Apparently she loves the bath once she gets in it. So glad we got to visit a couple weeks ago. Dean is totally cute! I enjoyed watching Avery run around outside and play with the other kids. She has a new found independence that's fun to see.
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