Avery at 18 months

 I realized today that I hadn't done Avery's 18-month photos, so I thought I'd take the kids to a few parks to play and photograph my crazy girl. It was a lot of work without Bo behind me trying to keep her attention, but I got some cute ones. Here is a little update on my spunky Avery!

She is such a little stinker at this age, but she is oh-so-funny. That humor is the only thing that keeps me sane sometimes! She is very strong-willed, and continues to express her anger/frustration/disappointment by screaming very loudly. This includes is if I make her sit in a Target or grocery store cart for more than 7 minutes. I have figured out that she despises being restrained. If we would let her walk wherever she wants without holding her back, she would be very content. Of course, we can't do that when we are out at different places, so we are very much in the "We can't take her anywhere" stage! At least I remember that from Liam and know that it will pass! (It will, right?)

 She loves her brother (but also loves to take his toys), she's a Daddy's girl, and she loves Mickey Mouse, The Wiggles, and the Praise Baby DVD (which she calls "Holy Holy"). She can say anything, and parrots Liam and us all the time. She thinks she can speak in elaborate sentences, which is really funny to hear. She will say a lot of nonsense with some real words sprinkled in. She also likes to ask for things like "Mickey Mouse?" (the show) and then she answers with "Okay". It's really hard to say no when she does that!

 She can sing the entire ABCs, and even though some letters are a little jumbled, you can definitely follow where she is in the song! She can also sing most of Twinkle, Twinkle.  She will cough/slightly choke sometimes, then add a few fake ones after it for effect, then say "Okay?", indicating that we need to ask if she's okay!

 She loves to say "Ow!" when I am clipping her nails, putting her hair in pigtails, changing her diaper, etc. to pretend she is hurt. Saying "Noooo!" is also common. SO dramatic! She loves books, and can still be found sitting quietly in the corner, looking seriously through her many favorites. Also, she will not let you put her in bed until you've read her a book or two. 

Although many people might disagree, my children have proven that 18 months is by far the most challenging age, but also an age I love for many reasons. She may make me stay at home more than I'd like, but she fills my days with snuggles, kisses, energy, and a lot of laughter!