Our Big Day

For some reason, today was a big day for Ava. She picked today to demonstrate all kinds of new skills. It got me thinkin'....she's a genius. No...she really is a genius. This little stinker has the memory of the C drive on my computer. You show her something once and she'll do it back. And she'll do it first 5 days later. So needless to say, I must brag. So here you have it...

This is Ava's Dictionary/Vocabulary (at 13 months, 19 days, 1 hour and 17 minutes of age...yes, folks, I DID figure that out! What...Keith is at work late tonight and Ava's asleep...I have the time.)

joos = juice
joos = shoes (see? you have to pay attention!)
dypa (accent on the "pa") = diaper
two....two...two...! = one...two...three! (complete with the change of inflection in the voice on the 3rd two...)
Bubba = "Maestro" (the first born, our pug)
mmmm (sometimes with a nice change of pitch half way through) = this is yummy!

bk = book

sh-sh = I think that's "Gigi" (my mom)

Bebe = baby (she's French)

Mum = Mommy (she's British)
Dada = mostly Daddy (but can also mean giraffe, remote control, car, or man at Walmart)
Kaka = her best friend "Quack Quack," the duck
Baba = bye-bye (can sound very similar to Bubba and Bebe...again, one must pay attention)

Here are the skills that Ava demonstrated this big day:

- The phone rang and Ava said "Dada"...it was Daddy. A while later, Ava kept trying to get the phone, saying "Dada...Dada." It was so pitiful. We already bothered him enough at work so we called Gigi just so Ava could listen to something else besides the dial tone.

- Somewhat related, Ava and I were at Michael's (a craft store for you out-of-towners). Ava was a little fussy (I think we are transitioning to one nap a day...yikes...) so I gave her a piece of paper out of my purse. She at that point, curled it up and put it up next to her ear saying "ha-o." Now, I don't think it was the ambiance that influenced my daughter's creative actions...I think it's her IQ (you know, it's at genius level...like mine.........why do I hear crickets churping?)

- Earlier today, Lil' Miss Priss was stiiiiiiink-y! (Disclaimer: If you don't want to read about topics pertaining to poopiness, continue to the next bullet) Well, Ava has been known to "start" her dirty diaper and then when I change it, she decides to "finish" her dirty diaper. Well like I said before, she was stiiiiink-y. But I checked her and it wasn't a lot so I waited for her to conclude her number 2 bathroom time. About 10-15 minutes later, I couldn't do it anymore. Ava was playing very contently in the living room (which is blocked off from the kitchen with a big gate). I was sitting right by her and casually leaned over to her and said, "um...do I need to change you?" That girl jumped up like she had been bitten on the bottom and walked faster than I had ever seen her walk before ( I think it was almost a run!). She got to the gate, grabbed the bars, and turned to look at me as if she was saying "Mum, are you coming????" I was dumbfounded.

- This one melted my heart. Like I said, Keith was at work late tonight. So since we all normally eat together, bathe Ava together, and get Ava dressed for the night together, our routine was a little out of wack. Normally after Ava gets a bath, we immediately get her dressed and put her in her crib for the night. Well tonight, since Ava Claire amazed me to pieces, I let her stay up a little longer after her bath. I was holding her watching the last 10 minutes of The Biggest Loser that I had DVR'd, and she was holding Quack Quack. I looked down at her and she had Quack Quack draped over her left shoulder and she was patting him on his back and rubbing his head. I cried. I will admit it. She moved me to tears, this little girl. I know that babies pick up on things, but for her to do that just melted my heart.

You know, so many times throughout this sweet child's life I have felt a variety of things that represent my "newness" as a Mommy. I have felt clueless, I have felt embarrassed, I have wondered "what if's", I have asked "is this enough?", I have doubted my decisions, etc, etc. But my baby girl loves me and she is watching me -- learning and remembering all the time. And I think that's why I am getting sentimental. It is the absolute smallest of things that she demonstrates back that shows me I am right. Although I am new at this and at times I am a clueless, embarrassed, and doubtful Mum, I am a good Mum. And that is made clear by Ava every day. My daughter loves me and I am SO blessed that I am home to witness these things and SO thankful that I have a husband who loves to hear about them on the phone seconds after they happen.

What a big day...