*Ava Rees* 18 Months

Last month Ava turned 18 months. 

I can't believe she basically turned into a toddler over night, but that's what she did.

Ava is so much fun, has the biggest personality, and is the best little friend I could ever ask for.
It's hard to imagine or even remember life before she got here. Now she consumes my life 24/7- and I love it. I absolutely love being her mom. She such a funny, feisty, little girl. I'm far from being a perfect mom, but with her- and probably with most other people- patience goes a long way. If I am patience with her, she eventually will figure out what I want her to figure out. And having Ava figure something out "on her own" instead of me just forcing her to do something, makes a world of difference in her future actions/decisions.

She absolutely loves the swings. She claps and cheers the whole time I push her.
When her arms go up over her head- that's when she's shouting "hooooorrraaaaaayyy."
It's adorable.

We took Ava to her 18 month doctor's appointment- here are her stats:

Weight: 24 lbs 1 oz  -45%

Height: 33 in  -84%

Head Circ: 47 1/2 cm  -75%

Ava has long and lean legs, but still has her delicious tummy chub. 

Her hair is still growing in up front, but it's nice and thick in the back. 

She also has some pretty big feet- I'm constantly surprised by how quickly she grows out of her shoes and other clothes.

In the last few months Ava has really developed her personality- and it's hilarious. She initiates singing her favorite songs, she loves to laugh and clap and cheer, and she loves having everyone's attention.

Ava's favorite songs:

If You're Happy and you Know It

Twinkle, Twinkle

Popcorn Popping

Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam

Patty-Cake

Ava does a great job singing and doing all of the hand motions.

Ava knows most of her body parts.

I keep trying to teach her how old she is, but when I say you're one, she looks at me and says two. She know one, two, three- and lumps them all together.

Ava's favorite thing to do is to jump off of EVERYTHING.

She is an extreme sports type of babe. 

Doesn't matter if it's the coffee table, couch, kitchen counter, or the top of the tallest slide at the playground- she will try to jump. It keeps me on my toes- and reluctant to leave her with too many people.  This baby has no fear.

She is very smart and resourceful. She's good at finding things and carrying them over to wherever she wants to climb up to and then using them as stepping stools to climb up on counters. A few months ago Ava climbed out of her crib and just walked into the other room. It freaked me out.

Ava's still not a great sleeper - hates it more than anything.

When Ava's happy, she likes to shout "hooray!" and throws her hands up over head.

She loves to eat crackers, cheese, strawberries, pasta, green beans and tortillas. 

She greatly prefers to drink water over anything else. 

Ava has a pretty strong personality, but can be a little shy when first meeting people.

She can also stare you down- she won't smile at you just for any little thing- she makes you work for it.
We just love our Ava baby!