The Making of a Ballerina

About a week or two ago, Ava started walking on her tippy toes - with just one foot. It looked like she was hobbling around. In the last few days, she started walking on her tippy toes with both feet for just a few steps. It won't surprise me that she'll walk longer lengths on her toes before long. When she does that, it makes me think of ballerinas. I vaguely remember reading somewhere that this is a normal part of development. It always surprises me that Ava is SO.....normal. Whatever the books say about development and what will happen, Ava proves the books right.

Ava has finally learned the sign for "help." She would fuss and cry in frustration over something she can't do like opening a bag to get her toys out, getting her stuffed cat out of the crib through the slats, retrieving her ball from under something, etc. I've been teaching her to ask for help for weeks but it didn't seem like it was getting through her skull. One day, I was busy in the kitchen and it faintly registered in the back of my mind that I could her crying in frustration in her room but I was so focused that I forgot to check on her. After a few minutes, she came to me with a zipped bag of blocks that she couldn't open and handed it to me to open. I thought, "Finally, a breakthrough." She didn't say help but she knew I could help. Then one day about a week ago, I was putting clothes away in her room and Ava was trying to reach for her stuffed cat in the crib. She cried and I said, "Ava, ask for help." And she signed help. Ever since then, when she wants help getting on the couch, getting out of her carseat, retrieving something, etc...she signs help instead of falling down in a frustrated tantrum. Whew.

Mom and Gene came up for a visit and they had a ball with Ava. It was fun and she was such a charmer for them. They wore her out because she was asking for her nap this morning earlier than usual!

We took Ava for her 15-month checkup. She's slipping down in the weight percentiles, weighing in at 21 lbs which put her in the 25th percentile. That's down from 40th percentile 3 months ago at her 12-month checkup. She has remained consistently in the 95th percentile for height, now at 32 inches. The pediatrician wanted us to be sure to feed her good fats like dairy and olive oil to maintain her weight. Ava eats as much as she wants to eat but she's pretty energetic. Mom was telling me that I was pretty small at her age so I guess I'm not worried about it. The pediatrician isn't worried about it. I think the kid is fine....don't you?

Well, there isn't much more to report. Ava's picking up new signs and words and is a normal kid in every respect. She's a lot of fun!