Quite the Talker

In the past few weeks, we picked up on the fact that Avery sometimes strings together three words to verbalize what he is thinking. Ex.) "Mama brush teeth." and "Mickey Mouse cup." He is also trying to sound out the letter "x". We've caught him prounouncing "mail" "bock" "sss" (mailbox). Likewise, he is starting to use adjectives to describe nouns. Ex.) "fish diaper" (his Finding Nemo pull-ups) and "blue blankie".

Avery's First Time Playing in the Snow!

Potty Time

Avery has begun showing interest in the "potty" after recieving a potty book for Christmas. The book's main character is a boy learning the process. Avery insists that I refer to the little boy as "baby Avery" when I read the book to him in the bathroom. Since he is only two, and the fact that I'm in the middle of reading a few books on potty training to figure out what the heck I'm doing, we decided to take this potty training business slow and at his own pace. He is learning the names for things, reading other potty books from the library and we occasionally spend time in the bathroom rereading the book and practicing what to do. He will tell us that he wants to go potty, but it's often after he has messed his diaper. It seems like he knows what to do, but just hasn't mastered the bodily control to "hold it" until he can make it to the bathroom in time. Clint and I weren't really going to try to potty train him until this summer, but since Avery shows the initiative to learn, we thought we would go along with Avery's lead and then perhaps really focus on training this summer if Avery seems ready. In the meantime, I hope Avery has patience with his mommy as we try to figure out this potty training business together.

Peanut Butter

I'll admit, I'm kind of a neat freak. So, having a very energetic little two year old who loves messes, talks loudly constantly, and has a goofy sense of humor can be a balance of fun and stress. This shot is taken after Avery just finished eating (or smearing) one peanut butter cracker. He purposely gave himself a peanut butter mustache, but licked it off before I could snap my camera.

Playtime Indoors

The weather outside has been pretty cold and dreary lately. We've been trying to think of things to do inside to beat boredom. Avery loves to be read to, but we've probably flipped through almost every book in the house that has colorful pictures and sometimes the weather doesn't allow us to make it to the library. We came up with a new toy that seems to be holding Avery's attention: a cookie sheet with magnetic alphabet letters. I've discovered that Avery is a visual/hands-on learner, and he also has had an interest in naming the alphabet. Sometimes he just likes to group the letters according to their color. It amazes me how the simplest things holds his fascination.

Playtime with Dad

Avery and his daddy have a special bond. Their personalities and physical appearances are alike in many ways. Here is a picture of them enjoying time together drawing and wearing their hats. Clint dressed up as a cowboy for spirit week at school recently using Avery's cowboy hat. Since then, Avery has often reminded Clint to wear his "cowboy hat" ("t" sound emphasized) before he takes off for work. Meanwhile, Avery likes to wear his "fire truck hat" to imitate his dad.

A Growing Family

Avery has suprised us in how quickly he has developed and grown these past two years. He had is second year checkup recently. His weight was about average, but his height (like his daddy) was in the ninetieth percentile for toddlers his age. Overall, Avery is a happy, healthy young boy. He is still VERY active and is quite verbal. That makes his father, a speech teacher, quite proud.

Playing with Alvin and Grandpa Alvin

Playing with Grandpa Alvin is always fun. On this visit, Grandpa gave Avery a play picnic table and a stuffed chipmunk for his second birthday. We all decided to name the chipmunk "Alvin". Avery loves to nap with Alvin and take him to the grocery store. He feeds Alvin, changes his diaper, and gives him hugs.

Grandpa's visit

Here you can see more shots of Grandpa's visit. Avery is even sporting his favorite pair of Mickey Mouse pajamas. He asks to wear them almost every day and even puts on the pants by himself.

Avery's Choo Choo Two Birthday