Avery
“aten” = eaten (we are still working on tenses)
His appetite is noticeably increasing, and often asks for
more food. He is still becoming less
picky in what he eats.
Still has a rich, wild imagination. This plays into his dreams causing
nightmares, such as ninjas coming after him.
Still picks dandelions from the back yard for his mom.
“I ate more than Daddy for supper. That means I DEFEATED him!!!”
Earned his yellow belt in Taekwondo and was very proud of
himself.
(Avery speaking of Aileen) “Sometimes she’s my hero. Sometimes she’s my friend. Sometimes she’s my ememy.”
Although I can now barely lift him, he still insists that I
pick him up and toss him on his bed each night.
At age 6, he is over half my height.
Still gives his mom the famous, overly dramatic “kiss-hug”
each night.
Aileen
While taking bites out of apple slices, she stopped, looked
down at the piece, and then named it “cow”.
Then, proceeded to name another piece “chicken”.
Enjoys helping. She
likes to bring her dirty plate, cup and silverware to the sink after eating by
herself.
It bothers her if she finds “trash”, like a small piece of
fuzz on the carpet, and has a strong need to immediately throw it away all by
herself.
She will put herself into “time out” if we have to correct
her behavior.
She can now reach door knobs and open doors on her own (as
well as lock/unlock them).
Her desire to imitate others, most notably mom, is strong
right now. For example, if I am talking
on the phone, she will run to grab her toy phone. Similarly, if I am cooking in the kitchen,
she uses her toy kitchen and dishes in the adjoining room.
Her tender heart is obvious when she runs to bring Avery a “blankie”
if he is crying or upset to comfort him.
She seeks out her blankie for comfort and assumes others need the same.
Very plainly responds “Yes”, or “Of course” when asked a
question.
Loves to eat red and yellow peppers, corn and even salad
leaves – just as long as they are fresh, cold and crunchy.
Asked if the city courthouse was a “castle?”.
Many others who have regular contact with Aileen have
mentioned how she is becoming a lot more animated and talkative. So far, her personality continues to open up
as she grows.
Avery made Aileen a “Chica” puppet based off of a Saturday
morning TV show they enjoy together.
Aileen really likes it and has taken it with her, like a stuffed animal
companion, in the van when we drop Avery off at school. Avery is flattered that Aileen likes the gift
he made her so much.
The library is a regular stop for Aileen and me each
week. She delights in the bright,
colorful decorations that they put up.
It is a precious thing to see children notice, wonder at and take joy in
small things such as bright decorations, flowers in pots near the door and
friendly smiles from library staff. She
is a handful, however – hiding behind bookshelves and squealing “pee ka boo!”,
running away and laughing at her mom trying to quietly catch her in between
book aisles, etc… She playfully teases
while other patrons grin and make light-hearted comments such as “must keep her
mom on her toes”.
