The blog has been quiet because we’re been busy with a guest: Aunt Sandy arrived on Thursday night. She’s been spending a lot of time with the girls, and she got to a witness a quasi-first the other day when she greeted the baby and Avery responded with a clear “Hi.” It may have just been a coincidence – after all, Avery has been practicing her h’s lately – and she also says “mama” and “dada” a lot these days, but it still kind of felt like her first word.

-M

One of Avery’s favorite things to do is sit by her toy shelf and choose various things to play with/chew on. She looked a bit like a toy herself the other day, and when I took her picture I was reminded of this classic shot of Zoe. Both girls obviously like their toys!

-M

It’s been, admittedly, a bit of a rough week: we’ve been recovering from illnesses, Avery hasn’t been sleeping well (which means we haven’t been sleeping well), and my work is a little crazy right now. But there were two moments this week that made me forget (at least temporarily) about my troubles. First, Zoe was dancing and jumping around the other night, and Avery, perched on her dad’s lap and watching the scene, suddenly burst into laughter. These were big-time giggles (that continued until Zoe stopped dancing), and this marked one of the first times Avery laughed over something her sister did. I couldn’t help but smile at the cuteness. Then this morning, I woke up to Zoe’s little voice saying to me, “Excuse me, but Avery’s crying.” I told her I would be right there, and Zoe promptly went into Avery’s room to tell her, “It’s okay. Mommy’s on her way.” What a way to start my day!

-M

Baby brothers seem to be on Zoe’s mind lately, based on a few recent conversations with her. The other day, I asked if she wanted to have a baby in her belly, like Mommy once had, someday. “Yes, I’m going to have a baby brother in my belly,” she said, rubbing her stomach. “And when it comes out it will hurt.” (Woops, I guess she’s heard me talk about labor before.) I quickly assured her that it might hurt but (cliche alert!) it would be worth it.

Then, a few nights later, she had the following exchange with Q:

Z: “Dora has a baby sister and baby brother. I have a baby sister but I need a baby brother.”
Q: “I need a baby brother, too.”
Z: “No, Daddy! You already have two baby brothers!”
Q: “I do? Who?”
Z: “Uncle Gil and Uncle Dan!”

We were pretty impressed that she got that right. I guess she’s starting to understand how everyone is related!

So, our house was buggy again this weekend: all the girls, including this one, had some sort of illness. The good news is that everyone is feeling better: Zoe’s back at school, and Avery’s back to her happy, bouncy self (see below). It’s unfortunate that we’ve all been getting sick so much lately – but at least we recover quickly!

-M

Speaking of firsts, Avery chatters a lot – but I don’t think she’s officially said her first word yet. If Q has his way, though, that word is going to be “dada!”

-M

Another first happened last night when Zoe fed her sister at dinner. Oh sure, she’s given Avery some Cheerios and “puffs” before, but this was her first attempt at spoon-feeding. Avery was a little confused, I think – and she clutched on to her little duck with dear life – but all in all, Zoe did a good job.

-M

When I was little I enjoyed the Amelia Bedelia books, in which the main character always takes things literally. (In one book, for example, she’s told to “dress” the turkey for Thanksgiving, so she puts a little outfit on the bird.) Zoe reminded me of Amelia – and the fact that little kids often take things literally – twice this past week. “Let’s go around the room and say what the best part of our day was,” I suggested at dinner one night, only to have Zoe jump up and start walking around the table. I explained with a laugh that “going around the room” was just an expression – and what I meant was that the three of us should take turns talking – but it was lost on Zoe, who by then was having too much fun going in circles and talking about her day. And a few nights later, when I asked Zoe to “flip on” the light in her sister’s room, she looked at me like I was crazy. “I can’t flip the light!” she said with a laugh, likely thinking of the flips she does in gymnastics. It made a lot more sense to her once I asked her to turn on the light instead.

-M

On Sunday the four of us went to Zoe’s school for another Purim celebration. Zoe had tons of fun running around with her friends, getting her face painted, playing games, going down slides, etc. – and our little court jester was content just looking around and being held. Here are my favorite pics.

-M

The Butterfly Princess

“Purple is my favorite color!”

The court jester with her dad

Up the slide…

And down the slide

The princess says: “I don’t want to go home!”

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