Seven-year update (a little late)
Like last year, I’m a bit late to this update – but this time around I blame the craziness of school ending, getting ready for our big trip, the trip itself, and then re-entry… Here now, though, is a glance at Avery at seven.
Personality: For many years now I’ve noted that Avery’s at-home (big, silly, fun, even sassy) personality differs from her outside one. Now, though, that gap seems to have have gotten smaller; though she is still generally quiet and studious in class, she is much more herself now during non-class time at school and around outsiders. At camp this summer, she had no problem going up to other kids and making new friends; I was especially impressed during those weeks where she knew no one but still had fun. (Each week she would come home with the name of a new friend.) At home, she can be whiny and she can fight with her sister at times – but overall she’s a good-natured, and sweet, kid.
Interests: Like in the past, Avery likes playing pretend (restaurant, doctor’s office, etc.) with her sister, but these days she’s even more into playing with Barbies, her (new) American Girl doll Chloe, and her stuffies; and building Lego Friends sets. Though we limit screen-time, she’s fond of playing games on her tablet and she’s very into watching Lego Friends shows on YouTube. When we’re out and about, as I mentioned in last year’s update, she’s prone to stop and pick up or admire little flowers on the ground – she’s constantly running up to me, saying, “Here, Mama!” and handing me little petals. More than other kids I know, Avery is also very into just being – if I’m relaxing on the couch, she’ll come jump on me and just sit and talk… She doesn’t always have to be doing something – she often just likes being around people.
School life: Avery was a big fan of her first-grade teacher – taking to heart much of what she learned from her - and of her class overall. (Learning about chicks and ducks was a particularly big hit.) She had so many big accomplishments at the end of the school year: leading and singing in an all-school prayer service and performing in a class opera and a play with her after-school drama class. If you ask Avery if she likes school her answer is sometimes no, but all the reports and photos sent home to us indicate otherwise! Though her first choice of activity doesn’t involve grabbing a book, she’s reading at the appropriate grade level and she has shown a recent increased interest in books. In terms of her social life, she has a lot of little friends and has navigated towards girls with big personalities; nothing makes me happier than watching them goof off and laugh together.
Other stuff: She’s up to 58 pounds and 51 inches. (Perhaps of interest: that’s the same height, and about the same weight, as Zoe at this age!)… She has lost four teeth, with her top two adult ones still growing in… She still sleeps every night with her beloved “finger blanket”… She got glasses for an astigmatism at the beginning of first grade and has only recently begin wearing them all the time… She still takes swim class but she can finally be considered a full-fledged swimmer… The photo above, taken by a dad of one her classmates, perfectly captures Avery at seven!
-M