JabberJaws

Ellie got the cutest play-doh activities for her birthday from a friend. You make all kinds of ice cream sundaes, cones, and even sprinkles! This picture looks like she's fake smiling big time, but she was pretending to take a bite of the ice cream that she made with her new play-doh toys. One of her new favorite things to do is to write. She asks me how to spell something and just writes away. She can write several names on her own now, even remembering how to spell them. When we travel, Ava watches "Lady and the Tramp" (her favorite and Ellie even enjoys it, so I just leave it in the van) and Ellie takes a tablet and a pen and asks me how to spell words for hours at a time!

When I was growing up, we would take vacations in the Smoky Mountains. While we were there, we would go in to Cherokee, NC, and would always see Indiana dressed in traditional attire. One in particular always looked like he was talking - he was standing outside of his teepee with no one around and just talked...so we nicknamed him JabberJaws and looked for him every year. Well, little Miss Ava has turned in to a Jabber Jaws herself. She just babbles all the time, but with great inflection in her voice, as if she were carrying on a normal conversation! It's so cute and so funny! We usually try to pretend we understand and keep the conversation going! Today, I fixed some homemade tiny pizzas with tostito chips and she ate it up - then licked her plate!!!?!?!?!? Doesn't she look so grown up in this picture??

She went for her one-year check-up and did great! She was a ham and really showed off for the doctor, talking, signing, dancing...and the doctor jumped to the 18 month questions. Ava can do everything but kick a ball at the 18 month level!! The doctor was impressed! (and we were just a little bit proud!) She weighed 23lbs. 13oz. (75th%), 32in. tall(97th%), and her head was in the 95th%. She's a tall girl! She also has a heart murmur. Nothing to worry about for now, just something to watch in the future.