“Wow – look how many words Zoe knew when she was Avery’s age,” I commented to Q after coming across an old blog entry the other day. “If you make a list for Avery, I bet you’d be surprised,” said Q – and so I did. And so I was! While Avery has been a bit less verbal (though no less communicative) than Zoe was at a toddler, she can say more words than I had given her credit for. And one of these days, she’ll be able to say a word her sister didn’t know until much, much older. “Sister.”

-M

bye
cheese
dada (and daddy)
good night*
hat
hi
hello
I love you*
mama (and mommy)
no
thank you*
touchdown*
uh-oh
up
yea
yeah

*comes out more like “duh-duh,” but said in the right context

I wasn’t feeling well yesterday, so when the girls and I got home in the evening, I quietly snuck away to lay down for a few minutes. Curled up with a blanket and my iPad in the living room, I listened to the two happily play in Zoe’s room (Zoe was reading, Avery was making food in the kitchen) and wondered how long it would be until one of them (i.e. Avery) set off to find me. The answer: Seven minutes. (And, yes, it was Avery who came looking for me.)

While seven minutes may not seem like a very long time – certainly not enough time to rest when you’re not feeling well – I was actually pretty pleased. Last year at this time, I could barely get seven seconds to myself, and I probably wouldn’t have even tried to sneak some rest! So I’ll take what I can get…

-M

Like her sister before her, Avery’s (short and normally straight) hair curls up when wet. I think we’ll soon have two curly-haired girls running around!

-M

When you live with a child, you don’t usually notice the small, day-to-day changes. But this weekend, it was if Avery literally changed – from a quiet baby to a bubbly, loud toddler – right before our eyes, and we couldn’t help but notice. Avery suddenly began talking a lot more – saying new words like “baby,” “sister,” “I love you,” and, when the camera was around, “cheese.” She also started saying “hi,” pronounced like “hi-yee,” and she literally spent hours on Sunday running from room to room and person to person saying “hi-yee!” with a huge grin on her face. (“Where did this come from!?” I asked Q.) And she began interacting with her sister more than ever – running up to her with hugs and kisses and making sure she got a good-night hug or wave each night. “It feels like we have a new girl,” I said to Q – and we’re all quite fond of her.

-M

Speaking of sisters, Zoe and Avery are becoming one another’s best buddies. We’re seeing a lot more hugging, kissing and playing together (just a few days ago, Avery climbed on top of her sister and gave her a big squeeze – something she had never done on her own before), and there’s really no better sight than seeing your kids act so loving towards one another!

-M

Zoe has been a bit grumpy lately; we’ve had some rough moments this week. Avery usually just watches her tantruming sister with big eyes (I would love to know what she’s thinking!) but during a crying fit last night she walked over to her, patted her on the head and said, “no, no, no,” in a half-scolding, half-consoling tone. Then today, when she heard Zoe crying in her bedroom, Avery picked up Zoe’s blanket and hippo (which were left on the living room floor) and brought them to her. I was blown away by the kindness of this gesture – and I think Zoe was, too.

-M

I was just bouncing Avery to sleep when Zoe walked in. Usually when Zoe comes in Avery’s room this time of night, it’s to be mischievious (i.e. run around and avoid having to go to bed herself), but this time she was very quiet and sweet. She tiptoed over to Avery, put her face close to hers, and then looked up at me. “I just kissed her little nose,” she said to me with a smile. Then she said, “Good night, Avery,” and walked out of the room with a wave.

Very sweet, indeed.

-M

The highlight of Sunday night was, of course, trick-or-treating. Joined by numerous friends, the four of us headed out to do some early candy-collecting – and the girls had a blast. While I was expecting Zoe to enjoy herself, I think I was most impressed by Avery’s reaction to the activity. Quite simply: She loved it. She kept running ahead of us, anxiously heading to new houses – and once at someone’s door, she would poke her little head in the candy bowl and later say (in her Avery way) “thank you.” Given that she’s often a bit hesitant in new situations, or around new people, I was thrilled at the way she embraced the holiday!

The fact that we hung out with so many friends, combined with the girls’ good moods (and good health), the (un-rainy) weather, and a Giants win, made this one of our most fun Halloweens in recent memories. (And I’d be remiss if I didn’t think Dan and Jenny for keeping the tradition alive by handing out candy when we were away.) I can’t wait for next year!

-M

Ready for some candy:

The girls with Zoe’s “date:”

The gang, about to head out:

Zoe leading the way down Wawona St.:

“Trick-or-treat!”

Avery rushing off:

Buddies:

“Ooh, what’d you get?”

Quick break:

“May I join you?”

The butterflies and the Supermen:

Sisters:

Sleepy butterfly:

The other side of trick-or-treating:

Our Sunday kicked off with a Halloween-themed birthday party. Zoe was so excited about going – and feeling better – that she decided to fly around “like a butterfly” before we headed out. And once at the party, she had tons of fun running around, decorating pumpkins and playing with Spiderman and other friends.

-M

Last Halloween, they were matching cats – this year, Zoe and Avery were matching butterflies. The good news for my little butterflies: Zoe felt well enough to join in yesterday’s festivities, the rain held off so we could go trick-or-treating, and the girls cooperated enough for me to snap a few good photos of them. Here are some early pics – more coming soon.

-M