February Snapshots

February was a very long and momentous month for us. We spent the greater part waiting for the day Avila would join us. The rest kind of seems like a blur - days filled with preparations - organizing the house and birthing space, making activity bags for Ella, getting creativeness out my system in the form of art projects, spending time with Ella, feeling cranky and uncomfortable.... There was just a lot going on! And Ella has changed so much. Especially in the 2 weeks since Avila's birth, her brain has just made huge leaps (which makes me sad in some ways because I feel like I'm missing them all).

Josh took me on a delicious non-Valentine's date ("non" because we went the night before so as not to disrupt romantic dates with a toddler). We spent a lot of time with church family the week Lent began (I always love busy church-family weeks...looking forward to Easter week). Nonna came for a visit and had some special time with Ella. Did some reorganizing in the playroom (scroll to the bottom for updated pictures). I'm sure there's more that happened but it's all in a haze.

Oh! Avila was born! Of course :)

Some new things Ella's been doing:
* Ella singing her little heart out at church; praying, singing "hymns", and singing the Great Amen at home.
* Negating: "No, I want not go there"
* Holding hands - won't walk anywhere without holding hands now, and if Daddy's around it HAS to be HIS hand....and sometimes she steals the hand MAMA is holding...little stinker
* Figuring out pronoun usage; "You" and "Me" gets very confusing, "my's house"
* Moving on from chunky puzzles to more complex puzzles
* Asks ever so politely "I would like..."
* Her pretend play is becoming more detailed - going into the closet, which is an airplane, and flying to Grampa's house; going to the mall (the bathroom) or the grocery store (the guest bedroom)
* Sequencing series of events and recalling events
* Counting to 5
* Going up and down the stairs by herself
* Starting to put her clothes and shoes on and off by herself
* Loves getting diapers and spit cloths or blankets for Avila when we need them
* Is very sweet and gentle with Avila