What happened to my little girl!!!!

I cannot believe how much she has grown up. It as if we went into the hospital and came home to a different girl. She aged 6 months while we were gone.She seems bigger and more mature. I can't tell if she seems so big because Noah is so small or if she grew while we were gone. Let's go back a minute to the first day home from the hospital.  It was not like you see it in the movies, that's for sure. We came home from the hospital while Ava was down napping and made sure that Mike and I went into her bedroom to wake her up. We played a little bit and then had my mom bring him out to see her. As soon as she saw him out of the corner of her eye, she melted down. It was to be expected, but still heartbreaking, nonetheless. Should I have expected something different? She only wanted to be with my mom and nothing to do with Mike or I. Again, not unexpected. I get it. My mom was the only thing constant for her over the past couple of days and Mike and I changed the equation. Needless to say, hormones took over me and I started balling. I took her into the other room and played with her, just mama and Ava. I couldn't stop crying though. We kept Noah out of her way for the rest of the evening. She needed her time to adjust and when she was ready, she will come to see Noah. And that is exactly what happened. Over the course of the next couple of days, she warmed up to him. We didn't push him on her, we didn't make her come over to him and love on him, we let her do it in her own time and she did. Friday was the first day she held him. She loved it and didn't want to let him go. Here is a picture and it says a thousand words...(me kissing Ava, kissing Noah)

I will forever cherish this photo! Brings tears to my eyes as I look at it. And ever since, she has been gentle and loving towards her brother. And that love will only grow, until he takes her favorite toy right out of her hand!!

Now, as I mentioned, she has changed so much in the past couple of days. She is saying 2-3 word syllables and 2-3 word sentences. Some examples are: I did it, good girl, help me, Mee-sha (she was only calling my mom's dog, mee), I can do it, come see, you and daddy, oh my gosh, and many more.She just keeps talking until she gets her story out. She is so expressive. She is learning to say Noah. It is now No-wow instead of No. She was going around saying A-B-C and will say the entire ABC's after you. She will tell a story of what she sees and does, whether in 1,2 or 3 word sentences.

She learned how to jump with 2 feet off the ground and does it all the time now. She was still just leaping before we went into the hospital.

She takes a book and starts naming everything that she sees. It is as if she is readiing.

She is independent and really entering the terrible 2's now. Need I say more, you all know what that means. Loud cries of "nooooo" annd "no way". 

She hates to have her hair washed and it has become a battle now to do it. In fact, before we get into the bath, she says with sadness, Hair? meaning, I don't want to wash my hair. As soon as she feels the water on the back of her hair, she starts to cry and stand up in the bath and say "all done". We have tried distraction and we even wash one of her animals while we do it, but it is an all out meltdown. We have resorted to washing her hair once a week. I know, gross, but she was so afraid to even get in the bath after this had started that we have to work hair washing in slowly. We will work on it one day at a time!

She loves to jump in her crib- thanks to daddy. I am just waiting for the post of us going to the hospital. You would think I would learn since I got stitches at 2 from jumping on a bed.

She still loves the park. Here are some pictures of her at the park with daddy from the other day...

She loves to swing and always says "high", she loves to go high..

she is climbing up these things- thanks to her daddy!

Going down the slide...

Now up the slide...

riding around on her sesame street car from nana. She loves it except the music that plays on the front.

And just being plain silly!!

I love my little princess, sweet pea, gracies, grumper, love bug and daughter to death. She is the light of my life and I don't know what life would be without her. She brings such joy to us daily. Ava, Daddy and Mama love you more than you will ever know!