This month Brian's parenting dreams came true as we finally cracked open a hefty box of real Legos "for Ava" to play with. Moments later "Ava" had created a stunning display of jets and marine craft, complete with headlights, retractable roofs, windows and working doors. By the end of the work session, Brian--who generally would prefer that we don't own many possessions at all--declared that what we needed were more Lego sets. His creativity is being stifled.
July also began Ava's countdown to preschool. We are very excited to see what preschool is all about. Ava has been giving us previews, like when Helen ties her shoes and Ava announces, "Momma. When you get to preschool, you can do that all by yourself." We made a countdown chain of stars, which we ceremoniously reduce by one each evening.
James now has three baby teeth which he likes to use to bite cheeks. When he's not inflicting bodily harm, he's opening up cupboards of pans and attempting to pull everything on to the kitchen floor. There is absolutely nothing he can't get into and nothing he won't put into his mouth. In keeping with our general, "it takes a village" approach to parenting, we have taught Ava the signs of choking and practiced the screaming that we expect from her, should she hear gagging noises from James. You might say we're relying too heavily on a 3 year-old, as evidenced by her asking Helen to "keep an eye on James" while she "goes potty."
