Sixteen Months

Last Sunday, Avery turned 16 months and we were all so fortunate to be together. I wasn't working and we were all healthy. That is a first in the past few weeks so we tried to enjoy our time together. We went to the Farmer's Market with Deirdre, Ella and Charlotte and our neighbors Marisa, Mattias and Oskar. We didn't want to spend too much time outside as several parts of LA were in the midst of a firestorm and the air quality was terrible. On the way home from the market, Avery decided she could now say "Ella!" and proceeded to say it about 50 times that day, long after Ella had gone home. Actually now whenever I take Avery on long car rides anywhere (besides school) she asks for Ella because apparently we usually go on long car rides to see Ella.

Avery showed us at Oskar's how she can climb into a little chair to sit. We had no little chairs at our place, but now we do, thanks LEM:

She is currently infatuated with the moon. As we drove home from work last week she pointed out the window and showed me the moon when I could not find it in the sky (don't worry I was stopped at a red light). I knew she had found it because her incessant "moon? moon?" turned quickly into "moon!! moon!! heehee!". Since the fires we haven't seen the moon again so we have looked in books for moons and it is quite impressive how just about all of our regular reading with her has a moon on at least one page.
When she gives hugs, she will pat your arm or back in a soothing way like we have always done to her.
She likes to point at her belly button and say "button", although it has recently shortened to "butts" and no matter how many times I say button, she won't revert back.
She has started to eat sandwiches which makes her seem very grown up and yesterday at daycare she ate a whole graham cracker as Jon watched in awe (I had never thought to give her graham crackers).
Jon and Avery play a game of who can shout the others name louder, it goes something like, "Avery?", "Dada!", "AVERY!", "DADA!", "AVERY!!!", "DADA!!!" until they both burst out giggling.
We have taken care of my friend at work's Sheltie a couple of times in the past month and Avery LOVES Rally and she doesn't really understand that when Rally goes home she isn't at our house. She is always asking for Rally.