Thursday: I look at the clock and it reads 3:05.  Whew - I can't wait until Ava gets home from preschool so she can entertain Lucie for a while.  Maybe then I can get some work done.

This is the true story of how I realized that Ava is indeed becoming Lucie's big sister.  I depend on her now for small responsibilities, including singing and playing her heart out while Lucie watches.  When Lucie was born, I felt overwhelmed at the thought of doing everything that I was used to doing for Ava while caring for a newborn.  Ava seemed suddenly helpless in many ways; she was my baby, and I had been treating her as such.  In the 5 months since Lucie was born, Ava has made huge strides in independence.  And...Mommy has made lots of progress in asking more of Ava and treating her like a big girl.  Here are some of Ava's big sister accomplishments:

• Walking a LOT more - in the house, outside, in public places.  It's hard to carry a 31lb toddler when you also have an infant seat to carry!  In fact, one of my favorite places to see Ava walk is at the Children's Institute.  We go there every Friday for her feeding appointment and she walks from the car, onto the elevator (and pushes the buttons!), down the hall, into her therapist's room, all while I'm pushing Lucie in the stroller. 
• Using a fork and spoon - of course, we have these really chunky, "rubbery" forks and spoons for Ava and she will say, "Ava do it?" when she sits down to eat.  I still have to give her assistance with finding the food and scooping, or "stabbing," as she calls using the fork :), but she gets it to her mouth on her own.  She knows that her milk is on the right and puts her cup down on the table (as opposed to just dropping it in mid-air, which she used to do).
• Giving things to Mommy when she is done with them.  Case in point: Ava used to ask for a cook(ie) or a crack(er) and then when she was done eating, she would just throw or drop what was left of her soggy snack.  Now, she will say, "Give the cook to Mommy?" and waits for my hand, then carefully gives me the leftovers.  Horray!  This means that I have a lot less carpet cleaning to do.  It was not fun finding smooshed shortbread cookie in various rooms of the house.
• Going on the potty -we're not completely there yet, but she will go on the potty whenever I ask.  On the other hand, she still goes in her pull-up whenever she pleases.  Not sure when she will start to tell me that she has to go, but I'll take this for now.
• Asking for and about Lucie.  Asking to share her toys with Lucie.  This is totally adorable. She really wants Lucie to feel her sheepers, apparently trying to make her a fan.
• Taking off her socks, shoes, jacket by herself.  Wanting to brush her own hair and teeth.  Wanting to brush my hair! 
• Exploring every new place and learning more about familliar places.  Ava used to push her walker only on our walkway in the front yard.  She was so tentitive to go into the grass.  Suddenly, she is everywhere, making those maps in her head.  She has even taken a few tumbles down a grassy hill and got back up and kept going.  Go, Ava!
• Developing more motor skills - Ava can bounce a ball perfectly, she throws and bounces to a person in front of her instead of over her shoulder or to the side.  She can sit on a ball and balance herself enough to bounce. In fact, last night, she was sitting on her "bumpy" orange ball and bouncing, when suddenly, the seam split and it deflated.  I thought for sure she would cry, but she laughed!  I guess we'll be stopping at Toys R Us for a new bumpy ball today. :)

I'm so proud of my girls.  Though I'm writing more about Ava today, I have spent significant time reflecting on Lucie's little life recently, as I created her photo slide show.  If you haven't already, see my tribute to Lucie in the video section.