The handful.

The other day we went swimming and Ava was in the kiddie pool with two little boys, one was 18 months and the other was almost 3. After about 5 minutes of watching them all play together, the mom says to me, "how old is she?" I told her "just a little over 14 months." She then replies, "wow, she's a busy one." I laughed and said "that's an understatement."

Ava thinks she's the boss. She prances around and demands that you give her what she wants when she wants it. Lately, it's enough to drive me insane. Trying to teach a one year old that they aren't in charge, is, well.... impossible.

She has used her time-out chair a handful of times and although she only sits in it for maybe 30 seconds, she already knows that she goes there when mama has had it with the tantrums. She threw a fit yesterday when I closed the snack cabinet, so I asked her if she wanted to go to time-out. She stops, points at it and grunts. She's seriously too smart for her own good.

On one note, she can be a total monster of a child. But, then on the other she is my sweet, cuddly, funny girl, who has a new and hilarious cheese face when I tell her to smile. (Of course, getting her to do it for the camera isn't the easiest.)

She fills my days with laughter, excitement, total joy and occasionally, an awful migraine.

I wouldn't trade her for anything.