Teething and Other Adorable-ness

We're currently in the thick of teething. I've been saying this for, oh, only about the past 4 months but now we really are. It finally seems as though Ava's bottom teeth are on the verge of breaking through. Of course, since I'm actually putting this out there, it will take another few months before they actually make an appearance. My poor peanut, she seems very uncomfortable.

We've experienced some sleep problems as a result. At least we think it's because of the teething. Ava is also getting so much more mobile and seems to really enjoy sitting or standing in her crib and screaming her head off instead of going right to sleep like she used to. We've gone back to our sleep training and the "controlled" crying it out. Now we go in to check on her and lay her down in her crib until she falls asleep. Sometimes it works well and other times we have to listen to her scream for the better part of an hour.

But, I guess to make up for the screaming, Ava has been even cuter, if that's possible. She learned to clap the other day. If I sing any song (and I sing her many made-up, silly songs), she grins and claps. She's also waving at people. She's pulling herself up on the furniture and cruising about. Nothing is safe anymore which is making packing really, really fun.

My favorite recent Ava development, though, occurs when one of us pulls out our wallets. Whenever Fredo or I open our wallets now, Ava shrieks. A shriek of pure joy, no doubt. She is so my girl!