My Daughter Hi-You

So the one major mistake Tony and I made with Ava that we will not be repeating on Madelyn is this. Every morning we'd go to get her out of her crib and greet her by saying, "Hi you!", a phrase that is common in our household. One would think that no ill could come from something so simple.

But when Ava first started talking she learned to say her name, a very sweet little "A-ya" would come out of her mouth. That lasted about two weeks and then suddenly one day she started referring to herself as "Hi-You". It took us a little while to catch on to why she was calling herself that and when we did we thought it was funny and would be a quick little phase that she'd grow out of in a week or so. But the weeks passed and Hi-You didn't.

So we stopped greeting her and anyone else with "Hi you". I started having her practice saying "Ava" and tried to explain to her that her name was not "Hi-You", all to no avail and eventually we gave up assuming that it was just a longer phase than we'd originally thought.

Alas, we were wrong once more. I'd say that she's been calling herself "Hi-You" for a good 6 months now, no, probably more like 8 months. And now that she knows more words and can speak in small sentences we actually argue over her name. And while she will answer to the name "Ava". If I say for instance, "This is Ava's toy." She'll correct me and say, "No, Hi-You's toy." And if I say back, "Your name is Ava." She'll say, "No. Hi-You me."

This was our conversation at lunch today.

Me: "Are you done with your lunch."
Ava: "Hi-you all done"
Me: "Your name is Ava"
Ava: "No Hi-You"
Me: "Mama named you Ava because that's a pretty name, don't you think Ava is a pretty name?"
Ava: "No"
Me: "You think that Hi-You is a pretty name?"
Ava: "Yeah. Hi-You me. Hi-You out now." (She wanted out of the conversation and out of her high chair)
Me: So you want Mama to call you Hi-You?"
Ava: "Yes. . . (some thing I didn't quite catch) Mama say Hi-You."
Me: But I want to call you Ava. I think Ava is pretty.
Ava: "Hi-You me. Hi-You out"
Me: "Ava"
Ava: "No Hi-You"
Me: "Ava"
Ava: "Hi-You!"
Me: "Ava"
Ava "Hi-You!!!"

And then I gave up . . .I guess we'll make her wait until she's 18 to legally change her name . . .


And on a totally different note, here's more pictures of Maine!

We took a trip to Uncle Willy's Candy Shop. Ava was pretty impressed with all the jars of candy.

But she loves chocolate most so we got her a chocolate dipped pretzel.

Crunchy and chocolaty. My favorite.

Ava and Dada on the tractor at Aunt Rita's farm

The girl loves to drive.

Feeding the cows. When Ava heard we were going to feed the cows she immediately bent down and plucked two strands of grass, about three inches long apiece, and carefully carried them over to the cows (She remembered picking grass for Manga's neighbors goats I guess). This is her giving those two precious blades to the cows, who unfortunately missed seeing them fall from her hand being that they were so tiny!

A kiss from Manga. (Ava's interpretation of Grandma Margie)

Eli!

Playing on the hay.


A sleeping Madelyn and a camera shy Ava


My brother Jed.

Dinner around the farmhouse table

Picking sweet peas with Papa Jim

A visit to the lake.

Mama made me a daisy chain bracelet! (Tried to that is)