Ava's NEW Toy

On Friday, I decided that Ava needed a new toy to play with during playtime. I figured that she might be getting tired of some of her toys, so I put some of them away while she took a nap and replaced them with a sing-along stage that her GG and Grandpa had bought her when they came to visit at the beginning of March.

Well, I'm not the best at assembling things (luckily Fisher-Price gives great illustrations with each step and the directions usually only have a few steps total), so the first few pictures and videos are with the stage un-assembled. Ava liked it un-assembled, as it allowed the toy to be at her level (don't worry, we came up with a solution--it's mentioned below). Anyhow, Ava just LOVES her new stage. She has always had an affinity for mirrors, so the stage is just the perfect toy for her right now since she can sit up on her own and stare at the baby looking at her in the mirror. Within minutes of me putting Ava on the ground in front of her new stage, she had figured out how to push all the buttons and how to hit the ball to make it roll. She had also learned the cause and effect of pushing the buttons on the stage to make the stage light up and play music. The only thing she doesn't 'get' yet is the proper use of the faux microphone. She just sucks on it and tries to bite it...maybe in a few months she'll piece together it's actual use.

You'll notice in the pictures following the first two that the stage is assembled and the legs are on (yes, I even used a screwdriver). However, with the legs on, Ava's too small/short to really see herself in the mirror...so, we prop the back legs of the stage up on two of her blocks and it tilts the stage forward a little. With this minor adjustment, she can see her favorite friend in the mirror like a champ.

Here are some pictures of Ava's new found way to play with her stage...with her feet. She's decided that it's easier and more fun to lay back with her head on a pillow (still looking at the baby in the mirror of course) and push the buttons on the stage with her feet.

Here are some pictures of her playing with her stage on Saturday. I think she was excited to play with it and see that baby in the mirror once again. Speaking of the friend in the mirror...Ava LOVES making faces and smiling at herself. She just cracks us up, as she coos and hums while making her multitude of Ava Holt faces. Just to warn you, the mirror is one of those crazy mirrors that distorts images when you get too far from it or if you catch it at a bad angle. Some of the pictures of Ava Holt are kinda distorted because of my angle taking the picture in relation to the mirror.

Here is video footage of Ava sitting in front of her new stage for the first time (the first two videos)...she kinda has a puzzled look on her face, as she's never seen the stage before (and I am filming her discovering her new toy for the first time instead of sitting on the floor next to her showing her how it works). The second two videos are of her playing with her stage once it is properly assembled. As you'll see, she quickly warms up to her new favorite toy and to her favorite (although often distorted looking) friend in the mirror...








I'm so excited that I got her first responses to the stage on tape. Sitting up by herself playing with such a 'busy' toy is a big milestone, as up until now, the most complex toy she's played with while sitting up by herself has been her toolbench...and as you could see, the stage has so much more going on with it.

Here's what happens when Miss Attitude gets tired of me taking her picture. She tells me to talk to the hand. Maybe she thinks she's going to be famous some day and is practicing for the paparazzi....

Ava loves her new stage and we love that she loves it...although the songs that the stage plays get stuck in our heads. Matt's had the 'What Do You See When You Look In The Mirror' song stuck in his head since Friday night!