The difference between Ava and Carter is so incredible. Carter is SO intent on his body--he has such an awareness of it. I think that is kinesthetic awareness, if I am remembering correctly. This translates into a lot of good saves on his part. Nearly every time I think he is going to fall, he manages to protect himself quite well.

Ava, on the other hand, is so not intent on her body. She hurls herself through space without a second's thought about where she is in relation to solid objects, including the earth itself. I swear to god, she rides her trike looking over her shoulder. I have to constantly remind her that her eyes need to go in the same direction as her feet. She is constantly thinking about everything else, and clearly not about something so mundane as her own physical body. This translates into a lot of crashes. And a lot of wincing on Mom's part.

Ava figured out that I can tell her stories, even if we are not in the vicinity of a book. This puts the pressure on me to come up with good stories, but so far, I think I have done pretty well. We have a runnning series about Joe and Lucy the bear cubs that get into all sorts of predicaments in their home way out in Jackson Hole, WY, and the retelling of the stories over and over allows me to refine them much as a creative writing course does. It is hard work coming up with novel plots. Dad, your Flopsy and Mopsy stories were always appreciated, but now I appreciate them even more. (and I doubt I could ever come up with a better story than the one where they have to sew their cottontail back on!)