Dear Avery at 21 months,

Dear Avery,

Here you are at 21 months with Baby Sage.  You delighted in her company and were very loving.  Someday when you and Sage are big and strong we will take you both on a mommy/daughter backpack in the Sierras.  I expect that we will have many family adventures together with Baby Sage.  It will be so fun to see your friendships develop as you get older.  Right now your best friend is Zealand and by extension all of his friends.

You and Zealand are in a real sweet spot right now.  Somehow the competition for mama has lessened, (not completely, but mainly) and you are now at an age where you can do lots of the same things your brother can do.  

You love, love, love the water.  I have said it before, but you really can't get enough.  Although Zealand manages to control the hose most of the time you wait at the edges for any splashes or fun you can take.

You love romping around the backyard with Zealand, especially when the weather is nice.  Really, you are up for just about anything anytime, especially if it involves Zealand.

This month your Auntie Annika visited us and you enjoyed that very much.  You called her "Auntie Auntakata"  while she was here and for a few weeks after.  Annika carried you on a hike we all did in the Walnut Creek open space.   Both you and your brother have a special connection with her even though she lives far away.

You warm up to people fairly quickly.  You will crawl into a lap of your mama's friends and put up your arms to be held by people we know.  You have a very trusting and loving relationship to the world so far.  And, you are an ace with people's names.  You don't forget.  You know all of our neighbors by name and you remember the names of everyone in a family.  It is very impressive.

Simply put, you are a sweet, sweet girl.  And we are all very lucky to have you in our lives.

We love you Avy!
Mama

Dear Avery at 20 months,

Dear Avery,

You are in such a hurry to be 3.5, to be in preschool, and to have friends who are named Hudson, Matthew, and Dash.  Each morning when we drop Zealand off at preschool you march right in as if you own the place.  You wash your hands alongside your brother and then head to the pretend kitchen area, the play dough table, or outside where you like to drive the pretend car in the sand area.  You holler when I pick you up to say goodbye to your brother.

Sometimes I feel like we are always saying no to you, or thwarting your desires.  There is so much you want to do that it still out of your reach.  You love sitting up at the kitchen island like your brother and much to my horror you have fallen off the stool backwards not once, but twice!  Last night Zealand and I were making pizza on the island in our Christmas aprons that Ami made for us all and you were milling about at our heels with your apron asking to come up too.  I finally lifted you up and your pressed your hand in the dough a few times.  But, probably not enough for your liking.  Someday, Avery, someday.  Someday soon.

You are not all defined by your rush to be 3, though.  You have your own ways, your perfectly fine and adorable 1.5 years ways.  The other day you found a teddy bear and held the bear while saying "tickle tickle" and tickling the bear's tummy.   You developed a major crush on an old wooden puppet we have, Charlie who has been in the family for many years.  He has a wooden head, a vacant stare, and a wooden mouth that hangs way too low after the string broke many years ago.  He looks creepy at best.  But, you just love him.  You call him "Chachi" and if you had your way you would have him with you all the time.  He is a bit old to become a toy so we have had to reign him back in a bit and put him back on the shelf.

You and Zealand continue to love to jump on the couch together and ask whomever is nearby to "Watch Me" just before jumping or doing some other trick.  The other day I overhead Zealand say "watch me Avery."  He jumped and you said "wow ZZ."

You still say "Sure, Ok" after many questions we pose to you.  And, you now ask for just about everything.  In the morning you ask for oatmeal, your ba ba (milk), you ask for olives, pickles, quesadillas, to be held - "up,"  to be read a "gook," to play, etc. etc. ..

Your preferences mainly fall into the category of doing what ever Zealand is doing - cars, trains, riding bikes, and reading.  You love to ride your push bikes on the court with the kids, and you love outside time in general - picking up rocks, playing in the dirt, playing with water (you are a huge fan of the hose, huge!), and night walks with flashlights.  You and Zealand both love flashlight time.  Sometimes we turn off all the lights and the two of you run around the house squealing with laughter.

You can spot the moon just about anytime and you are quick to point out planes in the sky.  And, you have never met a swing you didn't like.  Your preference is to remain in the swing indefinitely.

You have an endearing habit of asking for whoever is not with you.  If I get you in the morning, you ask for Dada and other way around if he gets you.  At night you ask for us both alternating to draw out the bedtime process.  You are definitely figuring out different ways to get your needs met in this family of four.

Sometimes in the rush of all that is going on in our lives I forget about how easy and joyful you are and instead focus on the challenges of raising to little kids.  But, really, Avery, you have been a gem of a baby and now toddler.   Your inherent nature is exuberant, joyful, silly, and playful.  You have these qualities in abundance.  All this tempered by an understated watchfulness and cleverness about you.

We love you Aves!
-Mama