Dear Avery,
You are now two years old even though when asked you insist that you are in fact, "3 and a half." Zealand jumps in (within seconds) to correct you and you still insist that you are "3 and a half." Lately you seem to fill in your age gap, and all of the indignities that that brings at this young stage, with a strong insistence that your version of truth is the correct one. While the three of us read stories you will sometimes call a cow a horse, or a train a bus, and Zealand, again, will quickly try to set things straight and you still insist over and over again that you are in the know. You also count, with such authority, 1, 5, 17!
You also say, "Me first" long after I have unbuckled Zealand first. All of your defiance is intermingled with your intense and ongoing study of all things Zealand. It is sweet and also sometimes makes me feel extra protective of you. There is a vulnerability there in all of that adoration. And, of course, Zealand is already responding with some indifference to your needs for his attention.
Such is the life of a younger sibling, I suppose.
Before I forget, some of your expressions these days: "That's funny." You declare this with a funny wrinkled nose face of your own and you find many things funny throughout the day. You also like to call things "little tiny." "Little tiny baby.." Little tiny diaper.." "I'll be right back" - said very seriously..
Not so long ago you learned to hop out of your crib. I thought naps were going to be a thing of the past. You have stopped climbing out of your crib but whether you take a nap or not is still an iffy one. Often times you will stay in your crib for up to an hour chatting away about baby dolls, Zealand, and god knows what. The other day I heard you say "No, ZZ that is my bike.."
You can be such a chatty and wild little thing, emotions turning on a dime and then at other times you are very soft spoken, shy and just want to be held. Today you buried your head in my sweater while a man at the library attempted to engage you. The many sides of Avery.
You like to be rocked at night, "rockies" and like it when we rub/scratch your arms and legs. You will have your arm raised up for us to rub while the other one is bent toward your mouth for thumb sucking.
Sometimes that is going on while a story is being read to you. If you pause too long, you shout out "Read."
Such a funny little girl you are. Sweet, funny, with very wild white blond hair that you have not allowed scissors anywhere near. You are actually growing a few dreadlocks in the back of your hair.
It is interesting, given how verbal you are, how books just aren't your thing right now. You just don't seem to have the patience yet. We will start a story and then you will hop off our lap to reach for a new book. It is almost as if it is more about choosing books from the shelf and being on our lap than the actual stories. I can't say that a story or book has really mesmerized you yet. At the same time you can recognize a ton of pictures in your books. Who knows! Maybe your dada has had better luck with stories from beginning to end.
You continue to love animals, especially kitty cats. Animals, swings, water, and your "daddy" too. You have also taken to carrying around an old purse of mine and you fill it with various toys and walk around the house as if you are undertaking serious missions. You also like "cards" - old gift cards, etc.. for your purse. Wearing a hat, and mismatched shoes is also a fun pastime.
We are now at the point where fine motor activities is more of a possibility - before paints and play dough went straight to the mouth. Today you spend a good ten minutes filling a bowl with black beans that I had laid out for you.
I think to some extent we are all still trying to figure you out. And, of course you are always changing. There are many sides, facets, and moods at play all of the time. But, one thing is constant, we all love you and know in our bones that our family would not be complete without this little being in it. A few months ago I had dressed you in a cotton dress with a rather large boy tied in the back. Zealand always notices, and rather cutely will say, "how pretty,"when you wear a dress since it is so infrequent. On this day he said, "Oh Avery, you look just like a birthday present."
You are a gift, and you continue to be. Everyday. I look forward to discovering again and again all that is inside.
All my love,
Mama
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