24 Months

Dear Avery,

You are two years old today!  It seems like just yesterday we welcomed you to the world, but at the same time it feels like you've been in our lives forever.

We'll get new measurements at the doctor on Monday.  You are fitting better into 18-24 month clothing, though some 12-18 still fits.  You are still in a size 4 diaper and a 5-5.5 shoe.  I bought you some fall clothes for Jen-Jen's, and the 24 month looked so long that I got 18.  After washing they seem a little small.  I can't wait to see your height and weight.

You go to bed between 7 and 7:30 p.m. and are asleep/quiet until around 7 a.m.  Nap time is still at 12:30 and lasts 2 hours or a little more.  I think we will push nap time a little later now that we are done with vacation.  You were a rooster at the beach and did lots of talking before your naps.  I'm happy that neither of those continued at home.  You love you crib and want to get in after just a few minutes of rocking.  I still  check on you every night and feel to make sure you're breathing.  I don't think you'll ever be too big for me to do that.  When you were tiny and your crib was raised, I used to love to smell you at night.  Sometimes in the little bit of light from your nightlight you look like a big girl, and sometimes you have your infant face.

Your eating habits remain the same, and luckily the tears before lunch and dinner have lessened a lot.  You can be a very big eater when it's food you like.  You still drink water and have an occasional lemonade while we're out.  I really need to try milk again and possibly some chocolate milk and orange juice.

You love the same activities inside and out.  You prefer to be outside, but you entertain yourself very well indoors.  You are happiest indoors with random pieces of paper or mail and an ink pen.  The ink pen got away from you this week, so you aren't allowed to keep them after you sneak one now.  We brought your car in while we were at the beach, and it's a big hit inside.  You still love Mickey and I've shown you a few episodes of Barney.  Much to my dismay, you really like him.  I think it's all the singing.  You love to look at your farm and animal picture books and have stories read to you.

New words are learned each day, and you learned lots of beach words while on vacation.  You are starting to pick up on some counting, and your favorites are 2, 6, 8, and 9.  We talk about colors some too, but most everything is blue to you.  We haven't done anything with the alphabet other than pointing out an A on your clothes or the letters in your name.  You know letters and words are for reading.

The beach was so fun for you this year, and you were sad to leave.  I wonder what you thought about the cottage we stayed in.  Did you think we had moved again?  You loved to play in the sand and especially liked Daddy to dig a hole.  You also loved splashing in the water and watching all the planes, helicopters, and birds.  You visited an aquarium for the first time, and we let you walk instead of ride in the stroller.  You were such a good girl all week long, even though Lolli and Poppa were spoiling you just a bit!

Avery, you continue to shower those you love with hugs and kisses.  You like to cuddle, and I call you a wallower.  When we talk about people and things you love, you blow kisses.  You say an awful lot of boy names and blow them kisses!  You also want to kiss the pets, the pool, and the ocean water.  You love your family and your friends, and your love for Mama has only grown since we've been home for the summer.  You cried when I left you at Lolli's yesterday, but by the time I blew the horn at you from the car, you had stopped.  You are so excited to see Daddy come home in the afternoons.  I'm usually cooking and can see him pull up.  When I tell you, you stand on the couch at the big window and wait for him to come on the porch.  Then you want him to either swing or "ticka ticka" you.  You fall out on the floor when you want to be tickled.

These last two years have surely been the best years of our lives.  You seem so grown now, and we are so proud of the good behavior that you usually show.  I try my hardest to remember you as a tiny baby because you are such a big girl these days.  Thank goodness for a million pictures.  And, thank goodness the pictures don't have sound affects!  You are all I have ever dreamed of, but still I didn't know it could be this wonderful.  It's a lot of work too, and some days we look forward to doing better tomorrow.  There just aren't enough words to tell you how much we love you, so we do our best to show you each day.  Our hope for you is that you continue to stay full of wonder, excitement, and love.  We are so proud of the little girl you're becoming and are so happy to call your ours. 

Love,
Mama and Daddy