Up, Up, and Away

(I've gotten a little behind on blogging, so forgive me as we backtrack a bit to Valentine's Day.)

On Valentine's Day Avery and I were at the grocery store when she laid eyes on the "pretty balloons!" at the check out. We don't usually indulge in impulse buys at the store, but it was Valentine's Day after all. I couldn't resist the opportunity to show my girl a little love, so she picked a balloon and proudly held it the whole way home. Then she held it all the way through dinner. And diaper time. And as she played. She didn't let go of the balloon for a solid two hours. I finally convinced her that it was time for bed and that the balloon would be waiting for her in the morning. She reluctantly let go of the string and we started to head for the stairs. Within 10 seconds, Nellie the cat ran over to the balloon, took one chomp on the ribbon, and the balloon became detached from the weight, resulting in this:

There floats Avery's balloon at the top of our two story vaulted ceiling. Cue the tears. Avery melted down and screamed "My balloon! Too high! My balloon!" until I finally got her upstairs in her room for bed. She continued to whimper and cry all through the night night routine and for a good 20 minutes after she laid down in her crib. It was so sad! Erich got home from work a little while later, after Avery had finally fallen asleep and he wasted no time getting to work on solving the problem. He had to save the day for his littlest valentine!

A ladder, a long pole, and a piece of tape helped Erich get the balloon safely back to ground level. I couldn't bare the thought of Avery's last sight before bed being her special valentine's day balloon out of reach, so we did what any responsible parents would do... we woke her up.

In a foggy groggy sleepy haze, she came downstairs and lit up when she saw Daddy with balloon in hand. Avery's answer to every problem is, "Daddy will fix it!" and she's usually right. Daddy takes care of his girl. He's her hero. He's mine too.

Dear Avery (the time flies edition)

Dear Avery,

Two years ago today we saw your sweet face for the first time. Happy Birthday sweet girl! You have given us two years of joy, fun, and laughter. Before you were born everyone told me to "enjoy every moment... they grow up so fast". I didn't understand just how true that would prove to be. Minute by minute, you are changing before our eyes. It feels like every day you are surprising your Daddy and me with new words and skills. I remember how thrilled I was when you could respond to my questions with one word answers. It was such a relief to be able to communicate with you and understand what you needed. Now just a few months later, you are carrying on conversations and speaking in sentences. You don't just tell us what you need, you tell us how you are feeling.

You love to cuddle, take care of your stuffed animals and feed your baby doll her bottle. Sometimes when your toys have been especially naughty, you put them in "time out" (I wonder where you learned that concept). You take great pride in assembling your puzzles and lining toys up on the fireplace. You can count to 13 without assistance, you can sing most of the alphabet with some help and you can identify several letters. You can sing quite a few nursery rhymes and songs... but only when you are in the mood. You know the basic colors and shapes. You love to pray. Your favorite shows are still Sesame Street and Yo Gabba Gabba. You've also gotten into the Disney princesses (I've been waiting for this stage! I love Disney movies!) and your current favorite is Snow White. You would watch that movie all day every day if we let you. You seem to understand the plot and you'll shout out "There's the evil bad guy lady!", "There's Snow White! She's so pretty!". You get a kick out of spinning in circles, jumping all over the house, and getting piggy back rides from Daddy.

Speaking of Daddy, whenever you put on a fancy dress or an outfit you are really proud of, you immediately say "Go show Daddy!" and run to him to twirl, sheepishly smile, and seek his approval. It's amazing how in your own little way at 2 years old, you are already asking the question that is in every woman's heart ... "Am I lovely?" Avery, you are. You are so so lovely. And Daddy makes sure you know it every time.

You aren't a baby anymore. You are our little girl. I'll admit I still miss the "baby". Sometimes I go up and rock you in the middle of the night not because you need me, but because I need you. I secretly love it when you are in a silly mood and want to play "like a baby" where you insist that we carry you like a baby, feed you like a baby, and give you your sippy cup like it's a bottle. I know I shouldn't encourage it, but I just can't resist. You are growing taller and thinner and losing your baby chub. Your hair is finally long enough for pig tails and although it's cute as a button, I don't like to do it all too often because it makes you look a year older. I want to bottle you up and hold on to this little toddler stage as long as possible. I miss your baby days, but I'm enjoying you exactly as you are right now. And I'm looking forward to being a part of your life as you continue to grow and change.

Avery, your Daddy and I love you so so much. We can't imagine life without you. Happy 2nd Birthday baby girl!

Love, Momma