Happy Birthday!

Dear Ainslie,

I have been composing parts of this letter to you in my head over the past few months, and now I'm afraid I'll forget something. You are two years old, although you've been telling people you are two for a couple months now. When we try to tell you you're still one, you correct us, saying, "no, two!"

Speaking of the things you say, holy cow, you're a talker! I am so proud of your verbal skills. Before your 15-month check up I counted about 60 words in your vocabulary (although only I could actually understand many of them) and now, well, you pretty much say whatever you want, and you make complete (if not 100% grammatically correct) sentences. Some of your special Ainslieisms include "buttcakes" for "cupcakes" (this is my favorite), "Goosh" (an elision of "goldfish"), and "uggleuggle", which means you want to "snuggle-wuggle." That one melts my heart.

You are a sweet, sweet girl, and you tell us you love us out of the blue. That said, you have a keen sense of humor and a good dash of mischief in you. I wouldn't have it any other way. You love to try to stay up just a "dittle bit" longer each night before bed with promises of needing to potty one more time (you use the potty already!) or wanting to read books (you know we have a hard time saying no to those 2 particular things.) Yesterday, I overheard you chanting your own version of the Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear jumprope chant. You version apparently goes (and this was all on your own...)
Teddy Bear, teddy bear turn around,
Teddy bear, teddy bear touch the ground,
Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn out the light,
Teddy bear, teddy bear...stay up!

You are such a little helper. You follow us closely, and must do everything we do. It never occurs to you that some jobs may be too big---unless there is something you don't want to do! You love to play with the kids on the block, and though you are almost the youngest, you try to do everything the bigger girls do. You are the only 22 month-old I've ever seen do straight somersaults all by herself. Speaking of gymnastics, you also will hurl yourself to the floor or grass, stick one leg up and proclaim that you are doing a cartwheel. You are truly the reason monkey bars are thusly named. I can't believe how strong you are and how you can climb!

You love to go to the park, you love to run, and you love to dance. Many nights we will put music on and the three of us will dance like fools. You also love to play "Ana-eena", which, according to you, means you have to put on a dress, because everyone knows ballerinas need nice full skirts. I have no idea where you've seen an actual ballet, but you leap off one leg, and do your darnedest to spin in the air.

I could go on for days about all the ways in which you delight me. Just this morning, as we were walking Lily, you told me that you want a new baby girl. When I told you we need to pray for a new baby girl, you stopped, clapped your hands together and said, "Amen!" Amen, indeed, Monkeypants.

As far as I'm concerned, now that you are potty trained, you can stop growing up so fast. No matter if or when we get that other baby, you are my first, my oldest baby, and my special, special girl.

Love,
Mommy

Random Observations from The Road

1. I doubt I'm the only person going through security at several airports with a pair of size 2T underpants in her purse. (Ainslie is daytime/pee trained! Hooray!)

2. Does anyone actually buy USA Today and read it if they are not staying in a hotel? Does anyone subscribe to it? Why?

3. The DaVinci Code is a fun work of fiction. Why are people so bothered by a work of fiction? Many of the people who are upset about The DaVinci Code seem to read and write editorials to USA Today.

4. If you know enough to take your laptop out before going through security, why don't you know to take your shoes off?

5. If you are in the back row of the plane you will never, ever make it out of the plane before the person sitting in the front row.

6. When you give the same presentation day after day, it really doesn't matter if you can't remember what city you're in.

7. Things really do get palpably different when you cross the West Virginia state line.

8. I miss my family.

9. Never reserve the class of rental car you actually want. Reserve the tiniest car you could possibly stand, because chances are they will only have bigger cars available anyway. Today I had an Aveo reserved. I'm driving a Taurus.

10. There are people everywhere worse off than you. Be grateful.