"Avery, thank you so so much for being such a good girl and minding mama today. You make me so happy when you listen, and when you say please. Yes, you can have goldfish and animal crackers. Here. Don't you see, when you are a good girl and ask nicely, you get to have fun stuff!"
"Oh yea mama, I know! Like when I say pllllease can I ride the carousel today, you always smile and say oh yes you can!"
She's getting a little too smart for my own good.
That's my first born. Avery has grown up so much, so fast, and at an even quicker rate since Christian was born last January. While she definitely has her moments, (and she DOES have them) she had turned into one of the sweetest, smartest, imaginative, curious, and thoughtful little girls I've ever known.
The thing about being a parent to Avery that always makes me smile is how truly alike we are. Even in the smallest ways. I see myself in her almost every day. The way she fixes her hair...the way she organizes her toys, or puts her markers in a straight line...the way she sleeps...how she eats...and the list goes on and on.
On one hand I have no idea how my mom put up with raising me. On the other hand, I feel like our having similar personalities has helped me to know best how to motivate her. Traditional scare tactics never work. With her, I often find myself thinking ahead to what I would have liked to do or see or touch or investigate in any situation, and then try to provide opportunities for her to safely (and mess-free) be involved. It's no wonder to me that one of her all-time favorite cartoons is Curious George. I don't like the cartoon myself. George the monkey is always getting into trouble.
Well, cartoon or no cartoon, Avery finds her own trouble. But, she never leaves me empty handed when it comes to funny one-liners or surprising antics. She is a smarty pants. She is a daredevil. She is a fabulously loving big sister to Christian. She won't take no for an answer. She's learning how to share. And, she's my favorite little almost-3-year-old in the whole world.
Avery Taylor, you are indeed loved.