Our “baby girl”, who is no longer technically our baby girl, but who still will always be our baby girl is two.  Tears well up even as I write that.  I suppose it happens with each child, but it doesn’t ever get easier the next time around.  Time is flying, in ways that wear my heart out the most, and this birthday reminds me of that.

Ava is not gentle or quiet or fragile (for a two year old).  But she has a way of almost demanding gentleness and peacefulness and protectiveness from those around her.  She sits close…nuggles, Mommy?.  She brings a stack of books…read to??.  She looks excitedly…watch dis, Mommy!…then does something fantastic, like falling on her bottom, and looks up with the biggest of grins…see dat, Mommy?.  And I confess, I usually purposely don’t give her the acknowledgement she’s looking for until I hear the “see dat”, just ’cause it’s so ridiculously cute.

She climbs into bed next to me in the morning, and I open my eyes to see her, inches away, looking at me and smiling.  She asks for hugs and kisses.  I put her down for her nap, and she stalls by pointing and saying eyes, cheek, ear, nose, hair – over and over again.  She loves slides.  And tomatoes.  And candy.  And books.  And sand.  And her Daddy.  And chickens.  And Isabelle.  She doesn’t like messes and will wipe her high chair with her napkin and pick up toys and cry if her hands are dirty…none of which stops her from making messes in the first place, however.

She is beautiful and we love her more than words can say.

Happy 2nd birthday to our baby girl, Ava Grace.