Big Girl

I'm more impressed each day with what a big girl Ainsley has become. She stands at the sink to brush her teeth and wash her hands, and now she even wants to fix her own hair!

We started swimming lessons back up this week also. Ainsley is now in the "toddler" class. I usually have to throw her little toy for her, then we "swim" over to get the toy while I kick her feet and move her arms. But this week she was throwing her own toy and swimming away! (Even when we were supposed to be doing something else.) She sang along with the songs and did everything the instructor was doing! Even when the instructor wiped the water out of her eyes, Ainsley would wipe the water out of her eyes too! Our instructor thought Ainsley was a riot!

Our big girl thinks it's really fun to teach Mommy and Daddy things too. Monday she was playing outside and decided to put her lawn chair on the coffee table. (Because that's where all lawn chairs should go, right?) When she reached up her shirt came up and exposed her tummy as she leaned against the table. She quickly bounced back and said "Cold!" So excited about her discovery, she came and got me and placed my finger in the exact spot that her tummy was. Then she told me, "See...Cold!" We then went all the way around the table feeling all of the cold spots.

Our favorite activity lately is to play Night Night. Ainsley has a baby doll Pack 'n' Play that I put in the toy room closet....now it's a baby doll nursery. She puts her babies up on the changing table and changes their diaper. This merely consists of pulling the velcro tabs back to open the diaper, a quick wipe with a kleenex, and then closing the diaper again. Then she rocks the baby in her arms, kisses her forehead, and puts the baby in the Pack 'n' Play. Then she's off to find the perfect blankie and bottle for the baby. Once the baby is all set, we sing "Kinkle, kinkle staw!" When she's convinced the baby is ready for her nap, she says "Nigh Nigh" and closes the door. Then she claps for herself and says "Yeah!" and opens the door to start all over again!

It's not just her imagination and actions that show how big she has become, though. She's started putting words together too. She says "Want eat!","Pick me up!","Sit down!",etc. And she's so curious about words. Most of our day is spent by Ainsley pointing at something, I give her the name, and she repeats me. She learned her colors this way in the waiting room at the doctor's office yesterday! On the way home she was giving me the animal names and I would make the noise. She's just so cute and gets more fun every day!

Well, I'm hearing "Want milk!" so I better go. Until next time...