Daddy's little girl

When I was pregnant with you, we didn't know whether you were going to be a boy or a girl. I always joked with your dad that, if we had a girl, she'd have him wrapped around her finger. He denied it. But I knew. 

When you were born and they said "it's a girl" your daddy was forever changed.

 

You look just like me, but Abigail, you are your daddy's girl. You love trying new things, taking on the world, being challenged, being daring, and showing everyone how much they are loved. You are tough, and stubborn, and cuddly and adventurous. You are your father's daughter, through and through.  And for some kids, the more like their parents they are, the more they butt heads. But you and your daddy are two peas in a pod. 

Dads and their daughters are a special thing. You expect a dad to look forward to watching the hockey game with his little boy and taking him on his first camping weekend. You expect him to be excited to watch his a first baseball game, and to tell you to shake off a bad fall. But your dad already took you on your first camping weekend, hugs you after your falls and helps you back up again, and he can't wait to see you in your ballet shoes and leotard. Your dad is a sucker for you in the sweetest possible way. You are his child, not just his little girl. 

You love playing music, pounding on the piano keys or banging on a drum, and there's no doubt that it's because your daddy has been playing music for you since you were just a baby. Your love for music is all  because of the love for it your daddy instilled in you. 

It is hard not to see the effect your daddy's love for you has on who you are and how you love. You are tough as nails like your daddy, and, like him, also loving and sweet and kind and respectful. I see in you so much of who your father is that I am always grateful that I picked him and he picked me to share our lives and raise our children.

You love your daddy. Your face and eyes light up for him more than anyone and no one can get the gleeful giggles out of you that he can. You are a very lucky little lady to have the daddy you do.

Still getting the hang of English

I love how you are learning your new words, and how you interpret the words you hear as you attempt to repeat them to us. Some mispronunciations are so cute we haven't gone out of our way to correct you. 

You're two and a half so it is to be expected, but I love hearing your voice and listening to you speak.

You're still learning the words for all foods you enjoy, and two of your favourite post-dinner snacks are ornages (oranges) and blueblerries. Daddy and I have tried numerous times to help you say orange. Now we call them ornages too. Blueblerry just sounds too cute to try to fix.

You have no problem saying Nan and Pop, and Uncle Jon and Aunt Jes. But the other side of the family is a bit more of a challenge. Bubbie was Dubbie, and now she's Boodie. Uncle David is Uncle Dadid and Auntie Stephanie is Auntie Tetanee. And by far the cutest mispronunciation is cousin Noa, who you lovingly call cousin Nono. We call her Nono now too.

Two of your other funny mispronounced words are bathing suit, which you call your baby soup, and whenever you use the potty, you need to have your tep too, aka your step stool. 

I'm sure there are lots more I just can't think of right no but I love each and every one of the cute things you say.

Oh, and one more cute thing? You always want to hold your little brother, which is so very sweet. You always say to me and your daddy "I want to hold it!" Makes me giggle.

I suppose this wouldn't be complete without me telling you what your very first full sentence was. It wasn't even that long ago. Maybe a month and a half ago now. You asked to call your Uncle Dadid. He got on the phone and I told you to tell him you had gone pee on the potty.

"Hi Uncle Dadid! I went pee pee potty! I got chocolate! I get Ice cream?" We all got a good laugh out of that one. You didn't get ice cream, but you did get lots of cuddles for the cute question :).

I love you Stinky Face

Your dad and I pile into your room every night to read you a book before bed. You usually pick your dad to read and me to sit at the foot of your bed to listen to the story. We always let you pick your book, between a few options. It's one of my favourite times of day. Your brother is down for the night in his crib, the house is otherwise quiet, and you're cuddled up beside your daddy in bed as we all listen to him read the night's story.

There are other books that have made their way through your roster. Your daddy has a rule. A book gets three shots at being picked, before it gets retired. Sometimes you pick one book one night, and one book the next. But sometimes you pick the same book, night after night, for a week. I always find it funny to see which books you settle on.

Goodnight Moon, the consummate children's book, has never been a favourite of yours.  The books that have been long-term favourites, though, were picked over and over, and even when they found their way kicked from the roster, they somehow managed to squeeze back in there when you've seen them sitting on your bedside table.

Some of your recent favourites include Huggle Buggle Bear, a book purchased for you by our good friends Mark and Susan, I love you Stinky Face, a book given to you by your Auntie Stephanie, Uncle David and Cousin Noa, Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball, and, your current favourite, Everyone Poops. Yup, Everyone Poops. Not only do you pick that book every night, you also insist your daddy read it to you, over and over and over again. 

Reading time is one of my favourite times of day with you and one I really cherish. I love the quiet time that you, your daddy and I share in your room every night before you go to sleep.  

The things you say

I can not count the number of times your Bubbie has said to me 'you need to write this stuff down!' when it comes to the hilarious things that come out of your mouth. 

You are a much more physical child than a verbal one. You crawled at six months old but you really have only just started to find your words. Sometimes, you come out with the most hilarious lines, and the fact I haven't been consistently writing them down is a shame. 

My recent favourite was a few months ago already, but so funny that it still comes up whenever the family is together.

You and I have long had this cute thing we do, where we whisper 'I love you' to each other. It's pretty cute, although I think you might have thought for a while that those three words always need to be whispered.

Bubbie and Zaidie were over and daddy told you to tell your Bubbie you love her. So you looked at her and whispered 'I love you.' Bubbie couldn't hear so I told you to say it louder, at which point you screamed 'IT LOUDER.' 

You may be little, but I'm pretty sure you knew you were being funny. If you didn't before, certainly us all breaking down into serious laughter definitely solidified it for you.

My first journal entry

I kept a journal for you throughout my pregnancy, before I knew if you were going to be a boy or a girl, and loved sharing with you all of my thoughts and feelings of the pregnancy and my hope for your arrival and life. But since your birth, life has gotten in the way of sharing the details I really want you to know about your life, and our lives together, as a family.

I've tried buying journals to write things down but I always start and stop and never am able to fully get out what I want to say and what I want to tell you and remember for myself.

Thus, this blog was born. This blog is for you. For you to learn about the person you are and were as you grow into being the amazing adult I have no doubt you will be.

Given that you are just two and a half and just learned your shapes, I know it will be a long while until you're able to read this, but I am worried that I'm going to forget things. The hilarious things you say and do, the sweet, loving and kind things I witness, and I want to remember, and I want you to know.

Your current stats:

2.5 years old

Loving big sister to 4 month old Zachary

Wearing 3T clothing (and have been for months!)
Growing out of your size 7 shoes

Just mastering the potty

Just kicked the bottle (of milk, that is)

New word explosions daily

Precocious and hilarious and loving