Happiness

Leave it to a toddler’s limited experience and vocabulary to distill life to its most relevant. Last night, as Michael was in the bathroom brushing his teeth, Avery shuffled down the hall, pushing her doll stroller ahead of her. She stopped when she got to him and asked, “Are you happy? Are you happy, Dada?”

His reply, equally simple and beautiful, came without hesitation. “Yes I’m happy. And you know why? Because you’re my little daughter.”

That seemed to satisfy her, and she turned and headed for the couch, asking for a cup of milk.

It was a small moment, but one that made me very proud to know that even at the tender age of two, my little baby is already asking life’s most important questions.

(Not So Terrible) Two!

Avery turned two today. It's hard to believe that it's been two full years since the day she came in to our lives. I still remember the way she first looked at Michael and me, not with wonder or surprise, but with a calm wisdom and acute awareness. I was immediately convinced that she's a very old soul, and the fact that she teaches us something new each day only further convinces me.

My little baby is now over three feet tall, speaking in full sentences, displaying a wonderful imagination, and demonstrating her strong sense of self and need for independence. But, as I told her today, no matter how old, tall or independent she grows, she will always be my little baby.

Here's a movie of Avery's second year. It's been a busy one!