Ainsley

I haven't done any updates on the girls recently and Ains is growing and changing so fast that she gets first dibs. Marcus and I were laughing earlier this week because Ainsley has reached that stage where there is NOTHING baby left about her and it is usually when you start to get a little baby hungry. No worries there, 9 weeks from now we will be cured of those feelings.

What she is up to at 18 months:

- Talking, talking, talking. She can say just about any word she desires and has started putting little sentences together. She even refers to herself and her things as "Ainsee's". Reagan is "Neegan". Everything else is pretty clear. One of my favorite things is when she runs her fingers through the massive amount of hair in her face in the mornings and says, "Crazy, crazy".

- Taking steps to potty training. She tells me when she is using the bathroom all the time. She hasn't become obsessed with the toilet yet, thank heavens, but I can see definite steps towards potty training. This makes her seem so big to me.

- In the last week she has started to want Mommy. I debated posting this because she is through and through a Daddy's girl and it is probably just a short moment in time but it has been fun to have her want me over Dad.

- Hair, hair and more hair. This girl has the craziest hair. It is growing like crazy and is almost longer than Reagan's. I was able to put two braids in the back today just like I can do with Reagan's. They are two years apart but have the same amount of hair. Ainsley has beautiful curls too from her Dad and she has my mom and grandma's dark, dark hair (I didn't get really dark until high school and later). I can imagine it will just be more beautiful with time.

- She is obsessed with Grandpa. My dad came to visit in March and Ainsley really remembered him and asks to call him ALL THE TIME. She will bring me a phone and say, "papa, papa". If there is anyone working in our basement she gets excited and starts yelling for him. If she sees any older man in public she refers to him as "papa" and Reagan will correct her and tell her that is not her Grandpa.

- Nursery!!! We love that she is old enough for nursery and she is doing pretty well adjusting to the time without mom and dad. She definitely does better with some leaders than others but overall we are so grateful that she is in nursery without us. Hopefully, we can actually enjoy the benefits of nursery this time around:).

- Biting, pinching, squeezing. Ainsley is definitely a feisty child and she will strike at random moments. Reagan has gotten pretty good at dodging her attempts but did get a good bite on the back two weeks ago. Marcus and I are also victims. She seems to bite more when she is teething so hopefully now that all of her teeth are in this stage will pass.

- She loves reactions. She loves to make people laugh. She teases and irritates too and loves that just as much. Almost daily we have her pretend to give something to Reagan only to yank it away at the last minute. She does this constantly and it drives Reagan (and I) crazy. Sadly, Ainsley is okay that she is the only one being entertained. It is the wicked combination of my Mom and Dad's genes seeping through (and almost feels like having Uncle Levi living with us).

We sure love this girl and it has been so fun to watch her and Reagan interact more. They have little games together and are already starting to gang up on Marcus and I (ex: screaming contest in the car a few days ago where Marcus and I are begging for them to stop and Reagan and Ainsley are laughing hysterically). Our family would definitely not be the same without this crazy monkey. We love you Ains!