Babies Are Born Happy

Happy, and apparently, freakishly smart.

Let's start with Sweet Amelia. She continues to be the most snugly baby you'd ever meet. She is focused, contemplative, and relentlessly happy. Even in the midst of full-on teething, it take almost no effort to elicit a beaming grin from that girl.

She is rolling and scooting like crazy. You can't leave her alone for long, as she has a tendency to roll herself under a bed or couch. Her ability to focus is amazing, especially considering her sister's ability to focus. She sits up well by herself, and we have spent the last few weekends of temperate weather sitting together on a blanket in the back yard.

Amelia's first tooth came in on October 3, just barely breaking the surface. Based on how the rest of her gums look, the other aren't too far behind.

Solid food has been a problem. Her first meal went spectacularly. Sweet potatoes, all mashed up fine. She enjoyed the meal a great deal, or, at least, enjoyed the process of eating. Since then, she's been miserable. She shows absolutely no interest in solid foods whatsoever. She seems to enjoy playing with the food, so her one meal a day is quite a messy event. But she doesn't seem to want to EAT it. We've tried a few foods so far, sweet, savory, or plain - none seem to change her mind. We're sticking with a relaxed one meal a day regimen for now.

At the grand age of 30 months, Ainsley has discovered spelling. And reading. And phonics. All at once. Her favorite game to play right now is "What does **** start with?" Where **** is whatever word Mommy or Daddy can think up. She seems to get a bit bored with words she knows, and prefers new, exciting words.

Every time she gets a cup of water, I hear, "W-A-T-E-R, Mommy. W-A-T-E-R. Water." The list of words she can spell and read is growing exponentially. She likes to hear what letters make up words, and relishes the big words. Goldilocks and Popsicle are two of her favorites to hear.

Ainsley will be dressing as Super Why! (or, Ainsley-Whyatt) for Halloween this year, her first year of trick-or-treating. Amelia will be tagging along as her "Why Writer." I am secretly thrilled that Ainsley so wants to be the leader of the Super Readers, and not one of the peripheral girl characters. Not that there's anything wrong with Red or Princess Presto. But my girls wants to be the bad ass (if geeky) leader of the Super Readers. We've even fashioned a "Book Club" in her room by tying a canopy over her bed, making it more like a cave.

Time is flying. So fast it makes my head spin and my heart hurt.