My little "Medical Professional's" Words of Wisdom

I asked the 3-year-old why she thinks she wants to be a doctor (she's been telling me that since she was 18 months old). She replied, very matter of factly, "Because I want to be a medical professional and use medical supplies to help make people feel better."

I was like, "Uh... okay Little Miss Smarty Pants, do you have any medical advice for me as a future 'medical professional'?"

Ashlinn: "Yes, don't choke." Bahahahaha! Cracked me up! Who is this child?!

Ashlinn's 1st Day of Preschool

All in all Ashlinn's 1st day of preschool went really well. She was understandably nervous at first, but after just a few minutes, told me I could leave for class and told Ryan he could leave shortly after. We checked on her later and her teachers commented on how friendly she was, giving them random hugs and asking any newcomer, including parents, what their name was. When I picked her up at the end of the day, she was excited to see me but a little disappointed that I had interrupted her story circle time.

 

Ashlinn was exuberant over the events of the day and took me over to show me her new cubby. There was a necklace in there that didn't belong to her so I watched her travel around to different children, addressing most by name, inquiring each about the necklace's potential owner. She then explained what a great sharer she was with all of her new friends.

 

It was a bittersweet day showcasing just how grown up Ashlinn is becoming. She not only looks less and less like a toddler with each passing day but acts less like one too. My baby girl is growing up and is ready to tackle the world one momentous milestone at a time. I came across the poem below and although a bit cheesy, I feel it sums up this day quite well:

“I wonder what you’re doing right now,

And if everyone is treating you kind.

I hope there is a special person,

A nice friend that you can find.

 

I wonder if the teacher knows

Just how special you are to me.

And if the brightness of your heart,

Is something she can see.

 

I wonder if you are thinking about me,

Or if you need a hug.

I already miss the sound of your voice

And how you often give my leg a tug.

 

I wonder if you could possibly understand

How hard it is for me to let you grow.

On this day know that my heart breaks,

For this is the first step in letting my baby go.”

The Brown Reunion - 2012

We went to the Brown Reunion last weekend which was fantastic, because I'm only able to visit with that part of the family (maternal) every 5 - 10 years or so.   After, Mom, Brandon, Ashlinn, Ryan, and I went for a quick hike up at Hyalite.  Ashlinn is still terrified of water after being "flipped over like a pancake" in the ocean, so she was apprehensive seeing Hyalite Reservoir, but it was nice to get away nonetheless. 

A refined palette

Two-year-old Ashlinn to the waitress: "What did you put in this soup to make it taste so good?"

The waitress, visibly taken aback: "Um... potatoes, pancetta, salt... Did all of those ingredients make it taste yummy?"

Ashlinn responding in an oh so dignified manner: "Yes, but it could have used a little bit of fetta."

It's funny because upon hearing this story from the waitress, the chef laughed hysterically and wanted Ashlinn to know that his secret ingredient was "passion". Do we have a future chef on our hands? :D

Ashlinn's Big Girl Room

Ashlinn's room has been a labor of love from the moment we discovered we were expecting. We sprayed in a good bit of extra "green" insulation above the room when I was about 2 months pregnant, ripped out the dirtied white carpet and replaced with wood flooring when I was about 6 months pregnant, stripped the deck and rebuilt the guards around it outside of her room not long after that, and filled the room with bits of nursery furniture and safari-themed items. For as much work as this all was and for as much as I loved that boutique crib and matching changing table (yes, you want everything high end and perfect for the first one!), I'd assumed I'd have more of a difficult time parting with her nursery garb, but Ashlinn was beyond words ecstatic about every little bit of change, especially her big girl bed, so the transition was fairly easy and even a bit exciting for me.

Gone are the days of 2am feedings and diaper changes, 4am wake up calls, and red-rimmed zombie parents frantically trying to pull it together for work. As much as I have loved watching Ashlinn develop and fly through every stage, I know we have so much more to look forward to. Her baby days were a necessary step to forming the foundation that will create her life from this moment on (and gear us up for parenting), but it's time to focus on the future. We're in the big girl stage now, and we're loving every minute of it! Her 2nd year has not been without its challenges, but wow has it been fun! It's the perfect mixture of just enough independence to give Mom and Dad an occasional break, but enough dependence on us to allow for lots of hugs, kisses, and cuddle-time (often times with us needing these embraces more than she!). She's our little sweet heart and we're most definitely keeping her.

Anyway, onto the big girl room. We sold off her baby furniture to a lovely first-time parent lawyer couple for about the same amount we purchased it for, and picked up a great Ikea bed that when placed upside-down, converts to a bunk bed. What will they think of next?! I also spotted some really fun bookshelves on Pinterest made of vinyl rain gutters. While I come up with many of the ideas for decorating around our very first house, Ryan is the one who implements them with his labor and power tools. He spent a good amount of time putting together her bed, weather-proofing her door (the one that leads to the outside deck), and installing the rain gutter bookshelves. Without further ado, here is the little lady's new room:

"Thanks, Daddy, for my new rain gutter bookshelves! Now I can see all of my books proudly displayed!"

"Good Night, Gorilla"

"Yaaaaaay! I love my new big girl room!"

Ryan installed the vinyl gutter bookshelves on the opposite wall as well. We'd need about 10 more of these to actually house all of her books, but we can rotate them out as time goes on

Here is the Ikea bed that, when flipped upside down, turns into a bunk bed. FUN! I see many sleepovers "under the stars" in our little girl's future!

Right at her level

Happy Birthday to Grandma

Ashlinn sings a very wiggly rendition of "Happy Birthday" to grandma.

Ashlinn Misses Santa Claus!

Yeah - I know it's been forever since I've posted. Here's a cute video of Ashlinn just after her first visit to Santa. I was terrified that she'd be terrified like so many parents warned me, but it was quite the contrary! As soon as she saw him, she ran 10 feet across the room to give him a giant hug. It was the leaving that was the real issue... There was a long line of anxious kids wanting to get their wishlist to Santa so I told Ash it was time to leave. She cried - not like the throw a fit, get my way, tantrum kind of a cry, but real, honest tears of heartache knowing it would be an entire year before getting to see her precious St. Nick again. She was quite sad. The first video we shot was much better, showing this true emotion, only to discover Ryan had forgotten to actually press the record button, so the second shot, shown here, was a little more forced, but you get the idea! :) Ashlinn still speaks fondly of seeing Santa again often. Lucky for her she has no real concept of just how long a year is.




Here's another oldie but goodie from the Christmas before last when our little musical talent was about 7 months old. She's always had a knack for mimicking songs. Sorry be stuck on a Christmas theme...