Thursday, August 21, 2008

Like mother, like daughter

It's no secret that Avery is my Mini-Me. Strangers standing in the check-out line at Wal-Mart smile at us and say, "she looks JUST like you!" My mom has been known to say, "she looks like you spit her out of your mouth!" (And isn't THAT a lovely image?!?!)

But, just in case the fact that we could be twins (with a 28-year age difference) isn't enough for you, here are some other ways that I know Avery Brooke is MY girl.

1. Avery never shuts up. I mean never. EVER. If she's awake, she's running her mouth. And she doesn't seem to care if anyone's actually listening to her... I'm pretty sure she just likes to hear the sound of her own voice. It's okay, Avery, you have a very cute, little voice, and I like the sound of it, too. And, well, I have been told, on occasion, that I talk a lot... maybe too much (is there such a thing??). We can't help it that we have so much to say!

2. Avery loves to sing. She sings along to country music (Taylor Swift is her hero), hip hop music, Barbie and Disney Princess soundtracks, dog food commercials... you name it. And if she's not singing, she's humming (that's something we both inherited from my Gram... she hums constantly; and when Gram and I are in a car together, we both hum at the same time, different tunes. And we don't even realize we're doing it. We are strange, musical folk.). I can't remember a time in my life when I wasn't singing. When I was Avery's age, I knew the words to every country song on my mom's radio (and I wanted to look like Crystal Gayle when I grew up). Today, I still know the words to almost every song on the radio. Avery and I love to listen to music or watch music videos together, and sing along with every word. Sometimes we even harmonize... we could be the new Judds!

3. Avery hates mornings. She's the only person in this house who can (and does) sleep in later than me. Nick and Damon... they apparently have some strange sort of early bird gene. I've never understood what's so great about mornings, and apparently Avery doesn't understand either. Avery and I like to have our breakfast at around noon... Frosted Flakes taste just as good then as they do at 6am, I'll bet!

4. Avery loves to read (even though she can't really read yet). I've tried and tried to instill my love of books in my son. And every now and then, I think it's working... he'll express interest in reading, for about 10 minutes. Then, he's back to his video games or sword fighting with the neighborhood boys. But, Avery... dear, sweet Avery... she loves books. She begs me to read to her daily. And she concentrates on every word I say, so that she can memorize the story and "read" it back to me. She even takes my 500-page romance novels off the shelf and pretends she's reading them (although, I suspect that might go along more with #1 and the fact that she likes to hear her own voice).

5. Avery loves people. The child doesn't know a stranger... she'll talk to anyone. And I mean ANYONE. When we go into a store, she waves, smiles, and says "Hi!" to every single person we pass... seriously, every. single. one. And God forbid they actually respond... because that's all the encouragement Avery needs to launch into her full life history and ask about theirs. Although I'm not quite as friendly as my daughter (because I think that would just frighten people), I do, for the most part, like people. And on the rare occasion that I actually leave my house, I try to carry extra smiles and words of greeting with me (I would be an awesome Wal-Mart Greeter... now, there's a thought!).

So, there you have it... she's definitely my kid. Not only does Avery look like me, but she also talks, sings, sleeps, reads, and loves like me. And those are just five more reasons that I love her like I do.

4 comments:

Emily Suzann said...

I agree, she is definitely your daughter! You should post some pics of you at Avery's age. The comparison would be fun to see.
Love ya!

Carrie Hewitt said...

Yeah Erin.....Post some of those pictures!

ErinRagan said...

Well, if I HAD a scanner (I don't), I'd be happy to share some of my "Erin at 4" pics with you.

It really is kinda scary how much Avery looks like Erin at 4!

I'll try to get some pics scanned one of these days... stay tuned!

Kat's Credence said...

So, you had the Crystal Gayle dream too huh, lol.