What kind of person will you be?

I was watching you crawl around the front room yesterday, and I wondered, "What kind of person will Ayden be when she's older?"

I believe that people have natural tendencies that are tempered, shaped, and changed by life experiences, so it's hard to know if your current temperaments will carry over into your adult life or if the innumerable experiences you have will fundamentally change you, but allow me to humor myself, if you will. These ideas I have of who you will become are in no way guidelines for how you should act, nor will I be displeased if you prove me completely wrong. I am merely trying to project who I see you as right now into the future as parents sometimes do.

The first thing that came to mind as I watched you is that it seems like you will be outgoing. As I watch you tramp unstoppably around the room, it's hard to imagine you being shy.

I am quite certain you will be uncommonly intelligent. Even at your small age, your mental capacity astonishes me and your mother. You catch onto thing very quickly, and I think this quality will stay with you throughout your life.

Along those same lines, I think you will have a great sense of humor. You love it when we do irregular things with you.You'll probably be a little goofy, like your dad.

Hopefully you won't get as angry as your father, but I kind of think you will have quite a temper. I always try to check myself around you, and your mother and I hardly never raise our voices, but you do sometimes! You'll yell with startling loudness if your "snackers" run out and we're not prompt at getting you more. We're gonna do our best to show you that's not okay though.

Your mother and I both had blonde hair when we were little that later turned brown, so I think you will be a brunette, but it's hard to say. No matter what though, I know you will be as beautiful as your mother, which is saying a lot, since she is the most beautiful woman in the world.

Mom already told you about how unstoppable you are, and I think that will lead you to be quite the adventurer. You are already set on getting into all kinds of trouble, and you love it when I carefully toss you around. One of your favorite things is when I toss you repeatedly and chant:

Toss the baby, toss the baby,

Toss the baby high!

Toss the baby, toss the baby, 

Way up in the sky!

You've always grinned up at me when I've done that to you.

You're going to be musical in some way, of that I feel quite certain. Perhaps you'll be a dancer, take up instruments like you mother, or sing like your dad. Personally, I'm fond of your bouncy and enthusiastic dancing. It's one of my favorite things to do with you. 

Promise me this though, Ayden, even if none of my predictions are true: promise me that you will dance. Promise me that you will never stop dancing with your daddy. 

I love you, sweetie. 

Likes and Dislikes at 8 Months of Age

Dear Ayden,

Here you are! You are so beautiful!! :)

Likes:

You like smiling and squealing
You like playing with mommy and daddy
You like dogs (LOVE)
You like watching little kids play
You like to put everything in your mouth
You like putting everything in your mouth that mommy doesn't want you to :P
You like making silly noises and hearing silly noises
You like all fruit
You like playing "Toss the Baby"
You like dancing and singing
You like to play with your lion toy
You like when mommy and daddy share food with you
You like moving around (LOVE)
You like getting into everything haha
You like when daddy comes home (LOVE)
You like seeing us when you wake up
You like pulling hair
You like climbing all over everything (LOVE)
You like Meeko (LOVE)
You like swimming and kicking
You like taking naps (mommy likes it too haha)
You like pushing on your little sister in my tummy :)
You like eating mommy's shoes (LOVE)
You like your "snackers"
You like all shoes and clothes (such a girl!)
You like your cousins
You like seeing new things
You like being outside
You like crawling everywhere
You like when you sneeze and mommy says "bless you" in funny ways
You like having fun and going places

Dislikes:

You dislike being locked out of places
You dislike having your nose wiped
You dislike being held down to get your diaper changed or nails clipped
You dislike falling down
You dislike being left in your crib
You dislike when mommy leaves the room
You dislike when I don't feed you fast enough haha
You dislike other kids that don't know how to treat babies (well..mommy doesn't like it haha)
You dislike when mommy and daddy don't share their food

You are the most amazing little girl I have ever met!! You're such a sweetheart and you're always bringing a smile to our faces! We love you more than anything in this entire world! You are growing into the most incredible little lady ever!! :)

Love, Mommy

Our Little Mover

Dear Ayden,

It's been a while since I've written to you just to tell you what's going on :) So, let's do that!

You are almost 8 months old now!!! :o Crazy! You are all over the place, baby!! haha you're such a little mover, you always have been. You learned how to crawl on July 23, 2014 and ever since then you have been going, going, going! You tire your mommy and daddy out makin us chase you all over the place :) You're so much fun though! Sometimes you'll be taking off and I'll say "Ayden come back baby!! Help mama, I need you!" and you'll just look back at me and smile slyly and just turn right back around and keep going! haha it's so cute when you do decide to come back to me and play for a minute and make sure I'm ok :)

You climb up everything!! Up the side of the couch you go, up Meeko, up daddy and me, up boxes and anything on the floor that has a little height to it haha and oh! Especially, you climb up the side of your crib! Daddy and I moved the crib down one slot because we realized you had learned to climb up it. I thought for sure that would help you stay down..yeah, no! haha I looked in one morning and you still found some way to climb up the side! You can even climb up our stairs! I did not expect that one haha You're unstoppable :) You're my little crazy, adventurous girl and I love you so much!!! :)

I think that's a good way to describe you..unstoppable. In so many ways. I think that's the way I'll explain things to you when you grow up a little. That you have always been your own person. You blaze your own path and are unstoppable! You can do anything you set your mind to! You're always surprising me with the way you do things! I'll think, "ok, she shouldn't be able to climb up that" or "it'll be a while before she gets to that point" and you're always pulling the rug out from under me and saying "what was that mom? I couldn't do what now??" haha I will not be setting limits to what you can do, girlfriend :) You're amazing and have always exceeded anything your dad or I could have imagined! I never thought I could be so blessed!! I love you so much my sweet little Bug! You have your dad and I just wrapped around your little fingers, sweetie! Ever since the first moment I saw you, I was smitten, I still am, and always will be :)

Love, Mom