K, you absolutely love Ernie.

The Ernie from Bert and Ernie, on Sesame Street.

You fell in love with him as a bathtub toy.

He is a bathtub toy.

Out of the 50 other toys floating around you always reach for him.

Not long after that, you began softly saying his name when you got him.

Somewhere along the line, he made it into my car.

I am not sure how he got there.

But whenever I take you and H to school, finding him in the backseat is a pleasant surprise.

I usually give him to you to play with while I buckle you into your seat.

Of course you happily hold him, but usually still squawk while I am strapping you in.

Your favorite part of getting in and out of the car is usually stopping to look at yourself in the headrest mirror attached to the seat.

You laugh and point to yourself and say “Baby.”

My lovely girl and her little Ernie.

I love you.

–Dad

K, you have your cow-licked hair up on the left side every morning.

This had gotten ridiculous.

At first, it was silly and cute.

And then it started happening every day!

We would come and get you out of your crib.

You are so happy to see us when we do.

The lamp is flipped on.

And then we see that an entire swath of your hair on the left side is sticking straight up in the air!

If mom is not home, I am usually in a hurry and end up sending you to school like that.

My beautiful girl.

I love you.

–Dad

K, in the last few weeks, you have started saying H’s name as “Parper.”

You will start looking for her.

Or, sometimes you are following her.

And then with such a soft and gentle voice, you say “Parper.”

At least that is how mom hears it.

I hear more of a B sound.

“Barper.”

Your vocabulary is just exploding.

Just over the last few weeks, I have heard:

“Lion, Pop-Pop, Cracker, Color, Hot, Dog, Poo-poo.”

Oh yeah.

That should almost be another post:

When you have one, and I ask you if you have one, you will gently pat your bottom and say “poo-poo.”

My perfect girl learning to talk.

I love you.

— Dad