The Name Game

Lilly is one smart little cookie. People are always shocked to learn how young she is for the type of things she can do. For instance, she basically started talking in sentences as soon as she started saying words. She also learned how to drive the kid's 4 wheeler that my parents bought for the grand kids. Ava can't even do it, but Lilly manages to hang off the side to reach the pedal, and she's pretty good at steering. Now she's asking to use the potty. The ease at which she learns things is the biggest benefit of having two kids so close together. She sees Ava learning things and wants to be just like her. She proudly reminds me everyday that she's a "big girl."

In her attempt to be more like Ava, she has decided to change Ava's name to match her own. We've all adjusted to the fact that when she says "Lilly" she means "Ava" -- to the degree that I'm now having trouble getting the two straight, and most often call them by the wrong name. I'm well aware that this is something that mother's routinely do. My own mom would have to run through the whole list of names, sometimes even the dog's, before finding the right one. The way I know that some of my mis-naming is due to Lilly's master plan is that I'm calling them both Lilly more often. Rarely do I call Lilly by the wrong name.

To make thing easier I should give up and just call them both by the same name. Then I'd never have to run through lists of names to get it right. Besides, we almost gave Ava the name Lilly. I hear that George Foreman named all his kids George, and Michael Jackson's are named Prince. Maybe instead of this being an example of their eccentricity, it's really an example of their practicality.