Now entering the Birthday Zone.

Here's a conversation Eve had with our neighbor, Shelley.
Shelley: "Oh look Eve, an airplane! Are you going on an airplane soon?"
Eve: "With Eve's carseat." (This is true. We always get her a seat and install her carseat on the plane.)
Shelley: "Who are you going to see?"
Eve: "Papa and Grandma." (Also true- both sets.)
Shelley: "Is someone's birthday coming up?"
Eve: (blank look)
Me: "Eve, your birthday is next week."
Shelley: "How old are you going to be?"
Eve: "Two. Eve's almost two."

This is awesome for several reasons. First of all, it's a pretty robust conversation. Plus, I like to see Eve talking to people she's not directly related to. She tends to clam up when people ask her questions- I love that Shelley can pull her out of her shell a little. And it amuses me that Eve refers to herself in the third person. I do the same thing- "Eve, Mommy loves you." or "Mommy has to find her keys." It's taken over my inner thoughts, too- "Mommy could use a beer." I like that Eve has never really done the "Mine! Mine! Mine!" thing (at least not yet)... we do hear a lot of "Eve's turn!", which I think is a nice alternative.

Eve received her first present of the birthday zone today- a beautiful, reversible Cinderella doll- hold her one way, and she is wearing her rag dress- turn her over, and she is wearing her elegant ballgown. Eve fell in love immediately. I told her the story of Cinderella, and she listened intently. The second time through the story, when I said the Prince was having a ball, and Cinderella was sad that she couldn't go, Eve jumped up and said "It's over here!" She pulled a ball out of her toy bin, and pressed it into Cinderella's hands, saying "Here you go. A ball." (My heart breaks every day.)

I should also mention that despite the blank look she gave Shelley, Eve seems to understand a bit of what birthdays entail. She was quite sure that the box that had come in the mail was for her, and although she was right, I wanted to know what tipped her off. I asked, "Eve, how do you know that this box is for you?" And she replied, "Happy Birthday to Eve!"