"Good morning, honey!" came the chipper voice of Ashley's mother.
Ashley blinked and tried to burrow beneath her soft pink blanket, but her mother wasn't having it. Helena brought down the side of Ashley's white crib and gently pulled the blanket off from over her. From the moment her mother had seen Ashley curled up in Lizzie's pink crib, she had immediately decided to get Ashley's own crib out of the basement. Ashley had been put to sleep in her old crib that very night, and had slept in it every night for the past six months, as well as her three hour-long naps per day.
At first, Ashley had complained, or tried to. While she didn't mind the crib, as it made her feel very secure, she loved her white canopy bed. But her mother paid her wordless protests no mind. Which was easy to do, considering that Helena kept Ashley's pink pacifier in her mouth almost all the time now. Only during feedings was the pacifier popped out of Ashley's mouth and Helena popped it right back in afterward. Even then, it was only during dinner between spoonfuls of baby food made from peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, or her favorite, bananas, that she was able to talk. Otherwise, the bottles of warm milk mixed with formula were just as effective as her pacifier at keeping Ashley's mouth occupied.
"Aren't you excited, honey? You have guests today!" Helena said, smiling down at Ashley.
Ashley realized that her mother was right. She didn't have a calendar in her room, but if Ashley had guests, it must be her birthday. Her 15th birthday, to be exact. Though judging from the fact that the toddler dresses Aunt Sara had bought for her still fit her well, she hadn't grown a centimeter since. That included her pee-pee, of course. Though Ashley checked herself often, she was still entirely hairless below her eyebrows.
Above her eyebrows was a different story, however. In the past six months, Ashley's honey-blonde hair had grown out considerably, and was now down to her shoulders, to the delight of Aunt Sara. Her aunt loved to give Ashley a bath in order to towel it off, brush it, and put it into a cute style. Sara never bothered consulting Ashley about what style she may have wanted, though. Ashley simply found her blonde hair in pigtails or a french braid.
It cemented the view of her as a girl to strangers. Before, when Ashley tried to dress like a boy, strangers just assumed she was a tomboy. Something about Ashley's big eyes, slight build, smooth skin, and nervous sweetness made people think she was a girl no matter what. And now, thanks to her toddler dresses and long hair, there was no mistaking it.
Her mother and Aunt Sara had been relentless in using female pronouns for Ashley. About a month into solely being referred to as "she" or "her", Ashley started to accept it. By now, her memories of hopelessly trying to dress and act like a boy seemed weird to her. Her mother said she was a girl, and as far as Ashley was concerned, her mother was always right. So that was that.