She might be a Gringa after all.

There is no mistaking that my little AV is a Mexican through and through. The kid loves beans. She loves tortillas. She practices the recording from the Pan de Dulce VW bus that passes by. And, the way she says mommy sounds more like mami...and yes, there is a difference.

I was scared there for a while that my little Mexican-American might be more the former than the latter. By scared, I don't really mean scared, but nervousness bodes well for making a story just that much more enticing.

I think 2012 will be the year for AV to own her inner Gringa.

Let's start with peanut butter. Any good American (and by American, I mean someone from the USA since that's what we generally call ourselves, not because I think that the only Americans are from the USA. Take that, global perspective. Booya) grows up on PB sandwiches. Today she snacked on PB and Ritz crackers and was in heaven. Hello, little Gringa, I think I love you.

Delicious is one of her new fave words. It's not so easy to please her little palette these days, so when I hear a delicious, I'll take it. I've gotten a full on, eyes closed, looking towards heaven, can hear angels singing delicious response for three foods: the aforementioned Ritz and Skippy, Hamburgers complete with Kraft cheese slices, and fish sticks.

Fish sticks? Really, AV? You won't eat a nugget, you won't eat any other form of meat (excepting the burger), but you'll devour 5 fish sticks in one sitting? I don't even know and I probably don't want to know what part of the fish makes up the "stick." But, it's protein and if we count the ketchup as a veggie, we've got ourselves a meal.

Good thing Lent is coming up, amiga.

Ranch dressing. Does it get more gringo than that? She tried it for the first time yesterday. Dipped, sucked, dipped, sucked, dipped, got yelled at, gnawed a little on the ranch vehicle, I mean carrot stick, dipped. Classic American Kid.

Even though my little Gringa prefers to say "papas" instead of "potatoes," says "mira" but won't say "look it," and would a million times rather go the the "calle" than go out for "a ride in the car," she's got that Gringa in her. And I love it.