Bye Bye Paci

Emily's pacifier is no more. We had to let her know on Monday that her paci had gone bye bye. She looked up at me and said "paci is for night night." It was night night time so she was confused. Josh and I both explained that the paci is for babies and then told her again that it went bye bye. She looked at us like we had told her that one of her bffs was leaving and never coming back. It was truly heartbreaking but we committed to it and there was no take backsies. We battled through the first night of screaming protests and since that first night it has been considerably easier than we thought it would be. She rarely mentions it and though she struggles a little harder without it at nap time, it has been pretty easy overall. I dreaded it for so long and realized as long as you stick to your guns, it's no biggie.

2010 Emily Update

Emily is doing great. She's mostly sweet but definitely has a sassy side. If you spend the day with her, you'll most likely hear her say throughout the day "what's this?," "where did ___ go?," and "can I have it?" She has recently graduated to a "big girl bed". Really we just took the gate off her crib and converted it to a daybed. But it's still closer to a big girl bed than she had before. We anticipated her opening her door and exploring the house while we slept but she has yet to do that (it's been 2 weeks now). Next will be ditching the pacifier. I have hesitated long enough and I've committed to February as the month it's gonna happen. Right now she's only allowed to have it during night night time. Dreading it, dreading it, dreading it. After the kiss off of the pacifier, we will tackle the potty training. Right now she just thinks the potty is a toy since the one she has sings to her. And the girl can't resist her some music. She LOVES music. It tames the wild beast in her. Usually if I rock her while singing my version of Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" (which is replaced with "sweet Emmy Jane") she'll calm herself. Most of the time if I randomly start singing it, she will run to me, reach her arms out, and say "hold you." She must be held while I sing it. She also likes to sing. Whether it be a real song or a made up song. I love her made up songs the best though. She still knows her basic colors and then some and can now count to 15. I'm going to start teaching her how to recognize her letters (she can say most of the alphabet). She also understands what counting means a little better. She will see two of something and then say "two ___. " She is just getting the concept of adding one more to get 3. Though she can point and count objects, she often points at an object more than once and so counts it 2 or more times. She is such a tender hearted little girl. If she sees I'm upset (whether she's the reason I'm upset or not) she will say "I'm sorry." If she sees anyone or anything (inadament objects, such as her baby dolls to even the remote control, included) she will ask them if they're okay and then tell them it's okay. She also gets concerned for people who are upset on t.v. For example, if she sees a lady crying on t.v., she'll say "it's okay lady." Being in the presence of people is something she loves. Sometimes she needs a little while to warm up to strangers or people she doesn't know very well but once she does she becomes the center of attention. She's changed so much in the last few months. It's been so much fun seeing her grow from a baby to a little girl. Speaking of becoming a little girl, she can't leave the house without "Emmy's purse." Well,there's a lot more I could write about but I'll spare you.

Christmas '09 and Some Pics from '10

Can't believe Christmas came and went so quickly. Somehow I feel this way every year. You'd think I'd anticipate the speed with which it comes and goes by now. Anyway,Christmas was pretty spiffy. None of us were sick and Emily enjoyed opening all her presents. She particularly enjoys her plastic jewelry, her wooden food that she can "cut", and her new table and chairs set. We got to spend it at our house and at my mom and dad's house with all my sisters and their families. It was the first Christmas that gave us a glimpse of what it's like to have a child at this time of year. What I mean by that is her first Christmas she was only 3 months old and couldn't participate in the festivities. Her second Christmas she really didn't seem to care about her new toys and didn't really open any of them. She's always been so laid back about things that it really didn't seem to faze her that she had new things to play with. This year though she did open some of her presents (still a little wary about tearing things) and she enjoyed pretty much everything she got. She also learned what Santa looked like and can point him out. The reason it was only a glimpse is because next year she will actually ask us for specific things and anticipate Santa's arrival. So, it was nice this year because she enjoyed Christmas without caring exactly what she got (meaning I could get her more stuff that she needs rather than what she wants this year than maybe next year) but next year will be nice because she will be more excited for Christmas to come. Anyhoo, I got a few pictures from that morning but not too many good ones. I also posted a few pics from the last couple of weeks.

Funny Face

Special Delivery

Halloween 2009

We had a good Halloween this year. Emily helped carve a pumpkin for the first time. She thought the inside of the pumpkin was "ewww" but enjoyed putting the spoon inside of it. This year was also the first time we took her trick or treating. She went with her cousins Logan,Greyson,and Jackson (with adult supervision of course). We dressed her up like a girl from the 50s. She had herself a good time. She even said "trick or treat" a couple of times and "thank you" a few times. She enjoyed getting candy and wouldn't let us take her pumpkin full of candy from her without a fight.

Fun with Photo Editing

So, So, Suck Her Toe

2 Year Update

Having a 2 year old is both challenging and fun. Emily's personality keeps me entertained but her will to do things she shouldn't can make me want to pull my hair out. Though lately she has gotten much much better at listening (hoping this isn't a fluke). She's actually being really good and now I'm wondering how long that will last. Optimism is not one of my strong points. Not that she's not a good kid but the "terrible twos" hasn't evaded my child. Though I wish it had. And I am thanking my lucky stars that she is doing better because for a little while there I thought I was going to have to move to Syberia to avoid having a break down. Just this past week she has been more easygoing again and when I tell her no she usually obeys. She's doing some new things (by new I mean within the last couple months or so). She knows most of her basic colors (blue, green, white, pink, yellow, red, and orange), can count to 10 and sometimes 13, and she's starting to string together 3-4 word sentences. She is also starting to sing along with songs. Though she does trail off and babble when she doesn't know the words. Quite endearing if you ask me. Some funny things she's doing is she can now fake snore (taught her that one), she'll sometimes tell herself "no ma'am" when she's doing something she shouldn't, will clap for herself and say "good job Emmy" when she does something right, she likes to tickle me and Josh from time to time, feeds her baby dolls a bottle and makes sucking sounds for them, and she will sometimes try to brush my teeth with her toothbrush and say "ahh" so I'll open my mouth. Another funny thing I've noticed that is true about most two year olds is that their ability to mimic your words and actions can be hilarious. Which is kinda funny since they're just doing what you're doing yet it somehow becomes hilarious when they do it. Emily is not just a bag of fun though. She can also be very sweet. She gives us unsolicited hugs and kisses, will pat you on the back when giving you those hugs, will tell you "it's okay" when you're sad, and will get things for you if she knows where they are. So far 2 is my favorite age. Not for the temper tantrums but for being able to see her personality emerge and her mind begin to comprehend things.