After her shower tonight (more on that later), Emma told us that Aurora was on the radio. At first we were confused and didn't know where she got that from. After talking with her some more, she told us, that the fairies made Aurora sing pretty and that she was very pretty so one day she would be on the radio.
The week before Thanksgiving, Emma took an interest in showering instead of bathing. Her bathroom has a detachable shower head which we routinely use to rinse her hair thoroughly. One evening, she didn't want a full bath but we wanted to rinse her off before bed and used that shower. Afterwards, she decided she liked it and asked for it several times that week. After we returned from our Thanksgiving travels, we started letting her decide if she wants a bath or a shower each night. So far, she's about 2:1 for her shower:bath decisions.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Caretaker
Over the weekend, Emma was sitting on the carpet in front of the sink eating a banana when I (carrie) groaned a bit on my way down to the floor to sit next to her. She looked at me with a very concerned look in her eye and asked if my back hurt. I said, yes a bit. Then she asked if my belly hurt and I assured her that my belly was fine and it was just my back. She thought for a quick minute and said, "Ok Mama, when I finish my 'nana, I'll rub your back." It made my heart melt and I quickly forgot several frustrating situations with her that had happened earlier in the day.
Monday, December 5, 2011
She makes us eat our words
Recently, Emma has started adding -e to many words. (For instance, "I want milky." or "Give me a huggy."or "I'm all done-y") It has been driving us insane, especially since we took great care not to use baby talk with her. I mentioned it to one of her teachers at school when she first started it and she said that Emma hadn't been doing it there. Every time she does it, we attempt to correct her and have her repeat the word correctly.
She did it again as we were cleaning up dinner tonight and making her wait her turn to get cleaned up so she could go play.
The conversation went something like this:
Emma: I'm all done-y.
Carrie: *sigh* Emma quit adding a y to words.
Kurt: Emma that's not a word. Say I'm all done. You can't just add y to the end of words.
Emma: I'm messy, as she lifts up her hands to show us and has a completely straight face.
Kurt and Carrie's thoughts: Man we can't pull ANYTHING over on this kid.
Followed by some chuckles.
Kurt: Emma are you too smart for your own good?
Emma: No! I don't think so Mister!
....where did she get that from?!?.....
Carrie: Who says that Emma?
Emma: Miss Brianna says it when she reads the book No, David!
As we laughed, Emma got the biggest smile on her face and laughed SO hard. She was incredibly proud of herself!
She did it again as we were cleaning up dinner tonight and making her wait her turn to get cleaned up so she could go play.
The conversation went something like this:
Emma: I'm all done-y.
Carrie: *sigh* Emma quit adding a y to words.
Kurt: Emma that's not a word. Say I'm all done. You can't just add y to the end of words.
Emma: I'm messy, as she lifts up her hands to show us and has a completely straight face.
Kurt and Carrie's thoughts: Man we can't pull ANYTHING over on this kid.
Followed by some chuckles.
Kurt: Emma are you too smart for your own good?
Emma: No! I don't think so Mister!
....where did she get that from?!?.....
Carrie: Who says that Emma?
Emma: Miss Brianna says it when she reads the book No, David!
As we laughed, Emma got the biggest smile on her face and laughed SO hard. She was incredibly proud of herself!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Happy Halloween!
We asked Emma back in September what she wanted to be for Halloween. She was adamant that she dress up as Strawberry Shortcake. As luck would have it, we were at a consignment sale and Kurt and Emma actually found a Strawberry Shortcake costume! Emma was very excited! She especially liked the hat. She asked every day for a week if she could wear it.
On Friday evening, we met up with a friend and went to her community center's Halloween Party. Emma and Kate, who dressed up as a bumblebee, had a good time playing together before and after the party, but Emma was very timid the whole time we were at the party. She was very apprehensive about costumes which included masks.
She was very excited to wear her costume to school on Monday for character day. She had a fun day with a costume parade and various forms of sugar. (I'm not sure I want to know exactly how much she ate, all I know is that her fingers and one eyebrow came home stained orange from a cupcake. She also told me her tummy hurt so I'm thinking she had a fair amount of junk.)
After dinner, she was excited to go out trick or treating. We got ready to head out and opened the front door just as the first group of kids was getting ready to ring the doorbell. There was a little boy dressed as the Incredible Hulk with a full mask which scared Emma. (She is not a fan of masks when she can't see the person's face.) We took her outside and went to our neighbors' who she loves but she was very shy and wouldn't say anything. After another group of kids came through and she saw how the whole process worked, she warmed up a bit and said Trick or Treat to a couple other neighbors that we see regularly.
After watching a couple more groups of kids come up to our house, she was ready to try it herself. "Mommy, I want to go to THAT house." It was super cute. At first I had to coax her but soon she would just say Trick or Treat herself and every once in while tell people she was Strawberry Shortcake. She said Thank you at every house and very carefully chose lollipops whenever they were an option. We probably went to 15 houses give or take before her pumpkin was full. Every few houses she would ask where Daddy was and we'd make our way home so that we could show him her loot.
We were very excited for this Halloween after she was so timid last year and she seemed very excited for it this year. We were so happy that she got over her initial shock of seeing the Incredible Hulk and had a great time! She told me that she can't wait for next year!
On Friday evening, we met up with a friend and went to her community center's Halloween Party. Emma and Kate, who dressed up as a bumblebee, had a good time playing together before and after the party, but Emma was very timid the whole time we were at the party. She was very apprehensive about costumes which included masks.
She was very excited to wear her costume to school on Monday for character day. She had a fun day with a costume parade and various forms of sugar. (I'm not sure I want to know exactly how much she ate, all I know is that her fingers and one eyebrow came home stained orange from a cupcake. She also told me her tummy hurt so I'm thinking she had a fair amount of junk.)
After dinner, she was excited to go out trick or treating. We got ready to head out and opened the front door just as the first group of kids was getting ready to ring the doorbell. There was a little boy dressed as the Incredible Hulk with a full mask which scared Emma. (She is not a fan of masks when she can't see the person's face.) We took her outside and went to our neighbors' who she loves but she was very shy and wouldn't say anything. After another group of kids came through and she saw how the whole process worked, she warmed up a bit and said Trick or Treat to a couple other neighbors that we see regularly.
After watching a couple more groups of kids come up to our house, she was ready to try it herself. "Mommy, I want to go to THAT house." It was super cute. At first I had to coax her but soon she would just say Trick or Treat herself and every once in while tell people she was Strawberry Shortcake. She said Thank you at every house and very carefully chose lollipops whenever they were an option. We probably went to 15 houses give or take before her pumpkin was full. Every few houses she would ask where Daddy was and we'd make our way home so that we could show him her loot.
We were very excited for this Halloween after she was so timid last year and she seemed very excited for it this year. We were so happy that she got over her initial shock of seeing the Incredible Hulk and had a great time! She told me that she can't wait for next year!
Emma's Playlist
In addition to kiddo songs that she sings at school and requests from a CD in Carrie's car, Emma has a few Top 40 songs that she loves to sing along and dance to. In the car, she will sing along and picks up more words every time she hears them. At home, she'll ask if we can play them on the computer so that she can either watch the video or dance or bounce on a ball to them. (She really enjoys dancing in just her t shirt and underwear...what girl doesn't??)
Her favorites, in preferential order are:
Hello, Martin Solveig
Party Rock Anthem, LMFAO
Pumped up Kicks , Foster the People
Superbase Nicki Minaj
I Wanna Go, Brittany Spears
In the more age appropriate genre of music, some of Emma's favorites are:
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (sometime she performs this as if she is a pirate: Twinkle Twinkle little stARRR.)
The ABCs (we're currently working on ...Q, R, S, T....instead of Q, R, X, Y and Z)
Baa Baa Black Sheep
Rain Rain Go Away
Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee
From the CD in the car, she is a big fan of
The Firetruck Song
Five Green and Speckled Frogs
and The Chicken Dance
She is also slowly beginning to clap and say the letters to DISCO (the ghetto version of BINGO)
Her favorites, in preferential order are:
Hello, Martin Solveig
Party Rock Anthem, LMFAO
Pumped up Kicks , Foster the People
Superbase Nicki Minaj
I Wanna Go, Brittany Spears
In the more age appropriate genre of music, some of Emma's favorites are:
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (sometime she performs this as if she is a pirate: Twinkle Twinkle little stARRR.)
The ABCs (we're currently working on ...Q, R, S, T....instead of Q, R, X, Y and Z)
Baa Baa Black Sheep
Rain Rain Go Away
Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee
From the CD in the car, she is a big fan of
The Firetruck Song
Five Green and Speckled Frogs
and The Chicken Dance
She is also slowly beginning to clap and say the letters to DISCO (the ghetto version of BINGO)
Television
Emma has several favorite tv shows. Her favorite of the day rotates between Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go!, Dragon Tales, and Yo Gabba Gabba. We stream all of these via Netflix on the Wii. Usually when a 23 minute episode ends, she would tell either of us that her show was over and ask for us to start another one. Within the last week, however, she has started grabbing remote, aiming at the television, and starting the next episode all by herself. Almost every time, she declares, "I did it!"
The first time Emma did it, Kurt didn't believe her and made her show him twice before he realized that it wasn't a fluke!
In the past, she has requested a specific show and every once in a while describes an episode that she's watched recently. She will now request a very specific episode, almost down to the actual episode title and we will have to scroll through the titles before we find it for her.
Yesterday Emma and Kurt had this conversation:
Emma: I need a new episode.
Kurt: Didn't you just start a new episode?
Emma: I wanted the choo-choo one. I can't do it. (She can only start the next episode in the queue, she can't scroll through the queue to find the one she wants.)
The first time Emma did it, Kurt didn't believe her and made her show him twice before he realized that it wasn't a fluke!
In the past, she has requested a specific show and every once in a while describes an episode that she's watched recently. She will now request a very specific episode, almost down to the actual episode title and we will have to scroll through the titles before we find it for her.
Yesterday Emma and Kurt had this conversation:
Emma: I need a new episode.
Kurt: Didn't you just start a new episode?
Emma: I wanted the choo-choo one. I can't do it. (She can only start the next episode in the queue, she can't scroll through the queue to find the one she wants.)
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Poll
Just a quick note in case you use a reader to view our blog. We've added a poll on the right hand side to see if everyone thinks we'll have a boy or a girl this time around.
Hopefully the baby will cooperate and will let us find out this upcoming Friday!
Hopefully the baby will cooperate and will let us find out this upcoming Friday!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Cookie Advocate
Tonight Emma was dilly-dallying while eating dinner. I really just wanted her to finish up and told her that if she finished before Daddy got home she would get a special treat. She skeptically looked at me and asked, "What kind of special treat?" I have no doubt that if I answered the incorrect item, that dinner would not have been finished. Since I had nothing specific in mind, I told her that she had to finish in order to find out. This seemed to work for a few minutes, until Kurt walked in the door. Since it was about 3 minutes after I gave her the first incentive, I didn't think it was quite fair that she didn't finish yet and told her again if she just finished she would get a treat. Kurt remembered some cookies that we had stashed away and showed them to her. As you can imagine, she quickly finished her dinner. I told Emma that Daddy was her cookie-advocate. Before bed, Kurt asked Emma who her cookie-advocate was, she promptly replied, "Daddy!" with a big smile.
Although I've known it for a while now, we are definitely in for some trouble since our 2 1/3 year old apparently has rudimentary reasoning skills. :)
Although I've known it for a while now, we are definitely in for some trouble since our 2 1/3 year old apparently has rudimentary reasoning skills. :)
The Big Room
Emma had a wonderful time spending the majority of her day in the 3-year old class room today! The day care director told me that she first asked Emma if she wanted to go to the 3-year old room and Emma said no but when her friend Layla said yes, Emma changed her mind. The director told me that Emma was not clingy at all and went right in and didn't look back. The teacher in the room, Miss Kim, told me that she did wonderful all day, she ate lunch well, napped well, and played with the other kids well. She said that Emma follows directions very well and is very polite. The vice-director told me that neither she nor Miss Kim could believe that Emma wasn't even 2 1/2 yet and that she did everything just as well as the 3 year olds.
The director told me that she hadn't really considered moving Emma up so soon, but would think about giving her more time in the 3-year old classroom since she's seen how well she does in there. This makes us happy because, Emma has always seemed to thrive whenever she's been placed with slightly older kids.
Emma was very happy on the way home from school today. Usually, I'll try to ask her about her day and she replies, "No Mommy, later," or on good days, I'll get one word responses. Today, though, she was more than willing to share. I still had to ask questions, she hasn't quite progressed to just babble about her day, but her eyes were shining when she told me that she played with Cameron and Taylor and 'that other boy.' And she was very excited that she got to play with playdough and that she made a birthday cake and a GREEN robot...with moving hands! She even shared that robots talk in a nasally voice and say, "Waaaah Waaaah Wahh!"
When Daddy called on his way home, she eagerly shared her big day with him on the phone. This is huge because Emma rarely will talk on the phone let alone for several minutes!
We're so excited that Emma had such a great experience in the 'big classroom' and hope she gets to spend some more time there soon!
The director told me that she hadn't really considered moving Emma up so soon, but would think about giving her more time in the 3-year old classroom since she's seen how well she does in there. This makes us happy because, Emma has always seemed to thrive whenever she's been placed with slightly older kids.
Emma was very happy on the way home from school today. Usually, I'll try to ask her about her day and she replies, "No Mommy, later," or on good days, I'll get one word responses. Today, though, she was more than willing to share. I still had to ask questions, she hasn't quite progressed to just babble about her day, but her eyes were shining when she told me that she played with Cameron and Taylor and 'that other boy.' And she was very excited that she got to play with playdough and that she made a birthday cake and a GREEN robot...with moving hands! She even shared that robots talk in a nasally voice and say, "Waaaah Waaaah Wahh!"
When Daddy called on his way home, she eagerly shared her big day with him on the phone. This is huge because Emma rarely will talk on the phone let alone for several minutes!
We're so excited that Emma had such a great experience in the 'big classroom' and hope she gets to spend some more time there soon!
Monday, October 3, 2011
Emma's going to be a big sister!
Like I said in the last post, we were really busy this summer and have many fun stories to share. For right now our most exciting story is that Emma is going to be a big sister around the end of March! She is very excited for her new role and has preparing by taking care of 2 dolls, Baby Sister and Baby Boy, quite well. She makes sure they get lots of sleep and likes to fed them applesauce. She also gets quite distressed when they get dirty during their meals and insists we change them. (for the record, she's just pretending on both the food and changing them since their clothes don't come off) She enjoys holding them frequently and showing them off with the sweetest voice and smile, "Mommy look at my Baby. See Mommy?"
Also for the record, Carrie is only having one baby, although we won't know for another month or so if it's a boy or girl. Currently, Emma's name choices are Sleeping Beauty, or Baby Hazel after our friends Ashley and Matt's daughter Hazel.
Carrie has felt well for the most part, just more exhausted than usual. Luckily some of that seems to be passing. Although running after a toddler is exhausting in and of itself!
Stay tuned for more about our summer as well as more current stories!
Also for the record, Carrie is only having one baby, although we won't know for another month or so if it's a boy or girl. Currently, Emma's name choices are Sleeping Beauty, or Baby Hazel after our friends Ashley and Matt's daughter Hazel.
Carrie has felt well for the most part, just more exhausted than usual. Luckily some of that seems to be passing. Although running after a toddler is exhausting in and of itself!
Stay tuned for more about our summer as well as more current stories!
Pictures....FINALLY!
Obviously I'm ridiculously far behind on the blog, hopefully you haven't given up on us completely. I have many stories from our very busy summer to share! Hopefully these albums will make you smile until I can write some stories!
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| Split Rock - 4th of July |
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| Blueberry Picnic! |
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| Emma in July |
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| Emma at the Beach! |
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| Emma in August |
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Then and Now...
Emma and Calvin's first date:
1-2 weeks old
(14 June 2009)
Many dates later:
1-2 weeks old(14 June 2009)
Many dates later:
2 years and 2-3 weeks old(19 June 2011)
My how time flies! They were WAY easier to photograph when they were brand new! They were laying across the pack and play in the first picture and longways in the 2nd. My how time flies and kiddos grow!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Nap Time or Gymnastics Time?
Getting Emma down for a nap has always been a nightmare, today was no exception.
Backing up, yesterday I had the brilliant idea that Emma and I would get up, eat breakfast, and then head right out to "the big park" which she has been asking to visit for 2 days now in the hopes of tiring her out and making nap time go smoothly. We ended up having a slower morning than intended, but she was happy playing and watching Dora while I did a few chores. At any rate, we were outside at 8:45. Emma sprinted down the steps while I struggled to get the jogging stroller which she had asked to ride in out of the house and down the steps. As she's watching me, she said, "Come on Mommy! Go BIG park, ride swings, go FAST!"
We played at the big park for a while, walked around a pond, played at a smaller park for about 3.5 minutes, and threw leaves off a bridge into the stream. At this point, Emma asked to back to the big park and climbed back into the stroller. When we got there, she DID NOT want to be there...little girl was getting tired! As I pushed her home, she fell asleep and ended up sleeping in the stroller for about 15 minutes. I attempted to transfer her into her bed, but of course she popped right up and was ready for a snack!
After lunch, I could tell she was tired, but was fighting it. I sat with her and watched a Dora hoping that would calm her down. It didn't. She wouldn't let me take her into the cool dark basement and wriggled away from me and back up the steps screaming the whole time. I tried laying down with her in the guest bed, in our bed. Nothing worked. I asked if she wanted her pack and play. She said yes. I put her in, she said, "Bye bye Mommy." So I kissed her and left. Next thing I hear is Emma crying...and it's getting louder, not because she's increasing in volume but because she's getting closer! Little monkey climbed out of her pack and play! I took her back upstairs and put her back in...she immediately vaulted back out. It was pretty impressive. I put her back in and rubbed her back for about 30 seconds and she was out.....finally! Here's hoping she gets a good 2 hours in!
Backing up, yesterday I had the brilliant idea that Emma and I would get up, eat breakfast, and then head right out to "the big park" which she has been asking to visit for 2 days now in the hopes of tiring her out and making nap time go smoothly. We ended up having a slower morning than intended, but she was happy playing and watching Dora while I did a few chores. At any rate, we were outside at 8:45. Emma sprinted down the steps while I struggled to get the jogging stroller which she had asked to ride in out of the house and down the steps. As she's watching me, she said, "Come on Mommy! Go BIG park, ride swings, go FAST!"
We played at the big park for a while, walked around a pond, played at a smaller park for about 3.5 minutes, and threw leaves off a bridge into the stream. At this point, Emma asked to back to the big park and climbed back into the stroller. When we got there, she DID NOT want to be there...little girl was getting tired! As I pushed her home, she fell asleep and ended up sleeping in the stroller for about 15 minutes. I attempted to transfer her into her bed, but of course she popped right up and was ready for a snack!
After lunch, I could tell she was tired, but was fighting it. I sat with her and watched a Dora hoping that would calm her down. It didn't. She wouldn't let me take her into the cool dark basement and wriggled away from me and back up the steps screaming the whole time. I tried laying down with her in the guest bed, in our bed. Nothing worked. I asked if she wanted her pack and play. She said yes. I put her in, she said, "Bye bye Mommy." So I kissed her and left. Next thing I hear is Emma crying...and it's getting louder, not because she's increasing in volume but because she's getting closer! Little monkey climbed out of her pack and play! I took her back upstairs and put her back in...she immediately vaulted back out. It was pretty impressive. I put her back in and rubbed her back for about 30 seconds and she was out.....finally! Here's hoping she gets a good 2 hours in!
Morning Snuggle Time!
This morning, Emma padded into my bedroom when she woke up. Although we're trying really hard not to bring her into bed with us, I did bring her into bed to snuggle for a few minutes before we got up for the day. She immediately laid down on the pillow on her side with her hands up under her face and smiled. She was gorgeous! As I laid there and woke up slowly, she would lean over from time to time and give me a quick kiss on the cheek or on the lips. It was one of the best ways to wake up!
One of my favorite things....
Kinda weird but...the smell of hours old sunscreen and dried toddler sweat on a happy, snuggly kid. (I'm relatively sure that the kid has to be mine for me to appreciate this.)
Friday, June 17, 2011
All better!
After a brief rain shower this evening, Emma convinced me that we should go outside. We walked, skipped, ran, and walked backwards until we got to the park. Emma didn't believe that the park would be wet. Specifically she said, "I see it Mommy." The slides and the swings were indeed wet. When Emma saw this, she picked up a stick and said, "Time to clean up. I make it all better." She then proceeded to 'clean up' all three slides and a climbing wall with her small stick. She also dumped the water off all three swings. We ended up playing there for a while, because, although it was wet, it was also 80 degrees, so I figured it wouldn't hurt her too much. She enjoyed getting her hands wet. Towards the end of our time there, her friend Natalie and her parents came out to the park and the girls had fun playing (not necessarily together, but at least at the same time!)
This was the first time that I've heard her use the I make it all better sentence. It was cute!
This was the first time that I've heard her use the I make it all better sentence. It was cute!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
2 year stats
Emma had her 2 year well check today. She is a little on the small side at 26 pounds (45th percentile) and 33 inches tall (25th percentile) but the doctor said not to worry about it and that she likely will even out in the next year or so. Emma was very brave and did great getting weighed and having her height taken. She even let the nurse listen to her heart without a fight. By the time the doctor came in though, Emma started getting antsy and was a little fussy. The doctor did her exam with Emma wigging the whole time. Emma had a 2nd Hepatitis A vaccine and will now be good on vaccines until she's 4 (aside from the flu shot which she will be able to get via flu mist this fall).
The doctor assured us that Emma is right on target and perhaps a little advanced developmentally for her age. We learned that we're not supposed to pressure her to use a potty for her BMs and that sometimes it takes at least a year until kids can master that. The doctor also gave us a few discipline pointers to try to get Emma to stop hitting us when she gets mad or frustrated and told us that the biggest way to mitigate tantrums is to watch for clues such as hunger/tiredness/general over stimulation.
Although we know that Emma is thriving, it's always nice to have an 'expert' chime in and tell you so too!
The doctor assured us that Emma is right on target and perhaps a little advanced developmentally for her age. We learned that we're not supposed to pressure her to use a potty for her BMs and that sometimes it takes at least a year until kids can master that. The doctor also gave us a few discipline pointers to try to get Emma to stop hitting us when she gets mad or frustrated and told us that the biggest way to mitigate tantrums is to watch for clues such as hunger/tiredness/general over stimulation.
Although we know that Emma is thriving, it's always nice to have an 'expert' chime in and tell you so too!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Science Experiment
I am proud to announce that Emma completed her first science experiment tonight!
We on our way home from the park when Emma fell on the sidewalk and scraped up her knee pretty badly. She immediately started crying and told me that she needed ice. (She also told me that she needed her bike as well as bubbles before deciding that ice was what was going to make her knee feel better.) I put a couple ice cubes in a baggie and she decided they were too big and relatively quickly was distracted by something else. A short time later, she wanted to try to ice her knee again and I suggested that we take the ice with us for her bath. She had a great time watching the ice get smaller and melt. Each ice cube's life ended with, "Where did it go?" complete with her little palms facing upwards. It was very cute! We talked about how water freezes to become ice and then when ice gets warm, it melts back into water. Oh, how I can't wait for more experiments!!
We on our way home from the park when Emma fell on the sidewalk and scraped up her knee pretty badly. She immediately started crying and told me that she needed ice. (She also told me that she needed her bike as well as bubbles before deciding that ice was what was going to make her knee feel better.) I put a couple ice cubes in a baggie and she decided they were too big and relatively quickly was distracted by something else. A short time later, she wanted to try to ice her knee again and I suggested that we take the ice with us for her bath. She had a great time watching the ice get smaller and melt. Each ice cube's life ended with, "Where did it go?" complete with her little palms facing upwards. It was very cute! We talked about how water freezes to become ice and then when ice gets warm, it melts back into water. Oh, how I can't wait for more experiments!!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Big Girl Bed
Since we had driven up to Pennsylvania separately, we each stopped at different places for errands on the way home. Kurt intended to just stop for gas, but Emma said she wanted to go into a store. Since Emma has Daddy wrapped around her little finger, they went into Walmart for a bit to wander around. Their wandering led them to toddler beds and they ended up bringing one home. Emma was very proud that she helped pick it out and if you ask her, she'll probably tell you that she put it together herself. ;) She did hold some of the pieces and told us that she was helping....over and over again. (Daddy, I helping. Daddy, I helping.) :) She was very excited once it was put together and immediately started to try to bounce on it. We quickly told her that was not good. She seemed to go to bed fine tonight in it, but she was exhausted, so we'll see how it goes tomorrow.
(A few weeks ago, she did sleep on her mattress on the floor for a week. Exactly a week after I put the mattress on the floor, she asked for it to be put back in her crib.)
We had intended on just getting her a regular twin size bed and not using a toddler bed, but the toddler bed was easy and cheap. (Easy meaning, Kurt threw it in his car and we didn't have to worry about delivery or making things fit.) Also, I think it's making the transition from Emma being a baby to a big girl easier for both Mom and Dad!
(A few weeks ago, she did sleep on her mattress on the floor for a week. Exactly a week after I put the mattress on the floor, she asked for it to be put back in her crib.)
We had intended on just getting her a regular twin size bed and not using a toddler bed, but the toddler bed was easy and cheap. (Easy meaning, Kurt threw it in his car and we didn't have to worry about delivery or making things fit.) Also, I think it's making the transition from Emma being a baby to a big girl easier for both Mom and Dad!
Grandma and Papa's Birthday Celebration
Emma had a great time at Papa and Grandma's. All the kids were home to help celebrate their parents' birthdays and Emma got loads of attention from everyone. Within minutes of Emma and I walking into the house, Papa had whisked her away and they headed down to the creek to throw stones into the water. In the afternoon, Emma helped Grandma and Aunt Katie make Papa his birthday cake. After dinner, Emma went to the grocery store with Daddy and Papa to pick up some last minute items.
Emma slept like a rock in Grandma and Papa's room and didn't move during thunderstorms. In the morning, she woke up dry, used the potty, and snuggled for a while in bed with them before getting up and helping Grandma make pancakes. When I woke up and walked upstairs, I saw Emma sitting in her little chair at a table on the deck with her 2nd breakfast plate full of pancakes, a water cup, and a milk cup complete with a flower straw! Grandma's B&B was in full swing! :)
Emma also had fun riding her new tricycle in the garage in the morning with Grandma, Papa, and Aunt Rachel. Aunt Rachel braided her hair after Aunt Katie helped her get dressed to go down to the creek to play with bubbles for a while.
Emma slept like a rock in Grandma and Papa's room and didn't move during thunderstorms. In the morning, she woke up dry, used the potty, and snuggled for a while in bed with them before getting up and helping Grandma make pancakes. When I woke up and walked upstairs, I saw Emma sitting in her little chair at a table on the deck with her 2nd breakfast plate full of pancakes, a water cup, and a milk cup complete with a flower straw! Grandma's B&B was in full swing! :)
Emma also had fun riding her new tricycle in the garage in the morning with Grandma, Papa, and Aunt Rachel. Aunt Rachel braided her hair after Aunt Katie helped her get dressed to go down to the creek to play with bubbles for a while.
Calvin's 2nd Birthday!
On Saturday, Emma and Carrie helped Calvin celebrate his 2nd birthday at Elioak Petting Farm. It was a fantastically sunny morning and the kids had a ton of fun running around and seeing, feeding, and petting the animals. Emma particularly liked the calf and a bunny. The rest of the time I spent trying to convince her to get off the toys and go find the group to see what animal they were looking at next. After the animals, we went on a tractor ride. Emma was very impressed by this and said several times, "I'm on a tractor!" Only towards the end did she get antsy. Hopefully, this Halloween, she'll remember how fun the tractor ride is and we'll be able to enjoy a hay ride! Following the tractor ride, we went on a cow train. Emma found this very fun. I folded myself into one of the cars and sat with Emma. I didn't trust her to go by herself. I was worried that about 1/3 of the way through the ride, she would decide she was "all done" and try to get up and/or get out of the moving car. The rest of the kiddos did great on the ride by themselves, and I'm pretty sure I was just being an over protective Mom.
After some pizza and juice, Calvin opened his gifts. He has a lot of fun trucks and diggers that Emma thinks will be very fun to play with on their next play date! Following the gifts, Emma helped sing Happy Birthday to Calvin before he blew out his candles and everyone dug into some delicious cake! Emma and Calvin were sitting beside each other eating their cake and all of a sudden, Emma got down from the picnic table bench, told me that Calvin needed his water cup and scampered up onto another bench to grab his cup from the table. When she handed it to Calvin, he said, "Thanks!" Apparently, these very grown-up 2year olds had a conversation that none of the adults heard and took matters into their own hands!
Emma had fun running around for a couple minutes before we packed up and headed up to Grandma and Papa's house for the rest of the weekend. The poor girl was so tired, she got very upset when I told her she wasn't big enough to sit in the front seat with me. She bawled for quite a while and insisted on holding my hand to calm down. (For a Mom with short appendages, it was quite a feat to drive and hold her hand for several miles!) She finally went to sleep about 20 minutes into our trip.
Potty story of the day:
When we first arrived at the farm, Emma told me that she had to go potty. We went to the bathrooms which were port-a-potties. When I opened the lid, she looked down with a horrified face and said, "No thank you Mommy," and walked right back out. Poor girl may have been slightly traumatized by that. However, she did stay dry the entire time we were there!
After some pizza and juice, Calvin opened his gifts. He has a lot of fun trucks and diggers that Emma thinks will be very fun to play with on their next play date! Following the gifts, Emma helped sing Happy Birthday to Calvin before he blew out his candles and everyone dug into some delicious cake! Emma and Calvin were sitting beside each other eating their cake and all of a sudden, Emma got down from the picnic table bench, told me that Calvin needed his water cup and scampered up onto another bench to grab his cup from the table. When she handed it to Calvin, he said, "Thanks!" Apparently, these very grown-up 2year olds had a conversation that none of the adults heard and took matters into their own hands!
Emma had fun running around for a couple minutes before we packed up and headed up to Grandma and Papa's house for the rest of the weekend. The poor girl was so tired, she got very upset when I told her she wasn't big enough to sit in the front seat with me. She bawled for quite a while and insisted on holding my hand to calm down. (For a Mom with short appendages, it was quite a feat to drive and hold her hand for several miles!) She finally went to sleep about 20 minutes into our trip.
Potty story of the day:
When we first arrived at the farm, Emma told me that she had to go potty. We went to the bathrooms which were port-a-potties. When I opened the lid, she looked down with a horrified face and said, "No thank you Mommy," and walked right back out. Poor girl may have been slightly traumatized by that. However, she did stay dry the entire time we were there!
Monday, May 30, 2011
A couple cute pictures from today
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| All set to go outside on a 90 degree day! |
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| All set for the pool! (Thanks Kate for the swimsuit and hat!) |
The Cake!
As a followup to my Disaster Cake post, I am very happy to announce that Emma's actual cake turned out amazing, *ahem*, if I do say so myself. Luckily, I had all the icing made and started icing and then decorating the cake around 8:30 after Emma went to bed and finished at 10:50 (cleanup took until about 11:30 :( ). Kurt was wonderful moral support and helped me with a few spatial relations issues as well as Dora's hands which were a bit tricky. I was pretty impressed with myself and think that the cake did resemble Dora (albeit Dora wearing eyeliner) pretty well.
Also, I was pretty proud of myself for making Backpack Party favors. I did see the idea online, but created them myself.
See for yourself!
Also, I was pretty proud of myself for making Backpack Party favors. I did see the idea online, but created them myself.
Happy Birthday Emma!
Emma had a fantastic 2nd Birthday!
In the morning, she wore the Birthday Princess outfit that she wore on Friday and had fun watching us decorate the house for her party that afternoon. The best quote from her was when we were putting streamers up in the living room. She looked up and said, "Man! Awesome!" completely unprompted. It was fantastic! She was very excited when Kurt came home with balloons as well.
Emma got a pink and purple tricycle from us for her gift this year. She's been asking for a bike for almost a year now. Earlier this spring, she clarified that she wanted a pink and purple bike and that a red bike simply would not do. She had a lot of fun trying it out inside and then made it about 1/4 of the way to the park before she decided that walking was easier and that Mommy should carry the bike. *sigh* We're sure she'll get the hang of it soon, and that we'll be racing to catch up!
I went into wake Emma up from her nap around 2:45 and found her already awake, probably laying there thinking what a big girl she is! We changed her into her party dress and she insisted on wearing her shorts underneath for almost her whole party. She was slow to warm up to Grandma, Great Grandma and Rachel who had come in before she woke up. She was fine by the time her friends started arriving at 3pm. She had a great time with all her friends, and we heard her saying a few times, "Calvin, Cameron, and Max are at Emma's house!" (For the past week, after school, she has been telling us very excitedly that "Cameron is coming to Emma's house. Max is coming to Emma's house. Connor is coming to Emma's house." She was VERY excited to have her friends over!)
There were 7 kids and about 15 adults in total and we think everything went pretty well. We had pizza, watermelon, veggies, punch and juice boxes, and cake & ice cream. The kids had fun playing and coloring and there weren't any major breakdowns. Emma has very loving family and friends and got very fun gifts. All the kids got to leave with a balloon and a 'backpack' party bag.
The day went by so quickly, but we all had a great time and we hope all our guests did too!
Here are a few more pictures of the day!
In the morning, she wore the Birthday Princess outfit that she wore on Friday and had fun watching us decorate the house for her party that afternoon. The best quote from her was when we were putting streamers up in the living room. She looked up and said, "Man! Awesome!" completely unprompted. It was fantastic! She was very excited when Kurt came home with balloons as well.
Emma got a pink and purple tricycle from us for her gift this year. She's been asking for a bike for almost a year now. Earlier this spring, she clarified that she wanted a pink and purple bike and that a red bike simply would not do. She had a lot of fun trying it out inside and then made it about 1/4 of the way to the park before she decided that walking was easier and that Mommy should carry the bike. *sigh* We're sure she'll get the hang of it soon, and that we'll be racing to catch up!
I went into wake Emma up from her nap around 2:45 and found her already awake, probably laying there thinking what a big girl she is! We changed her into her party dress and she insisted on wearing her shorts underneath for almost her whole party. She was slow to warm up to Grandma, Great Grandma and Rachel who had come in before she woke up. She was fine by the time her friends started arriving at 3pm. She had a great time with all her friends, and we heard her saying a few times, "Calvin, Cameron, and Max are at Emma's house!" (For the past week, after school, she has been telling us very excitedly that "Cameron is coming to Emma's house. Max is coming to Emma's house. Connor is coming to Emma's house." She was VERY excited to have her friends over!)
There were 7 kids and about 15 adults in total and we think everything went pretty well. We had pizza, watermelon, veggies, punch and juice boxes, and cake & ice cream. The kids had fun playing and coloring and there weren't any major breakdowns. Emma has very loving family and friends and got very fun gifts. All the kids got to leave with a balloon and a 'backpack' party bag.
The day went by so quickly, but we all had a great time and we hope all our guests did too!
Here are a few more pictures of the day!
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| Backpack party favors in the background and the Dora cake I made |
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| Blowing out the candle! She's asked us to practice for days! |
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| Her presents |
Action Packed Weekend
Although Emma didn't turn 2 until Sunday, we had an action packed weekend which started on Friday afternoon!
Emma wore her princess birthday outfit and took cupcakes into school with her on Friday. She was very excited for her outfit! That afternoon, her class had a Spring Fling for all the parents and to say good bye to one of her teachers. The theme revolved around water -- the kids wore animal hats, carried fish shapes on popsicle sticks, and "swam" to Under the Sea. Emma has a bit of stage fright and so instead of "swimming" with all her friends, she stood in the corner and picked her nose for the entire 20 minute show. We were so proud!
On Saturday, Emma's friend, Shannon, and her parents came over to play in the morning. The girls had a lot of fun playing at the park, looking at ants, and playing in Emma's kitchen. The playdate thoroughly wore Emma out and she took a good nap so that we were able to get a few chores done for Emma's party. After her nap, we went to the kiddie pool, which Emma has been talking about nonstop for at least a week. She kept saying, "I want to swim with the babies." It took us about 10 minutes to coax her into the water. She ended up having a lot of fun after a few timid minutes. She kept saying that she was swimming when in fact she was just marching through the water like the kids entered the room for their presentation on Friday. She did have a scary experience when she was walking towards Kurt and lost her balance and fell three times before he was able to get to her. She was fine, just scared out of her mind. We got her over that then, Kurt held her on his knees and had her kick her feet and doggy paddle which she thought was fun for a few minutes. We also took her into the regular pool and she was NOT happy! She kept saying, "OUT! OUT! OUT!" And back to the kiddie pool we went!
That evening we went to the local volunteer fireman's carnival. As soon as we entered, Emma was enthralled by all the rides! Unfortunately, she was only tall enough for 2 rides, the carousel and a train ride. We took her on the train twice. She loved it. Every time around, she would wave to Daddy, blow a kiss, or say "Choo Choo!" complete with an arm movement. We're excited for next year, when she should have a few more rides to choose from.
Sunday was Emma's 2nd Birthday! (See next post)
On Monday, Emma slept in until almost 8!! This was a VERY nice present for Mommy and Daddy!! In the morning, we ran a few errands, and stopped at Chick-Fil-A for lunch. Emma eagerly gobbled her up her nuggets and fruit and then headed into the playground. She was very determined to go on the big kids climbing toy to get to the slide. Unfortunately, she slipped and fell a few steps down as she was trying to hoist herself up to a higher platform. She didn't get hurt, well, maybe her pride got hurt a little bit, and we convinced her to give it another go. Kurt helped boost her up and she was able to make it to the top. She was very upset when we told her it was time to head home! After her nap, we went to the pool again. She had a great time with some little pool balls that Kurt picked up for her. She made friends with a couple little boys and girl who were there and had a lot of fun playing catch with them. We're very excited that she is liking the pool this summer...we think we'll be spending a lot of time there!
Emma wore her princess birthday outfit and took cupcakes into school with her on Friday. She was very excited for her outfit! That afternoon, her class had a Spring Fling for all the parents and to say good bye to one of her teachers. The theme revolved around water -- the kids wore animal hats, carried fish shapes on popsicle sticks, and "swam" to Under the Sea. Emma has a bit of stage fright and so instead of "swimming" with all her friends, she stood in the corner and picked her nose for the entire 20 minute show. We were so proud!
On Saturday, Emma's friend, Shannon, and her parents came over to play in the morning. The girls had a lot of fun playing at the park, looking at ants, and playing in Emma's kitchen. The playdate thoroughly wore Emma out and she took a good nap so that we were able to get a few chores done for Emma's party. After her nap, we went to the kiddie pool, which Emma has been talking about nonstop for at least a week. She kept saying, "I want to swim with the babies." It took us about 10 minutes to coax her into the water. She ended up having a lot of fun after a few timid minutes. She kept saying that she was swimming when in fact she was just marching through the water like the kids entered the room for their presentation on Friday. She did have a scary experience when she was walking towards Kurt and lost her balance and fell three times before he was able to get to her. She was fine, just scared out of her mind. We got her over that then, Kurt held her on his knees and had her kick her feet and doggy paddle which she thought was fun for a few minutes. We also took her into the regular pool and she was NOT happy! She kept saying, "OUT! OUT! OUT!" And back to the kiddie pool we went!
That evening we went to the local volunteer fireman's carnival. As soon as we entered, Emma was enthralled by all the rides! Unfortunately, she was only tall enough for 2 rides, the carousel and a train ride. We took her on the train twice. She loved it. Every time around, she would wave to Daddy, blow a kiss, or say "Choo Choo!" complete with an arm movement. We're excited for next year, when she should have a few more rides to choose from.
Sunday was Emma's 2nd Birthday! (See next post)
On Monday, Emma slept in until almost 8!! This was a VERY nice present for Mommy and Daddy!! In the morning, we ran a few errands, and stopped at Chick-Fil-A for lunch. Emma eagerly gobbled her up her nuggets and fruit and then headed into the playground. She was very determined to go on the big kids climbing toy to get to the slide. Unfortunately, she slipped and fell a few steps down as she was trying to hoist herself up to a higher platform. She didn't get hurt, well, maybe her pride got hurt a little bit, and we convinced her to give it another go. Kurt helped boost her up and she was able to make it to the top. She was very upset when we told her it was time to head home! After her nap, we went to the pool again. She had a great time with some little pool balls that Kurt picked up for her. She made friends with a couple little boys and girl who were there and had a lot of fun playing catch with them. We're very excited that she is liking the pool this summer...we think we'll be spending a lot of time there!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Disaster Cake
A few weeks ago, we asked Emma what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday. Instead of the chocolate or vanilla answer I expected, she promptly responded with, "A Dora cake!" And so the theme of her 2nd birthday party was decided. I wanted to use my new cake decorating skills to make Emma's cake and thought it was in my best interest to practice the cake prior to Emma's party to help alleviate potential probable tears. I found the perfect picture of Dora to use, and got all the right food coloring together. I baked the cake yesterday and planned to ice it tonight. Instead of the icing recipe that I learned in class, I got adventurous (like Dora herself) and tried a new recipe which a coworker passed to me. While the recipe is very delicious, unfortunately, I couldn't get it thick enough to adequately ice the cake and set for me to do a piping gel transfer technique. Oh well, luckily I still have 5 more nights to practice before the big day! I'm sure Kurt's coworkers will still gobble it up though no matter what it looks like!
*sigh* Live and learn. But yay for me planning ahead! :)
On the plus side, I now have all the icing colors made for icing Dora! I think tomorrow night, I'll just practice on wax paper instead of making another whole cake. Plus that way, I can reuse the icing afterwards!
Here's a picture of the disaster cake:
*sigh* Live and learn. But yay for me planning ahead! :)
On the plus side, I now have all the icing colors made for icing Dora! I think tomorrow night, I'll just practice on wax paper instead of making another whole cake. Plus that way, I can reuse the icing afterwards!
Here's a picture of the disaster cake:
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Big Day
Emma had a big day yesterday.
In the morning, I took the mattress out of her crib to change the sheet. After I finished, she pretended to sleep on it and I ended up leaving it on the floor of her room. A little while later, Kurt her to the post office and to get me flowers (aww!) and she was ready for an early nap when they got home. She ended up sleeping on the mattress on the floor and seemed to like it.
After she woke up, we met Calvin, Melanie, and Adam at Child Fest. Emma had fun playing with Calvin in the atrium before going into the auditorium to meet ELMO! Although Emma was excited to see Elmo, she seemed more interested in finding Calvin a few rows up as well as looking around at the huge crowd. She was very well behaved the entire time and listened to us a few times we had to ask her to stop something that was dangerous (i.e. walking on a wall that had a 3 foot drop, and running up and down brick steps).
It wasn't raining when we got home and we walked her down to the Street Fest. Emma loved seeing the climbing wall and really wanted to try. It took us a while to convince her that she was too little and maybe next year she would be big enough. She liked walking with us while we checked out local vendors and even got to pick out a new barrette! She had a lot of fun dancing to some music and watching some local gymnasts demonstrate their handsprings, jumps, and hand walking. Emma repeatedly would walk towards the mats and say, "I do it." I picked up a brochure and might take her try out a "Mommy and Me class in the next few weeks.
After we got back, Emma got to put on some training pants and impressed us when she stayed dry all evening long! Even after another walk out to the street fest when Mommy got hungry for a funnel cake!
After bath time, we asked Emma if she wanted us to put her mattress back in her crib or if she wanted to sleep on the mattress like it was a big girl bed. She was adamant that she wanted a big girl bed. She went down relatively smoothly and stayed in her bed all night long! The mattress is still on the floor and she napped there again today and went to bed there again tonight. Looks like Mommy and Daddy need to go shopping for a real big girl bed soon!
In the morning, I took the mattress out of her crib to change the sheet. After I finished, she pretended to sleep on it and I ended up leaving it on the floor of her room. A little while later, Kurt her to the post office and to get me flowers (aww!) and she was ready for an early nap when they got home. She ended up sleeping on the mattress on the floor and seemed to like it.
After she woke up, we met Calvin, Melanie, and Adam at Child Fest. Emma had fun playing with Calvin in the atrium before going into the auditorium to meet ELMO! Although Emma was excited to see Elmo, she seemed more interested in finding Calvin a few rows up as well as looking around at the huge crowd. She was very well behaved the entire time and listened to us a few times we had to ask her to stop something that was dangerous (i.e. walking on a wall that had a 3 foot drop, and running up and down brick steps).
It wasn't raining when we got home and we walked her down to the Street Fest. Emma loved seeing the climbing wall and really wanted to try. It took us a while to convince her that she was too little and maybe next year she would be big enough. She liked walking with us while we checked out local vendors and even got to pick out a new barrette! She had a lot of fun dancing to some music and watching some local gymnasts demonstrate their handsprings, jumps, and hand walking. Emma repeatedly would walk towards the mats and say, "I do it." I picked up a brochure and might take her try out a "Mommy and Me class in the next few weeks.
After we got back, Emma got to put on some training pants and impressed us when she stayed dry all evening long! Even after another walk out to the street fest when Mommy got hungry for a funnel cake!
After bath time, we asked Emma if she wanted us to put her mattress back in her crib or if she wanted to sleep on the mattress like it was a big girl bed. She was adamant that she wanted a big girl bed. She went down relatively smoothly and stayed in her bed all night long! The mattress is still on the floor and she napped there again today and went to bed there again tonight. Looks like Mommy and Daddy need to go shopping for a real big girl bed soon!
New Pictures!
Here are links to pictures from the last few months.
Enjoy!
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| Emma in January |
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| Emma in February |
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| Emma in March |
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| Emma in April |
Friday, April 29, 2011
23 months old!
It's very hard to believe that Emma is 23 months old today!
As we've said before, Emma continues to amaze us.
- Her vocabulary and pronunciation continue to get better and better.
- She has definite opinions on what she eats and what she wears.
- One week she insisted on wearing pink and only pink every day.
-There have been several series of days that Emma will only eat one thing. I am pretty sure that she had mac and cheese every day for a week. This week, she has wanted pasta for dinner for the past 3 days!
- Generally, Emma is happy when Kurt drops her off at daycare which is a welcome change from when she was clinging to us like super glue and fussing every morning. She is doing great in the 2-year old room and participates in all the activities.
- Earlier this week, the 3 of us were at the grocery store and Kurt and I were debating between two items while walking down an aisle and Emma was having fun taking long strides between colored tiles and babbling. All of a sudden we realized that she was counting! She counted from 1 to 11 correctly! She continued on to at least 13, but wasn't able to pronounce them very distinctly at all.
-Emma has recently started addressing people while she is talking. For instance, if I'm helping her with breakfast when Kurt comes into the kitchen, she's look at him and say, "I'm having special K, (pause for effect) DAD!" Or in the car, I'll turn to look at her while we're at stop lights and she's point her finger at me and say, "Turn around, (pause for effect) MOM!" The pauses are hysterical! We'll have to try to get a video soon. When we were at Carrie's parents', Emma finished some grapes and asked for more. I told her she had had enough for the time being. She turned to Tricey (one of my parents' dogs) and said, "I need more grapes, DOG!" I asked if she thought Tricey was going to get her more grapes, she solemnly said, "I do." I laughed for quite a while over that one.
- Emma is starting to make more complex sentences. The other day we got home after work/school and our neighbor, Gabby, was outside playing. After I took our things inside, Emma and I went back out but Gabby had to go in to do some chores. Emma was dismayed. She said to me, "I need (to) see Abby." (Emma can't say the G-sound very well and calls Gabby Abby) This is one example, but I've noticed several other instances recently where she will use a compound verb where previously she would have just said, I need Gabby.
As we've said before, Emma continues to amaze us.
- Her vocabulary and pronunciation continue to get better and better.
- She has definite opinions on what she eats and what she wears.
- One week she insisted on wearing pink and only pink every day.
-There have been several series of days that Emma will only eat one thing. I am pretty sure that she had mac and cheese every day for a week. This week, she has wanted pasta for dinner for the past 3 days!
- Generally, Emma is happy when Kurt drops her off at daycare which is a welcome change from when she was clinging to us like super glue and fussing every morning. She is doing great in the 2-year old room and participates in all the activities.
- Earlier this week, the 3 of us were at the grocery store and Kurt and I were debating between two items while walking down an aisle and Emma was having fun taking long strides between colored tiles and babbling. All of a sudden we realized that she was counting! She counted from 1 to 11 correctly! She continued on to at least 13, but wasn't able to pronounce them very distinctly at all.
-Emma has recently started addressing people while she is talking. For instance, if I'm helping her with breakfast when Kurt comes into the kitchen, she's look at him and say, "I'm having special K, (pause for effect) DAD!" Or in the car, I'll turn to look at her while we're at stop lights and she's point her finger at me and say, "Turn around, (pause for effect) MOM!" The pauses are hysterical! We'll have to try to get a video soon. When we were at Carrie's parents', Emma finished some grapes and asked for more. I told her she had had enough for the time being. She turned to Tricey (one of my parents' dogs) and said, "I need more grapes, DOG!" I asked if she thought Tricey was going to get her more grapes, she solemnly said, "I do." I laughed for quite a while over that one.
- Emma is starting to make more complex sentences. The other day we got home after work/school and our neighbor, Gabby, was outside playing. After I took our things inside, Emma and I went back out but Gabby had to go in to do some chores. Emma was dismayed. She said to me, "I need (to) see Abby." (Emma can't say the G-sound very well and calls Gabby Abby) This is one example, but I've noticed several other instances recently where she will use a compound verb where previously she would have just said, I need Gabby.
Princess!
Even Emma got excited about the Royal Wedding today! I do admit that I might* have had something to do with her excitement.
After I went through my normal morning routine, I turned the television on and was excited to see that I was tuning in right as William and Kate were starting to say their vows. A few minutes later, Emma woke up and as we walked downstairs, I asked if she wanted to see a princess. (I do know that Kate isn't a Princess, but a Duchess, however, I thought the semantics might be lost on my 23 month old.) She said she did. By this point, the ceremony was going on and cameras were panning around the cathedral, and not just focused on the bride and groom. Eventually, the camera did pan back to them and I pointed out Kate and said she was a princess. I could see the wheels turning as she tried to figure out why this princess did not look like Snow White, Cinderella, or Ariel. :) After she accepted that she was infact a princess, every time the camera panned away from the couple, Emma would ask, "Where's the princess?" complete with upturned hands. This evening, Kurt was using his laptop and Emma climbed up to sit beside him and demanded to see pictures of the princess before her bath.
I think that I've officially made my toddler a girl by introducing her to princesses!
After I went through my normal morning routine, I turned the television on and was excited to see that I was tuning in right as William and Kate were starting to say their vows. A few minutes later, Emma woke up and as we walked downstairs, I asked if she wanted to see a princess. (I do know that Kate isn't a Princess, but a Duchess, however, I thought the semantics might be lost on my 23 month old.) She said she did. By this point, the ceremony was going on and cameras were panning around the cathedral, and not just focused on the bride and groom. Eventually, the camera did pan back to them and I pointed out Kate and said she was a princess. I could see the wheels turning as she tried to figure out why this princess did not look like Snow White, Cinderella, or Ariel. :) After she accepted that she was infact a princess, every time the camera panned away from the couple, Emma would ask, "Where's the princess?" complete with upturned hands. This evening, Kurt was using his laptop and Emma climbed up to sit beside him and demanded to see pictures of the princess before her bath.
I think that I've officially made my toddler a girl by introducing her to princesses!
Rough Week
It was a rough week in our house.
Monday, we came home after work to find that our air conditioning wasn't working and that our house was about 85 degrees. Kurt stayed home on Tuesday to wait for the repair man and found out that luckily, it was only a fuse that had blown.
Thursday, when I went into the pantry to get Emma a snack before dinner, I found that a colony of ants had decided that they needed a snack as well. Emma was fantastic and amused herself why I took everything out of the pantry, inspected it and then cleaned up the ants. That evening, Kurt sprayed the outside of the house and windows. With any luck, the ants will stay outside for the rest of the season!
Thursday evening, Emma got a little clingy towards bedtime, and told Kurt that she was hot after he had put her in her crib. We figured she was just being her usual particular self. Friday morning she seemed fine, although perhaps a little clingy. Around 11, I got a call that she wasn't feeling well and had a 101.6 degree fever. When I got her home a little bit later, she had a quick snack and I a tiny bit of medicine into her (she HATES medicine). We watched 2 episodes of Dora in bed together before I told her it was time to sleep. She only slept for 30 minutes but then we watched some more television for a bit so at least she rested. As the evening wore on, although she still had a fever, she got less cuddly and got more energy and seemed more like herself. Hopefully, she'll be back to normal tomorrow!
Monday, we came home after work to find that our air conditioning wasn't working and that our house was about 85 degrees. Kurt stayed home on Tuesday to wait for the repair man and found out that luckily, it was only a fuse that had blown.
Thursday, when I went into the pantry to get Emma a snack before dinner, I found that a colony of ants had decided that they needed a snack as well. Emma was fantastic and amused herself why I took everything out of the pantry, inspected it and then cleaned up the ants. That evening, Kurt sprayed the outside of the house and windows. With any luck, the ants will stay outside for the rest of the season!
Thursday evening, Emma got a little clingy towards bedtime, and told Kurt that she was hot after he had put her in her crib. We figured she was just being her usual particular self. Friday morning she seemed fine, although perhaps a little clingy. Around 11, I got a call that she wasn't feeling well and had a 101.6 degree fever. When I got her home a little bit later, she had a quick snack and I a tiny bit of medicine into her (she HATES medicine). We watched 2 episodes of Dora in bed together before I told her it was time to sleep. She only slept for 30 minutes but then we watched some more television for a bit so at least she rested. As the evening wore on, although she still had a fever, she got less cuddly and got more energy and seemed more like herself. Hopefully, she'll be back to normal tomorrow!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Easter!
We took Good Friday off and drove up to NEPA to spend Easter weekend with Carrie's family. Emma warmed up quickly to the dogs and had fun being brave and running across the living room between Mommy and Daddy in front of the dogs. That evening, Grammy helped Emma dye eggs. Emma had a lot of fun deciding when they were done and how pink was pink enough!
On Saturday, we met Uncle Dave's new dog, Gary. Gary is a 2 year old rescue dog who is very mild mannered and well behaved. He got along well with both the other dogs. Emma, who was still getting used to the big dogs, was not very excited to have a 3rd dog thrown into the mix! We also visited Grammy at work, and Emma picked out some new sneakers. We had a wonderful ham dinner that evening. That night, after Emma went to bed, we had a good time teaching Kurt how to play the card game Flinch.
On Sunday morning, Emma woke up at 4am and needed a drink of water and then came to bed with us for a few hours before she woke up for the day. Since the rest of the house was still asleep at 630am, I ignored the baskets that the Easter Bunny left for Emma and she did too for quite a while. Just before people started waking up, Emma stood on a chair, and said, "I need a juice box." Apparently, she hadn't been ignoring the baskets as much as I thought she had! Later, Emma had fun finding some eggs that the Easter Bunny had hidden through out the house.
After a big brunch, we packed up our car and got on the road. There were quite a few tears as we drove away and Emma exclaiming that she "Needed Jimmy." Emma has had eyes for her Uncle since she was a baby and he visited us in Germany. This trip, Jim took Emma out several times on walks in the driveway and helped her throw stones in puddles.
On the way home, we stopped in to see Kurt's family as they were just sitting down to dinner. It was wonderful to see everyone and we enjoyed visiting briefly before we got back on the road so that we could get home and unpacked and ready for the following week.
I forgot to take pictures of the baskets, but she received juice boxes, animal crackers, gummy fruit treats, teddy grahams, yogurt puffs, a new water bottle, twistable crayons, stickers, a couple books, a notebook and crayon for her diaperbag, an Elmo figurine, along with a 2-foot chocolate bunny from her Uncle Jim.
We had a wonderful weekend and can't wait to see everyone again soon!
On Saturday, we met Uncle Dave's new dog, Gary. Gary is a 2 year old rescue dog who is very mild mannered and well behaved. He got along well with both the other dogs. Emma, who was still getting used to the big dogs, was not very excited to have a 3rd dog thrown into the mix! We also visited Grammy at work, and Emma picked out some new sneakers. We had a wonderful ham dinner that evening. That night, after Emma went to bed, we had a good time teaching Kurt how to play the card game Flinch.
On Sunday morning, Emma woke up at 4am and needed a drink of water and then came to bed with us for a few hours before she woke up for the day. Since the rest of the house was still asleep at 630am, I ignored the baskets that the Easter Bunny left for Emma and she did too for quite a while. Just before people started waking up, Emma stood on a chair, and said, "I need a juice box." Apparently, she hadn't been ignoring the baskets as much as I thought she had! Later, Emma had fun finding some eggs that the Easter Bunny had hidden through out the house.
After a big brunch, we packed up our car and got on the road. There were quite a few tears as we drove away and Emma exclaiming that she "Needed Jimmy." Emma has had eyes for her Uncle since she was a baby and he visited us in Germany. This trip, Jim took Emma out several times on walks in the driveway and helped her throw stones in puddles.
On the way home, we stopped in to see Kurt's family as they were just sitting down to dinner. It was wonderful to see everyone and we enjoyed visiting briefly before we got back on the road so that we could get home and unpacked and ready for the following week.
I forgot to take pictures of the baskets, but she received juice boxes, animal crackers, gummy fruit treats, teddy grahams, yogurt puffs, a new water bottle, twistable crayons, stickers, a couple books, a notebook and crayon for her diaperbag, an Elmo figurine, along with a 2-foot chocolate bunny from her Uncle Jim.
We had a wonderful weekend and can't wait to see everyone again soon!
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Maureen's Visit!
Maureen came to visit last weekend!
Although Emma hasn't seen Maureen in over a year, she was very excited to see her and warmed up to her quickly.
We had been practicing Maureen's name for a week or so and all weekend long, instead of Emma yelling "Mommy!" we heard "Maureen!" instead. Emma did not want to leave her side and had a ton of fun making mac & cheese and pouring milk for Maureen. They also had fun coloring and playing with Emma's truck.When asked who was her favorite in the group, Mommy, Daddy, or Maureen, Maureen was the winner!
Emma wasn't the only one who was excited that Maureen was here last weekend...I was too! We had a lazy evening on Friday and relaxed after Emma went to bed. On Saturday, we did what we do best and went shopping! Saturday night we planned how we could make over our powder room over a bottle of wine, but Kurt nixed our ideas saying it was the wine talking. As a result, Sunday was spent shopping some more before Maureen had to leave for work on Monday.
It was fantastic having Maureen here for a weekend...hopefully, we'll get to see each other more frequently!
Although Emma hasn't seen Maureen in over a year, she was very excited to see her and warmed up to her quickly.
We had been practicing Maureen's name for a week or so and all weekend long, instead of Emma yelling "Mommy!" we heard "Maureen!" instead. Emma did not want to leave her side and had a ton of fun making mac & cheese and pouring milk for Maureen. They also had fun coloring and playing with Emma's truck.When asked who was her favorite in the group, Mommy, Daddy, or Maureen, Maureen was the winner!
Emma wasn't the only one who was excited that Maureen was here last weekend...I was too! We had a lazy evening on Friday and relaxed after Emma went to bed. On Saturday, we did what we do best and went shopping! Saturday night we planned how we could make over our powder room over a bottle of wine, but Kurt nixed our ideas saying it was the wine talking. As a result, Sunday was spent shopping some more before Maureen had to leave for work on Monday.
It was fantastic having Maureen here for a weekend...hopefully, we'll get to see each other more frequently!
Entering the Terrible Twos
Although she is two months shy of being 2, we've had a few glimpses of what the 'terrible twos' are going to look like recently. Emma is a very strong willed child. She does not like it when she doesn't get her way. Just this month, on several occasions when she hasn't gotten her way or was reprimanded she has literally thrown herself on to the living room floor and screamed and screamed. Usually, these tantrums have been close to a nap time or bed time, so tiredness obviously is a factor. It is really quite amazing how she throws herself...she doesn't just lay down or even fall down onto the floor, she actually throws herself and gets some air before landing on her stomach and beginning to yell. Maybe she will be a stunt double when she grows up.
Another reaction instead of the tantrums is that she will just refuse to talk to us. She sets her little face into a pout and will shoot daggers out of her eyes at us (aren't we the ones that are supposed to have the 'evil eye'?) until she calms down or we can distract her and she forgets that she's mad at us.
We can tell we're in for some fun!
Another reaction instead of the tantrums is that she will just refuse to talk to us. She sets her little face into a pout and will shoot daggers out of her eyes at us (aren't we the ones that are supposed to have the 'evil eye'?) until she calms down or we can distract her and she forgets that she's mad at us.
We can tell we're in for some fun!
Hmmm, Ummm, & Uh-Uh
Our little 8 year old, I mean practically 2 year old has started to use speech disfluencies. (I had no idea what hmmm, ummm, and uh-uh were called and had to look them up and found they are disfluencies. Interesting. I learned something new today...and maybe so did you!) When asked a question that she doesn't immediately know the answer to, Emma will think about it while saying "Ummmm." Every once in a while, she'll use "hmmm" when something perplexes her. In the last week or so, instead of answering no, she has started to use "uh-uh." It was cute the first couple times, now we are starting to find it annoying and bordering on rude. We're pretty sure that she picked it up at daycare. We're currently trying to get her to use no, thank you instead.
Mantra
Last weekend, Emma started using the mantra, "I do it!" which is then followed by "I did it!" complete with clapping after she completes whatever it is that she set out to do. We have heard these phrases countless times over the last week, and expect to hear them countless more as she becomes more and more independent.
Some of the times she's adamant about doing things herself this past week:
Some of the times she's adamant about doing things herself this past week:
- She has to go potty and insists on doing it by herself. Generally, I am able to stick my hand in to turn on the light before she closes the door. I wait about a minute and ask if she needs help. One time, I went in and there was a puddle on the floor. I asked if she tried to pee standing up. Her response, "I did it! Yay!" *sigh* Thank goodness for Lysol wipes!
- Usually, Emma insists on taking off her pants and pull-ups whenever she uses the potty. This exasperates me. When she finishes she insists on sitting on the regular toilet and trying to put her pull-ups on herself.
- At daycare, I attempted to help Emma put on her coat. She pulled the coat away from me and said, "I do it." She almost got it on by herself. She used the 'flip' method, but did it backwards and had it on upside down instead. She also enjoys zipper her coat herself, although of course she can't get it started by herself yet. She zips up her footie pjs at night too.
- At bathtime, Emma again uses "I do it" and climbs in and out of the tub by herself.
- This morning, I went in to pick her up out of her crib, she said, "No, I do it." and got her ankle up on the crib rail. I think it's only a matter of time before she figures out how to climb out. We'll have to move bed shopping up on our list of things to do!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Day trip to Pennsylvania with GiGi
We took GiGi to Pennsylvania for the day today. We had a great time visiting with her and Emma had a great time showing her around Grandma and PaPa's house. We also had a lot of fun visiting the Deli where Rachel has her art displayed for the month. Emma had a lot of fun baking with Grandma: She held the recipe card for Grandma, helped zest the lemon and helped juice the lemon. She also had a ton of fun with PaPa outside and looking at his new planer in his woodshop. During some conversations, Emma let us know that she also had something to contribute and would poke her head in and tell us about how she had been outside with Papa. It was super cute!
After we dropped GiGi off, Emma kept saying, "I need GiGi." We asked if she had fun with Gigi today, she said she did and reiterated that she needed her. We assured her that we would visit with GiGi again soon.
Happy 96th Birthday GiGi! We had fun today and hope you did too! Hope to see you soon! Love you!
After we dropped GiGi off, Emma kept saying, "I need GiGi." We asked if she had fun with Gigi today, she said she did and reiterated that she needed her. We assured her that we would visit with GiGi again soon.
Happy 96th Birthday GiGi! We had fun today and hope you did too! Hope to see you soon! Love you!
Funny Potty Story
Emma has been doing really well with potty training at school. We haven't been as good at home and Kurt and I have decided to make a more concerted effort with her at home so that we don't end up with a kid that is potty trained at school but still wearing diapers at home when she's 4. Grandma got Emma a Dora the Explorer potty last summer and she has had intermittent interest in it. This weekend, we got her another one so that we would have one on each floor and hopefully have some more luck with potty training. Emma picked it out...it's pink.
Yesterday, we were in the bathroom and Emma kept popping up, turning around, and facing the potty. I kept telling her over and over (with increasing levels of exasperation in my voice) that she has to sit down to go potty when I finally realized that she was trying to pee standing up. She had the stance correct: pants around her ankles, hips thrust forward, and was even pulling at some skin. Apparently, she has been watching Daddy and the little boys at school a little too closely!
Yesterday, we were in the bathroom and Emma kept popping up, turning around, and facing the potty. I kept telling her over and over (with increasing levels of exasperation in my voice) that she has to sit down to go potty when I finally realized that she was trying to pee standing up. She had the stance correct: pants around her ankles, hips thrust forward, and was even pulling at some skin. Apparently, she has been watching Daddy and the little boys at school a little too closely!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Update: Good Books
Kurt is awesome and surprised me with the third book in the trilogy tonight! Now the decision is...start reading or The Biggest Loser! I have a rough life!
Thanks Kurt! I love you!
Thanks Kurt! I love you!
More Pink!
On the way home tonight, out of the blue Emma said something that ended in something that sounded like bike. I asked if she wanted a bike. She said 'I do' and continued on with more words. I asked her to repeat it two more times and got the word pink out of it. She was trying her best to enunciate and was even using hand motions (not that I knew what they were, but it was sort of like charades...two words 1 syllable each). I finally figured out that she was saying, "I want a pink bike." She was very excited when I put it all together!
I guess that's a good start to her birthday wish list!
Last night neighbors were out on scooters and a tricycle...They let Emma have a turn on it and she LOVED it..even though her legs weren't long enough to reach the pedals she had fun being pushed. Although at times, she didn't want us to touch the bike but she quickly figured out that without our help, she was going no where fast!
I guess that's a good start to her birthday wish list!
Last night neighbors were out on scooters and a tricycle...They let Emma have a turn on it and she LOVED it..even though her legs weren't long enough to reach the pedals she had fun being pushed. Although at times, she didn't want us to touch the bike but she quickly figured out that without our help, she was going no where fast!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Good Books
Kurt got me The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the 2nd book in trilogy The Girl who Played with Fire for Christmas. At the time I was reading The Pillars of the Earth, and he ended up reading The Girl w/ the Dragon Tattoo first. He said it was good but that he didn't think he would continue on with the second or third book. I finished it a couple weeks ago and thought it was really good and couldn't wait to read the 2nd book. Unfortunately, we've been busy and I didn't get a chance to pick it up until this past Friday. I couldn't put it down and finished this afternoon around dinner time. They are definitely disturbing books, but also very good. Now I can't wait to make a trip to the library to get the third book, The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest to see how it all ends up.
Big thanks to Kurt for letting me be a slacker Mom today so that I could finish my book!
Big thanks to Kurt for letting me be a slacker Mom today so that I could finish my book!
PINK!
Emma has been very attached to the color pink lately. She has insisted that her cereal be in a pink bowl and that she uses a pink spoon to eat it and that her milk be in a pink cup. She has also insisted several times in the past week that she wear pink pants.
On St. Patrick's Day, I planned to put her green khaki pants on her. When we went upstairs after breakfast to get changed, she pulled open her shirt drawer and picked out a shirt that had a tiny green, red, and brown flower pattern on it. I thought, Great! That's going to match the pants pretty well. When I pulled out the green pants, she said, No! Pink! and quickly found a pair of pink knit pants to wear. She did not match even the slightest bit. I told myself, she's only going to daycare and it doesn't matter what she looks like. Her clothes are clean and she is happy. No need to make this a battle. The next day, I pulled out a cute dress and leggings (neither were pink) that Grammy had bought for her at the end of last year for this spring. Emma did not like it and quickly found a pair of pink pants to wear instead. Looks like our girl might be a girly girl!
On St. Patrick's Day, I planned to put her green khaki pants on her. When we went upstairs after breakfast to get changed, she pulled open her shirt drawer and picked out a shirt that had a tiny green, red, and brown flower pattern on it. I thought, Great! That's going to match the pants pretty well. When I pulled out the green pants, she said, No! Pink! and quickly found a pair of pink knit pants to wear. She did not match even the slightest bit. I told myself, she's only going to daycare and it doesn't matter what she looks like. Her clothes are clean and she is happy. No need to make this a battle. The next day, I pulled out a cute dress and leggings (neither were pink) that Grammy had bought for her at the end of last year for this spring. Emma did not like it and quickly found a pair of pink pants to wear instead. Looks like our girl might be a girly girl!
Pictures for Daddy
While Kurt was away, Emma insisted that we take pictures to send to him. (OK, maybe not, but that's the story that Mommy is sticking to!)
Here's what we sent:
Here's what we sent:
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| Happy girl at breakfast |
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| Her hair is a little out of control |
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| I asked her to make a funny face |
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| Playing with Grandma at 530 am |
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| Love this picture! |
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| Trying on her Easter Dress |
A Week without Daddy
Emma and I were on our own from 7-12 March while Kurt attended a conference on the west coast. It was an exhausting week and we did better than I expected but I was so happy to have Kurt home again. The mornings started out early so that I was completely ready for work before Emma woke up. We got her breakfast and changed and were out the door relatively quickly. I was actually into work around 730 all week long. In the evenings, I would pick her up and we ate dinner and then did our normal bath time routine around 730. She was very good for me during both bath time and bedtime. I just had to tell her that Mommy had chores to do and that she needed to be a big girl and go to sleep. The chores consisted of getting clothes ready for the following day, cleaning up toys, cleaning up dinner dishes and getting lunch ready for the following day. Generally I was able to finally sit down by 9pm before heading to bed and starting all over the following day.
On Monday, Kurt helped get Emma ready for school and all of us went to daycare to drop her off in the 2 year old classroom. Kurt left from there to go to the airport. That evening, she asked for Daddy and I told her that he was on an adventure. (Emma knows what an adventure is; we use it frequently when we go for walks or to a store.) Kurt had a layover and called us during dinner time. Of course, Emma wanted to hold the phone more than she wanted to talk.
Tuesday morning, she asked for Daddy again when she woke up. I told her that he was still on an adventure and she was easily distracted by breakfast. Tuesday evening, she really seemed to miss Kurt on the way home from daycare. Luckily we had a lot of plans the last part of the week and I was able to distract her. She was very excited that on Wednesday we were going to see Calvin. I took time to explain to her that we would eat dinner at Calvin's and then she was going to hang out with Calvin and Adam while Mommy went on some errands with Melanie. (The errands were the first night of cake decorating class!) She said that that would be fine. Then I told her that on Thursday, after school, Grandma was coming to visit and would probably be waiting for us when we got home. She got very excited and quickly asked if Papa and ReRe were coming too--she was disappointed that they weren't. She said that she and Grandma would have a ton of fun at home together on Friday. These distractions for the next few days helped the days fly by and I don't think she dwelled on Kurt being away too much.
Wednesday evening went very well. We ate dinner and Emma, Calvin, and Adam went upstairs to play. Adam said that Emma did great and didn't cry at all when I left. She and Calvin play so well together. Since it was a late night, I changed her into pajamas before we left then took the sleeping baby up to bed as soon as we got home.
Thursday, we had torrential rain and Laura hit some traffic on the way here. Emma anxiously looked out the front windows for her to arrive. As soon as she walked into the house, Emma immediately started bringing toys to show her and gave her lots of hugs. Emma barely let me give her a bath and wanted Grandma to read her stories and put her to bed.
Friday, Emma and Grandma had a lot of fun at the park and made new friends there. Emma wore herself out and let Grandma relax for over 3 hours while she napped!
Saturday, Laura took Emma to the park while I ran and then showered for the day. Shortly after lunch, she tried to put Emma down for a nap but Emma was too wound up. Emma was very sad when Grandma had to leave. She stood at the door crying for a while and wouldn't let me comfort her. It took me over an hour and a half to get her down for a nap! She woke up on the wrong side of the crib and was relatively inconsolable for quite a while. I was finally able to cheer her up by telling her that we were going to meet her friends, Cameron and Claire for dinner that night at Red Robin. Emma started the dinner pretty well...but soon she just wanted to be down out of her highchair. Eventually, she settled down when Melissa (C&C's Mom) held her and helped her color. She was very distraught when Melissa had to put her down and kept calling her Mommy. *Sigh* She had a lot of fun at the park and insisted on playing on the big kids' equipment instead of the tiny tyke stuff. I had to follow her closely to make sure she didn't fall through cracks or walk off a ledge. She was very excited when Kurt called to tell us that he had landed.
On Sunday morning, Kurt was excited to see Emma. She let it be known that she was mad at him. She wouldn't go to him or let him give her a hug or a kiss for quite a while. He brought a stuffed moose back with him for her. She took it from him, and threw it in the opposite direction with a look on her face that said "you can't buy my love Dad, how dare you leave me?" Within an hour or so, she had forgiven him and enjoyed cuddling with him on the couch and watching carebears.
On Monday, Kurt helped get Emma ready for school and all of us went to daycare to drop her off in the 2 year old classroom. Kurt left from there to go to the airport. That evening, she asked for Daddy and I told her that he was on an adventure. (Emma knows what an adventure is; we use it frequently when we go for walks or to a store.) Kurt had a layover and called us during dinner time. Of course, Emma wanted to hold the phone more than she wanted to talk.
Tuesday morning, she asked for Daddy again when she woke up. I told her that he was still on an adventure and she was easily distracted by breakfast. Tuesday evening, she really seemed to miss Kurt on the way home from daycare. Luckily we had a lot of plans the last part of the week and I was able to distract her. She was very excited that on Wednesday we were going to see Calvin. I took time to explain to her that we would eat dinner at Calvin's and then she was going to hang out with Calvin and Adam while Mommy went on some errands with Melanie. (The errands were the first night of cake decorating class!) She said that that would be fine. Then I told her that on Thursday, after school, Grandma was coming to visit and would probably be waiting for us when we got home. She got very excited and quickly asked if Papa and ReRe were coming too--she was disappointed that they weren't. She said that she and Grandma would have a ton of fun at home together on Friday. These distractions for the next few days helped the days fly by and I don't think she dwelled on Kurt being away too much.
Wednesday evening went very well. We ate dinner and Emma, Calvin, and Adam went upstairs to play. Adam said that Emma did great and didn't cry at all when I left. She and Calvin play so well together. Since it was a late night, I changed her into pajamas before we left then took the sleeping baby up to bed as soon as we got home.
Thursday, we had torrential rain and Laura hit some traffic on the way here. Emma anxiously looked out the front windows for her to arrive. As soon as she walked into the house, Emma immediately started bringing toys to show her and gave her lots of hugs. Emma barely let me give her a bath and wanted Grandma to read her stories and put her to bed.
Friday, Emma and Grandma had a lot of fun at the park and made new friends there. Emma wore herself out and let Grandma relax for over 3 hours while she napped!
Saturday, Laura took Emma to the park while I ran and then showered for the day. Shortly after lunch, she tried to put Emma down for a nap but Emma was too wound up. Emma was very sad when Grandma had to leave. She stood at the door crying for a while and wouldn't let me comfort her. It took me over an hour and a half to get her down for a nap! She woke up on the wrong side of the crib and was relatively inconsolable for quite a while. I was finally able to cheer her up by telling her that we were going to meet her friends, Cameron and Claire for dinner that night at Red Robin. Emma started the dinner pretty well...but soon she just wanted to be down out of her highchair. Eventually, she settled down when Melissa (C&C's Mom) held her and helped her color. She was very distraught when Melissa had to put her down and kept calling her Mommy. *Sigh* She had a lot of fun at the park and insisted on playing on the big kids' equipment instead of the tiny tyke stuff. I had to follow her closely to make sure she didn't fall through cracks or walk off a ledge. She was very excited when Kurt called to tell us that he had landed.
On Sunday morning, Kurt was excited to see Emma. She let it be known that she was mad at him. She wouldn't go to him or let him give her a hug or a kiss for quite a while. He brought a stuffed moose back with him for her. She took it from him, and threw it in the opposite direction with a look on her face that said "you can't buy my love Dad, how dare you leave me?" Within an hour or so, she had forgiven him and enjoyed cuddling with him on the couch and watching carebears.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Our night
On the way home today, I told Emma that tomorrow, we'd be seeing Calvin. She got SUPER excited! I told her that the next day, Grandma was coming to visit. She got SUPER excited again. When I told her that she was going to spend all day Friday with Grandma she got even more excited! It was A-dorable!
This evening, since Emma did not like the casserole I planned on having for dinner, I asked if she wanted chicken nuggets instead. She told me she wanted two. I asked if she wanted any more and she proceeded to count to three...four...five followed by clapping and a big smile. For the record she ate about 3 at dinner and the last one right before bed.
This evening, she actually talked to Grammy on the phone...it was only about three words, but she actually spoke! It was very exciting.
She had was very excited when Aunt Rachel called and wanted to skype. Emma talked for a while then started bringing toys to show her and talked about them.
All night long, she was a happy girl. She was very polite, did what I asked, and was very fun. At bed time, she said bye to her books after I read her two then laid down and only fussed the littlest bit.
She is getting so big!
This evening, since Emma did not like the casserole I planned on having for dinner, I asked if she wanted chicken nuggets instead. She told me she wanted two. I asked if she wanted any more and she proceeded to count to three...four...five followed by clapping and a big smile. For the record she ate about 3 at dinner and the last one right before bed.
This evening, she actually talked to Grammy on the phone...it was only about three words, but she actually spoke! It was very exciting.
She had was very excited when Aunt Rachel called and wanted to skype. Emma talked for a while then started bringing toys to show her and talked about them.
All night long, she was a happy girl. She was very polite, did what I asked, and was very fun. At bed time, she said bye to her books after I read her two then laid down and only fussed the littlest bit.
She is getting so big!
New Room at School
Emma is adjusting really well to the 2-year old room. One difference for the parents is that we no longer receive a daily summary of what she ate, when she was changed, and when she slept; however, the teachers are helping us adjust this week and are providing short write-ups for so we know how Emma is doing.
The note from Monday was: Emma had a great first day! She fully participated in all our activities (circle time, centers and free play). She also did well at lunchtime with self serving. She ate chicken and rice, greenbeans, peaches,and milk. She used nice manners and did very well sitting on the potty. She napped from 1250 - 230. She played very well with her new classmates and is adjusting to our class routine very well. Welcome to Exploration Station 1! If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact Me (Ms. Torri) or Mrs. Adanna.
The note from Tuesday was: Emma had a fun-filled day!! She played in cardboard boxes. She ran and played with her new friends outside on the playground. She went potty all day and stayed dry. Emma ate her chicken noodle soup, carrots, and pineapples. She took a nap from 1230pm - 230pm.
Ms. Torri told me today that Emma and the boy who moved up with her, Max, are pretty much joined at the hip. In the morning, they were across the room from each other and yelled each others names back and forth several times. When she told me this, I imagined them calling to each other "Emma!" "Max!" "Emma!" "Max!" and running across the room in slow motion jumping over toys to get to each other to hug movie style. :)
As mentioned in the note, they said Emma only had 1 wet diaper today (maybe after nap time, I forget when). They also suggested pull-ups since Emma can get her pants down by herself but can't undo the diaper. While I am all for potty training, I am a little bummed that we just stocked up on diapers when they were on sale and now have literally 800 diapers in our basement.
When we were leaving daycare today. I helped Emma 'flip' her coat on over her head. I asked her if she was my big girl. She replied "No." I asked if she was my baby girl. She again replied "No." I asked what she was then. She said, "I'm Emma." squealed and ran to the door. Smart girl!
We're so proud of how well our little girl is doing!
The note from Monday was: Emma had a great first day! She fully participated in all our activities (circle time, centers and free play). She also did well at lunchtime with self serving. She ate chicken and rice, greenbeans, peaches,and milk. She used nice manners and did very well sitting on the potty. She napped from 1250 - 230. She played very well with her new classmates and is adjusting to our class routine very well. Welcome to Exploration Station 1! If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact Me (Ms. Torri) or Mrs. Adanna.
The note from Tuesday was: Emma had a fun-filled day!! She played in cardboard boxes. She ran and played with her new friends outside on the playground. She went potty all day and stayed dry. Emma ate her chicken noodle soup, carrots, and pineapples. She took a nap from 1230pm - 230pm.
Ms. Torri told me today that Emma and the boy who moved up with her, Max, are pretty much joined at the hip. In the morning, they were across the room from each other and yelled each others names back and forth several times. When she told me this, I imagined them calling to each other "Emma!" "Max!" "Emma!" "Max!" and running across the room in slow motion jumping over toys to get to each other to hug movie style. :)
As mentioned in the note, they said Emma only had 1 wet diaper today (maybe after nap time, I forget when). They also suggested pull-ups since Emma can get her pants down by herself but can't undo the diaper. While I am all for potty training, I am a little bummed that we just stocked up on diapers when they were on sale and now have literally 800 diapers in our basement.
When we were leaving daycare today. I helped Emma 'flip' her coat on over her head. I asked her if she was my big girl. She replied "No." I asked if she was my baby girl. She again replied "No." I asked what she was then. She said, "I'm Emma." squealed and ran to the door. Smart girl!
We're so proud of how well our little girl is doing!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
It feels good to be organized and prepped
It's 9pm on Sunday night and let me tell you...I feel like a real grown up! All of our clothes are laid out for tomorrow, my lunch is made, the coffee pot is all set for 'delayed brew,' and a healthy casserole has been prepped and put in the refrigerator for tomorrow's dinner.
I even got things together for Wednesday's cake decorating class with Melanie. My basket is packed with all the supplies and Emma's diaper bag is ready for an evening with Adam and Calvin. The diaper bag even has a set of pajamas so that I can change Emma before we leave Calvin's and I can just carry her in and put her to bed since it will be a late night for her!
Ideally, I would have clothes ironed for the rest of the week...but I don't want to set the bar too high for myself! :)It does feel nice to have everything taken care of for tomorrow...if only I could remember this feeling every evening...or at least on Sunday nights!
I even got things together for Wednesday's cake decorating class with Melanie. My basket is packed with all the supplies and Emma's diaper bag is ready for an evening with Adam and Calvin. The diaper bag even has a set of pajamas so that I can change Emma before we leave Calvin's and I can just carry her in and put her to bed since it will be a late night for her!
Ideally, I would have clothes ironed for the rest of the week...but I don't want to set the bar too high for myself! :)It does feel nice to have everything taken care of for tomorrow...if only I could remember this feeling every evening...or at least on Sunday nights!
Pass!
Tonight I put Emma's dinner plate in front of her and told her that we were having yummy chicken and cheesy vegetables. She looked at the plate for a few seconds and said, "Pass! All done!" and threw her hands up in the air. *sigh* Since I didn't feel like a huge tantrum, I took her plate away and got her down from her high chair. A few minutes later, she came back and asked for black beans. Since she didn't eat anything else and black beans are a decent choice, I made her some...she proceeded to eat 5. Here's hoping that she doesn't wake up at 3am with a grumbing tummy!
I'm assuming that the "pass" was learned at daycare where they are fed meals and snacks family style and get to choose what they want or don't want that day. I'll have to ask tomorrow when I pick her up.
I'm assuming that the "pass" was learned at daycare where they are fed meals and snacks family style and get to choose what they want or don't want that day. I'll have to ask tomorrow when I pick her up.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Movin' on up!
We were told today that starting Monday, Emma will be in the 2-year old room full time! She's been going to the room on and off for a while now whenever the student-teacher ratios needed to be balanced and we thought she would be getting ready to transition in the next couple of weeks, so we were a little surprised that she and two boys in her class will all start on Monday.
Emma spent most of the day in the 2-year old room today. They said she did really well and only got upset twice. The first time was when her regular teacher brought her sheets down for nap time and Emma didn't want her to leave. The second time was when she saw her friends in the younger class playing outside. Before we left school, we had to stop into her regular classroom, where Emma ran up to Jean to give her a big hug followed by Amy. Several of the kids were excited to see her and Sammy kept giving her hugs. This evening, she told us that she missed Miss Jean and Miss Amy her current teachers. :(
I think this transition might be a little bit more difficult than any of the previous ones. Emma has become really attached to her current teachers and definitely realizes change more than she ever has before. Previous transitions have been to new rooms with cooler, bigger, more advanced toys; while the 2-year old room has different toys, I think she'll miss her friends and teachers more than she has before. The teachers in the new room, Miss Adonna and Miss Tori (I think) are both very nice, very fun women and I'm sure that Emma will love them soon. Emma's friend, Cameron, is also in the 2-year old room. I'm sure that he will help make the transition easier for her as well.
Another plus to Emma moving up is that her tuition has been decreased by about 25%! HUGE!
Emma spent most of the day in the 2-year old room today. They said she did really well and only got upset twice. The first time was when her regular teacher brought her sheets down for nap time and Emma didn't want her to leave. The second time was when she saw her friends in the younger class playing outside. Before we left school, we had to stop into her regular classroom, where Emma ran up to Jean to give her a big hug followed by Amy. Several of the kids were excited to see her and Sammy kept giving her hugs. This evening, she told us that she missed Miss Jean and Miss Amy her current teachers. :(
I think this transition might be a little bit more difficult than any of the previous ones. Emma has become really attached to her current teachers and definitely realizes change more than she ever has before. Previous transitions have been to new rooms with cooler, bigger, more advanced toys; while the 2-year old room has different toys, I think she'll miss her friends and teachers more than she has before. The teachers in the new room, Miss Adonna and Miss Tori (I think) are both very nice, very fun women and I'm sure that Emma will love them soon. Emma's friend, Cameron, is also in the 2-year old room. I'm sure that he will help make the transition easier for her as well.
Another plus to Emma moving up is that her tuition has been decreased by about 25%! HUGE!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
21 months!
Emma is 21 months old! We can't believe it! Time is flying! We are getting closer and closer to having a 2 year old! Some days we think she is already two with her willful behavior. Luckily, we've not had too many all out throw down tantrums, but even the minor ones are enough to test our sanity! On the other hand, she is getting more and more fun by the day. She loves playing with her truck and car, making blanket tents with Daddy, reading books, watching Strawberry Shortcake and Carebears, coloring, and playing in her kitchen. We were able to spend some time at the park over the weekend, and Emma was overjoyed to be back outside. We're sure she is very much looking forward to more consistent spring weather.
She is aware of numbers, shapes, letters, and colors. We count steps as we walk up them...many times each step is 'two' but she surprises us by pulling out a 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 13 every once in a while. Several times she's used several numbers correctly in one flight. She is getting better and better at her shape sorter, however, she doesn't show much interest in learning their names. She does know circle, star, heart, flower shapes though. We sing the ABC song and try to show her letters but so far, she doesn't show much interest in them either. Although while coloring, she will tell me she is drawing an M for Emma. She knows basic colors and can point them out or say them if she is in the right mood.
Some fun Emma stories:
This morning, Emma started stirring her cheerios and looked up at Kurt and said, "I'm stirring them arooound." Although it was very cute, she was then encouraged to eat her cereal rather than play with it. :)
Yesterday, Emma woke up and said, " I think it's snowing." When Kurt assured her that it was not snowing, she thought for a moment and said, "I want to go to the park."
Emma's new favorite word is "Hi!" She'll just walk into the room, wave and say HI! enunciating the H. It's really quite funny.
Last week, I (Carrie) was frustrated that Emma was not showing any interest in numbers. That evening, after Kurt put her to bed, he told me that not only does Emma know her numbers, she also can subtract! He explained that he told Emma that they would read TWO books before she would lay down to go to sleep. She repeated 'two books.' After they finished the first book, Kurt put it down and Emma promptly said 'one more,' illustrating her subtraction capability.
She is aware of numbers, shapes, letters, and colors. We count steps as we walk up them...many times each step is 'two' but she surprises us by pulling out a 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 13 every once in a while. Several times she's used several numbers correctly in one flight. She is getting better and better at her shape sorter, however, she doesn't show much interest in learning their names. She does know circle, star, heart, flower shapes though. We sing the ABC song and try to show her letters but so far, she doesn't show much interest in them either. Although while coloring, she will tell me she is drawing an M for Emma. She knows basic colors and can point them out or say them if she is in the right mood.
Some fun Emma stories:
This morning, Emma started stirring her cheerios and looked up at Kurt and said, "I'm stirring them arooound." Although it was very cute, she was then encouraged to eat her cereal rather than play with it. :)
Yesterday, Emma woke up and said, " I think it's snowing." When Kurt assured her that it was not snowing, she thought for a moment and said, "I want to go to the park."
Emma's new favorite word is "Hi!" She'll just walk into the room, wave and say HI! enunciating the H. It's really quite funny.
Last week, I (Carrie) was frustrated that Emma was not showing any interest in numbers. That evening, after Kurt put her to bed, he told me that not only does Emma know her numbers, she also can subtract! He explained that he told Emma that they would read TWO books before she would lay down to go to sleep. She repeated 'two books.' After they finished the first book, Kurt put it down and Emma promptly said 'one more,' illustrating her subtraction capability.
A Good Heart
There is a little girl in Emma's class that had to have surgery recently. She came back to school this week but is in a body cast. Emma seems to have appointed herself caretaker and best friend. Emma constantly brings her toys and books and even helps to push her stroller when the rest of the class goes outside or for walks in the hallway during rainy weather. It made our hearts so happy when Emma's teacher told us that "Emma has a really good heart" and really enjoys helping people.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Baltimore Aquarium
Kurt has been excited to take Emma to the Baltimore Aquarium since we moved back to the area last year. We made plans to meet some friends at the aquarium and began talking it up to Emma on Friday and Saturday. We told her all about the fish and that we would be meeting her friend Morgan there. This morning, while I was getting Emma breakfast, I asked if she remembered what we were going to do today. She looked a little puzzled and I told her we were going to see the fishies. She got a very concerned look on her face put her hands out and said, "What about Morgan?" (It wasn't quite that clear, but that's what she said.) I quickly assured her that Morgan would be there as well and Emma got very excited!
Emma was very excited by the waterfall as we walked into the aquarium and Kurt and I both thought, 'Wow, this is going to be a great day!' and were very excited to move inside to show Emma some fish. Emma was very excited and was busy dancing and running around and pretty much making herself at home. She loved the bubble tubes which welcomed us into the first part of the aquarium and then looked down into the the sting ray and tiger shark tank in awe. Then we went up an escalator...and Emma decided they were the coolest thing since peeled clementines (I was going to say since sliced bread, but she's not a huge bread fan. :) ) All she wanted to do from that point on was go up escalators, watch people on escalators, or put her hand on the moving rail of the escalator. We made her look at a few fish along the way, but most of the time was spent on the nifty escalators. When we made it to the rain forest portion of the aquarium, she did forget about the escalators for a while and had a lot of fun playing in the water on the ground. She got to see a bird up close as well as a tarantula while we were in the rain forest. They had a lot of fun with some shells and sand in the play area. She and Morgan also had fun running down the ramps on the way out of the museum and stopping to share some snacks along the way.
It was definitely a successful day. Emma was very well behaved and had a lot of fun with Morgan. The girls even did very well during lunch. We'll definitely take Emma back to the aquarium at some point, however, I think we might stick to the mall for escalators and head to Bass Pro next time we want to introduce Emma to some fish.
We weren't able to take many pictures because of the lighting, but here are a couple from the day:
Emma was very excited by the waterfall as we walked into the aquarium and Kurt and I both thought, 'Wow, this is going to be a great day!' and were very excited to move inside to show Emma some fish. Emma was very excited and was busy dancing and running around and pretty much making herself at home. She loved the bubble tubes which welcomed us into the first part of the aquarium and then looked down into the the sting ray and tiger shark tank in awe. Then we went up an escalator...and Emma decided they were the coolest thing since peeled clementines (I was going to say since sliced bread, but she's not a huge bread fan. :) ) All she wanted to do from that point on was go up escalators, watch people on escalators, or put her hand on the moving rail of the escalator. We made her look at a few fish along the way, but most of the time was spent on the nifty escalators. When we made it to the rain forest portion of the aquarium, she did forget about the escalators for a while and had a lot of fun playing in the water on the ground. She got to see a bird up close as well as a tarantula while we were in the rain forest. They had a lot of fun with some shells and sand in the play area. She and Morgan also had fun running down the ramps on the way out of the museum and stopping to share some snacks along the way.
It was definitely a successful day. Emma was very well behaved and had a lot of fun with Morgan. The girls even did very well during lunch. We'll definitely take Emma back to the aquarium at some point, however, I think we might stick to the mall for escalators and head to Bass Pro next time we want to introduce Emma to some fish.
We weren't able to take many pictures because of the lighting, but here are a couple from the day:
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| Emma dressed for the day in her froggy sweatshirt. (Thanks Aunt Katie!) |
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| This is what Emma loved most about the day...escalators! |
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| The girls playing in the sand |
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| The girls and their Daddies. I love how excited Emma is in this picture! |
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