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.
Friday, April 29, 2011
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!
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