19 Months Old

We are on the downward slope to 2 years old and those terrible 2's are rearing their ugly head from time to time. It seems like most of the time, the problem arises because Emma just can't communicate what she is feeling to us and in those cases, if we see it coming, we can usually head it off through distraction or reasoning with her. Other times, she is just so mad that you just have to let it ride. Don't get me wrong though, while we do have our fair share of tantrums, 99% of the time, Emma is still her happy, playful self.

It has been a big month for Emma. She got to take her second plane trip to Louisville for Danny and Melissa's wedding and finally got to meet Uncle Paul. She had fun playing with Ally and seeing Bo, Grandma Kristi, GG, and all her other family there. We hope that we don't have to wait another two years to see him again. We also got a visit from Papa & Grandma S., Uncle Dale, Aunt Michelle, Thomas, Garret, Aunt Lesa, Uncle Chris, and Madison to help celebrate Brad's birthday.

As you all know, she also had the chance to move up to the freshman class this week when a spot opened up. It has been a great first week in her new class filled with lots of art projects and other activities. The evidence of the artwork usually ends up on Emma's t-shirt and all I can say is Oxyclean is a miracle worker in our house. Each day we get a report that includes Emma's favorite activity of the day. This week that has included bubbles, playing with mini balls, going outside, silly races in the gym, and exercise. Emma has been doing great with sleeping on the cot and the naps are definitely longer than she would take in the crib in the nursery. This could be due to the fact that she is more exhausted. She has been a little bit more cranky in the evenings but I think that she is just a little more tired because she plays so hard. By the end of the day though, she usually heads over to the nursery for a little while so she can take a break and catch up with her old buddies.

We continue to hear new words. The fun this morning was getting her foot through one of the little rings on the table and then telling me "I'm stuck". Emma is really learning to love music and whenever we are playing in the living room, will open the cabinet and want the CD player turned on. She especially loves her CD's of Bible songs and toddler songs. She also likes to get sit on Brad's stomach and bounce up and down. Emma has also successfully gone peepee in the potty this week. I am not quite sure she knew what to make of it but she is starting to get interested at least in sitting on the potty. I would be so excited if we could get her close to being potty trained by the time Junior arrives but we're not pushing and she'll get it all figured out in her own time. Emma is definitely an adventure waiting to happen and we are looking forward to what she has in store over this next month.

Help? Who needs help? Not Emma!

After her first day in the freshman class...note the filth on the shirt and the battle wounds!