Happy New "Ear!"

Happy New Year! Or, as Emily would say, "Happy New 'Ear!'" And yes, if you ask her where her "new ears" are, she'll point to her ears.

Two is proving to be fun and challenging. She definitely has determination and a zest for life, which we figure will do her well as an adult, but will make her toddler years challenging for us parents.

She's talking up a storm and repeats 95% of what you say. We made the switch to a "big kid" bed about a month ago and she loves it. She and Big Red snuggle in for naps and are happy as clams.

And in case you hadn't heard, Emily is going to be a big sister (something she's very proud of). She has no idea what it means, but people keep asking her if she's excited to be a Big Sister so she keeps repeating it. Poor kid- she's in for a rude awakening. However, she still has some time to enjoy the spotlight- the baby isn't due until the beginning of June, so Emily has about 6 more months to be the queen bee around here. Then all bets are off... And no, we aren't finding out what we're having. The baby for now is known as "Wobble" to go along with Emily's in utero nickname, "Weeble."

More new photos to come soon, but we'll leave you with one last one for now... Happy New Ear, everyone!

"TWO Can Play This Game"

Living with a toddler is proving to be fun and interesting. Emily has some new "antics" that we thought we'd share.

1. While she certainly isn't learning to count yet, she does understand that "two" is a unit of measure. The problem is, she feels that it can be used to measure everything. Case in point: If you ask her, "Emily, how many eyes do you have?" She will answer, "Two!" However, if you ask her, "Emily, how many toes do you have?" the answer is still, "Two!" So, unless our daughter is really a sloth, we still have to work on this counting thing.

2. While overall she still continues to be good natured and giggly, she also is showing just how stubborn and willful she can be. Second case in point: Her fingernails were getting long again and lest she claw her own eyes out, I decided it was time for a trim. I chose to do it after dinner while she was still in her highchair. Of course, my question of "Emily, I need to cut your nails. Can I please have your hand?" was met with a loud "NO!" and that's where the standoff began. I decided that this was not a negotiation, so I told her that she couldn't get out of her chair until I cut her nails. Now it was just a battle of wills - who would crack first? For a good 20 minutes we did the following:

Emily: "Out?"
Erin: "You can get out after I cut your nails. Are you ready to have your nails cut?"
Emily: "NO!"

I began to envision her sitting in that chair at 11pm because neither of us would budge. However, about 20 minutes in she got the gist that I wasn't budging and she gave in. In 20 seconds I was done and she was on her way out of the chair.

In case you're keeping score, that's Mommy: 1, Emily: 0.

3. And lastly, Miss Emily has inherited some rhythm and enjoys dancing around the house as much as possible. Her latest love is dancing to the Chris Brown song "Forever." I try to overlook that Chris Brown has been arrested for physical assault and just enjoy my daughter "dancing" by shaking her arms and twirling in circles.

The song came about after that crazy wedding entrance video was posted on youtube and became an internet hit. Emily LOVES that video. In case you haven't seen it, here's a link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0

And here's a video of Emily dancing to the music. Enjoy!

Mo Mo

Emily's favorite things in life all are 2 word phrases:

Ma Ma

Da Da

Ba Ba = Big Red

Mo Mo = Elmo

At times having a Dad who works for the Dodgers has its perks, like when she got to meet Elmo when he threw out the first pitch at a recent game. Watching her face as we stood on the field during the Anthem was priceless- watching her look around with this big goofy grin at all of the people, and of COURSE she was excited to see the big Monster himself. We weren't sure if she was going to be excited or freak out and luckily it was the former. There are more photos from their meeting at the link at the bottom of this post.

Otherwise, Cheeks has been up to her usual Cheekiness- just more words get added weekly. It's fun to watch her learn things. She loves to color these days- in fact our coffee table has turned into a permanent coloring station.

She's also added more small bears to her crib when she sleeps. We often go in to check on her at night and it looks like the Apolcolypse and bodies have been thrown everywhere.

She's proving to be a quite funny. She pretends that she doesn't like to be tickled but she really loves it. And if you get her laughing hard enough, especially after she's had something to eat or drink, you'll get a surprise (which Daddy learned the hard way). But at least once a day she's in a fit of giggles, and often more than that.


Here is a video of Emily's current "Bag 'o Tricks." I'd like to mention that she was not coached during any of this, all we did was ask her questions:




Otherwise, here are some photos:

Click here to see recent Emily photos.

Shoes!

My parents have been super busy putting up with my new "toddler" antics so it's been a few months since they blogged or took photos of me. But Mommy finally got her act together today....

A few new things about me:

1. My first word was "Shoes." Mommy was thrilled. Daddy wanted to vomit thinking about the future Credit Card bills.

2. While I only have a few words, I can understand almost anything. Whether or not I listen to my parents when they tell me to do something is another story. I consider their commands to be "suggestions."

3. I have dropped my morning nap. It was a little hairy during the transition, but now I'm taking 2 1/2 - 3 hour naps in the afternoon. Mommy doesn't know what to do with herself.

4. If you ask me where different parts of my body are I can point to them. Except for my belly button. No matter how many times Mommy and Daddy show me where it is, I can never tell them where it is when they ask. Maybe it's because mine looks different than their's do?

5. Big Red has a new friend, Little Red, who also wears an Indiana University shirt. I carry them around the house all the time, along with a small talking Elmo who is only amusing to me and annoying to everyone else.

6. Ask me to yawn and you're sure to enjoy a laugh.

7. I'm enjoying learning to brush my teeth. It tickles.

8. I was a TROOPER during our THREE roundtrip, 6 hour drives to and from Phoenix. As long as I had Big Red and snacks, I was fine in the backseat.

9. When I get mad I throw my toys and have been known to smack things around. Mommy keeps trying to put a stop to it, but I enjoy it.

10. I can't wait to see you all soon!

Click here for a link to some new photos of me!

Walking Machine

Well, it only took 15 months, but Emily has FINALLY learned to walk. To commemorate the occasion, we bought her new sneakers with pink velcro straps that she likes to undo....

This was a video of her first few steps, but now she's a walking machine! She'll resort to crawling at times, but is mostly on her feet these days. The only problem is that she gets really mad if you want her to walk somewhere that she doesn't. Aren't the tantrums supposed to start at 2????

The Great Feast

This was Emily at the Thanksgiving dinner table after Mom and Dad hosted for the firs time. Mom did all the cooking and it was quite a feast. Emily resembled a queen at her throne and she did eat quite a bit. Props to Erin for a great meal.

AND THEN SHE WALKED...KIND OF



This video is of one of her first attempts at walking. She took to it very quickly but as of early '09, she still hadn't taken more than a step or two on her own (at least not in front of her parents...Grandma Eileen and Grandpa Larry said that she started walking on her own as soon as we left for the Caribbean).

Happy Holidays

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Yes, it's that time of year again. Time when we can "Elf" ourselves, which is just what I did for our little family today. Take a look at the video above and enjoy Big Red's cameo. Who knew Josh had such awesome dance moves?

Emily is getting excited to spend a week with her grandparents without us. Who are we kidding, as long as she has Big Red and her thumb, she won't even know that we're gone...

No walking yet... Her pediatrician says that if she's still not walking by 17 months that we can start to worry. Until then, it looks like it's up to Emily. She knows how to stand and "cruises" around everything. Apparently, she's just opting not to do it. Shocker...

Stay tuned for more walking updates!