Emma: 22 Months

Seriously, two months away until two!  How can that be?!?! Almost time to start planning her birthday party. 

Skills: I am going to start this part with my favorite words that she says.  Topping the list is still Eh-ba-leah!  She says this with such gusto.  She also likes to say “Eh-bah-leah cying” when Everly is fussing which I think is adorable.  Uh oh, no no no and hold you still top Emma’s favorite words list.  She loves to say “I’m sorry” which is just hilarious- and she even knows to use it if she cuts in front of you.  She says mile and cheese whenever she sees me get out my camera or my phone which I also adore- think she gets her picture taken much?  She will also say “are you ok” when she “accidentally” hits Everly or if she falls down herself.  Other favorite works are messy, uh oh, fall down and of course mama.    

She can identify a few colors now!!! My mother-in-law taught her this and I could not be happier!! She pulls out the blue crayon and asks Emma what color it is and she says ba-loo!  She can also identify pink and red.  What a smartie. 

She has also started to jump- she likes to jump on the bed and off little steps always saying “weeee”.  Yes, I had no idea this was a milestone (or skill) until I read it myself.

Likes: Emma has been loving to sing and dance lately.  Her favorites to sing are Happy Day (she literally just repeats the words Happy Day over and over and over in a singing voice), bah-der rain (Emma’s version of Itsy Bitsy Spider- she sings the words Bah-der Rain over and over again) and Frosty the snowman.  Whenever she wants me to sing Itsy Bitsy Spider- she will put my fingers together (as imitating the spider) and bah-der.   Emma likes to wear “panties” over her diapers- these are usually her shorts from her pajama bottoms or a dress diaper cover.  Emma likes to color and requests to do this often- although sometimes she would prefer that you color.  Emma likes to be outside- this is probably her favorite.  She is almost always content/happy/excited outside.  The things Emma likes to eat change constantly; however, some true favorites are ham, cheese, chicken nuggets, strawberries, 'nanas, cereal, soup, blueberries and of course ice cream.

Struggles: Sleep is still a constant struggle.  When will I ever get both of my girls to sleep through the night.  Never, ok!?!? Glad we are clear on that.  She is also really starting to challenge our authority which I am not sure I am ok with.  She will tell me and Wes “no, no no” several times a day.  I have tried to tell her that she is not allowed to tell adults no, but she has no concept of that.  Wes will tell her not to say no to him and it seems to work out a little better for him.  We have a lot of work to do in this department.  Also, another struggle that has surprised me is that one day she just decided that she doesn’t like to drink milk anymore.  This is shocking because she would usually down 25 – 30 ounces a day before Thanksgiving.  We have tried all things to get her to start drinking milk again- chocolate milk, warm milk, cold milk, milk in a bottle, milk in a sippy cup, etc.  We have even tried only letting her have milk in the morning until she finishes it and then giving her juice (watered down Gatorade), but she literally puts up a fight and will not drink it.  Any ideas? Suggestions? Happen to anyone else? 

Miscellaneous: Those teeth have still not popped through.  Emma still has 8 teeth + 4 molars.  Maybe the 23^rd month will be the charm.  This miscellaneous fact will surprise you- Emma no longer takes naps in her swing!! At 22 months, she now takes a nap in bed or on the couch!  Go Emma!! Wes is entirely responsible for this because he said she was too big and breaking the swing- so naps on the couch or bed it is! Emma is still in size 3 diapers and wears size 18 – 24 month clothing and we have transitioned slowly to a few 2T items.  I am not sure if I have ever talked about this on the blog before, but Emma is slow to warm up to things.  Like as slow as molasses.  Even if she has seen the person 20 times (i.e. my sisters), she is still slow to give them smiles, or hello’s.  This is also true with events- for example, I knew she would not sing ‘Happy Birthday Jesus’ at her school Christmas program.  So it should not come as a surprise to me, but she was scared of Santa, the new blow up decorations in our yard and even the lights on the Christmas tree when we first put it up.  I want to end this post by talking about her love of Everly- she loves her, like really really loves her (as I often like to say with reckless abandon).  Emma is jealous by nature, as I am sure most oldest children are, but Everly is the first person that she looks for in the morning and gives her multiple kisses goodnight every evening.  I am starting to see their relationship evolve as they start to interact with each other more.  Don't get me wrong, she is still incredibly jealous- but the love is there, you can see it :).