Sorry to be behind with posting, but guess who's a few months away from turning two, and starting to assert herself! Life sure is interesting these days! And incredibly busy!!
Girls at the Beach
We spend every Friday with Abigail and Taylor, our best little friends. Here we are in our beach tent, enjoying a little lunch. We now love the sand, so visits to the beach are filled with shovels and buckets, sunscreen, hats, and frolicking in the surf. Emily laughs like crazy when the waves crash on the beach. Seashells and seaweed are an endless source of fascination, as are burying our feet in the sand then wiggling our toes.
Waiting for our next wave.
Other Fun Stuff
Ah yes, the joys of parenting. Daddy's teaching me to make clucking noises.
My first tricycle, sort of. Unfortunately, my feet don't reach the pedals--they're not even close! That's the last time Mommy and Daddy buy a trike without finding one for me to test drive first!
Life with Grandma and Grandpa Lee
I love my grandparents! Here's Grandpa Lee with me at a park. I love to climb things!
I love my Uncle Dave! (He's Mommy's crazy brother.)
Here's my beloved Grami Frani at Grandma and Grandpa's house before she flew home to Pennsylvania.
Oh that Grandpa, he lets me get away with everything! I love to wear his glasses.
And ride on his tractor. So where's Grandma in all this? She's behind the scenes, of course, changing my diapers, feeding me, watching Wiggles with me, and just loving all over me. Where's Mommy, you ask? She's either outside working in Grandma's garden or crashed on the couch with her arm over her eyes. I'm not that much work, am I? ;)
Emily's Milestones:
--Standing on one foot (thanks, Wiggles!) Now we do this anytime, anywhere.
--Emily can sign 21 different words! They are: Ball, bath, bed (nite nite), book, car (drive), cat, change (diaper), cold, Daddy, diaper, dog, drink, duck, eat, finished (meals), gentle (petting), hot, house (home), milk, more, please, telephone, and thank you. We add more signs daily, and it's a joy to teach her, because we can have actual conversations with her. Now she signs "car" and "Daddy" when Kevin pulls in the driveway.
--She's sounding out words with the signs (we’ve spoken the corresponding word all along). This is significant, since research shows that sign language actually helps children begin to speak earlier. And it helps prevent frustration--it works!
--She loves our animals, and lies her head against them to show affection. They usually walk away, but Emily just keeps her head against them and walks with them! She imitates then, too. I caught her with her head in the dog's water dish, lapping
up water just like the dog does. She tries to show the cat how to eat his food, picking each piece up for him to see.
--When our cell phones ring, she puts her fist to her ear. Now that we have new phones that play Samba music, Emily dances whenever the phone rings! It's hilarious, especially in public.
--We're drinking from a straw! This develops the mouth and tongue muscles that permit speech.
--She has become very affectionate with other children, and loves to give hugs. Daddy taught her to give a kiss and say "MWAH!"
--She can now jump! Our poor mattresses will never be the same. What fun to watch, though.
