Okay, so Emma has been going through this period of change, growth and doing new things.
She has been taking two naps per day again, and she seems pretty happy about it. On a couple of occasions over the last week when I asked her if she wanted to go to sleep she put her hands behind her head as if to say "yes, Mama!" So I put her down for a nap and she slept for 1.5 hours! That was a first (her "asking", in a way, to go to sleep), and you won't see me complaining.
Last Thursday or Friday Emma decided that it was time for her to crawl backwards down the entire flight of stairs (13 or 14 of those bad boys) on her own for the first time! We had been working and practicing that skill for what seems like a long time. Well, ever since she crawled up them for the first time. She would only go for a couple of steps before stopping and crawling back up. I would end up carrying her down, and sometimes if I put her down on the last 3 stairs she would crawl to the bottom no problem. But that was only sometimes. She just didn't seem interested. Then on one of our outside trips over the last week or two, Emma was really practicing on the stairs on the deck (there are only 3). She would go down, touch the ground, climb up, stop, climb down, until she would finally take off running through the grass. I guess she just needed the repetition and safety of a short flight of stairs. Now I know! So the trouble now with her interest (and confidence) in climbing down the stairs in the house, is that she insists on going sort of backwards/sideways. She likes to see where she is going. Plus Steve and I have both observed that Emma would rather turn around completely and "walk" down. Such an independent little girl! I just hopes she doesn't try walking down anytime soon. It would likely turn into falling down. Not good.
On Sunday, when I was buried in the basement under school work, Emma and Steve were in the family room watching basketball. According to Steve, Emma started pointing to her butt and saying something over and over. Of course he was curious so he picked her up and smelled a poopy smell. She was telling Steve that she had pooped! It was amazing and is marked down as another first. And then it just got better when she did the same thing on Monday morning. Wow! Is it too early to get a potty-training toilet?
Over the weekend we were all hanging out in the guest bedroom hanging some warm window curtains, when Steve spotted a cardinal in the birch tree outside the window. He scooped (I don't know why this is my favorite word) Emma up so she could see out the window. We all watched the bird, pointing out it's features and admiring it's red feathers. I reminded Emma of the sign for bird (opening and shutting your thumb and fingers under your chin like your hand is talking, at least that is what we are using), and then it flew away. Monday morning while Emma was eating her breakfast I had her highchair sitting in the kitchen, facing the window. I was attempting to eat breakfast, watch her and make scones. It took her repeating this same small "buh" sound over and over quite a few times before I realized that she was trying to tell me something. Her pointer finger and thumb were timidly clicking together and she was staring out the window. I half thought she was crazy (my mind hadn't process all of the visual clues that she was giving me) until I turned around and looked out the window. There was a cardinal sitting in the locust tree!
She has been taking two naps per day again, and she seems pretty happy about it. On a couple of occasions over the last week when I asked her if she wanted to go to sleep she put her hands behind her head as if to say "yes, Mama!" So I put her down for a nap and she slept for 1.5 hours! That was a first (her "asking", in a way, to go to sleep), and you won't see me complaining.
Last Thursday or Friday Emma decided that it was time for her to crawl backwards down the entire flight of stairs (13 or 14 of those bad boys) on her own for the first time! We had been working and practicing that skill for what seems like a long time. Well, ever since she crawled up them for the first time. She would only go for a couple of steps before stopping and crawling back up. I would end up carrying her down, and sometimes if I put her down on the last 3 stairs she would crawl to the bottom no problem. But that was only sometimes. She just didn't seem interested. Then on one of our outside trips over the last week or two, Emma was really practicing on the stairs on the deck (there are only 3). She would go down, touch the ground, climb up, stop, climb down, until she would finally take off running through the grass. I guess she just needed the repetition and safety of a short flight of stairs. Now I know! So the trouble now with her interest (and confidence) in climbing down the stairs in the house, is that she insists on going sort of backwards/sideways. She likes to see where she is going. Plus Steve and I have both observed that Emma would rather turn around completely and "walk" down. Such an independent little girl! I just hopes she doesn't try walking down anytime soon. It would likely turn into falling down. Not good.
On Sunday, when I was buried in the basement under school work, Emma and Steve were in the family room watching basketball. According to Steve, Emma started pointing to her butt and saying something over and over. Of course he was curious so he picked her up and smelled a poopy smell. She was telling Steve that she had pooped! It was amazing and is marked down as another first. And then it just got better when she did the same thing on Monday morning. Wow! Is it too early to get a potty-training toilet?
Over the weekend we were all hanging out in the guest bedroom hanging some warm window curtains, when Steve spotted a cardinal in the birch tree outside the window. He scooped (I don't know why this is my favorite word) Emma up so she could see out the window. We all watched the bird, pointing out it's features and admiring it's red feathers. I reminded Emma of the sign for bird (opening and shutting your thumb and fingers under your chin like your hand is talking, at least that is what we are using), and then it flew away. Monday morning while Emma was eating her breakfast I had her highchair sitting in the kitchen, facing the window. I was attempting to eat breakfast, watch her and make scones. It took her repeating this same small "buh" sound over and over quite a few times before I realized that she was trying to tell me something. Her pointer finger and thumb were timidly clicking together and she was staring out the window. I half thought she was crazy (my mind hadn't process all of the visual clues that she was giving me) until I turned around and looked out the window. There was a cardinal sitting in the locust tree!
A couple weekends ago Emma had her first official haircut! We went to the salon where I get my hair done, and Holly gave her a trim. Emma was such a big girl and sat all by herself in the chair (on a booster). We had to distract her, of course, with snacks and juice, but she didn't try too hard to escape. I think we must have been bursting with pride watching her get her hair cut. It is so silly- she will have many more hair cuts and it is just a hair cut afterall. But, she is our Emma and just about everything is too cute.
Finally, (I think!) the other day I was cutting a pear for Emma for lunch and thought that I should look up the sign for it. So I did. While Emma was eating I showed her the sign for Pear. She watched me, but she didn't try to repeat it or anything. The next day Steve was slicing a pear for dinner, and I asked Emma what the sign was that we were doing. She watched our hands and said "puh". We think that means pear! So, she used a word for a sign that she was watching-a first!
Emma just never ceases to amaze me! She is so smart (at least it seems that way since we have no comparison), and she is learning so much right now. I feel like I can't keep up with her some days. Not physically- soccer does come in handy, you know. I mean for what she absorbs and processes. I always feel like I need to work harder to show her new things and teach her more about her world. I love her refreshing look at the world. It is true that looking at the world through the eyes of a child is a rewarding thing to do.
Finally, (I think!) the other day I was cutting a pear for Emma for lunch and thought that I should look up the sign for it. So I did. While Emma was eating I showed her the sign for Pear. She watched me, but she didn't try to repeat it or anything. The next day Steve was slicing a pear for dinner, and I asked Emma what the sign was that we were doing. She watched our hands and said "puh". We think that means pear! So, she used a word for a sign that she was watching-a first!
Emma just never ceases to amaze me! She is so smart (at least it seems that way since we have no comparison), and she is learning so much right now. I feel like I can't keep up with her some days. Not physically- soccer does come in handy, you know. I mean for what she absorbs and processes. I always feel like I need to work harder to show her new things and teach her more about her world. I love her refreshing look at the world. It is true that looking at the world through the eyes of a child is a rewarding thing to do.
No comments:
Post a Comment