As 2009 ends, the terrible, terrific twos are beginning. Emma has been practicing the art of tantrums, screaming, and trying to get her way every single time. Although we do our best to avoid trigger situations, sometimes the fits are unavoidable. Our catch phrase these days is: it's hard to be little. Emma has validation that sometimes life is difficult for her and a reminder to us that being grown up can be the "easier" way to be.
Thanksgiving was a grand feast with Aunt Susan and our friends, Agathe, Henri and their kids, Gustave and Cleophie. Gustave is a picky eater so while he ate plain pasta, Emma chowed down on turkey, wild rice, sweet potato casserole, homemade Parker House rolls, and pumpkin pie. It was a sight to see her eating alone, completely contentedly at her snack table. At Great Grandma's the next day she turned in a similar performance. What can I say, the kid likes to eat!
Aside from eating, reading "tories" is Emma's next favorite thing to do. She is becoming quite the reader, too. She surprised us early this month when she started quoting Snow White and then later repeated to Steve the first few pages of the story, turning the pages at the correct moments. She knows that the letters on the page are the words that we need to see to read her the story. Even still, she has a knack for covering them up and waving the pages of the book around while trying to hold the book for us to see. Oh, the joys of limited dexterity and muscle control. :)
With that in mind, Emma has been working hard on making her fingers contort to make numbers, bunny ears, play thumb wars, give the thumbs up and say i love you. She busted out I love you in the bath last week and I went nuts. Her cousins and family all joined in these last couple of days. I think seeing her older cousins doing it was extra incentive. Emma waved I love you to them all as they drove away this morning.
The other morning I went into Emma's room to "set her free" for the day. Upon opening the door, Emma said, "Good morning, Mommy, I love you." My smile lit up the dark room- no need for lights that morning!
When Nanie gave Emma a bath last night, she sang Little Drummer Boy. Emma chimed in with "pa, rum, pa, pum, bum." Apparently she giggled and giggled over the bum part. As Nanie told us the story at the breakfast table this morning, Emma reached around during the "rum, pa, pum, pums" and patted her bum. Too funny.
Steve and I love singing and making up songs to tunes we all know. Emma usually giggles and adds a line or two that sometimes fits but likely is an example of how her mind works. (She will insert the word poop into any riff, for example.) Anyway, lately she has been trying to rhyme and make up songs with us. Raffi's Willaby Wallaby song is a current fave. Imagine her saying this: "Willaby Wallaby Wommy, an elephant sat on Mommy." Only Willaby Wallaby usually comes up Kawillaby, Kowallaby.
Santa brought Emma an awesome trike for Christmas. Although she can reach the pedals, she is still working on making the bike move by herself. Her cousins, however, gave her a break from trying. She sat on the back while they took turns pedaling her around the table. The younger cousin isn't as strong, so she helped by pushing with her feet. Later, they all gave us an impromptu dance show to the 3 short Peanuts tunes that the Hallmark Snoopy stuffed musical "toy" plays. The oldest cousin kept hitting the button to play the songs over and over again so they could dance. Emma didn't even need to be prodded to join in. She just starting twisting and wiggling around. But she would also then run really fast and jump into the couch cushions. I guess the bright lights of stardom can be too much sometimes! Nanie tried suggesting different music, perhaps songs that last longer than 30 seconds, but they only wanted Snoopy rocking out on his super mini piano.
Tom and Karen, our neighbors across the street gave Emma some Magic Reindeer Food to sprinkle on the snow on the night before Christmas. By morning it looked as if Rudolph had trampled the snow to eat the oats that he saw because of the sparkly green glitter mixed in with them. Santa had also eaten the cookies that Emma left out for him and all that was left of the carrot was a stub. Emma seemed impressed by all of the magical elements, and especially happy that Santa brought her what she asked for- candy.
The family gave Emma some new dolls and doll accessories that have kept her quite busy. She loves rocking them to sleep in the cradle that my godfather made me when I was little, feeding them bottles or cereal, pushing them around in the stroller, or swaddling them in the numerous blankets that can be found in any room of the house. When any one asks Emma what her baby's name is she always says, " Baby Doll." I think she currently has about 5 Baby Dolls.
Emma will sleep right through New Years and tomorrow will be 2010 by the time she wakes up. (Please let that be later than 7 am!) A new decade will be dawning with plenty of time for kicking and screaming, laughing and singing, reading and memorizing, dancing and sleeping. (Please let there be lots of great sleeping.) Happy New Year, Emma Bear!
