On tractors and tiaras...

So Emmeline is into two things right now: riding on the lawnmower and princesses.  I'll get to princesses in a minute, but first... tractors.  A few weeks ago, David took her for a ride on the lawnmower and now it is her favorite thing to do at home.  "Tak-tuh?" (tractor) she says.  Everyday.  Usually first thing in the morning.  Always when she gets home.  Before we leave for school everyday, she has to hug the tractor.  "Aww, tak-tuh, aww."  ("Aww" means hug, because that is what we say when she gives us hugs.)  Yup, she hugs the tractor everyday before she will get in the car.
 
David found her this Emmeline-sized John Deere at the Thrift Store the other day.  It has no charger and the wheels are shot, but she climbs onto it and off of it and onto it and off of it about 100 times.  But it doesn't replace riding with Daddy.  When she isn't on the tractor, she carries around a picture of them riding the tractor.  Sometimes, she will take the picture to bed with her and I'll hear her talking on the monitor about the "taktuh."

Now, on princesses, "pinsess" as Emmeline calls them.  I woke up on April 29 just in time to catch most of the Royal Wedding.  Emmeline got up in time to see the Prince and Princess leaving Westminster Abbey.  Her favorite part: the horses.  "Husses, giin.  Husses, giin!"  (Horses, again.  Horses again!)  Then she saw the princess in her tiara waving at the crowd while sitting in a carriage pulled by huge horses.  Emmeline turned and looked at me like, "How come we don't ride around like that!"  And then she started waving back at the Prince and Princess.  She smiled and waved all morning.  If you ask her to, she will smile and wave like a princess.  Somehow, the receptionists at her dentist knew she was a princess, which made the first visit there better.

Last week, I took her by the recital rehearsal for Steeple Arts, my old dance studio.  My mom's cousin teaches there and we wanted to stop by and say hello to her and some other friends.  Emmeline really wanted to go home and ride the tractor, so she was fussy-butted all the way there in the car.  Finally she calmed down when I told her we were going to see some dancing princesses.

Once we got there, I took her into the theatre and she saw the girls dancing on stage.  "Pinsess, aww.  pincess, aww."  "We will go give them a hug in a minute, Emmeline.  The are doing their Princess Dance right now."  "Pinsess, aww.  pincess, aww."  This went on for a while.  Finally, they were finished with their dancing and pictures and we went on stage to see them.  This sweet class of 12 little 12-year-olds were so flattered to be thought of as Princesses, but I wish I had had my camera to capture Emmeline's face!  She positively lit up when those girls gushed over her.  She cried when it was time to leave.  "Pincess, aww.  Pincess, aww.  Pincess, aww, giin, ginn!!!"  One lonely Princess in the parking lot waiting on her queen mom to pick her up got one final hug from Emmeline and then we were on the way home.  No amount of telling her that the Princesses were all night-night in their castles would console her.  She wanted more hugs from the Princesses.  She cried and cried and cried...

Until we pulled up at home and she saw the tractor.

Ahhh, the attention span of the toddler mind.

Words words words...

Here's a current word list.  These are words that she says.  She recognizes plenty more, but doesn't say them, i.e. she can point to her ear, shoulder, knee, etc. but doesn't say those yet.

Foods: nana (banana), gogurt (yogurt), apah (applesauce or apples), kiken (chicken), kaka (cracker), bebbies (veggie straws), oh (cheerios), muck (milk), cuh (cup), cahkee (coffee)

Exclamations: o bee (o boy), yuck, meh (mess), ah hah (uh huh), no, yeh (yes), mup (up), go, ni ni (night night), uh oh, moh (more), gen (again), BOO, pees (please), poopy (only after the fact, of course), ah duh (all done), bye bye, hi, dahhhhk (dark), echo (she doesn't know what it means, but uses it at the right time like leaning into the shower and saying "echo")

People (and pets): Mama, Dada, Caca (Chica), Wiwi (Winni), gNini (Ginny), Bebe (my mom), Rara (Roger), Pat Pat said much like a duck would say it and always very loudly (David's mom), Papa (David's dad), Elmo, Ohi (Zoey), Cookie, Bih Buhd (Big Bird) Bahnee (Barney, tragic... I know),

Places: cul (school)

Things: bak (block), buk (book), ba (bath), puppy (always whispered), dahg or woo woo (dog), mehehe (horse), mahw (cat), buhd (bird), boon (balloon), light, mihboooohn (milkbone), snow, nenees (necklace)

Body Parts: heh (head), noh (nose), mahw (mouth), ih (eye), bip bip (belly button), toe,

She puts words together some, too.  A few nights ago, she got a very serious look on her face while she was eating dinner and slowly said, "Moh ohs pees," and then grinned really big and looked so proud of herself.  I could just see the gears turning in her brain.

This post is brought to you today by...

The letter B.

Emmeline had her 18 month check-up on Thursday and she is doing great!  Also, I'm pretty sure that she is a genius.  I always park in the same row on the same level of the parking deck when I go to St. Vincent's.  I'm pretty sure I'd lose my car if I didn't.  On Thursday, I parked in my normal spot and we load out of the car - and I'm hustling to get us too the elevator because we are late and it is cold.  Emmeline points to the huge letter marking the level and screams...

B!!!

No lie.

Then she looks up at me and grins like "See how smart I am.  I know what I just did."
 
She might not be a genius, of course, because when she sings her alphabet it goes like this: A-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B.

B is her favorite.

But still... really smart, that girl.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Stats at 18 months (with WHO percentiles in parentheses):
Weight: 26 lbs. 10 oz. (88%)
Height: 32.5" (62%)
Head Size: 19.75" (99%), supports genius theory

All of her other milestones are great as well.  She is talking a lot.  I'll try to post a word list soon.  She loves helping around the house, especially loading and unloading the dryer.  She eats well, but still has a milk allergy.  She loves her books and her blocks.  If it were up to her, she and Elmo (and Cookie Monster, too) could read books and stack blocks all day long.  She is very affectionate, unless saying "no" to hugs and kisses seems like more fun at the time.

All in all, we are so very blessed to have such a wonderful, loving, smart, silly daughter.

Best friends...

Here's a picture of Emmeline with her best friend, Elmo. Everything nowadays is Elmo Elmo Elmo. On the you tube, DVRed Sesame Street, Elmo in Grouchland, on her diapers, talking/dancing/storytelling Elmos.

They are inseparable. Super cute.

I know I've been a bad blogger. I'll do better this year.

Some Emmeline video...

Here's a video of Emmeline.  She loves the forward faving camera on my iPhone.  Thanks, Steve Jobs, for making it easier to take video of my child!