Being 2 and Loving It!

A little Emmy Update:

• Not only is Miss Em loving being 2 1/2, but we are as well. She is hilarious, sweet, caring and very smart (spoken like a true mother, I know!) She will now come up to Andy and I at completely random times, give us big hugs and say I love you! It just melts our hearts. She loves when the two of us match, even if it's just our pants and says, "Mommy, we match, we're best friends!"

• I am so very proud to say that she has been in underwear now for a little over 2 weeks. We have been potty training off and on for quite some time now, but just recently we made a trip to Target, picked out some really cute underwear and I guess she was finally ready. She insisted on wearing her underwear around the time we were traveling for the holidays, which made it a bit challenging, but I didn't want to stop her. She has been doing GREAT and has only had a few accidents and I believe none in the past week. She is really learning control, doesn't have a fear of public places (even though I cringe every time we go in and she goes to touch something) and is doing amazingly well. Never thought I could be so proud of pee & poop!

• We have been taking a Mommy & Me Preschool class since September, with her teacher, Mrs. Smith and she loves it. It's through the Jewish Community Center in Southbury and where she will be taking preschool next year 3 days a week. In class the kids are learning to be able to recognize their name, so now she points out the letter "E" whenever she sees one. While in Florida she saw a huge sign that said "BOSE" while at the outlet mall. She immediately yelled out, with a huge smile on her face, "Look, that's my name!" As if it was written in lights in the sky. So cute!

• She is learning to ask questions and can now hold a real conversation with you. We have gotten passed the point where we would just talk to her and ask her things, to now she will ask them back. She loves to sit at the dinner table and ask us about our day. She will even ask follow up questions depending on what you said you did that day. She'll ask if you had fun, if it was hard, if you are tired, etc. Where does she learn this stuff?!?!

• Emmy has really been into getting herself dressed lately and I am all for it, well for the most part! I mean I have to put my foot down sometimes, but I also don't want to stifle her creative expression (if you can call it that). We rearranged all of her dresser drawers yesterday so she could have an easier time picking out shirts, pants, etc. This morning was a great example, as I spent a few minutes on the phone with a friend, she told me she was going to pick out her clothes. When I told her she had dance, she immediately knew there would be a skirt as part of the outfit and it went from there! Picture below explains it all...

• She is really starting to come out of her shell as well. She of course can still be shy at times, but is starting to talk to people in public, loves to order her own dinner at restaurants and will even shake hands and say "nice to meet you!" That's my favorite because people are always so surprised to see the polite manners - makes me so proud! She even told the pilot on the plane as we were leaving to "Take Care!"

• Emmy refuses to let me do her hair unless I pretend I am Leah. her hairdresser. She LOVES Leah and asks to get her haircut at least once a week, if only I were made of money. I realized the only way I can do it is if I set her little chair down in front of my full length mirror and pretend I am the hairstylists, but I need to do it just as Leah does. I guess next time we go I'll have to take notes.