i press this.

despite my good intentions, i think the days of posting monthly emme updates have fallen by the wayside.  my original, unstated intention was to do every month up to 24 (when i swear i will stop counting her age in months...or at least i will try!).  but, with as busy as we are these days, and as incredibly active as she is, the time for portraits and organized photo shoots has not been a priority.  i'm going to work harder at posting/writing about the everyday pictures and activities instead of the formal monthly posts.  this is how i will rationalize my shortcomings in this department...

anyway.  emme is a little over 20 months now.  insanity.  i had to go to san diego for work at the end of june, and i came back three days later to a little monkey who was speaking in sentences.  it literally happened that fast.  her language has exploded over the last several weeks and it is so. much. fun.  she is really kind of a hilarious person.  the most common sentence we hear is "i [verb] this".  i press this; i taste this; i push this; i close this; i open this; i turn this off; the list goes on.  we also hear i did it! a ton.  i got her a babydoll (her first) in california and she is obsessed with it.  it has a beanie that goes in its mouth, so she will try to click it in there by herself (something she does with increasing ease and frequency, even though that baby's head is wily).  when she is successful, she stands back proudly and says i did it!  this also happens with coloring, putting on articles of clothing, etc.  so cute.  yesterday, i picked her up from school (wednesday is water play day) and i asked her if she had played in the water.  her response was "i played in the water" - instead of "yes" which was her response every week before now.  i am just so amazed at her correct use of pronouns and subject/verb agreements.  haha.  i'm also a huge dork.  what else?  oh!  she has this little toy remote control thing my mom got her.  it has eyes and you can push a button and close the eyes.  she was showing it to me one day and explained to me "he closes his eyes".  who knows where she gets this stuff?  it is amazing to me.  her vocabulary is growing daily, too.  she is always trying to sound out new words and then uses them again when i'm least expecting it.  i am obsessed with the way she says yogurt (her favorite breakfast option).  she still needs reminders to use words sometimes, especially when she gets upset or reactive about something, but i mean, she is a toddler.  it's just SO nice that she is capable of/knows the words to use now instead of the frustration of a couple months ago where she understood so much but couldn't say most of it.  anyway...i hope this isn't coming across as braggy - i am just literally stunned and awed watching/experiencing the development of language.  it's endlessly rewarding, and makes me feel like i have a much better glimpse into her little world. 

ek is also absurdly busy these days.  her default pace is running, which she lets us know by announcing "running!  running!" as she's running.  she wants to climb and subsequently stand on every surface known to man.  one of the most frequent phrases heard from me/justin is "ON YOUR BOTTOM".  her response is usually a mischievous grin followed by a slow descent back to her bottom.  i am only beginning to anticipate all the testing we're going to get from this little bug.  we are working really hard on staying consistent with certain manners/expectations, and for the most part she is doing well with these.  the stuff that i'm focusing on right now is:

• saying please and thank you (please is nearly perfect, thank you is still a work in progress).
• putting dirty clothes in the hamper (this involves opening a hatch thing, so she is pretty into it).
• staying at the table until everyone is done eating (this is from the french parenting book i read - we still have work to do, but she is MUCH better than she used to be...she will ask to get down, but doesn't flip out when i remind her that others still have food on their plates).  
• gentle touches (with us, the dogs, her buddies, her body).
• understanding where/how to play with certain things (i.e. we color on paper, not the furniture; we dig in dirt outside; we eat only at the table, etc.).  this is a definite work in progress, and likely will continue to be. 

i feel like there are others, but a lot of that is stuff that i am working on for me/me and jb.  stuff like watching my tone when she gets testy and being responsive when she asks for hugs/to be held instead of just assuming she's being needlessly clingy.  slowing down, in general, especially with her.  letting her be independent and encouraging her to do hard things.  the list goes on...

so i guess this is kind of rambly, but will suffice as an update.  i love this age - she is so sweet and curious and fun.  i love when she chuckles at some random thing and says "haha, funny mama".  i love the expressiveness and the endless fascination with everything.  we went for a walk with the pups last weekend after rain all week and there was mud everywhere...she stopped every 2-3 steps to stick her fingers in the mud and squeal about it.  i love that she has a very clear nurturing side but can be tough too....i hope she keeps that up.  she is hardly ever still these days, but we have great cuddle time before bed every night and during the slow wake up period in the mornings.  i love her little singing voice and we are endlessly amused by her obsession with the lalala elmo song and the birthday song (and birthday videos justin has made).  we really do love this girl.