"More"

It’s hard work being a kid. It’s hard work being a mom too, but really, I think it is still harder being a kid. I watch Emma every day, learning how her body works, learning that everything around her has a name, learning the difference between playing gently with the dogs and playing hard with her toys and learning that the world has rules, even though she may not always like it. I watch her soak up new information and process new experiences every day and I am amazed at how much work it obviously is, that she is able to learn so much so fast and that she is ready to start fresh every morning.

Emma turned 14 months old yesterday. When she hit about nine months old, I felt like something shifted in life with her. She became more aware and more excited about what was happening in the world around her and it felt like we entered a new phase. This past month has felt very similar. Mike and I have had more of those “Whoa, did that just happen?” moments in the last month than I can remember ever having.

Last month, Emma started dancing by bouncing her knees when music started. This month she took her dancing to a whole new level and now has a routine that I am pretty sure is worthy of the next season of “So You Think You Can Dance”. She twists and turns and even, dare I say it, gyrates a little, even getting her arms into the act as she waves them overhead. I have hours and hours of video of her walking around the house with music in the background. I keep shooting in the hopes that she will start dancing so I can share it with you. So far I have only gotten snippets, since as soon as she sees me videotaping her, she stops and comes over to see what is going on. I will keep trying though.

The thing that has amazed us the most in the last thirty days though is Emma’s new ability to understand and process language. I wrote in her 13 month update that she was starting to follow simple directions. Now she can follow two part directions - “Emma get the bear and take it to daddy” and when we ask her questions she understands what we mean and lets us know her answer. When we ask her “Emma do you want to go to bed?” she nods and walks to her room, turning around to make sure we are following. It is mind blowing.

She has also started being really LOUD lately. She screams and shouts and yells “EH EH EH”, and not always out of frustration or anger. My theory is that she is testing the range of her voice and when she does seem frustrated it is because she can’t communicate what she wants. Or she’s just plain loud, which is always a possibility. Whatever the reason, it makes me crazy and leaves me wishing for her tiny little newborn cry.

She still isn’t talking, which as a new parent of course I sometimes wonder about, but she understands language so clearly that I am not too concerned. The doctor assured me at her one year check up that some kids don’t talk until 15 months, and I didn’t say my first word until 18 months, so I haven’t started googling “delayed speech” just yet.

Her signing is going really well, even if her talking isn’t. She can tell us when she is “finished”, when she wants to “drink” and when she wants “more”. That last one is key - it’s how we get her to stop yelling about wanting more food and just tell us. She has sort of created her own version of the sign for “more”, but she knows what she means and we know what she means so we don’t correct her. She appears really delighted each time she signs it and she actually GETS more - as if she can’t believe how easy it is to make us do what she wants, and let’s face it, it is.

She brought home her first piece of art work from daycare this month, which proudly went up on our fridge. She also had her first visit from her Uncle Andy and Aunt Alyson this month, and went with them to the National Museum of the American Indian - her first of many trips there I am sure.

Her favorite books are “Goodnight Gorilla” and “Bear Snores On”, some her favorite foods are feta cheese, bananas, eggs and yogurt and her favorite new game is Torture the Cat, which we are working on discouraging. She loves the Obama pin I wear on my coat and has one of her own that she carries around with her - we are still hoping Obama will be her first word. She is funny and smart and snuggly, and truly everything I could ever hope for in a child.

Except for that yelling thing. Really hoping that is just a stage.