14 months!

It has been too long since I updated about Emily. She will be 14 months this week. Her 13th month was not her best, but she's back to her happy self now. It seems like the poor girl spent the whole last month sick sick sick. She caught every little bug that big sis brought home from preschool. First it was a wicked cold with a cough, then an infection in both ears and then an upper respiratory infection. All of that and she got 4 molars too! Talk about cranky!

She has really developed such a fun little personality. She loves to get a laugh and flirt with people in stores. Dancing is her new passion. She busts a move to anything with a catchy beat. Of course she wants to be everywhere that her big sister is, eat what Ava eats, play with Ava's toys. She's a little smarty pants too. When it's time for bed, she gets her own p.j.'s and brings them to me. Today she was playing in the toy kitchen and she found two plastic buns and a plastic burger, arranged them into the correct burger form and proudly brought it to me. Ask her to touch her eyes. She does. Same with ears, nose, and mouth. She's showing lots of interest in puzzles and fitting shapes through the holes in her block toys, not to mention that she wants to draw and color on everything. Lucky for her (but not for me!), there are lots of opportunities since Ava leaves her crayons and markers laying all over the place. Arrgh!

She knows exactly what she wants these days, she just doesn't have the words to describe it. So she gestures and points and yells gibberish at me. If I can't (or won't) deliver, she gets downright angry and that little toddler temper flares. She's been throwing her first real tantrums lately. Along with the tantrums are the usual toddler mischief. Tell her "no" and it makes her want to do it more. And now she's telling me "no" and violently shaking her her to emphasize her point. Her little independent attitude is a family trait. I'm not naming names...

Despite her toddler tendencies, she's still my little cuddle bug. I love how she snuggles up and she's very generous with her hugs, kisses, and even back rubs.

So that's Miss Emily. 14 whole months old this week.