Emma: 21 Months!

Dear Jane Jane,

You made your first full sentence this month!  "I made a mess."  And that pretty much sums it up.  You are a messy eater of course, but you also have just been kind of cranky this month.  And I think I know why.  You are now at the age where it bothers you when Addy takes things away from you, pushes you, grabs toys that you were about to get, etc.  You hate it, but you aren't quite at the age yet where you know what to do about it.  So you cry.  And cry.  And cry.  That combined with the fact that you've been very clingy to me lately equals lots of crying and whining.  And you've mastered the fake cry already too.  Good times.  Truly you are a million times better when Addy is at school.  You are so much better at being able to entertain yourself than she ever was (or still is).  But if you and Addy are playing together and I leave the room for literally ten seconds, I can almost guarantee you will start crying for one reason or another.  It's been tough, but I keep reminding myself that all of these phases fly by and it won't be like this for long.

Now, in your defense, just watch this video.  You definitely put up with a lot from your sister ;)

Ha ha, anyway, enough about that.  Let's get into all of the fun we've been having this month.  June, the official start of summer!  You have been absolutely loving the pool, just like you did last year.  Our new pool has a splash pad and you just think that is hilarious!  Addy is skeptical, but you run right in, full speed ahead!

You are all about being silly and having fun :)

This month your hair was long enough for full pigtails and I feel like you look so much older all of the sudden.

Trying to be sneaky and taking off your shoes 

Fun in the sun!

 Oh and accessories.  You are a girl after Aunt Tina's heart.  You love accessories, just like she always did (and still does).  At the beach you were rocking those water shoes.  Addy left hers on for approximately one minute.  You loved the sunglasses.  Another minute and those were gone from Addy too.  You will keep on a hat or a hood all day.  Addy's hats never even made it out of the beach house.

There are days when you will wear a necklace or carry a play purse around with you ALL day long.  Like this princess necklace that makes noise when you push on it.  You love this thing and would wear it day and night if we let you.

Another example: straight out of the tub and putting on the prettiest necklaces you can find.  And then looking in the mirror of course :)

(This pic also displays your poor back that seems to chronically have eczema.  We put cream on it, but it never seems to totally go away.)

This is my favorite picture of you from this past month.  Enjoying the little pool, perfectly matching and accessorized.  You are a happy lady :)

And don't even get me started on shoes.  You have very distinct opinions on which shoes you will and won't wear, which is amazing to me.  What is even more amazing to me is that you seriously choose fashion over function.  There are some shoes that I'm sure are uncomfortable (AKA: Addy would never even let me finish getting them on her feet) or that are too small for you that you insist on wearing.  There was a little pair of pink shoes the other day that you chose, and I felt like we were characters in Cinderella as I was trying to smush those shoes on your feet!  And you sat there with such determination, trying to push your feet into those tiny shoes.  We got them on, and you left them on for hours!  Every morning as soon as you wake up you point to your closet and say, "Shoes."

You love to sing, and recently you are able to sing some of the words to your favorite songs!  You make up a lot of words too, but that is just as cute.  And you always finish your songs by cheering for yourself, which is hilarious!  Here is a video of some car trip singing. (Don't mind the fact that you have no clothes on.  Approximately 5 minutes before this video you had just thrown up all over the car.  And then here you are as pleasant as can be.)

All in all it has been a fun month.  Although there are definitely days when I feel like having two toddlers will be the death of me, you always manage to reel me back in with your sweet little voice and that head tilted smile.  Just last night you were crying a little bit in your crib (which is unlike you), so I went in and snuggled with you on the rocking chair for awhile.  It is so very rare that you let me do that, and I was loving it.  Your head buried into my chest, quietly singing "Row Row" ("Row, Row, Row Your Boat").  All of the sudden you picked your head up and said "I wub you."  It was the first time you've ever said that without being prompted.  And then you put your little arms around me and layed back down.  Through tear stained eyes I said, "I love you too Emmy."  And we rocked.  And I would not change my life for anything in this world.

I love you so very much Emmy Jane.

Love,

Mommy