Dearest Emma...

Hard not to love this sweet face

... you will be 18 months old tomorrow (or perhaps its today already). Where has the time gone? Its might be an overused statement, but it is oh so true "The days are slow, the years are fast." You are the furthest thing from that little baby we brought home from the hospital. You are now a walking (running), laughing, babbling, smiling, tantrum throwing little toddler.

I look forward more and more to when you wake up every morning to see what you might decide to do that day. Your smile and your cackling laugh is infectious. You absolutely must grab now all three of your favorite animals and your two blankets and have at least two pacifiers in your hands when you get out of your crib in the morning. Sometimes we have to pry you out of your sleep sack, since you seem to think that is the coolest thing ever right now. And those owl pajamas? You could not love those more, the look on your face when you saw your little cousin Louisa in the same pair was priceless. Let's just say I love all your expressions. As your father likes to say, and I might add it's pretty darn true "you wear your heart on your sleeve" and sometimes I think we all need to do that a little more often.

Emma and her baby cousin Louisa

Priceless expression when the orangutan came to meet her

A favorite pose of late... "hands up" and all done, ready to be cleaned. It comes with the warning that they must be cleaned in the next five seconds or they are going in her hair...

Such delight in the little things

Your love for books and reading is coming on fast as you ask to read and get out every single one of your books off your bookshelf nearly as soon as when you get up in the morning. And I love the delight in your eyes when you see Dakota come trouncing into your room in the morning, its so true that a dog is a child's best friend. The way you pull, climb, poke, share your food, scream at her, its a best friend love. And the way she lets you do all that to her, clearly you are her best friend now too. Let's be honest, you feed her breakfast and dinner and all of her treats in between, mom and dad are now useless to her.

What a good horsy!

Best Halloween buds

The feeding under the high chair tray seemed to be instinctive for both parties...

Although I can't always understand you, your words are coming fast now. Each week there seem to be a few new ones you are trying to say, but anything that starts with "b" is by far winning out... bye bye, banana, bed, bowl, button, beep, ball, boo, baa to name a few. Without a doubt though my favorites are when you say dirty "di di" and amen "ahhhh men." So sweet to see you sit quietly when its time to pray and to watch your eyes light up when we are all done and you get to say "ahhhh men." I think you're starting to understand now that it's not just something we say when something is done, but it was still pretty comical the time you said "ahhhh men" when the man on the intercom at the store finished making his announcement. However, your passion for saying the word "bowl" when it's time to get one out and feed the cats is unmatched...

I love the way you clamor to sit like a big kid on the kitchen stool and how much you wanted to help me bake Christmas cookies. While you are seemingly the pickiest of picky eaters, you seem to always know the good stuff. I now know I can't turn my back for a minute or I'll find you eating cookie dough and sugar by the spoonful!



Decorating with passion

And delight in the finished product!

You are quickly become independent and so very assertive and stubborn. You want to do everything by yourself and everything mom does. Getting ready in the morning has perhaps never taken more time (but has never been so much fun either) when I have to make sure you also have your deodorant on and chap stick applied among other things. While I used to give you access to my make up bag those days have ended quickly since you twisted the mascara open and gave yourself what looked like a black eye. It is amazing to watch how many things you have mastered from zipping to twisting and snapping, I have to make sure not to forget to give you the chance to do all these things, otherwise there is sure to be a meltdown if I don't.

Post self-mascara application

But perhaps the cutest of all is when you walk Dakota. It is such an ordeal to get the two of you out the door to go for a walk. While I try to wait until the last minute to get Dakota's leash out, it is the first thing you want to do, and as a result you fight being trampled by her excitement. Then when you insist on walking and holding her leash by yourself you are literally out for the ride of your life as you try to walk and then run as long as you can before Dakota gets a little too excited and you let go (thank goodness you let go instead of getting dragged down the sidewalk).

Just out for an afternoon stroll

She ALWAYS wants to help!

Oh there are simply too many amazing and adorable things you do each day, while you can be a handful, you are undoubtedly a fun handful. While you say "yes yes yes" as fast as you can as soon as we walk in a store with a shopping cart, it isn't but 3 minutes after you first get in that you decide this was the worst idea on earth and it seems nothing can make it tolerable. But then some stranger starts talking to you and saying how cute and what a smiler you are (they would be correct there, except for when it came to Santa), and you act like the best kid ever and I could not be prouder to be your mom. But then that person turns away down the next aisle and life in the shopping cart is again such a drama. I would say thank goodness for that seat belt in the shopping cart, except oh wait, they're either all broke or they do no good at holding you in. But do you know what is so much better than riding in that shopping cart? Grandpa's walker...

Riding in the indoor sled is also sooo much better than the shopping cart!

The list goes on and on. I am quite sure you are the sweetest, cutest, smartest, most delightful 18 month old around (perhaps I'm a little biased). No matter what, you are mine. I could not be luckier or more blessed to call you my daughter. I pray that feeling is never taken away from me and that one day you'll also say you could not be luckier or more blessed to call me your mother.

Like mother, like daughter? Or is it like daughter, like mother?