Emily is 2!

Well, this is only a month late. Mother of the year right here. The holidays really caught up with us this year and I can't believe 2011 is almost over. I will not be sad to see it go. This was a hard year for me personally, but that is a whole other story and not what this post is about.

EMILY IS TWO!!!! Or in Emmy's words "I gonna be 2" said while desperately trying to hold only two fingers up. She is such a sweetheart. We had her party on the Saturday before her birthday and she was surrounded by lots of family and friends. next year we will for sure tone it down a bit and take her and some of her friends to more of a play place, but I think all the kids that made it had a fun time. I forgot my camera (I tell you mother of the year) but thankfully Papa Robert was able to capture some moments for us.

About the Party
I don't have any pictures of the details, but it was a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme. Here is the invite.



We had snack type appetizers including "Plutos Punch" (sherbet punch), Minnie's Mac n' Cheese, Goofy's Grapes, Mickey's jiggly jello, Donald's vegetable garden (veggie tray), Daisy's Daises (cheese slices cut into flower shapes, and of course hot dogs. My mom and I made cupcakes and put on large oreo and two minis to form a Mickey head on top. They turned out great. The party was a lot of fun. Emmy was definitely spoiled that is for sure! She is one lucky girl to have so many people in this world who love her.

About Emily
Emmy totally blows my mind. Her vocabulary doubles nearly every day and she is amazing at using her words to communicate. She says the silliest things and always keeps us laughing. She is such a happy little girl. We truly are so blessed to have such a well behaved child. Don't get me wrong, we have our moments and lately our share of serious tantrums. She is definitely testing her limits these days and it is so hard for Zig and I not to give in, but in the long run, us being a little bit more strict now will pay off down the road.

We had Em's 2 year check up and she is still on the same curve she was at her last check up and the doctor was really happy with how she was developing both physically and mentally. She said she is still small (25lbs 33 1/4 inches long, 10-25th percentile overall) but that's ok. As far as gross and fine motor skills she is a little ahead of the curve, and vocabulary wise she is doing awesome. She says full sentences, and is pretty easy to understand to most people. Zig and I pretty much understand everything she says clear as day, but there are some things she says that we have to translate.

Here are just some little fun facts:
-Emmy still loves her "buddies" and they have multiplied to over a dozen over the last few months. We had to make a special shelf in her room for them to sit at night so they all don't end up in her bed (more on her big girl room to come).
-She loves to give kisses, especially on the cheek and makes the sweetest little smacking sound when she does it. She is also the best hug giver.
-She sleeps amazing in her big girl bed. Seriously, that may have been the easiest transition yet. She quickly blew off the baby room and traded up for the big girl room no problems. I don't blame her. Her new room is pretty awesome. Christmas threw her schedule off a little bit and we are having some issues with naps and bed time but we are working through them. She likes for me to lay down and sing to her till she falls asleep and honestly, I can't complain. She is not going to let me do that forever, so for now, we just do what works.
-She loves all her family. She talks about them all the time. Noni, Papa, Papa, Grandma, all the aunts and uncles. You name it!
-She wears 18-24 month pants and 2 t shirts. She has a long upper body and a teenie tiny waist. She does have quite the belly though so it has been tough to find pants that accommodate that and aren't super long. She is still in size 4 diapers and between a 4 and 5 shoe.
-I love the way she says mommy and daddy. She will also tell people that my name is Michele and daddy's name is Sean (said almost with a Jersey accent). She will also tell people her full name, although her pronunciation of her last name is a little off. I don't blame her, it's tough to pronounce clearly.
-She is very much into Princesses and dress up. She loves Tinkerbell.
-She loves to sing, although I am quite positive she has no future on American Idol. Her favorites to sing are her ABC's, Jingle Bells, and Santa Clause is coming to town!!!!.
-She is getting good about sitting on the potty and we have had quite a few successes, but we have a long way to go. I think once we stay consistent, she is going to be a breeze to potty train. For now, with the holidays and us moving her to her big girl room, we didn't want to throw too much at her at once. We started putting panties on over her diaper so she can get comfortable pulling them on and off and I will probably take a long weekend in January to try and get the ball rolling. In the mean time, Steph changes her diaper in the bathroom and she sits on the potty with each diaper change. I would love to have her trained before the baby, and fully expect some set backs after the baby arrives, but I won't push her if she is not ready.

This post could go on all day if I let it. For now, I will just leave you with some pictures of Emily from her party day!