Eighteen Months Old

Dearest daughter,

You are 18 months old today and your daddy and I couldn't be more in love with you. You are bright, beautiful and oh so busy! You make us laugh so very much every day with all of the silly and adorable things that you do. We are amazed at how much you can say and do and all of the things that you have learned. Your vocabulary is expanding every day (today you learned "chilly" and yesterday, "itchy"...both courtesy of na-ma). You can identify several letters and can count to four! You can also sing/hum the tune to several songs. Your favorites right now are "Row, row, row your boat," "Twinkle, twinkle," and the ABCs.

At 18 months, your other "likes" include listening to music and singing (especially music including Elmo and the rest of the Sesame Street gang), sweet things like strawberries and graham crackers, coloring and scribbling, looking at books with photographs of real babies and animals (even better, ones with lift-up flaps); you have also taken to any book with Santa in it and have been reading The Night Before Christmas with pa-pa every night before bed. You absolutely love climbing stairs anywhere you can find them, chasing bubbles, banging on computer keyboards, carrying a cell phone around on your shoulder and saying, "Hi, daddy! Hi, daddy! Hi daddy!". You have a very nurturing side as you care for your baby dolls and are gentle with animals; you especially like puppies, kitties, and birds (you do the cutest sign for "bird" and say "tweet, tweet"!). One of your greatest pleasures is cuddling up with someone under a blanket and sucking your thumb while you squeeze that someone's index finger. At the present you are having quite a bit of fun exploring na-ma and pa-pa's house and all of the fun things in it. You have found Jacy's old kitchen set, complete with plastic food, appliances and dishes galore! The glittering Christmas tree with all of the presents underneath it has also caught your attention. You have already said "op it" (open it) several times since we arrived in North Dakota last Tuesday. We can't wait to watch all the fun you will have this Christmas!

Your dislikes are getting dressed, winding down for naps and bedtime, getting cleaned up after meals and snacks, sitting in one place for more than a minute (oh how you squirm on the plane!), North Dakota's very cold weather (it takes your breath away), waiting for anything or anyone for more than five seconds, getting into the car seat or stroller, and the vacuum.

The list of your "likes" is much longer (and I could have kept going) than your "dislikes" because you truly are a happy baby. You have a very outgoing, friendly, and cheery disposition. You make fast-friends where ever you go and are very interested in new people and places. Though it may take a minute or two to warm up to someone, once you are comfortable with them they become your new best friend. A few weeks ago, you met one of my classmates for only a few minutes on campus and couldn't stop talking about him for several hours: "Bob?! Bob?! Bob?!" Yesterday at na-ma's Master Chorale concert, you made friend with 2-year-old Lucia. She was actually a little shy, but you went right up to her and said, "Hi! Hi! Hi!". Within minutes you two were holding hands and tripping up and down steps together.

Tonight your na-ma, pa-pa and I looked through pictures of me when I was your age. Our birthdays are only 22 days a part so you are almost exactly the same age as I was at Christmas time 27 years ago. You and I look so much alike that we kept seeing you looking out at us from those old pictures. (I will add some pictures here on the blog once I figure out na-ma's scanner.) You look like your daddy, too, but I will need to inspect his toddler pictures once we are in Minneapolis next week. One thing is for sure, your size comes from your daddy!

Emmy Lou, even though you are still little, we are so very proud of you. You are learning and growing so much every day. We love the little person that you are becoming: so curious, independent and sweet with a touch of spit-fire. It is such a profound pleasure to watch you grow, learn and experience the world. We are so deeply thankful that you are ours.

We love you little one,
Mommy and daddy

Hi, Na-ma!

Today Emmeline said "na-ma" (grandma) for the first time without me prompting her though we have been working on "grandma" for some time now.  I brought the laptop into the kitchen to check my email while she ate breakfast and when she saw it she said "na-ma?!".  We got on Skype as soon as possible so that Emmeline could see and talk to na-ma.  For several weeks she has been saying "pa pa?!" (grandpa) whenever she sees the computer or the phone. She has also been able to recognize Jacy and say her name since August when she came to visit. We have pictures of everyone on our 'fridge so that she can match names with faces.  She loves to talk about my brother Nathan ("Nay-nay") though we never Skype with him.  In the picture that we have displayed of my brother-in-law, Paul, he has some facial hair so everyone with facial hair is "Paul" to her (strangely enough, even bald, African American Gordon on Sesame Street).  For some reason, it took her a bit longer to get the hang of saying "grandma." My  mom is tickled pink.  And it happened right on time; we leave for the Midwest on Monday!

I don't have any current pictures of Emmeline with my mom (we haven't seen our families since beginning of July!) so you will have to content yourself with these pictures of Emmeline "helping" me bake a cake a few weeks ago:

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

So, here is my very over-due Thanksgiving post.  Quite a bit has happened around here since then, but I might as well start at the beginning and go from there.

Our Thanksgiving celebrations started Sunday, November 23.  We had Kate and Mike over for an early Thanksgiving dinner because their baby was due on the 25th and we wanted to make sure that they would get a proper turkey dinner.  (Their baby was finally born on Dec. 2; more about sweet Emilia Rose in a following post).  On Wednesday night Paul and I made lefse a traditional Norwegian flatbread made from potatoes.  My mom started making it when us kids were little and a few years ago she and my dad gave Kelsey and I all of the equipment. Kelsey by now is already a lefse expert, but this was my first solo attempt.

This is Kelsey making lefse in her kitchen

in Idaho; isn't she cute?!

First you have to boil potatoes and then

rice them for the dough

From left to right: the pastry board, pastry 

rolling pin and the lefse griddle

Lefse cooking on the griddle

Paul was the official lefse flipper!

Ta-da!

And just to make sure we were doing it right, we video conferenced with my parents and Jacy over Skype (you can see my mom in the foreground and dad behind her)  It was a lot of fun. We felt as if we were making lefse together despite the 1,500 miles that separate us.  We have been Skyping a lot lately so that my parents and my sisters can interact with Emmeline.  It has been a great way to keep Emmeline reminded about her family and it has been fun for them to see her play, eat, take baths or whatever.  It is so much more fun than pictures.

On Thanksgiving Day, Paul and Emmeline watched the parade. Emmeline now knows who Santa is and names him whenever she sees him.  I made Monkey bread that morning and brought some fresh lefse over to Kate and Mike's (they were still waiting for that baby!).  Later that evening we went to one of my professor's houses for dinner with her family.  She has invited us to Thanksgiving for several years now. We are so thankful that she and her family invite us to share their company and holiday with us.

Monkey bread: our traditional breakfast pastry

that we make for Holidays.

Dinner was late so we put Emmeline

in her pajamas.

She had fun showing off for everyone.

Yum!  The desserts!  We brought the pumpkin pie.

The remnants of our lovely dinner...

Emmeline was completely pooped out

and fell asleep on the ride home.

On Friday, we were invited to our neighbor's parents' house in Newark for chili and cornbread and tree decorating.  We have decided not to put up a tree because of our very curious little toddler and three cats so we were glad to have a tree to decorate.  Emmeline did a good job and got the hang of it pretty quickly.  Though once the tree was decorated, she started taking the ornaments off.

Paul showed Emmeline how to hang the

ornaments

Soon she could do it on her own...

...but then started to take the ornaments off.

Silly girl!

Emmeline has learned to say "Cheese!" for the camera

That Friday night Paul got a poker game together with some friends at our house.  We forgot to put the poker chips away so Emmeline made a bee-line for them the next morning.  This kept her occupied for close to an hour which is rather incredible.  She sorted them, stacked them, put them in things, threw them down the basement stairs, hid them, and rattled them in different sizes of containers (what beautiful music to Paul who was still sleeping!). We also practiced her colors and counting.  She has got white, red, blue and black down!

Ooo!  What fun!

Even more fun when they are

dumped out...

I'm 'all in'!

A Week from H-E-Double Hockey Sticks

Well, we have had quite a week here. I know I say that often, but this week it is especially true.

We parted ways with our part time nanny, Tara, on Monday. She was wonderful with Emmeline but there were some serious things that we could not overlook. We wish her all the best and are sad that she will not be with Emmeline anymore. So, we have been scrambling to find a new solution since I am not finished teaching until Dec. 10. Our friend Melanie (Estella's mommy) watched Emmeline on Wednesday and our friend Martha (Ezra's mommy- he turned one on Wednesday!) watched her on Friday. On Monday, our friend Alison (Haley's mommy) will be helping us out. Beyond that we have no idea. Cross your fingers (and toes).

On top of that, my mommy-wagon pooped out on Tuesday for the third time this fall. We were told that it can be patched up to get us by for a few weeks. Beyond that we have no idea. Cross your fingers (and toes) again.

The logistics of all of this are becoming very hairy. We have one working car and Paul and I are working in opposite directions of our house. Emmeline and I have been waking up early to drive Paul to work and then I have been dropping Emmeline off wherever or bringing her with me to campus (sorry, fellow office mates!). When Paul is done with school, he either has to hitch a ride from a fellow co-worker or wait until 5:30 when Emmeline and I can get there.

Work, of course, for both of us has been ever-present and stressful this week. Prepping, grading and teaching. We were both supposed to be observed on Friday; me by my dissertation advisor (it actually went well, thanks for asking) and Paul by his assistant principal (he wasn't able to make to Paul's class because there was a snowball fight that morning and as an administrator, he had to dole out suspensions). Ah, life.

The silver lining is this: Oftentimes in our most trying moments, we are given the opportunity to realize how very fortunate we are. We have very dear friends and they are graciously coming to our aid. It truly takes a village to raise a child and since our genetic village is in North Dakota, Minnesota and Idaho, our Delawarian village has come to the rescue...again and again and again.

If I had written this post at any time during the week it would have had a much different tone. But it is Saturday night, I am eating a fajita made with steak that Paul just grilled, drinking a glass of cabernet, listening to Prairie Home Companion via podcast and do not have to look at my students until Monday.

Last Saturday we got together with our

Birth Center friends. The girls were thrilled

about the bubbles!

Almost got it!

Estella and Emmeline making a mess

AAhh! Time for a break from all their

hard work.

A few still moments

It is rare that Emmeline sits still long enough for me to get a good picture of her.  In these three pictures she was sitting on my lap intently watching Sesame Street clips on Youtube:

Emmeline is becoming more independent in her play; looking at books, coloring and pretend play (like cooking or being a mommy to her baby dolls).  Another rare still moment:

A few weeks ago, my friend Kate and I went to the Flavour of Britain in Wilmington.  It is this great little teahouse run by a British couple. Unfortunately they have decided to close in light of the recent economic downturn so we wanted to get in one last afternoon tea service.  They were selling everything: the rest of their merchandise, fixtures and some furniture.  I spotted a wooden toy box hand painted with scenes from Alice in Wonderland.  I knew it would be perfect in Emmeline's nursery.  Janet, one of the owners, told me they had it imported from England when they moved here and that it had been signed by the artist.  She let me have it for $100 but seemed a little sad to be parting with it.  I am so glad she let me have it; it will be a treasured piece of furniture for years and years to come.  It is also nice to have a piece of the teahouse.  It will be sorely missed:

Doesn't it look great under the window?

It irks me that I couldn't center it perfectly

because of a dumb ol' heating vent on the floor

Detail of top (Alice is rather ugly, but I think that

makes the painting more interesting)

Detail of front

Our Little Genius...seriously

Emmeline's vocabulary and intelligence is surprising and thrilling me every day. I am so proud of her. She started saying a few more complex sentences in the past week. When she is looking for a toy, identifying a character in a book or playing hide-and-seek with Paul or I, she says "There she is!" (always "she" probably because it is just us girls most of the week). She is also picking up expressions that Paul and I say without realizing that we are saying them. She has copied Paul's "Oh man!" and my "Ooffda!", though hers is just "Oof!" She is also picking up inflections that we use. Her "wow!" sounds just like mine; I didn't realize this until I exclaimed "wow!" while watching TV on Wednesady and Paul teased, "I thought we put Emmeline to bed."

Emmeline also started to understand the concept of numbers, which is actually pretty abstract so I am incredibly impressed. Whenever she has two of something (usually her baby dolls) she says "two!". She can also identify the letter "B"; she tries the others, but is usually wrong. Still, I am thrilled about "B"! At least she knows the name of the letters even if she can't identify them yet. She knows the titles of most of her books; if you ask her to bring a specific one to you she is able to identify it and say the title, though in her own toddler-speak. Hop on Pop sound like "Pop pop" and Everywhere Babies sounds like "Evvy".

Yes, I am bragging (hey, it IS my blog) but these examples also reveal how language (and behavior) is learned. Not just learning how to say words, but what they mean, how they are inflected, how to use them, etc. We are constantly reminded now that we have to watch what we say and how we say it. Emmeline has picked up some of the not-so-nice things that we say to the cats when they are being mischievous, one being "Hey! Hey! Hey!". She has recently started to repeat this when we are trying to get her to do something against her will. It sounds pretty awful when she decides to say this in public. We have made a resolution to always speak in calm tones and use gentle language. I hope we remember our resolution when she is throwing her food from her high chair or coloring on the 'fridge.

Halloween 2007

I wanted to share some pictures of Emmeline's first Halloween last year because I am feeling particularly nostalgic today (see previous post).  What a little sweet pea!

Lovely little cardboard boxes

Emmeline at four months

Tonight I brought up from the basement boxes of Emmeline's little baby clothes.  And her sweet, dear little bassinet.  Her infant swing and stroller.  My heart broke in the bitter-sweet way that mothers' hearts do when they are confronted with their  babies' little things when their babies are no longer babies.

Our dear friends Kate and Mike are 37 weeks pregnant and we couldn't be more thrilled for them.  I am grateful to them for letting us be such a part of their preparations for the arrival of the their baby.  Tonight as we were unfolding and folding the little baby things, I was reminded of a poem by Dr. Jeanne Walker, a mentor of mine.  This is from her collection Coming into History:

Poem To Say To a Child While Folding His Outgrown Clothing

While you were still unborn

our friends brought, one by one

the clothes their children had worn:

blankets, a tie gown.

And because we were unable

to find you anywhere

we pulled you from the pockets,

we stitched a fable

of a baby yet unborn.

When you finally came

we dressed you in those clothes.

All winter they were kind.

Now I fold the clothes away,

a legacy refined.

Someone else's child

may briefly take his turn.

For parents, now, who wait,

imagining new faces,

I will enumerate

the children whose graces

became your warmest jacket:

Elizabeth and Melissa,

Patrick, Andrew, Kate

wore these clothes once.

Teddy, Bess, and Ethan.

And may their loveliness

wherever these clothes are worn

shield against loss

and pass to those unborn.

Happy Halloween!

Emmeline is now nestled in her crib sleeping soundly after her first trick-or-treating adventure.  It is silly, I know, to take a toddler out for trick-or-treats when we aren't even letting her eat candy yet, but we all had a blast.  In fact, Paul just said: "This has been one of the best Halloweens ever!"  We were like two proud peacocks watching our adorable little daughter take delight in Halloween traditions that we have always loved.  I thought that she would be annoyed by her tiger costume and pull off the hood but she wore it the entire time we were outside.  I also thought she would be more interested in rocks and dumping out her pumpkin than in walking door-to-door.  But I think the whole event was such a novelty and out-of-the-ordinary that she had fun playing along.  She loves to say "hi!" and "bye-bye!" to everyone she meets so she had a great time interacting with so many new people.  She also had her friend Estella to look up to and take notes from.  It was so fun to watch them together.

Our evening started with a very long ride into Newark since we got stuck in traffic for over an hour.  But once we arrived at Mel's apartment, we started right in on the fun.  We had all sorts of fun goodies which included pizza-wiches (always a part of my family's Halloween tradition) and Melanie had made pumpkin pie and steamed some shrimp.  Emmeline and Estella put up some pumpkin window clings and also decorated pumpkins with crayons, while us big kids carved pumpkins:

Did you drop a crayon, Estella?

Pretty pumpkin, Emmeline!  (Notice

that she is right-handed).

What an artist!

Adorable Estella

Ferocious Estella!

All ready to go!

Lets go, mommy! Enough with the

pictures, already!

Hold on tight!

Roar!

Hurry up, mommy!

Watch your step; it's dark out here...

Mummy's little tiger cub.

I can't tell you how many people

gushed over this face tonight... how

could anyone resist?

"Trick or treat!..."

"Smell my feet!.."

"Give me something good to eat!"

Oofda! This pumpkin is getting heavy!

Here; let daddy help you with all those goodies.

Lions, tigers and bears... oh my!