Looking Back... Emma is 22 Months Old!

Not entirely surprising, but lately I've been less than excited about blogging. Probably because of Michael. Yes, I'm blaming my lazy ass attitude on the new kid. He can't speak, so it's easy to pick on him.

In any case, since I've started this whole monthly recap thing, I do feel obliged to continue. Unfortunately tonight it feels more like homework than anything else.
You'll have to forgive me for the lame entry - it's like the essay you just want to get out the door, and if you get a "D", so be it. The work is done, the teacher has it, now piss off and leave me alone. (Gee, is someone tired?)

This month Emma has discovered the joy of pockets ("paw-kit"). Oh - guess she actually says that one correctly. She loves stuffing her hands in hers when she's got them, and if not using them, at least pointing them out. Cargo pants are especially exciting. If she should be pocket-less, she'll compensate by trying to tear off mine, Jeff's, or even Michael's. Because even though he's little, he still wears pants.

Have I mentioned that Emma knows ALL her colours, including white, cream, eggshell, offwhite, and beige. She's particularly fond of aubergene.

At the beginning of her 21st month, shortly after Michael came to be (came out of me?), Emma's paternal grandparents came to Toronto for a visit. While here, they took us on a mini-getaway to Blue Mountain where we stayed in a fantastic resort right in Blue Mountain Village. While we were here, Emma had a few breakthroughs... She discovered the love of jumping. Sure, she loved jumping last month. Whatever. But this month, at the resort, she learned how to jump like never before... on the bed!! And on the couch!! And OFF the couch!! (Thanks Jeff!)

We all took a gondola ride up to the top of the mountain, and here, while enjoying the breathtaking view (it's Ontario people, take 'breathtaking' with a grain of salt), Emma discovered running. Okay, she knew about running before. More specifically, she discovered RACING! Racing is far more fun than running. Duh. Racing is competition. Turns out Emma loves competition. Remind me never to teach her to play gin rummy. Especially with her Zaidy. Doesn't matter if she's only four - when the game is on, there is NO TALKING. If you take your finger off your card for just a second, even to scratch (or pick) your nose, and then change your mind - that's just TOO DAMN BAD.

Another biggie this month is just that... everything is classified as BIG or little (and always said in hushed tones). It's a BIG jump. A BIG bite. Or a little sip, a little shirt. It's not sounding like it in my lame description, but take me word for it... this is incredibly cute.

Now that she's no longer alone in the world, one big deal is her 'turn'. When it's time to change Michael's diaper, Emma will stand there and demand "Emma's turn, Emma's turn!!!". When it's time to eat, get in the car seat, put on her jammies, have a bath, it's all about Emma's turn. Soon enough she'll be in school and her turn will be first. Always. She'd better be prepared with a last name like Abray. Poor kid. Hopefully by then she'll be able to say it correctly. Right now she's Emma Abay. And Mckenzie - well, we just don't go there.

This month she decided she's older than her year, and figured she's fully capable of WALKING up and down the stairs. Y'know, just like a person. And while I wasn't thrilled by this new development, I figured that indeed she is growing and EVENTUALLY she'll have to walk rather than climb. This was all going along great - she'd be very careful, holding on to the wall or spindle the whole while. Then one day she fell down the stairs and landed on her head. Now she's back to climbing.

Jeff has shown Emma the love of the fort. And now, she has discovered that just about anything can be a fort - is you look at it the right way. Going under ("in") the blankets, fort. Going under ("in") the playmat, fort. Unfortunately I have no photos, but trust me when I tell you that Jeff's made her some pretty complex forts - full extensions off her Little Tykes playhouse, completely with rooms. One of them even had a patio. Impressive. Now if only he'd put his dishes in the dishwasher. (What is it with men that they have to leave their dishes on the counter?)

Thanks to Jeff and my side of the family, this month Emma has become fascinated with boogers, toots, and burping. My mother has even gone so far as to explain to her the difference between a booger (they're hard) and snot (it's clear & runny). Thanks Bubbie. Thanks to me, she is diligent about saying "Eww-ss Me" after each runaway bodily function.

Now this is strange. Well, not really. But it makes for yet another point in the Emma-is-22-months-old post. The kid won't eat peanut butter in a sandwich - she'll pick out the bananas, and eat the bread that doesn't have any peanut butter on it. But, BUT if you give her a spoonful of the oh-so-fattening stuff she'll eat it till the entire container is gone. I actually have to end the peanut-butter-eating sessions - and when they do come to an end, my little one gets PISSED.

Her vocabulary is progressing at an amazing pace. I've given birth to a parrot. She's only mimiced 'shit' once... this would be alot worse if she could say "s" clearly. Rather all her "s"'s sound like "d"'s. So, in effect, she really just said "dit". And "dit" isn't a bad word at all. Now if she were trying to say "tit"... well, I dunno. It's late. Not every paragraph has to have a point, or be partiularly amusing. Much as I try... they're not all winners. Like I said, it's an easy time to blame Michael. Soon enough he'll be able to speak.

In a couple days (okay, weeks) Emma will be 23 months old and I'll have to start this monthly blog all over again. Teach me for being so tardy in getting this one out the door. In two days, Michael will be 2 months old and I'll have to write his recap. Granted, he doesn't do much. It'll be a short one. Much like him.