Happy New Year! We had a quiet New Year's Eve at home. Emma, of course, hit the sack early, leaving me to indulge myself by watching the last few episodes of "Sex and the City." I've seen the finale many times, but this time was particulrly poignant; Carrie's reunion with her friends reminded me of the friends I left behind in California. Consequently, I ended 2004 with a good cry.

Emma seems to be changing right before my eyes. She recognizes the letters A, E and O; when we're out and about, if she sees an O, she'll shout "O, O!" She also knows blue, red and yellow. She's started doing the sweetest thing: she puts her hands on my cheeks and turns my head, then lays her cheek against mine; it's one of her "hugs."

Emma used to love when I sang to her, and would grab my face and make me look at her as I sang. Now, she asks me to sing, but as soon as I start, she shakes her head and says, "No, no, no," like she's saying, "Come on, mom, you can't possibly do as well as Barney, so just give up." Ah, yes, putting me in my place already. :)

She also loves to color, and "helps" me in my note-taking by scribbling in my textbooks and notebook! Yes, I'm taking notes because school has started again. I'm taking two history classes, one on the Byzantine Empire, and one on African-American history. My third class is a gateway class into the Spanish major, and it's a reading class, conducted entirely in Spanish. Mind you, I haven't taken a Spanish class in three years, so I'm a bit (a lot!) rusty! Pero, no olvido todo, y creo que sera mas facil cuando el clase termina. There, I just said that I haven't forgotten everything, and that I think it will be easier when the class ends. At least, that's what I think I said! :)