Emmy Liz

I'm woefully behind!!

2005-10-22T21:01:00.000-07:00

Where do I begin? I certainly can't recap everything that Miss Emma has done over the past five (!) months. So I guess I'll just pick up with where she's at now.

Emma's speech has improved tremendously in the past few months. She attends childcare four days a week while I go to school, and being with the other kids has made a world of difference. She's stringing two and three words together, and repeats everything, clearly in an effort to speak more clearly. I'm so darned proud of my little girl, who is working so hard to speak well. One thing she likes to say often is "very well," something she hears all the time when she's told that she's doing "very well" with her speech.

She's having more tantrums, and is developing quite an attitude, but I'm happy to say that she and I can, together, talk her down from a tantrum. By the way, the technique I use with her is from "The Happiest Toddler on the Block," by Harvey Karp, M.D. You validate their feelings to calm them, then you talk them out of the tantrum. I swear, it works on a regular basis. God bless Dr. Harvey Karp!

Fall is here, and Emma has been enjoying the leaves that have fallen in the backyard. This past week, I raked them all into a big pile, and the boy next door, who is 6, came over to jump in the pile with Emma. Emma loves playing with the little boy, and he's great with her, so it was lots of fun. I'll be posting some of the pics here for you all to see.

I'll try my best to keep this blog up to date from here on out...

2005-10-22T18:12:00.000-07:00

Emma playing in the leaves

2005-05-28T16:55:00.000-07:00

Emma was snacking on a piece of focaccia tonight before dinner, wandering around the room with it in her hand. It had some red pepper flakes on it, but not too many, and since she didn't fuss, I figured the bread was fine. When she finished it, though, she started wiping her tongue on her hand, her sleeve, my hand, anything she could reach. When none of those things worked, she bent down, got on her hands and knees, and wiped her tongue on the family-room carpet!! My stomach is still hurting from laughing...

Thirteen!!!

2005-05-13T20:32:00.000-07:00

Emma can count to thirteen. And since she can, she does, all the time. Before doing anything - getting down from her high chair, sliding down the slide, jumping off a step, etc - she counts to thirteen. She counts as follows: "eh, boo, dee, fo, die, ssss, nnnn, eh, ya, deh, eh, duh, dee-dee," and off she goes! And she expects that I, or whomever is helping her to jump, step, slide, will repeat what she says immediately after saying it, but she counts very quickly, and it's actually hard to keep up with her. How funny is that? I have trouble keeping up with my two-year-old's counting, because she counts so quickly!

Unfortunately, she has a cold right now. But that has led to her new skill: she can blow her nose. She will blow, then immediately clap for herself and say, "Yay!" See, now everyone should be like that: their own personal fan club!

Emma's first "no," and birthday stuff

2005-04-25T19:13:00.000-07:00

Emma has been saying "no" for awhile now, in response to a question, or when repeating something she heard. Tonight, though, Emma officially hit her two-year-old stride with a big "no" for Grammy.

Emma was looking at her Snappy Bugs pop-up book and was playing with a pop-up leaf on one of the pages. She was getting ready to bend it, so Grammy said to her, "Emma, don't do that or you're going to break the book," and moved Emma's hand. Emma looked at her and said, "No!" Well, she immediately realized what she had done. She closed the book, looked at Grammy, and said, "Yay!" trying to make up for her previous behavior.

I guess it's good that it took her this long to start saying "no" when she gets mad at someone. And it's a sign that she's growing up and asserting her independence. So I'll look at it as a positive, rather than the start of many, many years of defiance. Aaahhhh...

She had a fabulous time for her birthday. We went to the zoo on the 12th, and really enjoyed that. Friday the 15th I took her to Cincinnati to see Sesame Street Live. When Elmo came out, it was like she was seeing a movie star. She was beside herself the whole time. And we had great seats, on the floor and right next to the stage, so when the characters came down to dance on the floor, they would often make their way to Emma, shake her hand, rub her hair, or say hello. She was a little bit nervous each time this happened, but since she recognized all her favorite characters, she didn't get scared or cry. Such a little super star!

Saturday the 16th was Emma's birthday party. She played on the swingset with her friends, open presents, and had a birthday cupcake. She had a great time, but it took a few days for her to wind down and get back on a regular nap schedule. Fortunately, birthdays only come once a year, because Emma and Mama both were exhausted!

Reflections on a second birthday

2005-04-11T16:12:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, my baby is turning two. Tonight, as I rocked her and sang to her before she went to bed, I couldn't help holding her a little tighter, as if I could keep her from moving on into her third year. Like all mothers, I look at her and wonder where the time has gone, where my chubby little infant went. It's such a cliche, so I truly try to avoid saying it, but I suddenly can't help myself...how is this possible?

The truth is, that infant has evolved into an extraordinary little individual, with a fun personality that shows itself more and more each day. Already, she is my little buddy, someone I prefer to spend my time with over everyone else. Though difficult years are ahead, I look forward to what the future will bring in terms of development and growth for her.

What was my life like before she arrived two years ago? I don't remember. The truth is, Emma rescued me from, as the "Steel Magnolias" line goes, "a lifetime of nothing special." Emma made my life complete like nobody ever has before. Her birthday is a birthday of sorts for me, too. It's the day she came into my life, and the day I came alive.

Happy birthday, Emma! Mama loves you!

2005-04-08T18:34:00.000-07:00

Digging in the dirt is fun!

2005-04-08T18:33:00.000-07:00

Ready to go wheeeeeee!!!!!!

2005-04-08T18:32:00.000-07:00

Kisses for the "wuhweh" flowers

2005-04-08T18:31:00.000-07:00

"Wuhweh" flowers

Spring has sprung...and so has Emma!

2005-04-08T18:18:00.000-07:00

Emma has grown! She has tended to wear clothes for months, since she's not very tall and doesn't grow very quickly. In fact, until just recently, she could still wear some of her 12-month sized pants. Not any longer! She's pretty much moved up into the 18-24 month range for pants, and I actually bought her a 2T top the other day...wow!

She's loving the Spring weather. We can go outside without jackets, and can often even wear short sleeves, which feels really good. She loves going out into the backyard, chasing her ball, playing with bubbles, digging in the dirt, and tromping around in the wooded area at the back of the property. We also take walks to the end of the street, since there's a playground there. Emma loves to "rock-a-rock" (swing) and "go wheeee!" (slide). Her favorite activity, though, is digging in the sandbox, and she would be happy to spend the majority of her playground time sifting sand through her fingers. There's a metaphor in that, I'm sure.

Daffodils have sprung up in the woods behind the house, and Emma likes to go and visit them. She touches them, gives them kisses, and then tells me that they're "wuhweh," which is "yellow" in Emma-ese. I'm happy to have gotten this on camera, as the sight of Emma with the daffodils is the epitome of Spring.

First comes love...

2005-04-04T19:49:00.000-07:00

Emma has a boyfriend! A picture that I posted here recently shows Emma and her friend, Aidhan, playing at COSI in Columbus. Apparently, Emma has made quite a conquest with Aidhan. His mom called me a couple days ago to share the following conversation:

Aidhan's mom, while changing his diaper: "Aidhan, are you Mama's boy?"
Aidhan: "No."
Aidhan's mom: "Then whose boy are you?"
Aidhan: "Emma."

Emma is oblivious to how she affects Aidhan. When she's around him, she plays hard-to-get, like any respectable young girl should. Aidhan tries to kiss her, and she turns her head at the last second! It is one of the funniest things I've ever seen, no exaggeration.

Of course, now my head is filled with visions of the two of them growing up together, going to prom, graduating college together, getting married...can a mom help it? And then we can all look back on the pics of the two of them from COSI and talk about how that's how it all began...

Luna Luna Luna!!

2005-03-31T18:52:00.000-08:00

As I've mentioned many, many times, "Bear in the Big Blue House" is Emma's favorite show. She knows all the characters: Bah (Bear), Hoh (interchangeable for Ojo and Treelo), Pup-Pup (Pip and Pop), and YaYa (Tutter). She's also very fond of NaNa (Luna, the Moon), and Ay (Ray, the Sun).

Today, we were at the local playground, and she could see the Sun shining through the trees. She pointed and said, "NaNa!" I said, "Luna? Actually, that's Ray." "NaNa!" she insisted. I said, "Sweetie, are you sure that's Luna?" No kidding, she paused for a moment as if she was contemplating, and then said, "NaNa! NaNa! NaNa!" The queen has spoken!

The child is such a kick. I don't remember what made me smile before she came along; she's eclipsed everything that came before her.

2005-03-28T16:02:00.000-08:00

This is the biggest smile we could get on camera

2005-03-28T16:00:00.000-08:00

A pretty little girl in a pretty dress...

2005-03-28T15:59:00.000-08:00

Ooohhh, what did the Easter Bunny bring?

Happy Easter!

2005-03-28T15:49:00.000-08:00

Emma had a wonderful Easter. The day before, she "helped" color Easter eggs, and had great fun. She knows her most of her colors now, so she was able to tell me that her hand was green from all the Easter egg dye! Remember those old Palmolive commercials with Madge the manicurist, where she tells her clients that they're soaking in Palmolive? Well, Emma was soaking in green egg dye, and red egg dye, and blue...you get the picture. But she was thrilled with all the colored eggs, so who cares about a bit of a mess?

Her cold was mostly gone by Sunday, but she still was feeling a bit under the weather and was a little bit of a cranky-pants for most of the day. I wanted very much to get happy, smiling pictures of my little girl in her pretty Easter outfit, but it just wasn't to be. Well, actually, I have one or two that Grandpa took, but I'm in them, too...not what I hoped for! :)

After two long, PediaCare-induced naps (one dose of PediaCare did the trick), she was in much better spirits. She was even happier when Michael and Beth came over with the kids. Emma was so excited, shouting, "Kis! Kis!" pointing at them, and scampering around. Sam, their youngest, brought a clear blue plastic tub over with some toys and stuff (the tub is about the size of a mixing bowl, but square) and Emma had great fun putting it over her head and walking around like that. She made sure to go up to each adult and say, "Hey!" until they noticed her and laughed at her antics. She loves attention!

I'll be putting pics from Easter here on Emma's blog. Check them out!

Parents, keep your germy kids at home!!!

2005-03-24T11:00:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday, I took Emma to an Easter event at a wonderful church nearby. She had a fabulous time; she petted bunnies and chicks, played musical instruments, decorated (and ate) a cookie, created art projects, and had her picture taken with the Easter Bunny. She brought home a bunch of goodies - artwork, a duck mask, candy... and a nasty cold.

At this age, colds are super-contagious. Well, they're contagious at any age, really. But when a bunch of little kids are in the same place, touching things, putting things in their mouths (which Emma still likes to do), germs are bound to get passed around. So I'm left to think about parents who take their kids to things like this when they have colds. Why, why, why??? My little girl is suffering right now because some parent somewhere decided that his/her kid's runny nose was no big deal, and that it would be a shame for their child to miss out on fun because of the sniffles. What's a shame, though, is that I'm sure any number of kids have now caught colds because of this parents' lack of consideration.

I'm a firm believer that, if you're sick, you stay home. I've been fortunate, sure, to have jobs that were nothing special, so that I could practice this philosophy without any serious repercussions. But, think about it for a moment: you get sick, you stay home for a day, get lots of rest, you feel better and go on with your life. Or, conversely, you get sick, you show up at work and sneeze all over your cubicle, the coffee pot, the papers you're working on and that you'll pass to your coworker, and what do you know? Pretty soon everyone is sick.

Now, take that same parent who sees themselves as being "stronger than some cold" and give them kids. It doesn't take a medical degree to figure out that their snotty-nosed kids are going to be getting every other child sick. It angers me to no end, particularly since Emma has been sick for four days now, and shows no signs of feeling better. It didn't have to happen.

The upside is that she had the most fun she's had in a long time. I mean, the child was squealing and running all over the place, shouting at all the other kids there, screeching at the poor chicks, generally having a wonderful time. It's not worth the cold, but it's definitely a plus.

2005-03-16T22:52:00.000-08:00

This is Emma's last month before turning 2. She's thinking about weaning; she went a few nights without nursing, then tonight when I was bringing her upstairs she said, "Boob!" and started poking. I asked her, "Do you want the boob?" and she started laughing, like it was the coolest and funniest thing that a) I understood, and b) she was going to nurse.

She laughs a lot lately, and over the funniest things. At least, they're funny to her. She'll be watching "Bear in the Big Blue House," and suddenly she's cracking up over Tutter or Treelo or Ojo...it could be anyone. And sometimes she forces out laughter until her face is red and the tendons on her neck are actually sticking out...it is absolutely hysterical. She loves to laugh that much.

There are times when I look at her and I wonder just what I did to have such a precious treasure in my life. I think back on when I got pregnant, and I remember what my life was like; I had no idea that it was changing in such a miraculous way. One day, I'm just muddling through, the next day, two lines on the pregnancy test. Incredible.

But this isn't about me, it's about my precious little girl. My little girl that's getting bigger now. I measured her the other day, and she's 32 3/4 inches tall. You double their height when they're two to get their adult height. That would make her almost 5'4 when she's fully grown. Heck...I can't handle her being two...why am I thinking about when she's full grown???

Lots of reasons to laugh

2005-03-09T20:40:00.000-08:00

Emma has added a new character to her collection of favorites: Tutter the mouse, from "Bear in the Big Blue House." Bear has been her go-to guy ever since she was tiny, but this adoration of Tutter is brand new. Tutter, for anyone who doesn't know, is a little blue mouse who talks in a screechy voice with a New York accent. Sounds annoying, I know, but he's actually a very cute character, and frequently makes me smile, as well. Emma suddenly thinks he's so darned funny! He comes on the t.v., and she starts to smile, and pretty soon she's shrieking with laughter. And if he sings, forget it...she shouts, "More, more!" and makes me play his songs over and over again.

Speaking of laughing, she has started doing this fake laugh thing that is so funny. It's like she enjoys laughing and feels good when she laughs, so she forces out laughter whenever she gets the chance. Sometimes, her face will turn red from the effort, but she keeps going. One thing is for sure, she makes me laugh...the real kind.

Revising my thoughts on snow

2005-03-04T21:10:00.000-08:00

We got another snow storm the other day. Okay, maybe it wasn't a storm, but it was a decent amount of snow, maybe 4 inches or so. I may have mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: Emma loves the snow. She likes to throw it in the air, shuffle around in it, watch it fall...anything that she can think of to do in the snow, she wants to do. I, on the other hand, have gotten pretty sick of the stuff!

Getting back to the other day...I was lamenting the fact that it was snowing again, when one of the women on my First Time Moms bulletin board mentioned taking her son out to play in the snow in D.C., where she's at. I thought about it, and I realized that it had been awhile since I bundled Emma into her snowsuit to play. So, when Emma woke up from her nap, we went out, and had a blast! She laughed at the snow falling down, she threw snow into the air, she fell on her bootie and stayed there, so happy to be in the snow. Later, I got out her toboggan and we went for a drag around the neighborhood. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing pretty hard, and it was whipping the falling snow into her face, so it got to be a bit much and we had to come home. She got a warm bath, I got some warm Chai, and I also got some great pictures! Check them out below!

2005-03-04T18:12:00.000-08:00

Trudging along on the frozen tundra...

2005-03-04T18:11:00.000-08:00

A pretty little snow baby!

Delinquent Mama!

2005-02-27T20:12:00.000-08:00

What the heck was I thinking, letting so much time get by without updating Emma's blog? Particularly since every single day seems to bring something new.

As I've mentioned many times, Emma doesn't use English very much when she speaks. Instead, she uses lots of hand gestures, and when those fail, she grabs ahold of my pant leg and takes me where she wants me to go, where she proceeds to point and shout, "BA!" until her meaning is clear. So you can imagine my surprise when, the other day, she pulled me to the kitchen, stood by the counter, and shouted, "Pah-puh!" while pointing upward. She had (intentionally) spilled her milk (see my last blog entry for this charming new skill) and wanted a paper towel to clean up the mess! She was saying paper! Well, she got her paper, by gosh, and also got applause, hugs, and lots of kisses, too. Then, as she toddled away, I cried. My baby said paper!

Now, she's started saying Eeyore, and Treelo (the lemur in "Bear in the Big Blue House"). They sound like "hay-ho," but it's clear what she means. She also occasionally says "tah-too" for "thank you," though usually she just says, "Yeah!" as in:

Me: "Emma, can you say thank you?"
Emma: "Yeah!"

Anyhoo...yesterday, we went to a fantastic park close by. Let me preface this by saying that the Columbus area has some really great parks, one of which is Inniswood, which I've mentioned several times. The one we went to yesterday is called Slate Run, and there's a living history museum there, a working farm from circa 1880, with people in period dress and farm animals all over the place. They were doing a demonstration on tapping maples for their sap, then boiling it down for syrup and maple sugar. Emma could have spent the entire time chasing chickens...she loved it! She helped Mama curry-comb an ox, talked to a horse, and tasted maple sugar candy and maple gingerbread. This farm has activities year-round; in the spring they have a program for preschoolers where they get to meet the baby lambs. We'll definitely go back for that. In the meantime, I'll be whipping up a batch of that maple gingerbread for her...it was delicious!

2005-02-27T17:18:00.000-08:00

Emma's chickens at Slate Run...she could have chased them all day!

2005-02-27T17:16:00.000-08:00

Combing Zip the Ox at Slate Run Historic Farm

The Incredible Emma, part 2

2005-02-14T22:50:00.000-08:00

Emma has so many new skills! All of a sudden, she's busy learning and doing all kinds of new things. It's a total blast for me, and she seems to be enjoying all of her new activities, too. Where to begin???

Emma loves to clean up after herself. She will intentionally shake milk out of her sippy cup, then go into the kitchen to get a towel and clean up her mess. She does this over and over again, and has a blast!
She can feed herself with a fork and a spoon. She can even stick peas with her fork! That's tough for some adults (including me, occasionally), but she is super-patient and works at it until she does it. Of course, then she applauds for herself and her food usually falls off the fork, but we won't count that! :)
She loves to run back and forth through the house. She'll run through the entryway and into the family room, stop to pant dramatically, then turn around and run back. It's maybe 20 feet or so each way, and she does this over and over again.
She has definite ideas on what she wants to wear. Today, after I went to school, Grammy was getting her dressed. She got out an adorable outfit with tigers on it that Ginni Dreier got for Emma at the Santa Barbara Zoo, but Emma said, "No!" and pushed it away. Instead, Emma wanted to wear the star pajamas that Grammy made for her. She didn't care that she had to pull them out of the dirty clothes, she wanted her "staaaahhhhh" (as Emma says it) jammies. Finally, she compromised and put on her sweatshirt with a star on it. It had to be a star, though!
She knows how to throw things away, and will go to the kitchen, open the cupboard, pull out the trash can, throw away her trash, push the trash can back in, and close the cupboard. In fact, closing cupboards has become her goal in life. She goes around the house making sure all doors and cupboards that are supposed to be closed are, in fact, shut tight.
She also can point out most of the letters in the alphabet when asked to do so. She doesn't say all her letters, and many of them sound the same, but ask her just about any letter and she'll point to it.

See?! I'm totally floored over just how many new things my little girl can suddenly do. Like I said, she's incredible!!

Parenting her, by the way, is an absolute joy. She's got a great temperament, and has a fun sense of humor. She loves to laugh and make jokes, and when someone else gets a laugh, she'll try and repeat whatever that person said so she can make people laugh, too. She is extremely affectionate, and loves to give hugs and kisses. And, lately, she's started rubbing backs and arms when she hugs, imitating how she gets her back rubbed while being held. It's extraordinary how children imitate, and though we often say things about how we have to watch what we say for fear of them shouting out a profanity or something similarly inappropriate, there are also these really sweet imitations that they do, like the backrubbing that Emma has started doing.

Being her mama is just about the coolest thing ever!!!!

Emma tidbits

2005-02-06T21:04:00.000-08:00

Emma doesn't like to try unfamiliar foods. She likes lots of food, particularly green veggies, but getting her to try something new is very difficult. Tonight, we had waldorf salad with dinner, and Emma didn't want to eat any. Waldorf salad has chopped apples in it, though, and she loves apples, so I knew she's like the salad. I chopped the apples into small bits and put them on her high chair tray, and there they sat, while she ate green beans and peas (from her mixed veggies; she ignored the corn and carrots), and her snapper (which had salsa on it, someting she loves and is familiar with). Finally, I did what always works: I held her head still and held the apples up to her mouth. She fought. She stuck her tongue out. She didn't cry or get mad; I've done this enough times to a) not do it with something she won't like, and b) stop before she gets upset. Well, when she stuck her tongue out she got a taste of the apple. She stopped turning her head, she opened her mouth, she chewed the apple, with her eyes getting wider and wider with each chew. Then, smiling, she said, "Mmmmmmmm!" and gobbled up every bite of apple on her tray, only stopping to say, "More! More!" when the apples were all gone!

Today is Super Bowl Sunday, and Emma was entranced from the time the t.v. was turned on. She froze and listened attentively while Alicia Keys sang "America, the Beautiful," clapped when the players came on the field, and then insisted that "kis" (Emma-ese for kids) were playing football. She would have been happy to stay up tonight and watch the "kis" play, rather than go to sleep!

Also today (Emma had a busy day!), she was watching the Wiggles on t.v., and like always, she wanted to dance to the music. This time, though, she stood in front of the t.v. and, while they were singing that song that says, "Go, Captain Feathersword, ahoy!" she tried to do the same routine as the people on the television! Dancing isn't new, but that kind of imitation is. I realized, once again, my little girl is getting so big!

2005-02-05T05:27:00.000-08:00

Having fun in the snow at Inniswood

2005-02-05T05:26:00.000-08:00

Playing with Aidhan at COSI

2005-02-05T05:25:00.000-08:00

Going for a drag...

2005-02-05T05:24:00.000-08:00

Emma and her first snowman

2005-02-05T05:23:00.000-08:00

At the Columbus Zoo with all the kids. It was super cold, but great fun!

2005-02-05T05:22:00.000-08:00

Playing with Bratz dolls with Cousin Sydney

2005-02-05T05:21:00.000-08:00

Emma loves the baby doll her Auntie Corinne, Uncle Paul and Cousins Tiffany and Talia sent her for Christmas!

2005-02-05T05:20:00.000-08:00

Time to update pics of Emma's adventures! Here's Emma, playing in the snow with her cousin, McKenna

Nuh!

2005-02-04T19:52:00.000-08:00

"Nuh" is how Emma says the letter U. She recognizes "nuh" in all kinds of things, and I think it's so great! Today we were at the zoo with Christa and Allison, and Emma bit into a pretzel Christa had given her, and immediately announced that she had found nuh. She had bitten into the round part of the pretzel, and darned if what was left on that part wasn't U-shaped! The other night, she looked onto her high-chair tray and told us that nuh was in her spaghetti; sure enough, a noodle was bent and looked like a U.

I'm absolutely thrilled about this, and she seems so proud of herself when it happens. Certainly, reading can't be too far behind! :) I can't take credit, though. Emma got a great toy for Christmas, a magnetic letter set from Leap Frog. You pick a letter, put it into the set's base, and it tells you what the letter is by using a song: "U! U says you, and U says uh, every letter makes a sound, U says you...and uh!" Emma loves this thing, and she now knows five letters that she can name off easily (A, E, O, U, and Q), she's just starting to do the same with a 6th (M), and I'd put money on her knowing more letters that she just hasn't gotten the hang of saying. Thank you, Leap Frog!

Everyone's a critic

2005-01-29T19:07:00.000-08:00

When Emma was just born, I started singing "Zip A Dee Doo Dah" to her each morning, punctuated by kisses. It was our ritual for starting the day, and I loved it. As our morning routines changed, I started forgetting to sing. I missed it though, and thought that Emma might, too, so I've been trying to remember lately.

This morning, when she woke up, I was already awake, and I had my wits about me. Consequently, I remembered to sing to her. I laid down beside her and started singing, "Zip a dee doo daaahhh, zip a dee ayyyy." She shook her head and, around her binky, said, "No, no." I kept on singing. Surely she'd stop telling me no when she got all those kisses that accompanied the song. "My, oh my, what a wonderful dayyyy!"

Emma wasn't having it. She took her binky out of her mouth, looked me square in the eye, shook her head, and said, "No, no!"

Yep, everyone's a critic!

The incredible Emma!

2005-01-23T20:50:00.000-08:00

Suddenly, Emma is learning, and sharing, all kinds of new stuff! She's saying "bye-bye," something she hasn't said before (although she's been waving bye-bye since she was six months old). She recognizes red, blue, and yellow, and can pick them up if asked. She also finds random blue things around the house, points at them and says "boo." And she recognizes the star shape, and will point and say "staaahhhhh" in such a sweet voice.

I've worried off and on about her lack of verbalizing. She makes sounds for what she wants, and is great at bossing everyone around without saying a word. But I wondered when she was going to start speaking. This isn't a lot of speech, of course, but she's finally adding to her speech repertoire, and that's a big relief for this worrywart mama!

Emma and Elmo: Partners In Crime

2005-01-20T11:46:00.000-08:00

Emma is forever wanting to push buttons on the t.v. Of course, she's not supposed to, and that makes her want to do it all the more.

This morning, she was at it again, pushing those buttons. Mom was watching her while I helped Sam with some work, and I think that Emma was pushing some buttons other than those on the t.v.! Mom said to her, "Emma, do not push those buttons!" and distracted her with her Elmo doll.

Well, my Emma is a problem solver. She was going to find a way to push those buttons, by gosh! But how could she get away with it? Then she figured out what to do! She carried Elmo to the t.v., reached out, and pushed the buttons with Elmo's nose! Elmo was pushing the buttons, not Emma!

How do they come up with this stuff???

Adventures in driving, and other random stuff

2005-01-19T22:34:00.000-08:00

Today I drove in the snow, really drove in the snow, for the first time ever. I had practiced a little previously, slammed on my brakes to get the feel of a fishtail, and tried accelerating quickly so I could experience my wheels spinning. Well, okay, the "just spinning my wheels and not getting anywhere" was, for a long time, the story of my life, so I knew what that would feel like! :) Happily, those things did not happen this morning, and I made it to school in one piece. Of course, what typically takes a half hour or so took me 1 1/2 hours today! However, there was a major silver lining to the traffic and slow speeds: it suited the granny-mode driving I felt the need to do this morning!

Tomorrow the last of our California guests will be going home. Last Thursday, Terry, Karen and McKenna flew in, and then Sandy came this past Sunday. Terry, Karen and McKenna went home on Monday, and Sandy goes home tomorrow. It's been a crazy-busy few days, but it's been good seeing everyone. We've been busy almost every day, getting together for dinners, going to the zoo...yep, we went to the zoo in 20 degree weather, and it was a really good time! During the months of January and February, the zoo charges half price if the temp is below 32 degrees, so we got to take advantage of that. Emma, of course, had a great time. She loves the zoo, particularly the aquarium. She can sit and watch the fish for ages, and says "wow!" over and over.

Emma's reaction to all the visitors was mixed. She loved when she got to spend time with the "kis," playing and running around and screaming. She's Bossy Princess of the World when they're around, and they let her be just that. But she's not happy when her routine is upset, and also doesn't like being around people she doesn't know. She hadn't seen Terry or Karen since Christmas 2003, and hadn't seen Sandy or McKenna since this past June. That's a long time for a toddler! Some feelings were definitely hurt when Miss Emma rejected hugs and kisses, but that's the prerogative of a toddler, and it's something to tease her about later. Ha! Everything is ammunition for a later day! :)

School is going well, and I'm enjoying my classes. My Byzantine History class is a serious challenge, though. There's lots of reading, lots of discussions, and lots of Constantines to keep track of. I'm so glad that I've taken online classes before, since they taught me to not make the mistake of saving work for later. I'm doing a pretty good job of keeping up in this class, and I still feel like I'm hanging on my the skin of my teeth...and it's only the third week! Happily, we get to choose which assignments to do, and I've chosen in such a way that my work will be done before the final, which will alleviate some pressure later in the quarter. What a luxury to not have to take the final! Now, if I can just get out without having to do any bibliographies... &&&&& (fingers crossed!)

Remembering La Conchita

2005-01-13T13:33:00.000-08:00

For 14 years, I lived in Carpinteria, CA (with a short stint in Ventura mixed in). When driving north on US 101, Carp is the first city in Santa Barbara County. But, before getting to Santa Barbara County, the last town you pass when leaving Ventura County is La Conchita. It's a tiny little hamlet at the base of the foothills and fronted by US101 and, on the other side of the highway, the Pacific Ocean. I passed there every single time I went to Ventura, which was often, since there's very little shopping in Carp.

I was driving past with Carlos ten years ago when the first mudslide started. It wasn't a huge one, though a small one was all it took to wipe out a couple houses that time. Still, it seemed massive to me, and I wondered afterward how those people - not many, since there are only 60 or so houses there - could continue to live there. Surely, the mountain was liable to come down again.

When it did this past week, I wasn't surprised, but I certainly was devastated. I've seen the pictures on t.v., and on my computer screen, both my looking at online news sources and on my e-mail, with pictures there from Lorena. I think about the people who died this time, many of whom probably didn't even know what hit them. I pray that those people died instantly, and that most of them went just that way. I know it's too much to ask for instant, fear- and pain-free death for all, but we can certainly hope that the majority were oblivious in those last moments.

It amazes me that people are already considering rebuilding. Though La Conchita has been home to many people, and for long periods of time, let's face it, it's a death trap. Buried under tons of mud is not the way to go. And allowing the possibility of that is irresponsible of those in charge.

I think about the children who died in this mudslide. I would never, ever say that their parents are responsible for putting them in a dangerous position. Those parents have lost enough, and recriminations will do nothing to help these poor people who were left to pick up the pieces. But, if La Conchita isn't totally condemned, people will foolishly believe it to be safe, and will take new, vulnerable children into a place that could be the end of them, as well.

Emma is 21 months old. One of the children who died in the mudslide was 2. I realize how much that little girl had ahead of her when I look at my own child, and my heart breaks all over again. I hope that common sense will prevail, and that people just walk away from La Conchita.

2005-01-10T20:10:00.000-08:00

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! :)

Our first Christmas in Ohio

2004-12-27T22:23:00.000-08:00

Our first Christmas in Ohio brought mixed feelings. I had the white Christmas I've always dreamed of. Being able to look out the window and see all the snow while listening to Christmas music was surreal. Emma loves the snow, and is happy to stay outside as her nose and cheeks get pinker and pinker. My wonderful friends in California didn't forget about us, and we both received fantastic gifts. Everyone was so generous!

It's those friends that brought on the mixed feelings, as a matter of fact. I miss them, terribly. And I hate to admit it, but that same snow that was so beautiful, that I've wished for for as long as I can remember, was a serious reminder that I'm not in CA any longer, that my friends are not in driving distance, and that I don't know when I'll get to see them again. It was tough. As the gifts they sent were opened, I was reminded of just how fortunate I am, and Emma too, for having them in our lives. Not because they gave us presents, but because they took the time to keep us in their lives, despite us being so far apart. It made me miss them, all the more.

Another tough adjustment: every Christmas, for my entire life, has been full of family, noise, laughter, food...all the things that a family celebration entails. This year was quiet, just Mom, Sam, Emma and me. Again, it reminded me just how much things had changed.

Ah, but then December 26 came, and Michael and Beth came over, and they brought the kids. The noise level went way up. People were laughing, talking, kids were shouting and running through the house, toys came out, food came out, and it was Christmas! Emma was beside herself; she loves those kids! She gets so excited when she's with them, and they're all very, very good with her. They pulled her around on her toboggan, played with her and her new toys, let her lead them around and be the boss of them. Emma's favorite place is in the center of attention, and she was right there, all day. That was probably her favorite Christmas gift!

Well, we did have a few moments when all eyes were definitely not on Emma. The girls were watching out the window, looking at some squirrels in the backyard, when they suddenly started shouting about deer in the backyard. I'm not kidding, we had a herd of about a dozen female white tail deer back there! Actually, they started out on the street behind us, then ran through the yard of the house behind us, then into the trees at the back of my parents' property (the pic I have here is from when they were in that stand of trees). Then they ran out of the trees, through the yard of the neighbor two doors down, and off to wherever they went. Another thing that you don't see in California. But this didn't make me miss California; this made me happy to be in Ohio.

2004-12-27T19:21:00.001-08:00

The girls and their hats...

2004-12-27T19:21:00.000-08:00

Yep, those are deer back there. We had an actual herd of deer parade through our backyard!

2004-12-27T19:19:00.000-08:00

Feliz Navidad!

2004-12-27T19:17:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve, sporting new jammies!

2004-12-27T19:15:00.000-08:00

Emma, Queen of the Snow Parade, in her toboggan.

2004-12-27T19:12:00.000-08:00

Beautiful! The trees behind the house were covered in ice, and when the sun set, they positively glowed.

My little princess

2004-12-24T21:41:00.000-08:00

Emma thrives on attention. I mean, seriously, she lives for it. I was dancing with her this evening, and she kept saying, "Hey! Hey!" to Grandpa, trying to get him to look at her and see that she was dancing. Once he looked, she just grinned and soaked up the adoration.

It's no surprise, then, that she does the same thing when we're out in public. Take today. I got her a toboggan for Christmas, but when we got snow a couple days ago, I couldn't stand to wait any longer, so she got her toboggan early. We had an ice storm that evening, so yesterday we couldn't go anywhere. So I bundled Emma up in her snowsuit, strapped her into her toboggan, covered her with a blanket, and we took off down the street.

People were outside shoveling their driveways, but in Emma's view, they were out to see her. She shouted "Hey!" at everyone she saw along the way. When someone looked up, she blew kisses, just like a princess in a parade! She was out, bestowing her kisses on her subjects, and assuming that every one of them was lapping it up. Of course, many of them were! There are few things that are cuter than a toddler, bundled into a toboggan, and going for a ride.

One additional thing...we had a base of about six inches of snow when the ice started to fall. We ended up with a 1 1/2 inch layer of ice over the snow, and more snow on top. I actually went out and shoveled the driveway, and what a job that was! I was out for about two hours, trying to get the driveway cleared enough for all of us to get our cars out. I've never been so physically exhausted. Remember, I had a c-section; even childbirth was not as tiring as shoveling that driveway! But today, the clouds cleared, and the sun shined down on our ice-covered world, and I can honestly say that there are very few things that are more beautiful than the sight that greeted us when we looked outside. Of course, I'll have to send some pics to this blog...they're too pretty to not share!

Our favorite place

2004-12-17T13:15:00.001-08:00

Emma and I went to Inniswood Metro Park today. It's definitely my favorite place here in Westerville. It's never very crowded, and so Emma and I can walk around and feel like the entire place is ours. I've taken her there several times, and we never fail to have a great time.

It was cold there today; there was still snow on the ground here and there from Tuesday's snow. Inniswood was just that much prettier with the snow. Emma had a great time, toddling around and finding dirt to play in. She was wearing her mittens from her snowsuit, and they kept falling off, which she found completely hysterical! She giggled and giggled every time one would fall onto the ground. Hmmm...maybe that was a diabolical giggle; certainly, digging in the dirt is easier when one isn't wearing any mittens!

I took some very cute pics of Miss Emma while we were there at the park, and one of them is now posted below. She is such a delight, seriously. I can't say just how many times I smile or laugh every day simply because she exists. Yep, this is in spite of tantrums and throwing food (see my previous entries)!

2004-12-17T13:15:00.000-08:00

Funny faces at Inniswood Metro Park

Toddlerhood

2004-12-15T22:36:00.000-08:00

Emma invariably throws her food on the floor when she's had enough. Instead of just not eating any more food, instead of complaining to me, instead of pushing on her tray, she takes a handful of food, reaches over the side of her high chair, and lets go. Sometimes, I catch her, just when she's ready to drop her food, and I say to her," Young lady, don't you do it, or Mama will be very angry." You know what her response is, right? Yep, she looks me right in the eye and lets go.

Tonight, she did it with a particularly messy food: shrimp and crab gumbo. This stuff is delicious, but it's gumbo, so it's loaded with rice, which is a pain to clean up off the floor. The best way to clean it, in fact, is to wait a little while until it's dry and then sweep it up. But waiting means running the risk of tracking it all over the house, and that stuff is sticky! Long story short, waiting for it to dry isn't an option, so I have to clean it up when all it wants to do is stay right where it's fallen...a total pain in the behind! Anyway, back to the story. I decided that I'd had enough, that she had disobeyed me one time too many, and by gosh, she was having a time out. But what to do? I had to clean up, and she was a mess (did I also mention her penchant for rubbing food into her hair?), so I couldn't put her anyplace that wasn't right where she was, until the cleanings of both her tray and her were complete. So I simply said, "That's it. You're going into time out." Then I turned her so that she was facing away from me, and I left her there, strapped in her hight chair, while I went ten feet away to clean her tray.

Did she complain? Nope. Did she cry? Uh-uh. Did she seem the least bit fazed by this form of discipline? Absolutely not. And I know that, tomorrow, her food is going on the floor when she's done eating. So I'm left to wonder: how do you discipline a 20-month-old child? Do you even try? And is food-throwing one of those things that you just live with, knowing that they'll eventually (please!) grow out of it? So many parents of kids Emma's age complain about the same thing. Clearly, it's like a rite of passage or something. You can't get out of your toddler years without throwing food on the floor, shoving something up your nose, and having a tantrum at least once. Is that what the Toddler Rule Book says?

I don't believe in the Terrible Twos. Every age has its terribleness and its wonderfulness. Toddlerhood is an exciting time. Emma's eyes light up when she gets a new concept. And every day, she does something new, and I ask myself, "How did she learn that?" It seems effortless on her part. But as she approaches her second birthday, I'm starting to hear, "Oh, she's almost in the Terrible Twos," or, "She's sure acting like she's in the Terrible Twos already." I think about it, and I wonder, just who are the twos terrible for? Emma? Nope. She's doing all kinds of new and exciting things. She's also beginning to learn how to express herself, and she's gaining a little bit of independence from me. Heady stuff, but very cool for her. So, then, are the twos terrible for me? Nope. I live to see her branch out and try things, to run instead of walk, to experiment and fail, and then experiment and succeed. And all this independence means that, when she stops for hugs, kisses, and cuddles, they mean that much more, since she's making the choice to pause in her adventures for an affectionate moment with me. That's the kind of time out we can all enjoy.

Ahhhh....snow!!

2004-12-14T19:18:00.000-08:00

We got snow yesterday and today...yay! Growing up in California, I always mourned the lack of snow. I felt robbed every year when Christmas meant green grass, sunny skies, temps in the 70s...it was just wrong. I dreamed, every year, of living someplace that got snow in the winter, fall color in autumn...you get the picture. So you can imagine what it felt like to wake up today and see white on the ground. Incredible, and exhilerating, and exciting, and so much fun!

I took Emma out as early as I possibly could. Forever ago, I bought her a snowsuit from Once Upon a Child. From the pics below, you can see she looked like a big, lavendar marshmallow. She certainly felt squishy in all that fluffy down! I had hoped that she would like the snow. We had flurries on Thanksgiving, and she was completely not impressed. So today I took her out and set her on the ground, and then I crossed my fingers. She looked down at the stuff coating her boot, and it was clear that she was thinking, "What the heck is this?" So I tossed some in the air, and it floated down, powdery and dry, and she started giggling and squealing and shouting, "More, more!" She tried to toss some snow herself and ended up on her tummy in the snow. Instead of fussing, she giggled and started digging and shuffling around in the snow. I couldn't stop giggling, myself.

I'm absolutely thrilled that Emma will grow up with all the seasons. She can jump in piles of leaves, make snowmen, get excited when the first bulbs pop up, and complain about the heat and humidity. But there won't be that constancy that you see in California, the lack of change that I never enjoyed. There are some that appreciated the mild climate, but I wished for the excitement of changing weather. Now, just watch: Emma will long for mildness!

2004-12-14T16:02:00.000-08:00

Playing in the snow

2004-12-14T16:01:00.000-08:00

Let it snow!!

2004-12-14T16:00:00.000-08:00

Emma meets "Santa!"

Fun with cousins

2004-12-11T21:55:00.000-08:00

Tonight Michael and Beth brought the kids over to see the Christmas decorations and to have dinner. Emma absolutely loves the kids, all four of them, and so she had a wonderful time. She was in the tub when they got here, and when she heard the doorbell ring, her eyes got wide and her ears practically perked up. I got her out of the tub and took her to look over from the loft and say hello. As soon as she saw everyone, her little body stiffened up, and she got so excited! I took her to dry her off and dress her, and she kept saying, over and over, "kis, kis, kis!" which is Emma-speak for "kids." If she were a dog, her tail would have been wagging, she was that happy!

The three girl, Sydney, Alex and Cassidy, let Emma boss them around when they're here, so she is absolutely beside herself (and full of herself!) the entire time she's with them. Sam, though good with her, is less enthralled, so he spent much of the evening in the loft, playing with Emma's Little People toys.

But, oh, Emma had such a good time with the girls! She was playing with Sydney and Cassidy, and she kept making them lie down on their backs. She would then just stand over them and survey the situation, making sure they didn't try to sit up or disobey her in any way. When they did sit up, she quickly ordered them back down, pushing on their chests until they did her bidding. Once, accidentally, she got ahold of Sydney's hair (I say accidentally, because she was clearly tentative about it). When she realized that pulling hair was effective, though, she did the same with Cassidy, only was much more forceful about it. The girls weren't hurt, and we all chuckled over the little girl who ruled them all with an iron fist full of hair.

Jingle Bell Rock

2004-12-10T19:25:00.000-08:00

The school quarter is finished, and now I don't go back until January 3...hooray! I have tons o' projects to finish for Christmas gifts, but I don't anticipate having too much trouble. Of course, that depends partly on Miss Emma. I've been taking my crochet projects into the bathroom to work on while Emma plays in the bath. But the child doesn't like for me to be paying attention to things that are not her, so to get my attention she stands up in the bathtub. Tonight she even tried to climb out!

She likes for me to sing to her when she gets out of the tub; we actually have a singing game we play. I start singing a song, she lets me sing for a moment, then she says, "No," and shakes her head. I say, "How about......." and then I start a new song. On and on it goes, until I find just the right song to suit Her Highness's fancy. Tonight, I sang "Jingle Bell Rock" to her, and she laid there and listened, so I thought I was onto something. We had a big finish, complete with high kicks. After the big ending ("that's the jingle bell rooooooooooock!") she looked at me for a moment, then shook her head and said, "No." Ah, so much for the big finale!

Tantrum #1

2004-11-29T23:32:00.000-08:00

Emma had her first real temper tantrum today. Fortunately for me, I was not there to enjoy it. She went to Lowe's with Grammy and Grandpa, and apparently became incensed when she wasn't allowed to roam through the store to her heart's content. Grammy picked her up - it was time to go, after all - and she arched her back and started howling. Ahhh...I wish I had been there...So now I have to figure out what to do when she has a tantrum. Ignore her? Redirect her attention? Hide my face behind my hand and run blindly out of the store, carrying her like a football under my arm?

The truth is, I'm excited that Emma is at this age. Not because of the tantrums, of course, but because she is clearly learning new things constantly. It's a beautiful sight. I can watch her and see her mind working. She has a book with animals in it, and I ask her, "Emma, where is the kitty." She starts to point at the kitty, pauses, smiles, and points at the dog. She knows which is which. She's just teasing me. What does it say about a 19 1/2 month child when they can think things through well enough to tease? I have to say, I'm completely impressed.

More happy news today...that paper I had to write for my history class (see my recent entry where I bitched about bibliographies) came back today with a big, fat A on it! Yahoo! And there wasn't a single mark on my footnotes or bibliography, which means I did all of that just right. It pays to obsess, clearly. That paper was the last assignment I had for the quarter. I have two finals next week, then I have three weeks off before the next quarter starts. Ahhh, three whole weeks to spend with my little girl...and her tantrums. Well, tantrums or no, I can't think of a better way to spend three weeks.

Thoughts on Thanksgiving

2004-11-27T19:10:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was a lovely day. Dan flew out from California, and so I got to spend another Thanksgiving with my little brother. He's doing fantastic, and I'm so proud of him. Unfortunately, we didn't get to spend very much time together, since he flew out on Wednesday and left again on Friday.

The best part of the day (no offense to Dan!)...it snowed!!! Yep, we had a light dusting, but it was enough for me to scrape some up and throw a snowball at Dan. Well, it was a snow pinch, actually, not enough for an actual ball, but it was enough for me to peg him with it...yahoo! It drifted down in the prettiest little flakes; I tried to get video of the falling snow, but it doesn't show up much. But, being the kind of "wishing for snow" person I am, I actually ran outside in the morning in my jammies and slippers so that I could take pics and video. I was freezing! But it was my first snowfall since I was 13, so I didn't want to miss it.

Emma was wholly unimpressed with the snow. I bundled her up and took her outside so she could see it, and she stayed out for a minute, then started complaining about the cold, so Mom took her back in. I think that she'll like it more when there's lots on the ground and she can play in it. At least, I hope so, since it's going to happen!

Bibliographies...ugh!

2004-11-23T17:02:00.000-08:00

I've been beating my head against the wall for weeks over this term paper I'm doing for my history class. The class teaches methods for historical research, citing sources, writing papers, etc. My paper is dealing with the role that outspokenness and non-conformist behavior played in the Salem witch trials (really, it's not as dull as it sounds!). I've finished the paper (and heaved a sigh of relief that was, no doubt, heard around the world) and now I'm trying to do my bibliography. Sources have to be cited correctly, using Chicago Manual Style, since that's part of what my professor has been teaching us.

Now, here's what's driving me nuts. I used a book that was originally published in 1867; my copy was part of the fourth printing in 1969. My professor says that I need to show the original printing in my bibliography, but my copy of the book doesn't mention the original printing. So I checked another book and got that information. Then I wondered, do I have to cite the book I got the bibliographical information from? And what would that look like, exactly? It's like math, I tell you: the more you try to think about a problem that doesn't make sense, the harder it gets to work through.

I think I'll have to just b.s. my way through that citation and hope for the best!

A trip to JoAnn's Fabrics

2004-11-21T21:27:00.000-08:00

I had to go to JoAnn's today to pick up supplies for our Christmas card. Emma hates, hates, hates JoAnn's! It's almost like there's a sensor on the threshold of that store, because as soon as we step through the door, she's starting to complain. It doesn't matter what I do, how many graham crackers I give her, it always ends up the same: me holding her and trying to juggle her wiggly body, my wallet, my purchases...ugh.

Today was no different, of course, but I had to go there. I was desperate for a white ballpoint pen (which I found but, it turns out, I won't be using it for our cards. Uh-huh.). I was holding Emma, and she was squirming, wanting to get down and, no doubt, hightail it for the door and the freedom beyond. Christmas music was playing, I started bouncing her, she started to smile, and suddenly I was dancing in the aisle. Yep, for everyone to see, I was swing dancing with Emma to some random Christmas song. And the funny thing is, it was a blast! I didn't care who was looking (though I figure that most moms would just nod understandingly and keep on walkin'), and I didn't care how we looked. We were having fun together in JoAnn's, for the first time ever.

Opportunities for that kind of moment don't last forever. One day, Emma will not only still hate JoAnn's, but she'll also be bummed that she's stuck with me, bored out of her wits while I search for the perfect white pen. But today, I got to dance in the aisle with my baby, and that's bliss.

What's with the potty mouth??

2004-11-20T14:07:00.000-08:00

I was in class the other day during our mid-class break, and I couldn't help but hear these boys who were sitting in the back of the class. One of them was cussing up a storm, as if he were out at a party or a sporting event or something. Now, I'm a big fan of a well-placed profanity, and I recognize that there are times in life when nothing feels better than saying f*** or sh** or any number of cuss words. But in the classroom? Come on, guy! I was thinking, and I told Mom later, that I wanted to walk up to him and say, "Young man, that's enough of that. The bathroom isn't so far away that I can't go get some soap and wash your mouth out!" Ack! Though it gave me a chuckle to imagine doing that.

You see, I'm older than almost all the other students in my classes. I'm finishing up some general ed, so there are lots of freshmen and sophomores in my classes. I suspect that this particular guy is one of those. He's also the kind that won't hold the door for you, and doesn't say thanks when you hold the door for him. So I figure him to be somewhere between 18 and 20. Since I'm 37, I am actually old enough to be his mom...ugh.

I think that the only thing about OSU that I'm not enjoying is the lack of older students there. It's possible that I'll meet up with some once I'm finished with this general ed stuff, but I suspect not, since it's rare that I see students on campus that look older than 30. I've looked for organizations for older students, and I haven't found one. I thought about creating one, but who am I kidding? I don't have time to attend meetings, let alone create a new group.

I think I mentioned that I made a friend in one of those general ed classes. Emma and I met her and her two adorable little boys at the zoo today, and we had a great time. Emma takes a little while to warm up sometimes, but once she did, she was thrilled to be with another little kid. And she got a kiss, too, her first kiss from a boy, so it was a big day!

2004-11-19T19:04:00.000-08:00

How cute is this child?!

Elmo again????

2004-11-19T10:48:00.000-08:00

Lately, Emma loves Elmo. I don't know what that's about, or where this sudden fascination came from. She hasn't watched "Sesame Street" more than a few times, and most of those times were on Noggin, when they don't even show Elmo. So how does she know Elmo? And why does she suddenly love him? I know they say that Barney has subliminal messages. Did Sesame Street do the same with Elmo? I hate to think of my beloved "Sesame Street" doing that! Has my baby been brainwashed??? ;)

Speaking of Elmo, the other day, I took Emma to Toys R Us to play (she's old enough to have fun there, but too young to get the gimmes) and she saw Hokey Pokey Elmo. She froze, eyes wide, as if she were seeing a celebrity! She finally went up to the toy, and when I squeezed his hand to show her how it works, and that was it! She kept saying "more," over and over again, until I finally had to distract her with something else.

We're going to try (for the third time) to get some pictures for our Christmas cards today. The first attempt was a total bust. Emma was wearing her pretty dress, there was a fire in the fireplace, she had a rocking chair and a teddy bear...a total Picture People setting. But she wouldn't look at the camera, no matter what I did. The second time I tried, we went to a local park, and the pictures came out fantastic. But they don't look particularly Christmasy. So yesterday, I made hats and scarves from patterns on my favorite website (Lion Brands Yarn), and we're taking pics together today. If they don't come out, I have pics to use from our park session. I'm serious, these are adorable pics! In fact, here's the link: http://www.snapfish.com/home/t_=14050819 . My e-mail is emmasmama412@msn.com, and the password is emmyliz. But if I end up using one of those pics on our cards, try and be surprised, okay??

I'm trying to figure out how to add a permanent pic to my blog. So far, I've had no luck. As you can see, the pic I wanted to put up ended up in a post instead...ack! I think I have an idea of what to do, though, and I'm going to try it. Wish me luck!!!

So this is a blog!

2004-11-16T09:20:00.000-08:00

I've been seeing this "blog" thing here and there, and was wondering what the heck it is. Then, on First Time Moms, Jen had a link to her blog, and I took a peek. A-ha! I like it! So here goes...

We've been living in Ohio for five months now...wow! It's getting colder, and I'm liking it, although I have these mini-panic moments, thinking 'you mean it's going to get colder??' When you have no point of reference, never having lived in temps lower than 40 degrees or so, it's hard to picture 20 degrees, 10 degrees, 0 degrees (gulp!). But I wanted cold weather, and I wanted snow, and I'm glad that I finally get to experience both.

I'm also glad for Emma. Ohio is a lovely state, and I'm finding more and more that it's a completely liveable state (despite the Republican leanings, LOL!). I mean liveable in terms of what I can afford, by the way. Imagine being able to buy something more than a mobile home for $100k! So Emma is going to grow up in a home of her own, in a room that is truly hers. She can paint the walls any color she wants! She'll have stability, something that I'm sure my mom wanted to give us, but had a hard time with, living in difficult-to-afford California.

Emma is getting to be a real toddler lately. There are moments of complete aggravation (for both of us) followed by moments of hilarity (also for both of us). I look back to my pregnancy-hormone mood swings, and they don't come close to the ups and downs of toddlerhood!

Lately, one of Emma's favorite things is to sit on Grandpa's lap and take his pen out of his pocket, put it back, take it out, put it back...you get the picture. She also loves to go on Playhouse Disney online and see all her Disney Channel friends, mainly Pooh, Clay, and Bear in the Big Blue House. We can't walk past the computer without her asking for "pew" or "eh" (Clay) or "bah" (Bear). She doesn't want to hit any keys herself; instead she wants Mama or Grammy or Grandpa to do the work, while she sits on our laps and shouts out commands like a princess!

She still doesn't say many words, and I'm trying to not worry too much. She understands an amazing amount of stuff. She knows that what she drinks, what she bathes in, and what is running through the stream in our favorite park are all water. She doesn't say the word; instead she pants, like she does when she's just taken a huge gulp. I guess language is language, and just because it's not in English doesn't make it not language, right? She's communicating, and she does say a number of words ("no" being a current favorite) so I'm not freaking out yet!

School is almost over for the quarter...hooray! I have very much not enjoyed having to take Philosophy. You think you know how to reason, and you think you're logical, and then you go to this class where they break it down for you and suddenly nothing makes sense! At least, that's what happened to me. I did make a friend in class, though, and I confess that I've learned things, so it's been worthwhile.

As for my other classes, again, I'll be glad when they're over. I'm taking a class on historical research, and the term paper assignment has been making me nuts. I'm also taking an American literature class, and while I love the material, and the teacher is knowledgable, that same teacher looks like she's 18 years old. She walked into class, and I thought to myself, 'you have got to be kidding!' She also says "um" a lot, which gets, um, distracting and makes it, um, hard to follow the, um, lecture.

I do like OSU a lot, and am proud to be going to such a great school. I love the history, and the sheer number of students is amazing! It's a little wierd, though, to walk on campus and see very few people over the age of 30. Sometimes I feel a little out of place, but I'm so grateful for the opportunity to get a college education, I quickly get over that feeling and I move right along.

Speaking of moving right along, it's time to move on and work on my English term paper. It's due tomorrow...yipes!

2004-11-16T08:45:00.000-08:00

Here we are!