Girl Power

I've been trying to give Em choices when it comes to things I think she can have some control over such as wearing outfit A or outfit B. Do you want to take a bath before dinner or after dinner? Would you like to go to the playground or ride your trike?She has been recently choosing her lunch with assistance and helps me prepare it the night before. She is allowed to choose her fruits of the day as well as her snack. On Mondays she is allowed to completely pick her lunch provided it has something from each group (drink, meal items fruit and snack). Since parents provide meals this is a great activity for us to do together. I am going to try some bento meals soon as I think she would enjoy the variety and kid friendly packing. It is these small things that I believe empower her and as she gets older will aid her in decision making skills. As an aside today's menu was vanilla yogurt and a banana for breakfast, chicken and edamame for lunch (new item), grapes and animal crackers for snack. She brings 3 small water bottles a day which are refilled as needed. So this morning I brought her two outfits to choose from. Both were things she hasn't worn before. She immediately asked for the dress which I bought last week at the Osk Kosh outlet. I always loved children in overalls and never got her any and now that she's older and in potty age I think it would be unfair to start. The store did have cute overall jumpers on sale for $10 so I bought her two of them. In any case she chose the dress, matching headband, picked a tee/socks to match. I went to grab her white sneakers and she said "no no no mommy, Emme wants pink shoes please" and she proceeded to show me where there was pink in her dress. She then asked for a necklace, a pair of "eyes" (sunglasses) and the final result was adorable. It makes me happy that such small things bring her such great pleasure and a sense of accomplishment. She wasted no time telling her friends at school that she was wearing a new dress.

From the mouths of babes

Mommy: Where is your vagina? Emme: Home Mommy: Let's keep in that way for a very long time.

TGIAS or Thank God It's Almost Sunday

I'm beat but today was a great day! I am done teaching for the semester (my adjunct gig) and while the money is nice I no longer want to take my weekend time away from my number one priority. Em accompanied me to class this morning and handed out "yummies" to everyone and was amazing for 2.5 hours. She was a wonderful "helper" and enjoyed "big people school". She took a power nap in the car and we went out to a noodle shop for lunch and then hit Trader Joes which is always fun. By the time we got home, RaRa was almost here and ready for our afternoon of fun. Em mastered her trike today and I am so proud of her perseverance. She finally can pedal and wasted no time showing off her newfound skill. Her physical development has been amazing and I believe she has gotten more out of the playground and chasing a ball than physical therapy. She also LIVES for her gym class which not only helps with things like balance but does so much for her self-esteem. We then headed to the playground where she played with another little girl and off to dinner we went. She fell asleep after a rousing episode of "mouuuuw" (like ouch without the ch) and the night is done. Tomorrow we have a birthday party for one of her classmates and back to routine on Monday. Some pics from today. I'm working in learning my new lens but think I'm improving.

Sniffles and the Tea Party

Emme has been sick all week with an awful cough, runny nose and fever. Her spirits have been reasonably well but she was starting to get a touch of cabin fever. She was home with mom-mom who was also under the weather Tuesday and Wednesday and yesterday nana stayed with her. Her Mother's Day present from me was this FABULOUS Melissa and Doug white wood table and 2 chairs. She loves having a table and does writing, drawing, etc on it. Before I left for work yesterday I asked if she'd like to have a party with her "friends". Well.....she proceeded to gather all her animals from the bedroom and categorize them. Dog, puppy, little dog and baby dog sat in one chair, monkey, bear, Ming-Ming, Mickey and Minnie on the other chair, BIG bear and little bear on her polka dot chair and Em on a hassack. Nana sat on the couch but was not allowed to partake but was rather a casual observer. I was told she played for two hours having the grandest of tea parties and when I returned home from work, she told me all her guests had a good time. She served apple juice (herself), water (dogs) and animal crackers to the rest of her guests. I promised her we'd have our own party tonight complete with "yummies"

My Dear Daughter

On this, my first Mother's Day I can't help but reflect on what brought me here. Looking back, it is now obvious that you were born who you are; those laughs, your antics and your mischievous ways. I cannot take credit for your personality. All I have done is enabled you through experiences and exposures to be exactly who you are meant to be. I am grateful to the woman who gave you life but celebrate the fact that I am in fact your mother in every way. You are exhausting, beautiful, smart and funny. You are the reason I laugh in the morning and sigh each night. Hearing your sweet voice call "mommy" is music to my ears and nothing else can compare. You are the light of my life and this is the best tired I've ever been. You are simply a dream come true in every way and I feel utterly blessed to be your mother.

Playground Antics

Em and her gal pal Madison had a lot of fun at the playground. We tried to exhaust them in the hopes of early bedtime :-)

New Lens Fun

I splurged on a new lens last week and decided to try it out today. We went to a 50's type drive in for dinner and by chance found this great playground. It seemed a good place to try it out. I need to practice more but I thought these were decent shots. Enjoy!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Emme loves the rain more than anyone I know. She will puddle jump anywhere, wearing whatever shoes she happens to have on. She has lovely rain boots which match her coat and hat but they're too big at the moment so we need to find smaller ones. Despite her love of twirly umbrellas and puddles she always sings, "rain rain go away, Emme and mommy want to play". The first picture was just a shot of how cute she looked this morning.

The Color of Love

Emme enjoyed a lovely afternoon and cousin Brian and Kelly's engagement party. From what I was told, she ate, she schmoozed and had a grand time. She insisted on wearing her slightly large dress from Aunti Nic because it "twirls mommy". She decided accessories were in order do she donned her purse, her strand of peals and matching bracelet and looked so sweet. Sounds like a great time.