Show and Tell with the Takalas: Emily: 22, 23, 24 months

I can't believe it has taken me so long to get this post done. Those are a lot of months to put together! Oh well, it is what it is. I'll just be noting here everything she can do at the end of month 24. During these three months, Emily really turned from tiny toddler into little girl. She is just amazing, precious, and pretty much perfect...as well as a perfect terror when she wants to be! I love how strong-willed she is, but it can be a challenge! The fact that she is so sweet, smart, and funny 95% of the time makes up for the 5% when she is being a toot! Looking at the last monthly post I did, I really see how much she has changed during these three months. Her speech has absolutely blown up. She still mispronounces some words (upisdown for upside down, knock knock for nap mat, nank you boats for thank you notes) but her speech is very clear. The child can carry on adult conversations in complete sentences, which probably makes me expect a little too much from her. Sometimes I would forget she wasn't even two yet and wanted her to be acting more mature than she was. I've really been trying to watch that and be more patient with her. I know every parent thinks their child is smart, but really, she is! We haven't worked on much with her, but she just picks everything up so easily. She knows all of her colors, can count 1-10, can do one-to-one correspondence up to 10 (can touch each item as she counts them, not just memorize how to say the numbers in order,) can sing tons and tons of songs (Jesus Loves Me, Twinkle Twinkle, Old MacDonald, Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, How Much is that Doggie in the Window, Itsy Bitsy Spider, The B-I-B-L-E, Head and Shoulders, and many more.) She runs everywhere and has recently begun skipping and hopping quite a bit as well. She LOVES going to church "to read the Bible." Her favorite books are her Bible, Brown Bear Brown Bear, Panda Bear Panda Bear, and the Very Hungry Caterpillar. She can recite the last three and often reads them to us. She loves playing with her toys and her water table. Her favorite show is Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, which I give credit to for much of what she has learned recently. It's a GREAT show. Emily went to Mother's Day Out/Pre-school this summer and it was great for her. She has become even more independent and has lost most of her separation anxiety. She has finally started eating meat this summer and loves it! Her favorite is chicken. She has recently learned how to drink from a regular cup, but still regularly spills it when she gets too excited. Emily moved to her big girl bed on July 4th and did great with it from the start. On August 9th, she welcomed her little sister to the world with open arms and she never missed a beat. It is amazing how big she has become! We love this girl with all of our heart!

Emily,
You are the most precious little girl there is. You are always excited about everything and keep us smiling all the time. Your zest for life is contagious! You are so far beyond anything I could have ever imagined when I pictured having a child. I love you forever!