Dear Emmylou,

I'm late yet again with your monthly update (really late if you count the fact that I never even wrote you one last month) but I figure these days we're so busy that I'll just squeeze them in when I can.

Lately my main jobs have been to act as your translator, to get you in swimming pools as much as possible, and to hide while you count to 10 and then 'seek.'

It's not that you're that hard to understand when you talk, but that you have a lot more to say and since your k's and g's are t's and d's, it takes a bit of a trained ear to catch it all. But I love to hear you talk and I love that I am the one who knows the most of what you're saying and gets to share it with everyone around you. You're already getting better than you were a couple months back so I'll have to try to back off a little and let you do it yourself since that is what is driving your entire being right now.

You are getting so good at swimming! You've really figured out how to motor through the water by kicking with your floaties on and you love to get out and jump in off the side over and over. You are a daredevil which makes me nervous but I'm glad you have the confidence to try new things and experiences without hesitating.



Hide and Seek is your favorite game, followed by Ring Around the Rosey. You saw Hide and Seek on Max and Ruby and since you're also really into counting, it's no wonder you want to play it constantly. At least you're not picky- since I'm always the one hiding, you don't care if I go to the same place over and over or if half of me is peeking out from my hiding place. Each time you squeal just as loudly and say "Again! Again!"

Here are a few funny things you've done lately:

-Grammie was here today visiting before her 2 week trip to Turkey and when she told you she had to "hit the road" you replied right back, "hit the road, Jack!"

-Also today we told you to "bend your knees" when you were jumping off the ottoman because you were landing flat-footed on the floor. You followed our directions perfectly: you got back up on the ottoman, bent your knees and then slid right off and fell flat on the floor on your knees. Ouch! I guess I can't ever say you don't listen to me. Um, sorry we were cracking up so hard we could barely help lift you off the floor...

-You love to tell me if the outfit you're wearing has polka dots or stripes ("fipes") and today you put on your pink shoes with a black dress and threw open your arms, proclaiming, "I match!"

-You use "please" and "thank you" almost all the time, but the best is when I'll give you something and you look me in the eye, tilt your head a little and say so sincerely, "thank you, Mommy."

After 27 months with you, Emmylou, I can honestly say that I've never been happier nor had so much fun with anyone in my life. You make me laugh more and more each day. And although we are all so excited about your new brother's arrival (you still talk to him every day through my belly button), I'm really enjoying these last few months on our own together.

I'll close with a video Grammie got of you today singing the ABC's and the Itsy Bitsy Spider. Both are a bit more abbreviated and cyclical than how you usually sing them, but you've been shy about letting us capture you on camera so we'll take what we can get.



I love you, Emmylou!

Mommy