Emily: 20 Months Old

 Admittedly, this post comes a couple of weeks late, but in my defense, we were prepping for vacation when my toddler turned 20 months!  Emily has made tremendous progress away from the baby girl she used to be.  She is stringing together 2-4 words now, like "Mommy, up go!" or "Sissy see doggie woof!"  She knows all of the animal names and noises, and she is a whiz at body parts, including elbow, armpit, neck, and butt!
She thinks she's already 2, so I hear "no" and "mine" every 5 minutes.  "No" is usually in response to a request, like asking her to come change her diaper.  Or asking if she wants to go inside (she loves being outside).  "Mine" is a basic declaration of everything she sees, including stuff at Walmart, other kids' toys, and everything in our house.

 Emily loved the beach!  She wasn't afraid of sand or the ocean.  Timmy took her out in the waves, and she liked being held or getting in Garrett and Caroline's inflatable boat.  I would ask "Are you ready to go to the beach?" and she would say "Yes!" while running to get her bathing suit and throwing herself flat on her back on the floor so I could change her into a swim diaper.

 This girl has no fear!  She found a live sand flea and brought it to me.  It was still wiggling in her fingers!  She is very curious about all small wiggly animals.  She likes to stomp the ants in our driveway.  If she sees a bug in a book, she has to put it on the ground and stomp it!

Emily still has a great bedtime routine.  Since it's summer and she's home with me, she gets to stay up a little later and then sleep in.  We do bath around 7:30 PM, followed by story time, which can range from 5-10 books depending on her mood.  She loves when Sissy reads to her also.  Her current favorites include Elmo and animals.  She also likes "10 Little Ladybugs", "Sleepytime", and "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom".  It's lights out (CD player on) at 8 PM and she usually sleeps til 8 AM (though I do get the occasional sleeping baby til almost 9!)

Emily loves to play jokes on us!  She does this very serious face with her lip sticking out, and as soon as anyone laughs, she joins in!  She loves to jump off everything (including stairs), ride her bike in the driveway and court, push her stroller, be pushed in her car, and "help" with all chores, like yard work, doing the dishes (she automatically runs to the sink cabinet to get the detergent pod, which she can put in the dishwasher herself), fold laundry, and sweep.  The only thing she doesn't like is the vacuum.