Emilia Jane

I feel terrible that I have not provided the updates on Emilia that I did for Lily and William.  I think I've missed updating the blog on almost every major milestone from first tooth to first steps to first words.  I don't think I've ever really even explained her name.  For the record, we wanted a name that began with "E" and had Italian roots in honor of my Italian mom, Eleanor.  Emilia's middle name, Jane, stems from Carl's mom's name, Janet.  We really wanted to honor each of our parents when naming our children, and I'm happy that we were able to do that and have names that we really love for our children.  And there it is, only 18 months late.

Emilia's personality is fairly serious.  She is typically calm and tends to really examine people when she first meets them.  She loves, loves, loves her coat (and towels and blankets).  Lately it has been hard to get her to stop wearing her coat for any length of time it so that we can wash it.  She also LOVES dogs.  In fact, her first sentence (spoken last Thursday) was "doggie says woof, woof".

Emmy has been very effective making her feelings known for quite some time now (I think this is partly for survival when you are the third), but more and more she is using the appropriate words to communicate.  One of my favorite things is when you ask her how she's doing, she'll say "good" which sounds so funny coming from such a little girl. 

One of my other favorites about Emmy right now is the emphatic nod when she wants to say yes.  Her "no" is still adorable to me although I'm sure that it will lose its appeal in the not-so-distant future.  She has such a streak of mischief in her and in such a quiet, sneaky way.  She loves to turn off the tv when William and Lily are watching it because she knows it will get a rise from them.  She also loves to play in the dirt of our potted plants because she knows it will get a rise from us. 

Like William, Emmy loves to be outside.  Unlike Lily at this age, she actually enjoys the stroller which is fortunate so I can keep her contained while watching William ride the scooter and bike up and down our street.  She too enjoys riding her little bike, and I don't think it will be too long before she can ride along with the big kids.

William, Lily, and I took a trip to St. Joseph recently to attend Mary's First Communion.  We decided that this would provide the perfect opportunity to stop breastfeeding.  It was a successful break for the most part.  She was not too happy about it, and my body is still not too happy about it, but it was time.  Like most transitions with Emmy, it was bittersweet.  It is always exciting to move to a new phase and achieve new milestones, but with the last child, there is always that thought, "I will never experience [X] again with my children".  Although I like the increasing independence that Emmy is achieving, I love being the mom of young children.  As she ages, I feel like I'm losing a little piece of that part of my identity forever. 

I've found out from my experiences with Lily and William that ages 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 years is the hardest time for me, as a parent, thusfar.  It is just exhausting, as they have total mobility yet absolutely no sense of harm or danger.  There is so much disciplining and for so long, they just don't get it.  But, I know that the work and effort put in during this upcoming year pays huge dividends.  While William and Lily are both still very active and curious and certainly not perfect, they really are very sweet and kind children.  I very much believe that the limits set in these early years paves the way for a much easier road in the years to come.  So let the games begin!

Emilia has also tended toward the smaller side all along which we all know was not the case with William.  At her 18 month check-up, she weighed in at 22 lbs 15 oz and was 32 inches in height.  In my former days, I would have looked up Lily's and William's measurements at this age for comparison's sake, but that's not going to happen tonight.  My posts have become less frequent with the kids and working, but the school year is almost done for me (this Friday!).  So hopefully I'll be able to post a little more often.  I have a lot of pictures filed away that I may get to....someday.  Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone!