Sweet Sixteen...

...months that is! My baby girl is 16 months old today and all I can say is WOW!

Time has gone by so quickly and although she has grown tremendously I just can't help but look at her and see her as my tiny baby. Here is a little recap of all she has been doing lately:

- She's not yet walking, but took 4 steps on Friday (3 days ago) and has since taken 3 steps at a time on a few other occasions. Unfortunately I have not had the video camera at the ready yet, maybe tomorrow. Although she did crawl, she began by doing the army crawl for a LONG time then eventually crawled in the standard hands and knees fashion (as opposed to brother's gorilla scoot) but wanting to stand out herself, she has taken to mostly "walking" around on her knees. Needless to say her knees, shins and tops of her feet are requiring lotion and lots of baths.

- Eating is fun as can be! She likes most anything but favorites include: pasta, yogurt, cheese, chicken nuggets, blueberries (she could eat these ALL day long) and just about any other fruit you can think of. She also enjoys green beans and steamed broccoli, but just like her mother, she is tending to reveal a sweet tooth (so sorry dear for passing this along)!

- She has begun to talk some saying: mommy, mama, daddy, grandma, papa, mys (for brother), dog, I'm all done, I want more, thank you, yes, amen, ball, me, mine (it's started already!), I want some, car and probably a bunch of other things I can't think of right now. Her main form of communicating is with her very pointed head shake, either a definite nod for "yes" or a side-to-side shake for "no" (this can sometimes be very vigorous). Already I just LOVE her soft and sweet little voice.

- She is a SANDBOX queen and could play in the dirt all day and night! From first thing in the morning when she hears me open the slider to let the dogs out, she quickly rushes the door and gets very upset when I close it before she can get out to the sand. Then again in the evening, she always lets us know she is not happy when it's time to come inside. i think she is truly happiest when she is good and dirty (not unlike what I remember being like as a kid).

-Other favorites include cars, playing in her kitchen, music (her singing is so sweet) and dancing - she will start bobbing and swaying with the tiniest sound of music and we especially adore when she lifts her shoulders up and down and twists her arms.

All in all you are just an incredible blessing to our family Miss Em! Your easy-going yet vibrant and fun-loving personality keep us on our toes and your sense of mischief and humor delight all who meet you. We love you and can't wait to see the woman God has called you to be!