Almost three

I haven't been too great at making blog updates lately. When Emma was little, I used to list her milestones and stats on a regular basis. Now, though, there is just too much to list. As her third birthday approaches (in 6 days!) and I see the baby in her fading fast, I'm kicking myself for not keeping better track of all the little details. So, here's my attempt to list a few memorable things about this stage in Emma's life.

• She can recite the alphabet, recognize most letters, and write the letters in her name. (Getting her to do it on cue is another story, but she can do it if she wants to.)
• She loves to use scissors and can cut out easy shapes.
• She is very good at coloring in the lines. Currently, she prefers coloring in rainbow (multiple colors for each object) rather than in solid colors.
• She can count into the teens -- some days higher than others. She can tell you when her birthday is (and my birthday too).
• She is finally going to bed on her own without Andrew or me staying in the room until she falls asleep.
• She is fully potty trained, except for one pull-up at night. (!!!) And I don't think she'll need that one much longer.
• She still sleeps with Ellie every night. (If Ellie is missing, sleep does not come...)
• She loves The Wonder Pets, Toy Story, and Shreck. She loves reading Fancy Nancy books and Pinkilicious too. (But really, she loves to read anything. We try to always read about what's going on in her life -- beach books on vacation, etc.)
• Her vocabulary is unlimited. She repeats everything she hears. (For example, "Put on your damn pants!")
• She loves to make jokes and says, "I was just kidding" and cracks herself up. Cut the pickle is a favorite joke. [I want that shirt!] And the "knock knock -- boo hoo -- don't cry little girl" one too. She likes to ask for five down low an tell you you're too slow. She likes to call people silly names like "spray watering can banana." We spend a lot of time playing the association game -- you're a banana, well you're a strawberry; you're a tree, well you're a flower.
• She can swing in a regular swing, though she still doesn't quite have the hang of pumping her legs. She loves to climb up her slide the wrong way. 
• She loves spending time in the garden with Andrew. And she love baking with me.
• She is a total beach bum. She loves nothing more than swimming, digging in the sand, exploring, collecting, fishing, and kayaking. She could stay at the beach all day every day, I think. 
• She is a wonderful swimmer. She's been swimming on her own with a life jacket for a while now. She even jumps in all by herself.
• She can ride a bike with training wheels.
• She makes tons of different facial expressions. Her most recent looks a little bit like a frown and often goes with a shrug, as if to say "I don't know?" 
• "I don't feel like it" is her favorite excuse. And if you tell her "no," she says, "Aw-www" like a teenager.
• She goes up and down stairs in our house now freely.
• She is still fearless. At the Children's Museum, her favorite exhibit was the climber. At the zoo, she loved the rides.
• Everything is a negotiation. (Emma, you can only have pudding if you eat five more bites. No, three, Mommy. OK, Emma, four.)

Really, we are so lucky to have her. We couldn't have dreamt up a more fun, happy, smart little girl. She is just so full of expression and life. Sure, in some ways the last three years feel more like 30, but really, she brings more joy to our life than we ever could have imagined. And I have a feeling that age three is going to be the most fun age yet.

Happy almost birthday, Emma!