Nonstop

There's no stopping her now! Emma has now learned how to get up from sitting down and is running circles around us :) Her favorite activity now is to make laps from the kitchen, through the dining room, around through the hallway and back into the living room...multiple times. I guess all that practice while holding onto fingers is paying off now. She hasn't skipped a beat since learning how to walk. It's only a matter of time now before she learns to start running!

Our newest goal is working on her vocabulary. As of now, it's comprised of mainly Emma-talk, with a few attempts at recognizable words. She understands daddy is 'da-da' and that's her most comfortable word to use. She uses 'ma-ma' when she wants something so hasn't quiet connected that word with me. She uses 'kee' when she wants her monkey paci and 'dee' when she sees her cup, letting us know she wants a drink. She has said 'pup' for puppy and 'tee' for tree but those are not words she frequently uses. Everything else is adorable babble. I'm convinced that she has full on conversations with herself and others, but we have no idea what she's saying. Sometimes it hurts my heart because she wants so badly for us to understand when she's telling us she wants something, but I can't understand her.

She's getting such an amazing personality and is VERY animated. Her expressions are priceless! I'm anxious to see what she does when she can start expressing herself through words. She is quite independent and has some serious diva moments. I'm trying to remind myself that she's exploring the world and how to react to things in it, so it's not necessarily defiance. Trust me, she has her defiant moments, which are usually accompanied by a stern look at whoever is telling her no. It's hilarious but I have to hold back my giggles long enough to win the stare down with my 1 1/2 year old. The struggle is real people. We've confirmed that all Rory has to do is look at her and speak sternly to her and she falls apart. With me, not so much. I'm already praying for patience and strength that I'll undoubtedly need as we head into the terrible two's and three's. Her independent nature will no doubt be a struggle. 

In other news, Rory started classes back and we're getting ever closer to his degree! He's finally declared his major (after 2 years of classes in this field) and is working towards his drafting degree. We estimate if he stays on schedule with no set backs (flunking or random pre-requisite courses popping up), he's set to graduate in the spring of 2017! I am so proud of my husband for working so hard for this and I know that it will all be worth it when he gets that diploma and he will feel so accomplished! I am praying hard that his dad is blessed to live long enough to see Rory get this degree. I know it would make him so proud of Rory too! He's already got a job in his field doing drafting (excuse me, design engineering) but hopefully, this will open up many more doors for him. 

God's got plans for us and I can't wait to see how they all fall into place! For now, we're just living life and enjoying the moments we have. Hope everyone has enjoyed this lovely fall weather preview we've been having!

God Bless!