Emily is 3 Years and 7 Months Old!

I can't believe it's time for another monthly update!  Time is going by so very quickly.  Here's what life is like for Emily this month:

- she has really progressed a lot with her writing.  She can consistently write her own name with no help and knows how to spell Mommy, Daddy, Audrey, Emily, Katie (our dog), Abbie (her BFF at school), and milk.  How do we know this? Because I mentioned Abbie to Paul in the car one day and spelled her name....and Em piped up from the backseat "A-b-b-i-e spells Abbie!  That's my best friend!"  and so then we felt compelled to spell a bunch of other words.  We were amazed at how many she knew!

- She can write lots of other letters- I know for sure she can write A, B, C, D, E, F, H, I, J, L, O, P, S, T, U, V, and Y.  So smart!

- She has adjusted to her new classroom and is now doing better with staying quiet during naptime, even if she's not napping.  Her teacher is allowing her to draw on a magna-doodle during nap and this is helping a little.  She is also still doing her sticker chart at home and was SO excited last night to go to Walmart with me and pick out her Grand Prize- a brand new toy!  She picked a trio of mermaid dolls-- Ariel and her sisters Atina and Arista.  She even took it easy on me and picked a toy under $10! 

- She is SO imaginative right now.  Everything is pretend and she is constantly acting out different scenarios with her toys.  She also really likes for us to play along which is fun too!

- I told Emmy one day that she couldn't do something because it was "only for grown ups". She got very serious and asked me if she is "grown down"...love that funny girl!  She is constantly saying super funny things right now and is very interested in learning new words.  She also understands more things and is starting to become more rational...although it's slow in coming, haha!

- I asked Em to help me with something  on Mother's Day. She said, "ok Mommy, I can, because of Mother's Day...because of Mom's Day.....because of Allison's Day." So to all you moms out there--I hope you enjoyed Allison's Day, hahaha!

- She is getting very excited for the move to "new house".  She doesn't seem to completely grasp the concept of moving--it has to be very hard to understand-- but she is very excited to go to a new school and make new friends and also is very concerned about where we're going to put the Christmas tree in this new house.  I'm not kidding about the tree- it comes up every couple days in conversation!  I think she is excited for all the new things but she doesn't understand that she won't see her North Carolina friends anymore.  We have been meeting up with friends over the past couple weeks to have sort of "last hurrah" type get-togethers...mostly so we can all say goodbye.  Emily doesn't understand that we're not going to be seeing these people again, perhaps ever.  It is SO hard for me to watch her interact and play with her friends and then to tell them goodbye at the end.  I am so hopeful that we will find some new friends, fast, and can get her some playdates. It is so upsetting for me because Paul and I already know people and we're comfortable back home and we honestly, truly WANT to go there...but the girls are just along for the ride.  I know life is what you make it, but I am nervous and anxious about our "new life" and hope that Emmy makes new friends quickly and we can meet their parents and hang out outside of preschool.  She is a very social little lady and this will be quite a transition, starting over again. :/

- Speaking of preschool, Emily DID get a spot at the awesome one near our house! We are very excited for this new place.  When I visited them in the spring I was SO impressed, not only with the staff and the facility but also with how clean and healthy the kids looked and how well mannered and smart they were!  This particular center only does half-ratios, so instead of being in class with up to 24 kids (2 adults, 1:12 ratio) she will only be with a max of 12 other kids.  PLUS, these kids are all kids who could potentially go to her elementary school, so that's great to get to meet them early! I am so hopeful, SOOOO HOPEFUL, that we can make some friends for her fast!  This preschool also has video surveillance (major plus!) and follows an actual curriculum.  I am so excited!

- She is being really sweet to Audrey lately, which completely melts my heart.  In the car if Audrey gets cranky Emily will sing to her and she calms right down...it's amazing.  Emily is also doing much better with sharing with Audrey, although she still flips out when Audrey tries to chew on her toys. :)  I hope so much that they will be best friends when they grow up!
- She will be taking a weeklong dance camp starting the week of June 13.  I am so excited for her to get to try it again, plus, my friend owns the studio so it will be great to see her and let her get to know Emily a little better.  Let's hope she's on her best behavior! ;)


That's what's happening around here for now.  We will likely be MIA for a little while as we move this coming weekend.  Hard to believe our 3 years of time in North Carolina is almost over- it went by so fast!