Growing Up

Sigh! My little baby is growing up. There are times when I look at her and wonder - where did my little baby go? Like when she is laying on the bed sleeping - she looks so big! And pretty much any time she does any little independant action. Like kissing my hand after I bump it and say ouch. Or kissing her own foot after stubbing her toe. Or running to the kitchen to put the towels I just folded in the correct drawer for me. Or pointing to a crying baby and signing "sad" with a concerned look on her face. Times like these I just have to look at her and wonder - "where has my little baby girl gone?"

Signs and Words

I love to post pics with a description because it is quick. But I don't have any new pics yet and I really want to get some more posts up for those people who just can't live without my updates! ;o) So I thought that I would post a list of all the words that Emma signs. However, I now have to also include the words that she says because I waited too long to post this!
~Upon re-reading this I realize that it is really more for my journaling benefit than to amuse or interest anyone. But hopefully if you are reading this, you find yourself a little bit amused and perhaps even interested!~

She signs: (* = says as well)
eat/food
water
*candy (*blush* yes, blame me for that one) - poke your cheek while saying "dandy"
*swing - When we first stayed with my sis, her daughter had a swing. We quickly realized that with two toddlers who love to swing, we needed two swings. Emma wanted to swing so often that Tuan had to make up a sign so that we would know when she was asking for it!
swim - same sign as swing, but always used when looking at a pic of herself swiming - she came up with this one on her own!
dance/music - adapted from a sign I gave her. What do you know it happens to look just like swing and swim. Tricky at times because the nearest swings are 10 min. away and you don't want to suggest swinging and not be able to come through!
*nurse - not at first, but any more this sign is accompanied by either tugging at my shirt or plopping herself into my lap :o)
*lap
cookie/cake (give me a break - I'm pregnant! :op ) - Tuan helped her with this on (ahem!) Pat your elbow. Try to make it look like a wrestling move in which you threaten someone to "do it or else"! Thanks, Tuan!
*cheese - which sounds very much like Jesus. :o) In fact, one night while we were reading scriptures, she was looking at some pics in the front of the book. She pointed to the pic of Jesus and signed and said cheese! It was too hilarious and absolutely adorable.
*more
pretzle
*baby - she is very obsessed with babies right now! :o) It actually sounds more like beebee - say the first sylable quickly
*bee (bug)
*phone (sounds like 'doane') - she actually made this sign up because I didn't give her one (a sign) quickly enough
*shhh!/quiet - she was just starting to sign this (finger on lips - or up the nose, it's all good!) when she walked into the room with a cookie. I asked her if her daddy had given it to her and she signed shh! Too cute.
dog - her sign for dog is to pant. It was her first sign and originally was used for all animals and when she was really excited. She still sounds at times as if she is about to hyperventilate when doing it!
*kitty - don't be offended, "titty" really does mean cat!
horse
cow - moo energetically
sheep/lamb - my sis raises bum lambs and Emma had this sign down about 30 seconds after seeing it!
*bye - wave just your 4 fingers, not your whole hand (sooo adorable)
*hi
sleep - lay your head on your shoulder (or the nearest one to it if so inclined!)
bird - flap your arm (not arms), ok hand! - which, coincidentally, is why it looks almost exactly like hot, water and ball.
*hot - always paired with a concerned look while saying the word.
ball
4-wheeler/motercycle/big truck - Emma loved riding on my sis/bro-in-law's four-wheeler. Tuan taught her a sign (pretend to hold handlebars while saying "vroom, vroom"). Another 30 sec. sign! And yes, she very energetically says "vroom, vroom"!
train - pull a whistle and say "choo, choo". Another loud one!
*potty

She says (but doesn't sign):
no - say it like you are imitating a car zooming by
uh-huh - almost always accompanied by a big nod of the head. As in "yes - what took you so long to figure out what I wanted!" :o)
daddy
mommy - not really me at all but any person who makes her feel safe and secure. Arrow to my ego! :o}
poppy (grandpa)
Jesus
owwie! - always said with a concerned look and followed by a kiss better!
eye
nose
mouth
shoe
belly-button
spoon
apple

I'm sure there are more - but I just can't think of them right now.

There is a wonderful hot springs very close to the reunion camp site. Emma loved, loved, loved it! They have 5 pools of graduating temperature depending on how far from the water source you are. The hot tub and the pool were much too hot for Emma and me, but Tuan enjoyed swiming and soaking in them. Ok, a little side note here. Isn't Emma's suit adorable? Not to mention Emma!

Emma taking a swing at the pinata. Last year, she was only five months and didn't really get into it. This year, she had things a little more figured out!

oops! As one of my brothers not in this pic pointed out: there are only 7 of us present and three of my brothers are not there. Sorry Dale! ;o) Anyway - here is the correct caption for this pic:
This is my grandma, dad, and all of my siblings and their families that made it to the reunion minus three brothers. It was so much fun to see and spend time with my siblings that I hadn't seen in at least a year. One of my sisters had just returned from 4 years in Tiawan!

This is my grandmother with all of her great-grandchildren, plus Emma's stuffed leopard! She really isn't attached to it, but it was either the leopard or mommy! Actually, I am still holding her, but hiding behind the other kids.

Emma did get in the water, but I think that she thought it was too cold. She prefered playing in the sand.

On the second day of the reunion we went to the lake. Emma loved floating around in the many floaties that were there.

Give this girl a hose and she is intertained for hours! It took a few weeks for me to finally realize that it was easier if I just stripped her down naked and gave her the hose - no muddy wet clothes and one happy baby!

We got to Sarah's place in time to help her plant a late garden. Emma loved helping. Ok, I think she actually just loved being outside. It was always too hot in Ok to be outside for long. She was almost constantly outside when we first arrived.

When Tuan got a cell phone, Emma fell in love with it. She even made up her own sign for phone before I could give her one. Here she is talking on her own toy phone.

While we were staying with my sister, the Vietnam Memorial Moving Wall came through town. So we went to see it.

This is Emma riding one of my sister's 3 horses. Actually, much to my chagrin, (because I love horses) Emma prefered riding on their 4-wheeler with her daddy!

Emma never got a chance to ride in a fancy shopping cart like this in Oklahoma - our town didn't have any. So this was her first ride! She loves the ones with beeping horns the best.

We spent lots of time helping fix up my sister's old bunkhouse - the original homestead on their property. Emma helped bunches too!

Ok, this picture doesn't really cronical any part of our trip, but I thought it was adorable just the same. No, I'm not nervous at all for the arrival of #2! (cough, cough!)