Despite the warnings that time would fly, I still feel blindsided. I no longer have a baby; Emma has become an amazing spirited, loving, funny little person who fills my days with love and laughter.
Although her stature is small, her personality is quite the opposite.
Emma loves to narrate life and rarely stops talking. Surprisingly, or not, to those who know her verbose parents, she has the verbal acuity of a three year old. Emma regularly communicates in 6-10 word sentences. This morning she said, "Emma want go downstairs and eat breakfast, mmm, 'licious breakfast." Her use of descriptive adjectives and correct use of pronouns continues to impress me as she carries on complete conversations with me. She has made me acutely aware of phrases I never realized I say. And I just love that she can't yet say some blends, so she says cute things like, "No sanks, Momma."
It is obvious to me that music and movement runs through her little veins. Emma keeps the beat when she claps or shakes her maracas and adores any instrument, which is not that surprising since I come from a musical family. She also loves to dance and manipulate her body, again not surprising because Erik comes from a family of dancers.
My proudest mommy moments, however, occur when people comment on what a sweet girl Emma is. Whether it is the spontaneous hugging of her friends or her emphatically telling me, " I love YOU, mommy," while we are out grocery shopping, this little lady is full of God's love. When I rock her before bed, she requests "Jesus songs" and needs her "Jesus books" in her crib. What a gift God gave us when He bestowed this beautiful baby upon us.
Although Emma is excited for a brother or sister to arrive in the summer, I find myself in tears as I wonder how I will possibly love the new baby as much as I do the extraordinary child who is my Emma.
