18 Months

18 Months



Oh My Goodness! So hard to believe that we are already half way to their 2nd birthday!! Are you serious right now?! :)


My Beautiful Emma Grace,



At 18 Months, you are in the 30th percentile for your height- measuring 31.2
inches & You are in the 14th percentile for your weight, weighing in at 19lbs 9oz.


You are so full of life and energy! 



One of my FAVORITE things you are doing right now, is when you smile so sweetly with your mouth closed. :)

You are such a good sister to your sissy! You are always loving on her, comforting her, and doing things for her. It melts my heart!
Whenever Mommy makes your milk cups you always reach your hands out for both the cups. When mommy gives you the cups, you turn to give Molly hers before drinking yours.
And when Molly is upset or crying, you go over to her and pat her on her head. It is SOOOO sweet!! Its as if you are saying, " it's okay, sissy, dont cry" :)

You are all about holding hands right now.



You love to take Molly, Mommy, or Daddy by the hand and walk  leading us around.
It is so sweet when you do this.

You have a thing with closing doors. If there is a door open, you must close it. :)

And your face lights up, as you say "oooooh" whenever you see Mickey Mouse come on TV.

Though you will give Mommy hugs & kisses, and you will sit in my lap to play, you aren't big on cuddling! All that energy you have, keeps you staying busy! :)

From your random hugs and kisses throughout the day, and  through all the moments of being helpful,
and your innocent moments of walking around snuggling a blankie when you are sleepy, and many other moments of  pure sweetness that capture my heart....you also have a wild child side to you! :-)

You can be quite mischievious!
Some how you figured out how to open the dryer, and dump out the lent trap! :)



And now that you have learned to reach up and take things off of higher places, you like to grab everything!

Including Mommy's toothpaste :-)


Oh and you can be quite Sassy if you don't want to hear or do something!


These next 4 pictures are last month pictures of you, but these are things that you still do that I want to mention!

At the park you walk up to the slide all by yourself and sit!

And then you let go and slide all by yourself!

And many times, I have found you standing bent over with your hands on your knees.

Not sure what you are thinking when you do this, but I think it's super cute. :-)

And right before you whine or get upset about something, you make this cute little face with your mouth poked out and right after you make this facial expression...you squint your eyes and make a sound like
 "eeeeh-huh"  I call it your fake whine, because there is not a tear in your eye, and it isnt a scream like a tantrum would have. It is just a whine. :-) A fake one! And it usually ends in you laughing at Mommy because I am laughing at how silly you are. :)

Though you are comprehending everything very well, and you follow instructions, you really aren't talking much. You of course babble all day long :) But you aren't forming many words. Because of this your Peditrician wants you to be evaluated by a speech therapist. The referral has been made, and I am sure anytime now we should be recieving a phone call.
But the words you can say are:
Hi
Uh-oh
Sit
Thank you (used to say this often, rarely can get you to say it now!)
Ma-Ma
Daddy
And your newest word is Puppy :)

You do try to copy me when I say things, so I know you will be carrying on a conversation before I know it. You put a lot of effort into trying! And Mommy makes a big deal for you when you try to say a new word. I want you to be excited so you keep trying to do some more!

When Mommy says "Bless You!" you will fake sneeze! I love it!

Emma Grace, you are growing up so fast and before my very eyes! I am very proud of you and love you dearly. I tell you many times through out each day that you are Mommy's Special Girl and I mean it with all my heart! So proud to be your Mommy!

My Pretty Lil Molly Bear,

At 18 months you are 30 inches tall which puts you in the 5th percentile and you are 17.8 pounds which puts you in the 2nd percentile. :)
You are my itty bitty skinny minnie! You barely own a thing that fits you just right. :-)

You are such a jolly little one! You smile all the time, and your whole face lights up when you grin.

You have the best facial expressions!
Below are a few of the many silly faces you make throughout each day.

This is your sneaky look!

Your different facial expressions proove you have so much personality!

You are also my love bug.
You still let mommy cuddle you, and I cherish those moments so much because I know they will not last forever!


Mommy recentley taught you and your sister how to jump! 
Here you are in action, copying me as I am showing you how to do it.
First you go down...

And then you go UP! :)


You have an obsession with hangers! Anytime you can get a hold of one, you chew on it and play with.
Mommy hangs up all your clothes to dry, so it's not unusual for there to be a hanger within reach and you never are happy with me when I make you give Mommy the hanger. :)

Oh and you love sneaking into the bathroom and unrolling the toilet paper roll! And anytime you get a hold of a tissue or napkin laying around, you will sit on the floor with it and break it up piece by piece until there is nothing left of it.

You and your sister keep mommy very busy! BUT, I would not trade these moments with you two for a thing in this world!

You also are going to be evaluated by a speech therapist, as you don't seem to put much effort in wanting to learn to talk. You much rather just smile & giggle and let others talk to you.

But You are saying Uh-Oh and Mommy
Occassionally you will say Da-Da or Hi
 You do babble a lot. I think you & Emma just have your very own language that the two of you share and you just havent realized yet that the rest of us don't communicate that way. lol  :)

On Oct 13 you have an appointment to get fitted for your brace. Mommy is nervous about this but I am trusting that this will help you in all the ways we need it too.


Mommy finally put the 2 of you in nursery at church! This is a big deal for me for many reasons, but that will have to be a totally different blog someday.
The very 1st time you girls went, you walked right in like you had been there 100 times before. Mommy & Daddy left & it did not even phase you.  I was the only one who cried that day!
But every week since, you girls have not enjoyed it. You cry walking into the church before we even get near the nursery...you know its coming and you aren't happy about it.

Mommy really wants church to become fun for you, so I am trying really hard to tough it out, but it is killlling me seeing you girls so sad every week. Mommy never likes to leave you when you are sad. :-(

You crack me up how you run from Mommy when you know its bedtime!
You have become my little streaker too!
If Mommy doesnt keep your diaper covered you will rip it off! You love running around the house naked! Silly girl!

You are also crazy over Mickey! You get the biggest grin on your face when you hear that "M-I-C-K-E-Y"  song come on!

Mommy has finally got you willing to drink whole milk! You two still get your formula once a day, but you are on your very last can! So it won't be much longer. I am sorta gonna miss making that smelly milk for you each day! Its become an every day way of taking care of you since you were born! It's gonna be a bittersweet goodbye. :)

Molly you are doing so wonderful and I just adore you! Mommy tells you every day that you are My Special girl, and I mean it with all my heart! I love you so much and you make me so very proud to be your Mommy!

*I have finally updated their pictures. you can see their 17 & 18 month albums HERE.

Grandmother's really are Great!

We Recently got to spend time with 2 of Molly & Emma's Great Grandmothers, and I can not say enough how special these visits were to me.

All of my Grandparent's have always been very special to me, so any time I get with them I treasure times a million.

This is my Step Dad's (Terry) Mom with Molly, Emma, and their Friend Abby!

( And I only say "Step" Dad because most of my readers know both my Biological Dad & also my "Step" Dad. So I try to spare the confusion by being specific. But in all reality, if you know me well enough you know that I do not consider Terry my "step" .

He Raised me since I was 4, and will always be Dad to me. I unlike most people have just happen to have two dads :) Which just means a bigger family to enjoy :-) )

So back to the point of this blog!

Great Grandma Blanton with Emma & her friend Abby!

The picture of above was so sweet, because it was not posed. Both Emma & Abby climbed up in Grandma's lap and I thought the picture would be even sweeter if Molly were in it so....

I put Molly up there with the rest of them, and apparently I ruined the moment.

Haha...She was having nothing to do with it. :)

Great Grandma playing outside with the girls

Great Grandma Blanton spent the entire day with us, and my heart overflowed with joy having her there. It really was a wonderful time and to make it even more exciting, she will be spending the day with us every other Thursday! I am very much looking forward to this time with her.

Emma & Molly also got to visit with their other Great Grandma recentley as well!

This is Rick's Grandmother on his  Dad's side

. We call her Granny, but to Molly & Emma she is Great Granny. :-)

Molly Bear & Granny

I love how big Molly's smile is here!

Sweet Emma Grace w/ her Great Granny

And one of my favorites!



It absolutely made Granny's day that we came and saw her. And to be honest, it made my day too.

After leaving that day, tears filled my eyes as I reflected on how excited she was that we came to see her.

 I remember how excited my own  Grandma would get over  the simple things between us, like a good laugh, or a meaningful conversation, and  

 knowing that I will never again have those special moments with my Grandma,  really blessed me  to be able to share those same kind of moments with Rick's Granny.  

Rick was unable to join us, because of his work schedule but we promised Granny we would be back very soon so she could visit with him. And we will be, because she said she was gonna "skin his hine" if we werent.  And NO body wants a Granny spankin! :-)

Found this quote about Grandmothers, and I know for me and the Grandmothers I have been blessed to have in my life...this couldn't be more true!

A Grandmother is a Little Bit Parent, a Little Bit Teacher, and a Little Bit Best Friend.
(And a Whole Lot of Wonderful!)
Author Unknown

Carolina Kind of Zoo Day!

Today is the start of the Gamecocks Football Season!

Not that I am overwhelmed with joy about good ole football, but I do like to see Rick's face light up when his baby girls are all decked out in the Carolina Gear. :)

So here you have it...

The Prettiest Lil' Gamecocks I Ever Saw! :)

This Morning We took the Girls to the Zoo!

Carolina Style of Course! :)

I wanted them to have a morning of fun, before it was Daddy's turn to have an evening of Football. :)

This Picture cracks me up. I cant believe how close this giraffe got!

Daddy & Emma

Daddy, Emma,Molly, & Mr. Giraffe

Emma & Molly were hesitant but they did not cry! 

Another Crack Me Up!

Molly has that "Back up off Me" Look on her face lol

Awwww Sweet Sisters!

Daddy & Emma Checking out the Flamingos

Love This!

The Girls watching the fish swim by.

Silly Molly!

This was the first time we went to the Zoo that the girls actually showed real interest in what they were seeing! They really had a lot of fun, and we did too!

And now its time for Some Football! "Gooooo Cocks!"  lol :-)

I Choose to Believe

I Choose To Believe

One Year Ago Today, Heaven Celebrated as
God Gave a Very Special Angel Her Wings

In Your Last Days
 I Laid Awake at Night so Afraid
I Watched You Struggle for Every Single Breath
And Deep in My Heart I Knew
You Could not Escape Death

I Wanted to Save You but I Knew I Couldnt
So I Stayed By Your Side
Even Through the Night

Held Your Hand Tight
And Prayed to God with All My Might

I was So Broken as
I Watched You Slip Away
And I Even Begged your Doctors
To Help Make You Stay

PawPaw Held Me Near
As Your Doctors Eyes Filled with Tears
She Explained to Me
That This was Sadly Going to Be
The End of Your Beautiful Journey

My Mind Could not Comprehend
Having to Live This Life without My Very Best Friend

I Looked You in Your Eyes and Asked You
If You Knew
How Very Special You Are to Me
And Though You Could Not Speak
Your Body So Weak
You Squeezed My Hand Tight,
 And We Both Just Cried

Not a Day Has Gone By
 That I Havent Longed to be Close to You Once Again

You Were My Grandma, My Confidant,
My Closest Friend

Only Because of the Faith You Instilled in Me

 Have I Made it This Long Without You Beside Me

 I've Held on to What You've Taught Me to Believe,

And That's Because of Jesus

 Each Day is a Day Closer

'Till  Again We'll Meet

I Miss the Way We Use to Laugh Until We Cried,

The Way We Would Stay Up Talking all  Day or  Even at Night

The Secrets We Shared

The Conversations We'd Dare

The Truths You Told

With Your Heart of Gold

And the Way You Lived, Just Like Christ Did

You Had This Beautiful Demeanor

That Brought Joy to Every Room

And My Life  Now

is So Much Harder Without You

Though I Can't See,

I Choose to Believe

 You are Watching Over Me & Our Family

You Had Great Expectations of What Life After Death Would Bring

And You Talked Daily, About How Beautiful the Angels Would Sing

You Wanted to Run & Jump Like You Havent Been Able to in Years

And Whisper to Jesus "I Love You"...Directly in His Ear 

I Have Wondered Every Single Day,
 If  Death was All That You Thought it Would Be?

Because of the Faith You Lived in Front of Me,

 I Choose to Believe.

I Choose to Believe that God Gave You the Life

That is Promised in His Word

And I Choose to Believe that You are Now Living the Beauty

Of Every Scriputre, Every Verse

Oh Grandma,

My Heart Aches for You to be With Me  

I  Sometimes Need You More than Even the Air I Breathe

And While In My Heart, You are so Very Near

It's so Hard to Not Have You Physically Here

Because You are No Longer Living a Life of  Pain

Is the Only Joy from This Loss

That I Have Gained

You Gave Me a Kind of Love, I Never Knew

And You Believed in Me Through & Through 

Because of  You

I Choose to Believe

It's not Pretend
Death wasn't the end

You are Now One of God's Most Precious Angels

And You are Guiding Me

I Am so Thankful for the Nights that God Gives Me a Glimpse of You

I Know You Would Stay Longer, if He Allowed You Too

You Continue to Be the Most Amazing Woman to Me

I Still Feel Your Love, and You Giving Me Strength

I Have a Long Journey Ahead of Me Here

And You Taught Me to Not Live This Life in Fear

So I Will Carry On 

And Faith Will Keep Our Spirits Near

There Are So Many Emotions

That I Cant Even Find All the Right Words to Say

But I Choose to Believe You Know Them Anyway

You Mean the Absolute World to Me,

And I Gladly Hold on to Every Memory

And Though Heaven Must Be a Blast

I Choose to Believe

You Too, Still Cherish the Times

Between Us That Have Passed

   

I Love You Forever and Ever Grandma 

 And With Every Beat of My Heart

I Choose to Believe Though You Aren't Near,

We Are Never Really Far A Part.

Jan 5, 1933-

Sept 2, 2010

Below is a video my sister graciously made for me, of some of the most precious times I shared
with an Amazing Woman, that I was fortunate enough  to call,
 not only
My Grandma, but also My Best Friend.


Please view the video below, as it brings me so much peace 
 being able to keep her memories alive.