Baby Em: another month- that makes 28

so i'm a little sad writing this monthly post. my baby girl is well on her way to being two and a half and i am sad. sometimes she asks us to hold her like a baby. she thinks it's so funny, and she will laugh and laugh. thank goodness her laugh is so contagious, otherwise, i'm sure i'd shed a tear or two. i can still remember how i used to be able to hold her head in my hand and lay her entire body across my forearm. seems like it was just yesterday. anyway, here are some things i want to remember about her 28th month.

emily picks flowers for me on her walks with tanner each day.
she recognizes places, even if we've only been there once, like james avery. she also knows starbucks and dr. cook's office well.
she asks me to sing jesus loves me to her all the time.
she calls her music/waterfall thing on her crib her tv. she likes to turn it on when she falls asleep.
she is really sweet to others. if she has more than one of anything, she will most always give the other one to aaron or dylan, or whomever she is playing with. she's good about giving gifts, too. sometimes i think she'll want to keep things for herself (like i often do!), but she never hesitates to give them to the recipient.
conversation after school: "mommy, one of the butterflies was laying on the floor. his wing was hurt. he was crying. so ms. annie helped him."
she is sometimes so serious when she talks. she'll hold out her palm (like a waiter holding a tray) or point her finger and talk and talk. she'll raise her eyebrows or tilt her head, too. this always makes me laugh.
she can buckle her shoes now. and her watch.
em has started asking permission, and it is so sweet. "you going to the store? can i come, too? can i bring my water?"
she has a squirt water bottle that is her favorite. she even sleeps with it.
her favorite colors are now purple, green, and gray.
gone are the days of looking perfect. em has to have a say in everything these days. when i'm able to trick her into wearing a particular outfit, she will still, at the very least, pick out her bow and shoes.
em wil sing and sing if she's in the mood.
she loves taking tanner for walks. she holds his "yeash" and will not let us help her.
she knows first and next.
she pronounces her "l's" like "y's"
she knows so much spanish now. she went to the park and told her nanny that "that nino is cute." daddy had to remind her that she doesn't like boys :o).
other spanish words she uses often are agua, sopa (soup), leches, and jugo (juice).
she likes to dress herself, which makes for long mornings at times!
she wants peanut butter and pretzels for every meal. and ice cream.
we went to chucky cheese for the first time. (yuck). she liked it okay. hopefully she won't ask to go again (shhh).
she loves all sandra boyton books right now and has pretty much all of hers memorized. she has at least 15.
she does not like for her shirt to ride up. she'll even pull down her shirt when she's sleeping. that's my good, modest girl.
em is on her way to becoming a doctor already. she is always wanting to check out our booboos and help make them better. usually this means she kisses the booboo, puts a bandaid on it, and checks on it several times. ong and uncle phi will be so happy.
she is obsessed with mosquitos right now. well, more like avoiding them and their bites. mosquitoes and ants are "yucko!" she and i both react very badly to bug bites and they happen to love us.
she will randomly walk up to us and wrap her arms around us, rest her head on us, and say, "i yuv you."
she wears a size 5 diaper, 2t clothes, and a 7- 7 1/2 shoe.