10 funny things about Ellie

1. She will not crawl on grass. She will sit on it, play with it, try to eat the leaves...but when she leans forward to crawl, she starts yelling as soon as her hands touch the grass. In her defense, the grass here in Texas is rather hard and 'poky.'
2. She has a thin brown stripe in her left eye.
3. She intentionally throws herself backwards off the couch and expects us to catch her by the ankle or any other available limb. She will also pull herself up on our headboard and let herself fall straight back on the bed. She laughs hysterically at this.
4. She likes to hang upside down.
5. When she is ready to get out of her crib, she will hurl her pacifer to the floor and yell until we come get her. Even if I put several pacifiers in the crib with her, she will still throw each and every one of them across the room.
6. If you are eating something, anything, she will crawl across the room, pull herself up on your knee, and beg until you give her a bite. If you are eating something she cannot have and you refuse to give it to her, she will then proceed to start banging her hands on your knee and yelling, "eh, eh, ehhhhhhh!"
7. She gets the hiccups whenever she laughs.
8. She can "mark it with a B" when playing Pat-a-Cake. Whenever we get to that part of the song, she will point her finger and brush it against the palm of her other hand (ok, that isn't so much funny as just plain genius! Totally calling NASA).
9. A week ago she slipped in the tub and now she leans all the way forward when taking a bath. Her face almost touches the water and I have a hard time getting her to sit up straight so I can wash her front bits. (Yeah, this one is just sad.)
10. Pressing her head really hard against your body is her way of showing you she loves you. This can be painful when she slams her head into yours.

Manic Monday

At 7:00am this morning, I was loading Ellie in my car along with her diaper bag, my purse, and a million other things. As I so often do, I realized I had forgotten something in the house so I ran back in to get it. Normally, I lock the car door (even though it takes me all of 90 seconds run into the house and back) because I don't want to take the chance that some crazy person who wakes up early to snatch babies out of cars will come along. But, thankfully, I didn't lock the car door this morning. I did, however, lock my keys in my house. Don't ask me how. These sort of things just happen to me. Anyway, I had no way of getting into the house or of driving my car to work. By the time my brother showed up with my spare key (when you do dumb things like lock your keys in the car, or the house, or throw them away, or drop them down the gutter, you learn to hand out spare keys like candy) I was already running 20 minutes late. Now like 2 weeks ago, I was 2 minutes late for work (seriously, I signed in at 8:02...why do I have to be so honest?) so I was given a verbal warning. Since today was my second time to be late, I will get written up and it will be put in my file. (No, I don't work at McDonalds. Yes, you have to have a Masters degree for my position.) What a way to start the day, right?
And now, to make up for such a boring, whiny post, I give you crazy-haired Ellie:

Seriously, she woke up like that. Sometimes I wish she was a boy so I could do her hair in a mohawk. But then I couldn't dress her in adorable pink clothes so...girl it is!

Peek-a-boo!

Just ignore Ellie's ugly pajamas, the changing pad, and my annoying voice (btw, you have to press play twice to get it to work).


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Do you know what today is?

Today is my little sister's birthday! I have three amazing sisters (and three amazing sister-in-laws...I am so spoiled), but my little sister and I are especially close. We have shared so many great moments together.

Like that time at 3am when she thought she had thrown away her plane ticket and we spent the night digging through the trash? We are sooo alike...always thinking we have thrown something important away when in reality we haven't.

And that time we went sail boating on the boat that wasn't really a sailboat, but it kept tipping over? Good think we were both lifeguards.

Or that time we went to Hawaii and decided to take a picture with every half naked man we came across? That is the trip that we got in the big fight over who would get to name their daughter Elizabeth and call her Ellie. I let her win that fight, but look whose daughter is named Elizabeth? Heehee.

But the best moment we ever shared...the one that really bonds us...is this:

And so it doesn't look like we married each other...

Happy birthday, Di-Di! Thanks for sharing so many great moments with me!

How many times can I talk about diarrhea?

Ellie was sent home from daycare yesterday vomiting and with nonstop diarrhea. She has had the diarrhea all week. It is insane...total liquid that goes straight through the diaper and down her legs. Just what you want to read about right? But they informed me at daycare that the rotavirus has been going around the class. Lovely.

Ok, no more talk of diarrhea and vomiting...I have a better (anything is better then diarrhea) post planned for today because today is a very important day!

All over the place

Good morning, y'all! Ellie is doing much better. I tend to turn into a bit of a drama-mama when she is ill, but this last time around was rather enjoyable. Sure, getting thrown up on is not exactly fun, but having a baby who just wants to cuddle with you all day long? Delightful. And vomit and diarrhea are not so bad when they come out of someone you love.

I discovered something new about Ellie this weekend. She does not like her bare knees to touch the ground when she crawls. So if she is in a dress or just a diaper, she will crawl on her hands and feet. Feet instead of knees. She looks like an ungainly spider. I so wish I had taken a picture of it. Maybe this weekend.

I have been really happy with our schedule lately. I was able to sweet-talk myself into the 8-5 shift at work (except Tuesdays - late night). Ellie wakes up at 5:30 and goes to bed at 7:00. So, during the week I have time in the mornings to cuddle and play with her. And in the evenings there is even more time to play and focus solely on her until she goes to bed. Then I cook dinner and Tom and I hang out, watch our shows, and talk. Really, it is a brilliant schedule. My house may look like a disaster, but as long as I don't answer the door - or let anyone come over - all is well.

Today is the first day of Lent. I myself am not Catholic, but Tom is so in a show of solidarity I am giving up fast food. Let me clarify to say that pizza is not fast food. Nor is Chinese takeout. Or Quiznos. Or Subway.

So today's post has been all over the place. I promise my next one will contain sickening sweet photos of Ellie...hopefully doing the spider crawl.

A miraculous recovery

Well yesterday was a fun day. Ellie woke up at 3:30 am with a 103 fever so I took her out to the recliner where she snuggled up on my chest and went back to sleep. Ellie hasn’t slept chest to chest like that since she was a baby, but this whole weekend that is all she wanted to do. Anyway, I called the doctor’s office at 8:00 am to try to get an appointment. Their office was completely booked for the day so they scheduled me for an 11:20 appointment at a clinic that was over an hour away from my house. When I got there, the place was cramped and small and ghetto. My clinic is big! and new! and has valet parking! I have become a bit of a doctor office snob. So we were tucked in amidst all the other vomitous kids and had to wait for over an hour til we got called back. But during that time? Ellie was miraculously healed. All morning she had been this hot, lethargic thing…so pitiful and sad, barely able to lift her head off my chest. But once we set foot in that hot, stuffy waiting room she was all smiling and talking to everyone. She kept lifting her blanket over her face and then popping out again to say “peek-a-boo!” And pointing her finger at people and yelling “A Da! A Daaaaaaa!” By the time the doctor finally called her back, she had a temperature of 97.9. The doctor looked at me like “Why are you wasting my time bringing this specimen of perfect health in here?” And I was all, “Well could you check her ears? And her throat? And her head?” Finally, we were sent on our merry way with nary a prescription to make the trip seem legitimate. Next time Ellie is sick, I am just going to take her to the doctor’s office and sit in the waiting room for over an hour to heal her.

Déjà vu

I had originally planned on blogging about last night's adventures in babysitting. I was going to talk about how funny and cute the kids were. And how Leilani, the child prodigy, wrote this play about a crocodile that goes around eating people and animals. She even made a really cute program for it. And I was going to write about how funny it was at the end when they were all lying on the ground, slaughtered by this toy crocodile who threw up (foreshadowing) after he ate them. But I am not going to write about that. Because Vomitfest 2007 - part deux has struck and you all know how I prefer to discuss copious amounts of vomit and vile diarrhea over the super cute antics of genius kids.

This morning started out promising. Ellie didn't wake up until 6:30...a full hour and half past her normal wake up time. And while I was getting her ready for church, I realized that her hair was long enough for a little clip. And that made me happy. Until I heard a strange liquidy sound emanating from under her cotton dress. And diarrhea poured down her leg onto my carpet. Then I realized that it might not be such a great day. The vomiting soon ensued and now I have this lethargic baby who doesn't even want to play with the light switches. I know what y'all are thinking...haven't I already read this post? And because I am such a good blogger, I can tell you...yes, yes you did.

Weekend mumblings

Ellie loves biter biscuits. And I love them because in the time it takes her to eat one, I can unload and reload the dishwasher and maybe even wipe down the counters. Greatness.

I am working today. Blah. But right after work Ellie, Tom, and I are going over to Mark and Rosie's to watch all the kiddos because tonight is our night for the babysitting rotation. Normally I would prefer to babysit at my house so I can put Ellie down to sleep in her crib, but the only thing clean in my house this weekend is the kitchen counter.

Perils of multitasking

This past week, Ellie has become very clingy in the mornings. She is completely happy when I am on the ground playing with her, but as soon as I stand up and am trying to get ready for work, she immediately pulls herself up on my pant leg and hangs on for dear life. And if I don't pick her up she will start whining ("eh, eh, eeehhhhh"), then yelling ("mama, MaMa, MAMA!"), and then full-out crying (heartbreaking, my life is so horrible, I am so abused sobs). So I usually try to hold her in one arm and do my hair and make-up with the other. Let me just tell you, putting in your contacts with one hand is no joke. I almost gouged my eye out this morning.

Valentines shmalentines

Ellie didn't seem all that impressed with St. Valentine's Day this morning despite the fact that I put her in her Valentine tee from Target that she has been wearing since Christmas. Tom and I are not big celebrators of V-day. In the past, we have normally gone out to eat at an overly-priced, overly-crowded restaurant and called it a night. I am almost relieved that we have Ellie this year and will just be staying in eating my (sure to be overcooked) chicken parmesan. But, since it is Valentine's Day, I have to give a romantic shout-out to my hubby who has given me more "love and happiness" these past (almost) 5 years then I ever thought possible. I love ya, babe!

Happy 10 Months, Ellie!

Dear Ellie-belly,

You are 10 months old today. I can hardly believe it. This past month you have really evolved from a baby to a toddler. Even your facial features have changed into those of a little girl. You are getting more and more independent everyday...wanting to explore everywhere and everything...especially the things you aren't supposed to explore. You are also starting to get feisty. You somehow learned about throwing temper tantrums this month and will throw yourself to the ground yelling angrily if a toy is taken from you by your cousin or if I stop you from bobbing your face in the dog dishes.
Despite this new feisty streak, you are so sweet and cuddly. You still love to give tight hugs and slobbery kisses. You are often the initiator of the loves now and it is awesome. You always make this happy humming noise when you hug us...so sweet.

I find myself willing to do the craziest and most ridiculous things to elicit a smile from you or to get you to laugh your funny little laugh. Your new favorite game is 'pass the toy back and forth.' It goes a little like this: you pick up a toy, hand it to me while jabbering away in whatever language it is you speak, and I take it and say "thank you" in an overly animated way and then hand the toy back to you. We will repeat this over and over again. Normally, this is the type of activity that would bore me to tears within the first 2 minutes, but every time I hand you the toy back you get such a huge smile on your face that I feel compelled to keep playing for at least another 15 minutes.
Sometimes I think back on the days when life seemed so simple and peaceful. When your daddy and I could go to the movies at a moments notice or enjoy a lazy Saturday morning in bed. And for a second I will sigh and miss those moments, but then I will look at you, giving me such a big smile that your nose scrunches up and your eyes close, and I can't help but feel like I am the luckiest person in the world.

Love you forever,
Mama

What's a doll without its arms?

Yesterday, Ellie and I went over to my parents' house (now Daniel & Sabrina's house) so I could watch Kolby while Sabrina went to a meeting. As soon as Sabrina left, Ellie and Kolby headed up the stairs to go to the playroom. They played so cute together except for one riding toy that they kept fighting over. They kept trying to pry each others hands off it and screeching. It was really funny. After Kolby went down for a nap, I pulled out The Doll. The Doll was my mom's when she was a little girl so it is like a million years old. My siblings and I all grew up playing with it as well. This is no ordinary doll. It is supposed to be the same size and shape as a 2 year old child. We used to dress it up in our old toddler clothes. Its arms kept falling off, even back then, and my dad would use rubberbands to strap them back on. Yesterday, I found The Doll in my mom's closet. I pulled the doll out to see Ellie's reaction, but left the arms laying on the closet floor.

First Ellie tried to poke The Doll's eyes out.

Then, she tasted the toes.

She was fairly unimpressed with The Doll. Despite the fact that it had no arms.

Bathtime fun: 2nd edition

Ellie has outgrown her duck bathtub so we have just been plopping her in the big tub like she is a "real person". She LOVES it. She crawls around the tub on her hands and knees, splashes around like a maniac, bobs for her toys, and pulls up on the side of the tub to a standing position. Luckily the bottom of my tub is textured so she doesn't really slip n slide. Whenever I wash her hair, I just dump huge plastic cups of water over her head to rinse the soap out. I am sure there are gentler methods, but Ellie doesn't seem to mind. I used to teach a water babies class so I am all about dunking babies under the water.

*Yesterday's post was deleted due to too many google searches linking to it. Even more than "househ.usband." Who knew that was a real word? And that so many people in England are looking for one?

Let sleeping babes lie

Is it weird that I am bothered by the pacifier clashing with the pajamas clashing with the bedding? (Obviously Tom put her to bed)

Out with the E! in with the TLC

Ugh, what a night we had last night with Ellie. She kept waking up SCREAMING. And not just her normal crying, but screaming at the top of her lungs as if her fingernails were being pulled out one by one. Usually, if she wakes up during the night crying (which is quite rare these days) we just have to go put the pacifier back in her mouth and lay her back down. But last night nothing could calm her down. We tried Tylenol, gas drops, changing her diaper, feeding her…nothing seemed to work for long. I think the problem is constipation so I picked up some prune juice and prune/apple baby food for today. Wow. Here I am…discussing constipation like I once used to discuss Cameron Diaz and how she and Justin Timberlake never seemed right together. And maybe Britney wouldn’t have gone all white trash and crazy if she and Justin had just stayed together.

Packing it in

Don’t let that cute face fool ya. Ellie has been a PILL lately! She is teething again and has morphed into this whiny, clingy baby. I was *this close* to sealing up that box and shipping her to my parents in Aruba.

The past two days, as a desperate attempt to distract Ellie and perhaps lose those 10 pounds I found since Christmas, I have loaded Ellie up in her Baby Jogger and gone for an hour long run jog walk. How on earth do people run without using their arms? Just try running with your arms held stiff straight in front of you (just ignore the stares of passersby’s). It is pretty difficult. Plus, the jogger seems to pull constantly to the left. I can feel my right arm getting stronger and stronger by the second trying to counteract it.

Freakishly tall child

When Ellie first received her Sit n Spin Zebra for Christmas, she was much too short to really sit on it and play. She preferred to stand in front of it and dance to the music. This morning, I decided to sit her on it and whaddaya know? Her feet touched the ground!

At first she was all, what are you doing to me?


Then she decided it was rather fun.


And soon she was an old pro.

Annyong!

Ellie is at a really fun stage right now where she will imitate what you are saying. Some words she can repeat with clarity, others she just imitates the pitch and syllables. Anyway, last night she was in one of her repetitive moods when Tom was playing around with her. He started with "Daddy", moved on to "Annyong", and finished with "Bob Loblaw." Ellie loved "Bob Loblaw". Probably because we cracked up laughing every time she said it. This is actually only funny if you are an Arrested Development fan. Probably not even then. But I am proud to say that we have added "Annyong" and "Bob Loblaw" (say it fast) to Ellie's verbal dictionary.