BFF

Ella is officially too young to have a friend. Kids her age are supposed to be into parallel play. But, I think that she and Bella must have known each other from the pre-mortal life because they are best friends. That's all there is to it. They love each other. They greet each other with hugs and kisses whenever they see each other. And while there is mostly parallel play, there is also turn taking and sharing and more advanced play. Our friend Amber took this video of the girls while Ella was playing at her house a few weeks ago.

Last week I caught them playing this game with a plastic lion, that, for whatever reason was reducing them to periodic fits of giggles... I hurried and got out my video camera, thrilled with the great footage I was getting, until I realized that I never pushed "record". Sad.

Anyhow, here it is, for the world to see. Ella and Bella, Best Friends Forever.

PS

Merry Christmas. We are enjoying a White Christmas break from our 70 degree weather in Texas while in New Hampshire with Paul's family.

And to those who read my blog for juicy tidbits like when we are out of town, feel free to take whatever you wish. Our car is at my Mom's. Please take that first. We keep the TV in the downstairs closet. It is too ugly for the public. Good luck finding anything else of value. I'd try Craigslist if I were you.

Our joyful child.

No nap today. Ella went to nursery for the first time. And loved it, I might add. By the time choir practice ended and we ate something it was four o'clock, and it seemed silly to put her down for a nap three hours before bedtime. So, Ella hung out with Paul and I while we worked out the kinks in the Christmas program. (Paul is the ward choir director.)

Can I just say that my child is so amazingly joyful? She bounced around the room, just thrilled to be a part of life. Jumping and laughing and teasing and chasing, so pleased to have two parents in the same room. Paul asked me today, "Is every child as happy as Ella?" And I have to say that I don't really know. Probably. Although, I have to say that Ella has an abundance of exuberance.

In any case, it was a wonderful day, despite my emotional preparation for the worst. Ella was just darling. We should skip naptime more often. Although, she was relieved to finally go to bed. Just before Paul took her upstairs to get her dressed for bed, she rummaged through a laundry basket and held out a pair of jammies. It was time.

Only two more Sundays like this, and the Christmas program will be over and we can start coming home from Church at a decent time. It is worth it though, the program will be beautiful, and it has been so fun to see it coming together. I'm just putting this out into the Universe, but I'm open to being ward choir director anytime. It has been such a unique and uplifting experience simply watching. I'd love the chance to do it again.

Good Morning!

Can life really get any better than this? I woke up this morning to a little girl giggling in my ear. She was so pleased she found us in a dark, quiet house, I suppose. I lifted her into bed with us, where she turned over and said, "Dad! Hi!". Except when she says 'hi', it is disyllabic, sounding like this: "ha-eee". Honestly, it is just not fair for all the other families in the world that I got the cutest girl ever in existence.

Initiation.

I have long felt that the true test of parenthood is dealing with vomit. Or, as I like to call it, "throw-up". I haven't called it that since I was a kid, but when I found Ella coated in it Thursday night, throw-up was the term I used most. Maybe it was the fatigue, maybe the memories of childhood illness snaking through the haze of the night, but whatever it was, I kept calling it throw-up and feeling a little bit like a ten year old.

Ella has spit up maybe a total of five times in her entire life. So, really, I have very little experience dealing with bodily fluids that weren't really meant to be expelled. But, I knew my time would come. Every parent must learn to deal with throw-up (yep, and I'm going to keep calling it that) with grace and poise. Or at the very least, without puking all over their child during a time of need. I like to pretend that because I am pregnant I have a weak stomach, so that Paul has to do all of the gross stuff. But, during the whole episode, I only dry heaved, maybe twice. So, don't tell Paul.

All in all, it wasn't too bad. I dragged an extra mattress into Ella's room, and we snuggled and watched a movie on the laptop for a while. (The Happiest Millionaire, actually.) I caught a few more pukes in a bucket, and eventually she fell asleep and has been her happy, loving self ever since.

So, now you know. I have arrived. I am a real parent. Bring on baby number two.

Thanks, little helper of mine.

We bought a toddler bed for Ella. Mostly because we didn't want to buy another crib, and we don't have room for a twin bed (that we already own, but is not assembled) and a crib. We discussed several options before going the toddler bed route. The most memorable option being "Why don't we just put the twin bed mattress on the floor in the front entry-way at night, and stash it in the closet during the day, and Ella can sleep there." You may be able to guess whose idea that was.
I promptly informed Paul that it doesn't matter how poor we are, Ella is not a hobo. She gets a bed. And imagine the bitterness that might begin mounting when a new baby comes to take both her bed and her room.
I picked up the bed last night and Ella and I put it together this morning. It took me about seven minutes to realize that it did not matter where I hid the screws. She would find them and play with them, so I gave up. She was the keeper of the screws.




Until I was finished assembling the bed. Shen then took the screwdriver from screw to screw making sure they were all tight enough.




What a great helper I have. She took a nap on her new bed this afternoon. It was about half as long as usual. I'm hoping that's not a bad omen for what's coming tonight. Wish me luck!

A day in the life...

It's eleven o'clock and we're picking up before we go to bed. And before I put away Ella's play stroller, I realize that I want to forever remember that her favorite thing to push around is not dolls, but footballs. I have, in fact never witnessed her using it for doll, although I tried to show her it's intended use several times in the beginning. Instead footballs and sippy cups occupy the seat of honor. Occasionally a few of her other toys get a turn. But mostly footballs. You have to admit, they fit perfectly.

Someone's in the kitchen with Dinah.

Yes, that is brown sugar. And no, we're not really sure how much she ate before we realized what she had discovered. I do know that in the thirty seconds it took to get a picture of her in the act, she took at least three handfuls of the stuff. And she was in the kitchen for several minutes alone when I thought she was just playing with the mixing bowls. I'm trying not to think about it.

Although, I can't say I really blame her. I myself used to eat straight powdered sugar. But at least I had the decency to hide in the garage while doing so.

I am still giggling at the whole situation. Way to take matters into your own hands, Ella.

I put Ella's hair in pigtails on Sunday. It was darling. Until we got to church and realized she pulled one out. And for the life of me I could not find that tiny hair elastic anywhere in the car. So then I tried a ponytail. But there is simply not enough hair for that. So the end result was the dreaded "pigtail hair"-- which is like hat hair for girls, only worse. Now I know. Bring extra elastics to Church :)

Max.

Not quite a year ago, when my sweet Ella was much too young for me to even consider having another baby, I was rocking her to sleep and I just really felt like a new little spirit child was ready to join our family. I could have sworn it was a little boy spirit. And I was so not ready for another baby, boy or girl, but I knew it would be time sooner than I thought.

I decided that I would wait until Ella turned one, and then we could try to get pregnant again. Paul agreed to this plan... but only because, he later informed me, he thought it would take six months to get pregnant the second time, because it took six months to get pregnant the first time. Someone did not explain how the reproductive process works well enough to Paul. He knows now. We got pregnant a week before Ella's first birthday.

So naturally, my thoughts turned to that quiet morning last winter, when I knew a new baby would join our family sooner than later. And I was just sure little Max was speaking to me from across the veil (metaphorically speaking I mean. It was more intuitive than spiritual.) And so I was really excited for this ultrasound, to confirm my women's intuition.

Well, Paul and I have decided that if Max ever wants to join our family, he is going to have to wait. Because Charlotte got here first. And it is too bad that he was so busy poking around in the Spirit World to jump on the last mortality train, because we don't have another one leaving for a good long time. Like five years. Some families can have all of their kids right in a row, but that was not our plan. I made an exception for Max once and I'm not going to do it again :)

But we are thrilled that Charlotte is coming to join us soon! I love having sisters, and we can always hope that Ella didn't inheirit her mother's or her father's propensity to torment and shame her younger sister. We are glad Laurel and Carolyn are so resiliant. Let's hope Charlotte has the same strength... and that she won't need it.

The cat's meow.

We found a halloween costume for Ella. I think it's darling. But she keeps trying to pull it off. I think I'll make her wear it every day until halloween so she can get used to it. That's what good mothers do.