happy new year

elenora is talking! i mean, not real words, but after three months of silent observation of the world around her she is now letting out very specific noises in a very precise, give-and-take, conversational style. three nights ago i was cooking in the kitchen while she was in the swing and i was babbling on and she suddenly started to say things. i just jumped up and down and clapped my hands and did everything i could to let her know how much it meant to me. when i got home from work the next day, momB (who was watching her) said "she was talking up a storm today." and ever since then she's been quite verbal. it's so great.




no laughing yet, though. she's still a bit too serious for that. though if you stand her on your legs and she sees something she wants, she will run in place and flail her arms and get really excited. it's so cute. she can also put one foot in front of the other to simulate walking. she smiles all the time and notices herself in the mirror and smiles at herself.






a couple times i've looked down at her in her swing or on her changing table and noticed that, when i wasn't looking at her face, she was smiling up at me.

she's getting better about sleeping, too. if she's nursed enough i'll just lay next to her without nursing and she might cry for a little bit, but she's usually pretty good about bringing herself back from "the ledge" and calming down and falling asleep. sometimes she'll even quietly look around the room for ten minutes as she drifts off to sleep.

last night j. and i had a date with a real babysitter. k. came over for a couple hours and j. and i made reservations at a new restaurant and got dressed up (i wore a non-nursing bra!) and it was so fun. we ordered a bottle of wine for the table, which was next to the fireplace in the restaurant. i had a baby arugula salad with pine nuts and goat cheese for an appetizer. j. had lobster bisque. then i had halibut with asparagus over risoto and surrounded by lobster bisque. oh my. it was amazingly good. and then to top it all off we had chocolate cake! brought k. home some tiramisu.

poor k. was hit by another car on her way home. and i feel partially responsible for it, since she was over babysitting our ella. luckily i have my grandma's car for three months so i loaned k. my car for as long as she needs it.

this monday is e.'s first day back at work. i met up with her on thursday to talk more about how this will work with the babies. it's going to be a major adjustment. i will have to drive elenora over to her house in the mornings and then drive back to work (which will take an hour total, i think, with all of the settling in and changing carseat cars). so i'll have to wake up really early to get us ready for that and me ready for work. then e. will bring the girls over to my house when i get out of work. so then it will be four hours of watching two babies.

i'm terrified.

and besides, i love giving her my full attention when i get home from work. i love playing with her and seeing all of her expressions and just pouring my love out onto her. it will be hard to split my attentions with another baby.