my clingy baby

so elenora is having a really difficult time being away from home. poor little girl. she is usually very independent, but the past few days i can barely even put put her down without her falling apart. she's pretty happy as long as i'm holding her, but i'm pretty worn out. luckily she is sleeping very well for naps and then 12 hours every night. i'm looking forward to momby arriving tomorrow night and helping me out. maybe her presence will make elenora feel as if we haven't completely abandoned her life as we've known it until now.

the movers are here packing everything up. we've been displaced. ella is in the office. tonight we'll be sleeping at some friends' house. tomorrow we drive to seattle in my new car.

it's the newest car i've ever owned. and the third car i've been given. i'm pretty blessed that way.

i've been able to take good walks around here with lorien and elenora. there's a sweet little park where i pushed them both on the swings. last night i mowed the lawn and then weed-whacked the edges. it's been years since i've mowed a lawn, so that was a lot of fun.

i can't believe this trip has only just begun. over a week and a half until we'll be home again. i miss j. a lot. every time he's on the phone and i hold it to ella's ear and say "ella, it's daddy!" she just smiles and listens as he says sweet things to her.

i'm trying to keep as much of her routine the same as i can. same stuffed animals as home, same songs as home, same stories, same routine. but i know she's just feeling so displaced. when i think of it, she really only regularly goes to three familiar places back home: our house, her gramby's house, and e.'s house. otherwise, we're very much homebodies. i try to protect her schedule as much as possible.

it's kicking me in the A right now. but she's sleeping well!