snuggling

elenora is quite the snuggler in the mornings. especially with j. when ella finishes nursing she crawls over me to pounce on him. then she inevitably leans her head back against his cheek and coos and smiles. it's so cute to watch.

ella is also signing a bit lately. she will initiate the sign language for "more" and she'll copy me if i sign the word "eat." we're working on the word "good" the last few days. she does it her own way, but i know what she means. she sort of raises her hand up and then brings it purposefully down, slowly, and with the palm down. i'm trying to teach her the sign for "drink," but she gets it mixed up with "good" sometimes. it's really cute, because sometimes she'll start whining for something and i'll just say "ella!" and she will stop whining immediately, look at me, and seriously shake her head "no." hah! then she does make a concerted effort to sign for what she wants.

it's nice for her (and us) to have that alternative to whining. and nice that she realizes that it's not okay to whine.

we gave elenora her first cup of milk tonight. she didn't even blink her eye at it. she's loving having a real cup at dinner time. i've been giving her almond butter on crackers (sometimes with banana, as a sandwich) and she's loving that too. it's so fun for her to be able to eat all of these foods now that she is one.

we're still sticking to two naps a day. for the most part, she really does still need them both. some days she'll play for most or all of one of the naps. but as long as she is pleasant and playing it seems to me she doesn't need a nap those days. and the days when she does take two naps she is better off for it.

j.'s brother is getting married in a few days. i'm looking forward to seeing j.'s extended family. the wedding is local. that makes it easy to coordinate with babysitters. ella will attend the rehearsal on friday night (but not the rehearsal dinner) and then the wedding (but not the reception) on saturday. hopefully she'll sit through the ceremony fine. she's such a good girl.