we have a toddler now.

elenora is walking across the room! a few days ago she started walking about five feet at a time between pieces of furniture. today she went clear across the living room. she seems to be enjoying this new way of mobility. i'm pretty excited about it too.

ella is doing this adorable thing where she takes something in her hand, hides her hand behind her back or under a pillow, and then looks at me with these wide eyes and shakes her head to say "I don't know where it is." and i'll say "elenora, where is the [block]?" and she looks down to where her arm is tucked behind her and then she gets this glint of mischief and delight in her eye and she shakes her head again to say "I don't know." she came up with this game on her own, and it is so lovely to see her being a little bit tricky. sometimes she'll even drop the item behind her and then pull her hand around and point to it with her other hand as if to say "see, it's not in my hand."

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elenora is also stacking blocks now. she spends a lot of time entertaining herself with tasks such as standing all of the cylindrical blocks up on their ends and placing all her fairy dolls on their feet. she likes to take things out of containers and then put them back in. and she likes to play with her little jewelry box from e.--pulling out the compact mirror and the "nail polish" and a string of gold beads we put in there, and looking at her self or trying to use the various pretend cosmetics and jewelry. it's very cute to see.

she had actually stacked three of the cylinders on a long block just before i took the photo...of course the toppled just as i pushed the button.

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i'm almost done christmas shopping. i went to newburyport yesterday afternoon to go out with m. and nathan, and i just found the things i needed. i just have j. left to buy for, so it feels good.

last night we had thanksgiving dinner at momby's to celebrate h.'s birthday. i'd helped momby to bake the pies and roast the garlic for the mashed potatoes and pull the stuffing together. i'm so glad we were able to cook thanksgiving dinner together because j. and i are heading to PA in a couple of days and we'll be guests in his aunt's house and won't be able to make the dinner. i love making thanksgiving dinner.

elenora liked eating it. and the turkey helped her sleep really well.

we just booked a night away! i'm so excited to get away with j. for a night and a full day. we're going to take a road trip to Newport while ella will be here with her gramby. we're actually only spending the night a town away, and i got sort of sad inside thinking about not seeing elenora at all for a full day, so we're going to swing by home after sleeping in and going out for breakfast. we'll play for a half hour and then head to RI for the afternoon. i think that is probably the best way to try this "night away" thing so that it's easiest on everybody. it will be so fun to sort of selfishly think about just ourselves for a day.

that's the one thing about having kids... you spend your entire day having to think about someone else and their needs. everyone needs a break from that every once in awhile.

it's bitter cold outside. it's been tough trying to get ella out. i just got her a bunting to bundle her up in, so hopefully we can get out a little more now. i miss the slightly warmer weather. fall was so fun.

while i'm cooking

in the evenings when i make elenora's dinner, she often is allowed to roam around the kitchen at her will. she generally just plays with the magnets on the fridge or opens the cupboard that has her cheerios and crackers in it. here are some photos:

we have magnets that spell her name on the fridge, along with a map of the US. she likes to throw these magnets on the floor and then gather them up and put them back on the fridge.
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here is ella copying me, saying "don't touch the top shelf" (by waving her hand at it...imagine a shake of the head):
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here she is putting the boxes in alphabetical order (just kidding):

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sometimes browsing turns into snacking..."who, me?!"

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church? check.

we went to church today. which will make my mom happy. each conversation i have with her at some point has a question about if i made it to church or if i'm going to church. and it made momby happy. she's been wanting us to come to park street for awhile now--show off elenora and be all-together as a family.

but going to church today was frustrating. and it was sort of pathetic. we rushed around in the morning to get everyone dressed, fed, and out the door. we drove forty-five minutes or more, paying a $3 toll and $8 for parking. poor elenora went from her crib to being strapped into her high chair and then into her car seat and then when we got to church she was expected to sit still in our lap during what is normally her play time. we chose to keep her in the pew with us because we were there mostly so that her grandma could be with her (otherwise, we would have just gone to a local church, if the point was going to church). but at first momby was down playing the organ, and then after sitting with us for about four minutes she left, and i never saw her again. ella was pretty overstimulated and could not sit still. finally j. took her out of the sanctuary and i ended up sitting by myself. i couldn't concentrate on the sermon. i didn't know where j. or ella were. i didn't know where momby was. i didn't know how i'd find them after the service. i tried to concentrate, but i heard about every other word.

i finally found ella and j. after the benediction. they'd spent the service playing in the lobby. j. said she'd had fun climbing up and down three steps and amusing an older woman. he hadn't heard the sermon at all either.

is this church? why does our having gone to the park street building and sat as a family in a pew for about ten minutes together, neither of us hearing the sermon, mean so much more to our mothers than if we'd stayed home and listened as a family to the same exact sermon on the radio? why is the former so much more valuable to our parents than the latter? we would have actually heard the sermon if we'd stayed home and listened on the radio. ella would have gotten down for a nap at the right time (she's still awake and having trouble napping and it is 2 pm...and she hasn't napped at all today other than twenty minutes in the car on the way home).

it just didn't seem worth it, and it left me feeling angry that i'd let my family go through all that.

i know the grandparents sometimes read this blog. and i'm really sorry if it seems like i'm upset with you. i'm not. i know you all mean well. but this didn't work out for us. and i wouldn't do it again.

our big girl

ella was drinking out of a real glass this evening by herself! no spills (until the very end when she decided to excitedly shake the glass). i am so proud of her. this is the first time i've tried showing her how to drink out of a real (non-sippy) cup herself. she was so pleased with herself.

yesterday and today we slept in until 8:30 am and then kept her up until noon, putting her down then for an extended nap. it worked out really well. she was happy all morning both day and we j. and i feel great due to the extra sleep. it helps you to feel more like a normal person when you don't have to fight about who is getting up with the baby at 7 am on saturday. i've been so sick this week that i haven't been sleeping well. so this extra sleep was amazing.

elenora plays peek-a-boo with us now where she is the one hiding her eyes. it is so adorable when she flattens her palms over here eyes and then slyly peeks out at me from under her fingers.

she says "banana" (which sounds like "nana"). and she's starting to recognize some of her alphabet letters. she can pick out "T" on signs around town and will even say the "t" sound when she sees it. she can also pick out "K" for auntie k. and will try to say k.'s name when she finds it. "E" is also a favorite. for "Elenora," of course.

this afternoon ella and i took a long walk around town as the sun went down. we traveled along the river walk and over the bridge, then up main street to the park where elenora made friends with all of the children and snuggled with a puppy. we saw our former neighbor frannie, who we miss.

ella is still taking her time about letting go and walking on her own. i think she could do it if she had the confidence. but as of yet she prefers to keep ahold of our hand. there are moments when she'll walk four steps just fine between two people, or between two pieces of furniture. but she's a little too careful to do more than that yet. we're not worried. one day she'll take off and then that will be the end of it.


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the birth center where we had elenora is in danger of closing. i've written a letter to the board of the hospital to entreaty them to consider the importance of this facility for women in this area. i truly hope that it does not close. i would birth there again. it's so important for women to have the choice to labor in birth in a non-hospital environment.

on another note that is important to me: i am actually proud to be an american again. it's been awhile. but now i have so much hope in what is to come for this country...and more faith in my fellow americans. i know it sounds silly. but i'm truly proud of the US this past week. way to go america.

ella's first makeup box

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thank you, e., for this lovely present. elenora just loves it!

voting

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today ella and i voted. this is my first time actually going and voting, and it felt really good. elenora was a sweetie. we walked to the polling place and she was talkative and pleasant. when i was filling out the ballot she suddenly sat up and said "my buh-buh" (which refers to her bunny lovey, which was in her lap). real cute.

i'm sick. last week ella and j. were sick, and it has now hit me. my head feels thick, and my ears are kind of feeling foggy.

it was a warm day. sixties, maybe. it felt really good. ella and i got out into the yard to crawl about.

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as i was making dinner tonight ella was playing in the kitchen with the fridge magnets and the mac-n-cheese box. i heard footsteps downstairs in our building and elenora must have, too, because she suddenly looked at me and said "dada." i looked at her and said "how do you know that??" and she shot out of the kitchen to the living room saying "dada" and sure enough j. came in the door to a sweet welcome from his little girl. it's so amazing how she can hear things that are far off and recognize them for what they are. (she also says "truck" if a loud truck goes by our building, and looks in the sky if she hears a bird or airplane.)

here are some photos in a rocking chair from elenora's "pop-pop" and a t-shirt from her GGB:

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more words

here is a list of words ella will say (in the correct context):

1. mama (even for a mama bunny in a book)
2. mom
3. dada
4. daddy
5. baby
6. keys
7. bye-bye
8. cheese
9. cracker
10. kitty
11. truck
12. clock
13. duck
14. teeth
15. grandma
16. jeans
17. banana
18. tractor
19. bell

she will have an entire "coffee" party with me--from putting a lid on the coffee pot, to percollating the coffee, to pouring the coffee into the cup, to stirring the cream into the cup with a spoon, to drinking the coffee. it's so cute. (right now she is intently putting the lid on the coffee pot and then taking it off again and then putting it on again.)



she makes signs for the following things:

1. she says "thank-you" by putting her palm to her chin.
2. she signs for "more" (also the same sign for "i want")
3. she signs "all done"
4. she signs "milk"
5. if i ask ella "are you tired?" she will reach her palm up to my cheek.
6. we'll say "are you smart?" and she will point to her forehead.she waves.
7. she claps.
8. if you ask her "where's ella?" she will point to herself.
9. if you ask her "how big are you?" and she will raise her arms up high.
10. if you ask her to stretch she raises her arms up.
11. if we so much as say the word "sniff" she makes a sniffing noise.
12. if i tell her "no" about something she will remember that it is a "no" the next day and beyond even.
13. when she sees a duck or someone says "duck" she moves her torso back and forth for the "wibble wobble" from a children's song.
14. if we whistle or ask her "can you whistle?" she will purse up her lips and make a little humming noise to simulate.
15. when she sees the garbage can she sticks her tongue out and then shakes her head to mimic me saying "it's yucky, ella, don't touch it."
16. some of her pajamas have pokadots on them and i can ask her "where is a pokadot?" and she will smile and point right to one.
17. she will dance on queue.
18. if you ask her to turn on her music she will go over to the cd player and turn it on (then start dancing)
19. she can make baskets in her little dunk and cheer hoop.
20. if i ask her if she wants "breakfast," "lunch," "dinner" or a "snack" (or if i say "are you hungry?") she knows that all of these words relate to eating and she will make the sign for "eat"
21. if you ask her where Jesus is she points to the sky (he's "up high") and then to her heart.
22. when i read new books i can ask her where things are and she always points to them correctly. yesterday i turned the page to a picture of a mom and three children outside with a landscape and i asked her "where is the mommy?" and she pointed right to the woman.
23. she understands the terms "boy," "girl" and "children" and can correctly point to each when asked.