Holding hands :)
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Celery Bog
Ellie and I took advantage of more spring-like weather this past weekend by catching up with my friend Amy and her daughter, Sydney, at the Celery Bog nature center over in West Lafayette. We took a slow, somewhat muddy walk along some of the trails and got to check out ducks and "gooses." Ellie was thrilled. Sydney just turned 5, but she was patient with Ellie and very sweet showing her the sights and teaching her about her binoculars and net and a bat house (!) along one of the trails.
Holding hands :)
Holding hands :)
Monday, January 9, 2012
Lazy weekend morning
Most of our Saturday morning was spent playing puzzles with Ellie, while the dogs rested on the nearby chair and observed.
We also found time to try out some of Ellie's hair clips. She wanted to wear them all at once!
We also found time to try out some of Ellie's hair clips. She wanted to wear them all at once!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
The coming changes...
I have been all over the board these past couple weeks. My work schedule was off for a week and then I actually got to be off for a whole week, and home with Ellie. We had so much fun together on some mini-adventures. We went exotic places like the downtown library for toddler time (stories AND a craft), the fabric store and even a "new" park yesterday (pictures to come). Almost every day she's been home with me Ellie has said at some point, "Mommy, I don't have to go to school today," phrased partly as a question and a demand. That had me wondering how she feels about the place we've been sending here almost every week for the past 29 months... but my mommy guilt was also put aside somewhat when I would see her get bored with me during the days and start to try to engage her dolls or the dogs into whatever make-believe scenario she was currently engaged in. I think the interaction with other kids has been great for her at daycare, especially as she's gotten older... But there are so many gems of her personality that Brian and I miss by not being around her all the time. I guess that's just one of the balancing acts of parenthood.
I've been trying to figure out how to write about my amazement with Ellie these days, but I'm having a hard time with it. Our toddler is growing into a precocious, creative, sensitive, hilarious and (at times) demanding little girl.
This past week I've caught her consoling one of her toys, a block with a duck inside it, by saying: "Oh, the duck is sad. He misses his momma and daddy. It's OK, little duck. We'll find them soon." Heart strings, right?! I know part of this is from a "Dora" storyline, but the voice and attitude she has while playing these games totally amazes me and melts my heart.
Of course, there are also dozens of times during the day when she totally frustrates me. She definitely knows most of the time what she is or isn't allowed to do... but that doesn't stop her from heading in the wrong direction frequently. And I'll catch her giving me looks to see if I'm noticing her bad behavior, and then wait until the last possible second (usually after I've finished my warning count of 1-2-3) to abandon whatever she's doing wrong. I'm sure my mom will smile reading this and thinking about the times I presented exactly the same "challenges" growing up.
But even when I have to scold Ellie or implement a dreaded "time out," all I usually want to do is scoop her up and gives hugs and kisses. I'm still in awe of the love I have for this child and the fact that it seems to get bigger every day of her life. I didn't know I was capable of such total devotion until she entered our world. Now I find myself sometimes overwhelmed with the idea of either splitting that love between two children or shortchanging one. Don't get me wrong, I've always wanted Ellie to have a sibling... but now that the hour is upon us I can't help feeling a little guilty and sad about the changes coming. She won't be our only one anymore, and I know this transition will be hard on her in some ways. Of course, having grown up with plenty of siblings (and plenty of love from my mom and dad), I know that the dynamic will ultimately balance out and she'll have more than enough attention over the years from her parents, brother and all of the extended family. But I still feel bad about how this will all seem to Ellie at the beginning when suddenly mom can't always free up two hands for her... and this baby brother goes from a theoretical lump in mom's belly to a real, screaming baby around "her" house 24/7.
I don't doubt, however, that Ellie is doing great so far thanks to -- or in spite of? ;) -- the hard work Brian and I put in as parents. That much is clear. And it gives me a whole lot of confidence (despite what this rambling post my otherwise indicate) as we head into babyhood all over again.
I've been trying to figure out how to write about my amazement with Ellie these days, but I'm having a hard time with it. Our toddler is growing into a precocious, creative, sensitive, hilarious and (at times) demanding little girl.
This past week I've caught her consoling one of her toys, a block with a duck inside it, by saying: "Oh, the duck is sad. He misses his momma and daddy. It's OK, little duck. We'll find them soon." Heart strings, right?! I know part of this is from a "Dora" storyline, but the voice and attitude she has while playing these games totally amazes me and melts my heart.
Of course, there are also dozens of times during the day when she totally frustrates me. She definitely knows most of the time what she is or isn't allowed to do... but that doesn't stop her from heading in the wrong direction frequently. And I'll catch her giving me looks to see if I'm noticing her bad behavior, and then wait until the last possible second (usually after I've finished my warning count of 1-2-3) to abandon whatever she's doing wrong. I'm sure my mom will smile reading this and thinking about the times I presented exactly the same "challenges" growing up.
But even when I have to scold Ellie or implement a dreaded "time out," all I usually want to do is scoop her up and gives hugs and kisses. I'm still in awe of the love I have for this child and the fact that it seems to get bigger every day of her life. I didn't know I was capable of such total devotion until she entered our world. Now I find myself sometimes overwhelmed with the idea of either splitting that love between two children or shortchanging one. Don't get me wrong, I've always wanted Ellie to have a sibling... but now that the hour is upon us I can't help feeling a little guilty and sad about the changes coming. She won't be our only one anymore, and I know this transition will be hard on her in some ways. Of course, having grown up with plenty of siblings (and plenty of love from my mom and dad), I know that the dynamic will ultimately balance out and she'll have more than enough attention over the years from her parents, brother and all of the extended family. But I still feel bad about how this will all seem to Ellie at the beginning when suddenly mom can't always free up two hands for her... and this baby brother goes from a theoretical lump in mom's belly to a real, screaming baby around "her" house 24/7.
I don't doubt, however, that Ellie is doing great so far thanks to -- or in spite of? ;) -- the hard work Brian and I put in as parents. That much is clear. And it gives me a whole lot of confidence (despite what this rambling post my otherwise indicate) as we head into babyhood all over again.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Outdoor adventures
A week ago we decided to take Ellie and the dogs for a walk, and we almost froze in the sleety rain and wind during our brief stint outdoors. (Although Radar did cooperate pretty well while Ellie held his leash. Only one near-escape!)
On Friday, I took Ellie over to the park in just a sweatshirt! Can't believe the springtime weather we are having in early January. The park was mobbed, and we had a ton of fun on the swings and slides.
And the wagon turned into more of a toy than a mode of transportation. Great to get some fresh air and exercise!
On Friday, I took Ellie over to the park in just a sweatshirt! Can't believe the springtime weather we are having in early January. The park was mobbed, and we had a ton of fun on the swings and slides.
And the wagon turned into more of a toy than a mode of transportation. Great to get some fresh air and exercise!
Friday, January 6, 2012
Belly shot
For those curious, here's what the baby boy looks like these days in momma's belly.We get another ultrasound next Thursday, and I can't wait to get some more up-close-and-personal pics of the baby :)
Week 35: Honeydew
From the experts this week:
Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.
Man, they aren't kidding when they talk about the cramped quarters in my belly by this week. Whenever baby boy really starts to get moving, we can see huge lumps of feet, knees, elbows and baby bum bulge out from my stomach. I think it kind of creeps Brian out :)
I've losing steam in these final weeks but trying to take it easy where I can. I have the week off from work but have spent much of it chasing after Ellie. That's OK, though, because I'm trying to soak up as much dedicated Ellie-time in these next few weeks as I can since my hands will be really full when baby arrives. I'm anticipating (and dreading) a tough transition period for our little girl when she has to share mom and dad with the new baby. But I'm counting on the support of family and friends to help get us through.
Thanks so much for all of the offers of help that have already come in. We're truly blessed to be surrounded by so many caring people.
Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.
Man, they aren't kidding when they talk about the cramped quarters in my belly by this week. Whenever baby boy really starts to get moving, we can see huge lumps of feet, knees, elbows and baby bum bulge out from my stomach. I think it kind of creeps Brian out :)
I've losing steam in these final weeks but trying to take it easy where I can. I have the week off from work but have spent much of it chasing after Ellie. That's OK, though, because I'm trying to soak up as much dedicated Ellie-time in these next few weeks as I can since my hands will be really full when baby arrives. I'm anticipating (and dreading) a tough transition period for our little girl when she has to share mom and dad with the new baby. But I'm counting on the support of family and friends to help get us through.
Thanks so much for all of the offers of help that have already come in. We're truly blessed to be surrounded by so many caring people.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Chicken and old friends
I think we should offer this one to Chick-fil-A for their next ad campaign :) We met up there Monday with our friends Ben and Janet (and sons Micah and Isaac) while they stopped in town to visit family for the holidays. The kids had a lot of fun together eating chicken and fries, and then playing in the kids area. And that meant some quality catch-up time for the adults.Great to see you all!
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