Yes, you read that right. Miss Ellie is potty training! Truth be told, my little girl has been peeing on the potty for about 8 months now, but she doesn't do it consistently. She usually uses it before bathtime and on occasion during the day on Saturday and Sunday. It was more a game to her than anything else, but we let her go with it. Every parent has a different way to approach potty training. Mine is for Ellie to decide when she wants to do it. Lucky for me that my daycare provider uses the same approach; it's nice to be on the same page because Ellie IS with her every weekday, ya know? There's no denying that Teri is helping to bring up Ellie, and honestly, I love her for it. She's given me so much good advice, I can't thank her enough.
Teri, Harry, and I all noticed that Ellie has been tugging on her diaper the past couple of weeks, a sure sign that she now finds being wet uncomfortable. That's cue number 1. She's been asking to use the potty more often. Cue number 2. She also tells us immediately after she goes that she wants her diaper changed. Cue number 3.
On Thursday last week, she saw one of the older girls at daycare go to use the bathroom, so of course, she wanted to be a big girl too and use the potty. After they were both done, Teri casually asked Ellie if she'd like to put on some underwear. Ellie said YES, which is a big deal because she hasn't been too keen on the underwear thing. She spent the whole day in underwear and only had once accident. Holy cow!
Friday was much the same, and I had originally decided that we would go for full blown potty training on the long weekend of the 4th. I had even messaged a friend who had recently potty trained her girl with a certain technique and asked her if she could send the plan along to me. A lot of it was useful, but in the end, we couldn't use the plan because Ellie's already been using the potty. Still, I read through it carefully and took what I could from it to use in our circumstance.
Ellie ended up training this past weekend instead of next. She did fantastic. It's like a light suddenly went on, and she realizes the sensation of needing to go. She spent the majority of the weekend in underwear, and even when she asked to wear her diapie instead, she still used the potty and kept the diapie dry.
She had no accidents yesterday or last night, and she wore underwear all day. This morning was the ultimate test... she went to daycare in underwear instead of a diaper. That's right, I let her go in the car without a diapie, knowing full-well my car might reek of pee for the rest of the day if it didn't work out. We made one last trip to the potty before we left the house and drove the 10-15 minutes to Teri's. Once we got there, Ellie went directly to the bathroom and peed with no assistance. I am SO proud of her.
And Ellie's more than happy to be training, mostly because of all the stickers she gets. Heh heh. She's become a sticker fanatic the last few days. We put up a large sheet of paper on the fridge so she can display all the stickers she's gotten so far. It's really cute. She's so proud of them. In fact, she loves them so much that she insists on going pee pee in the potty 4 times every time she needs to pee. Yeah, I'm not so excited about that. We're usually in there for 10 minutes because of it. And I quickly told her that she only gets 1 sticker regardless of how many times she pees in a short period. She's cool with that, but she still likes to pee 3 or 4 times. Good Lord. LOL
I know we still have a little work ahead of us (she's not night-trained, mostly because she likes to have a cup of milk before bed.) Once we can break her of that habit, night training is doable. Even my mom said not to push it right now; her body most likely isn't ready. I also know there are bound to be accidents in the next few months, and I'm ready to deal with that (I think... I hope).
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Quite the week - happy and sad
- Ellie is 95% better - still a little cough from time to time
- Taxes came in - boo!
- Ed McMahon passed away. Sad. I have lots of memories of him on TV when I was a kid.
- I walked another 7 or 8 miles this week. Yay!
- Farrah Fawcett passed away yesterday after an intense battle with cancer. She fought with everything she had. It's so very sad.
- Within just a few hour of Farrah passing away, Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, passed away as well. I've always been a big fan of his music, and I was both shocked and saddened by the news.
- I got my new specs
- I lost another pound!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
By Popular Demand... Pizza Meat Loaf Muffins
I got this out of a magazine last year (I can't for the life of me remember which one). It's so freakin' good.
Pizza Meat Loaf Muffins
Heat oven to 375*F. Coat 8 muffin cups with cooking spray.
With your hands, mix 1.5 lbs of ground turkey or lean ground beef, 3/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (I use panko), 1/2 cup pizza sauce and 2 eggs (I used 2 egg whites) in a bowl. Pack into cups. Bake 25 minutes until cooked through. Top with pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, and a little dried oregano. Bake 2 minutes until cheese melts. Serves 4.
Besides the notes in parenthesis, I only used 1.25 lbs of ground turkey because that's what comes in a package here. I also split it into 12 cups on the muffin tin, so I cooked it a few minutes less. 2 of these is about 5 pts. on WW. Not too shabby. I paired it with some 80 cal Betty Crocker instant buttery mashed potatoes (yum, processed), and green beans. The mashed potatoes are an extra point and the green beans are a freebie.
Harry ate 5 muffins, 2 servings of potatoes, and he wouldn't touch the green beans. LOL.
Pizza Meat Loaf Muffins
Heat oven to 375*F. Coat 8 muffin cups with cooking spray.
With your hands, mix 1.5 lbs of ground turkey or lean ground beef, 3/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (I use panko), 1/2 cup pizza sauce and 2 eggs (I used 2 egg whites) in a bowl. Pack into cups. Bake 25 minutes until cooked through. Top with pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, and a little dried oregano. Bake 2 minutes until cheese melts. Serves 4.
Besides the notes in parenthesis, I only used 1.25 lbs of ground turkey because that's what comes in a package here. I also split it into 12 cups on the muffin tin, so I cooked it a few minutes less. 2 of these is about 5 pts. on WW. Not too shabby. I paired it with some 80 cal Betty Crocker instant buttery mashed potatoes (yum, processed), and green beans. The mashed potatoes are an extra point and the green beans are a freebie.
Harry ate 5 muffins, 2 servings of potatoes, and he wouldn't touch the green beans. LOL.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Weekend from Hell that I won't go into detail on (poor grammar) and results
I think Ellie is on the mend, and for that I am grateful. This weekend was, to put it mildly, unpleasant. My poor, poor little girl. I don't ever want to hear her cough again. And that's all I'll say on that because I don't want to look over my blog entries a few months from now and be reminded of this horrendous weekend in all its detail.
As for WW results for last week, I lost another 0.8 lbs, which doesn't look like much on paper, but still makes me happy. I'm noticing a trend, so I'm cool with it. A loss is a loss is a loss. Happy dance!
Oh, and I made mini pizza meatloafs (turkey meatloaf mixed with pizza sauce made in a muffin tin topped with pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese) for Harry's father's day dinner last night, and it was so damn good that I'm still craving more today. I have some left over that's going into a baked ziti-type dish tomorrow, and I know it's going to be awesome. And tonight we're having chicken parmigiana.
I could totally eat like this for the rest of my life.
As for WW results for last week, I lost another 0.8 lbs, which doesn't look like much on paper, but still makes me happy. I'm noticing a trend, so I'm cool with it. A loss is a loss is a loss. Happy dance!
Oh, and I made mini pizza meatloafs (turkey meatloaf mixed with pizza sauce made in a muffin tin topped with pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese) for Harry's father's day dinner last night, and it was so damn good that I'm still craving more today. I have some left over that's going into a baked ziti-type dish tomorrow, and I know it's going to be awesome. And tonight we're having chicken parmigiana.
I could totally eat like this for the rest of my life.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Home today
For those who haven't read my facebook status this morning, I'm home with a sick little girl. She woke up a little after midnight, feverish and puking. I heard her over the monitor and just said, "uh oh." Yeah, I knew it wasn't going to be pretty.
I opened her door, and she just cried out, "Mommy, a mess!" I turned on the small light on her dresser, and saw (and smelled) the puke right away. I went to go comfort her because she was really upset, and as I picked her up, I felt the heat coming off of her. I had noticed she felt a tiny bit warm when I put her back into bed around 10 (yep, she was sleeping on the floor), but I was hoping it was just because she was wearing feetie PJs and had bundled herself up in her comforter. Nuh uh. Poor girl was sick.
We cleaned her up and stripped her bed quickly, I gave her a little water to drink then some Motrin to bring the fever down. I took her temp and yep... 101.7. Damn. She lay in bed with us for about an hour, not being able to fall asleep. I got up, put fresh linens on her bed, and brought her back into her room. Luckily, she didn't protest. She fell asleep soon after.
The next morning, we both slept in a little late, and when I finally went into her room to get her, I found her on the floor again. What is it with the floor!? She was still a little warm but not nearly as warm as she was last night. I made various calls to work and Teri to let everyone know that we were staying home today, and I plopped Ellie down on the sofa with a pillow and blanket and some Backyardigans. She was a happy girl.
She's been in a great mood all day today, and if it wasn't for the fever, you'd never know she was sick. She's been eating like a horse too, which is a bit unlike her. Hey, I'll take it. She normally eats like a bird.
Harry's going to stay home with her tomorrow, you know, give her quiet time to recuperate without the loudness of daycare. And personally, I don't like to send Ellie there sick, contagious or not. It's a personal rule I have.
She's napping right now, getting the rest she needs. Hopefully the fever will go away soon.
I opened her door, and she just cried out, "Mommy, a mess!" I turned on the small light on her dresser, and saw (and smelled) the puke right away. I went to go comfort her because she was really upset, and as I picked her up, I felt the heat coming off of her. I had noticed she felt a tiny bit warm when I put her back into bed around 10 (yep, she was sleeping on the floor), but I was hoping it was just because she was wearing feetie PJs and had bundled herself up in her comforter. Nuh uh. Poor girl was sick.
We cleaned her up and stripped her bed quickly, I gave her a little water to drink then some Motrin to bring the fever down. I took her temp and yep... 101.7. Damn. She lay in bed with us for about an hour, not being able to fall asleep. I got up, put fresh linens on her bed, and brought her back into her room. Luckily, she didn't protest. She fell asleep soon after.
The next morning, we both slept in a little late, and when I finally went into her room to get her, I found her on the floor again. What is it with the floor!? She was still a little warm but not nearly as warm as she was last night. I made various calls to work and Teri to let everyone know that we were staying home today, and I plopped Ellie down on the sofa with a pillow and blanket and some Backyardigans. She was a happy girl.
She's been in a great mood all day today, and if it wasn't for the fever, you'd never know she was sick. She's been eating like a horse too, which is a bit unlike her. Hey, I'll take it. She normally eats like a bird.
Harry's going to stay home with her tomorrow, you know, give her quiet time to recuperate without the loudness of daycare. And personally, I don't like to send Ellie there sick, contagious or not. It's a personal rule I have.
She's napping right now, getting the rest she needs. Hopefully the fever will go away soon.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Happy Birthday, Nana
(Nana holding me for the first time)
Today would have been my grandmother's 86th birthday. She passed away in 2002. Not a day goes by that I still don't think of her. I love her, and I miss her. Happy Birthday, Nana.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Reaching Goals!
I hit a few goals this week on my weight loss endeavor, so I'm super stoked. First, I lost 2.4 lbs for the week, making my total weight loss for the 5 weeks I've been on WW 11 lbs. Yes, 11 lbs! I'm still having a hard time believing it. It's absolutely wonderful. So I made it to my first goal... to lose 10 lbs. Baby steps, my friends, baby steps.
The second goal I hit this week was to lose 5% of my total body weight. I surpassed that goal this week, which makes me giddy. Losing just 5% can help your general overall health immensely, so it's a really good goal with which to start.
I set my next goal at 12 lbs, simply adding 1 lb to what I've already lost. Once I hit that, I'll set the next at 13. All small steps that will hopefully lead to a much healthier lifestyle (and the ability to buy some really nice clothes - I'm a woman... give me a break).
The third goal that I reached was going down an entire jean size. I get to retire a few pairs of jeans I'm happy to banish to basement storage, and I've pulled out a few old pairs that fit (and are even a bit loose too!). Once I lose the next 12 lbs, I think I'll actually have to go out and get new jeans all together. Finally something I don't mind spending money on. Woo hoo!
All the walking I've been doing has been paying off, not to mention the changes I've made in my eating habits. All of it combined has really paid off so far, and I'm thrilled about that. Even more so, I'm so happy and proud of myself for the willpower, the stamina, and the drive I've shown over the last few weeks. To be honest, I've really surprised myself. Food is my weakness, especially baked goods. I LOVE to bake, and I LOVE to eat all the stuff I bake. For the time being, I haven't been touching any cake or cookies. I'm a baked goods binger, so staying away from them is just easier for now than trying to control the amount I eat.
Of course, I have to make a shload of cookies over the next few weeks for my sister's bridal shower. Needless to say those suckers are going directly into the freezer downstairs once they've cooled. I don't want them within sight or reach. This will be a true test for me, so wish me luck!
The second goal I hit this week was to lose 5% of my total body weight. I surpassed that goal this week, which makes me giddy. Losing just 5% can help your general overall health immensely, so it's a really good goal with which to start.
I set my next goal at 12 lbs, simply adding 1 lb to what I've already lost. Once I hit that, I'll set the next at 13. All small steps that will hopefully lead to a much healthier lifestyle (and the ability to buy some really nice clothes - I'm a woman... give me a break).
The third goal that I reached was going down an entire jean size. I get to retire a few pairs of jeans I'm happy to banish to basement storage, and I've pulled out a few old pairs that fit (and are even a bit loose too!). Once I lose the next 12 lbs, I think I'll actually have to go out and get new jeans all together. Finally something I don't mind spending money on. Woo hoo!
All the walking I've been doing has been paying off, not to mention the changes I've made in my eating habits. All of it combined has really paid off so far, and I'm thrilled about that. Even more so, I'm so happy and proud of myself for the willpower, the stamina, and the drive I've shown over the last few weeks. To be honest, I've really surprised myself. Food is my weakness, especially baked goods. I LOVE to bake, and I LOVE to eat all the stuff I bake. For the time being, I haven't been touching any cake or cookies. I'm a baked goods binger, so staying away from them is just easier for now than trying to control the amount I eat.
Of course, I have to make a shload of cookies over the next few weeks for my sister's bridal shower. Needless to say those suckers are going directly into the freezer downstairs once they've cooled. I don't want them within sight or reach. This will be a true test for me, so wish me luck!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Haikusday Tuesday: 4 Hours for me!
A half-day workday
bookstore, coffee with a friend
New specs and errands.
bookstore, coffee with a friend
New specs and errands.
Monday, June 8, 2009
A funny, exhausting, and entertaining weekend!
Saturday was a day of errands, shopping, and yardwork mostly. We spent the majority of the day at home, which I always like, and feasted on some fish and chips a la Weight Watchers, which I can't get enough of. 5 pts for Panko-breadcrumb-covered-Cod and seasoned potato wedges? Yes, Ma'am! Delicious.
Ellie went to bed at her usual weekend time (8:30pm), and fell asleep by 9. Around 11pm or so, right before I went to bed, I went in to check on her. Of course, she wasn't in her bed. She was, in fact, UNDER the bed. And the kicker, the little stinker was completely nekkid. She'd even stripped her diaper off. I saw that little tushie and thought, "crap, now I'm gonna have to wake her up, wash her off, and clean the pee out of her carpet." Wonder of wonders, everything was dry. Yes! I quickly put a new diaper on her and put her back into bed.
Around 4am, she started crying, most likely from a nightmare. I went in to see her, and she reached her arms out to me to hold her. Nights like these happen very few and far in between (knock on wood), so I brought her into bed with us since it usually helps. Unfortunately, the poor thing just couldn't get back to sleep. She tossed and turned for an hour, keeping me awake the whole time, too. We put her back into her bed around 5am, and Harry tried to sleep on the floor next to her. She still couldn't fall asleep. After 20 minutes of that, I told him to go back to bed and I'd bring her into the family room and set her up on the sofa with a DVD.
I popped in a Care Bears one, gave her a pillow and blanket to snuggle into, then confiscated the other sofa with my own pillow and blanket, hoping to catch a few zzzz while she watched. That lasted all of 20 minutes. The girl was all of a sudden completely wired! She got up, came over to my sofa, started poking me in the back, telling me to get up. I told her to go lay down again and watch her video, but she wasn't having any of it. She sat in her little chair and started pulling out her books, "reading" them one at a time.
All of a sudden, a book hit me in the head. "Mommy? Read me a story?" Yeah, right Kid. That kind of behavior is going to get Mommy to read you a story.
Around 7am, she asked for some milk, so I got up and poured her some. When I came back into the room, she had taken over my sofa and blanket, held a book in her lap, and asked again sweetly, "Mommy? Read me a story?" Can you say, "Mommy's a sucker?" Yeah, I read her the damn story. TWICE.
Finally at 8am, Harry was waking up, and I kindly asked him to take over so I could get an hour of sleep. Of course, that didn't happen. Every 15 minutes or so, she'd come bellowing down the hall, "Mommy? Are you there?" Yeah, she never looks for Daddy. Grumble grumble.
She spent the rest of the day completely normal while I was a zombie. I don't work well on less than 5 hours of sleep. Hell, I don't really work that well on less than 7 hours of sleep.
We had our usual Sunday playdate with Niko, and the kids had a lot of fun playing with the new bubble guns Kim got them, swinging on the swings, runnning around like maniacs, and fighting over toys. We had a fun lunch outside, and then both Ellie and I crashed for a nap.
After naps, we drove up to my friend, Kevin's, house for another playdate for Ellie and a little adult conversation for Harry and me. We had a delicious dinner, a beer or two, and some excellent key lime pie (all points friendly, thank you). Ellie and Jimmy, Kevin's oldest son, entertained us with an accordian/drum duo, and I have become completely smitten with Kevin's youngest son, Colin, who's a mere 9 months old. He entertained himself for hours on end. I was astounded.
By 7:30, it was time to pack up and go home. We got home a little after 8, let Ellie watch a short program to wind down, and I butchered a pair of Ellie's feetie pajamas, hoping she'd keep both them and her diaper on because they're more difficult to get out of than her two-piece pjs. I'm happy to report that before I went to bed, I checked in on her and found her 1) in bed and 2) fully clothed. Fingers crossed this continues.
So that was our crazy weekend! And ya know what? It was awesome. Seeing my kid having that much fun even makes the 4am wakeups worth it.
Ellie went to bed at her usual weekend time (8:30pm), and fell asleep by 9. Around 11pm or so, right before I went to bed, I went in to check on her. Of course, she wasn't in her bed. She was, in fact, UNDER the bed. And the kicker, the little stinker was completely nekkid. She'd even stripped her diaper off. I saw that little tushie and thought, "crap, now I'm gonna have to wake her up, wash her off, and clean the pee out of her carpet." Wonder of wonders, everything was dry. Yes! I quickly put a new diaper on her and put her back into bed.
Around 4am, she started crying, most likely from a nightmare. I went in to see her, and she reached her arms out to me to hold her. Nights like these happen very few and far in between (knock on wood), so I brought her into bed with us since it usually helps. Unfortunately, the poor thing just couldn't get back to sleep. She tossed and turned for an hour, keeping me awake the whole time, too. We put her back into her bed around 5am, and Harry tried to sleep on the floor next to her. She still couldn't fall asleep. After 20 minutes of that, I told him to go back to bed and I'd bring her into the family room and set her up on the sofa with a DVD.
I popped in a Care Bears one, gave her a pillow and blanket to snuggle into, then confiscated the other sofa with my own pillow and blanket, hoping to catch a few zzzz while she watched. That lasted all of 20 minutes. The girl was all of a sudden completely wired! She got up, came over to my sofa, started poking me in the back, telling me to get up. I told her to go lay down again and watch her video, but she wasn't having any of it. She sat in her little chair and started pulling out her books, "reading" them one at a time.
All of a sudden, a book hit me in the head. "Mommy? Read me a story?" Yeah, right Kid. That kind of behavior is going to get Mommy to read you a story.
Around 7am, she asked for some milk, so I got up and poured her some. When I came back into the room, she had taken over my sofa and blanket, held a book in her lap, and asked again sweetly, "Mommy? Read me a story?" Can you say, "Mommy's a sucker?" Yeah, I read her the damn story. TWICE.
Finally at 8am, Harry was waking up, and I kindly asked him to take over so I could get an hour of sleep. Of course, that didn't happen. Every 15 minutes or so, she'd come bellowing down the hall, "Mommy? Are you there?" Yeah, she never looks for Daddy. Grumble grumble.
She spent the rest of the day completely normal while I was a zombie. I don't work well on less than 5 hours of sleep. Hell, I don't really work that well on less than 7 hours of sleep.
We had our usual Sunday playdate with Niko, and the kids had a lot of fun playing with the new bubble guns Kim got them, swinging on the swings, runnning around like maniacs, and fighting over toys. We had a fun lunch outside, and then both Ellie and I crashed for a nap.
After naps, we drove up to my friend, Kevin's, house for another playdate for Ellie and a little adult conversation for Harry and me. We had a delicious dinner, a beer or two, and some excellent key lime pie (all points friendly, thank you). Ellie and Jimmy, Kevin's oldest son, entertained us with an accordian/drum duo, and I have become completely smitten with Kevin's youngest son, Colin, who's a mere 9 months old. He entertained himself for hours on end. I was astounded.
By 7:30, it was time to pack up and go home. We got home a little after 8, let Ellie watch a short program to wind down, and I butchered a pair of Ellie's feetie pajamas, hoping she'd keep both them and her diaper on because they're more difficult to get out of than her two-piece pjs. I'm happy to report that before I went to bed, I checked in on her and found her 1) in bed and 2) fully clothed. Fingers crossed this continues.
So that was our crazy weekend! And ya know what? It was awesome. Seeing my kid having that much fun even makes the 4am wakeups worth it.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Today is a day
So far, today has been pretty craptaculous. I'm ready for it to be over.
There is a silver lining... I lost another 1.4 lbs this week. Go me. That's 8.4 lbs in 4 weeks. I'd love to hit the first 10 by next weigh-in. We'll see.
There is a silver lining... I lost another 1.4 lbs this week. Go me. That's 8.4 lbs in 4 weeks. I'd love to hit the first 10 by next weigh-in. We'll see.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Ellie's newest accomplishments
Other than finding the floor more comfortable to sleep on than her bed (I've lost track of how many nights I've picked her up and put her back into bed now), Ellie has had a developmental explosion these past few weeks. She totally knocks my socks off.
The most amazing development (to me anyway), is this newfound ability to string pronouns, nouns, verbs, and direct objects together to form complete sentences. No more, "want" with a pointing finger or a simple "yes" or "no". Today she actually walked up to me with her monkey book and asked me, "I bring this book to Teri's?" How can I say no to that?
What floors me the most is her correct usage of pronouns. I noticed that most of the kids at daycare would say "me like" or "me have" or "give to she" when they first started talking in complete sentences. Ellie says "I like chocolate" (heh heh), "Can I have chocolate?" (heh heh) or "Please, give me eggs?" (M&Ms - yep, more chocolate). Ellie's also a chocoholic like her mommy, if you haven't figured that out.
Besides proper sentence structure (as a former English major, I'm geekily tickled pink that she's picked it up so easily), her imagination has kicked into high gear, too. She cooks in her kitchen, she makes her stuffed animals talk, and she "reads". She'll sit and flip through one of her books, saying "Once upon a time" at the turn of every page. Books that we've read to her numerous times she's actually memorized and recites verbatim. And then there are other books, like her Minnie Mouse book, where she makes up what's going on in the book by looking at the pictures. I love sitting there, looking over her shoulder, listening to the story she thinks the book is telling. It's fascinating.
She's also a number fanatic and loves to count things. I'm really hoping she's been blessed with a head for numbers like I was; it made school so much easier. I kind of lost the knack after college and manage to screw up my checkbook at least a few times a year. Oh, yeah. I feel like an ass every time I realize it. I used to be in advanced placement calculus for Christ's sake!
Lastly, she's interacting with Noggin shows bigtime. Backyardigans, Diego, Dora, Wubbzy... she follows the stories, answers the questions, and laughs when things are funny. Again, I sometimes just sit there and watch her watching TV. To see something dawn on her all of a sudden is spectacular.
My little girl is growing up. And I'm so very proud of her. So very proud.
The most amazing development (to me anyway), is this newfound ability to string pronouns, nouns, verbs, and direct objects together to form complete sentences. No more, "want" with a pointing finger or a simple "yes" or "no". Today she actually walked up to me with her monkey book and asked me, "I bring this book to Teri's?" How can I say no to that?
What floors me the most is her correct usage of pronouns. I noticed that most of the kids at daycare would say "me like" or "me have" or "give to she" when they first started talking in complete sentences. Ellie says "I like chocolate" (heh heh), "Can I have chocolate?" (heh heh) or "Please, give me eggs?" (M&Ms - yep, more chocolate). Ellie's also a chocoholic like her mommy, if you haven't figured that out.
Besides proper sentence structure (as a former English major, I'm geekily tickled pink that she's picked it up so easily), her imagination has kicked into high gear, too. She cooks in her kitchen, she makes her stuffed animals talk, and she "reads". She'll sit and flip through one of her books, saying "Once upon a time" at the turn of every page. Books that we've read to her numerous times she's actually memorized and recites verbatim. And then there are other books, like her Minnie Mouse book, where she makes up what's going on in the book by looking at the pictures. I love sitting there, looking over her shoulder, listening to the story she thinks the book is telling. It's fascinating.
She's also a number fanatic and loves to count things. I'm really hoping she's been blessed with a head for numbers like I was; it made school so much easier. I kind of lost the knack after college and manage to screw up my checkbook at least a few times a year. Oh, yeah. I feel like an ass every time I realize it. I used to be in advanced placement calculus for Christ's sake!
Lastly, she's interacting with Noggin shows bigtime. Backyardigans, Diego, Dora, Wubbzy... she follows the stories, answers the questions, and laughs when things are funny. Again, I sometimes just sit there and watch her watching TV. To see something dawn on her all of a sudden is spectacular.
My little girl is growing up. And I'm so very proud of her. So very proud.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
