The kids are slowly adjusting back to our routines. Eleanor is still having trouble with sleep, waking up at the ripe hour of ~6:00 am each day. We didn't know how good we had it with her sleeping until 7:30 for the first two years of her life. Fisher's sleeping habits haven't returned to normal either. He'll (sometimes) sleep 5+ hours at night, and then wake up every 2 hours. Hopefully he turns a corner soon.
We had a great weekend with The Woods in town. Eleanor loved having her "friend"/cousin here to play with her and entertain her. A weekend filled with walks, the park, play-doh, coloring, building, the splash pad, boating, and bubble baths kept the girls busy. Eleanor threw a fit when we had to drop them off at the airport. You'd think she was starved for attention when guests leave our house.
I was supposed to return to work this week, but with all that we've had to endure with the move/house/displacement, I've decided to take some extra time. I feel that I owe it to Fisher to have some bonding time with him without me being a total basketcase. So, I'll return to work very part time in June, and then full time on June 30.
In Fisher news:
: Started laughing at 10 weeks. I haven't captured it on video yet, but it's super cute.
: We graduated from sleeping in the carseat to sleeping in a swing/rocker. Now, we just need to make it to the crib. Just when I was ready to transition him, he caught a cold, so we needed the extra incline for him to be able to breathe.
: I'm working real hard at sleep training Fisher, and it's not going as smoothly as it did with Eleanor. Just another big difference in their habits/demeanors.
: Fisher is doing better at hanging out without having to constantly be held or rocked. It's amazing what I can accomplish with two hands!
: Brother is close to rolling over. That darn arm just seems to get in the way...
In Eleanor news:
Our daughter makes us laugh every day... and she's not even trying to be funny. Some good recent laughs:
: Eleanor: "What's that?"
Me: "It's a clock." (We were staying at a friend's house and she saw a clock for the first time.)
Eleanor: "Hmmmm. Hickory dickory dock!"
: Now when we're in public with her, she typically shouts, "Hi Everyone, I'm Ellie!" Too bad we have such a shy child.
: I put Eleanor down for bed a few nights ago. A few minutes went by, and she yelled for me to come up. So, I did. She calmly asks, "Mommy, are you drinking wine downstairs??" (I've never drank wine in front of her, and we don't even use the word wine. Her only exposure is when we buy it at the grocery store.) I replied, "Yes, Ellie, I'm drinking wine." She says, "Oh, OK," and then promptly lays back down and goes to sleep. Little Miss Nosy.
: More new phrases:
- Reciting her full name
- "I do it myself."
- "Goodbye alligator!" (Instead of "see you later, alligator.")
- Really into possessives - mine/yours/his/hers
- "Excuse me!" after farting or burping
: Ellie is starting to want to read us books instead of us reading to her. Sometimes she makes up her own stories while flipping the pages of a book. Other times, she gets the words correct, word for word. It's almost scary.
: Obsessed with "boo-boos" if you have the slightest scratch or scrape on your body, Eleanor will find it within mere seconds of laying eyes on you.
: Our daughter's attention to detail is unprecedented. A couple examples:
- When we were staying at a friend's house during our displacement, Nana pulled a jar of peanut butter out of the pantry. Eleanor quickly schooled Nana and said "That's a different peanut butter, not ours." She was correct, ours was in the frig.
- I pulled out a sippy cup whose matching lid was in the dishwasher. I put a different color lid on it, and Ellie quickly reminded me, "That lid doesn't match. We need the red one."
- Her sense of direction is remarkable. We were driving to the grocery store today and just happened to pass her yoga studio. She said, "Wait a minute, we're not going to yoga! We're going to the grocery store, and points in the direction of the grocery store. This girl can literally give us directions to just about anywhere in Austin.
: We recently went clothes shopping for Eleanor, and took her into the fitting room to try on clothes for the first time. Usually, I just buy and bring home and hope everything fits. She loved this process and replied with either "That fits just great, Mom" or "This doesn't fit very well."
: Little Miss Hostess now (or as we like to call it a "Betty," as in Grandma Betty). Eleanor now loves to serve us. She gets up on her step stool and pours water into a water bottle or cup and proudly serves us. And then wants to do it over and over again.
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| New kitchen from Nana and Grammy for her birthday. We unveiled when during our (final) homecoming to the new house. |
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| Daddy with a serious Fisher face, and Fisher fat and happy. |
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| Our little helper at Trader Joe's. |
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| Getting a workout in the bouncy seat. |
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| Our little cabana boy, laying poolside at Deep Eddy. |
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| Daily snuggle. |
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| New tent/fort for Eleanor's room, courtesy of our neighbor who owns a dance studio. She used it for her recital a couple of weeks ago and needed a home for it. Eleanor loves taking her animal friends in there to snuggle or cook them snacks from her kitchen. |
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| Fisher loves baths now. Doesn't so much like getting out;( |
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| Laura painted Ellie's toenails for the first time. Ellie calls them her "pretty toes" now. |
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| Fun with Cousin Elizabeth out on the lake. |
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| Storytime before bed. |
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| Matching backpacks |
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| Horns were a must. |
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| Uncle Tom, the Baby Whisperer. Can you tell how happy Fisher is?? |
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| We couldn't seem to capture a good pic with Aunt Meghan. Fisher DOES like his aunt! |
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| Splash pad outing |
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| Some happy moments with little buddy. |
