A taste of my own medicine

What Ellen said to me while she was brushing and fixing my hair last night (which, by the way, was quite a painful experience):

"Let's get your hair out of your face so you can see better"

"Be still"

"Don't move"

"You're moving and I can't fix your hair when you move"

"Be patient" (sounded like be payshun)

"Don't take this pretty out" (hair clip = pretty)

So she really does listen to me after all. Good to know.

Reflections on work and Party on the brain

Last week was nuts at work. I am helping prepare for an audit for the first time and I now realize just how much work is involved. I worked late, took short lunches, came in Saturday, dreamed about work, got horrible headaches, bit my nails even more than usual, ate way too much and even resorted to drinking an energy drink (Phillip pulled me to the dark side). I know a lot of people work long hours, have strict deadlines, take work home with them, lose sleep over projects, stress-eat, etc. but if you knew what a typical day/week was like for me, you would know that this is not a part of my "normal". I work 40 hours, I am moderately busy, I always take my allotted hour for lunch, I come home and don't think or talk or dream about work. Last week was a challenge but I came away feeling proud of what I was able to accomplish. With the audit in full swing, this week is going to be even busier but hopefully less self-destructive.

Forget about work, I have a party to plan! We still have a lot to do to get ready for Ellen's big day (and the list keeps growing). Phillip's parents are coming on Thursday, mine will be here Friday afternoon and Andrea and the kids fly in Saturday morning. This is the first time both of our families will be here at the same time to celebrate Ellen's birthday. We are looking forward to celebrating this special day with our loved ones.

Just when I thought we had it all figured out

We have had lots of fun the last several nights... reenacting David and Goliath, singing silly songs, reading lots of books, putting on finger puppet shows, playing in Ellen's room with her treasure chest (from Lesa's house) and stuffed animals, looking at old pictures... but eventually it is time for bed and that is when the meltdown begins. Maybe we are having too much fun at bedtime.

Before the tears:

Upside down with Mr. Brown

Sly as a fox

Puppet master

Just another day at the office

I had some work to finish up today so Phillip, Ellen and I headed to the office for a couple of hours this morning. After hanging out at my desk for a few minutes, Phillip took Ellen to Davis Kidd (a bookstore) to play in the kid's section. (Ellen came back with her face painted!)

So happy together

See Saw

Ellen proudly wearing the tie dye shirt Laurie made her at camp this summer.

(Picture taken by Laurie with her iPhone)

Ellen, Ellen, Ellen

We were driving home at some point over the weekend and as we approached the interstate, which Ellen calls interstake, she pointed straight ahead and yelled "Troll Bridge". Someone has watched one too many episodes of Dora the Explorer (and knows that Mommy likes the Troll and cheers when Map tells Dora and Boots they have to cross the Troll Bridge).

We have a "new to us" couch and it is great. Ellen has already claimed her spot (so has Lucy). Our other couch was functional but not comfortable. We now have a cozy place to sit, relax, read books, watch TV and take naps. The possibilities are endless!

I will miss it when Ellen stops saying "I'm joking you" whenever she is playing around or being silly.

Ellen will sometimes answer us with a made up word or phrase. It isn't baby talk, which I loathe, but it is annoying. She thinks she is being funny/cute. I disagree.

Ellen's bedtime is now 8:00. She went to bed at 7:00 for a very long time but gradually started staying up later and later. She still wakes up early but 8:00 is working well for us. It gives us plenty of time in the evenings to eat, play, bathe and read books before going to bed. She has been clingy and unruly at night lately but we are doing our best to make sure she is asleep soon after being tucked in. After years of babysitting for kids that had an elaborate bedtime routine, I vowed that if I ever had children I would keep it simple. Less stress for everyone involved.

"I don't want to eat, I want a snack". This is nothing new but I wish she was a more consistent eater, especially at mealtimes.

Ellen and I were grocery shopping at Walmart a couple of weeks ago when she reminded me that we needed oil. She could have easily overheard Phillip and I talking about running out of cooking oil but I could not believe she thought to mention it while we were at the store (I had forgotten!) I made a big deal over it and thanked her for being a good helper. Fast forward to yesterday when Phillip is praising Ellen for going potty. She tells him that she also remembered the oil. I think she was going for a big reaction. I may have inadvertently raised the bar when I squealed and hugged her in Walmart and then proceeded to dance around our cart with a bottle of Wesson Canola Oil in each hand. Yeah, we are going to have to take our potty praise up a notch or two.

We got Book of Eli in the mail last week from Netflix. Phillip and I were talking about it and Ellen asked if she could read it. She thought is was one of the books she receives in the mail every month from Books from Birth. She was disappointed when we told her it was a movie and that no, she could not watch it.

Speaking of movies, Ellen watched The Lion King for the first time this weekend. She loved it! She asked to watch it again before it was even over. At first we thought she wanted to start it over from the beginning but then realized she was seeking permission for a second viewing. Her wish came true, we watched it twice on Saturday and once on Sunday.

Ellen likes to get a book, preferably a Bible, and pretend it is a song book and that she is a song leader. She stands on her purple hippo stool and sings her little heart out. It is a sight to behold.

We went to the park yesterday to see how far the shelter we reserved for Ellen's birthday party is from the play area (the closest of the 2 shelters was already booked). We decided to stay and play for a while. I witnessed our typically cautious child climb and explore with confidence. Go Ellen!

Ellen says "No way hoseway" instead of "No way Jose". Makes me laugh every time.

2 years, 11 months, 2 weeks and 4 days

Ladies in Waiting

Proud Mama and Papa

Ellen is doing great with potty training and we are so proud. She didn't have any accidents over the weekend and hasn't had any this week so far. One funny to me but frustrating for Phillip incident... Phillip and Ellen were browsing in Game Stop on Saturday and Ellen said she needed to go potty. Phillip drove her to Target to go to the bathroom. She didn't go. They get all the way back to the car and she tells him she needs to potty. They go back into Target and she pees. This happens sometimes when we are out, it takes two trips to the bathroom before she will finally go. That means she touches all the nasty surfaces twice. And believe me she touches EVERYTHING. We are working on this.

It seems like we have been busy lately and haven't had a lot of sit on the floor and play time. Ellen's increased interest in watching TV has also cut down on our playing. Our weekday schedule is pretty much set in stone but I hope we can slow down this weekend and spend quality time together at home. It is different having another person living with us. We aren't doing the same things we used to do and I miss our old routine/life. I am not exactly sure why, maybe because I had a mental breakdown as a result, but everything changed when Laurie moved in and I desperately wish we could go back and relive our summer.

Here is Ellen cutting paper on Monday evening, one of her favorite things to do. This is what I want to remember when I look back on this time in Ellen's life. Being home together, in the same room, talking and playing, laughing - this is where I want to be.

Carolina Bible Camp

I have serious issues

Why am I, mother of a two year old, excited about kids going back to school? Scholastic Book Orders, of course! I live for these things. Between Scholastic and Dolly Parton's Books from Birth, our bookshelves are overflowing. We got the September flyer yesterday and I know what I am going to order. I am ready to order. The problem is I cannot log into the website. The username and password we were given to use last year isn't working. In the last 24 hours I have asked three teachers (two in person and one by facebook), talked to two of the assistant directors and called the school twice to get this information. Is the order due today? No. Tomorrow? No. This week? No.

I have serious issues.

An apple a day

Ellen's school picture from March 2009

Green with envy

Picture taken with Laurie's new iPhone two Sundays ago on our way home from church. Yes, Phillip is extremely jealous. We hope to switch to AT&T and get iPhones when our current plan expires next summer.

Ellen is clutching her purple "holder blanket" (and night night). She likes to hold it while she sleeps so one day she started calling it her holder blanket. She has two but this one is her favorite - silky on one side and velvety on the other.

Weekend in Review

Friday night Phillip and I saw The Expendables. Phillip chose this to be his birthday movie. We were going to go at 9:50 but Laurie gave Ellen a bath and put her to bed for us so we could go to an earlier showing. We stopped by Kroger on the way home to stock up on fresh fruit and a few other things. A true date night would not be complete without a trip to the grocery store.

On Saturday morning we took both of our vehicles to the emissions testing center in Franklin (so we can renew our tags), went to The Flour Shop to order Ellen's birthday cake and then stopped by Toys R Us to play. We ate lunch at P.F. Chang's courtesy of Andrea and Caleb - thanks!

We met Matt, Sara Jo, Cole and Savannah at the fair in the early evening. The kids rode a few rides and then pretended to be farmers. A major storm came through but we managed to stay dry. It was a lot more fun the second time around since Ellen was no longer sick and she had her 2 best buddies by her side. Plus she finally got to "ride something".

We met Kendra and Laurie at Las Palmas for Phillip's birthday lunch on Sunday after church. Ellen was not feeling very well so we didn't get to stay as long as I would have liked.

After lunch Ellen took a nap while Phillip and I caught up on watching some of our Netflix. We had a relaxing afternoon but Ellen still seemed to feel bad. I am hoping she gets a good nights rest and wakes up renewed and refreshed.

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Here are a few noteworthy trends regarding Ellen...

Asking who bought this for me?/who gave this to me? (regarding toys, books, stuffed animals, etc.)

Traveling with baggage. Always wants to bring a certain toy or animal(s) with her when we go somewhere. Or a purse filled with odds and ends.

Accessorizing. She has 2 necklaces and 2 bracelets that she really likes to wear.

Sleeping with a ridiculous number of animals.

We have ourselves a tattletale of sorts. She'll come to me crying, "Daddy said no books" or "Daddy said no candy". I guess she has yet to realize that Mommy and Daddy are on the same team.

Picnic

Birthday Boy

Happy 31st to a man who...

Remembers what year it was and what he was doing when he heard a song for the first time

Considers Taco Bell to be fine dining

Is unselfish

Keeps in touch with his buddies from college

Will not go anywhere (including the mailbox) until he has had a shower

Does not hold a grudge

Is a loyal Duke and Cubs fan

Thinks Texas Pete makes everything taste better

Loves his daughter with all of his being

Chooses to eat Ramen Noodles (dude, we have spaghettios)

Rolls with the punches

Randomly sings lines from songs he likes

Once convinced me to add a can of Rotel to a chicken pot pie I was making

Sees the glass as half full

Is a kid at heart

Can't spell to save his life

Flosses his teeth every day

Grills the best chicken I have ever eaten

Has a great sense of humor (but not quite as good as mine)

Sings along with Snow White and even hits the high notes

Doesn't sweat the small stuff

Finger Puppets

A closer look at the adorable finger puppets Nana and Grandpa gave Ellen. I wish we lived near IKEA!

Ready or not

As of Monday, Ellen is officially wearing panties instead of pull ups (except at naptime and bedtime). She has had a few accidents at school but none at home so far. This weekend will be the real test. We have had numerous conversations about going potty and she correctly answers all of our questions, like what do you do/who do you tell if you need to go potty, etc. She can talk the talk but can she walk the walk? We shall see.

Does your salad accessorize?

Mom made this special salad for Ellen when we were home last month - loving the earrings!

Life Goes On

It was nice having a 4 day weekend but I am worn out from the craziness of the last 6 days. We all are. Ellen is back at school and we are both back at work so it appears we will have a normal week.

Phillip and I went to see The Other Guys Friday night after Ellen went to bed. Thanks to Laurie we are able to sneak off every once in a while after Ellen is down for the night. We wanted to see Inception (which Phillip already saw but wanted to see again) but it didn't start until 9:30 and that was just too late for me. The Other Guys was okay, we both laughed a lot. It was a good stress reliever.

We had a productive weekend despite dealing with a demon possessed child. I was able to do some tax free clothes shopping for Ellen, bought almost everything we need for her party (besides food) and I wrapped her birthday presents. I figured we shopped in advance so we might as well get it organized in advance. Phillip is a little jealous of all this preparation and is quick to remind me that his birthday is before Ellen's. I think he is secretly hoping I have presents hidden away for him like I do for Ellen.

We were going a little stir crazy Saturday afternoon so we headed to the Williamson County Fair. They have a great interactive farming exhibit for kids. Ellen was still not quite herself but she had fun. Her favorite part was seeing/feeding the animals. She really wanted to "ride something" but we didn't buy any tickets. It was hot, hot, hot so we only stayed a couple of hours.

I organized Ellen's closet Sunday afternoon while the little monster took a nap in our bed. If the pants she wore last year fit her again this year I may end up taking back some of the ones I bought on Saturday and exchanging them for long sleeved shirts. I should have looked through her clothes before I went shopping (duh). I didn't have a chance to have her try them on but I am also hoping last years fall/winter pajamas still fit her.

After cleaning out her closet I decided to rearrange her room. We didn't remove any furniture so the options were limited, but it looks good and Ellen likes it (we decided to keep the changing table but will probably take it out in a few months). Once she starts sleeping in the full bed we plan to get new bedding and new accessories. I like her room the way it is now but it could use more color and personality.

A funny thing happened this weekend while I was cleaning our bathroom. Ellen overheard me singing Lord My Desire and asked what I was singing. I started the song over, "Lord my desire, is to be like you..." and she said "Me?!"  I held it together but I was laughing hard on the inside. I explained what the song meant but I am not sure she caught on. Just another reminder that she doesn't miss a thing.

Williamson County Fair

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

The upside to feeling down

Ellen has had a high fever since Tuesday. Phillip stayed home with her on Wednesday and I have been her caretaker for the last 2 days. I took her to the doctor this afternoon since she has also been very congested this week (and has had no appetite). Congestion usually leads to an ear infection but this time her ears are fine. She doesn't have strep throat but her tonsils are swollen so the doctor prescribed a steroid and also something for a sinus infection (even though it appears what she has is viral). The fever is what really had me worried since Ellen does not get fevers very often, especially not high fevers. We were also advised to start giving her allergy medicine every day. She has taken both Claritin and Zyrtec in the past but we hadn't been giving her anything lately.

Ellen has been laying around a lot more than she usually does when she is sick but that has given us hours and hours of cuddle time. We have watched a lot of TV and a few movies and put together several puzzles (she has really gotten interested in puzzles in the last few weeks). If it wasn't for the constant nose wiping being home sick wouldn't be so bad :)