JackieBobo

On Monday, Hillary came over and watched Ellie while I ran a few errands (it was great -- I was able to get 3 errands done in one trip and I normally only have the energy for one at a time when I'm toting Ellie around) and while she was here, she changed Jackson's diaper. Apparently, Jackson's "bobo" made quite an impression because his name is officially JackieBobo, as far as Ellie is concerned. She periodically runs to or points to the front door and says "JackieBobo? Hillwee?" She loves them both so much!

This Week in Words, Part VII

1. NOOOOO!

Oh, sure, there were others like "all gone," "nap," "back" (as in "put it back"), "bobo" (Ellie's word for her tushie, borrowed from the Adamses), "roll over," "moose" (Ellie's word for "mouse," which is often a squirrel), "Dora," "help," "stuck," "kiwi," "horse-y," etc., but none were used nearly as frequently or with such enthusiasm as "NOOOOO!" I know it's a phase (right?), but it sure feels like Ellie spends much of her day upset at those (things and people) around her...sometimes for obvious reasons (the square hole rudely refuses to accept the round block, Daddy won't let her play with the scissors, etc.), but often for no discernible reason at all. By the end of the day, I feel like I'll pull my hair out if I hear NOOOO! one more time and I'm not kidding when I say that sometimes it's the last thing I hear before I put Ellie down for the night..."Sleep tight, Sweetheart. I love you." "NOOOOO!" Ah, thank you, God, for such a spirited child!

Walnuts are distracting

They may be good for your brain, but walnuts are really distracting...especially when you have a mouthful and only a couple molars to chew with. Damian gave Ellie a bunch of walnuts at breakfast this morning (she loves them and will keep putting them in her mouth until she has little chipmunk cheeks) and she was still working on them 45 minutes later at tumbling class. In fact, she was so distracted by the nuts that she hardly participated in class! Normally, she runs around like a mad woman, jumping on the trampoline, doing somersaults, climbing over obstacles, etc. Today, she spent most of the time sitting and watching the other kids...and chewing. I tried getting her to spit them out; I even tried sweeping her mouth, but she was not giving up the walnuts! In the end, she worked on the nuts for almost two hours (gotta give her credit for being dedicated to the task). So now we know...no more walnuts before tumbling class!

For Mom

Mom requested some belly pictures, so here they are. The dress doesn't show the belly very well, but it's better than nothing, right?! These were taken after the best non-shower (baby) shower that a girl could ask for! Hillary and Natalie hosted the ice cream party and my friends all chipped in on a fantastic double stroller for us -- I'm so lucky to have such great friends!

Time for a baby pool!

Before it gets too late, I thought we should continue the tradition of betting on Hirst babies. To enter your guess, go to http://expectnet.com/game.php. At the top, left corner under "Invited guests," enter "BabyHirst2.0" (no spaces) as the name of the game.

So it's fair, here's what we know: the due date is September 5th; the baby is measuring big (at the last sonogram, the head was 4 weeks ahead and, as a whole, the baby measured a bit over a week ahead); I've been having occasional contractions for about a month, but the doctor said that's pretty normal; and the doctor has scheduled an induction for August 26th, but unless it becomes medically necessary, we won't be doing that.

Good luck and happy betting!

Out little mad scientist

See why Ellie needs to be naked most of the time? We're having a "cold spell" (the high is still in the 90's) and Miss Ellie is still drenched in sweat, despite wearing only a diaper. The upside is that all of that sweat makes for some awesome hair!

Ellie's two favorite things

Daddy and books!