Just a trim

Damian cut Ellie's bangs last night...with a pair of baby nail scissors. But it worked!

Siblings

Now that Charlie is a little more robust, we're able to let him "play" with Ellie a little bit more. It's really sweet to watch because Ellie just loves to be next to him -- if he's laying on the floor, she lays down next to him and this weekend, she climbed in this little tunnel with him.

Oh how I love this little man!

Rainy day fun

It has been too cold and rainy lately to do much outside, but Daddy and Ellie improvised and figured out a way to burn off a little energy and have some fun.

Her hair in this one cracks me up:

I wish the background was more like it was in Celena's picture or in our first attempt to replicate it, but at least we'll be ready for the pool this summer!

Despite the look of terror on her face, Ellie absolutely loved being tossed up in the air, begging for "mo', mo'" until Daddy's arms were shaking!

The Nigh-Night Fairy pays a visit

Last week, I realized that both of my kids were addicts. Charlie was addicted to the swaddle and the pacifier, and Ellie was addicted to the pacifier (or "nigh-night"). I decided some tough love was needed for both of them, so after a week of weaning, Charlie now sleeps swaddle-free (I wasn't delusional enough to try to get him off the pacifier), and after a visit from the Nigh-Night Fairy, Ellie is pacifier-free! I explained to Ellie that the Nigh-Night Fairy visited big boys and girls, taking their nigh-nights to little babies who needed them, and left presents in place of the nigh-nights. So one night, she helped me gather up all of her pacifiers and placed them in a bag, which we left hanging on the door of her armoire. She was very excited about the fairy visiting her and leaving presents...until she realized that she wasn't getting a pacifier at bedtime. There were a few tears, but she did much better than either Damian or I expected; and the next morning, Ellie discovered that the Nigh-Night Fairy had taken the pacifiers and filled the bag with two pairs of shoes (her favorite!) and a new Tinkerbell purse. She continued to ask for a nigh-night at nap and bedtime for a couple days, but generally, she has done so well! It definitely takes her a little longer to fall asleep, but she does so without tears and now I don't have to lay awake at night, worry about her messing up her teeth.

Oprah's pledge

Oprah has started a campaign to get everyone to make a pledge that their car will be a cell phone-free zone. I think it's a great idea, but Ellie is not on board. She loves talking on her little plastic cell phone while we're in the car. She almost always "calls" Sarah and often calls Papa (Grandad) just to say "cry, cry, cry." I love my little chatterbox!

Timeout, Mommy

Last Saturday, I was talking to Jamie on the phone and Ellie went into her if-you-don't-give-me-100%-of-your-attention-I'll-pull-everything-out-of-every-drawer-and-every-cabinet-until-you-get-off-the-phone-and-beg-for-mercy mode. After I had blocked her access to the kitchen drawers several times, she had had it! She grabbed me by the hand and said "timeout, Mommy!" She then led me by the hand to the pack 'n play (where I put her for timeouts), saying "timeout, timeout, timeout" and left me standing by it with a final, firm "timeout!" I was just glad that she didn't make me climb in the pack 'n play!