Once Upon a Time...

a young girl named Eleanor found a pastry brush in her mother's baking drawer.

This little girl loved the brush and went around "painting" everything in sight.

She found it helped her reach farther than she could with just her hands... it felt bristly and soft... and when mom said, "No rose!" (the rose bush living in the dining room for the moment that Ellie loves to pick at) then maybe she could get away with just the brush touching the rose (no such luck)...
Eleanor carried her "paint brush" around with her everywhere she could go. She tapped things with it, brushed them, stroked them, hit them... she even took the brush to bed with her.

Then one day her mom decided to wash the brush. Mom thought this was a good idea since it was getting blackish on it's bristly end.

Unfortunately, this washing determined the demise of the beloved brush.

Luckily, though, this particular Ellie-girl has a wonderful Uncle Jeff who sent her a set of blocks.

So now she has a beloved cylinder to carry around and bang on everything in sight.

What Mom?

I'm having so much fun!
(Somehow I don't think I can walk away from the kitchen for a second, despite the fact that we finally have cupboard locks put on the "dangerous" cupboards... why exactly is getting into drawers so fun?)

New Toys!

Ellie was given a whole slew of new toys - and just in time since it's snowing today! I set this walking one up and she immediately started pushing. She pushed it around, crashing into everything for a good 15 minutes last night. I was glad for the entertainment, but because it's a walking toy and she was such a pro right away, I was also a little sad. She's getting big so quickly! What fun!

Let's Pretend

Let's pretend we're eating cereal!

Yum! Air!

Walking !?!

Well, over the last couple of weeks Eleanor has taken her cruising to a whole new level. She pretty much refuses to be put down on her hands and knees or in a sitting position. She locks her knees as you head her toward the floor, she grabs your hands with an iron grip and then takes off walking in whatever direction she wants. She's a pro at leading people around the house, holding on to two fingers. She also likes walking along holding just one finger. She's not quite as fast with this and totters a bit more, but she's working hard at it. She can stand on her own for a few seconds now, not holding on to anything, but if she realizes that's what she's doing, she sits down. It makes me laugh.

I'm not prepared for her to really start walking yet, so I'm hoping this stage lasts a long time... Unfortunately for me, though, as she was playing in our bedroom last night she took a step by herself, without holding onto anything. It was just one step, but now it feels like anything is possible. Today she stood for a good 30 seconds all by herself. Instead of crashing to the ground, she did an extremely controlled squat down. As I watched her I was definitely envious of her quads - she's one strong little thing. Sometimes I wish this kid would slow down a little bit!

Seth is off in Washington DC this week for a conference, so Ellie and I are roughing it at home together. When he gets back we have a whole lot more "baby"proofing to do around here! Along with that, I've finally lived in this house long enough to better understand what I need to have where... so although we just moved in, I think we're in for a whole new round of organizing.

Our Day in Pictures

Yes, this is the 3rd post of the day. But, I thought Seth might like to know what we were up to today...

Taking all the folded laundry off the couch. What fun!

Creating a journal out of brown paper bags. I think this is really cool and I'm totally excited about it. Hopefully all the little pockets and small papers will really help me feel like journalling is possible again - a few sentences at a time.

And yes, she finally got herself IN the drawer. I think I need a way to detract her from this activity. I really like my drawer and I really don't want the bottom to break out. Once she was in, though, she proceeded to take everything else OUT. I think she's been having fun today.

Now I look down and notice Ellie has taken everything out of the box I just packed for Jeff and Emily... I think she needs to learn how to put things INTO boxes, bins and drawers now. We love you and miss you - have a good evening!

New Clothes

Thanks to all the family members who have recently sent Eleanor new clothes. We're still in the process of cleaning out the too-smalls and organizing the new things, but that means we have boxes of clothes here and there around her room. Ellie loves to wake up from her nap, reach out the slats of her crib and pull cothing items out of the piled boxes. I'm happy she wakes up happy and entertained instead of crying. :)

She is, of course, enjoying WEARING her new things, too!