colds and naps

I have another cold. I have lost count of how many I have gotten since Ella started school. This one, however, seems to have come to me via my husband. He and I are both sick and Ella is fine.

Yesterday Ella spent her nap time playing with books on the floor of her room. No sleeping. So, when I get her out of her room she is especially snugly and cuddly. After some time on the couch reading books and playing a little she tells me she wants to play on her swing. So, we move to the back porch for some swinging. After about 20 minutes on the swing she begins to stare outside and stop interacting with me. Next, her hands go behind her head (her preferred sleeping position when she was younger). Within 5 minutes she is asleep, still swinging.

speech progress

For the longest time the only consonant sounds Ella will reliably make are "D" noises. You could get her to occasionally make "B" or "N" noises. She would even, through rarely, make "M" noises. Also, when you try to get her to purse her lips to create a concentrated stream of air (like you would to blow bubbles) she would only blow out with her mouth and throat wide open (as you do when you try to fog up glass).
The great progress is that she is making "B" noises much more frequently. Also, last night she repeatedly pursed her lips to blow a concentrated stream of air. We even got her to blow about 10 bubbles over a couse of 3-4 blows on the bubble wand.

reading books

I have discovered that many parents dislike reading to their children. I understand that the repetition of reading the same books over and over, day in and day out can get a bit annoying. But, I am very thankful that I don't fall into that parental category.
Now, there are times that my love of reading to Ella fails me (like the other day when she wouldn't take a nap and discovered that her new favorite toy was a bell that she rang almost constantly). But for the most part I am happy to read many books in one sitting (even the same one more than once), with her snuggling in my lap for up to 45 minutes at a stretch. Ella is, however, lacking one of the more annoying traits that many toddlers exhibit during book time: constant interjection. She does not ask me to spell our words, or threaten to tattle to her father if I skip a page (accidentally, of course), or insist that she read the story to me. Now, she does like to sign along when she sees a picture or hears a word that she knows the sign for, but that isn't quite the same as interrupting. I suppose that this trait will surface when she learns to talk, but until then, I will keep on reading with joy.

helpfull child

Today I was holding a pair of my socks in preparation for getting on the treadmill after Ella went down for a nap. When Ella saw them in my hands she showed interest in holding them, so I gave them to her. Then the phone rang and I got side tracked for a few minutes. Then the time comes for me to take Ella for a diaper change, etc. before bedtime and I notice that she no longer has my socks. I walk around the kitchen and living room looking for them to no avail. So, I give up and go to put her down for her nap. When I am done and Ella is quiet, I take another look around for the socks. In the kitchen, I get a sudden flash of an idea and decide to look in the trash can. There they are, in the kitchen trash.

I have been teaching Ella to do little things to help out lately. Having her put her laundry in the drawer, putting her dirty dishes on the counter, carrying her milk to the table at meal time, and occasionally throwing trash in the trash can.

I wonder if it is time to bleach my socks.

places to eat

Ella is not the most diverse eater. So, going out to eat with her can be challenging. She will not eat burgers, grilled cheese, or any kind of pasta (at least not more than one or two bites). There is only one kids menu staple that she does consume: chicken fingers/nuggets with french fries.

When Ella was younger our restaurant choices focused on the ideals of quick service and good high chairs. We brought all her food with us, so the menu didn't matter. Now we look for places with kids menus, and good high chairs/booster seats. We still don't have a wide selection worked out because when we do decide to go out with her, we tend to stick with what we know rather than try someplace new that will not meet our criteria.

When it comes to fast food Chic-fil-A is the best, with McDonald's a close second.

Chicken Out Rotisserie wasn't a big hit at first because their kids meal nuggets are usually dry (white meat that isn't fried), but we have found that if we cover the chicken in ketchup or bring in our own sweet and sour sauce (left over packets from chic-fil-a) for them, it has worked out great.

Our most popular place to go is Applebees because we get a wide variety to chose from, and we know she will eat their chicken with no problem.

Today we tried a new place for lunch, and I must say I was very happy with it. We went to a Houlihan's. Their menu is very diverse, and their kid's chicken and french fries was a hit with Ella. The value also struck me as fantastic. Her kids meal was only $5 and it came with veggie sticks and dip, applesauce, a drink, 4 chicken strips with fries, and ice cream for desert! Our only complaint was the seating. We chose to try sitting at a booth and having Ella on a booster seat. The booster seat did not work well with the booth seat. She was sitting way to far back, and could not move forward to reach the table without fear of falling off totally. Consequently, poor Mentalfather spent the whole meal holding her in place and eating with one hand. We plan to go again, but we are going to go for a high chair next time.

Unconventional toys for toddlers

Sometimes I find it amazing what odd things attract Ella's attention. And, of course, everytime she picks up something from around the house and gets fascinated playing with it, I ask myself why I spend any money buying her fancy toys. Here is a sampling of some of those household toys.

belts
tubes from toilet paper rolls and from wrapping paper rolls
aluminum pie plate
red string
plastic storage containers
remote control
phone
mostly empty water bottle (tightly screwed shut, of course)
twine
cat toys
rolling foot massager
shoes
DVD boxes
bowls and spoons
blankets and pillows
house plants
bungee cords
raquet balls (the bounce is amazing and lots of fun on hard floors)
sunglasses
toilet paper
combs and brushes
canned food

So, if you are running out of ideas for entertaining you little one, give something from the list a try. And if you have any other good ones to share, please let me know. I love anything that changes things up in my day, and I love great opportunities for picture taking.

Snow!

OK, this is not a flurry! Big fat flakes are sticking to the grass and my front deck. And it isn't even Thanksgiving yet. Yes folks, we do get some strange weather in Maryland.

Ella could have cared less when it was just a flurry 15 minutes ago. But now that it looks more like a real snow, she is just standing next to me in the kitchen and staring out the window.

I also saw a fox in the yard a few minutes ago. All I need now is a deer in the back yard and I am good to go.

OK, I have just had a dryer ball thrown at my butt by Ella. Time to go and play.