" Stinkin' Feets ! "

Have you ever seen a one year old try to raise her foot in the air in an attempt to sniff her own feet while standing ? Think about that one ...

Over this summer, The Bad Influence Instigator, we'll just call him "Daddy" for the sake of being efficient, told Elaina that her sweaty-sandle-feet "Stink !" She thought it was hilarious when he or I would have to take off her sandles at the end of the day and smell her "stinkin' piggies !" Each time, Eric would hold her feet to his face (seriously - that was too close - people in the next town could smell her feet ! ) and say "smell those Stinkin' feets !" She giggled for all she was worth and grabbed her feet to her face.

Tonight, (thank the Lord that stinkin'-sandle-feet-days are behind us), Eric was teasing Elaina about her "Stinkin piggies" to get her reaction. He raised her foot to his nose and then asked her to smell them while she was standing up. She tried with all of her might to keep her balance and raise her foot in the air to no avail. She thought this was even more funny that she was wobbling back and forth that she fell to the ground in a fit of giggles and ankle grabbing ! So funny !

Path of Destruction !

Okay ... so didn't I just finish saying how much Elaina loves her clothes (and shoes) ? She is so much of my girl - I really could be in trouble !

Elaina has picked up on a new game that she has created around her pajama drawer. She began by choosing the p.j.'s that she wanted to wear to bed tonight and then proceeded to pull out every pair that she owned to place them in a stack on her bean bag chair. She was so pleased with herself as she made about 5 trips back and forth the length of her room, emptying her drawer. What I do love about this little Stinkerbell is that she put every single piece of clothing back into her drawer after only having to ask her one time. Her idea of putting clothing away compared to mommy's idea of putting clothes away are still a long way away from being the same, but she did it ! If you know me at all, you're probably aware that I have a slight neurotic disorder of organization and order. Since Elaina has joined our family, I think that I have come a long way in putting alot of that aside. As long as we're all happy, healthy and not hurting anyone - I think we're doing okay.

As for Elaina's trail of disaster (as you can see in the first photo )... I just have to wonder how long this game may stay appealing to her. Maybe I'll just stop folding her pajamas for good.

NOT ! Come on -it's still me talking !

These boots are made for walking !

What a goofball ! I'm afraid it's all my fault - I have "tainted" my child already with a love of shoes and clothes ! After Elaina's bath tonight, we played up in her bedroom. Once we had read about 5 books, she moved onto "counting" her shoes. She pulled out her basket o' shoes and tried to squeeze her jammied covered feet into them. The ones that finally fit were, of course, her winter boots ! Can you tell that she is looking forward to wearing them ?

Word explosion !

Elaina constantly amazes me ! She has picked up a few new words in what seems like overnight. She has recently added the words "milk," "cookie," "book" and "Poppa" to her vocabulary. Daddy has even taught her to howl like a wolf ! She easily recites animal sounds that she knows when prompted and is often found reading her books aloud to herself !

Before I went to bed last night, I checked in on Elaina and as I covered her up, she said, "bye bye." She was talking in her sleep !

Must need the Zzzz's...

Grandma and grandpa are headed home today. With so much activity yesterday with the walk-a-thon and shopping in the evening, all of us are pooped !

As we sat down to enjoy a delicious lunch together, Elaina began throwing her food to the floor and was generally discontent. Knowing that this wasn't a battle worth fighting, I picked her up from her highchair without a word and took her to her bed. Barely 2 minutes of sobbing passed and all was quiet. We enjoyed our lunch together and Elaina enjoyed her second nap of the day. ( The first one being on grandpa's lap as grandma and I attended church. )

It was unfortunate that my mom and dad weren't able to say goodbye to Elaina, but I think she was better off dreaming about them at that point. I was able to clean up the kitchen and begin some laundry before I heard the jibber-jabber of my littlel angel from upstairs. She seemed to be in a better mood and was even willing to eat a late lunch - happily. After filling her belly, I took her in the other room to play and noticed that she just seemed even more tired when only an hour had passed. Exhausting my efforts into trying to entertain her, I decided that I was worn out too, and took her upstairs to cuddle on our bed and veg out to some cartoons. Two and a half hours later, I woke up and had to wake Sleeping Beauty ! Whoa ... Girlfriend slept a total of about 4 hours in the middle of the day !

Our evening was much more enjoyable as we laughed together and played. Incredibly, she went down for the night only an hour later than usual ! What a good growing girl !

A Walk to Remember

Today marks the second annual Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day walk-a-thon.

October 15 has recently been declared, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day by congress. This is the result of a dedicated group of local individuals committed to bringing attention to a heartbreaking reality which so many families are forced to deal with. What a huge accomplishment and reward for their efforts in remembering every baby whose lives were too short.

For this year's walk, it was unfortunate that Eric ended up scheduling a gun show for this very weekend which I had wanted him to be a part of. Last year, we took part in this walk as a family, again with my parents present and some friends. I'm to blame for not making more of an effort this year in organizing a team and doing more fundraising for the cause. The proceeds benefit grieving families of infants, the pregnancy support center and ( I believe) even some money is allotted to The March of Dimes which is a charity close to our hearts. Don't worry, next year, I'll be hounding every one of my readers to join in the walk to remember and share in such a worthy cause.
For more information, visit : godstinyangels.org

This morning, as we prepared to celebrate the efforts of the support group and walk in rembrance of our girls, my mom, dad, Elaina and I bundled up and headed to the walk-a-thon. One factor working against us today was the weather. It was bitter cold and the wind was vicous. We arrived much later than I had anticipated but just in time for the release of a bountiful number of pink and blue balloons. In a formed circle of support and unity, the crowd sang together, " Jesus Loves Me," to which many tears were shed.

It's an overwhelming feeling to see so many families united for the same reason. Each and every one of us has experienced a loss beyond compare. Babies aren't supposed to die - yet that is what we all had in common. Our beautiful babies whom we wanted more than anything to share in our lives and give our hearts to them - have become angels. Seeing so many people together in support made me feel like I wasn't so alone. I have yet to attend a meeting, partly due to Eric's schedule and partly out of fear, but I plan to within the year.

This is an event that holds such special meaning to me for confirming a day each year to celebrate the lives of our beloved babies and their families who must carry on without them. I plan to make this an annual family commitment and make it always part of Elaina's life.

With love and remembrance every single day to our beautiful angels, Ella Rose and Ava Rose. We will forever cherish you and look forward to being together again one day.

Just in time for bed ...

Sign us up for yet another busy weekend ! Grandma and Grandpa H. are visiting for the weekend !

They arrived this evening just in time to catch Elaina fresh from the bathtub and ready to "feed" her piggy bank and read books. Elaina wasn't bashful at all upon their arrival. She wasn't quite ready to throw her arms around them immediately, but she was anxious to show them all of her books and melt them with her sweet smiles and laughter.

Grandma and grandpa had barely made it into the house to unpack before Elaina was investigating her gifts from them. Grandpa had refinished a wooden stool for her, which was about a third of her size, yet didn't stop her from carrying it around the kitchen and checking how her bottom fit onto the seat. The more we laughed at her, the more she hammed it up for us. What a goofball !

We made it up to her bedroom, where grandma and grandpa were able to enjoy Elaina's "feeding the piggy ritual." I think I have written of her little routine before, but it has evolved and become even more cute along the way. Every night that she gets a bath (usual every other night) she knows that when I am finished diapering her, lotioning her and getting p.j.'s on - she gets to put money into her piggy bank. She sits on the floor with a giant smile across her face, I pull the piggy down from her shelf and dig out 5 coins. She diligently drops each coin in as we count to five with each thud into the piggy's belly. Lucky for me, she remains content with 5 coins and has yet to ask for more. After we reach the count of "5," she picks up her pig, walks it back to the shelf and says, "night, night." Grandma and grandpa laughed so hard and were impressed with her systematic approach to financial wealth. ( The fact that Grandpa emptied the change from his pockets didn't hurt things either.)

Call me a Quitter !

For the past 3 years, I've been the secretary of the Canal Society in our community. For the past 3 years, I've been disturbed and stressed by the lack of leadership, organization and professionalism of the president, yet she remains president. At each and every monthly meeting, there is friction, tension and discouraged effort shown to the members trying to make a difference. At our summer festival, which we work all year long to organize, things fall to pieces due to lack of help and support. Most often, I feel as though our efforts are done in vain.

Everyday, I make a conscience effort to do everything in power to make my life stress- free. (Stress seems to find me without asking for it !) After much consideration, I have finally thrown in the towel. At tonight's meeting, I resigned my membership and duty as secretary. For the first time in three years, I walked in the door from the meeting with a smile on my face. I plan to continue to volunteer under the direction of my friends who continue their involvement and put in some hours at the summer festival. As it stands for now, no more friction and stress, no more complaining and no more Thursday meetings. Even better yet ... I haven't a single regret. I am happily finished, so go ahead and call me a "quitter !"

Whatchoo Got ?

What do you think a 15 month old girl keeps in her "Hello Kitty" purse ? Her cell phone and her binky of course !!

What's wrong with this picture ?!?!?

Calling all units !

Elaina's manning the fire station !!

Tonight, the fire department hosted an open house welcoming families and kids to attend and learn about fire safety. Since Eric is a volunteer with the department, he had to been there early to set up and talk with everyone coming by. This was the first year that his little girl was able to come and be a part of the "fire safety awareness program."

They had set out a huge, 3" plastic mat where Elaina (and the other kids) were able to practice their Stop, Drop and Roll technique. Elaina was more interested in walking all over the mat and stared wide-eyed at the other kids who were actually "rolling" on the mat. At one point, she lay down and said "night, night." She was just kidding, of course ! There was plenty more running to be done !

She took great pleasure in getting behind the wheel of one of the fire trucks and was more than fascinated with all of the lights and buttons ! The girl loves to push buttons ! Just ask great grandma and grandpa ! When we had spent a Sunday afternoon visiting in their motorhome, Elaina had again, gotten behind the wheel and " fixed" all sorts of surprises that awaited them the next day when they went to start their engine. I believe great grandpa mentioned something about the lights, the windshield wipers, the radio, etc. etc. etc.... I guess Elaina just wanted them to remember her visit clearly (loud and clear !) the next day ! She definately made her mark !


All in all, tonight was very enjoyable - hanging out with dad at the fire house, eating cookies and sharing mommy's punch and being chased by a 4 year old boy who wanted to kiss her on the head and hug her ! ( He is the son of one of our neighbors.) Seeing little boys chase after our little girl already .... I don't really know what to think about that !

Can you see it ?

I'm just proofreading my last post of Elaina and Eric at the fire department ... Am I crazy or what ? If you look closely at the last picture of them together (double click to make it big ) - Elaina's resemblance to Eric is uncanny ! What I love even more is that they have nearly the exact same expression on their face !
Can I convince you any more that she was custom made to be our baby ? God - I couldn't love the two of them any more !

Perks and Pics !

Ah ... there are only a few advantages of being a government employee. No, we don't get paid much - but we do get alot of holidays off ! Happy Columbus Day everyone ! I'm home today !

Eric's canoe trip involved sleeping outside at their stopping point last night to get back on the water first thing in the morning for Part 2 of his trip. However, his friend who owns a local restaurant, learned very early that his shop had been broken into and he needed to leave immediately. Eric called me around 9 a.m. and said that he and Sam (our neighbor) were going to call it quits too since they were nearby and Jason had to jump ship - literally !

It was nice that I was getting my husband back to enjoy our day together, yet I had already made an appoinment to have Elaina's pictures taken and do some shopping. Her picture appointment went fairly well for a "Mommy's girl." The majority of time we were at the portrait studio, Elaina wanted to cling to me and said, " Mommy, Mommy, Mommee !" I have to tell you that while it's nice feel so wanted, I really wanted to get through our picture appointment ! The photographer was the same one who we have been fortunate to get every last time we've gone, and she is great and amazingly patient. I'll try to post a sneak preview of the pics one day soon.
Elaina posed in her fall outfit from Grandma H. and her Halloween costume too. They turned out way cute and I can't wait to get them back !

On the subject of ordering pictures, let me just relay a quick little story about my wonderful husband...
I decided to have Elaina's pictures taken because she had two cute outfits that I thought would be fun for fall and it's been all of 3 months since her last picture ! ( I know -- a whole 3 months ?) Yeah ... that's what Eric said too. I told him that he should have expected that when we decided to have a child together. That's just what he has to deal with ! I just wanted some frivalous, fun pictures taken of our sweet girl. So moving on ... I come back from a full day out with Elaina and showed him how cute her pictures turned out and which ones I ordered. Without hesitation, he asked, " Is that all you got ?" Agghh ! If I would have gotten any more, he would have questioned why I got so many ! Agghh !! Yeah, I pushed him. Three times. I felt better.
Men.

Grounder at the Playground

Early this morning, Eric left home for a canoe trip he had planned with his buddies at a nearby river. My beautiful baby girl must have still been exhausted from the previous night's parties and slept in until after 8:30 ! Mind you, we're talking about my typical 7 a.m. baby alarm. I was beat too and so it was nice to get some extra sleep.

We finally got ourselves together and let our girls' day begin. I had been meaning to allow Elaina to create some artwork for some time now and today was the day. I sat her on my lap at the table and with three colorful markers, she began her very first masterpiece. It was stunning ! Since it is her first work of art, you can bet that I'll be framing it. These are the things I have lived for !

Soon after, our neighbor girl, Elizabeth stopped down with her school fundraiser and decided to accompany Elaina and myself to the playground. Today was a beautiful day to take advantage of being outdoors. The weather was nothing short of perfect. The leaves are changing colors and the air was warm with a subtle breeze. The temperature hovered around 80 most of the day ! With such wonderful weather, we decided to hit two playgrounds - the park and that of the local elementary school.

Elizabeth, who is 10, loved playing with Elaina and was a great help as Elaina took about 15 trips down the slide. I hoisted her up to Elizabeth who led her down the slide time after time. By the second playground and one stone in her mouth later, Elaina met her demise when she wasn't paying attention and fell to the ground and bit her bottom lip. She cried plenty and the bleeding stopped fairly quickly. What a little trooper.

Soon we headed for home where Elizabeth continued to play with Elaina for about 30 minutes while I chased around the house doing laundry, putting away clothes and just some general cleaning as fast as I could. Elizabeth was an enormous help and we both enjoyed her company. Elaina even gave her a kiss before she left ! So sweet !

The rest of our evening we spent reading books and playing. What an enjoyable day with my sweet girl !







Elaina loves her "Fridge Phonics" - just like her cousin Colin !

Socialite

This evening we had accepted two separate party invitations for two different events. We didn't necessarily plan on staying too long at either party and therefore, decided not to get a babysitter. Elaina was a busy-body most of the day and much to our dismay, was only able to afford herself about a 30 minute nap. This became evident approximately the same time we had to leave for our first party which was an after-the-wedding-wedding-reception. One of the "senior" members from Eric's bowling team had invited us to join them at their wedding reception. ( I think they got married in September) Elaina held in pretty strong and looked just like a doll in her little autumn themed dress from grandma. (I'm still kicking myself for not getting a picture !)

Throughout dinner, she ate minimal food and her eyelids became heavier by the minute. Luckily, the noise from the guests that echoed throughout the facility drowned out any urge for her to make any noise herself. Apparently she recognized that we wouldn't be able to hear her anyhow. (Get the picture how loud it was there ?) After enjoying a wonderful meal, visiting at our table and well wishes to the newleyweds, we headed for round 2.

As I strapped Elaina into her carseat, Eric and I both said "Night-night" fully believing and intending for her to fall asleep during our 20 minute drive to the next party. To our amazement, she stayed awake and didn't make a peep. We joined the next party to celebrate the birthday of my friend from work who had turned 50. Betty's family had planned a fabulous (and successful) surprise party with all of her friends and extended family. We arrived after the party was underway and missed her surprise. Again, since we didn't plan to stay long, we weren't discouraged to bring Elaina along with us. We explained that we were just stopping in after a wedding reception and Elaina was of course, part of our package. No one seemed to mind and Betty picked her up and showed her off to all of her guests. (Elaina likes Betty) Elaina must have gotten her second wind as she proved to be quite the entertainer and stole the second half of the show. She played peek-a-boo with her dress, talked in her monster voice that daddy taught her, answered questions on que and was completely charming the entire hour that we stayed. Way to make your mama proud Elaina ! Although she was the only kid at the party, she was absolutely welcomed and adored by all. Melt, melt, melt ... I love that girl !

Taste-Teaser

My apologies ... yet another rambling about Elaina's mealtime.

Alas - this one is a little bit funny ! We've already established that Picky Pickerson's parents are most displeased with her eating habits, right ? So, tonight at dinnertime I offered her a bite of macaroni and cheese. Yum ! She loved mac & cheese babyfood from the jar, yet hasn't proven to be a big fan of the "real deal" - but I offer anyway. She examined a piece of macaroni with intense interest, pinched it between her fingers and to her mouth and ..... and - it was met with immediate disgust. I had a bright idea (I thought) ! I fed myself bites from her bowl and yummed and oohed and aahed how good it tasted. And then I fed daddy with her spoon and he loved it too. This was peaking Elaina's interest by now and she decided she was a little bit curious what tasted so good to mommy and daddy. I ignored her outstretched arm and her pleas for a bite and continued our charade for a little while longer. Finally, I gave in and brought a bite of mac & cheese to her mouth for her to enjoy. Blbbtt ! Out of her mouth it came. Can't pull one over on her just yet ! The perils of having an articulate one year old !

Later this same evening, this same little stinker decided to get me back. Since her dinner was far from fulfilling, after her bathtime, I sat her down for a snack of teddy grahams and milk. She ate happily (of course - junk food) and even stretched out her arm with a cracker for me. So I thought. She brought it to my mouth and - psych ! - she tricked me and popped into her mouth ! Again and again, she pulled her little prank and I played into it every last time. I love seeing her develop her own little sense of humor. Her new game provided us both with plenty of smiles and giggles before her bedtime. She can be picky all she wants as long as she is happy ! (and not starving !)

Motormouth !

I love it ! Elaina has finally put her feet into motion and is beginning to push her way around the floor on her 4 wheeler ! Previously, she has propped her feet up on the cup holder to let us know that she was ready to roll. Whew ... talk about a backache after hovering over her, pushing her throughout the living room and kitchen ! Oh, and all the while making Vvvmmm-vmm! and beep-beep noises !

Tonight, she climbed onto her bike and pushed herself a little bit forward and alot backward until she backed herself into a dead end (the recliner). All the while, she provided her own unique car noises. ( Notice her puckered lips - she was revving her motor!)

And on the subject of cars ... Aunt Kate and Uncle Greg bought toys for all of Colin's guests at his baptism a few weeks back. (Thanks again guys !) One of Elaina's gifts was a set of colorful, mini, rubber cars. Elaina liked them immediately ! She continues to play with her cars at home and right away, was able to provide her own car sound effects. This surprised me until I remembered that she plays with a little boy named Maddox, at the babysitter's house. He waits patiently each morning that he is there for Elaina Rose to arrive. ( He's all of 4 and refers to her by her full name !) They play "cars" together ! That's how she knows car noises. How cute !

So Greg and Kate - I think that in all fairness, this means that I'm allowed to buy Colin dolls !

Hardly Ever

Let's see ... there's really nothing to report tonight except that we had the most unusual kind of night.

Since Eric bowls every Wednesday night, we reached an agreement that he would be willing to make dinner each Wednesday. (So what if we've had spaghetti 3/3 times - he's gotten really good at it ! ) Again, Elaina ate a minimal amount of food although I tried everything under the sun to feed her. She most certainly wouldn't eat spaghetti noodles -- oh no - they stick to her fingers and she makes a face. All in all, she got some food in her belly and that was enough to make me happy.

After dinner, Elaina was dragging and just about as tired as a little girl could be. Admittedly, so was I. It seems as though I had stayed up too late last night doing some laundry and chores around the house and after battling my allergy headache all day long - I was whipped ! I gathered Elaina and her binkys and climbed into our bed to watch some cartoons and take a little catnap. After the cartoons ended, Little One was too tired to keep her head up anymore and we both fell asleep.

Dying of thirst from the garlic overload at dinnertime, I awoke at 8:45 to find Elaina still sleeping like a baby. I managed to change her diaper, her clothes and tuck her into bed without a peep. So, you see what a most unusual night we had ?

This rarely ever happens and I regret not having any play time with Sweetness, but clearly, we both needed some extra Zzzz's ! Whew, I'm beat !

"Stinky Face"

If you didn't already know this by now ... Elaina loves books ! As her mother, I love that she loves books !

We read all of the time and she'll even sit and read by herself. I love to see this level of creative, independence blossoming in her so soon. Even when we leave the house and pack a toy bag, it contains minimal toys and an assortment of her favorite books. She'll often carry books to anyone around and want to read. Sometimes her patience doesn't subject herself to the completion of an entire book, but it's only because she has to move on to see what's in the next one.

A recent favorite of ours has become, "I Love You Stinky Face" by Lisa McCourt. The story begins with a young child and her mother reading a book before bedtime and the mother tells her child how much she loves her. Stalling for time, the imaginative child creates unbelievably, silly circumstances asking if this were the case, would mother still love her. Some include her asking if she were a stinky, smelly skunk and people called her "Stinky Face" would mother still love her ? If she were a great big swamp monster with seaweed hanging from her scaly skin - would mother love her ? The mother delivers her answer each time by saying to what extent she would provide her swamp monster (etc.) comfort and concludes by saying she loves her.

The entire book is enjoyable with great pictures and a beautiful story that Elaina never grows tired of. The big sap that I am, I still continue to get a little teary eyed over the mother's never ending love for her wonderful child and know just how she feels !

Plea for help !

I'm stuck. I don't know what else to do to make Elaina eat. Last night and tonight, I offered Elaina pork chops for dinner and she reacted as though I were feeding her parasite infested alge. Mind you, she has liked pork chops before - remember our carnivore ? I would think that she would enjoy them more since all four of her one-year molars have busted through.

So now what ? I refuse to feed my child a standard diet of bologna and chicken nuggets as her only meat sources. Those are her favorites by far. Here is a brief rundown of the foods that comprise her "will-eat-happily-list" : the fore mentioned bologna and chicken nuggets, bacon, yogurt, applesauce, bananas, dry cereal, and just about every single form of junk food or sweet including crackers, chips, cookies and brownies. (Okay - I'll take the blame for that. We're both guilty of enjoying our junk food ! ) But, seriously, limited fruit, no vegetables (except for tater-tots) and the same redundant foods ? What can I do ? I am completely open for suggestions. (Go ahead and leave out the part where I should have never given her junk food in the first place.)

Dinnertime more or less stinks at our house lately. We've finally gotten the baby we've always wanted and she's the pickiest eater ever made. That is something I never wanted my child to face. At dinnertime tonight, as she let the tiny bite of pork touch her tongue, she threw it back onto her tray with disgust. (Says alot for Eric's grilling technique, huh ? Hah - it was delicious ! ) I offered her some other things that we were eating and she met them with the same throwing-from-the-tray-disgust. So, we let her sit in her high chair and cry through our dinner. And she c r i e d.

After dinner, we took a family grocery shopping trip to Wal-Mart and guess who decided she was starving midway through the store ? Bratsy !

What can I do with Picky-Pickerson ?

Falling Into Fall !

Just like Moose and Zee sing : " I feel like I'm falling for fall !"

( You sorta have to be a fan of the Noggin network to identify the tune.)

What a glorious fall day to play and get motivated !

Well, it sounded good anyhow, it was a perfect day to be outside. At our house however, Eric tackled some projects and I tried to make Crankypants happy - all day. Sure, Elaina has battling a cold and not feeling well, but I think I have seen more crying out of our girl today than in her whole career of being a baby. She hardly ever acts like this. All day she wanted to be held and when she wiggled down from my lap, the minute her feet hit the ground, she wanted to be held. What's that about ? Throughout the day, I offered her food and multiple naps to get those "crankies" to go away, to no avail.

Thinking I could break her baby depression, I packed her cranky bootie in the stroller and headed for the playground. Yeah ... she was happy ! Well, at least happier- to an extent. She explored the jungle gym and took several turns down the slide- just like she likes. When she was finished, she just began to walk away from the playground. Oh yeah ... and the crying began when she found herself back in the stroller even though nearly 40 minutes had passed.

















The only other time I saw a smile across my angel's face was when I tried her Halloween costume on her. (Stay tuned -- it's a secret what she'll be.) She got a look at herself in the mirror and laughed and smiled. Even she recognized how silly-cute she looked.

We're hoping for a better day tomorrow and I refuse to believe that this is the first sign of anything worse to come. (i.e. : chicken pox) Cross your fingers and say your prayers !