Today we celebrated Rob's 29th birthday. Elaine helped by opening what she thought were her presents. I realized two thing:
The other day I made Elaine take a nap. I could hear her playing in her room and after things quieted down I went and checked on her. She had put shoes on. Apparently, she needed to complete her outfit before she could fall asleep. At 2 she is learning the importance of accessories.
In the mail I received some free formula. At first Elaine thought the box was her present. When I opened it she was sure it was a present, drums. She yelled "drums" and carried the 2 containers all over hitting them very enthusiastically. What can I say, the girl's got rhythm.
With today's perfect weather Elaine opted to eat her grilled cheese sandwich outside. She was very thoughtful about where she would sit to eat. First, she tried all four chairs at the table. Next she moved to her little bench poolside. Next, she tried the big bench she sits on with Rob. For some reason this is where she decided to sit and eat:
This is the upside down lid to her frog sandbox. She has never sat in it before but today it seemed like a good idea. She sat in it until the sandwich was gone.
This is a picture of Elaine trying to act like the camera is not on her. I mostly put it up to show her cute face.
Who knew a kitchen cupboard could be so fun? She empties it and climbs right in shutting the door behind her. She sits very quietly so if I don't see her climb in I am searching the house for her. If I start calling for her her giggle gives her away. She thinks she is hilarious. I didn't get a picture but the other day she took her Teddy Bear in with her and used him as a pillow.
The other day as we drove to the pediatrician we were listening to Christmas music. As I was singing along to Martina McBride singing Let it Snow I heard a little voice in the backseat join in. Elaine knew we were singing about snow but couldn't quite get the "let it" part so she improvised with the word she knew, snowman. She was rocking side to side singing snowman, snowman, snowman. It was so cute and funny. She keeps me very well entertained.
We went to the pediatrician on Monday for Charlotte's 4 week check up. I can't believe it has been that long! She tipped the scales at 8lbs 15.5 ounces and 21.5 inches long. What a big girl. This makes her pretty average. She is in the 45% for weight and 55% for length. I think she has a huge head so I was surprised when her head measurement put her in the 15%. Charlotte is very alert and when she is awake she just takes the in the world around her. Her head is very strong. You have to hold on tight when you hold her on your shoulder because she likes to push backwards.
Elaine thinks Elmo is her baby. As you can see she even makes sure he has on a diaper. She loads up her stroller with supplies and takes him all over the house and the backyard. She even has a purse hanging off the back of the stroller. What a girl.
This is a picture of the girls in their festive outfits. We had a very hard time getting a picture. We ran out of time before church and after church our sleep deprived 2 year old was not really cooperating. In person they were both quite adorable.
Elaine has a weird obsession with cake. I think it is weird because we never eat it. She has started making "cakes" in her sand box. This means she shovels as much dirt onto a plate as possible and brings to the table with a fork and says "it's a cake, eat it". She has not yet tried to force me to take a bite or taken one herself but I am sure that day is coming. The other day I was busy with something (probably attending to my other child) when I noticed that she had brought the cake inside to the kitchen table for me. She was so cute. She said "here mommy, sit". It was a pain to get the sand off the floor but funny anyway. One of her favorite shows right now is Max and Ruby. This is something Max would do for sure.
This morning Elaine insisted on holding or "hugging"Charlotte as she says. This has become very normal but today she seriously would not give her back to me. I always run the risk of Elaine deciding she is done and then literally pushing Charlotte away. It happens fast so when Elaine seemed finished I scooped Charlotte away. This led to a few tears and whining to hug Charlotte again. Charlotte also gets tons of kisses. Elaine always puckers, kisses and says kiss. I guess she wants Charlotte to know exactly what is happening. I am amazed at how much Elaine loves her sister. I thought she would like her but she gets less jealous and more loving everyday. I am hoping a baby sister is what Elaine needed to calm down a little. Well....maybe calm isn't the word.
You may also notice there seem to be lots of pictures with Elaine wearing these pajamas. This is because she LOVES them. I have to wash them frequently and be sure they are always ready for wear. The other day Elaine took off her cute outfit after she found these pj's and wore them all day. I guess this is what happens when kids can dress and undress themselves.
For a girl who HATES naps herself Elaine sure likes to play nap with every person or toy she can get her hands on. The only rule of play nap time is recognizing the bed and blanket are hers. She announces "it's my bed" and "it's my blanket" to all occupants. She did not say this prior to the arrival of her new sister. It is amazing how quickly she has become territorial.
