1st Official haircut

I promised Rob we would wait for his return for Ella's first haircut, an event I've been dreading. Over the last six months her bangs have become long enough that they fall into her eyes and cause mush frustrated whining. Whenever I approach her with scissors she takes off running. It's a good thing she doesn't realize I can't even cut a stationary piece of wrapping paper WITH LINES straight or she'd scream in terror. Rob and I took her to a Pigtails and Crewcuts, a kid's salon, for her first haircutting experience. She was so distracted by the "pane" ride she never noticed the scissors. Yes, my child is a bit indulged!

Winter in Hawaii (For Amy C.)

Holly Hobbie...

Jamie, Ella's childcare provider calls this outfit her "Hollie Hobbie dress."

Halloween

I know it's a little late but here are some Halloween photos...

Catching Up!!!

A few weeks ago Ella decided that my keyboard was THIRSTY. I seems that IMac keyboard and seltzer are quite incompatible. We just got the computer back from the store with a new keyboard cover. So, I've got some catching up to do. These are from a few days prior to Rob's return. Ella and I were quite bored.

And yes, my child will be one of those children that eats paste!

Panties anyone?

Ella calls her pull-ups "panties" and gets quite insistent on putting them on herself.

Scawy Stuff...

It seems that the season for ghosts and ghouls is quite frightening for a toddler. During our nightly dog walk late last week Ella started to notice the Halloween decorations. The first night we had a discussion about how the inflatable ghost was a "nice ghost." The next night we talked about it again and she asked to touch it so I walker her over to it and we pushed on it a couple of times. Afterwards I had to explain that it was not her ghost. She then asked me if ghost was "at 'ome." I explained that it wasn't so then THEN asked or told me, I have no idea which, "Dad get ghost." I explained that maybe one day Dad would get her a ghost. When we got home she started peering around corners and yelling "GHOST, GHOST." Last night the SAME ghost became "SCAWY." We walked over to it again and Ella REFUSED to touch it and actually shrank away when I moved her next to it. I tried petting the ghost and that didn't work. I offered to kiss the ghost and Ella nodded that that would be OK with her. So I kissed the ghost. Yes, I was standing in a stranger's yard making out with their inflatable lawn decoration. Ella then insisted I also kiss the "umpkin" the ghost was standing on so I bent over and KISSED. As I stood back up A couple was rounding the corner looking at me quite oddly. I yelled out, "toddler, scawy ghost." They looked at me a little oddly, laughed tensly, and hurried down the street.

Yes, I was making out with something that looked like this...

Stuffed animal anyone?

Ella LOVES her stuffed animals. She also loves dropping them into her crib and then insisting she be picked up so she can join them.

Toddler Silliness

Ella's been talking up a storm recently and I just wanted to recount a couple of our "conversations."

While "diving" (standing in the front seat of the CRV turning lights on and off) two weeks ago...
Ella: Mama, SIT, door, door!!
Mama (after closing the door): OK Ella, I'm sitting.
Ella: Mama, keys! (pointing to mail key that she has jammed into the ignition)
Mama: I see. Good job Ella. Where are we going?
Ella: Airport! Pane!
Mama: We're going to the airport? We're going on a plane ride?
Ella: Airport! Dada!
Mama: We're going to pick up Dada? But Dada isn't at the airport.
At that point Ella gave me a HUGE scowl/pout and began to ignore me.

While playing in the park two ago...
Ella: (pointing at plane) Pane! Pane!
Gigi: Yes, that's a plane. Gigi's going on a plane soon.
Ella: Gigi no pane! Gigi go park, no pane!!

While having breakfast yesterday...
Gigi: Ella, you're making a huge mess.
Ella (to Jake as he moves in to mooch): No Jake, my mess! No!!! Mine! Ella's mess!

Last night..
Ella was trying to climb onto her time out chair while saying "time out." Apparently she wanted me to place her in the chair because when I didn't she ran at me saying "hit, hit, time out" while trying to hit me.

After Mom picked up Ella from daycare today she noticed the plug-in pumpkin on the porch and insisted on bringing it inside. Mom says she was playing in the front room with the pumpkin and then got eerily quiet. When Mom when to look for her she was upstairs with the pumpkin plugged in. She knows she's not supposed to touch plugs and when she saw my mother ran up to her yelling "GO, GO, go away Gigi" while trying to push her out of the room. It's time for new plugs.

Ella's first bikini...

Call the SPCA!

Ella loves torturing the dogs! She like piling her toys on them, trying to put her fingers in their mouths while saying "bite, bite," shaking their paws, and ordering them to "speak!"

From the mouths of babes...

I was watching Sara Plain interview with Katie Couric this evening. The advertisement before the video clip was for Degree Antiperspirant and features a robot. Ella was looking over my shoulder and announced that it was a "scawy wobot." As I watched the interview Ella kept pointing to Sara Palin and repeating "scawy wobot."

Here's a link to the video...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/24/eveningnews/main4476173.shtml

My favorite photo this month...

Stickers

It seems that Ella is really into stickers. It started during the FAILED potty training process when they were a reward. Ella found her reward stickers and was REALLY proud of herself.

Ella's Birthday....

Ella's turning two on the 23rd so Mom and I decided to have a celebratory gathering. AFTER I invited about twelve children and eight adults Mom asked me if I had heard of the child's party rule? My response was "What rule?" It seems that the number of children you invite is supposed to age of your child. I guess I was planning for Ella's seventh birthday and not her second. We had a house full. It was total chaos. We blew up a couple of pools and Ella's lips turned blue after about three hours in the water. She was so cold she was shaking and she still refused to get out until we offered her cake. It was an exhausting but great day!

Don't I wish....

I know we had a great day last month but the whole potty training thing isn't working so well. Ella loves to rip off her diaper, squat, grin at me, and pee on the floor while saying "pee pee, pee pee!!" Last night I told her that if she went to the bathroom on the carpet again I wouldn't let her run around naked. She promptly climbed up on the computer she uses as a stool to reach the light and announced "pee pee." My mother was nice enough to point out that it wasn't the carpet.

Babble, babble, babble...

Ella's talking up a storm and has even started using pronouns. Today, when Mom wouldn't let Ella dump the clean clothes on the floor, she said; " GeeGee, you vewy mean!" She then hurled herself to the floor in a fit of pique.

These are from 5 minutes later...

More Ella and Uncle

Will had a birthday while he was here.

So much happening...

It seems that every day Ella does something noteworthy. She seems to be interested in all creatures smaller than herself.

She chases the cat while saying "meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow." She sounds rather like the old commercial for cat food.

She walks up to the dogs with bowels of water, setting it in front of one of then, pointing to it, and demanding that they "eat".

She chortles while walking, then running behind one of the dogs, holding its tail until the eventually the tail slips from her grasp.

She attempts to dress the dogs in necklaces, sunglasses, and hats.

A few days ago we stopped at a neighbors small Koi pond on the way to the park. Our neighbor was out and let Ella feed the Koi. What a delight! Ella bent down to try to kiss them as they came up for food, progressively putting her lips closer and closer to the pond until she actually was kissing the water. YUCK, but pretty funny. When the fish were done eating she then attempted to climb in the pond with them. She actually got her shoe in the water. Thank goodness our neighbor has children! She thought it was really funny.

Earlier that day Ella was playing with Mom and found a small green insect in the house. It's Hawaii, we live with bugs and Geckos. Ella put her head down next to the bug, said "nice bug, pretty bug," tried to kiss it, dropped milk by it and told it to "eat, eat".

Right now she's throwing balls for the dogs to fetch but they sees to be avoiding her. That may be because she took the foaming, sweetly scented hand soap, and slathered it all over both of them about thirty minutes ago.

She just said, "Good girl, Jake."

Guess what Ella did today?

She spoke her first multiword sentence that was understandable. At daycare today she said "I want more juice."

Ella also used the potty 5 times today and stayed dry all day at daycare. What a day!!!!!

Toddler Style!

2 tutus
1 grass skirt
1 shell bra top
1 pajama top
2 ladybug wall hooks
What a fashion statement!