Hatrack

Rob came home from a class today looking for a place to hang his hat. Not a perfect fit but it works.

I thought Jake was going in for a good sniff but then...

Things Ella and I learned this week

Ella
1) Gravity works... repeatedly... on the same object
2) Receipts taste good!
3) Co-sleeping with Mommy means playtime at 4am.
4) Cartoons are great!
5) Daddy's a great distraction when you're overtired and don't want to sleep.
6) Bananas are yummy!
7) Pieces of banana are fun!
8) It's fun having Daddy home.

Me
1) Gravity SUCKS!
2) A receipt is a perfect fit for a small mouth.
3) Co-sleeping may not work for us.
4) Rob and I differ in our views on TV for Ella.
5) Handing an overtired Ella off to Rob isn't a great idea.
6) You can spoon banana out of it's peel.
7) Pieces of banana are hard to remove from small ears and nostrils.
8) It's great having Rob back!

Rob's new toy.

Rob came back for Palau in search of the perfect laptop. Well, today he went shopping and came back with a MacBook Pro. We had decided on the MacBook with some basic upgrades but he went to the store without me. I should have known better than to trust him out on his own.



When we were researching yesterday my, oh so generous, husband stated "I almost don't want to get an Apple." When I asked "why" his response was "because you'll want to use it." I can't wait 'til he leaves for work tomorrow and I can get my hands on the photo and video programs (if he doesn't sneak off with it.)

My father and brother have already called to say congrats. I think they're as excited the new acquisition as they were about Ella's birth.

I think I need a new camera to go with the MacBook. Hint!! Hint!!

Too Cool!!

Ella had her first swim lesson today. It's more like a water play class. The ultimate goal is to teach small children a few things that might buy their parents some time if they fall into the pool. Simple things like how to float on your back and how to swim to the side of the pool and hold on until help comes. She and Rob participated in the class while I sat on the sidelines. One of the exercises the instructor had Rob do was called "DunkyDo." On the count of three you say "DunkyDo," blow into her face so she takes a breath and closes her eyes, then quickly dunk her under water. It was quite amusing watching my very macho husband say "one, two, three, DunkyDo." I won't share his rather colorful adjectives describing the exercise once class was over. Ella tolerated it without any tears and minimal expressions of surprise. She was pretty serious during the class but as soon as she got out of the water she was laughing and chattering away. Unfortunately I forgot the camera but I did get a picture of her in her sunglasses when we got home. Please note that they are the exact shade of pink as her dress. Too bad she'd already pulled off her matching socks. It's all about the accessories.



Here's Ella's cousin, Zadie, in sunglasses, in Vermont, in April, during a snowstorm. Don't ask!

Six month check

Yesterday Ella had her six month check and vaccines. She's still a tank at a whopping 19lbs and 28in. Apparently she's 90% for weight and 97+% for height. I have no idea where this large child came from. I'd wonder if there was some sort of mix up at the infertility clinic if she didn't make the same irritating throat scratching noise her father does.

As you can see, she's warmed up to her father quite well. I've never heard her laugh as much as she does with him. I think she has decided he's there solely for her personal amusement.

A wonderful day touched with sadness.

Today Jenny, my friend of 34 years gave birth to twins. According to their grandfather "Chance arrived first at 6 pounds, 9 ounces and healthy as a horse and “talking” up a storm. Grace arrived second at 5 pounds, 11 ounces and was “calm” as a welcome warm breeze on a cool day." They made it to 39 weeks and 1 day (a whole day longer than Ella) and were delivered by scheduled C-section between 9 and 10. Yeah Jenny and Eric!!!!!!!

When I booted up the computer to type up this blog entry I read that Kurt Vonnegut died earlier today. It saddened me to read about the loss of one of my favorite authors. To quote Newton in Cat's Cradle:
"No wonder kids grow up crazy. A cat's cradle is nothing but a bunch of X's between somebody's hands, and little kids look and look and look at all those X's . . . No damn cat, no damn cradle."