SO Big!

A short entry...

Elena had her two-year appointment yesterday and (drum roll) she was pronounced an official drama queen by Dr. Lloren (Sweet Stinky Marie whined every time Dr. Lloren took a step toward her). I warned him!

Elena is narrowing in on 3 feet tall at 35 3/4 inches (93%). She weighs 29 lbs. (77%), and still has a big 'ol noggin in the 83rd percentile.

Happy Halloween!

The Glamour

Claire Huxtable, I ain't.

Elena has been really sick with her umpteenth 'virus' that can be helped by no medicine, save Motrin and Tylenol. We're on day four of fever, runny nose and cough, but her once 104.3 temperature has fallen significantly, so I'm hopeful that we're on the up-swing.

Saturday was fun. At one point, I had barf on my shirt and poop on my hands and of course, hadn't showered in more than 24 hours. Quite the looker. The glamour, oh the glamour.

And of course the worst part was that my sweet girl was just miserable as she rarely is even in times of sickness. But this fever really got her and we spent much of each day watching Shrek and Cinderella. Funny combination, but she loved them both. She also took turns putting Daddy and Mommy to sleep. A pat on the back, milk, a blankie ('D'), a pillow and a smoothing of our hair made the process complete. It really just doesn't get any sweeter than that.

Here's a photo of Elena during the weekend-0-barf. The popsicles and popcorn seemed to be the only appealing thing....

Stinky Marie

Our little Lala (affectionately called Stinky Marie) is every bit two years old and enjoying a lot of silliness and light. She has had a busy few weeks full of pumpkin patches and birthday parties (it seems every kid we know has had a birthday this month too!). Elena thinks she is very funny and she'll say it... "I funny" and then put on a cheese ball grin and laugh.



She loves to color, play with her friends, attempt her tricycle, play in her kitchen and help us do anything. But mostly, she still loves to dance. It's like nothing we've ever seen. This kid loves music and will dance to anything, including the beat of the coffee grinder.


Her vocabulary continues to grow and she's definitely a parrot these days, mimicking anything we say. You can imagine the fear that instills so our days of colorfully expressing ourselves are over. I guess that just can't be a bad thing.


Until next time...

Now I'm TWOooooo!

Elena's second birthday passed with all the fanfare she's earned in her two years. And it was a lot. Grandmas and Grandpas spoiled our Lala and she's knee-deep in new clothes and toys. But most importantly, she spent the week encased in hugs and kisses.

She's learning to ride her new tricycle (A spiffy pink Schwinn Roadster that looks like a cruiser bike, courtesy of her cycling Daddy) and scooter. She also loves the new kitchen where she makes us 'shakes' and vegetable soup. And the new clothes... she's one cool toddler in her happening duds (Did I just say that?).

Her piggy-themed party was a hit complete with pig balloons scattered on the play room floor, piggy footballs and boomerangs and homemade piggy ice cream sandwiches (they melted a bit, but the kids loved 'em!). I even made ceramic piggy banks with each kid's name for the guests to take home (Gawd... I'm SUCH a mom... and I love it). :)

Terrible (Almost) Twos

We've been waiting and (gulp) I guess it's safe to say our little girl has entered the Terrible Twos. Don't get me wrong, she's still a love with lots of hugs and kisses for Mommy and Daddy, but goodness almighty - the tantrums. The tantrums.

Elena - "Shirt ON, Mama."
Mommy - "OK, let's put your shirt on."
Elena - "NO Shirt. Pants."
Mommy - "You want these pants?"
Elena - "Yeah..... NOOOOOOOOOO. Paint."
Mommy - "We can paint in a few minutes (and then we do)."
Elena- "NOOOOOO. Shirt ON."

Screams, whining and an arched back accompany this typical type of exchange at all times. Who has a glass of wine for Mommy?

Regardless, she's a sweet little girl most of the time and as we prepare for her 2nd birthday next week (complete with her very own piggy-themed party), we are filled with more love for her than ever. The years are going fast, but we love every minute (am I awful to say except for the tantrums?? :)).

At the Carwash, Baaaby!

Washing the car by hand, I'll admit, isn't very common around here, but it'll just have to become fashionable again because Elena is geared up and a very BIG helper. So much in fact, that she and Mommy will be washing the (SO mommy car) Pilot on Saturday.

We continue to work on 'colors' with Elena and she's catching on slowly. Very slowly. Purple is mastered, but all other colors are simply red or blue to her. We'll get there.

Elena is also getting very demanding and a little contrary with "NO" being the operative word in most sentences. We're starting time-outs (the naughty seat) a little more lately and plan to read (ASAP) about the right way to handle discipline, as we're not totally sure we're doing it right.

She remains the love of our lives. I just wish I could bottle her sweetness (and mmmm.... 'cookie-toast' smell). We love you, Lalala...

Big girl!

Elena is as sweet as they come and every day, she does something new that melts us. We're closing in on her 2nd birthday and she still loves to cuddle, give kisses and hugs and lately, check to make sure her babies, woof and kitty haven't 'poo-pooed.'

She says, "thank you and please" almost always (In fact she says it more than most adults) and the other day when Ryan sneezed, she promptly said, "Bless you, my dada."

She loves her grandmas and grandpas A LOT and has really taken to a stuffed, walking/talking/oinking pig that her great-grandma Ann got her during a recent visit. So much, in fact, that her birthday party is now piggy-themed. She asks for that %*$:) pig the second we get in the car or home. It makes her very happy, though we find ourselves wanting to hide it sometimes.

She is our little Lala and she just keeps getting better.