Evening Routine

One of my favorite parts of the day is the evening. The chores of the day are finally complete and we certainly have estabished a predictable routine.

After bathtime, we spend a few moments chasing after the little munchin to at least apply a diaper in order to avoid wet spots on the carpet!

After a booby snack (no, not scooby snack) it's time for teeth brushing.

This was never one of her favorite activities until we found this great toothbrush

. . . add a dollop of bubble gum flavored toddler toothpaste and she would sleep with the thing if we let her.

Then comes a few nighttime songs like "Goodnight Sweetheart" or "Blanket Bay."

After living with a kid who rarely slept for the first 10 months of her life it is so amazing to rely on this simple and enjoyable routine to result in a full nights sleep!

Easter Loveliness

We have just wrapped up a lovely Easter weekend. Most of it was spent at Drew's parents house, eating and drinking. Just what every holiday should be made of ;)

Ellie had the cutest Easter dress and since it was too stormy to hunt for eggs outside she never had to cover it up with a winter coat!

Ahhh, spring in the Pacific Northwest. I saw a little girl on the ferry today all dressed up in a pretty Easter dress. But she was also wearing a turtle neck, leggings, gum boots and a winter hat.

Our egg hunt was held in the warmth of the indoors and Ellie loved it. She discovered the eggs were filled with candied apricots so she was very interested in finding them.

And here she is showing off her sign for bunny . . . hop hop hop

Analog . . . what??

So Drew has been working at his new job for 3 whole weeks now.

And I can't even tell you how wonderful it is.

But I'm going to try! . . .

The best part is his schedule. He works 10 hour days Mon-Thurs. Which means he has every Friday off! And 3 day weekends every week!!

By Wednesday evening it seems as though the work week is just getting going BUT tomorrow is the last day until the weekend!

And, boy, have dinner table conversations changed lately.

It used to be a mournful discussion about what sacrifices we will have to make in order for Drew to "climb the ladder" in his field to get a good job.

Will we have to move to Bellingham? Will we ever be settled?

Now, we can sit back and relax. All those questions are answered.

However, nothing compares to the happiness on Drew's face when he walks in the door each evening.

He can't wait to tell me about how he installs a ??pressure sensor?? on the Tolt River Dam today.

I smile and nod as if I know what the heck the word ??analog?? means.

But having a husband who loves his job . . . I know what THAT means!

Return to normalcy

It's been awhile since my last post and because I haven't been well enough to string a few words together into a sentence.

The 'cold of many symptoms', as I have named it, hit the Nobles last week. And everyone but Ellie and MaPop have been coughing and aching and sneezing and dripping!

We are looking forward to a return to normalcy this week.

I am SOOO glad Ellie didn't catch this nasty cold.

Here she is eating her weight in vegetable soup.

Balloon Love

Ellie has been having a great time with some balloons left over from my friends wedding.

Her tongue wound is healing and she is nursing again!

Unfortunatly, I think my milk supply has suffered and I don't think it will be long until she self-weans.

It's just one more way my baby is growing up . . .

Boo Boo

Ellie's poor little tongue seems to be healing. She hasn't even seemed that bothered by it, except for a slight increase in fussiness.

The biggest bummer is that she is refusing to nurse. I was definitely not ready to wean. I was really enjoying nursing a toddler. It's the only time she really relaxes and snuggles into my arms. I'm hoping her boo-boo will heal fast and she will want to nurse again.

As you can see, her obsession with shoes remains. And now it's the bigger the better . . . Daddy's work boats (I mean boots :) certainly fit the bill!

Signs

Since Ellie seems to be taking her dear sweet time to start talking so we have been working on sign language a lot lately.

Here are her favorites . . . all animal related, of course.

Today, was also a big day because Ellie got her first big boo-boo. She fell off the slide at the park and bit her tongue. It's a pretty good gash and we thought she might need stitches but a friend who is a pediatrician took a look and thought it would heal on it's own. Thank goodness.

The biggest problem was getting her to stick out her tongue so we could get a good look at it.

Luckily, we just have to ask her "What's the sign for doggie?"

And she sticks out her tongue and pants.