Twenty-Six Months (Eliana)

Obviously the biggest news for Ellie this month is that she became a big sister!  I think she loves it, though she does miss all the lap time she used to get with Mommy.  She loves to kiss her sister and hold her for about two seconds.  Then she pushes Maya away for a couple of seconds, then wants her back again.  I guess whatever floats her boat.

I really love the picture to the left.  It make me laugh to have a dark-haired set of parents and a dark-haired baby sister on one side and our little blond-haired, blue-eyed Eliana on the other.  Her hair is starting to go darker and I assume she'll look just like us about the time Maya's hair falls out and starts coming in blond.

Climbing and jumping are Ellie's two favorite activities.  The very best locations are the hearth and the couch.  The new play place at the Towne Centre Mall is another well-loved place for climbing and jumping.  We still hear "die, die!" just before she leaps off something and are wondering when she'll get around to adding the "v" into her dives.  It really freaks out the people who don't know her when she yells "die!" and launches herself off of whatever she's standing on.  That's an evening of entertainment all by itself.

We think Eliana is becoming a cat person.  Eric and I are dog people (and plan on getting one when we own a yard to put one in) so this is distressing to us. ;)  Ellie is quite obsessed with any "key cat" (kitty cat) she sees, live or animated.  Happily, she is also happy to point out any dog we see or hear.  She just prefers The Aristocats to 101 Dalmatians.  Maybe she just prefers the French to the British.  Also a cause for concern...

Another thing Ellie really loves is dancing.  She really doesn't sing much, but dancing seems to be one of her loves in life.  Songs with actions are the ones she likes best (normal for any kid, I suppose) and she copies the dance moves she sees.  I think she gets most of her moves from George of the Jungle.  She's really cute to watch.  I kind of wonder if she would enjoy a dance class when she gets a little older.

Kissing remains high on Eliana's list of things she likes to do.  However, short kisses aren't generally her style.  With Mom and Dad Ellie seems to think that kissing is a marathon sport.  She grabs our faces to pull us in and then starts in on her own chorus of "mmmmmmmmmmm" until she runs out of breath or out of kiss.  The people behind us at church think it's hilarious.  We agree, but it gets a little awkward to have your daughter make out with you in public.

The "limp rag" technique of avoiding doing what your parents ask is a recently learned trick.  She mostly uses it on the front lawn when it's time to get in the car.  She does that or climbs up on to the neighbor's porch.  Ellie thinks it's a great game.

Ellie has been kind of sidelined this month as we've waited for her little sister to arrive, but she's been great.  We couldn't ask for a sweeter little girl.