Florida bound!

I need a vacation. Good thing we're heading to FL in two days! It's 11:30 and Brian and I are just finishing all the packing. It may seem like procrastination, but in our eyes we're right on schedule. We'll be dropping Eleanor off at my mom's tomorrow morning so we can head out and do some STL errands (I'll be getting my new locket!) and have a date-lunch. We will spend the night at my mom's, and then Wednesday morning we'll be heading to the airport. Of course it's not going to be hot while we're down there. But I suppose it will be better than the 3˚ that they're predicting for Columbia in a few days ;).
We will be gone for one week. It seems like it's going to be a short trip, but I'm sure it will be the right amount of time for a toddler. Even though we always said we would wait until Eleanor was 4 or 5 to make it special, we've decided to drive up to Orlando and go to Disney World!! We got a great deal to stay at one of the Disney hotels, and we'll be going to parks for two days. On the first day when we drive up (in our rented minivan) we are planning on going to Downtown Disney to walk around, shop, and eat dinner. We're so excited! Of course if you ask Eleanor if she wants to go to Disney World she shouts, "NO!" Little stinker. She has no idea what she's saying. If she only knew...

Our Little Spelling Bee

Eleanor does not like to have her diapers changed or get dressed. It's a struggle just to get her to hold still on the changing table. We're constantly having to think up ways to entertain her or keep her occupied so she'll hold still long enough for a new diaper. One thing that keeps her happy is spelling her name and pointing to the letters (which of course spell Eleanor) on the wall just above her changing table. Eleanor loves hearing the letters spelled out so much that she's started doing it herself. No, I'm not trying to pass my child off as a genius who can spell her own name at 18 months old. She likes to point to the letters and make her own vowel sounds. It's so funny! She's also started "spelling" other words and letters she sees around the house. One example is the big, magnetic letters E and S that are one the fridge. Eleanor will walk up to them and start "spelling" using her vowel sounds. Of course she knows we love it, so she always looks at us when she's done and waits for our excited praises. Maybe this is a sign that she'll be better at spelling than her mom :-/.