Where have I been?

Every single day I think about the fact that I haven't updated this blog in months. MONTHS! And everyday I hope that Brian doesn't ask about it, since it seems to make him really sad when I don't update.

I promise to do a major update soon, but for tonight I'll just run through a few things that are new in Eleanor's world.

She's a lot more willing to repeat words when asked. I say willing because I'm positive she can say anything she wants.

Eleanor really likes talking about and playing with her friends. What would we do without Jacob, Addison, and Ben?!? And Melanie and Cathy of course :). She loves to talk about Ben and Addi and the slides and tunnels. She won't even try to say Jacob, but he cracks her up all the time, and I know she thinks about him when we're reminiscing about our play dates.

She's still a great sleeper. Bedtime is 8pm. That does not mean that she's asleep by 8:15, 8:30, or even 9 most nights. I would love to see what she does in her dark room at night, other than sleep. We can usually catch a glimpse of her marching around her bed or playing with her pacifiers when we go to check on her. However, when she sees us coming she immediately drops to the mattress no matter what she's doing and fakes sleep. Where did she learn to be so sneaky?? It always makes us giggle, which makes her happy, and it seems as if sleep is even further away. When she really and truly is asleep, she's so peaceful. Brian and I often stand there to watch her as she makes her way through dreams of cookies and baby dolls, playgrounds and a land filled with easels, crayons, and papers in need of some color.

Now that I've started writing I feel like I could keep going for hours. But it's late, and our days are more fun when we're both well rested.

I have to add, though, that my heart melts when she says, "pees" and "tay-do", and most of all "happy." Beyond adorable. I do lover her so.

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 :-/.

Snow day = no way

Just like the sand, Eleanor hates snow :(. Actually, she likes looking at it through the window, but she wants no part of standing, walking, or sledding in it. She immediately started screaming as soon as we set her down outside. Of course, being the great parents that we are, we made her sit in the sled and pulled her around the backyard while she cried. It's a good thing I didn't spend very much on snow gear.

Super-dooper pooper

I think potty training might be just around the corner. Eleanor just came up to me, holding her bottom and saying, "shew, shew." Sure enough, she pooped. Good thing Santa brought us a potty chair ;).

Twas the night before Christmas...

Merry Christmas! Ok, I know it's a day late, but we all know I'm not good at keeping up with the blog :(. Eleanor's second Christmas was great! And exhausting. Christmas started on the 20th at Grandma and Grandpa Schierding's house. Diane made a wonderful meal of Chicken and Dumplings (I vote that this becomes the yearly tradition over there) and Kate brought a yummy Greek salad. After dinner with tore into the mountain of presents. Eleanor was perfectly content watching Caroline open her gifts. We had to coax her into opening her own. The biggest hit for both girls was from Aunt Mary. She gave them crayons and coloring books. Simple and fun. Caroline is an intense colorer. They both "shared" Eleanor's crayons and had a blast. Eleanor also really loved the baby that she got from Grandma. After presents I headed to the kitchen to whip up some Nutella filled Ebelskivers. Yum! We had so many gifts to bring home. Soon Brian is going to set up her table and chairs in the basement. She's going to love it!

Christmas at the Meiser house was on the 22nd. Eleanor was still exhausted from the first round (and because she sleeps horribly in her pack and play). Dinner was the usual Christmas appetizer feast. So fun and so good :). We actually had to wake Eleanor from a 3+ hour nap to come and join the party, not to mention that the kids were getting tired of waiting on her to open presents. The look on Eleanor's face when she came down the stairs was priceless. She was so excited and happy to see all of her cousins and family in the house. She could not stop smiling. Of course she didn't want to eat anything, so we jumped right into the gift giving. Eleanor enjoyed searching through her stocking and loved carrying around her $5 bill. I think this would have been enough for her. Once again, she enjoyed wandering around and watching all the other kids open their gifts. After everyone was finished, we helped her open hers. She loved the shopping cart from the Fanks. Grandma's rocking horse wasn't such a hit. Eleanor was, of course, scared of it :(. Since we've been home, she's really enjoyed pushing her baby in the stroller that the Stecker family gave her. She's a luck girl :).

It was great to get home on the 23rd to get some rest before Santa came. Brian and I exchanged gifts that night. He loved his Muppets shirt and Thomas Keller cookbook, and I got a beautiful locket and a sewing machine! Both things I really, really wanted! I hope everyone likes homemade gifts...

On Chrismas Eve we all opened one gift - pajamas to wear that night/the following day. It's the beginning of a fun, new tradition for us.

Christmas morning! Santa came in full force! Eleanor must have been extra good this year ;). The first thing Eleanor ran to, after some giggling and looks of surprise, was her wooden train set. She immediately started driving her choo-choos around and making "train" noises. So cute! She was interested in her new, green potty chair, and even said, "pot" and "potty" when we told her what they were. Then she spotted her Little People doll house. And that was it. Nothing else mattered. Just as before, we had to kind of make her open the wrapped gifts, which included lots of books, a Haba color game, animal flashcards, a huge Pooh and Tigger blanket, wooden blocks, a hooded bath towel, a wooden frog with a string to pull him along, and some dinosaurs, which she calls "cuggies" for some reason. It makes me laugh every time :). Some of her other unwrapped gifts were a Rody, which she refuses to sit on, Little People legos, a yellow Bilibo, a Sit and Spin that plays music (baby techno music), some wooden puzzles, a Tickle Me Elmo, and a My Pal Scout dog that she loves. He says, sings, and spells her name and knows all about her and her favorite things. It's adorable and always makes her smile. She also got a ladybug that displays stars and the moon on her ceiling. She likes it a lot, too. I thought she would like it on in her room when she when to bed that night, but she didn't. Eleanor is very much a creature of habit. Santa also left some great things in her stocking, like chalk for her easel, ballons, play-doh, and some slippers that she actually likes to wear around the house. They're great for the cold basement, too.

Brian and I stayed in our jammies all day. Eleanor would have, but she smeared Nutella all over her face, hands, and hair and needed a bath after breakfast. So she wore her cute Chrismas outfit instead. It was a great day of doing nothing other than enjoying our wonderful little family :).

Eleanor meets the Christmas tree :)

Brian and I put up the tree and lights last night while Eleanor was sleeping. We were so excited for her to see it this morning. She looked pleased, but not as excited as I thought she might be. Maybe next year. We're going to let her help with the ornaments tonight. That should be interesting.

Eleanor had yet another weight check today. She has gained 4 ounces since October. Not great, but at least it's something. I think the doctor and nurses are starting to realize that she's just a petite little girl. Although, I wish she was a better eater. That would make life so much easier for everyone. She will not eat any veggies at all. Sometimes she likes meat, and sometimes she doesn't. Eleanor will not touch mac & cheese or cereal of any kind - crazy kid! I just can't wait until she can tell me what she wants to eat and what she does and doesn't like.

We'll be able to keep Jimmy John's in business

Eleanor is an extremely picky eater. The child will not touch macaroni and cheese or cereal of any kind. Unless she automatically recognizes the food she's about to eat, she will stick out her tongue and barely touch the food to it just to see if she likes it. Usually she doesn't :( However, the girl will devour a slim 4 with cheese from Jimmy John's. We shared one tonight for dinner, along with an apple and some of Jimmy John's yummy chips. It was a fun and yummy meal, and one we might have to start having more often...

I stink at this :(

It's a good thing writing this blog isn't my livelihood. Every night I think that I'll definitely update the blog tomorrow night, which of course never happens. Poor Eleanor. I hope she's not too disappointed when she looks back at this someday.

It's two days after Eleanor's second Thanksgiving, and we are all sharing a nasty cold. It breaks my heart to hear her coughing through the night. Brian did teach her to blow her nose, though, so something good has come from this I guess. She HATES having her nose wiped, so I have to sneak in and catch her off-guard.

Thanksgiving was a success, even with our illnesses. We chose to have it at our house again this year because it could possibly be our last year in this house (fingers crossed). Brian's parents came over, along with my entire family minus Katy and Livy. I think the food was good, but it's hard to tell since my taste buds are dull (again because of the cold). Eleanor was pretty crabby at first, but after some rest time in her crib and little Tylenol, she was so excited to play with her cousins.

This coming week is Brian's last week of classes, and then two weeks of finals. We can't wait to have daddy's undivided attention :).

Getting smarter everyday...

Although Eleanor still isn't a big talker, it is amazing how much she knows and remembers. A few nights ago Brian was reading one of her favorite books to Eleanor - Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin. It's such a cute book. Anyway, without being prompted by Brian, she started saying, "no" right when she should in the story. It was so cute! I also managed to teach her where her knees were after just a few times of saying, "knees" and pointing to her cute little knees. Toddlers are so fun!

The other skill we're working on right now is getting Eleanor to feed herself with a spoon. She did pretty well on her first night, and even better tonight with her applesauce. Her first go at mastering the spoon included a big bowl of yogurt. So messy but so fun. I'm sure the she ended up wearing at least 50% of it, but she didn't neglect the yogurt on her bib. She promptly sucked it off of her bib after the yogurt in her bowl was "gaw gone."