Eleanor: 10 things

1. Eleanor has learned to walk! Sort of. She actually took her first steps a few weeks ago, but it's been slow going from there. I remember when Jude took his first steps it was this big occasion; it meant from then on he walked, pretty much all the time. Ellie's first steps have seemed a little less exciting because she didn't just take off walking afterwards, and she still hasn't quite done it yet. At first she took one or or two steps and then fell, refusing to take anymore. It feels like every few days she goes further and further. I think at least part of what's holding her back is a fear that I will stop carrying everywhere (which I probably will). Ellie's turned out to be a little less independent than I initially thought she would be. But we're making progress!  Eleanor now walks across a room or sometimes further. She especially loves to walk around holding your hands.

2. I think at least part of the reason Ellie is a slow walker is because she's a lot less graceful than Jude was. She doesn't seem to have much control over her own limbs and balance a lot of times! Poor little girl has so many bruises and bumps on her, far more than I remember Jude ever getting. Guess she inherited my klutziness.

3. Eleanor definitely says "ma ma" and "da da" and knows what they mean. Jude used to call me "ba ba" (until he was like 2 years old),  so it's nice to hear my actual name!

4. With an older brother, it's inevitable that Ellie would love trains and cars. The cutest part is she actually pushes the cars around and makes "rooommm rooommm" noises.

5. Ellie's weakness is soft, cuddly stuffed animals. When she sees them at the store, she squeals and shakes with joy. It's so adorable the way she grabs them and gives them a big squeeze, resting her head on top. But sadly, stuffed animals are like the worst toy to accumulate. They take up lots of space, rarely get actually played with, and you somehow always get more and more of them. Hopefully we'll be able to keep the crazy animal collection in check!

6. This girl has a huge sweet tooth and an amazing ability to identify sweets, even from far away. I cannot sneak a cookie if she's anywhere nearby; she always knows! I'm sure that's a terrible thing for a parent to admit, but whatever. Let's be real here; Ellie had her first full-on ice cream cone, that she ate by herself, at like 8 months.

7. Obviously, Eleanor knows how to stand up in her crib and has for some time now. But what's funny about Ellie is that she doesn't walk around her crib or cruise on the railing like pretty much every other baby. Instead, she will only stand in one spot, the the front corner. Doesn't matter how long she's been crying, that's the only place she'll go and she won't move at all. For whatever reason, I find that rather strange.

8. Raising children in age of cell phones is quite interesting. Eleanor loves my phone and always tries to get it. All she wants to do is open the camera and take selfies. So many blurry baby selfies are on my phone at all times, not to mention a large amount of random shots of my feet or unflattering snapshots of the weird facial expressions I make when I'm fighting for my phone back.

 9. Eleanor is seriously the hardest baby to dress. It's like herding cats and then trying to wrestle one into a pair of leggings. It's so bad I usually have to plan at least an extra ten minutes to get her ready. She HATES diaper changes and hates lying down to get dressed. As soon as I catch her and get her down on the ground, she wiggles free with half a diaper on or one leg sticking out of her pants. I honestly think it's one of my least favorite, if not the least favorite, thing I do all day. I feel bad because she doesn't get her diaper changed as frequently as she probably should, but it's just so ridiculous to get her to lay still. I'd just let her go naked, but that causes accidents everywhere. Literally. I tried it.

10. Outside is the place to be for Eleanor. She always wants to go in the backyard or out to ride bikes in the street. One of the reasons I've been so anxious for her to finally walk everywhere is so I can let her go out in the backyard with Jude to play. Right now she still crawls and the backyard is usually wet from rain or covered in sand and leaves and just not very easy to crawl around in. Plus I'm tired of all her pants getting giant stains in the knees. And once she's outside, she's intent on just going up and down the slide, which is a very mom-intense activity, and I don't have much patience for it over and over. So poor Ellie gets trapped inside, banging on the glass door to get out all the time. When we go outside to play in the front yard, she's everywhere, up and down, up and down, crawling in the street, in the dirt, into our neighbor's garage to wave to their dogs... it's exhausting. If she would just walk, I feel like so much of the stress on me would be gone, and then she could play outside happily to her heart's content!

I have to say, I just love little Eleanor to death. Little girls are so sweet and fun! I can't get enough of those kissable cheeks and that crazy, always-in-her-face hair. Our Ellie Bellie is the best.