100 Happy Days - June 9 (day #9)

My awesome brother has been here for a few weeks helping us get ready to move. Although she was previously a huge fan, Phoebe has decided that for this visit she "doesn't like Uncle John". She reminds him of this frequently. However, when there is a computer and some ice cream involved, she'll hang out with him. Grudgingly.

Despite her declared dislike, Phoebe and John actually have a lot in common. I love watching the battle of wills when they interact.

100 Happy Days - June 8 (day #8)

Late on the 8th, Jeremy and Phoebe got back from the big camping trip. [Side note: I'll try to get John or Jeremy to post some camping pictures]. From all accounts the trip was a huge success and everyone had a great time. Phoebe climbed a rock wall, played in the river, and ate her weight in s'mores. After all that fun, and sleeping in a tent for two nights, everyone was a little worn out. When the campers got back, there were some quick showers, a light dinner, and then everyone just relaxed a little before early bedtime. Phoebe tends to get a little tragic when she is tired, so as a special treat (and to avoid full-on meltdown) we let her watch a little bit of Frozen before bed. She and Jeremy cuddled on the floor and watched the movie - watching them together definitely makes me happy. Jeremy is such a good Dad and it is adorable how Phoebe wants to be just like him - when they do things together she will watch him out of the corner of her eye and will try to copy him.

DANGER!!

Our cats have a fairly well-honed sense of self-preservation, so they have instinctively steered clear of Phoebe for most of her life. Lucy and Danger have both been a little more curious about Eleanor - especially when she is asleep inside her fleece sleep sack. Then I think they just assume we have conveniently provided them with a milk scented, fuzzy furnace to cuddle with.

Lately, Eleanor has been figuring out forward motion which makes her a bigger threat to the comfort of our four-legged family members. Lucy typically gives her a wide berth (and Rocky, as usual, stays well out of the way of all children). Danger though, is still interested in Ellie. He tends to bait her by sitting just out of reach. Then after she lunges and grabs him, he acts all put out and agitates for treats. He is not fooling anyone.

PS Please ignore the ginormous mess in the background. We're moving so that gives us a free pass on giant messes - right???

100 Happy Days - June 7 (day #7)

Fresh-from-the-bath baby in fuzzy jammies. 100% guaranteed to make anyone happy.

MORE!!!

 We started Eleanor on solid foods a little before her six month birthday. She is a VORACIOUS eater. At mealtime we need to clear everything off the table that is within her reach or she will shove it in her mouth. Ellie does not let her lack of teeth stop her from attempting to eat anything and everything she can get her tiny hands on. If you are a little too slow with the food, she is quick to let you know that she is waiting ...

100 Happy Days - June 6 (day #6)

This was the day that Phoebe and Jeremy left for their big camping trip. I had spent all night on the 5th and most of the morning on the 6th frantically getting them ready to go then I had to head into the office to try to get caught up on some work. By the end of the day I was pretty worn out - not to mention a little sad that I was missing out on the Big Sur trip. But then I went to pick up Eleanor at daycare and I realized that there are definitely worse fates than having to spend a weekend with a cuddly, adorable seven month old.  Eleanor is a super sweet baby and often I don't get to give her much attention since I am busy dealing with Phoebe, or cooking or cleaning. I make the conscious decision to let a few things slide so that I could just spend a quiet, lazy weekend with my little munchkin.

Friday night we went out to dinner with my friend Rachel at a cute little German place in Seaside. It is run by an older couple - he serves and she cooks - the food is delicious and it definitely has "atmosphere" :)  We had a lot of fun at dinner, but after all the excitement of getting the campers ready and dinner out, we were both wiped. Eleanor even fell asleep on the way home. How could that adorable sleeping baby not make someone incredibly happy??

Our Little Dare Devils

At the park a few nights ago, I was holding Eleanor and we were watching Phoebe go down the slide. Every time Phoebe would slide, Eleanor would start kicking her legs and laughing. Phoebe said "Mommy, I think Babinor wants to go down the slide too". I tried to explain that Ellie was too little, but Phoebe promised to help and to be very careful so I decided to give it a shot. I put Ellie on Phoebe's lap and held on while they went down the slide - Eleanor LOVED it. She giggled and giggled and giggled.

After a few rounds of that Phoebe said they didn't need my help anymore and they could do it by themselves "just sisters, no mommies" is how she put it. In retrospect, this could have gone horribly awry, so maybe it wasn't my smartest parenting decision ever.  In practice though, Phoebe was very careful with her sister and very proud of how safe she was being. Eleanor, had a great time.