Bright spot

Man, it seems like everyday I’m finding out that our economy is getting worse. I just read that the Big Three automakers, GM, Chrysler and Ford, could file bankruptcy if things don’t improve in the next year.

Yesterday I heard a paper in Northwest Indiana layed off more than 20 people and are dropping several sections of their paper. The newspaper industry has been slowly evolving with the popularity of Internet news, and now with the economy as it is, it’s really going to start changing.

Foreclosures are up, job losses are up, advertising is down … It’s starting to get a little depressing and a little scary isn’t it?

Well here’s a dose of cuteness for you today, now that you’re depressed too! This is what Ella’s been up to the last week or so …

Sweet and sour

What a difference an extra hour of sleep makes. For Ella at least. she went to bed early last night (7:30) and woke up in a great mood this morning. She talked (in her own secret language) the entire trip to the sitter’s this morning.

I, on the other hand, went to bed at my normal hour (normal for elderly, young children and me): at 9 p.m. But today, yet again, it was all I could do to drag myself out of bed. And I hit snooze as long as I possibly could. Right up to the point where I only had 20 minutes to get both Ella and I ready to go. Not a lot of time.

So as I got myself ready I propped up Miss Cheerful in bed with daddy and gave her a fruit breakfast bar, a banana, milk, put her bib on her and turned on her favorite PBS show. She was so sweet. She just happily ate away.

She hasn’t been entirely sweet lately though. The other night I watched my sister’s kids for a few hours – with help from my husband. One too many times Ella pushed Finn and took his toy. So the time-outs begun.

I’m so torn on the whole discipline thing. Part of me thinks she’s too young, and that seems to be the gist of the Internet philosophy out there, but then I also think kids are individuals and she really may get it and I need to do what I can to make her STOP beating on other children! I could go on and on about that, but there’s other happy things to think about.

1. My dear friend is having a baby GIRL, as she found out yesterday. I figure I’m not really breaking the news because her husband has posted his own blog about it here.

2. My BIL is in recovery from having his spleen removed. Hope you feel better soon Matt.

3. My girlfriend’s daughter, Emma, who’s 7 years old, has started a blog. And it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever read. Check it out here.

And now I’m way too tired to think of a clever way to wrap this up.

Things I learned this Fourth of July

1. Schedules are very important for toddlers. Late nights + fewer naps = crazy baby.

2. Aunt Becky carries a lot of stuff in her purse. Including a flashlight.

3. Little Maximilian loves an audience and has a hundred faces to amuse them.

4. Ella doesn’t like cold pools. But a heated pool or a lake with waves and she’s completely satisfied.

5. Parades were invented for children. Lots of waving, lots to look at and candy being thrown right to you. It’s like heaven on Earth for kids.

6. There’s nothing better than going to another person’s house who has different toys and a child-proofed home. Thanks Tami!

7. We should take our pop-up camper for a test run before using it for an 8-day stretch. Working water would have been really helpful this week.

8. Always prepare for rain the week of the fourth. It will rain at least once. Have a book and dvd player as backup.

9. Shirley throws a mean baby shower. Loved the chicken salad sandwiches, sausage/bacon rolls and cream cheese/beef bites.

10. Bryan is a master outdoor chef. I didn’t know you could even cook a casserole on a grill.

11. Having older cousins is extremely helpful.

12. Ella really likes to grab and poke at people’s faces.

13. We’re encouraging more toe grabbing.

14. It’s really hard to get a good picture of six kids.

15. But it can be done.

You may now realize I have a really good excuse for not blogging for over a week – we went camping. No Internet, no TV, barely working phones. Now I’m trying to conquer heaps of dirty laundry and round up some food for us to eat this week … so hopefully this post will keep you all happy for now. More later!

Yes, two days in a row

Ella had her 15-month appointment today. She turned 15 months old just last week.

I sorta look forward to these milestone appointments because A. I get to find out how she compares to the average kid as far as weight, height, head size go and B. I get good advice from my doctor and learn a little about what’s to come.

I have also had some trying times at the doctor’s office though. Seeing your baby scream and look at you like a traitor while holding her down letting a stranger inject her with a needle is no day at the park. Also no day at the park: Waiting for 45 minutes with your toddler in a tiny doctor’s office with counters that have sharp edges and a dangerous rolling stool. And that’s after the 45-minute wait in the main waiting room.

After only waiting 5 minutes in the main waiting room today our name was called. Hallelujah. I almost commented on the quick response time but then realized I would totally jinx myself and could be spending the rest of the day in the tiny office.

Another 5 minutes later though and the nurse practitioner was there to see us. Yes! Since I had to reschedule my appointment I didn’t get to see our regular doctor, but the nurse practitioner was very friendly. And Ella was cute as can be running around the room and playing with a basket of dinosaurs they had in this particular room. Also lovely – this room was set up differently than any other office I had waited in. No sharp corners. Rolly stool out of view. And more playroom. It was awesome.

So they did the usual testing: Ella’s at 50 percent for weight and 75 percent for height. This means she’s average for weight, but actually taller than average. In the top 25 percent. Crazy. Her dad and I are not really above average in the height department. We’re not really short, but nobody ever has referred to us as being tall.

Anyway. Ella didn’t like it when she stuck the cold stethoscope on her or felt around her abdomen. And she especially didn’t like her vaccination shot. But she got over it quickly. And she has NO ear infections, her chest cold is completely gone and the doctor seemed really pleased with her diet. Yay!!

Afterward we went home and waited to hear from Steve’s cousins. They were on their way home from a trip and were going to stop for a visit. They called and the idea was presented that we could instead meet them at Cracker Barrel off the highway, saving them some time.

We had a really nice time seeing them. They had their three young children with them and a young cousin. Misty and I talked a lot about camping. They also have a pop-up camper and had just spent 3 days camping with a lot of their relatives. I asked her a lot of questions as I have only been camping once in ours. It made me really excited to use it too. And it sounds like her kids love it. We’re making plans to meet and camp with them later in the summer.

Now Ella is taking a nice long nap, since the doctor visit interrupted her morning one. She’s been taking really long naps lately too. Maybe it’s from all that growing …