Cling-on

Ellie is going through a major separation anxiety phase. I took her to the Y's Childwatch twice last week and she did not handle it well either time. The second time, they called me to come get her. Coincidentally, my trainer talked to me (mini-lecture) about doing more cardio than (the almost none) I'm currently doing. So, to solve two problems in one masterful stroke, E and I are planning to head to the Y at least a couple days a week for at least a half hour of cardio so she can get reacquainted with the place and I can get in my cardio. That way, if she has a melt-down, I'm on-site and it's in small enough doses that hopefully, she won't be too traumatized. Also, we can go on her schedule which should help since I have been making her adapt to my schedule for appointments.

Thus far, E is shaping up to be a morning girl. Of course, that could just be how all toddlers are wired. She is most independent and cheerful before nap, so I found myself planning to trim her nails this morning instead of last night. It worked out pretty well. She treated it as a minor annoyance rather than a full out assault. As the day progresses, she becomes more and more likely to cling to me or Dad (on the weekends) like a little starfish. The only thing better than Mom or Dad apparently, is the iPad. I try to reserve it for when I really need to get something done, but I can see how some parents tend to really rely on the TV. It's kind of awesome not to have a little ankle-anchor. And, even with my weight training, she is getting a bit heavy to carry around. I suppose I could use my sling, but I'm trying to get her conditioned to play nearby instead.

Last week, we experimented with one mid-day nap. Friday, we switched back to two. The single nap didn't get longer and while she kept about the same amount of overall sleep per day, by the end of the week, she seemed to be even clingier. So, hopefully, renewing the second nap will help things a little. Although, she still wakes up crankiest from that last nap. At least it gives me a little break so I can handle the crankies better and sometimes get a little work done preparing for dinner.

We've advanced out of the honeymoon phase with the shoes. Now, she has discovered the velcro and prefers them off, so she can carry them around and work the straps. Luckily, she understands getting dressed to leave the house, and readily puts them on for trips about.

February Already?

Lovely in yellow stripes

Her hybrid stand. It's tough deciding whether to stand or push buttons.... She now crawls in this position sometimes.

I can't believe it's already February. So far, the Holiday Zeuser is off to a bad start. He wore his Christmas antlers all through January and I have yet to devise a Valentine outfit for him, despite having purchased supplies about a month ago.... About the only New Year Resolution that is holding up is the playdate(s). We've been hanging with D and her mom every Tuesday for 3 weeks now. It's not a super long time, but I think we are going to stick with it. It's nice talking to a local mom, because I learn things like the fact that Montessori is taking enrollment for next August's toddler class. On my own, I'd have thought about it around October (maybe). I'm not in a big hurry to get rid of Ellie, but a scheduled 2 hours M-F with options for extended play/care would be lovely as I'm trying to schedule all those doctor/dentist/meeting appointments.

Since it's been forever since I updated, I'll recap.
• Ellie is 14 months-old.
• Ellie is napping fine again (for those of you who were concerned after the last post), although she's been shaving her afternoon naps shorter and shorter (35-45 minutes) or just playing in her crib for an hour if she happens to sleep in. She is still getting about 13 hours of sleep per day.
• She has regressed and is waking up 1-2 times a night again.
• We have successfully weaned off the bedtime and afternoon nap. However, she's thrown in an after breakfast snack (or three). I think she gets bored, so I think I have to up my game. Maybe a post-breakfast walk as weather allows. Or, if we can get our stuff together, we may head to the pool.
• P got in his custom poker chips designed by me. He also finished his snazzy new poker tables with their in-table screens. I'll post pics later.
• Ellie has new shoes. We went to Child Watch at the Y and they suggested that in the Toddler room, it's a good idea to have a little more toe protection than socks or booties. She is obsessed with them. As soon as she wakes up and sees them, they MUST go on her feet. Or, be cuddled. I prefer them on her feet. And, she's already turning into a follower. Our new friend D wears her shoes sans socks, so Ellie has been taking her socks off.
• We've been on a decent potty run this week. Which is good since we're coming off teething 2-3 more teeth. Today, I washed diapers after 4 days (instead of 2). And, there were still a pile of diapers in her room. In general, she's going through 2-3 diapers during the day and mostly just wetting during naps. Otherwise, she's pretty consistent about going in the potty.
• Dad has been working with Ellie on body parts. So far, her tummy is the big fave. But, she can identify her nose, toes, ears, head, hair, mouth, teeth, and tongue.
• Although she chooses not to use actual words much (pointing and grunting seems to meet most of her needs), she has started using "Bye-bye" and I think she tried the babysitter's name "Em-mah" (Emily).
• She is pretty obsessed with balloons. Especially red ones. Blame Goodnight Moon.
• She has an ongoing piggy-bank collection. The latest is a baby-sized lavender one from a friend's recent trip to France. Like the shoes, if she sees it, she wants it. Unfortunately, I just have to redirect. I may need to find a small stuffed pig she can hold instead.
• E is still not walking. However, she really loves standing on her own. I think it's just a few weeks away.
• She LOVES crawling up the stairs. Loves. It.
• E is gonna be a bookworm. Almost every time I point the camera at her, she goes for a book. Of course, on second thought, if there is a digital device handy, she goes for that instead. It'll be interesting to see which compulsion wins out ultimately. Dad is really hoping for a video game buddy....

Tomorrow, we tour Montessori to see if it might fit the bill. We know tons of people who love the Montessori program and have sent their kids through it. I'm fairly certain that Ellie would benefit from any socialization and the learning part would just be bonus.