It is time once again for an Ellen update since I'm sure you were all getting antsy anyway. Ellen just seems to be growing like crazy now. I swear she got taller just over the weekend. Just two months ago Ellen's clothes were hanging off of her, now she is wearing highwater pants. Does this mean that she is growing, or that I'm shrinking everything in the laundry?
This entry will seem a bit disjointed since we have been trying to capture things as they happen, but we don't necessary flesh out the writings. Please forgive us, and don't hesitate to ask if you miss something.
Ellen has been starting to take off pieces of her own clothing recently. Socks and shoes are always fun, but she really enjoys it when she can get her pants or shirt off. On Nov. 12, she was finally able to take off her own pajamas. Jada stopped her before she could get the diaper off, but it is only a matter of time! She can put her shoes on by herself...even on the right feet most of the time, but she can't tie them yet...darnit. She is very helpful, though. She helps with laundry, she can take her own coat and hat off, she climbs up in her chair. She can even go up and down steps on her own now.
On November 17, 2002, after many months of training, dedication, and hard work, Ellen successfully executed her first "zerbert" of her young career (some may also know these as "raspberries"). In the past, she had simply gotten kind of close to my belly and spit at it. But it just all came together. We are so proud.
We finally gave Ellen her first haircut on November 23. Jada just did a little bit of trimming around the bangs, but she needed it. El's hair had started getting to the point where it actually bothered her getting into her eyes. Jada has been putting her hair up in pony tails more and more since Ellen's hair is getting so long.
The Wiltz's threw another successful Thanksgiving dinner for all of us "orphans" out here in Oregon. This year's event combined the orphans as well as the extended real family. It was a good time as always. Two deep-fried Turkeys, lots of great sides, and several yummy pies. Ellen really enjoyed the applesauce, mashed potatoes, and some turkey. She also got to play with my Goddaughter Elsa. They played with Ellen's stacking cups, and just seemed to enjoy playing together.
The day after Thanksgiving, we went to the Zoo Lights Member's Only Opening Night. It was cold that night, but we bundled Ellen up tight in a full-body fleece outfit. Ellen's friend joined us for the night as well. For those of you not familiar with the Oregon Zoo's Zoolights, it's where they keep the Zoo open late and decorate the whole place with Christmas lights. We decided to take the train ride which makes a 9 minute loop of the zoo, but it always ends up being a long line. However, we hit it first, and got on the second train. Ellen had lots of fun sitting on my lap and pointing at the animals made of lights along the train route. After the ride, we went up to the Cascade Grill for the holiday buffet. The head chef at the Zoo's newest eatery is one of Jada's parent volunteers from a few years ago. We also ran into our friends, the Tao's again. The dinner was similar to the Thanksgiving dinner with the addition of the ham, but it was so good, we didn't even care. Even though the turkey wasn't fried, it was still quite good.
Ellen's talking up a storm now too. She is putting together little sentences with subject and verb. Though she still refers to herself in the 3rd person. Maybe I let her watch too many sports. (just kidding) It's still cute. She can say the alphabet up to "d" when she sings the alphabet song. She's got the tune down as well. She can also sing "Twinkle-Twinkle Little Star" pretty well. El is just so smart.
Jada and Ellen's weekly playgroups have been a success. Ellen enjoys playing with all the kids and is working on the concept of sharing. We have had babies as young as 2 months all the way up to Ellen's age. It is fun to watch them interact and the moms enjoy the company as well.
This past weekend was another full one. We all went to Jada's school for a Pancake breakfast on Saturday. Ellen's baby sitter was working the pancakes and saved out a tiny one just for her. The breakfast was in support of the Bazaar and Book Fair at the school, where we browsed after the breakfast. We picked up several books, and one small thing from the Bazaar. It's all to support the school. On the way home, we stopped by our local tree farm (it's right between Jada's school and our house) to pick up our tree. We actually found several good ones right near the front, but after looking a little longer, we decided on a nice 8 foot Douglas Fir (that's all they grow there). We were going to take a picture of it with Ellen and I brushing down the tree, but the camera's battery died. So I went ahead and cut it down, threw it on the car, and off we went to put the tree up at home. During Ellen's nap, I put the lights up outside, and later that night, we decorated. Ellen followed me around and around the tree while I was stringing the lights. It was pretty funny. She seemed very excited about having a tree inside the house this year.
Sunday morning, we went to the Woodburn outlet mall to get more clothes for Ellen now that she has started growing out of everything. It was probably the least prepared we have ever been leaving the house. We brought the most important things: diaper bag, water, milk, and animal crackers. But we didn't bring a stroller or activities for Ellen to do on the drive down I-5. Luckily we didn't have to worry much. She amused herself with her animal crackers walking them around on her legs and making animal sounds on the way down. On the way back, we sang Jingle Bells. She picked it up pretty fast, except she says "Jingle Balls".
Finally, we have lucked into more hand-me-downs from our friends with a girl who is almost exactly 1 year older than Ellen. They gave us their old toddler bed. We weren't going to buy one originally. We were just going to get Ellen a twin bed rather than spend the money twice, but since we're not paying for the toddler bed, we figured it'd be just as good. Those Casey's sure take care of us.
Obi update: Jada and Obi are doing as well as can be expected. Obi is pushing and stretching and sometimes hurting Jada's stomach. We can see Obi move around in there now, too. Jada seems to be growing out of her clothes just as quickly as Ellen. It's all we can do to keep up with the changing sizes in this family!
Journal Entry 12/8/02