Grandma Great

My Grandma is one of those ladies with remarkable talents.
The kind of lady who seems to have been born with a needle in her fingers and a thimble on her thumb.
The same kind of lady who can whip out a gorgeous quilt in no time flat without breaking a sweat.
The kind of lady that can make a girl feel special even though she's thousands of miles away.

My Grandma made this quilt for Kellie's room. It's beautiful and we're very grateful. Thank you Grandma, for taking the time to make such a priceless heirloom for your Great-Granddaughter.

And now, some pictures of the quilt in action.

Hi Grandma Great!

I really like the quilt you made for me!

It completes my room and makes my mattress look like a bed.

Thank you for all the love you put into this quilt. Good night!

Kellie's Lovey

Kellie has never been interested in a lovey. She used to think that stuffed animals were something fun to carry around, but she'd drop them the moment something shiny caught her eye.

When I found Llama Llama Red Pajama at Barnes and Noble, I just had to get this llama to go along with the story.

It was a self-indulgent purchase that I regretted while walking away from the cashier. But now I'm so glad I bought it because this llama is
Kellie's new lovey.

We say, "Do you want your llama?"
Following the story's rhyming text, she'll answer, "MaMa!"
and reach for her llama.

She lays it across her eyes to go to sleep at night. When she wakes, she'll reach out for it, hug it and go back to sleep. It melts my heart to see her so attached to this little llama.

Easter was a hit -

- until we pumped our previously sugar-limited toddler with chocolate.
That was a disaster I have no intention of repeating.
THEN?
We had the bright idea of going to see "Horton Hears a Who" in theater.
Can you tell we are first-time parents?
Brian was a champ and took care of our hyped-up
kidlet in the foyer and at the back of the auditorium.
I had such a headache today, my parenting patience was tapped out.

We had a little easter egg hunt that was fun.
Kellie caught on to the idea of finding eggs.
And putting them in her basket.

But then she would get confused about the eggs in the basket and find those again.

Sometimes, she'd swap an egg in her basket for an egg in a hiding spot.

She enjoyed clacking the plastic eggs together.
She enjoyed clacking the boiled eggs even more.

Kellie's Mutti sent an adorable outfit for her hunt.
(Thank you, again!)
She also sent a book about a bunny who hides eggs
and chocolate bunnies for the kids.
I assured Ruthie that we had a chocolate bunny to hide for Kellie
so she wouldn't be disappointed.
She swapped an orange egg from her basket for her final find -
the prized chocolate bunny.

Happy Easter all!

PigTail Princess

Please excuse the shiny spot on Kellie's cheek. Let's just assume it's applesauce.

For Ampa

Under My Rock

We're alive, just enjoying our time under the rock. This morning, I folded laundry while Kellie watched Finding Nemo. She got two fish for her room last weekend. She's absolutely taken with them. We wake up and feed them before breakfast. Then we feed them (She signs "food"), turn out their light, say goodnight ("Bye bye fishy") and climb into bed at night. Having fish in her room has turned out to be a wonderful transitioning tool. And she loves to call for them ("Fishies! Fishies!") and ask to be picked up ("Up? Up?") so she can see them. (They're up on her bookshelf.)

Kellie is back in cloth. When offered the choice, she chose her bumGenius, hugged it to her chest and sighed, "Mmmmmm..."

Remember why we started cloth in the first place? Kellie would have a bleeding rash in disposables. No matter what cream I used or how frequently I changed her. I was hoping her body would have... I don't know - grown out of it or something. Nope. The rash is still there. No amount of laziness will keep me from using what's best for my baby's bottom. So, cloth it is, folks.

I have a horrible paper cut that is making typing not-so-fun.

I finally cleaned my house...again. Seems this place doesn't come with a self-cleaning button.

Ummm... That's it. Sad, huh?

But I'm siiiiiick!

We're sick!

Want to hear something that may shock you? We're taking a break from cloth and using disposables for an undetermined amount of time. I don't know if it's because I'm sick or because I'm bored (of cloth) or if it's because I've been spending so much time out of the house. But I have no drive to do diaper laundry. Each time I do, it's with heavy feet. Gasp! I know!

I'm loving my new haircut. Did I mention that I cut it? It's my new favorite cut and I'm sure I'll be repeating it for a while. I'll have to post a picture when I don't look like a congested ape.

I'm off to Walmart to buy diapers. (Gasp! Again!)