Bed bugs

Ella is rolling over and over and over. She can also hold her head up at a 45 degree angle and get up on her knees.What is going on, this child is growing like a weed. Jack's beanstalk has nothing on this girl. I find myself telling Ella, "milestones shilestones, you know that whole growing up and leaving home when your 18? That is just a suggested time frame, lots of people live in their parents house until they are say 40 or forever." But no, it seems she has a copy of the "How Babies Develop Book" and is reading ahead. Along with all this growing, she has started sleeping for longer stretches at night. Even sleeping through the night. I thought that when this time period came I would be like the princess in the "princess and the pea", once she finally got a bed without a pea in it. Relieved, so very relieved. Instead I find myself waking up at 4:30, tiptoeing into Ella's room and whispering "Hey Ella, Ella are you awake? Are you asleep? I mean it is cool if your asleep but if your awake, I am awake..." I miss the 4:30 wake up call. 4:30 is prime cuddle time. I use to count on that time to feed Ella and then tuck her under my arm and bring her back to bed with Drew and I. A small chunk of time not encroached upon by all of the days needed deeds. No laundry, or work, or daycare. Just me, Ella and Drew, with nothing to do but snooze. Well, that and talk to Ella about what type of wallpaper she is going to want for her room when she is 40.

Chillen' with the Peeps

Ms. Ella is able to turn over! We have not gotten to see it her in the act, but we know it is happening. She goes to bed on her back and when we come in later, there she is, flipped over onto her stomach. Drew and I have tried to get her to perform this little feat for us during the daylight hours, but so far, no cigar. The folks at her daycare tell us she does it all the time for them. All the time. Of course, for us, we have toys out and are cooing her name till we are hoarse but she just teases us by twisting her torso around like a little acrobat. I am going to get a hidden camera. Tape her at night. She has also started sucking her thumb, I have often wondered how that happens. Why is the thumb the finger that gets picked, by most every child on the planet? Ella has joined the masses and is sucking her thumb. Lovely, normal child. She still is working out the logistics of the whole thing. Most the time it is the whole fist that is wedged in her mouth, but the thumb is starting to win out. Not only is Ella flipping over and sucking her thumb but she has started to reach out and grab things. This is the moment I have been waiting for. All those adorable, noise making toys that hang, are now a reasonable purchase for me. Before, I had to pass by the cute elephant that sings a lullaby when you pull his tail, but no more. Now, I too can begin to purchase teethers that are rattles, that have lights and tell you a story and can be suspended by plastic rings. All those hanging toys call out to me, " I am just what Ella is going to want, I will make her day, buy me and she will be up and walking in no time". On second thought I am not sure I want her up and walking in no time. The child has been able to hit three milestones in two weeks (well technically thumb sucking is not a mile stone but if you saw the coordination it takes, you would count it as one too) if she grows up any faster I am going to have to pack her bags for college by December. Maybe she knows this about me. I am not ready for my little 10 week old to be rolling over quite yet. Perhaps, she is sparing me. Maybe, I will not put in that hidden camera. If she is rolling over in her room, there is know telling what else is going on. Reading, having disco parties with her peeps, doing complex algebra. I will just take what she gives me. Lawd knows, she fills me with wonder as it is.

The secret life of Mimi and Ella

My cat stayed with Mimi for a few weeks once. My cat who has never been feed from anything but his food bowl and who, having a vegetarian owner, had no idea what ham was. After staying with Mimi, I had 4 weeks of trying to convince Fitz that no food was going to accidentally fall from my plate and if it did, it would definitely not be ham. Though the meowing was incessant for those 4 weeks, I was glad that Fitz had had a little spoiling. A little bit of ham falling from the sky must seem like a miracle for a cat and who does not need a few miracles. That was my cat, imagine Mimi's granddaughter. This past week when Mimi came to visit, there were whispers of all the wonderful things that would happen at Mimi's house and it all ended with " we won't tell your Mama". I know I heard talk of a pony. I have been lucky enough to be spoiled by my Grandmame and I got to say, there is nothing sweeter than the forbidden fruit. With Grandmame, I had chocolates at mid-day and only had to hint at the toy I wanted and wha-la, it would show up in my room. With my parents, chocolates came at Halloween and I had to launch out an all-out- year-long campaign for a toy and hope that I would get it for Christmas. For the weeks I was with Grandmame, everything was special, including me. I was incredibly special. My drawings belonged in the Lueve, my stories were riveting and I was obviously a gifted ballerina. I knew, none of what happened at my grandparents, would happen anywhere else, but I loved knowing there was one place on earth, where I could do no wrong. I never told my Mama what happened at Grandmame's either.