Staying at Home

This last week was pretty crazy. I only worked Monday and Wednesday, but it was still exhausting, just because of all of the training and goodbyes. They had a farewell party for me with cake, and they said a lot of nice things. But now it's over and there are several people that I miss a lot already (just a good reason to visit though, right?).

Anyway, since then, Elena and I have gone to storytime at the library, and to the park a couple of times. And I've actually been able to get things done during the day, which is a nice change.
It's still an adjustment, though. I haven't fully realized that I'm not working anymore, and Elena's been really clingy the last few days, not knowing that I wasn't going anywhere. She still loves to go to Janice's to visit and play with Ellie, who's 6 months older than her, and I always have to persuade her to come home.

Last weekend we went to my mother-in-law's house for Elena's cousin's first birthday. It was a Yo Gabba Gabba theme. If you don't know what that is, enjoy your ignorance on the topic. Awhile ago I didn't know either, and now I know all of the songs. As much as I try to limit tv watching, and believe me, I try, Elena loves this show (One time when she was really sick I let her watch tv because she was so miserable, and it's been a battle to undo it ever since). Most shows for little ones are a little too advanced, but this one is more age-appropriate for her. I've been looking for activities for her to do during the day so that she won't want to watch tv at all. I think it will get easier now that I'm home because I won't be as busy doing other things. I'm trying to take her somewhere every morning, and hopefully we'll have lots of trips to the parks and playdates in the afternoons.

Here's one of the activities to keep her amused. Just a hole in a box, with plastic Easter eggs for her to stuff in there. It actually amused her a lot. And I put rice and beans in some of the eggs and glued them shut to make shakers. She loves the egg shakers they have at the library that they use during the Hokey Pokey, so that one was a no-brainer. And her baby dolls always amuse her.See how long her hair is? Jorge thinks she's girly because every time her hair gets in her face, she's wiping it out of the way. She does not like it in her eyes.So today I gave her pigtails for the first time, so that it wouldn't get in her eyes at all. Jorge pointed out to me that they were crooked, but I wasn't about to do them again. Not bad for the first time, right?In the backyard, drawing with chalkBlowing me a kissHer new favorite song is "I'm a Little Teapot," because she likes to tip over. She hasn't figured out how to have a handle and a spout at the same time yet, so she has two handles, then two spouts.

It's funny that some things she takes after Jorge and I. When we have to wipe her finger with a napkin because there's a tiny dab of ketchup on it, I know she got that from Jorge. When she bites her straw constantly until it's flat, I know she got that from him, too. But when she asks me to lightly tickle her arm more, or for Jorge to keep playing with her hair, I know that came from me. And when she likes to lounge at times and just cuddle, I know she got that from me, too. And here's something random. After 10 pm tonight a neighbor behind us started having a party in their backyard . . . with really loud music. Jorge went in the backyard, I guess to investigate, and a few minutes later I peeked out to see what he was doing. But I couldn't see him. Then I saw his feet dangling from the high wall behind our planter, and he was sitting on top of it. And between songs he yelled out that they needed to turn their music down. When he came in I asked him how he got up on the wall and he said, "I'm a Marine, I can climb any wall." I still don't know how he got up there.