These hands...

Experts & parents throughout the world agree -- hands are not for hitting.

I wonder, however, what experts say about hair pulling? I really can't help it... call it impulse, but when I see hair, I just have to reach out and yank it.

My hands can do many wonderful things -- they can explore textures like corduroy, ribbon, & dog fur. They can shake rattles & press buttons. Parts of my hands can fit inside the little holes on my nose & they taste pretty good and are fun to chew on when I put them in my mouth. I can use my hands to play with my binky -- in & out, in & out...

I can use my hands to touch my mommy's face and I know she likes that very much because she always gives me kisses to tell me so.

As I grow older, I know that these hands will explore much more

& I will use them to bring joy to others.

Dear Diary,

I apologize for not writing for so long! I had such a busy week & weekend -- my Nana & Papa came to visit me from Pencil-Vain-Ya. I'm pretty sure that I spelled that wrong, but I am just a baby & still learning! Speaking of learning, I am learning to make spitty noises and it feels so cool in my mouth!!

Over the weekend, I went to the new IKEA store. So much fun, but my dumb bunny Mommy forgot my binky at home. She'll never do that again... I popped her in the lip in the marketplace to help her remember!

Ode to a Binky

(to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Binky, Binky on my face

You'll always have a special place

In my heart you'll always stay

You pacify me everyday

Binky, Binky soft & sweet

Never leave home without it or you'll be sorry -- you are a special treat!

Please excuse the mess in the kitchen. My mom was painting the bathroom.

Watch me giggle!

Sunny & 70!

It was a beautiful day on Friday!

I was so happy to take Toby for a walk.

He leads Mommy on a rope, while I stroll in style.

Dora Band-aids Make Everything Better

"Hey, Sweet Girl, ready to go bye-bye with Mommy?"

Here's the thing, I'm not crazy about getting strapped in my carseat, but I do love getting out to see the world. Take me outside and I will be a happy baby. Take me to a doctor's office to sit and wait & wait & wait and I'm bound to get squirrely AND suspicious.

"Eleanor!"

I thought, "This can't be good -- they're calling me by my cranky old lady name." Mommy carried me through a set of doors and into a room with jungle animals painted on the wall. I wonder what would happen if I color on the walls in my room...

I soon found out the purpose of this jungle meeting. I had heard whispers of what was to come from the toddler in the waiting room, but was ill prepared for the sharp pains of the needles. At first, I thought, "Not so bad..." BUT, with the second & THIRD shot, I let out a whimper. Hurry! Somebody give me my binky!


As the jungle meeting came to an end, the nurse, who ironically is named Angel, gave me two Dora band-aids & 1 Barbie band-aid and that made me feel much happier. In fact, I've been happy ever since! I am so brave!

Advice from Baby Ellie...

Life's too mysterious, don't be so serious!

This is me being serious, but only to get my point across.

"In walking, just walk. In sitting, just sit.

Above all, don't wobble."

-- Yun Men

Eat a good breakfast & drink plenty of water.

Take little stress breaks, like the one you're taking now. Pictures of me, a cute & ultra snuggly baby will surely put you at ease!

Be cheerful in your day's work. This is me, multi-tasking!

So many toys, so little time!

Diary of a Baby

Dear Diary,

Let me first begin by saying what a beautiful day it is today! This sun is out, the weather is mild, and perhaps it will be enough for Mommy to forget about my little experiment last night.

Before we get to that, I should report that yesterday was equally as beautiful and to celebrate the day, Mommy & I went into town. She put me in my stroller (without the carseat) and I could see the whole world! So many trees, puppies, and people! I even got a present -- a friend for my binky. I think they are friends because Mommy tied the binky to the new lamby clip and then she clipped it onto me. She said something like, "Now she won't be able to launch her binky two rows ahead of us at church anymore." Sounds like a challenge to me!

Back to my experiment... in the night, I awoke to find myself all alone and thought I might benefit from a smackerel of milk. "Mommy! It's me, Ellie. If you love me, will you please come get me?" Which of course sounds like, "Wah, wah, wahahaha..." Brilliant! I could hear her coming... okay, look cute and hungry! I smiled, she smiled, and it worked! Tummy full again!

That was so great that I did it again three hours later! What can I say? I'm a growing girl! After I had the second middle of the night smackerel, I was really tired. I had my silky in one hand, Lamby in the other, and a binky in my mouth -- what more could a baby ask for?

Oh, no! I awoke again while it was still dark to find myself all alone. I thought, 'My tummy is still full, but maybe someone will crawl into my crib and snuggle with me.' I asked -- "Mommy? Are you over there?" She heard, "Wah. Wah." At first, she did not come! Unbelievable! I called again, "Mommy. It's me, your baby. You know, the baby that you wanted SO badly. Your cute and very snuggly baby?" Finally, she came and she scooped me up and I immediately snuggled in. She murmured something about it was almost morning, that I could snuggle in bed with her, and thank God for coffee.

We snuggled in bed, nose to nose, my hand on her cheek... and I think I saw a little tear fall from her eye because she knows that it won't be like this for long.

Diary of a Baby

Dear Diary,

Hi! It's me, Ellie! I'm pretty sure that's my name... these big people say it to me all day long! We have had such a busy week, but you should know that I am feeling much better. I've learned to enjoy the sweet taste of my antibiotics. And now that I am feeling much better, I am SO hungry all the time. Mommy said I grew an extra chin during naptime yesterday.

It snowed this week, which was quite a surprise since Mommy kept talking all week long about how beautiful it's supposed to be on Sunday. Snow on Tuesday... 66 degrees on Sunday. This is beyond me. I'm only four months old -- I'm just trying to figure out how to sit up.

What else have we done this week? Hmmm... we had lots of piano lessons & Bible Study. Bible Study was fun until I realized that Mommy wasn't in the nursery with me. I wailed & wailed until I was a nice shade of crimson. Mommy took me into class & I got to learn about Noah's Ark, too. Miss Sally says that there were dinosaurs on the ark. Wait until I tell that to the other babies...

On Friday, our family went out for pizza. If those big people says, "Mmm" one more time, I don't know what I'm going to do. Maybe I'll steal their cheese!

Before we went out, Mommy gave me a bath.

I told Mommy, "Please, no pictures. It's really too embarrassing." All she heard was "aggle flabble klabble."

Then I said, "Mommy, seriously. I'm only wearing this towel and I'm just not comfortable getting my picture taken." All she heard was, "klabble bla bla".

Finally, I said, "You are SO getting put in a nursing home."

Best wishes for a fun & exciting weekend!

Hugs & Kisses,

Baby Ellie

Tuesday Evening

Tuesday evening, the Merritt family had a meeting at the church to attend that started thirty minutes before somebody's bedtime. Can you guess who that may be? Thinking ahead, I changed Baby Ellie into her pajamas so that she could fall asleep in her car seat.

"Word..."

So here she is, in her pajamas with a warm hat on, and her sweater nearby all ready to go... and then she soiled herself. Nothing could be salvaged, so I started over. New pajamas and suddenly... a second wind!

I wish I could say that at some point through the night that she became exhausted and slept like a champ. I'm sure her Daddy would agree with me when I tell you all that he and I could both use an intravenous coffee drip.

Four Month Check-up

On Monday, Baby Ellie was due for her four month immunizations. Poor Baby... Tripp and I were both dreading it for her, but a day of feeling uncomfortable beats a lifetime of polio. Ellie had been running a temp for about a week and the moment we checked in I noticed that her head felt warm. Sure enough, her fever was 102.9! No shots, but Dr. Baker found the culprit... the beginnings of an ear infection. Now I'm wrestling her daily to take an antibiotic. I will try my best to get a picture of that!

Here are Ellie's four months stats...

She is 14 pounds, 6 ounces (75th percentile) & 26 inches long (95th percentile). Like her Nana said, "She's built like a supermodel!"

Ellie's 1st Super Bowl

Mommy & I were rooting for the Cardinals. Their uniforms were prettier.

Mommy & I debated who was cuter... Ben or Kurt. The answer was obvious.

Daddy caught me holding this sign. Busted. If Daddy was a quarterback, we would pick his team.

Even babies like me can throw a spiral. Girl babies...

Diary of a Baby

Dear Diary,

My day began very early. I woke Mommy up at 4:30 because I had a fever and needed some of that red goo that she squirts in my mouth. It was okay, she didn't mind because she was already awake. My fur brother Toby was having a sleepover and his friend Sadie had to go outside when it was still dark! I just pee in my pants... I guess dogs don't wear diapers.

The fur creatures make me laugh. They make weird noises, want their bellies rubbed, sniff at trash, & lick things that maybe they shouldn't. Toby's friend Sadie is like my song... "Do your ears hang low..."

While I was getting dressed today, I could hear Sadie barking outside... I think she was saying, "It's me, Sadie. I'm in the garden. I'm being held hostage by this dormant hydrangea." Silly girl. Mommy rescued her. Good girl, Mommy! I would give YOU a treat! Anyway, I decided to wear my doggie shirt today in honor of the sleepover. I'm off to take a nap... my life can be rather exhausting!

Hugs & Kisses,

Baby Ellie

How Ellie does "sign" language...

What's the monkey say?

"I'll tell you what the monkey says..."

"I'll take cream & two sugars, s'il vous plait."

Diary of a Baby

Dear Diary,

It's me, the little one, the one that the big people call "Ellie."

The big man, the one referred to as "Daddy" is very formal... he calls me "Miss Ellie." I enjoy this term of respect -- I believe I've earned it.

Mostly, I am a very happy baby. However, recently my mouth has begun to hurt which makes me wail. I can't sleep, I am fussy, and I have learned to whine. The other big one, Mommy, thinks my new whining sound is cute. Just wait until I'm two and asking for M&Ms for breakfast.

I don't mean to boast, but you should know that I am quite clever. Did you know that when you are small like me AND you drop stuff... your binky, perhaps, the big people will rush over to retrieve it for you. Brilliant! Fetch, Mommy! Fetch, Daddy! Bring me my lamb!

I will close for now. My tummy is rumbly -- time to summon the Mommy.

Hugs & Kisses,
Baby Ellie

Ellie in a Bumbo

When we first entered Babies R' Us to register for shower gifts, I was overwhelmed by the amount of gear that was touted as "essential". The aisles at BRU are abounding with seats, swings, activity centers, car seats, slings... We started at the slings thinking that would be simple, right? Not so. There's the Sling Rider, Hot Sling, Moby, Bjorn.... somebody hand me a paper bag.

I'll get right to the point now. This video is of Ellie happily playing in a seat that I thought we didn't need, that I am so thankful for because now I can eat dinner with two hands and cut my own meat.

I'm in a 12 step recovery program for my Type A personality. I've been in "therapy" since meeting my husband, but there's nothing that pushes you to the outer limits like having a baby. Some days I feel like I'm drowning in poopy diapers, toys, blankies, spit rags, and all that baby gear!

That being said, I'd like to post what I was able to complete during naptime today. It's amazing what you can do when you have two hands! While Baby Ellie rocked in her swing, I washed the rocking chairs on the front porch with Murphy's Oil Soap, lemon-oiled all things wooden, mopped the hardwoods, ate lunch, washed two loads of laundry, checked my email & created this blog.