Wordless Wednesdays: "Hey, Dad, Cupid Fell Asleep on Our Couch"

A Fun Milestone

During dinner on Wednesday night, Noelle said Delilah's name for the first time!  Well, she didn't say "Delilah", of course...that's way too hard!  But she looked at me and said, "Mama", then looked at Delilah and said, "La-la".  And she's been calling her that for that last two days.  It is beyond precious and it thrills Delilah to no end!

Our Valentine Girls

As I've said before, Chris and I aren't much for Valentine's Day. But we are all for precious little daughters dressed in hearts. :)

Ballet At Last!!!!

Last week was Delilah's first ballet class and we were both SOOOOOO excited.  I hadn't put her in class yet b/c I wanted it to be her decision.  She started asking a month or so ago, so we signed her up at Ballet Academy East, which is about ten blocks away.
All morning I was so nervous and excited...I can't imagine what a wreck I'm going to be when these girls are old enough to have performances and/or competitions.  I kept texting pics to Chris all morning and he asked who was more excited: me or Delilah.  It was a tie. :)
Delilah loved putting on her outfit, especially the leg warmers.  Here are some pics I took before we left.

In class

After class in the dressing room.  So happy!

"Let me in!"

"I want to dance, too!"

The first thing Red said after class was, "When can I do ballet lessons again?!"  I told her in a week and she asked why she couldn't go again right now (there was another class right after hers).  I told her that she had just had her turn and now it was time for the other little girls to have a turn.  Her response was a breathy, "They are soooo lucky, Mommy.  I wish I was still dancing right now!"
What a sweetheart.

Fun with Pasta!

This isn't a very exciting post...mostly posting it for other parents who might want a new activity to do with their little one. :)
I bought a couple boxes of cheap pasta, divided them into three bags, added some rubbing alcohol, let Delilah add food coloring & shake the bags...voila!...colored pasta.  We let them dry overnight on cookie sheets, and have played with them every day since.  We string them on pipe cleaners; I bury things in the pasta for "treasure hunts", I lay out a pattern and she copies it; we sort by shape, size, and color; etc., etc. 

So proud. Always so proud.

Digging for treasures

Carefully laying out her treasures. :)

Fun stuff, people!

My Friend, Delilah

On Saturday, Chris kept Noelle so that Delilah and I could go out by ourselves and have a special day together.  It was an absolutely perfect day.  The weather was beautiful and we had so much fun going all over the upper east side.  Our first stop was Gymboree for a shopping spree subsidized by Grammy Di (thank you, Grammy Di).  Delilah wanted to buy the whole store and was surprisingly into accessories for the first time.  She was also on the lookout for Noelle and kept bringing me clothes that she thought her little sister would look especially cute in.   Then we went for a hair cut (just Delilah, not me), where Red received her first blow-out...it was the first time I've seen her with straight hair!  Then it was on to a pizza lunch followed by a stop at gourmet bakery for the perfect pink cupcake.  The coup de grace came at the end:  a stop at Capezio for Delilah's first pair of ballet shoes!!!  She was so excited and did not want to leave the store.  To top it off, we took a cab ride for the 7 blocks home b/c Delilah loves taxis so much.  Chris said when we walked in he couldn't tell who was glowing more.  And at prayers that night, Delilah said, "Dear God, thank you for mommy/daughter time.  I love it".  

So I titled this post "My Friend, Delilah" because I don't think I could have had a better time with a friend of my own age.  She was my buddy and it brought back so many memories of similar days I spent with my own mom before she passed away.  I love this little girl with all my heart.

15 Months Old!

Oh, Ellie Bug, you are officially a walking, talking toddler now!  Doctor's visit is next week, so we'll have physical stats then;  for now, we'll just discuss everthing else about precious you! 
Right now:
--you can walk and kind of run so you have started to detest the stroller.  Which is unfortunate b/c you can't be trusted on the streets of NYC quite yet.
--you can say a few words: mama, dada, ball, duck, and uh-oh.  When you say uh-oh it's just about the cutest thing ever.  You can also make some animal sounds for the appropriate animal:  bock bock for chicken and moo for a cow. 
--you seem to be fluent in a language that you created.  We have no idea what you're saying, but you say it with just the right intonations and pauses that normal sentence structure would have. 
--you love to manipulate things with your hands.  Your mechanical sense is way advanced for your age. 
--you are just starting to like books and you have two favorites.  One is an animal book and the other is Where is Baby's Belly Button.  That one is your very, very, very favorite.  Your daddy, your sister, and I will take turns reading it to you and after all 3 of us are so sick of it we can't see straight, you still want it one more time.
--we haven't really done much baby signing with you, but somehow you picked up the sign for "more".
--pretty sure you learned 'more' so that you could make sure you get enough food.  You eat more than seems humanly possible.  Your tummy gets so round we think it's going to pop.
--you have this way of tilting your head that we call "the patented Ellie Bug head tilt".  You look at someone, smile, shake your head back & forth real fast, then tilt your head toward your right shoulder and look up as though you're flirting.  It is beyond precious and I hate that I can not capture it on camera for the life of me!
--when we tell you 'no' your face crumples into a million pieces and you cry like you just lost your best friend.
--you sleep from 7:30pm to 7am and usually nap once a day for a couple hours, but sometimes you take two smaller naps
--you love to drag your blanket around with you, so we often call you Linus.
--you have the ability to hum in tune.  We hear you humming your ABC's all the time...it's kind of amazing. 
--you and your sister are becoming partners in crime.  You both go into one of your bedrooms, shut the door behind you, and giggle for twenty to thirty minutes at a time.
--baths are your favorite time of day.  You and Delilah will stay in the bath playing together until you are both blue from the cold.  Your dad & I leave the door cracked so that y'all think you're playing alone but we can see you the whole time & keep you safe.
--you love Patty Cake, the ABC's, and being flipped upside down. 
--you fill my heart.

Feeling the tiger's whiskers

Flipping through your second-favorite book

Laughing with sis

I asked Delilah to entertain you for five minutes when you woke up from your nap.  This is the carnage that ensued.  But I have no doubt she entertained you.

Red loves to fill your crib with books and read to you.  Half the time you are into it and half the time you are trying to escape...this is an escape moment.

Look at that joy-filled face.  You are such a precious little being.

Oh, Noelle, watching you grow up and take on the world is one of the biggest joys in my life.  We love you, little girl!!!