She's her father's daughter! I definitely have a sweet tooth, but not in the same way that Josh does. He likes to finish off almost every meal with something sweet. His usual, grab and go, choice is a cookie. Elise has caught on to this tradition. Once she realizes the food is gone, or at least her favourite parts of a meal she begins begging for "Gogees." It sure is fun watching her using language to get what she wants. I'm glad to be moving past the pointing and shouting, although that still happens sometimes too.

This baby bump is getting big! Tonight we thought we should take a few pictures just in case we run out of time! I guess I should start thinking about packing my hospital bags too. Here are some photos of the bump:

This little girl is becoming very independent. She wants to brush her own hair and read her own bedtime stories and pretty much be the boss of everything! 'No' is her new favourite word, and she isn't afraid to use it! She's just as sweet as ever, but she sure takes a lot more convincing!

One of my favourite memories from my childhood was playing dress up! I don't remember many of the things that were in my dress up box, but I do remember two shawls: a black one and a white one, both made of yarn, not fancy but very versatile. Sometimes they were long beautiful hair, other times blankets or table cloths, shirts, scarfs, and of course shawls. I've always looked forward to playing dress up with my daughter. Since long before she was born I've been packing away all sorts of items: old clothes, strings of beads, shoes, grad caps, goofy hats, scarfs, gloves and shawls for the special day when I would have a daughter of my own. Josh added lots of wigs, trophies, metals, ties, glasses and even more goofy hats to the mix and now we have a box set up in the, not so surprise, play room ready to be explored! We haven't been able to keep the playroom much of a secret. Elise discovered her play kitchen one day when she was down feeding the dogs with her daddy and now she constantly begs to go downstairs! We were down there tonight and she and I took a little peek into the dress up box. Oh the fun we had. Most of the items are too big for her to even begin to play with but that didn't stop her from exploring. It's been fun watching her imagination develop! She has been having long drawn out conversations with daddy and Gee Gee on her play phone, feeding imaginary food to whoever is nearby and telling imaginary people, who sit on our couch, that "daddy work." Here are just a few of the pictures of the fun we had this evening.

I've been thinking of some activities Elise and I can do together after she wakes up from her nap. Not big things, just small activities that are better done in pairs. I'm hoping that Elise and I will still be able to share some special mid-afternoon time together once baby number two arrives on the scene. Today we had a tea party! Her eyes sure got big when she saw the coffee table all set up and ready to go with a tiny mug and saucer just for her. We had apple cinnamon tea. She took a little sugar and a lot of milk in hers. We shared cookies and an orange (one of her favorite snacks.) Most of her tea ended up on her lap or the coffee table. By the end I think she was getting more enjoyment out of spilling than drinking, but it was an easy mess to clean up, and completely worth the joy of watching her explore and learn!

I woke up this morning feeling motivated and ready for a day of cleaning. Maybe it's the nesting instinct, maybe not, but either way it's rare! I started a load of laundry and when I came back upstairs I could hear Elise happily chatting in her crib. I turned on the kettle, thinking a package of instant oatmeal and some apple slices would make a perfect breakfast, and headed in to get my girl. As soon as I opened the door I nearly passed out from the smell! There was puke everywhere! Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it was definitely in her hair. Lots of puke caked in my smiley little girls hair. It was either pick it out or shave her head, So I shaved her head...

Just kidding! I picked it out, gave her a bath and spent most of the day watching backyardigans, reading books over and over again, checking to make sure her fever didn't get too high, wiping her runny nose and changing diapers I will resist describing!

It wasn't the day I planned, but it wasn't so bad either. There's an evil part of me that secretly enjoys when my daughter is sick. It's the only time I get any cuddles in! Hopefully I'll get the itch to clean again soon but for now I'll enjoy my snugly, sweet, sick, but happy little girl.

It might just be the sleeper she is wearing, but I just can't get enough of this girl. I just want to take and share pictures of her all day long!

We usually start Saturday mornings with a nice brunch, but this morning we all slept in and she was hungry before the food was ready. We bought some time by filling her snack cup with Fruit Loops and letting her snack on her special chair. Jack also got a nice big helping of Fruit Loops while Koda snoozed on the couch.

Pure antics! Some of these photos are a bit blurry but she was moving really fast! Crazy girl

This week I have been busy sorting through all of Elise's things, and trying to get her room ready to share with our new baby. Josh and I plan to keep the baby in our room with us until we have successfully transitioned Elise into a big girl bed. If I'm honest I find the thought of this a little daunting. I've never been able to get her to even lay on a bed for more than a moment. Oh well, we have time! We might just have a baby in our room longer than we would like.

I also wanted to create a small, safe play area for Elise in her room so that I can attempt to train her to have a quiet play time each morning while I catch a few moments of rest. Next week in going to work on finally setting up a play area for her in the basement. I'm going to try to keep it a surprise for her for after the baby arrives. She will need constant supervision down there but it will be her special place for when baby is demanding my attention and all I am able to offer Elise is a watchful eye.

And what has Elise been up to while I have been busy organizing? Well, when she hasn't been "helping," she has been on an adventure on the back of her new zebra. Thank you to Great Aunt Karen and cousin Emma for this wonderful Christmas gift! Elise loves it! In fact, she loves it so much that the moment it stops singing about its adventure to the outback to meet the kangaroo Elise is racing over to push another button!