Life With Ella

Today we had another Friday outing with Stella and Juliet. Helen and Ron put a third car seat in their mini-van, so we all went to the exploratorium together. I think Ella got a kick out of driving in the car with the girls. They really did a lot of exploring – they played with magnets, looked at fish, played musical instruments, checked out prisms and rainbows, danced around, played with huge bubbles, and Ella had a blast in front of a mirror. It was a fun adventure and they all did a great job.

Together in the mini-van

The rainbow connection

Here are four photos of Ella dancing in the mirror

Holding hands on the way home

Ella and I are both feeling better – Ella still has a runny nose, and I’m a little slow, but we’re on the mend. Ella went to her My Gym class this morning and had a blast. She’s really outgoing and does great in a group. Ella is now in a group with kids who are 22 mos – 30 months. She’s on the younger side, but she does so well. In the beginning of the group, the leaders ask us to go around the circle and have the kids introduce themselves. Most of the kids just sit there and don’t say anything and the parents have to introduce them. Today and the week before, when it’s Ella’s turn, she looks out into the group and quietly says, “Ella”. Ella and another little girl Ava were the only ones to introduce themselves today. It was pretty cool.

After My Gym, we came home, had lunch and then Ella took a nap. I took a walk downtown while Ella was sleeping. When she woke up, she said, “are we going to the carousel?” So off to the carousel we went. After the carousel, we went into the Yeurba Buena park. We went down a big tube slide and then Ella went on another tall slide all by herself. After that, we walked through another part of the park and Ella found this Martin Luther King Jr. monument/waterfall. Ella loves the water and played around there for a while. We came home and then Sunny, Ella and I met Ellen for dinner at Acme. If we say “Acme” to Ella, she says, “Mac and cheese and french fries”. That’s what Ella had for dinner and she loved it.

Ella brushing her teeth before My Gym

What a big beautiful smile! Ella was really proud of herself because she climbed up on the chair all by herself.

This is a meaningful quote, and we’re looking at one beautiful part of the future – little Ella

Ella wants to jump in the water so badly!

Ella and I took a long walk to the Ferry Building today and had some lunch at Taylors. It was a gorgeous day and walking with Ella is incredible. She notices every little thing – the flowers, the wind, the bumps on the sidewalk… When we came home, we spent some time in the Zen garden with the dogs. Each dog has a different “song” when we want them to go to the bathroom. Bug’s song is “Good girl, make a doody” and Towby’s is “Hurry up Towby, go potty”. Ella has learned both songs and they are on the video below – very cute.

Sunny and I took Ella swimming tonight and then Phyllis met us at the pub for dinner. We all had a great time.

Here is Ella dancing. She loves to dance. Check out the new shoes that Helen got for Ella.

One very happy child with the wind blowing in her hair.

Ella feeling the soft flower on her hand.

Kissing Bug

Kissing Towby

Ella is 22 months old today. What a beautiful thing.After work, Ella and I took a little walk to a store nearby and when we came home we heard the sweet sound of Stella and Juliet in the hallway. Ella had been talking about Stella since I came home so she was so happy to see her. They greeted each other with a big kiss and then Juliet rounded the corner. She is so sweet. Helen and I took the girls and the dogs into the Zen garden and when we were coming back inside, Juliet and Stella were holding hands and walking. Ella kind of looked over at them and we sensed that she wanted to hold hands too. They all held hands walking down the hallway, I ran inside to get my camera while Helen and Ron watched the sweetness and then I caught it on video. Here it is!

Today was the 10th annual Strike Out Violence Day at AT&T Park. Sunny came up with the idea 10 years ago to bring awareness to domestic violence through a major league baseball team and the Giants agreed. There was a great pre-game ceremony where survivors are recognized along with “Founding Fathers” – men who take an oath to teach boys to be non-violent boys and men. It was a meaningful day and Ella was on the field with Sunny to take it all in. I made a video of Ella’s day. We hung out with our friends in the bleachers to watch the game and the Giants beat the Dodgers! It was a great way to celebrate a beautiful day.