Mid-Week Question: Television Programs

Needless to say, I've learned many things by staying home with Ellena recently. One of these things is I watch a lot of television! I think it's so easy to get sucked into shows these days! I found I kept mixing it up each day as to not form a habit, okay TOO MUCH of a habit. Here's what we want to know this week.

This week's question: What shows or networks do you watch most frequently? What time of day do you find yourself parked? Do you run the television in the background much?

Alternate question: What shows do you think have run past their prime? If you could cancel ANY program or network, which would you choose?

Feel free to answer both questions.

You Grow Girl!

Well, there certainly has been a flurry of activity and growth within the last few weeks. For starters, if you haven't already heard, Ellena is sleeping through the night!

That's worth repeating, so here goes, She's sleeping through the night!

How it happened - S just decided one Thursday night to keep working with her and putting her back down in her crib when she woke up. And that was that. I probably wouldn't have had the patience to do that, but S persevered! We have quite a little nighttime routine. We bathe Ellena every other night and after she is changed and a book is read to her, she usually goes right down. There have been a couple of nights when she wanted to stay up for another hour or so (usually related to how "off" her daytime schedule got), but nothing unmanageable.

She's also found her thumb! Yes, she loves chewing and sometimes sucking on her thumb. We attribute this to helping her sleep all night long as well as nap in her Pack 'n Play during the day (previously she wouldn't sleep or nap in either). S took some pictures of Ellena sucking her thumb. I will try to get them up here soon.

Ellena has also been grasping objects lately. Her little fists, previously balled up constantly as though she were wearing tiny boxing gloves, have been relaxed a bit. She occasionally reaches out and grabs her toys and rattles. We've also been using this time to introduce her to new textures and fabrics. So far she's touched objects such her blankets, our clothing, the carpet, and of course, the cats. She loves when we hold her near the felines and allow her feet to feel their bellies.

One funny story from earlier this week happened when Ellena was on her mat playing and Maddie, our female cat, who frequently likes to hang out really close to Ellena, especially when playing, sat down next to her. Well, knowingly or not, she sat on E's open palm and a few seconds later jumped up and relocated a few feet over and sat again. I thought this was a strange exchange until I looked at E's hand only to find it clenched tight and full of Maddie fur! It was as though Maddie sat on a bear trap. Ellena didn't know any better and probably just thought "Hmm, fuzzy".

Another noteworthy development has been her cooing. Ellena surprised us the other day with an entirely new squeal. I captured this in video below where you will hear me speak to her first and she will answer. What she said, I haven't the foggiest, but it's fun just the same. We've had several "conversations" with her and she really seems to be understanding that we're giving her attention.

Wood & Silverware; A Dedication

to my classmate

to my crush

to my pursuit

to my date

to my girlfriend

to my romance

to my love

to my fiance

to my wife

to my best friend

to my soul mate

to my daughter's mother

to another wonderful five years

happy anniversary

i love you

Spotted: Jesus-Loving Family Van Proves Even Followers Need Groceries

A wonderful surprise was this van, personalized and spotted at the grocery store. It gave me chills.

Click to enlarge.

I honked, BTW.

She's Crafty, And She's Just My Type!

Q: What do you get when you mix a second-hand sewing machine, my wife's ingenuity and about 3 days worth of pinning and sewing?

A: New living room curtains!

Here's the short story:
We've lived in our home approximately 2 and a half years without any window treatments in the living room (or in many of the rooms to be exact!). This particular room was a big challenge as the windows are rather high. Not too high - but high enough to cancel out any chance of finding pre-made curtains on any big box store shelf.

So we decided to have them quoted.

We walked into a fancy pants chain upholstery and fabric store - you know, the kind of place that can make you ANYTHING custom. What we walked away with was a mammoth quote for 2 panels! I mean, we almost choked, right in front of the salesperson!

What happened in the next few days though is another story - and as usual, a testament to God's watchful protection over our intentions. We went to a well known fabric store and, what do you know, found the same material on sale (the lining too!). Then, with the help of a famous internet auction house, a "gently used" sewing machine was acquired at a price worth categorizing as a steal!

After 3 days and some ladder work, here is a closeup of the final result.

I am still amazed every time I walk into the room. These panels changed everything. I think we had been used to the bare walls! It's not so much that these curtains were home made that make them worth writing about, it's the fact that they are 16 feet tall!

My wife can do ANYTHING!

One Happy Girl

Daddy Doody - Call It The Final Exam

S returns to work this week – refreshed from 8 weeks of maternity leave. We are very excited for her and wish her well, especially since she is also diving head first into a new assignment at her company.

Enter the challenge – Daycare does not begin for our little bundle (now in the double digits for weeks of age) for 2 more weeks. To bridge the gap we decided to take vacation days in rotation and stay home with E. I was voted to take the first shift, a 3-day stretch, currently underway. Yesterday was the first day with E all by my lonesome.

So, let’s recap: I have had ten and a half weeks to study and learn and now I’m knee deep, okay ankle deep, in a 3-day practical!? That is why it feels like the Final Exam. Here’s hoping I can earn extra credit, or at least ride the curve!

Now don’t get me wrong, I love our daughter dearly. The challenge is this; typically when I’m watching her and “lose control”, mom has always been around to have my back. I was a little nervous to have her all to myself, but we made it through the first day just fine. Consider this good daddy daughter bonding time!