I've
never been one to put much effort into holidays (besides Christmas and birthdays), but after seeing J's
eyes light up when we hung paper bats from the light fixture, I decided
to change my ways. He exclaimed, "We have a Halloween house!" with so
much joy that it melted my heart.
We
went to the library and scoured the shelves for Halloween books with a
pumpkin sticker on the spine. (Our favorites being Creepy Carrots, Click Clack Boo, and I am a Witch's Cat.) We painted pumpkins and snacked on the
roasted seeds.
The Pieper family enjoyed a week of Halloween festivities, which was just fine with me considering the time we put into the costume development process. (When J finally settled on doctor and not euphlosephalus or elephant, my time at the sewing machine was thankfully reduced.)
Ellie
girl had her share of the fun as well with several costume changes for
each activity throughout the week. She was a Super Girl turned puppy and
was quite adorable as both. What can I say, this girl loves to wear anything and everything (and sometimes at the same time).
We enjoyed a play date at the park in costumes, a church Halloween Carnival, and of course the night of trick or treating itself.
After the first house and a HUGE handful of candy, J was ready to call it quits and start eating. When we told him he could go to more houses for more candy, he couldn't believe it. For the rest of the night we could hardly make him stop! If he witnessed even the smallest glimmer of light in a house, you had better believe that he was marching up to the door for his share of the sweets.
I don't know a doctor could have such a sweet tooth.
Although we only trick or treated a few houses, we all had SO much fun! And as a sort of Halloween Scrooge myself, I can't believe that I am actually excited for this spooky time of year to roll around again.
Dearest Ellie Dear,
Ten words to describe you at ten months:
Toothless
Here we are at ten months and still waiting for those two front teeth to arrive. But you don't let that stop your sampling of just about anything the family is eating.
Predator
Your brother is obsessed with learning about animals right now. The food chain and the concept of 'prey' and 'predator' is especially appealing to him. On good days, he lets you be a predator too, crawling and growling around the house looking for prey (usually Mommy or invisible gazelles).
Independent
Now that you are crawling and mobile, obviously you are old enough to go outside by yourself, right? You seem to believe so, but I'm not buying it. You find it especially offensive lately when the back door is closed and you are not allowed to roam freely, grazing from the garden and your favorite rock pile.
Adorable
But really I've always said this. As you've gotten older, the adorableness of your personality shines through more each day. You seem to have this funny sense of humor which always makes others smile.
Determined
You. just. never. stop.
Sassy
We use to get away with taking things from your hands, or pulling the old bait and switch, but not anymore. Suddenly you know what you want and if we try to take the toy, cell phone, or keys from your tiny grasp, we hear about it. You know that you have a voice and you make sure it is heard.
Destructor
Just ask your brother.
Dramatic
Yes you can crawl, but if you decide you are done crawling and want to be held, you lay your head on the ground and sob. Then, you look up with the saddest little face to be sure your parents are watching. This is repeated until you are picked up or distracted.
Upside down
Funny way to describe you but it is true.You like when your Dad holds you upside down and when he isn't, you try to replicate it by throwing your head off my lap or the couch.
Heaven
Cuddled up with your warm chubby body as we begin or end the day. Yes my dear, you are heaven.
Dear Miss Ellie,
I remember keeping track of and always waiting for the next milestone with your brother. I was so excited for him to begin rolling, crawling, walking! It was all so new and so exciting.
But with you, my darling dear, I find myself wanting to slow down time and keep you my baby forever. Those chunky cheeks, pudgy hands, and sweet baby babblings bring me so much joy.
These last two months I feel like you have quickly grown from the "I'm an angelic cooing baby" stage to the "Hide your shoes and vacuum this floor because I'm mobile and putting everything in my mouth" stage. Sigh.
You continue to be the first thing J is thankful for in his prayers.
You have quickly mastered the Cheerio to mouth milestone, usually you have one hand in your mouth and the other already reaching for another Cheerio.
Your usually cheery self became very frustrated for about a week while you struggled to crawl, spinning in circles or getting up on all fours and rocking back and forth. But then you got it, and now you are crawling and getting into just about everything, with a HUGE smile on your face (and sometimes your tongue sticking out in concentration).
J is having the most difficult time with this adjustment. "She was right there..." with a look of disbelief on his face. He is on constant high alert, moving his books, train tracks, and legos to higher ground.
Still no teeth yet, but you have two little bumps on your lower gums that I look promising. (Promising teething, miserable nights.)
Just today you pulled yourself up to the couch, the dishwasher, and the toy box. And when I put out my hands for you to steady yourself, you kindly push them away. Why crawl when you can walk, right?
This interview was administered at the kitchen table during snack time. J was in an especially silly mood and so every answer was sprinkled with giggles. I did not transcribe the giggles because "ha ha" would not have done them justice.
These photographs were taken on our bed when I asked him to jump for me. Turns out three-year-olds do not like to cooperate without bribery. Enjoy!
Birthday Interview
How old are you today? three years old
What is your favorite thing to do? nice things, go outside and play
What do you want to be when you grow up? get a movie and be a doctor
What are your favorite foods? strawberries, graham crackers, butter, and apples
What do you do really well? hold alligators, build with legos and eat
What makes you laugh? throwing Ellie away
What is the best time of the day? snack time and lunch time
What are you afraid of? just the spirits
What do you like to do with your family? open presents
What do you like to learn about? tents and dinosaurs
Where do you like to go? Florida and the library
What is your favorite book? the Magellan penguin one and Mercy Watson
Friday was laundry day at the Pieper house. As I was putting the clean sheets back on our bed, two littles were caught under the covers.
I love these photographs.
I love that starting another daily photography project encouraged me to get under the sheets and photograph their laughs and giggles.
Capturing these small details of our everyday lives has been so good for me. These are the moments I don't want to forget.
Dear Ellie,
If the biggest news that happened last time was you losing your hair, the biggest news this time is that your hair is growing back! Now we still don't have the long, dark, wavy goodness you had a few months ago, but I'll take it.
So what has happened in your miniature pieper life these last two months?
YOU:
- celebrated your first Thanksgiving with your first spoonful of oatmeal. And have since tried rice cereal, sweet potatoes, and bananas from mommy. And chocolate pudding from daddy.
- flew on your first airplane to Las Vegas.
- celebrated your first Christmas morning with lots and lots of crunchy wrapping paper and bows.
- started talking! I'll ask, "Ellie, are you the most adorable baby in the world?" And you say, "yayayayaya...."
- are starting to go places. While still on the cusp of crawling, you are a master of rolling and spinning around to get most things (edible and not) into your mouth.
- visited Idahome for the first time where you learned about dogs, snow, and doting grandparents.
- learned how to give kisses by grabbing the sides of my face and pulling it towards your own. Your mouth is open and exceptionally slobbery of course.
I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but you and J are just about the cutest together. Sure sometimes it becomes a screaming scratching battle, but more often than not you guys are laughing uncontrollably.
"I love you sweetie," he says. "You are a porcine wonder," he says.
