Don't Overdo

Ellie and I had the best day today. We didn't do a darn thing. She woke up early with daddy, then went back to sleep. Once she woke up for good, I was ensconced on the couch, where I spent much of the day. Angry Housewife Eating Bon Bons, without the angry or the eating. Or the housewife.

I can't remember the last weekday I just stayed home all day. Sure, I made a couple of calls. But we had no activities, no appointments, no field trips, no productivity. It was awesome! But I don't think I'd like to do it very often.

Ellie was totally cute though. I love that she's at the age where I can say things like,

"Oh, my feet are just hanging off the edge of the bed, totally vulnerable. I sure hope nobody tickles my feet!"

And know that my feet will be tickled immediately. And effectively!

I also love that I can say things like,

"Ellie, go get a diaper," or, "Ellie, take your water out to the car with you so that we can meet Daddy at Bread Co. for supper," and have a reasonable expectation that these things might happen!

So cool. I know I say this at every stage, but I do love this age. It's the best one yet.

That said, some of the differences are becoming more pronounced too. There are some things that other kids her age do, but Ellie has real troubles with. And not just gross and fine motor activities, but also cognitive skills. And there are behaviors she exhibits that are different from most typically developing kids too. Sometimes she gets so excited that she roars, and I can totally identify. I know exactly what that emotion feels like. I also know, like most typically developing kids learn very early on, that we don't just roar as a relief valve when we're excited.

We learn to stifle our excitement and keep it shoved down so deep inside that we can release it in smaller, more socially acceptable ways. And we can be much cooler. So I don't really discourage the roar yet. I still love its honesty and innocence.