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Well, believe it or not, Eleanor typed that eloquently written title all by herself. :o)

Anyway, Eleanor has been learning a very important lesson between tantrums over the last week or two: How to kick it. Eleanor is getting an A+ in "just kicking it." After lunch and before naptime we often lay in bed together and "read books." We snuggle into our respective spots, get under the covers with our books, and totally lounge. Eleanor will "read" quietly or out loud depending on the book and how exciting it is. I will usually read silently from my own book, unless Eleanor needs my help getting focused. But, she is often willing to "read" and snuggle with me for 30 minutes, and then she either falls asleep next to me, or grabs Fanny and Cow (who we call "these guys") and marches into her own room. (I have to help her into the crib, obviously.) But, this is something we really have been working hard on, which is why I share. Basically, I need that quiet time every morning to get some kicks from Baby J. And, when Baby J arrives (we pray every day), hopefully we will have honed our chilling skills so that we can take some much deserved breaks periodically.


Also, Eleanor has been learning about sharing. Kind of. We go two or three days a week to library class. (Our library has great, free classes for kids.) After they read and sing for half an hour, out come the toys! Bins and bins of toys. And, about 20 one year olds. Eleanor isn't the world's best sharer yet. She really is more into coveting. She sets her sights on another kid's toy, like she can't quite see the potential of an inert toy, but once she sees it getting some play, she must have it! But, she zeros in (I can see it happening) and just snatches it. Then, she takes it and tries to "share" it with someone else. It's an odd system. She also tries to barter a lot. As in, she'll find a piece of lint on the carpet, her ever present hair bow, or her sippy cup and offer it to another child. If the child appears interested in the slightest, she steals the child's actual toy and makes off in the other direction. We are trying.

Update: Sharing is only going medium well. During a playdate with her cousins, Charlie, Avery, and Brand-New-Baby-Bridget, there was quite a bit of successful sharing going on. But, following that, nap-deprived cousins Eleanor and Avery (one of her best same age baby friends) had their first fight. It was over Avery's very posh doll stroller. So, at least it was a worthwhile prize. But, these two girls are both strong-willed and very verbal, so Avery's mommy and I had to actually turn around and laugh. The girls were giving each other "the hand," finger wagging, saying "No! No!" and yelling long strings of what we can only assume were baby-ese expletives.