Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

Okay, you’re thinking – yeah, the Chile trip was great. Yay, you got some kid-free time in a foreign country and rode first class. Yippee-do-da. Bring back the two little Gutt girls, that’s why we’re really here. It’s a combination of the following: I’m a friend/relative. I like your writing style. Your girls are just darn adorable. You validate my crappy parenting days. I think it’s funny when your children play with their feces. I’m so bored at work. Sometimes you have a good idea. Most of the time, you don’t and I like to feel smug. Welcome! Whatever the reason you read, I really only write for my girls. And without further ado…

As I write, Toy Story 2 is playing for the 2,392nd time. Lillian is napping and Ella is having quiet time. She was failing big time at nap time. Either getting into trouble, or if she did nap, staying up until 11 or later, despite our attempts to have her in bed at 9. So, naps for Ella are a thing of the past. In fact, if she happens to fall asleep during her daily viewing of Toy Story, I weep silently because that means bedtime will be atrocious. There’s usually some poking involved to keep her awake. Ella earned Toy Story 2 because she had 20/20 vision. More accurately, because she actually let an optometrist determine she had 20/20 vision. The day after we returned home, Ella was scheduled for her first eye doctor visit. I figured it was smart to do, we’d never really know if she needed glasses and since I have a slight prescription and Loran is nearly blind without his spectacles – better safe than sorry. Ella did a fairly decent job of participating, calling out letters, shapes and pictures. She was slightly apprehensive of having an eye covered. She did a great job of looking into a machine that actually let us know if she needed glasses and to what degree. It took a few tries, but she was very patient to sit in a dark room and stick her face into a machine. Her stellar performance led her to a trip to Target for her beloved Toy Story movie. It was partially an excuse to allow myself a reason to have a little break from Toy Story 1. But, I love these movies and I’m ecstatic that they don’t feature the Disney princesses. Don’t get me wrong, most of the day involves a wand of some sort, a tutu and tiara…but she is pretty clueless about the Disney princesses.

Lillian is becoming quite the climber. No challenge is too small for my little monkey. She loves standing on the end table. She then just loiters, if she could whistle, she would. She likes to make sure you realize that this her where she always stands, and therefore, there is no need to make a big deal out of it. Scaling the entertainment center shelves, no problem. Getting up into the garden window in the kitchen, easy peasy. This weekend, we found her sitting cross-legged on the dining room table, covered in olive oil that had been for our bread at dinner. Needless to say, her skin is quite supple. Deck railing? Check. And her favorite, walking the ledge in the front porch. Most of my day is spent quietly sneaking up behind her so I can snatch her off of whatever she climbed without her falling. Even when she isn’t climbing, she still manages to get quite banged up. She’s such a little bruiser. Knees and elbows scraped up and scabbed. Covered in bruises and as if that wasn’t bad enough, she tripped and fell face first into the coffee table resulting in a swollen and black and blue eyelid. Oy.

 

As if she knew her swollen eye was tough to see, she insisted on wearing sunglasses on our walk…after a couple days, it wasn’t noticeable. Oh, one year olds. So busy, so clumsy.

Moving into “her spot”, and trying out various other points of elevation.

Lily is also happy to climb on people, especially when they’re trying to work. Luckily, Daddy doesn’t mind a break to play with his little helper!

We’ve been working with Ella on her pedaling skills. She’s coming along, slowly but surely. And yes, if you look behind the pedaling duo, you can see a man trying to teach his girlfriend how to rollerblade. Yes, she is wearing full padding – hockey style on her legs, wrist protectors and a helmet. And she’s in the grass. It was kind of funny.

  Upon hearing we were leaving the house, Lillian immediately stopped what she was doing to run through the house and get ready. She grabbed her purse and a necklace and only then was she ready to go.  

 

    A rare moment where the girls are near one another, yet not touching, hitting, scratching, pinching, biting or slapping. Lily will take most of the abuse that Ella gives without flinching, but every once in awhile, she hits her breaking point and goes in with both arms flailing. Within seconds, it’s a flurry of little arms and legs flailing and two girls red faced and squealing. Much like a college girl bar flight. I then have to stifle the laugh and break the two apart. Ahhh, sisters.

Lillian is highly bonded to me. This is the scene multiple times per day when she can’t quite get to me. Screaming, flailing and throwing herself on the floor while screaming, “Mommy!! Mommmmmyyyyy!!!!” I’m glad she loves me, but seriously?! I’m all for a good cuddle, but please just let me use the bathroom with the door closed. Make dinner. Start laundry. Take out the garbage. I’m starting to wonder if all that bonding we did when she was a newborn was worth it. I kid, I kid…kinda.