Who's the boss? Oh yeah... Ella is.

Ella is out of control.  Not necessarily in a bad way, but in a too-smart-for-her-own-britches sort of way.  She is not yet two and has started speaking regularly in 4-5 word sentences such as, "Mommy eat chicken.  Ella gonna eat chicken, too".  The first time she came up with a sentence like that, I think I stared at her for about 10 seconds without blinking.

She is very clear on what she wants... in her own head, anyway.  And heaven forbid we deviate from that.  She asks for fruit... I give her peaches.  She bursts into wounded tears because I did not give her the "fruit in the door".  She wanted dried fruit that I did not realize she knew existed.

This week at Mom and Tot class, she decided she was the TA.  During circle time, she stood and played guitar as we all sat.  At the end of circle time when the teacher asked if anyone had a song they'd like to sing, Ella got in the teacher's face and started to tell her to move on to craft time, which is the next activity.  

She has a strong opinion EVERY DAY as to what she wears and which barrettes will go with it.  They usually clash, but whatever.  

I cannot even describe dinner time.  When she's happy, she's talking constantly in the high-pitched voice that always amazes Uncle Ty.  Barely a breath can go in and out of her, she is talking so much.  This does not happen when Daddy is not home.  When she is not happy, she is always asking for something different to eat.  "Cheese?" "Chips?"  "Fruit, pleeeeeease!" "Ice cream?"

She still is very concerned about the other cars on the road sharing with us.  I have started teaching her about red and green lights... and we started a game of her finding different color cars, which she now runs herself.  "Red car.... are you?   There it is!  Green!  Green car... are you?", etc.  

Ella takes time-outs well and will even discipline herself.  But when she is scolded... she feels the need to close and squint up her eyes as if she can't even take looking at you.  She has run into the wall this way, but will not open her eyes.

She is currently smearing Cotton Candy Lip Smackers all over her face and just told me, "Yummy, yummy lips!"

Somehow, she remembers timeframes, and when I tell her what will happen tomorrow, she starts talking about it first thing that morning.  Last week, it was visiting my friend, Karen, and her twin boys.  I walk into her room and hear, "I did it!" (the first thing she says every time she wakes up) and then... "Baby Nate!  Baby Zach!  Tights!  Tutu!"  It was a special day.  She otherwise only wears tights to church.

And finally, her latest... when I'm driving and the music is not loud enough, "Mommy!  Push the buttons!"

She is precocious and feisty.  Just the things I thought she'd be before she was even born.  I love hearing what is going on in her head.