I've been keeping quite busy since Jeremiah left for his missions trip - I miss him so much! On Saturday afternoon, mom and dad and I enjoyed a nice lunch at Panera Bread where my Mom got to enjoy being silly with Ellie (definitely a good way to pass the time and bring light to any day!)
On Monday, I braved the 605 and 91 freeways for the first time with Ellie and drove to our cousin Bethany's house to spend the day with her and her two wonderful sons. I dressed up Ellie as a Disney Princess because it made me smile - and smiling is good when Daddy is away in another country!
We took a stroll to a nearby park and I thought it was super cute that Elias and Ellie (look how similar their names are!) were staring at one another in their strollers!
Today, Charlene joined me for Ellie's swim lesson at the JCC. We signed her up for 2 lessons / week for 4 weeks... she was supposed to be in a group, but no one else showed up during our chosen time slot, so she has a private lesson instead! My mom found this adorable swim suit at Costco for her - it covers up her arms, legs and head - so I don't have to put on too much sunblock.... we realized later that the outfit is actually made for a toddler - and that the bottoms aren't pants, but are really shorts (this explains why the sleeves are REALLY long! - but hey, it works! And now Ellie has something she can actually wear for more than a couple of months :)
Before going to the pool today, I read Ellie a letter that Jeremiah had left for her (hiding in the swim bag). - I think my husband is the most thoughtful husband and daddy ever...
We have been having a great time with Ellie's instructor, Miss Brie. Ellie seems to like the water - though she has yet to really smile while in the pool - she concentrates really hard the whole time - I think she probably finds the water really cold and wonders what on earth is going on! Especially today when we started getting her ears in the water, her mouth in the water, and at the end of the lesson - her entire face in the water!
Halfway through the lesson, I realized that Ellie was closing her eyes while floating on her back - and I pulled out the sunglasses I bought her for the water - they stay connected by a Velcro band - pretty great invention... :)
They've got this cool thing pictured below that allows Ellie to stand up on solid ground while in the pool, without her head going under the water. Since standing is her favorite thing to do right now, she definitely seems comfortable enough!
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