My little boy, Jack, and my big girl, Ellen

Jack Jack doesn't seem like such a little boy anymore. He hits the 18 month mark in a week and starts nursery. He's been Daddy's Sunday sidekick for nearly a year now. He can walk. He can run. He can run fast, especially if it's out the door and down the sidewalk to the street. He likes to throw balls, kick balls, and run after balls. When he's crying inconsolably I can ask him where his ball is, and he'll stop mid-cry, light up like he's just discovered true happiness, and run to find a ball.

He has a favorite book. It's ¿Cómo cuentan hasta diez los dinosaurios? or, How do dinosaurs count to 10? He can drink out of a cup. He can climb onto a stool and "brush" his teeth. He's actually just sucking the toothpaste off. Yes, he's too little for toothpaste, but he wouldn't even consider putting a toothbrush in his mouth or letting me put a toothbrush in his mouth otherwise.

He loves to snuggle and give hugs, but I can also see a very independent streak. If I don't figure out what he's asking for (milk, not water; a fork, not a spoon; the water bottle and the lid) fast enough, he plops down to the ground, throws himself on his back and cries an unmistakeably frustrated, mangry cry. That's mad and angry, folks. Sometimes it's downright mungry, and then watch out. Mad, angry, and hungry do not make a good combination.

Jack, Ellen, Jack Jack, and I were at Market Street eating lunch last week, and I was not offering Jack Jack the right fruit from the mixed fruit bowl. He looked at me and then brought his little hand down and smacked my arm. I was so surprised I started laughing. That mungry little boy didn't expect that. It worked out.



Now Ellen is 2.75. She will be in Primary in January. If she's getting old, what does that make me? Back to Ellen. Since Aunt Mary's recent visit, Ellen has been obsessed with the ABC song, and with singing it all by herself. She sings it in English. She sings it en español. She sings it in the car, in the bathtub, to Jack Jack, and one morning when Jack had to leave early, she came and got into bed with me and sang it to me for about 15 minutes. She loves watching the video of herself singing it. She also loves her nursery music teacher, Angela, and wants to sing all the songs she sings in her class, too.

Ellen loves bandaids, or "bangangs". And she likes to put them on herself. On every finger. Of course they don't stay on long, because you just can't color very well with "bangangs" on every finger. She also has discovered the joy of putting olives on every finger. She likes to help make pizza and cookies. Last week I won a step stool as a door prize at a meet your neighbor night at our apartment complex. Ellen and Jack Jack both love it. It's perfect for cooking and less dangerous than standing on a chair.

There are other things I have to tell about Ellen, quite possibly the most exciting experience a parent of a child her age can have, so stay tuned.