I am manufacturing some good times.

Whenever I get back from BC, I'm always equal parts stoked to have my own space and sad about all the SPACE I HAVE TO BE ALONE IN. Joel's been working afternoons/evenings/nights all week, which makes things WORSE because E goes to bed and I'm like, So...

So rather than mope around, I've been trying to do Fun Things With Eleanor. Turns out that you have to TEACH kids all kinds of stuff you'd never though you would.

Like how to play with playdough. I mean, OBVIOUSLY first she's all like, I eat it?

And I'm like, No eats. And she's like...I don't eat it?

And I'm like, No, you pinch bits off and roll them up and smoosh them back together. And she's like, This is pretty alright, I guess.

She got super into it eventually. And then the next day I filled a Rubbermaid with water because our deck is too small for a pool and we haven't got a yard. I threw in some measuring cups for funsies, and she was like, I drink it?

And I was like, No, and she was like, It's ok, I drink it.

And I was like, Look, you can pour it. And she was like, I'll be damned, I can!

And then she got really involved, and when it was time to clean up and come inside she kept going back to the deck window and going, Plash plash! Plash plash! So I had to empty out the Rubbermaid and bring it inside.

Because Joel's not home for dinner, we mostly have hardboiled eggs and then drink smoothies while we watch Beauty and the Beast.

I thought Eleanor'd be afraid of Beast, but she thinks he's the best joke. Beeeez! Rowr.

And then today we took a different route home from the store and found a new park. It has a playhouse.

And a riding squirrel.

And a slide.

And, most importantly, a swing.

We are having fun with our own two selves.

She's practicing for when I have grandbabies.

So we're walking to the store today and Eleanor has asked to hold her hoodie because it has butterflies on it, and when I look next she's got it wadded up and is hugging it and patting it like it's a baby.

We have angered some travel gods, I'm telling you.

Last time we went to BC, E threw up on our way to dinner with friends. The time before that, my dad came down with the stomach flu the day we arrived. The time before THAT was the time we all (me, my parents, my parents-in-law, my sister and her husband, my sister--in-law and HER husband) had the Yelling Vomits.

This time, we flew in on Saturday morning. E had the sniffles but she also had a seat to herself on the plane, and there was a tv show about puppies on.

Sunday she woke up HOLLERING and coughing and full of boooooogers. It took ages to pull her out of her weepies, which is unlike her. My sister and her husband were over, and my brother and his wife came over after. Eleanor fluctuated between delighted and inconsolable. There was a lot of this:

but also a lot of this:

Monday we went to the clinic because her fever was extremely high.

She seemed to perk up Monday evening

but by Tuesday morning, she was a wreck again.

By this point my mom was sick, and E was a two-person job. You couldn't offer her water at the wrong time without her weeping inconsolably on your neck for half an hour. Fortunately, her aunt and uncle came over Tuesday evening to take a shift, and we all got a bit of a break.

Wednesday morning, she broke out in hives.

So we went back to the clinic, and Eleanor ate Cheerios from between her toes

until we walked into the examining room, where she immediately fell asleep.

Her fever was down and her lungs were clear and her ears were fine, and there was nothing we could do about the hives except give her cold baths, which we did. Like, three times a day. The hives were brought on by heat, so she spent a lot of time in the nude. My sister and her husband came over Wednesday night, bringing Eleanor's puppy-cousin with them and keeping E from losing her damn mind.

Thursday was much the same. Dad and I tried to keep Eleanor comfortable and amused and only wipe her poor, sore nose as often as we had to, Mum emerged periodically from her lair to lie on the couch, all the aunts and uncles came over in the evening to take turns consoling Her Fragile Majesty.

All this time, Eleanor was barely eating, so we let her have whatever she wants.

Babies who don't eat, you terrify me. By Friday, she was perking up, and we were headed out to Chilliwack. We headed to the lake with her cuzzie, and the sun seemed to ease her weary bones.

And then knock them out.

Saturday she was better enough that I felt ok letting her out of my sight, so I went garage sale-ing with my sisters-in-law while Eleanor drank half a pool.

Sunday we woke up before 5 am to fly back home. Eleanor napped 5 hours total that day.

Our whole trip revolved around seeing people with new babies. We had to cancel everything. There was no way I was going to give this amount of sick to a new baby, PLUS Eleanor was so much work I didn't think I could leave the house with her. My best friend had a new baby, and I didn't get to see them, and now she's moving to New York. It seems absolutely unreal that we've been sick every time we've been home. My sister says that we're not allowed to leave the house for a week before our next visit so that there will be less nose-blowing and weeping and hanging over the toilet, and more of this:

Having kids is all about changing your mind about stuff.

I was always of the opinion that you shouldn't perpetuate a child's mispronunciation. Then I had a baby, and she calls a mango a 'men-mo.' I will never teach her otherwise.

It was a good eating weekend.

So even though we were just futzing around our own city last weekend, we had HOUSE GUESTS and that makes room for experimental eating. So we went to The Holy Grill, this sandwich place we've gone to once before but it was CLOSED because it closes at 4 (seriously, you guys. You can only ever lunch or early-dinner here) which we'd known but forgotten. So we googled places nearby and ended up at a Korean place and I had sweet potato noodles with beef and things

and so did Eleanor

and there were no high chairs at this hole in the wall, which is how Eleanor ended up on the table, within easy reach of my dish.

She picked out all my meat. She is the most carnivorous.

The next day we went back to The Holy Grill for LUNCH because I'd had my heart set, and I had the Sicilian panini (grilled eggplant and yams and sauteed onions and things)

and BEET CHIPS, which are actually super tasty.

There were no high chairs here NEITHER so Eleanor sat on a Grandma-chair and ate beet chips.

I believe I have already mentioned the ice cream.

I had burgundy cherry over rainbow sherbet. Eleanor had whatever everyone was having.

Then Joel and I went out on a DATE by OURSELVES and we always drive by the Pfantastic Pannenkoek Haus but some things are hard to share with babies and some things you just don't WANT to share with babies so we waited until we were baby-free and we split the bacon, onion, and cheddar pannenkoek

and then Joel had the Black Forest (cherries, chocolate, ice cream)

and I had the cinnamon bun (brown sugar, cream cheese icing) with apples baked into it.

And then we rolled ourselves on home.

Pretty quiet in these parts.

Eleanor's grandparents were out for a visit, and they were all great days because Eleanor got to sit on Grandma's lap and steal bits of her toast (Eleanor loves a Second Breakfast)

and wear Grandpa's watch and play with his phone (she is like a tiny businessman in pajamas)

but Sunday was uncontestably the greatest day of her young life. We went to the zoo

and then had a nap because the zoo! So exhausting. But then we went for ice cream

and then we went back to Grandma and Grandpa's hotel and played in their pool.

Grandpa was trying to teach her to blow bubbles and she was like, Yes, you're doing splendidly.

Now it's just the three of us again, sitting around and reading medical texts and waiting for the playoffs to start.

I don't think I have to worry about her picking up the habit again.

Eleanor stopped taking a soother when she was about 9 months old, and I wasn't ready for it because she wasn't the adorable thumb-sucker she is now, and I kept trying to stick her soother in her mouth all, YOU LIKE THIS, IT IS SOOTHING TO YOU but she was like, Nyyyyyyyyygh, those are for babies.

They're still around, and she found one the other day and was like, I remember these, these are fun.

So she's sucking on it but we're chatting and she realizes that she can SHOW me where her hair is, but she can't TELL me.

And if there's one thing Eleanor hates, it's not being able to TELL you something.

Like where her ears are.

Or where her NOSE is.

Doggone it, my nose is HERE.

Lousy mouth-plug.