Kiss Attack.

I went to bed last night with a little tickle in my throat, and I woke up this morning full out sick. Nothing that required me to take to my death bed (just a sore throat and a runny nose) but since I am over dramatic, I wished for my death bed. Or a fainting couch that I could lay upon while whining loudly. I did take the opportunity to lay on our couch for awhile, which is how I caught Ellie, still in her sleep sack, carrying Thor down the hall (she had him under his front armpits, and he was totally ragdoll limp.)

So I was basically whiny and obnoxious all morning, until Ellie looked at me and said "mama, you're crabby. You need to give me a kiss attack. You'll feel better." And she was right. Captured, thusly, on video:

Giving her the kiss attack truly does brighten my day.

Also a wonderful moment (which I wish I had captured on film) was when I woke her up from her nap, and we spent a half hour snuggling in her bed, talking about her brother. She demanded I pull up my shirt so she could "see" him, and she discussed all of the stuff they're going to do together (go to the petting zoo, ride in the carts at Costco, eat puffs) and she said that when he's born, he can wear her new purple tutu skirt and dance with her. Then she leaned in to my stomach and said "come out and dance with me!" I teared up at her sweetness.

I know it'll probably be a much different story when he's actually out and about, bothering her, but her enthusiasm for him now just slays me.

She also spent some time today being sweet to Bitty Baby. At one point, she picked up Bitty and said "it's okay. What's wrong? Let's just snuggle for a minute." And I also overhead her offering to breastfeed the doll, that dang little hippie!

But perhaps her favorite part of the day was going over to Gigi's house, and discovering that there's some new caterpillars outside, just waiting to get large enough to be invited in Gigi's home for wayward butterflies. When we were walking by the butterfly plant outside, Ellie exclaimed about caterpillars, and I thought she was nutso. And then I looked closer and realized she'd spotted the teeniest, tiniest new little caterpillars, not even the length of a penny, crawling all over. She made everyone come out and check out the caterpillars.

My favorite part though, was when Gigi squirted Ellie with a spray bottle, and Ellie goes "why did you do that?" in the most grievously wounded voice ever. I wonder where she gets it from. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to retire to my fainting couch.