Every parent or maybe it's every speech pathologist (I don't really know the difference) knows the way to a happy child is a structured routine. Children love to know what is going to happen next (admit it you are like this too because you are a human) and this helps improve their behavior. Well, Gabby definitely has a very structured routine which was actually implemented at first by her daddy to help her transition to sleep better. Gabby's structured life has taken on a life of it's own and I am afraid that we have possibly encouraged O. C. D. tendencies in our little ray of sunshine. The most obvious of these would be 'get get' and 'Meow.' Get-get, also known as a 'blanket' in your world, is a specific blanket that has patches of a lovely variety of textures that she enjoys rubbing while drinking her warmed milk before bed (I know really I still warm her milk?). Don't think you can get off this easily putting Gabrielle to sleep...oh no! Meow is a MUST! If there is no Meow there is no sleep. This is so true that we actually have Meow 2.0. She does not know there are two, but when we can't find one rather than frantically running around the house looking we just pull out the spare. The only problem with this is that we have to allow her to take a different one with her to the park each time or they will look very differently. Michael and I have talked about our feelings regarding Meow and as a security toy we are happy this is the one she chose, because it could have been Atrayu who is as big as me. Meow is the perfect size to just throw in my purse when not needed, I think our whole family secretly loves Meow. I thought we had made it without a security object, but apparently they can begin at any age.
I thought we would give you a glimpse of some of the silly things Mr. Elfis (our Elf) did Christmas Eve before returning to Santa Claus. We went to Dallas on Monday and luckily our elf (who Gabby named Snowball, then Snowball Snow Flake, but whose name is really Mr. Elfis) hopped in a car seat so he could make the journey safely to Grandma and Grandpa's and meet Ralphie, Emma and Brody's Elf. Here are the shenanigans they got into while waiting for Santa to arrive and while we were all asleep: Proof that the elves took these photos all by themselves. If you look closely between the first two photos you can see Mr. Elfis' hand move pushing the button. Snacking on the kid's gingerbread houses. Drinking Gabby's milk hanging upside down. What were they thinking?! Soaring with the eagles (Gabby's favorite bird). Ralphie riding a horse. Ralphie sneaking in a stocking. Mr. Elfis sliding down the banister ...
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