An update in pictures

It's been a long week of not much newsworthy to report. Typical Dutch weather has settled in, making our short days cool, windy, grey and often drizzly. The skies seem to magically clear up after dark (alas), which sets in at around 5pm now. Markus goes to work and comes home again in the dark, which leaves him longing for a vacation in Maui (Gail, do you have room for visitors?). Ellie and I try to keep our days as busy as possible, which really isn't too hard with a 2 year old. She's busy all on her own, and she has definite ideas about what should be done and when. We're thinking of having T-shirts made regarding Ellie's CEO status as soon as we can take dictation on the corporate logo.

The most newsworthy item is that Ellie has started potty training. Notice how I wrote "Ellie started" not "we started." This is all her idea, as everything must be. Ellie first showed interest in using the potty at around 18 months, so I took her to the shop and bought her a little potty...at which point the idea became mine and not hers, and she lost all interest. About two weeks ago, Ellie spontaneously asked to sit on her potty...with results! Every time she asks to sit, she has success, which makes her bubble over with pride and excitement! Of course, since we are doing potty-training her way, it is not for anyone else to dictate (or even suggest) when she sits on the potty. When she wants to sit, she does; when she doesn't, forget it. So she's still in diapers for now. We'll see how much longer they last. I have a feeling that someday she will just tell me she's done with them, and that will be that.

Our week has been filled with happy Ellie routine. As particular as she can be, she is a true joy and we have lots of fun! We go to the playground, the zoo, music class, and even the pool (where she is the cutest girl in a swimsuit hands down!). I brought my camera along to the zoo today, which made me realize I have a small backlog of photos to share, starting with Halloween. Here's a brief update in pictures of our past week or so:

Contemplating the jack o'lantern


Clingendael playground and fall colors



If I were a penguin, which one would I be?


The most common view of Ellie these days