Miracle Book and the Elmo Crush

Originally Written: Monday, January 31, 2011

So, we came across this book called "The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers", written by Elizabeth Pantley.  It's supposed to help parents deal with all types of sleeping issues for children aged 1-6.  I'm not very far into the book yet, but so far, Ms. Pantley seems to make a lot of sense.

What we have read mostly has to do with ways to make healthy, sleep-inducing changes to Ella's diet.  It says to provide dinner and before-bed snacks that contain foods with tryptophan, such as: tuna, natural peanut butter without sugar (not the hidden kind), cottage cheese, yogurt, eggs, bananas (nuh-nanas!) and the one everyone already knows - turkey.

It also says to eliminate any foods that are high in protein (at bedtime, not altogether!), as they can cause energy bursts: red meat, bacon/pork; as well as foods that stimulate the nervous system: caffeine, chocolate, peppermint, fatty/greasy foods, OJ/citrus juices, butter, MSG, sugar and simple carbs.

Well, there goes our coffee break, darn it!  :)

It makes sense though, and it makes me rethink what I eat and drink before bed, too.  Tom and I need to be Ella's role models, which means we need to improve our habits so she will adopt good habits when she gets older.

And, here I am, it's 10:30pm and I'm eating sugar.  Damn conversation hearts.  Apparently, I'm my own "Soul Mate".  And now they have a heart that says "Tweet Me".  Really???

My baby girl has a crush.  Her crush has a catchy tune:

"La la la la, la la la la, Elmo's World!  La la la la, la la la la, Elmo's World!"

It's pretty bad when I can sing the rest of the song in my head...every damn word.

Ella hands me her Sesame Street board books, and when I foolishly try to read them to her, she screams, "Ehmo!  Ehmo!"

She wants only to see the pages with Elmo on them.  She couldn't care less about the rest of the book.  Although, I am very proud of her, because when I ask her where certain characters are on the page, she points to them correctly almost every time.

This child will literally hurl books at me, "Ehmo!  Ehmo!"  And if I don't pick up the book immediately, she will scream "Ehmo!" until I pick the book up and locate Elmo.  Her arms are like tiny rocket launchers, I swear.  Once Elmo has been found, she smiles her flirty smile and shies away from the book.

I love my kid.