Ellie crawling...a short video

Ellie plays

Ellie is learning to play on her own.
One of Ellie's favorite things to do is to take all of the toys out of their container. Sometimes she dumps them all out, and sometimes she looks for just the right one to grab.
Another new and exciting adventure for Ellie is pulling herself up on things and going under things. She likes to go under desks, tables, beds (but she still has a bit of trouble with getting out from under the low things)... and right now I need to end this post because she has ended her nap and pulled herself up in bed... she wants her mommy.

Morning Walks

When we first arrived, due to jet lag, Eliana was waking up pretty early. The mornings are nice and cool (it's HOT season here), so we would go for walks. Our neighborhood has a path around a pond, and it happens to be right around the corner from where we are staying.


There's an interesting mix of people who walk around this pond... there's people like us. There's a group of older-type women (I have never actually seen them walking, though. They just sit together at one corner of the pond on benches chatting. They all have on fancy white sneakers, though.) There's middle aged men who usually walk in pairs or groups of three. Some of the men even use a little area that has recently been made that is kind of like an outdoor gym. There's other foreigners doing serious exercise, jogging and such. Sometimes we see a group of teenagers running and practicing for soccer. I'm always impressed when I see teens up and out so early!

Another thing that impresses me when I go walking around this pond is the clothing that the women wear. I just put on an old shalwar kameese. Some women wear burkas (are fully covered with an extra layer over their clothing), but even more impressive are the women who wear saris! When I wear a sari (which is very, very rare) I try to move as little as possible even though I use multiple safety pins to keep it in place. I can't believe that women can exercise in saris. Maybe one day I will be so talented...

Just a note about Ellie as I end this post. As I was typing this she, for the first time, crawled out of the room I am in, and went exploring without anyone encouraging or entertaining her from the other room. So now I must go and find out what mischief she is into! :)

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Who knew mirrors could be so entertaining and confusing?!