Tag: Eleanor

Eleanor’s Girl

I wanted an American Girl doll when I was a kid. Not just any doll though — I wanted Molly. My mom and I would look through the AG catalogs together, and I know she wanted to get one for me, but we couldn’t afford it. Thus, when Eleanor asked for this 18″ Götz doll last year for Christmas, and I was happy to oblige. It was her big gift from Santa, but only recently has she grown more attached to it.

The doll is the same size as American Girl dolls (and from what I understand, made by the same original manufacturer), so we have a dress for it from AG, and a few other things from Target’s more affordable Our Generation line. We ran into an obvious problem with the doll after Eleanor brought it to my mom’s house for a sleepover though: she had no PJs! Oh, what a world.

Determined to solve this pressing matter, my sister came with me and Eleanor recently to the American Girl store in Chicago.

We had never been, and the amount of stuff you can get from AG is overwhelming. Eleanor wanted the pajamas we came for, plus more clothes. Plus a bed. Plus a dog, a cat, and a friend for her doll. At first, I was steadfast. We came for doll pajamas, and we were getting the pajamas! “Maybe for your next birthday, maybe for Christmas…” was my response to most requests. Then, because I am crazy, I started to think that ‘hey, I never did get an American Girl doll when I was a girl. Maybe we should get one, and Eleanor’s doll can have a little friend. And awwww, look how cute Molly’s mini Jenny Lind bed is! Just like Eleanor’s!’

So I bought her the pajamas. And the bed. And hell, I bought her Molly, too. What am I, made of stone? (The correct answer is money. Apparently, I am made of money.)

And you guys, of course she thinks Molly is my doll. (Because it kind of is?) But happily, August has claimed it as his own, so now each kid has their own to play with. Eleanor’s girl gets the coveted spot next to her bed though. In the matching Jenny Lind.

June 25, 2013
Eleanor Tenenbaum

E was with me a few days ago at the Chicago Kate Spade store, where they have Scalamandré zebra wallpaper in the bathroom. She loved it, and said that we should have it in our new house, so I asked if I could take her picture in front of it.

Nice pose, kid. Where have I seen… wait a minute.

Huh.

But she may be onto something. I mean, this is some seriously fantastic wallpaper, right? I put together a collection of my favorite bathrooms and powder rooms using the pattern (in red, and in other colorways too). Something to think about for the new house.

June 20, 2013
Running Circles

Before and after getting dressed for the day.

June 10, 2013
Rawr

This post is sponsored by Honest.

We’ve been trying to have the kids play outside as much as possible while we get the inside of the house ready for sale. Luckily, the weather has been cooperating with us.

Now, some things you don’t mind on your kids. Natural, broad-spectrum 30 SPF sunscreen? You bet — we’re going to be in the sun for a while. (Actually, I’ll take some too.) A little dirt, from playing outside all day? Not a problem. Let them have their fun, and they can get cleaned up with a little bubble bath later. Permanent marker all over your little girl’s face?

Hold up.

See, Eleanor got a new toy puppy the other day, and it came with bunch of veterinarian accessories, including a prescription pad. I watched her writing (scribbling) on it with a blue marker, carefully filling out each line and narrating as she went. It was adorable, but I thought nothing more of it. Turns out she held on to that marker. A couple of hours later, E suddenly thought it would be a great idea to be a tiger! Actually, I think she was trying to be Diego’s baby jaguar friend. Either way, that blue marker ended up on her face, hands and arms.

Rawr.

No, she had never drawn on her face before. She did a pretty decent job, considering the lack of a mirror, eh? Oh well— it was just a little marker. Permanent marker, mind you, but it will fade soon enough. At least the sunscreen did its job.

Making it Lovely readers can enjoy $10 off a minimum purchase of $40 using the code Lovely10off40. Limited to first-time buyers (one per customer) and expires June 19, 2013.

June 5, 2013
Eleanor’s Fourth Birthday Party

There’s the birthday girl, approving of the party decorations before her guests arrived.

Eleanor requested a Play-Doh party this year. Brandon’s mom, a former preschool teacher, came through with some fantastic ideas for pulling it off. She whipped up homemade play dough in several colors, and also came up with the idea to create little chef’s hats for the kids to wear (which they did all wear at various points). Everyone had their own station to work at.

The Play-Doh birthday cake was Brandon’s genius idea. He asked a couple of local bakeries if they could pull it off, and most of them replied that they don’t do custom cakes (what?), but Reuter’s Bakery came through. It was pretty spectacular.

I told the kids that we needed their help to make the birthday cake (they hadn’t seen the real one yet), so they each made their own out of play dough. I gathered their creations, thanked them, and they went off to play in the living room while we cleaned off the dining room table. We called everyone back over after their places were set, we brought the real cake out, and everyone sang Happy Birthday.

Four-year-olds are awesome, because they’re still young enough to fall for a cute trick.

Brandon and I are glad that we had the party at home. It was fun to have Eleanor’s friends over, and later, family came by too. We made one long day of it!

(Hope you had a great birthday, kiddo.)

May 14, 2013
Four Years Old (Eleanor’s Yearly Photo)

I took a monthly photo of Eleanor in the same Eames rocker, in the same spot in my living room, every month for the first two years of her life. (I did the same thing for her little brother, August, but in a different room.) When I came to the end of my two-year project, I decided to keep the tradition going, but to switch to yearly photographs at that point.

At first, I kept her outfit simple so that the focus would be on her as she grew, not what she was wearing. As she gets older, she has more of an opinion about what she wears. I’m letting her personality show by photographing her in the outfit of her choice.

Eleanor is four years old now. Here is her yearly photo.

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May 2, 2013