"No"

Two simple little letters.  N-o.  Something tells me I'm going to be using them a lot from here on out. 

Ella is mobile.  Her preferred method of transportation is still the "lunge-wiggle-scoot" when she really wants to get somewhere, but she's crawling more and more on her hands and knees each day.  I'm still faster than her...but I know that won't last for long.

Ella is curious.  She wants to see what's inside anything--whether it's the laundry basket, pantry, or backpack.  It seems that anything and everything is a new toy for her.  Yesterday it was the V-8 cans on the bottom of the pantry, today it was the lids for some (unlit) decorative candles. 

The combination of the mobility and the curiosity is eliciting plenty of "no's" lately.  No to pulling on wires.  No to reaching for knives in the dishwasher.  No to trying to put rocks in her mouth.  It's definitely time to baby-proof the house.  But "no" isn't the only new word in our vocabulary--Ella's exploration is causing us to introduce all sorts of new words as we describe whatever it is she is discovering.  Gone are the days when I could just lay her on a blanket, looking up peacefully at the ceiling.  It's a good thing that my husband gets back later this week to help me keep an eye on her and do some baby-proofing around the house.

Yesterday's blessing was finally hearing from my husband after 26 hours without contact with him...in which he went to the DMZ...by himself (well, as part of a tour, but without any of his colleagues).  He developed a sinus headache and had tried to email me to let me know he was just going to go to bed instead of calling, but the email never came through.  With the 16-hour time difference, it wasn't until 4:00 pm the next day (my time) that I heard from him.  Thank God he was safe, and thank God that he comes home late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning.