traveling pal

Ellie was my traveling pal last week.
She's pretty much the best traveling pal ever.

 We flew to California.  Flying with a six-month old is
infinitely easier than flying with a two-year-old. 
A few little toys to chew on,
a little nursing snack,
then a long nap. 
Easy peasy.  I only took my purse with me on the plane,
instead of the ginormous backpack I have to take when I fly with Nicholas.

 She was happy the. entire. trip.
No joke.  She took excellent naps, slept about as well as she does at home (which isn't stellar but that's another story),
and was smiling the whole time she was awake.

 

Smiling as I got her dressed one morning.

 Smiling as I attempted to help with the centerpieces. 
I wasn't much help,
but maybe Ellie provided a morale boost?

 Sharing a happy joke with her new friend, Eli, my friend Allison's darling boy.
Yep, it was Ellie and Eli.
Confusing, but cute.
They were great friends that week, and Ellie didn't even seem to mind that Eli thought her wiggly feet would make great chew toys.
She licked his head at one point, so I think it was even.

 She was the belle of the party.  I literally couldn't even walk ten feet without someone stopping me and admiring her.

 Just mingling with her new famous friend, Griffin--Mindy Gledhill's sweet little guy.

 

It was really fun for me to be able to spend so much one-on-one time with Ellie.  In the chaos of our everyday lives, I don't get to just sit and play with her as often as I would like to.
I noticed things about her personality that I never noticed before.  She's a doll.
Thank you, sweet Ellie,
for being such a good girl on this trip!