Breakfast in Bed

Ella is usually the first one up in the morning, and if I'm still getting dressed or drying my hair (or, fine, I admit it, sleeping) when I hear Addison wake up, I send Ella in to distract her sister and buy me some time. Occasionally I can hear Ella reading to Addison, but most of the time I have no idea what they're doing in there. All I know is when I get to her room it's some times hard to find Addison underneath the pile of things Ella has thrown in the crib--fourteen thousand stuffed animals (many of which I've never seen before I find them in the crib), books, diapers, wipes, the occasional catalog, sometimes clothing, cat treats, the cat (ok, not really-but I'm sure it's just a matter of time), and a myriad of other things a 3-yr-old feels a 1-yr-old might need first thing in the morning.

This morning, Ella decided to feed and water her sister. My husband and I first got wind of what was going on when, about five or ten minutes into her tour of distraction, Ella appeared in our bathroom with a sippy cup full of water and asked if one of us could please tighten the lid. When Steve handed it back with a "Here you go," Ella corrected him with a "It's not for me--It's for my baby sister!" and skipped off down the hall.

When I went in the room ten minutes later, the girls were enjoying a veritable buffet--Addison, with crib seating. Ella had provided her sister, and herself, with goldfish crackers, sippy cups of water, string cheese and, my personal breakfast favorite, garlic and onion crackers. Forget making pancakes, I though. "Hold on, girls, I'll get the nachos and bean dip!"