My Favorite Ella

I have several favorite Ella’s. Each is my favorite depending on the day and time. There are also several Ella’s that will never be my favorite…whiny Ella fits into this category. Tantrum Ella will also never be my favorite. However, there are several Ella’s that take turns being my favorite.

The morning Ella is definitely one of my favorites. She’s quiet and snuggly, her hair is a complete disaster and her eyes are still droopy. Her skin is cool and soft from the night air, which makes it extra kissable. And because she’s still in her snuggly mood, she lets me kiss her as much as I want to. I love that morning Ella lets me hold her and rock, and we sit in the silence until hungry Ella comes out and declares, “Mommy, I’m hungry! I want toast.” Then morning Ella is gone and we begin the day.

Other times my favorite Ella is social Ella. The girl that randomly decides to smile at everyone and will respond to each person that talks to her. This Ella has been rare, but she’s starting to come out more.

Oddly enough, I love stubborn Ella. Yes, this Ella gives me the most problems, but it’s also the Ella that has helped her achieve so many milestones that many naysayers said she’d never do. It’s the Ella that never stops fighting, no matter how much pain or how difficult the task. It’s the Ella that said, “Yes, I can write my name at 2 ½ even though my fingers are webbed and contracted.” It's the Ella that looked at the therapist with complete annoyance when she asked her to trace a circle, then she proceeded to trace the circle perfectly leaving the therapist and her assistant in complete awe. It’s the Ella that constantly says, “I want to do it!” when even her own mother has her doubts.

Yesterday, my favorite Ella was singing Ella. We headed to Target and as we were walking through the store Ella sang the entire time…yes, the ENTIRE time. No, she wasn’t singing songs. She was singing her sentences and thoughts. Think Phantom of the Opera where there are only like 10 spoken words and the rest of the dialogue is set to music. Yes, that was singing Ella. Her tune of choice was “You are my Sunshine.” Imagine the following phrase sung to the tune of “You are my Sunshine”…Mommy, I want to go and get a snack. Can we please go and find a snack? I’m getting hungry, and I want to eat. Can we please go find a snack?” The best was when she started singing about what type of toilet paper I was buying. According to her song she really wanted me to get the kind with the puppy on it (Cottonelle) but I chose the generic Target brand with toilet paper flowers on the front. Riveting musical lyrics. Sometimes I would join in and she thought that was hysterical! We had some duets that were better than anything you’d hear on Broadway…trust me!

I love each and every Ella that enters my day. And I love that she keeps me guessing...it makes life interesting. I wonder which Ella will come out today.