Musings on Ellie's People Passion

I think one of the most amazing parts about being the parent of a toddler is watching the personality of your child unfold. When Ellie was 10 months old she learned to say 'HI!', and grocery shopping was never the same. We had to yell hi to everyone. I think I thought it was a stage at the time. Now that Ellie is 21 months and she STILL says hi (plus much more...as much as you're willing to hear) to nearly everyone, I'm realizing that this is just who Ellie IS. A people person. She has this drive to connect with every person she meets (with the exception of a few scary people...like Santa Claus and Dr.Dyck).
The other day I was at my Grandma's condo and she wanted to bring Ellie up to the top floor to say hi to a friend of hers. So we knocked on the door and this lady called out, "Come on in!" My Grandma opened the door and let Ellie in while we stayed behind. Ellie MARCHED right in there by herself with her crooked pink toque and her green rubber boots and yelled out, "HI, LADY!". I think Mrs. Hires is still recovering from the shock of it...
Names are very important, too, and Ellie doesn't seem to easily forget them. We were at a family gathering on Sunday and I introduced Ellie to a bunch of new people. About 15 minutes after meeting one of my uncles she marched up to him and said, "Hi Ben!". If she can't remember or doesn't know your name, it's "Hi, De-da!" I don't have a clue why. :)
At night before bed when we pray and I ask Ellie what we should pray for she says, "Fends" (friends). And so we thank Jesus for a list of at least 20 people and then Ellie is satisfied. Often when we leave the house Ellie asks if we're going to 'chuch' (church)...and if we are, she says, "FENDS!" And starts the list of people she knows we'll see at church... "Dow-ee, Arnew, Simmy, Azewin, Sunsin, Donald, Wobbie..." (translated that's Chloe, Andrew, Simeon, Azelin, Allison, Donovan, Robbie....)
Aside from Regan (obligation to best-friendhood by cousinry...and yeah, i think i just made up two words), Ellie's very best friend in the world is "Dow-ee"...Chloe. It's heart-warming to watch them. When they spot each other in church their eyes light up, they yell out each other's names, and most recently, they give each other a big hug. They love running up and down the aisles together. Having Chloe over for a play date is like inviting peace and quiet personified into the house...for some reason, they just jive, and they play together like angels. The only thing they fight over is teapots. (Why do they only make one teapot in a set, I wonder?) Ellie seems to get tired fairly quickly by most social situations, but not by Chloe. Go figure. What a blessing! Here's a few pictures of Ellie with her bosom buddy:

Coloring up a storm.

They actually complied when I asked them to fold their hands!

Chloe's birthday partyRight before a teapot fight broke out.

With Ellie's extreme extroversion I am very curious to find out who this next little Bean is going to be! I'll keep you posted.