Ellie in a nutshell

 At around 7 months, we started putting a stuffed animal in Ellie's crib, and as the months went by the number of "friends" in the crib multiplied. Now on any given night you'll find anywhere from 8 to 10 friends, keeping her company. 

Ellie has also been sleeping with a blanket in her crib for the last 7 or 8 months. 

She has never really taken to the blanket, however, and by the time I go in to check on her before I go to bed, the blanket is usually wadded up in a corner of her crib. There's maybe been 5 nights in the last 7 months that the blanket actually covers her throughout the night. 

Tonight when we put her to bed, I covered her up like I normally do, and she immediately sat up and started messing with the blanket like she normally does. For some reason we sat talking to her a little longer than normal and I realized that she doesn't kick or throw the blanket off in her sleep. Oh no. Ellie takes the blanket and immediately covers Momo, her favorite friend, with it.   

Thinking back, the blanket is usually wadded in the top left corner of her crib next to her pillow, which is the place of honor Momo always receives.

The amazing thing I realized, which immediately choked me up, is that that one act pretty much sums up who Eleanor Claire is. That's about all you'd need to know, and you'd know a lot. 

Oh how I adore my thoughtful, empathetic, kind little girl.