Ella: One Year Old

My little Ella,

You're one year old! You are 19 pounds 15 ounces (53%) and 29.5 inches long (63%). Your head is in the 86 percentile. You are wearing 12-18 month clothing, size three diapers and size four shoes.  You have seven teeth and they are now really visible when you smile...making your smile all new kinds of cute.

Your most favorite foods are blueberries and corn, but you eat everything with such passion and enjoyment it is rare to see you reject anything. Other favorites include strawberries, pears, watermelon, oranges, noodles and english muffins with creamcheese. We've made the switch. No more nursing. You are enjoying your whole milk in a sippy cup.

Though you are not walking yet, you are showing lots of interest. You have taken a step or two on your own, but have been learning to stand up for longer periods of time without holding on to anything. You love to push the baby stroller and walk with it. It's only a matter of time now. I wonder if when you start walking, you might stop climbing as much. Wishful thinking, but I highly doubt it based on the exhilarated smile on your face when you get to the top. Mommy is becoming quite the spotter. You climb on any table, chair, bed, couch, ladder or slide you can and you do not give up easily. Just the other day, I turned around for a minute and you had climbed to the top of the playground ladder. I am going to go ahead and predict you will most likely be the child that climbs out of her crib as soon as you decide it is too restricting.

Until about two months ago, you were moving and exploring so much, you showed little interest in books or videos of any kind. More recently, that seems to be changing and I love seeing your eyes light up when you sit to hear a story (though it is still only a few minutes) or when you see Elmo dance and sing across the screen. It's a whole new world you have yet to really explore. Right now, your favorite book is Dear Zoo and your favorite TV show is either Barney or Elmo, but like I said you barely sit still long enough to care.

You love to sing with us. Some favorite songs are Elmo's song (La La La La), Old Macdonald, Pat-a-Cake and the Fresh Beat theme song. You are very expressive using sign language and lots of new words (dada, mama, baba, nana, night night, bye, hi, cheese, duck, woof woof, baby, amen).

You would brush your teeth all day long if I let you. Though you love to play, most age appropriate toys do not hold your interest for long because you are determined to be playing with whatever Abby is playing with. If Abby is coloring, you want to be coloring. If Abby is practicing her letters on the dry erase board, you sneak behind us to find a dry erase marker in the bag and you bring it over to join in. However, your most recent favorite toy discoveries are the stacking rings, your new smart phone and the laundry basket. You love to play in the sandbox, water table or on the swings with your sister. If someone goes outside without you, you follow them to the door and stand at the screen shouting for them to come back and get you. If you are in the sandbox and Abby decides to go on the swings, you crawl as fast as you can to get to your swing too. I'd say your favorite places to be are either outside, in Abby's room, the playroom, climbing on the stairs or in the bathroom rifling through the tampon drawer (which your sister so lovingly refers to as playing with "the sticks").

When we ask you what a doggy says, you pant wildly with your tongue hanging out of your mouth. You love shoes and talking on your cell phone. When you hear my phone ring, you will pick up anything next to you, put it to your ear and say "Hiiiiiii".  If you are in the same room as me and I am wrapping up a conversation on the phone, you start saying bye before I do because you understand that it is about to happen. Amazes me every time.

This month, you experienced some firsts: traveling on an airplane to Little Rock with your sister, sleeping in the Chicago airport (a story for another day), taking your first boat ride and playing in the lake at the Bluff.

On your actual birthday, we spent lots of the day playing together at home. You practiced walking with the baby stroller and really started to get the hang of it. (Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpIlgCsrZ-w)  Then, you decided you had had enough of being the "grown up", threw the baby out of the stroller and sat in it yourself. No question who the baby in this family is.

"I may be one, but let's not be confused...I'm still the baby in this family!"

baby

Grammy and G-Diddy arrived later in the afternoon to celebrate your birthday with us. You opened some gifts and then Grammy and G-Diddy took us all out to Joe's Crab Shack for a birthday dinner. The waitstaff even came over and sang to you and you loved every minute of it. :)

loving your new Big Bird puppet

the next morning Abby enjoyed the perks of having G-Diddy to snuggle with for a show

Your personality lights up the room making everyone laugh. Your smile is contagious, especially now that you scrunch up your nose, point at any camera/ cellphone and say CHEEEEEESE all the time. I can't say enough to express what a precious little girl you are. We are blessed more and more each day as we learn the special ways God has created you. You are his beautiful masterpiece! Daddy and I pray daily that you would trust in Jesus and follow Him at an early age learning how to minister to others through these beautifully unique gifts He has given you.

We love you Bells-ca-bells! Happy Birthday to you!