Ellison- One Year

One year!!!   I am beyond excited for Ellie's first birthday.  Being done with having children and so looking forward to the toddler years and beyond, I couldn't be happier to be done with the baby year.  Not that Ellie wasn't a great baby, she totally was, it's just not my thing and I so love her right now, she couldn't be any cuter and sweeter!  She is so silly and happy all the time it always puts you in a good mood to be around her.  Even if it's six AM.

Milestones-  She kind of seems to be at a standstill when it comes to any major changes since she did a lot of things so early.  She can run now and she loves to be chased!  I can tell she understands so much of what we say.  She acknowledges what we say buy making a noise or getting up and going to said destination or object.  If she doesn't have a paci in her mouth she is talking all the time.  She has her own little jibberish language.  She will like "talk" in a sentence and then look at me or Whitney like "got it? did you just get what I said?"  too cute.  She continues to pick up more and more words.  She tries to use a spoon or toddler fork.  She shakes her head no when I ask her a question.  She can do the "we did it" dance to Dora.  With the "head, shoulders, knees and toes" song she can do head.  She can point to multiple body parts.  She washes her tummy in the bath and can say bubbles, sounds like bubbos.  I can't get her to say "up" yet, but she will raise her arms up to me instead of completely freaking out for me to hold her.  She has great hand eye coordination and can do shape sorters (if you show her what hole to put it in) and she can put sticks into small holes.  Yes, the outlets are covered.

Eating-  Still a great eater.  She likes blueberries, strawberries and grapes but will not eat bananas pears, peaches or kiwi.  Anything slimey.  Not a fan of veggies.  She will eat sweet potato fries, french fries, and maybe carrots.  Still loves pretzels and she has discovered m&ms.  Yes, I give my baby chocolate.  Shoot me. If I ask her if she has a hungry tummy she goes to the kitchen.   I have cut down on the bottle.  She doesn't seem to have a huge attatchment to it and doesn't drink much out of it when I do give it to her, about 3 oz, but she is not willing to drink anything else right now!  Totally frustrating and it's causing my two a day super pooper to only poop turds once a day.  I know you care and wanted to read that.  I don't need two constipated chilren, so this really stresses me out right now.  So, I have half a container of formula left right now and she gets a bottle early morning if she wakes up before she is ready and after bath.  I'm tempted to just throw the formula away and be done.  Okay, getting off track....

Sleep-  Starting to get back on track after getting a cold, then the flu and then an ear infection.  Still goes to bed about 8:30 and will sleep until 7.  Correction, she will sleep until 7 after she has a bottle 5amish.  Not sure how we are going to get past that hurdle.  I'm hoping she will just start to sleep longer.  She takes one nap around noon and will sleep for about two hours, maybe a little more.

Stats- 12-18 mo clothes, size 18mo jammies, size 4 shoe, size 3 diaper.  20-21lbs.  six teeth.

with her favorite bird

She loves books.  One of her favorites is a look and find "melmo" book.  She gets extremely excited if she sees a dog and will start to "woof, woof"!  She loves to push buttons.  She is great at self entertaining.  She will often go back to her room or Whitney's room if she's bored of the living room and go play by herself.  She likes to help with laundrey.  She likes to be out in public and go to the library and gym.  Still loves to cuddle soft things and hug babies/stuffed animals. 

she is starting to clim anything low enough and she was so proud of herself tonight as she climbed up on the fireplace ledge. 

still likes sister's underwear

She has a temper and can become quite the firecracker when she is mad.  And she doesn't forget what she wanted and why she is mad.  She doesn't hit or bite anymore.  She throws things.  She will throw whatever she is mad at or whatever she can get her hands on a pick up.

I feel like I should have so much more to say but I'm drawing a blank.  Until her 15 month post......