14 Months Old!

Hard to believe, but Ellen is 14 months old! She is still as sweet as ever and growing by the day. At 14 months, Ellen is:

• a super speedy walker
• very friendly (she says "hi"/waves/blows kisses to everyone she sees)
• continuing to add words to her vocabulary ... the latest additions include "Santa," "ball," "cracker" and "pretty," among others and she is starting to put two words together (e.g., "Hi, baby")
• still taking two two-hour naps during the day and sleeping for about 11 hours at night
• sporting a five-tooth smile
• wearing size 3 and size 4 diapers (we're working through our last pack of size 3)
• wearing 12-18 month-size clothes and size 4 shoes
• starting to feed herself with a fork
• self-consious when it comes time to do her "business"
• a lover of bath time
• a fan of sitting underneath blankets (not sure why)
• very expressive with her hands during conversation
• attempting to put her clothes/socks on and change her own diaper
• turning into a fashionista ... she especially loves to accessorize with bracelets and watches (note the green sparkler on her wrist in the picture below)

Our little peanut is getting so big!

Christmas #2

Ellen had a wonderful second Christmas! She celebrated by attending a number of family gatherings, eating yummy treats, giving and receiving many nice presents, and staying up way past her bedtime on several occasions. Christmas is the best!

About a week and a half before the big day, Ellen visited Santa at the mall. She was very excited to meet the big guy and as we waited in line kept saying, "Tanta!" and "woof" to Santa's reindeer; however, when it came time to sit on Santa's lap, EVB was anything but excited.

After church on Christmas Eve, we headed to Omma and Boppa's where Ellen had a great time playing with her cousins, Gavin and Sophia.

Gavin and Ellen loved Omma's nesting Santas ...

and Boppa gave Ellen a tour of tree.

Then it was time for presents!

Ellen loved everything, but was especially proud of her new froggy hat ...

and her awesome tunnel!

On Christmas morning, Ellen awoke to discover that Santa had delivered many special presents while she was sleeping, including an Ellen-size chair! EVB was beside herself with excitement!

Now Ellen has her very own spot to sit!

EVB was also thrilled that Santa left some puffs in her stocking.

Later Christmas Day, Ellen went to Grandma and Grandpa B.'s where she played with her cousins, Madelyn and Scarlett, and opened more presents!

Ellen got many fun things of her own ...

but was most impressed with Scarlett's cool tent. In fact, she spent most of the afternoon sitting inside it and squealing with delight.

It was a very Merry Christmas!

13 Months Old

Ellen turned 13 months old Nov. 27 and She is a very busy and very happy little toddler. Ellen's walking skills continue to improve and it is now her preferred method of mobility. Ellen has also fully converted to sippy cups (woohoo!). She's still wearing size 3 diapers, but wears a size 4 at night. She wears a size 4 shoe and mostly 12-18 month- sized clothing. She's still taking two two-hour naps a day, but is showing signs that she may be ready to alter this schedule. In other sleep news, Ellen has been waking up in the middle of night for the past week or so ... This is very uncharacteristic considering EVB has slept straight through the night since she was just a few weeks old. Could it be that our luck is finally running out?! I hope this is just a phase!

EVB showing off her five chompers!

Getting ready for the holidays by reading her reindeer book ...

More reading - this time after finishing a yummy breakfast at Capital View Cafe

Tired Turkey

Ellen had a very busy Thanksgiving. She was lucky enough to spend time with both sides of her family. EVB sampled some mashed potatoes, stuffing and turkey, but didn't seem all that impressed with the yummy spread ... Hopefully she'll enjoy it more next year. We didn't have a chance to snap a picture during any of the festivities, but managed to get a photo of EVB all tuckered out on the drive home!

Walkin' & Talkin'

Over the past few days, Ellen's walking skills have improved drastically. She can now take about 5-8 steps unassisted and she's getting even better at standing and walking while holding onto furniture with just a finger or two. EVB's vocabulary is also improving ... Here's a list of the words she says that we can actually make out:

• gock (duck)
• qwa qwa (quack quack)
• woof (puppy)
• moo (as in "what does the cow say?")
• jeez (cheese)
• ha (hi)
• baby
• pee (peek-a-boo)

Ellen's 1st Birthday Party

We celebrated Ellen's birthday with a small gathering of family at our house. Ellen had a great time playing with her cousins and, of course, eating cake. EVB was the gracious recipient of many lovely gifts ... she is a very lucky (and very loved) little girl!

EVB showing off her party dress. (Ellen borrowed this dress from her cousin Sophia who wore it on her 1st birthday!)

Cake for Ellen's guests. (Ellen had her own personal cake to dig into.)

EVB trying to figure out why everyone is singing to her ...

After a brief lesson from mommy about eating frosting ...

EVB definitely got the hang of it.

Messy Ellen!

Despite having a head caked in frosting, it was time to open presents!

As was expected, Ellen liked the ribbons and bows best (and had fun wearing Sophia's headband).

Mom and Dad and a tuckered out birthday girl!

Happy Halloween!

Ellen had a super-fun Halloween. She dressed up as a spider and went trick-or-treating to one house (our next door neighbors'). EVB is still too little for candy, but maybe next year!

Ooh ... spooky spider!

EVB humoring Mom & Dad by posing for pictures.

After a while, Ellen realized how ridiculous she looked.

EVB was very intrigued by the lighted jack-o-lanterns!

Our family of pumpkins (Ellen, Mom & Dad).

1 Year Old!

Little Ellen is one year old! We had a great day ... First, Omma came over for coffee, then we visited the Children's Museum, then we picked up Daddy from the airport, then we went to EVB's last ECFE class (where everyone sang "Happy Birthday!"), and then we came home to open presents and eat a cupcake. What a busy, but amazing day!

At 12 months old, Ellen:

• weighs 20 lbs. 4 oz. (30th percentile)
• is 29.75 inches tall (75th percentile)
• has a head circumference of 17.5 (30th percentile)
• wears size 3 diapers
• is now drinking whole mile
• is taking a couple of steps
• is into EVERYTHING (cabinets, drawers, laundry baskets, etc.)

Someone is THRILLED to be 1!

Ellen loved the jingle bells at the Children's Museum ...

and the fishing pond!

Ellen checking out her new Baby Stella doll.

EVB and her new Fridge Farm.

Despite the nice presents, Ellen was most enthralled with the wrapping. :)

Mmm ... EVB's first cupcake!

Hooray for frosting!

Kickin' back and relaxing after a fun-filled day!

Fall Fever

Ellen has been having a fabulous fall so far ... She still enjoys going for walks and now she is big enough to play outside more often. We wish fall weather would last forever!

One of the pretty trees we saw on a recent walk.

Ellen has discovered leaves and she's obsessed with picking them up and tearing them into little pieces.

More leaf tearing ...

Ellen decided she needed a break from the leaves and opted for a rest in one of the Adirondacks.

EVB recently figured out that push toys are much more fun outside where there are fewer walls to crash into and turns to negotiate.

11 Months Old!

I cannot believe it ... The one-year milestone is just around the corner! At 11 months old, Ellen is as fantastic as ever. She's growing like a weed and is starting to resemble a toddler more than a baby ... She's curious, independent and FUNNY!

Still just two bottom teeth in that great big smile!

I think the days of trying to snap a picture to show Ellen's height are long gone ... She refuses to stay put and instead must investigate her sign!

EVB can hydrate all by herself ...

and select toys all by herself ...

and read all by herself ...

Miss Independent even ventured head first into the ball pit on the first day of her ECFE class. :)