12 Month Post. Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, sweet girl! 

My Little is ONE! 

I can't believe it. Some days it seems as if she's always been a part of our family, and other days, it is as if I just left that hospital room - where the most intense, loving, and meaningful experiences, so far in life, were created.

Our days are happier. Our hours, sweeter. Our bundle of energy leaves us exhausted in the most precious sense of the word. 

 

 Ellery had a grand ole time at her party.

She danced. And played. And clapped. And ran and ran and ran around. She giggled. And squealed. 

 And ATE CAKE.

She wasn't sure about it at first.

She thought it best to remove the candle first. 

Then someone put her iced finger in her mouth.

And decided it wasn't half bad.

So she ate. 

And ate.

Until I finally decided she needed to stop before the sugar induced tummy ache set in.

She loved it. Every minute.

Things she doing:
-She'll call "Cocoa', our friend's cat, by name.
-Sits, when we say 'sit'. (And preforms a lot of other commands.)
-Brings an item when I ask for it.
-Waves good-bye and hello.
-Kisses, hugs, and high fives.
-Goes to bed around 7. Sleeps in her crib until about 1-3 AM, and then wakes up, and sleeps soundly in our bed the rest of the night.
-Weighs 23 lbs. 

Update.

Believe it or not, we're all still well and good here in Mississippi.

We've had a bad case of a broken laptop, making blogging a rather difficult task to do.

We have managed to piece it together for the time being, so now onto Ellery's 1st birthday.

My Halloween Cupcake.

Ellery decided to celebrate Halloween a little early tonight. 

As the sun began to set, we headed over to visit friends who were hosting a fun costume party for the kids - Ellery Kate loved it. 

11-month post.

You see those eyes? Those are tired eyes. Eyes from fighting naps and waking up at all hours of the night.
 

You see those legs? Those blurry legs? That's sweet Ellery running away from me. All day long.

And this? This is me letting her eat her Cheerios off of the floor, because I am that tired.

But would I trade any of it? Not a chance.

Well, maybe the waking up at all hours of the night part. I'd definitely trade that. 

Baby Ellery,

As you begin to outgrow your baby status, I find myself aching to bask in all of your precious and innocent moments. I long to wrap you up in the tightest of bear hugs, and never let you grow up.

You, sweet E, are the most fun I could have ever imagined.

 

Some things you do: 
You give kisses and high fives.
You're learning to wave, and sometimes it sounds as if you're saying bye-bye.
But, I could totally be making that up. 
You like dance to music, and your favorite thing is still Cheerios.
You babble non-stop, and will not sleep without your blanket and your pacifier.
I would guess you weigh ~23 pounds and you wear mostly 12 month clothes.

Because I thought this was funny.

Cabin Fever.

The fresh, cool autumn air brings comfort to even the smallest of hearts. 

Ellery's drama queen nature revved it's little head today in an unusual fashion. It was a clingy and extra whiny morning in our house, and nothing I did seemed to help the rotten mood she found herself in. She fought her way through naptime. She cried as I rocked her. She even fussed as she shoved a handful of Cheerios in her mouth.  Something was wrong.

After fighting it all morning, I couldn't take being cooped up any longer while there was a beautiful day waiting for us on the other side of our door.  I grabbed an oversize blanket and a sweater for E and headed out.

 It was instantaneous. Her mood change. She was a different kid.

I diagnose it: Cabin fever. 

She was bored. Bored with her toys. Bored with our grey walls. Bored with me singing "If you're happy and you know it" to her - ten times in a row.

 I needed a little fresh air, and apparently she did, too. 

    

 

Remembering to Be Still.

 

When the pitter-patter of Little's feet falls silent and her eyes close ever so slowly on Justin's chest, my heart cannot contain the love rapidly overflowing for this little person - and the person she's laying on. 

This chilly Sunday afternoon, we're all remembering to be still.

If you're wondering what we do all day...

Take a look...

Since Little is pretty interactive now - by that I mean, getting into everything she's not supposed to - I've had to get pretty creative with our days. No more of this sitting in one place while I shake a rattle in front of her face business, no way.  Boy, do I miss those days! Sweet, innocent days. (Why yes, I am wearing my rose colored glasses as I type! How did you know?)

Recently we've tried to go on as many play dates as possible, take trips to the park, and occasionally visit the church nursery. They say interaction with peers does a kid good, right? Well, as long as her peers have mommies like the ones I've found, I think it does a kid's momma good too!

But there are days that we stay home, too. Many, many days that we stay home. And on days when all we have to do is look at each other, and the dishes, and the laundry, and the floor that needs vacuuming, our house can seem a little boring and mundane. Just saying. When daddy's at work and Ellery is begging for something besides her zebra and a magazine to chew on, Pinterest can show an unforeseen productive side.

One night, after the kiddo was in bed, when I should have been sleeping, I let myself get lost in the DIY/craft section, and found a website that got my creative juices going. It listed activities by age appropriateness, and I thought I was in internet heaven.  I swear, I was like a college freshman who just found out she was failing, I was taking notes, non-stop. With my pen going a mile a minute, I wrote down activity, after activity, after recipe for homemade finger paint. 

Bucket o' Rice:

She loved it. LOVED it, but then tried to stand up and slipped on the rice, resulting in a busted lip. Oh well. Good try, though, right?

And she only ate about 2 handfuls. I was only briefly worried about her ending up like the birds who died after eating wedding rice.

 

Paper Wads.

Oh, Ellery loves paper. In any form. It's pretty much her best friend. So, after this activity, I'm quite certain she thought I was the coolest mom ever! She was entertained for quite a while. Paper, paper, MORE paper!

 
Homemade finger paint:
4 Tablespoons Sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 cups water
food coloring

I'm sure you can find a better recipe than this one if you're looking to actually paint a picture, but boy did Ellery enjoy getting her hands (and feet and face and every other inch of her body) messy with this one!

My Ellie in Pictures.