23 months.

My sweet baby girl you are 23 months old! I cannot even fathom the fact that you will be two in one short month.

This past month you have really become less "baby" and way more "little girl". You speak in sentences most of the time and we have very few times where we are at a complete loss for what you're saying. You are very opinionated. And you want your opinion heard. Loudly.

You are so funny. And you know it. We hear "Ella's funny!" many, many times a day.

You are on a slight Princess kick. Of course you think most girls are Princesses (as they are) so we hear many people get that title through the day.

You love your baby dolls. You have such a sweet, nurturing spirit. You also love babies. You got so excited to meet MB this month and you talked about her for days.

You still have excellent manners. You say grace before meals, prayers before bedtime, thank you, bless you, and you're welcome. We're working on ma'am and sir now instead of "what?" when your name is called.

You still call us Mommy and Daddy but if you call us for too long and we don't answer, you will scream our actual names until you get our attention. Then you're sweet as pie again.

You still like to jump, run, and dance most of the day. You never sit still.

You are very loud and crazy at home but when you get around other kiddos, you take more of a backseat approach. If they want a toy you have, nine times out of ten you just give it to them. You are very laid back in those situations.

You love your school buddies. LOVE them. Us Moms actually just made sure you girls will stick together in class next year and y'all are going to love that.

You have zero interest in the potty. We actually went backwards on this but that's fine. Everything I've been told has said to let you lead the way so we shall do just that.

You are still an excellent sleeper and eater. A big Hallelujah for that.

You really like to color now.

You still really like to sing and will now just start singing by yourself. I love hearing your little voice sing "Tinkle Stars" and the "Bider song" over and over.

STATS:

Height: 34 ish inches

Weight: 33 ish pounds

Sleep: still sleeping 13 or so hours at night with a one to two hour nap a day.

Foods: Faves haven't really changed. Will eat breakfast most mornings if the cartoons are on. You eat what we eat for lunch and dinner.

Teeth: No idea. I think we're still down an eye tooth. No second molars yet.

Clothes: 2T and 3T. You still have short legs so you can still wear 24 month pants. You did not get that long torso from me.

Favorite toys: Anything "Princess", baby dolls, your baby stroller, balls, purses, jewelry, coloring books, stickers, shoes.


I know this is a short monthly update but it's hard to update on everything you do child. Sometimes I forget how young you are because you are so independent. You want to go get everything for us, do everything yourself, and figure all things out on your own. You are a headstrong one child, but we wouldn't change you for the world.

One more month til you are two. How is that even possible??

22 months

Well it's official.. you are almost two. Sigh..

While it kind of stinks because you are growing up so dang fast, it's pretty awesome at the same time because you are just such an amazing kid. I know, I know, everyone says that about their kid, but BG, you really, really are.

You have such a distinct little personality. Even at such a young age, you know what you like and what you don't and you are emphatic about these things. You have an attitude the size of Texas, but fortunately, a heart that large too. You are just so fun to be around. Not kidding, you're the coolest kid I've ever known.

So what are you up to these days...

You are obsessed with writing. You walk around with a pad of paper and something to write with all the time. Apparently you get this honest as I've been told I did the same thing at this age.

You are sort of bossy. Good thing you're adorable.. You love to tell the dogs to "stop it!" or "hush!". You've recently started telling them to "go!" as you push them out of the way. Endearing no?

You talk non stop. NON STOP. Like I can't even explain how much you talk. It must be seen.

You have a new obsession with Blue's Clues. I hear "I want Doggy" and "I want Steve" way too many times a day.

You are still a pretty great eater. Not so much a breakfast fan anymore but you get that honest in this house.

You have zero fear. You jump all the time and your new thing is just to jump off things; stairs, the couch, you don't care. It's not a thing at all to you. You even drove your car down the stairs the other day and couldn't figure out why we wouldn't let you do it again.

You still love to dance, and girl.. you've got some moves. You did not get those from me.

You've taken to calling your Dad by his first name. It cracks me up. He is not as big of a fan but I remind him daily this is just a phase.

You really like to ask where people and things are. But you say "ah" instead of "where". Such as "ah Zoie go?" for hours after we leave school in the afternoon. Or "ah cat go?" when he runs from you for the fiftieth time that day.

You are still an amazing sleeper. I will never be able to thank you enough for this. Ever.

You like to sing. You sing your "ABC's" and can sing up to E by yourself as well as W, X, Y, Z. You like to sing the "tickle song" (Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star) and you're learning "Jesus Loves Me". You are getting better about recognizing your letters although you lose interest before we tackle too many. You are also learning to count and can say up to ten and recognize some of them as well. You are starting to attempt to draw your letters as well, but they're still pretty unrecognizable. :)

If we ask you how old you are, you say one but then we say "and you're almost.." and you holler TWO!

You've started asking for nose kisses and I think it is just about the sweetest thing ever.

Every night when we lay you down, you like to holler out "I love you Mommy!" and "I love you Daddy!" loud enough for us to hear as we walk away. When we holler back, you bust out laughing and then we do it a few more times. That might actually be the sweetest thing ever...

You like to carry around your purse or your bookbag. Then you get your keys and say "Ella go!" as you walk off to your next adventure.

You love your school friends. You talk about them all. the. time.


You are so fun to be around. You make us laugh non stop and then you get all excited and scream "Ella funny!". Yes, sweetie you are.

We love you so much little one. While the tantrums aren't fun and sometimes you make me want to pull my hair out, I can think of no person I love the way I love you. You're my little pal. You're my heart sweet child. No matter how many gray hairs you give me, or how many anxiety attacks, you will always be my heart.


STATS:

Height: 34 ish inchs

Weight: 33 lbs.

Sleep: 7:30 pm to 8:30 am and a two hour nap around noon.

Teeth: still waiting on one eye tooth. It might even be there. I'm not sticking my hand in there to find out!

Clothes: 2T some 3T

Favorite foods: avacados, cheese, yogurt, applesauce, ice (yes, weird), Goldfish, cereal bars. You are in a dipping phase. You like to have something to dip your food in at all times.

Favorite toys: you like carrying around bags and purses, Elmo, Violet, Abby, your Cozy Coupe

I love you so big sweet girl.

21 months

Oh sweet girl. This month has been an absolute blast. You are such a little spitfire and your personality has exploded this month. You are by far the most fun little person to be around (you're also the most exhausting kiddo). You makes us laugh and smile so much. Sometimes too much when you're acting out but we can't quit laughing enough to discipline you. You are very dramatic. You might get that from me. You can also cut your eyes with a quickness (also from me, oops). Every month you surprise us with how quick you are changing and growing. So what have you been up to this month...

You've gotten a little bossy. You like to point your finger at us (okay me) and say "no!". Or push me and say "go!". You do that to the dogs as well. They take it better than I do. You also like to tell the dogs to "back up!" and "get out". Better be glad they're nice dogs...

You're getting a bit more picky with what you will eat. You do not eat meat. Well, that's not true. You eat very, very little meat. Hot dogs are your favorite. Which actually sticks with the no meat thing (ga-ross).

You still love you some Abby and Elmo.

Little Einsteins is by far your favorite cartoon. You love those guys. It makes my day to see you going "pat pat pat" on your legs and then holler "BAST OFF!!" (blast off). It is so cute.

You love all things sparkly and girly. You got a pair of Squeaky Shoes for Christmas and you fell head over heels for them. (You guys should see her prance in these things. So adorable!).

You prance around the house doing this football player meets ballerina walk. I've got to get it on tape. Hilarious.

You are so, so funny. And you know it. You love to make us laugh and it just makes you laugh harder and harder when we get going.

You drag us around by the fingers and say "Come!".

Your words are taking off. I guarantee once you get your tubes in, you'll be using phrases like nobody's business.

You've had a lot of problems with your ears and your R.A.D. this month. We've been hooked to a nebulizer almost non-stop. You went to the ENT and he recommends you get tubes and have your adenoids taken out, so we'll be doing that. We ended up in the E.R. on NYE and found out you had RSV. Fun night. Here's hoping to a healthier month coming up.

You move all day every day (I'm pretty sure this is my new reality and I can copy and paste this on every recap from here on out).

You like to sing your ABC's and can even recognize a few letters. We're working on numbers now too. You can tell everyone you're one and will sometimes tell people you're "almost two" (how is that possible?!?).

You now say "I love you Mommy" or "I love you Daddy". Melt. My. Heart. Pretty sure your Dad teared up when you first said that to him. No lie? I still tear up almost every time you say it.

You tell us "bye bye" at bed time.

This month has been a doozy as we're definitely seeing some tantrums. I thought we somehow missed the whole throw yourself on the floor and scream thing, but apparently not. You will throw yourself down and kick and scream "no! no! no!" when you don't want something. It's fun I tell you. It's why time out has become a daily thing around these parts.

You are just such a sweet girl. You love to give hugs and kisses and say "I wuv you". It makes everything better, cannot lie.

STATS:

Height: 33 3/4 inches

Weight: 30 pounds (you've lost about 3 pounds this month thanks to RSV and a week and half of not eating. Your rolls are disappearing with a quickness which makes this Mama so sad. :()

Sleep: Sleep has been iffy this month as you've felt like tail, but you still go to bed around 7 or 7:30 and will sleep til 8:30 am if we let you. One nap a day around noon for 2 hours.

Teeth: 14. Another eye tooth made it's appearance this month.

Clothes: 2T and some 3T. In pants you usually need 3T because you're pretty long. You wear a 6 1/2 shoe and a size 5 diaper during the day and at night.

Favorite foods: So weird this month with your eating, but you still like french fries, oranges, avacados, oatmeal, yogurt, Goldfish and cheese the most.

Favorite toys: Abby and Elmo dolls, alphabet train, shoes, remotes, some blocks for a second, and your new kitchen.

20 months.

So raise your hand thumb if your Mom dropped the ball on your 20 month post??

Alrighty then...

Man child. This month has been a blur. Probably because we have been in constant motion trying to keep up with you. You NEVER sit still.

You still love Elmo, but dare I say Abby may be your favorite?? You also call your Barney dvd Abby too though and ask for it multiple times a day.

You still love music. And you LOVE to dance. You don't even need music most of the time. We just have to ask you to dance and you get that little booty shaking.

You have thirteen teeth. Only one of your eye teeth have made an appearance so far.

You are still sick. We've been battling ear infections and colds and coughs all month. But it has not slowed you down one tiny bit.

You love clothes and shoes. You also really like to tell me what shoes you're going to wear.

You are still such a good eater. I always feel so blessed when I see all the ladies on Twitter talking about how their toddler won't eat. That is one thing we have zero issue with in this house.

You love to run at our knees and give us "hugs".

You grab our fingers and say "up!" when we're sitting on the floor.

You still love to read and play with your tea set. You love your dolls. You are obsessed with phones and remotes.

You are a Daddy's girl. There is no getting around that.

We could sing the "ABC's", "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Jesus Loves Me" all day every day and it would not be enough for you.

You're making little friends at school. It makes me smile to see them say "bye" to you at the end of the day.

STATS:

Length: 33 1/2 inches

Weight: 32 pounds

Sleep: Going to bed around 6:30 til 7, getting up anywhere between 7:30 and 8:30 am. One nap a day from 12-2

Teeth: 13

Clothes: 24 months and 2T. 24 months in pants usually. You have short little legs. You are weighing a 6 1/2 shoe and a size 4 diaper.

Favorite foods: Hasn't changed much. Still mandarin oranges, bananas, avacados, Goldfish, NutriGrain bars, peaches, oatmeal and yogurt.

Favorite toys: dolls, jewelry, phones, remotes, Elmo on the tablet

19 months.

Oh Baby Girl, you are nineteen months old!

I can't believe how fast this last month went by. You are at such a fun, yet tiring age and we are loving this stage with you!

You are an ACTIVE little girl. You seriously do not sit still. Ever. It's sort of exhausting but you somehow seem to have the energy of ten people.

You say "love you" to us all the time and it is the sweetest. sound. ever.

You talk so much. SO much. You have new words everyday. I seriously cannot even keep up with a word count. You will give any word a shot and most of them you remember.

You are developing some good manners. You say "tank you" when someone hands you something. You say "bess you" when people sneeze and "amen" after night time prayers and after the blessing. You are learning to cover your mouth when you sneeze and cough. It's so stinking cute.

You've added the monkey sound and pig sound (sort of) to your animal sounds.

You are a great eater. I thank God daily that you aren't picky at all. Makes dinner time so easy.

You sing so loud along with the music while you're in the car. The louder we turn up the radio, the louder you sing.

"Mine" is a word we now hear multiple times a day. That's fun.

You give hugs and kisses still. Sometimes I ask you for a kiss and get a big "uh-uh" and a smile. Silly.

"Uh-uh" is another word we hear A LOT.

We've added toddler toothpaste to the bedtime routine. We don't quite get it yet....

You're getting more aware of the "potty" and you ask to in there or the "batroom" multiple times a day. You aren't going to the bathroom in there yet though. We're not quite there yet.

You are very good at helping us get you undressed. You also want to help us dress you so we're working on that.

You love, love, LOVE music.

You still really love the alphabet and we work on it as much as your attention span lets us.

By the way, the attention span is whoa... You have a very hard time sitting and focusing on anything for long. Hopefully you'll grow out of that.

You've started asking for a book at bed time. Love.

The attachment to the Wubby and blankie is at an all time high. I kind of regret not getting rid of that thing sooner now.

Stats:

Length: 33 1/4 inches

Weight: 31 pounds

Sleep: Going to bed around 6:30 or 7 or so and getting up around 7:30, sometimes earlier, sometimes later

Teeth: still 12

Clothes: 24 months and 2t, size 5.5 in shoes and size 4 diapers (5 at night)

Favorite foods: bananas, Goldfish, NutriGrain bars, mandarin oranges, avacados

Favorite toys: Elmo on the tablet, ABC puzzle, tea set, jewelry. You actually aren't a huge toy person. You're more into running around like a crazy person!

This is such a fun age and while it's also a struggle discipline wise (super fun), we are totally loving this stage with you. You are the light of our lives little one!

18 months.

Well hello toddlerhood. How nice to meet you.

You love to play pretend. You've been playing with your dolls for months but lately it goes beyond that. You love your tea set. You pretend to pour tea and then drink from the cup. Then you go "mmm!" and make us "try" it. Sometimes you just drink from the tea pot ;). You also like to take the bowls and the fork and "mix" stuff up to eat. It's pretty funny when you lick the empty bowl clean!

You have gotten really good at your animal sounds (dog, cat, sheep, and sometimes cow).

The whining has definitely stepped up a notch this month. Super fun.

You can point out so many body parts; eyes, nose, mouth, hair, head, ears, tongue, teeth, arms, legs, fingers, toes, belly button, and tummy.

You still like to "clean up" and like to use your wipes to wipe stuff down.

You say (and sign) "pwease" and "thank you". You say "bess you" when someone sneezes. Dare I say you may have good manners?!

You love being outside. You run to the door a ton of times a day and holler "outdide!!".

You have a pretty serious "Elmo" obsession. You used to call him "Belmo" but you've got it right now. You should. You say it plenty of times a day!

Remember that separation anxiety we battled last month Baby Girl? Yea, it lasted a grand total of about two weeks and hasn't been seen since. You walk straight up to the sitters' house now and straight into the arms of the nursery workers at church. However, when we come to get you, you run full out for us yelling "Mama" or "Daddy" and throw your arms around us. It is absolutely the best thing to return to.

You love your sitters' little girl, Erica. You ask for her constantly. And when we drive up to the sitters' house, you start squealing "Erca!". It is ridiculous cute. And Erica is a huge fan of yours as well.

You hand us your plate or bowl when you're done eating and say "all done".

You know when things are empty now and let us know as well by saying "all gone".

Your dancing has stepped up a notch. You dance all the time. You wave your arms around if you're sitting down, but if you're up, your whole body is moving. You've also started twirling in circles.


You've learned to pull your pants down. That's fun.

There are little acorns and pine cones all over the driveway currently. Whenever we get home, you have to gather a handful them on the way in the door. You love your "acorns" which you say with the sweetest little accent.

You rarely want to be held anymore. You have to be so tired you can't see straight to sit down at all. And if you're that tired, you just go to bed because you are a monster at that point!

You say thank you, "pwease", "bwess you" when we sneeze and "amen" after prayers. These are some of the sweetest things I've ever heard.

You are still obsessed with belly buttons, but you've also become pretty interested in backs and dare I say it, butts. Mine at least. Anytime I sit down, you're pulling at my top to see my back and then you'll pull at my waistband and crack up. My little weirdo.

You talk to everyone. Everyone. Most of the time you start saying "bye bye" the minute you see them. Then you will keep saying it. Over and over and over. They better say it back or you just get louder and louder. And you pop an attitude. It becomes more "BYE BYE!!". They really should just talk to you..

At your eighteen month appointment, the doctor was VERY impressed with where you are developmentally. Of course, I think you're the smartest kid EVER, but I'm you Mama. One thing's for sure; you are a very smart, very independent little girl. I can't wait to see what you do in life.

Stats:

Length: 32.25 inches

Weight: 30.8

Sleep: Going to bed around 7 and will sleep til about 8:30 am. Your naps are iffy at best these days. It's usually just one after lunch and can be anywhere from an hour and half to three hours.

Teeth: Still holding in at 12.

Clothes: Still can wear 18 month, mostly 24 month and some 2T. Your dresses are still 24 month in length.

Diapers: Still a 4 during the day and 5 at night.

Favorite foods: Bananas, toast, corn, avacados, sandwiches with mustard, yogurt, Goldfish

Words: "book", "ball", "doggie", "dat" (cat), "Dash" (Cash), "Yacy" (Lacy), "Ace" , "Mama", "Daddy", "Pop Pop" (my Dad), "phone", "hello" (herro), "doll", "bath", "bow", "shoe", "wawa" (water), "juice", "cup", "WubWub" (paci), "no no", "yesh" (yes), "milk", "block", "hot", "thank you", "gish" (Goldfish), "snack", "Nonny", "dress", "baby", "Teve" (Uncle Marine), "Mommy", "mote" (remote), "book", "spoon", "plate", "all done", "bubble", "bat" (hat), "seep" (sheep), "peez" (please) , "blankie", "nigh nigh" from before and new this month: toast, "nana" (banana), all gone, milk, amen, "bwess you" (bless you), bath, outside, Elmo (over and over and over), chair, down, go and so much more.

You are the light of our lives little one. No idea what we did with ourselves before you came around. We love you more than anything....



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17 months.

I kind of feel like 18 months means you are officially a toddler, so we're going to say that this month you are still a teeny tiny baby. That works right?

Except that you don't act anything like a teeny tiny baby. At all. In fact I spend most days just staring in awe at just how big you seem. Sometimes while I sit and watch your mind work, I'm amazed at how much you're figuring out, and how quickly you are figuring it out.

This past month, you've actually wanted to be held more than you have in months. I think we're maybe battling a bit of separation anxiety because you all of a sudden cry when we leave you in the nursery at church and when I drop you off at the sitters. You quit the minute you can't see us (trust me, I'm standing just out of view listening), but it breaks my heart to see you go through that. You'll walk up to us and hold up your arms and do a "gimme" motion with your hands for us to pick you up. I secretly love it.

You still talk so, so much. Dare I say it, but I think we've skipped a lot of tantrums because you communicate so well. If you don't know a word, we'll say it and you'll attempt it. You are very good at getting your point across.

Don't think you don't have tantrums though. If you hear something you don't like, it's on. And you throw a great tantrum. Although there is no head hitting or rolling on the ground. Thank goodness for that. Just lots of tears and screaming. Fun.

You answer questions now. Of course you answer all of them with "no". But it's a pretty emphatic now. My favorite is when we say "Baby Girl are you sweet?" and you answer with a very excited "NO!".

You "blow" bubbles now. You basically stick your bottom lip out and then lightly blow. Sometimes it works though and you get so excited!

We YouTubed "Elmo's Song" for fun one day and you LOVE it. Now if we ask you to sing "Elmo's Song" you start singing "la la la, la la la la". It is beyond adorable.

You are learning your "ABC's" and can say up to "e" and recognize them. We're working on colors and you can usually recognize blue and purple (random). We haven't started with numbers yet but they're coming up next.

You've learned how to say your name and it is so fun to hear you say "Eya" (yep, we're bilingual over here apparently ;)).

You are obsessed with belly buttons. You love yours, but you also like to go up to your Dad and I and lift our shirts and poke ours. Apparently that's not tied just to us though because you welcomed your Uncle Marine the other day by doing it to him.

You started saying "Mommy" and "Daddy" instead of "Mama" and "Dada" and it absolutely melts me. In fact the first time you said "Mommy", I burst into tears. It is the most wonderful sound ever.

You follow new commands every day. You'll now go get us a diaper when we ask for one, go to the bath when we tell you and go to your highchair when we tell you it's time to eat.

You love picking up the house. If your Dad or I leave a cup or plate out, you'll bring it over to us to put away. Now if we could only get you to just put them away for us...

You love the phone. Like you're obsessed. Any time anything rings/beeps you say "phone!" and start looking for it. If you have the phone, you walk around with it up to your ear and just talk and talk into it. You have a lot to say. You also sometimes use the remote as your phone even though you know what it does. You also take the remote and point it to the tv. More often than not, you make things change.

You now dance by putting your arms up and then shaking your hips. I die from the cuteness.

You like to sit and read/look at books by yourself a lot. You will bring books to us to look at with you, but most of the time, you're perfectly content to look by yourself. (I say that and currently you're trying to crawl in my lap with one).

At the park one day, you climbed up and went down the slide all by yourself; basically before I even realized what was happening. You are too big. It's going way too fast.

You've started grabbing your blankie and Wubbie and heading to your room when you're tired. You'll also curl up on any soft surface and lay your head down to go "nigh nigh".

You are a busy, busy girl. You never stop moving.

You are just a sweetheart. You run up to us and hug our legs, give "kisses", give hugs and just love on people all of the time. You have such a sweet spirit. I sure hope you stay that way.

STATS:

Length: 32.5 inches

Weight: 29 pounds

Sleep: You still go to bed around 7:30 each night, but you consistently get up around 8 to 8:30 or so now. I sure do miss those 9 o' clock mornings. Nap time is sketchy now. You sleep maybe two hours a day. Sometimes you take a morning and afternoon nap, sometimes just an afternoon. You are just too busy to nap!

Teeth: you have 12. All four molars are in and they certainly put you through the ringer.

Clothes: We're putting up your 18 month summer stuff and getting out your 24 month and 2T clothes for winter. You wear a size 5.5 shoe.

Diapers: A 4 during the day, 5 at night.

Favorite foods: avacados, blueberries, strawberries, bread (carb girl like your Mama), green beans, ham and cheese sandwiches with mustard, cheese,
Your words: "book", "ball", "doggie", "dat" (cat), "Dash" (Cash), "Yacy" (Lacy), "Ace" , "Mama", "Daddy", "Pop Pop" (my Dad), "phone", "hello" (herro), "doll", "bath", "bow", "shoe", "wawa" (water), "juice", "cup", "WubWub" (paci), "no no", "yesh" (yes), "milk", "block", "hot", "thank you", "gish" (Goldfish), "snack", "Nonny", "dress", "baby", "Teve" (Uncle Marine), "Mommy", "mote" (remote", "book", "spoon", "plate", "all gone", "bubble", "bat" (hat), "seep" (sheep), "peez" (please) , "blankie", "nigh nigh" and I know there are more but these are the ones you say the most.

16 months

Baby Girl... Somehow the months keep passing on by and you keep getting bigger and bigger despite my best attempts at keeping you my tiny, tiny baby. Sigh..

You are SUCH a fun little girl though. You laugh so much of the day and I love it. That's not to say that there are not tantrums, because oh there are, but in between those you are such a joy that you kind of make up for those.

What have you been up to this past month Baby Girl?

You're currently on a Daddy kick. I can't get you to eat nine times out of ten, but if Daddy tries, you'll clean your plate. You wake up asking for "Dada" and won't happily go to bed without telling him "nigh nigh". You still only want Mama when you're upset though. :)

You can follow so many commands. You pick out books when we tell you to, pick out clothes, get your shoes, go to the front door when we say "let's go", throw away something if we ask you to "put it in the trash", and "come here".

You have become such a little girl! You love carrying around bags, wearing necklaces, putting on your shoes, and bows and hats. I love it!

You are running flat out everywhere. You're quick, fast, and in a hurry.

You are quickly figuring out how to use a spoon and fork. You're actually really good with the fork.

You also like to find stuff to carry around with you. The heavier the better. Last night you tried to carry around a bag of dog food. It didn't work.

You've started "helping" a bit with chores. You know where the Tupperware drawer is and you take the Tupperware from us when we unload the dishwasher and put it away. You can also put up your shoes and clean up your books. You are also still on your "cleaning" kick and will wipe things down or attempt to sweep with the broom.

When I say "let's go get dressed", you run to your room and grab the doorknob on your closet and start saying "dress, dress!". So funny.

You have a Melissa and Doug shapes puzzle that you are getting really good at. You can get about half of them in the right places most of the time.

You still don't have a lot of patience with small tasks. You lose interest in blocks and such very easily and move on to something else.

You laugh so much and so hard all day. You still do your little fake laugh. You've also started putting your hand over your mouth to laugh. You love to make us laugh. The more we laugh at you, the more it encourages you.

You are still obsessed with the dogs. The minute we get out of the car, you run to the back gate to check on them. The bigger you get, the more okay with you they get and you guys are forming quite the little friendship. So fun to see.

You "talk" all day. Our house is filled with the sounds of your talking and laughing. Music to my ears.

You love the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" song and are getting better and better with the hand motions. You also like the "Happy and You Know It" song (is that even the title?) and are getting better with the motions. So far you only have clapping down.

You've started stomping your feet to dance. You bounce around and stomp really quickly and then just laugh.

You can point out eyes, nose, mouth, and ears now in addition to your hands, feet, and belly button that you've been doing for a while.

You can get your self dressed with a little help from us and are currently trying to figure out how to get yourself undressed. That should be fun.

STATS:

Length: I'm guessing still around 32 inches or so

Weight: 28 lbs.

Sleep: Still from 7:30 (ish) to about 8:30 unless we wake you up. Your nap schedule has been sketchy at best this past month. A few days you've taken one long nap which is around three hours which is awesome. That doesn't happen every day though!

Clothes: You're slowly inching out of the 18 month clothes and into 24 month. Some of those are still too big though, but most of the 18 month is getting a bit snug. You're wearing a size 5 1/2 shoe.

Diapers: Still a 4 during the day and 5 at night.

Favorite foods: avacados (hands down favorite), green beans, strawberries, bananas (usually), cheese, ham, bread, yogurt, oatmeal, and anything your Dad is eating. You usually eat about half of his meal!

Favorite Toys: your doll, Mom's jewelry, your alphabet train (you ride it now), shoes (yes, these are toys), books (your favorite is the Easter bunny book that sings; we hear that at least ten times a day), puzzles, remotes, phones; you know, whatever isn't actually a toy!

Word Count: You'll try to say almost anything. You've added "gish" (goldfish snacks), "fish", "snack", "Nonny" (my Mom), "dress", and probably more but those are the ones we hear the most.

15 months

I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that my sweet tiny little baby is fifteen months old. I mean, I just had her right?!

I have to say, I thought month ten was my absolute favorite, but this stage absolutely rocks. Baby Girl is just so, so much fun and an absolute delight to be around. I cannot get enough of her!

So what have you been up to this month little one?

Your Daddy took you to your fifteen month check up last week and your doctor confirmed that you are doing excellent. You're still in the 95% percentile for height and weight. The doc was very impressed with where you are developmentally. I think he was surprised by how much you talk! Obviously he doesn't know your mother...

Your word count grows by the day. You will pretty much attempt to say any word we say now. The words you've got down pat are "book", "ball", "doggie", "dat" (cat), "Dash" (Cash), "Yacy" (Lacy), "Ace" , "Mama", "Daddy", "Pop Pop" (my Dad), "phone", "hello" (herro), "doll", "bath", "bow", "shoe", "wawa" (water), "juice", "cup", "WubWub" (paci), "no no", "yesh" (yes), "milk", "block", "hot", and "thank you". Our house is NEVER silent.

You LOVE to be chased. You just laugh and laugh. And you love to come find us. You also just started kicking when we pick you up. Your poor Dad got the bad end of that stick the other night. Ouch.

This month you have stepped up the "giving love" game a ton. You come running at us to give hugs, nestle your head into our shoulders when we hold you, and pat us on the back while hugging us. You are stingy with your kisses though. Usually when we ask you to give us kisses, you give us your forehead and then laugh. You're a mess.

You've found the toilet. Enough said.

You've also found the dogs' water bowl and the cat's food. Enough said.

After your second day of daycare, I looked over and you had your finger in your nose. I was horrified. You laughed. Great.

You've started doing this fake laugh thing that cracks us up. Whenever everyone is laughing at you, you throw your head back and do this loud fake laugh then check to make sure we're all still looking. You love doing this. I really think we might have a class clown on our hands.

You've taken a new interest in books this month. You still won't sit still for a story at bed time, but during the day you'll go pick out a book and bring it to us to sit in our lap while we read it to you. You'll also sit down by yourself and just look through them if we shut you in a room with them. If you aren't shut in, you won't sit still long enough.

You still will not sit still for tv. At all. You might last five minutes if we give you snacks but that's rare. You're just not a fan.

You started going to daycare this month and you don't seem to mind other than you hate getting up that early. Sorry kiddo. It is hard for me to leave you when you're looking at me saying "Mama", but most of the time I walk in, set you down, and then don't see you again as you're already into fifty different things. You must keep your sitter super busy.

You're pretty picky about food. If you think it's too hot, you'll tell us and then throw it down. If you don't like something, you wrinkle up your face and then stick your tongue out and let it slide down. One day you'll love something, the next hate it. Avacados still seem to be a favorite. You never turn them down.

You want to do everything by yourself. You pretty much refuse help. This includes feeding, brushing your teeth, brushing your hair, washing yourself, etc. It's fun to watch you try, but it's oh so messy.

You've taken to "cleaning". You pull wipes out of your container and wipe down surfaces. It's actually hilarious (although very expensive). I walked into the living room the other day to find you surrounded by the wipes that should've been in your diaper bag, and steady wiping the floor. I need to get you a mop.

You are obsessed with keys. Unfortunately you like to take them and disappear with them. I actually have no clue where mine are right now. Not cool.

You're also obsessed with pens. If there's a pen anywhere in sight, you have to hold it. Nine times out of ten, you're walking around with a pen (don't crucify me people, I know, I know..).

You are an amazing sleeper. You go to bed by 7:30/8 each night and sleep til 8:30/9. Getting you up for daycare is a chore. You love your sleep! You still take two naps a day, but your afternoon one is getting iffy. I think it's time to start pushing the morning one back a bit.

You never quit moving. Seriously, I've never in my life seen a child move so much. Even your sitter said something after your first day with her about how you just never want to sit down. I should weigh ten pounds. For real.

You are such a funny, independent, sweet girl and I am loving seeing who you are becoming each day. I love that I am still the most important person to you (Daddy is a very, very close second) and I hope that we keep this bond forever. You're my little sidekick sweet girl. Mama loves you forever.

STATS:

Length: Doctor's office got around 32 inches, but we get longer. I'm going by our though because you sit still for us and you don't for them.

Weight: Around twenty eight pounds.

Sleep: 12-14 hours at night, two naps a day usually around 1 1/2 hours in the am and 2 (maybe) in the afternoon.

Clothes: Mostly size 18 months but quickly moving into 24 month.

Diapers: Size 4 during the day, 5 at night.

Shoe Size: 5 1/2 W

14 months

Like how she kicked that shoe off huh? Got to work on her love of accessories!

It amazes me that it's already been two months since we celebrated your first birthday little one. Time sure does need to slow down..

Baby Girl, you are growing and changing with a quickness. Somehow this month, I blinked, and my tiny little baby became a little girl. She loves having her hair brushed, playing with her dolls, and helping me put on her shoes (which she takes off).

You are finally walking!! You can now get from the ground to standing up all on your own. You still do some crawling, but every day it gets less and less.

You are fiercely independent. You want to do EVERYTHING yourself. You'll take the washcloth from your Dad and try to wash yourself. You take the brush from me and try to do your own hair. You want to feed yourself everything.

You're finally getting some signs down and I think that's helped a bit with communicating. You can sign "milk", "all done", "more", and "please". You say "wa-wa" when you want water. You get your point across.

You had your first real sick day this month. You've had a few "colds" and what not, but this time you quit eating, had a fever for three days, were lethargic and just wanted to be held. I ended up taking you to the doctor and you were diagnosed with a bad virus. It broke my heart seeing you that sick, but I did enjoy the cuddles that I so rarely get these days.


You are still so very verbal. You talk and make noises all day. You've added a few new words this month; "wa-wa" (water), "Lacy", and "doll". You'll point at what you want and then you want it quickly!

You are totally into climbing. You climb on tables, chairs, the stairs, the couch. You can also get yourself down once you get up now. You crack us up when you hike that little leg up to get on to stuff.

You show us your feet and hands when we ask. If we ask you to show us anything on your face, you point at your ears and laugh. We're still working on those!

Just today you learned how to show me how old you are. If I ask you how old you are, you hold up that little pointer finger.

You love to play peek-a-boo and "where's Ella?!". You love throwing your blanket over your head and just laughing as we play the "where's Ella?!" game.


Stats:

Height: measure today around 32.5 inches. You are getting long!

Weight: around 27 pounds

Sleep: This has been a little off this month. You still go to bed around 7:30 but it takes you a while to go to sleep. You've been waking up around 7 again this month (ugh) with a good two hour nap in the morning and pretty much a skipped nap in the afternoon. If you do nap in the afternoon, it's late, which is why bed time is so messed up. We're working on getting this back on track.

Clothes: Mostly 18 month dresses and shirts. 24 month rompers and one pieces.

Diapers: Size 4 during the day, 5 at night

Toys: Alphabet train, piano, balls, Noah's Ark little people, Fisher Price standing home, V-tech book in the car, your little pool. You have basically zero interest in books. You don't even make it through one at bed time anymore. :(

Food: You've slowed down a lot on the eating this month. You still love peas, corn on the cob, Goldfish, yogurt, cottage cheese, and deli meat.

13 months

I guess since my "baby" is now thirteen months old, she's not really a baby anymore huh?

Whatever. She's still my baby.

So my dearest Baby Girl, what are you up to at thirteen months old?

You still aren't walking. You'll take a couple of steps on your own, but you are not a fan. You will however, walk forever if we let you walk with us holding on to our fingers. You actually will do that forever and get mad if we try to pick you up and carry you.

You are a VERY fast crawler. You can disappear in two seconds flat. It doesn't help that you're figuring out the doors. If a door isn't shut all the way, you get through it in seconds. You also now know what the door handles do. Unfortunately in the apartment, we have pull down handles that you actually can work. Good thing we're moving soon!

You are a good eater. You have started showing some preferences this month though. Some days you love eggs and chicken, then the next you're throwing it off your high chair. You'll skip some meals completely, but you make up for it at the next one. You love milk and water. That's all you really get to eat. And you will eat your weight in Goldfish. You LOVE them.

We're working on the "all done" sign now. You can do it but you prefer to just chuck your plate off the tray when you're done which is not okay. We're working on that one...

You just started giving us kisses again. We now get full on mouth kisses and we love it! You are also so loving. You like to nuzzle up against our necks for a big hug. You still won't "give love" to your stuffed animals or dolls. Well, except for Max. You big time love him.

You are a social butterfly. When ever I take you anywhere, you just wave and wave at every single person you pass. We never get out of anywhere without having to stop multiple times to talk to people. You just draw them in.

You are still pretty shy though. When those people come up to us, you cuddle against me until you are completely comfortable. I'm actually pleased that you have some stranger anxiety. You need it to counteract all the waving!

You're more interested in books lately. I pulled some into the living room and you'll run over to them, say "book!" and just thumb through them for the longest time. You've also started sitting down with me long enough to read a few pages. I love that time with you.

You love to play "Where's Ella?". You get a big kick of hiding under your blanket and popping out at us. You just laugh and laugh.

You talk A LOT. You make all kinds of noises just to make them, but you also say "Mama", "Dada", "da-da" (cat), "dog" or "doggie", "book", "ba" (bath), "bye bye", "ball", "baaa" (what does the sheep say?), "uh-oh", "du" (duck), and "no no". You've got a lot to say!

You call all cats "dada!". If you see any cat, you call it that. You can point them out in a book and if we say "who says 'meow'?", you say "dada". Not sure where you picked this up but it's hilarious!

When we ask you, "What does a dog do?", you pant. So funny.

You still aren't hugely into tv or anything. You just will not sit still for anything. I can occasionally turn on a Baby Einstein dvd and you'll watch for a few minutes, but not the whole dvd. You are just TOO busy!



Stats:
Height: Around 31 inches
Weight: Around 26 pounds
Sleeps: Goes to bed around 7 at night and sleeps til about 8:30 every morning. Sometimes you get up around 6 or so and hang out with your Dad while he gets ready. Still taking two naps a day. Recently your morning nap is about 2 hours and afternoon nap is around an hour.
Clothes: Size 18 months and some 24 months
Diaper: Size 4 Pampers Cruisers during the day, and Overnights size 5 at night
Toys you are loving: your alphabet train that you can walk behind, Noah's Ark Little People, your piano Uncle Marine got you for your birthday, balls, books, and some puzzles.
Food: faves; green beans, peas, cheese, eggs with cheese (not plain!), bread (any kind), chicken, bananas, avacados.
Drinks: milk for breakfast and dinner, water during the day

This month has been quite the doozy at times as you are developing quite the head strong little personality, but you are just such a joy that we still have to remind ourselves that we really are this lucky, you really are our child! I hope you stay this outspoken and independent darling, but you could give me a break every now and then!

We adore you little one.

12 months

**this somehow posted the other day before I was finished (grr Blogger... or user error whatever), so here's the actual post**


My dearest Baby Girl, you are now one year old!!!!

I wish I could tell you how much we have loved this first year with you. You have grown from a tiny blob of a newborn to a rambunctious, happy, all over the place one year old. You make us laugh constantly. You also keep us on our toes, but I secretly love it. I love that you are outgoing and energetic and fiercely independent. You are such a joy to be around and I sincerely hope that you are always as happy as you are right now.

Not sure of your height or weight but we'll find out next year at your one year check up. You are wearing 18 month and some 24 month clothing. You wear a size four diaper during the day and at night. You wear a size 4 1/2 wide shoe.

You are rocking some light brown hair and you still have the bluest eyes I've ever seen. I used to really want them to turn green like your Mama's but I'm good with blue. They're just plain gorgeous.

Here's what you've been up to this past month:

You are getting one 6 ounce bottle a day at bedtime. You get formula in a sippy cup for breakfast and lunch. You take juice in a sippy for an afternoon snack. You are strictly on table food. You have zero interest in any baby food. You love ham and cheese on tortillas, green beans, avacados, cheese, and any type of bread. For breakfast you usually eat an egg yolk and a bagel with cream cheese. You are a good eater!

This month we've struggled a bit with nap time. As in, you aren't having it. You still sleep from about 7:30-8:30 or so. You sometimes go down for a nap around 10-11:30 and then again at 2:30-4:30. Of course that's in a perfect world.

You still aren't walking and don't seem wildly interested in it. You will stand on your own for a few seconds if we let go of your hands, or if you let go of something, but as soon as you realize you're not holding on to anything, you sit down.

You've started attempting to climb. You climb in and out of your chair and your latest fascination is trying to climb on top of the Pooh table.

You LOVE music and the minute you hear music you start dancing. It is so, so cute.

You are terrified of dolls that laugh or giggle or make really loud funny noises. And I do mean terrified. You take off crawling across the room bawling. It's funny. In a I just terrified my child sort of way..

You celebrated your first St. Patrick's Day.

You adore your Daddy. When he gets home, you light up and squeal "Dada!". If you're on the ground, you take off crawling towards him. Melts my heart.

You might be a complete Daddy's girl, but you adore me. You throw yourself in my lap, rub your head on my shoulder, and latch on to me like a spider monkey if you're scared or upset or something. And there is still no one else you'd rather be with when you're upset.

You've started panting when you see a dog. You'll point and say "dog" and then start panting. It is the cutest thing on the planet.

You still say "Mama", "Dada", "du" (duck), "dah" dog, "ba" (ball), "boo" (book), and "no". You have started saying "uh oh" and you use it a lot. You just started throwing things down and saying "uh oh". It's cute, but it gets old!

You try to put your socks and shoes on. You've been helping us get you dressed for a while, but that's new.

We can ask you "Where's Lacy?" and you'll point at her. We can also ask "Where's Kit Kat?" and you get a big 'ol grin on your face and say "ki kat ki kat!!".

You started doing your duck face.

You went to the zoo for the first time.

You started blowing kisses. Melt. My. Heart.

Happy Birthday my little love!!! You are our world!

And just for fun... a look back.