"Every Artist Was First an Amateur"

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

This little beauty just turned two. Two!  She's anything but terrible, I'd like to add.  She is polite, sensitive, nurturing, inquisitive, confident, observant, and cheerful.  Sometimes she's spunky, independent, too fearless for her own good, and a little strong-willed, but not terrible.  The only terrible thing about her is she's growing up too quickly.  I will miss how sweet and clear her little voice sounds when she says things like "please," "thank you," "bless you," and "I love you, Mom."  I will miss watching her imitate her older brothers' every move or recite words and songs from favorite movies.  I try not to worry too much when we leave the house on days when she was insistent about choosing what shoes she wanted to wear. I know the day will come soon enough when she will pick the ones that fit or those that coordinate with her clothes. I don't want to forget how tiny her feet look in my high heels or how well she can maneuver around the house in them.  I don't want to forget how her hair spills halfway down her back when she's in the tub, but when it's dry you'd never know it was so long for all her tight, lovely curls.  I may not like that she will consistently refuse to hold my hand when I need her to, but at least, for now, she still allows me to rock her to sleep. I hope I don't forget how she gets tense when I put her on her back on her changing table.  Despite my assurances that she is safe, she clings to me as if her life depends on it.   She still clings to me, in a lot of ways, because her life depends on it, but that won't always be the case-- so for now, I will enjoy every minute of Ella being two.  Before I know it, that won't be the case anymore.

Ella's Birthday Breakfast

For breakfast, the family decided on Ella's behalf that pancakes would be a great idea.  Ella seemed to enjoy them  so I think we made a good choice.  She would have probably also been content with cold cereal or a bagel with cream cheese, but you can't really shape those into a number two or drizzle them in sugary syrup.

 Paint Themed Birthday Party

The landscape for January is often gray and white, just like a canvas in dire need of a splash of color.  The dreary weather proved to be inspiration (or motivation) to pick a theme that was bright, cheery, and colorful.  I found some wonderful ideas online for rainbow themed parties, but I absolutely fell in love with almost every detail from one particular website that took the theme one step further to incorporate an art concept.  Here is the link with all of the amazing photos and details.  The following photos demonstrate how I interpreted the theme:

I really enjoyed making Ella's cake.  I used instructions from Betty Crocker's website, but I used my own cake batter recipe and I made the cake with 10-inch pans as opposed to 8.  I did follow the suggested frosting recipe from the website, and I highly recommend it.  It was so smooth and easy to spread.  I just added a little almond flavor in addition to the vanilla.

The guests arrived at 6:00 p.m. and we began by having Ella open gifts.  After gifts, we watched her year-in-review video.  We wrapped it all up with treats, cake, and ice cream, and we all watched as Ella worked tirelessly to blow out her two candles.  It was such a fabulous party!

Ella's Birthday Dinner

Ella's birthday fell on a Sunday this year, so we waited until Monday to take her out for her birthday dinner.  As with breakfast, we chose for her.  We thought we'd try Denny's here in Springville.  We were plesantly surprised to see that after 4:00 p.m., the restaurant offered free meals for children.  Ella threw a tantrum when we tried to put her in the high chair.  She preferred to be on the bench with her older brothers.  I guess she did just turn two, huh? 

Happy Birthday, Ella!

This post authored by Amber

So, It's Come to This...

Ella's propensity for climbing has necessitated some changes around the house. For quite some time she has been able to climb out of her crib.  No problem. She then started to climb up on the side of her crib in the middle of the night to get a pacifier out of the top drawer of the seven drawer dresser.  Umm....big problem!  The crib was taken down and stored away for a fourth time and a toddler bed was put in it's place. 

It's official then, I suppose.  Ella is no longer a baby.  She is very much a toddler.  I guess I should have seen this coming.  I mean, she's all of a sudden started talking now, adding words to her vocabulary like bottle, buckle, cereal, rain, guys, what, boo, poo, toot, bless you, thank you, grandpa, and even baby.  Yes, she's used the term "baby" to describe another child, so I think it's time to face the fact that the days and months are sneaking past me and this little one is growing up. And fast.

Sometimes I feel a little desperate because the only "pause button" I have access to in this whirlwind pace of life is the shutter button of my camera.  At least there are a few moments when I can look down on Ella as she sleeps and still think of her as my sweet, little baby (even if she is in a toddler bed).

 

 

This post authored by Amber

 

And Just Like That...

...Ella's walking.  I know.  Crazy, huh?

This post authored by Amber

...Eleven...Twelve...

     Eleven Months                                           Twelve Months

So much development takes place during a child's first year, it makes your head spin.  Time passes, and in its wake are the things that defined a stage of development now overcome by the next.  Old tricks that once brought delight for observing parents have been left behind for new skills that bring just as much satisfaction to watch unfold.

I have loved watching Ella grow this past year.  Just as it is hard for me to remember what our family was like before we had her, it is hard for me to think of her as anything other than what she is at present.  That's why I remind myself of what she was doing during each month so I can revisit and reminisce.  So, yeah, these posts are really for me...and Ella.

And you can call me a "mommy blogger," because that's what I am.

Ella at Eleven Months

 Now that Ella has mastered crawling, she is lightening quick.  Open a door, and she will be there to slip through it as if she were a cat that had been locked out on a cold night.  She especially loves the bathroom door.  Yes, she has unrolled the toilet paper a number of times. She also likes to get into my drawer of make-up. Many a drawer and door has been closed in her face, and she does not like that one bit.  What I do not like is how she insists on climbing up the ladder to the top of the boys' bunk bed. Good thing she has impecable balance. Ella is confident and asserts herself into activities that others are doing.  She's not afraid to reach over and grab a toy from someone if it piques her interest. (Won't that quality be fantastic for when she goes to nursery?) 

Ella at Twelve Months

 A doctor appointment confirmed what outside observers have commented all along.  Ella is tiny.  Well, really she's just  lightweight.  She's actually tall for her age group, but she only weighs 17 pounds, 5 ounces. It makes her easier to carry, though, so I'm not complaining.  Her top two teeth broke through at Christmas.  I thought that was fitting (All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth). Those will come in handy now that we've been given the go-ahead to switch all baby food for table food.  Ella loves the new change and independence that comes from feeding herself.  She also loves to smear food all over her face and in her hair.  She has grown to like drinking milk from a sippy cup, but I haven't given up nursing entirely, yet. Ella's hair is now long enough that I have to blow dry it after baths and we are contemplating trimming the bangs.  She is developing socially, too.  She'd much rather stand on the church bench backwards and look at faces rather than the back of heads. It is easier to interact and blow raspberries at people from that vantage point. She loves the opening credits for the TV show Bubble Guppies and when she hears it, she stops what she's doing to go and bounce to the beat at the foot of the television. Very near her birthday, Ella took her first steps. I guess that's just it.  Keep moving forward!     


Here are a few more pictures I took of Ella in her birthday tutu:

I took her pacifier out of her mouth to get her to look at me (hence the excessive drool).

She did not like that very much.

Okay, I think she's had it!

This post authored by Amber

   

Ten Months May Sound Like A Long Time, But It's Really Just Equivalent to a Blink of an Eye

I know it seems like it was only yesterday when I last posted about Ella's development ('cause it kinda was), but to me it seems like just yesterday I was feeling like nine months of pregnancy was an eternity.  So how did ten months fly by in super sonic speed when the nine months prior to that lagged?  I guess there's the old adage that "time flies while you're having fun" and that really makes sense when I consider how fun it is to have Ella around.

Ella at Ten Months

Ella claps her hands when anyone says the word "yea."  Her babbling noises are starting to sound more like actual words.  She can climb up our flight of thirteen stairs, but she cries once she reaches the middle and realizes she's committed to finishing the task.  She is never stationary, so life is exciting (and sometimes exhausting) as we try to keep up with her constant travels.  Her balance is improving, so I think we'll see some walking soon.  She does not appear to like dogs and will blink her eyes furiously as they approach her, just before she breaks out in tears.  When she throws a fit it includes throwing her body backward and laying flat on her back as she screams, but try to lay her on her back to change her, and she wants nothing to do with it!  She dances to music and sings by making sustained squealing sounds.  Her hair is getting a little long for the mohawk curl, but as it grows longer it is developing some natural curls behind the ears and along her nape.  Ella loves to be in the bathtub and she'll try to swallow water and spit it out like Garrett. She makes the funniest faces (the kissy face and pursed lips face are my favorite) and is entertaining to watch.  And, well, I can't help but say it (because I'm her mother), but I think she is quite lovely!

Ella's not one to sit for long. This girl is rearing to go!

This post authored by Amber

We Interrupt The Halloween Posts to Bring You This Message:

Ella at Eight Months

Almost as soon as Ella mastered sitting up, she decided she would not remain stationary.  She kicked off the first week of her eighth month by "army crawling" and I am not that happy about it.  One of my favorite baby stages is when they learn to sit, but before they crawl.  Ella's desire to be on the move reduced that precious time to one week! Blah! 

I guess the trade-off has been that her new found independence has her relying a lot less on Mama to hold and comfort her, so she is now more open to being social with others.  And she is social.  She freely gives smiles and chatters away at anyone who will pay her any attention.  She loves the antics of her older brothers, and they can get her to laugh so hard that she will end up with the hiccups.  She waves goodbye.  She loves to reach out and grab at faces and push her fingers into noses and mouths. 

And speaking of mouths, that's where everything goes...into Ella's mouth.  She is particularly fond of paper products, grass, and leaves.

But don't think that it is all smiles and pleasantries with this child.  She has come to rely, a little too much for my liking, upon the power of her voice. Shrill, screams at unnaturally high decibel levels are often used to call everyone to attention or to demonstrate in protest. At times, it can be a little unnerving. Even so, who wouldn't love a face like that!  

Ella at Nine Months

Well, "army crawling"  quickly developed to upright crawling in a matter of two weeks, so by the time Ella turned nine months, she had already moved on to her next physical conquest, pulling up to standing position. 

There's lot of ups and downs and lots of bumps and bruises with this stage, but with all the frustration, there is pure elation for Ella at discovering the world in new ways from new perspectives. She loves to explore and pull things off tables and dressers.  She likes to get into garbage cans and spill their contents on the floor.  She is fascinated with the task of unloading the dishwasher (and the inside of the dishwasher in general).  She seems to always be underfoot, waiting for an opening in a cupboard or bathroom door, and she's pretty quick to sneak through those openings.

Maybe all of this moving around has contributed to her continued slight weight gain.  At her nine month appointment she wasn't even on the growth charts for weight (15 lbs. 4 oz.).  The doctor tried to make me feel better by saying, "I think she's probably in the 3rd percentile, so I'll put that in on my notes."

Don't worry.  She's not starving.  She's up to three solid meals a day with two solid snacks between, and she still nurses throughout the day and night.  She's just skinny...and tall (75 percentile).  What more could a girl ask for, right?

More is being discovered of Ella's personality.  She is a talker, an occasional screamer, and she loves to mimic people coughing, doing lip trills, and sticking their tongues in and out.  She laughs when someone sneezes.  When I pick her up to hold her, she pats me with her free hand. Those are just a few of her Ella-isms.

For the most part, Ella is a happy-go-lucky kind of girl. She is pretty chill with being surrounded by brothers who can, at times, be a little too rough, too loud, or too obnoxious. She even smiles when she pukes (bottom right photo).  I've said it before and I'll say it again.  She's a keeper!

This post authored by Amber