Twelve Months

We have made it to month 12!! I can't believe this is the end of the monthly sticker photo shoots. I know I said this the last couple months too, but she is just SO fun now! Ella learns and understands new things every day!

She is so sweet and curious and smart and adorable and if she would just sleep through the night already, life would really be grand!

At 12 Months Ella:
-says mama, dada, hi, yah, Abbie (one of our friend's names--it was kinda random but she kept saying it over and over and on demand, she must just really like her--and I don't blame her Abbie's pretty great!), dance, peek-a-boo (it comes out peekahb :)) and talks and babbles all the time.
-is getting closer and closer to walking. She walks around with help and furniture and will stand on her own for a few seconds.
-understands a lot! If anybody mentions that her bow looks cute, she'll put her hand up to her head and grab her bow, or if someone asks her where's mama? she look around for me. Or if we say do you want to go through the tunnel, or the tent, etc she crawl to the object.
- loves going outside, will crawl to the door and bang on the door and pull herself up and try to turn the handle. If I ever let her crawl outside, she'll seriously squeal with joy!
-same with stairs. loves crawling up stairs, but doesn't know how to get down, if I let her climb stairs, she let out squeals of joy and laugh as she goes up!
- loves walker toys, will always push them with a huge smile on her face,
- loves any sort of cup/bottle/sippy. If she ever sees one she makes a beeline for it and will try to drink from it and will hold on to it for a looong time.
- loves watching older kids.
- still loves new people and strangers, and will usually smile and look at them, but has a couple random freak-outs just in the last couple weeks, where the wrong person has smiled at her or something and she has just lost it.
- hates the car. Pretty much screams the entire drive. We've tried lots of different things and nothing really seems to help, i hate driving with Ella, and I pretty much try to do all errands without her mainly so I don't have to listen to her screaming the entire car ride.
- also hates diaper changes. and usually screams and cries and squirms every time we change her diaper--UNLESS there is a second person there to entertain her and distract her--she is so high maintenance!
- needs/demands lots of attention. When we're at home she always wants to be with me, involved with me, wants me playing with her...if I go anywhere she follows, if I do anything she will stand against my legs and tug on me and scream until i pick her up/involve her. Sometimes, I can't pick her up or I need to get something done, and she does not give up. She'll keep holding on and screaming for 5 mins, 10 mins, 15 mins....kinda like at night when she's hungry.
- speaking of night, she still wakes up every single night. usually twice, if we're really lucky only once. But she eats a full bottle every time, and we've tried a few different things (i would try something for 3-4 weeks at a time) to wean her off of it and none of them have worked and usually end in lots of screaming, sleepless nights, and frustration. And I think I've reached the point where I've just given up on trying to "sleep train". One day she'll be old enough to understand the concept we don't eat at night--we sleep. and until then she'll be an only child:)
-has randomly become an extremely picky eater, 3 weeks ago she would eat anything, and then 2 weeks ago it was like a switch just flipped and she will not try anything new and will only eat a few favorite foods--so frustrating!
- gives high-fives! so cute!!
-waves, claps, plays peek-a-boo, dances, if i sing "shake, shake, shake!" she shake whatever she's holding.
- for the most part this little girl is just so fun and I love being her mom and seeing what new thing she'll do next!

I love these pictures of her!
I took these in my parents backyard.

playing the piano

Little chevron bum:)

loves her books!

At the Park

This is the SafeTSleep strap that we use, so she can't sit up and crawl around,
it's just the velcro straps around her middle.
She's still able to move and turn.

At the UTMB Halloween carnival!

First Halloween! And my 27th Birthday!

We had a great Halloween. My parents came down for the day and brought me lunch and birthday cupcakes! We played with Ella and went to Halloween carnival and got a yummy dinner and ate my cupcakes and then they babysat while me and Kyle went to a murder mystery party!

Ella did the cake walk on Kyle's shoulders at the carnival and when they pulled out the first winning number it was her! We all got excited and clapped for her which made her get super excited and clap--so adorable!!

Matching flannel

Haha i had to include this picture because her annoyed face just cracks me up.
Leave me alone Mom, I just wanna read my books!

Seriously, this girl loves her books! She'll often crawl over to them and "read" them on her own. Flip through pages, point to the pictures, babble and smile:) And she loves being read to!