Then and Now

What a difference a year makes!

June 26, 2007

June 2008

The Birthday Girl

Some pics from today. Ella had a very busy day! :)

We tried finger painting again. Ella toe-painted as well. She's very talented.

We played outside. Ella tried to eat bugs, dandelions, and mulch. Good stuff.

She walked all over the driveway. The shoes no longer trip her up. She's getting pretty fast too!

Ella enjoying her banana.

A picture from yesterday, just cuz I love her smile in this picture. She melts my heart.

Ella had a very special day. She received a handful of birthday cards too and a couple presents. Thanks to those who remembered her day! Her party is Saturday and hopefully the rain will stay away!

One Year Ago Today

I can't believe it's been one year since Ella came into the world. I can't believe my little one is now 1 year old. It has been the most exhausting, trying year of my life, but also the most wonderfully happy and rewarding year. She is the most special amazing little thing, and she brings all of us so much love and happiness. I can't imagine life without her!

What a year it's been!





Happy 1st birthday sweet girl!

By popular demand...

Untitled from Susan on Vimeo.

By popular demand...

Untitled from Susan on Vimeo.

Lots and lots of kisses!

Ella is too cute the way she now loves giving kisses. It is the sweetest thing. She also seems to know the phrase "pay the toll" since the other day I was steering her push toy in a circle around me and each time she came around to the front I'd tell her to pay the toll. That meant giving me a kiss! She would giggle each time and lean in with her mouth wide open. Big, slobbery, wet kisses! It is so adorable. She is one smart little cookie! :) I can't keep her little lips off me....but I do love it!

Here's Ella making her way to her house. She's getting more and more adventurous!

Look at her go! Almost there!

Now she's coming after mommy!!

And attacking mommy!

She's given up!


Ella is way too much fun. This is such a great age. :)

The fun she has

She's like the dog the way she enjoys staring out the window. Ella can spend quite a while hanging out by the back door.

Hey! Look what I found!

I bet this camera tastes mighty good. In fact, I know it does! I've licked and sucked on it many times before!

And now I'm going to move onto the camera cord. Yup! Tastes just as good (if not better!) as the camera itself!

No mommy, I'm not chewing on things I probably shouldn't be!

I'm very happy and fortunate that Ella can amuse herself. Whether it's with a huge button that fell off one of our pillows, the camera, just playing at the back window, throwing tupperware around, pulling her books off the shelves and scattering them around her bedroom, or playing with the buttons on the radio, she plays really well by herself. This is especially helpful because most days, like today, Ella naps a total of 60 minutes. I think I'd go nuts if I had to entertain her every single second of the day! :)

Here's our proof!

Ella Walking from Susan on Vimeo.
Do you hear her laughing away in the beginning of the clip? She is so proud and excited!

And isn't she so cute with her little hands up in the air as she walks?? :)

She is MOOOOOVIN'!!!

Oh my goodness!!! Well, I was excited before, now I am ecstatic! As you know if you follow my blog, Ella's been taking a few steps on her own for a few days now. Tonight she walked FOURTEEN STEPS on her own! She was steady too. She started out with this cute little nervous look on her face, but then she must have realized she could do it, and her face turned to really happy as she approached me with a big smile. I kept scooting back as she kept going! She even stood right in front of me for a little bit before sitting down. A few minutes later Dave took her downstairs and I came down only to have him tell me she walked clear across the room. OH MY GOSH!

As we practice, Dave holds her standing, facing me getting her ready to walk to me and sometimes she gets so excited! She looks like a cute little bull leaning forward and moving up and down and stomping her feet. Sometimes it's like she's trying to run to me - which, she's not quite ready for yet! It is so stinkin' cute.

A few pics below after the "big" walk on her way to get me.

Here I come!

Hmmm.. I'm really doing this!

Almost there!

Yay I made it!

This is how excited I was at all my walking tonight!


In other news, Ella's starting to really give some great kisses. They're wet, open-mouthed, and tonight smelled of milk, but I LOVED IT! I got three great big kisses....and I think daddy was a little bit jealous. Heh heh.

Seriously. Could life get any better than this?!

We love weekends

Ella splashing around in her new pool for our backyard. Haha.
She wasn't sure what to think!

Giving our fence a little lovin'.

Giving the leapfrog table a little lovin' as well! She's all but abandoned this thing since she's learned to scale the walls and get everywhere into everything. She's too good for it now. ;)

Sitting pretty in her highchair.

Just a cutie.

Yeah... I take lots of pictures. Can you tell? :)

First steps!

Can Ella really be taking her first steps already!? It feels like she just started crawling, and now she's taking her very first steps all on her own. Ella took up to 7 or 8 steps today, but was mostly taking 4-5 steps at a time. She's gaining more confidence and taking some chances. This is so exciting! My little peanut is on her way to walking!

In honor of Ella taking her first steps today, we visited Stride Rite and bought her her very first "real" pair of sneakers!


She looks too cute in them and they seem soooo comfy. Now she can do all the walking she wants to outside without having her shoes fall off or trip her up. :)

Back to the pool we go!

Ella and her friend Lizzie testing out the waters!


Hmm... should I get back in??


And earlier today...

climbing around the house. :)

TGIF!!! :))))))))))

First trip to the pool!

It was pretty hot and unpleasant today, so Ella and I along with her friend and her mommy went down to the pool. For her first time, she did really well! She was walking all over the place and seemed to really enjoy it. We can't wait to go back!








And a couple others from today...


Ella sends her kisses your way!

So sleeepy...

Ella took just one nap today. It was a little over an hour and a half. By dinner time, this is what happened. One minute she was enjoying her pork chops and applesauce, and the next minute, she was like this.... poor baby.





She has never fallen asleep in her high chair before today. :)