Ella, 1 Year!

Remember this little girl?? She was born at 1:33 pm feet first, baby A until the end. On this particular day she is getting released from the hospital a whopping 20 days old. This outfit is a preemie outfit and she looks A-DORABLE! SO much has changed since she was born and this is what this little sweet pea is up to and loving:

Weight: 19lbs, 4oz (she has gained 15lbs, 2oz)
Height: 28" (she has grown 10.5")
Wears: Size 12 months clothing and size 4 diapers. She can still wear her 9 month pants because she doesn't have long legs, she is too long for one-piece outfits.

Eating: EVERYTHING! Ella is the least picky but the most messy. She loves to push the food out of her mouth to touch and squish and then she puts it back in. Very unladylike. Right now this is my least favorite thing of the day, she is so messy and I don't know how much food she is actually eating. Luckily we are just about done with rice cereal and baby food. She especially loves her sippy of milk, snack crackers, crunchies (like cheetos for babies), pasta pickups. She doesn't have anything she really goes crazy for. If it's food she LOVES it!

Diapering: Ella is one of the hardest babies to diaper, just ask her auntie Laura and ampa A! She is in all out pro-wrestler league. Rarely, if ever, does she just lay still for the process. Ella is miss sensitive when it comes to her skin. She's had the WORST diaper rash that has lasted almost 10 months. I had finally come up with a solution at 5 months but then we introduced solids and it was back to square one. I finally found the right combo in the last 1.5 months of dry bottom and if it gets red a little of Desitin Rapid Relief (it cannot be maximum strength and the generic target brand works the best) and then we have to use Huggies natural care wipes NOT any other brand and NOT sensitive.

Movement: Ella has always been the most energetic and that has NOT changed. She's the fastest crawler and pulled to standing first. I thought she wouldn't walk first but she's been giving her brother a run for the money. She walks with assistance at top speeds. She's yet to gain enough courage/balance for her first steps but it will be any day.

Toys: Ella loves utensils. They must be the perfect toy for chewing on. She also is IN LOVE with her pink bear. She snuggles him in bed and out. She loves to chuck him out of the crib when they go down at night but then in the middle of the night starts crying for him. A lot of the time she uses him as a body pillow. Ella loves music. She bobs up and down to good tunes. She loves things that roll.

Talking: She says da-da the most but has uttered other syllables. She loves to make what sounds like a frustrated noise but in reality is her happy noise. She already puts a "phone" {her hand} up to her ear, she's taking after her sister in that. Though it's not technically "talking" she loves to use her fingers on her lips to make adorable noises.

Games: Ella loves to play: so big. She puts her arms up in the air, and smiles a huge smile. I love that I taught her the game. In fact, it's amazing that I taught her something! She loves peek-a-boo too but has difficulty with the eye coverage, going for her ears instead. It's still fun and adorable.

Daddy: He is still her main man. She lights up with him around and goes straight for him when he gets home, crying if he bypasses without picking her up.

Sleep: She sleeps like a dream, but then always has. Her favorite position is on her tummy arms at her sides with her legs tucked under and butt in the air. It does really look like she just passed out and tumbled there. As previously mentioned she likes to cuddle her bear.

Siblings: Ella is showing signs of being bossy and definitely will not be a pushover. She easily plows over her brothers to get their food or toys she wants. She already frowns in a disapproving way and seems to practice it daily. Her look also looks like "don't even try it!"

Laugh: Ella is a BIG smiler and super silly but she's a little harder to get to laugh. She thinks her sister is hilarious and loves to have Evie chase her. Her inner thighs are very ticklish and it's easy to get her going by tickling her. She also loves to have me rub my face on her belly. With the laughing comes her energetic kicking and flailing and hyperactivity.

New: We now brush teeth before bed. Our routine is along these lines: 1. Bath (2x a week), clean diaper and pajamas, brush teeth, kisses, and good nights. On the night of the 6th of July the babies had their last bottle (woot-woot!) Ella went camping for the first time the week before her birthday and that week was a whole bunch of firsts: first time sleeping in a tent, first time with her feet in Lake Superior (COLD!), first mosquito bites (she's a true MN now), first time swimming in a lake (she specifically loved picking dirt/rocks up and putting them on my lap), and she had multiple new foods like mandarin oranges.

What we are loving most about Ella right now: her smile and gorgeous eyes, the way she excitedly almost dances while practicing walking, the way she adores daddy, the way she cuddles her bear, her laughter, the way she bounces up and down while seated when she enjoys a song, her version of peek-a-boo and so big, her frown face, how she loves to spin around on the floor when she's excited about something, the way she hugs you with her legs when you hold her, the way she uses all her fingers to make mouth noises, how fast she crawls, and her energy. We love you to the moon and back, Ella!!

Normally I would include a ton of pictures of this last month (and there were a lot of adorable ones) but I wanted to keep it simple and show you Ella today.

That's her favorite bear. Recognize that outfit? Yep, it's the same preemie one she wore on the day we took her home from the hospital. I took this picture as a reminder of how much she has grown and how far she has come. We love you, sweet pea, baby girl, Ella!! We are just excited about the next year as we were for your first. You continue to amaze and bless us daily. We are so awed by God's gift in you and your siblings. You make us so proud!