Mostly the Kids: Ellen, 12 months / ONE YEAR (5/11/2012)

Twelve Months – 5/11/2012

Dear Ellen,

Happiest of Birthdays to my Ellen! One year ago today you surprised us by arriving a week earlier than expected, very early in the morning. It was an easy birth, easy babyhood, and (fairly) easy first year. Here’s to many more celebrations to come! I thought with a second child that I would be more prepared with what to expect, and in many ways I am; in general I am more organized with all things Baby, outings, and taking photographs of you. The developmental milestones are less surprising but just as exciting, and maybe even more so. The 19 month difference between you and Ian magnifies the immense amount of change that occurs in the first couple of years, and I know before too long you will also be a toddler, a run-around buddy with Ian and getting into who-knows-what.

My Favorite Thing: The moment many proud parents are waiting for finally happened… you took your FIRST STEPS on April 24th. After those first steps, you didn’t really start walking full force. You could go from squatting to standing very easily but just wouldn’t venture to walk on your own (although you would do fairly well holding a hand). Then, during a weekend visit to Rowena the first weekend of May, you just started walking a LOT! In the past week, you have gradually transitioned to walking more than crawling, and I think a few more weeks of practice will see you walking very confidently. You are already VERY good at climbing, and we have to make sure we carefully monitor all step stools or stairs to make sure you aren’t scaling them unsupervised. I have a feeling you will be trying to climb out of your crib before too long.

Daily Activities and Playing: It is so fun to watch you play. You like to read to yourself and can generally find just about anything to play with. When you finish a task and we say, “You did it!” or “Good job, Ellen!” you like to clap for yourself. I can tell that you are also starting to understand a lot of what we are saying. You can follow very simple directions (hands down, sit down, turn the page) and are repeating via sign when we say a word you recognize. You are also starting to sign those words independently, trying to communicate a need to us. The most consistent signs are: more, please, thank you, water, milk, and all done. I can tell that you are sometimes frustrated by not being able to perfectly communicate to us as you are beginning to scream at us, especially at the dinner table. Usually we either ignore you, or say, “No thank you,” and show/tell you a sign that you can use. It only works about 50% of the time, though.

Sibling: Now that you are increasingly mobile and independent, play time with Ian is going more smoothly. I can leave the two of you playing alone in the playroom or one of your bedrooms while I take care of something close by in another room, and I can generally expect you to play peacefully. There are occasionally little fits if he takes a toy from you, but he will just as often either leave you alone or find toys to give to you. Some of my favorite moments are in the car, when the two of you are just talking and laughing together. You are also starting to imitate what Ian is saying in addition to what he is doing. So far he thinks it is hilarious… let’s see how that sits with him in five years.

Eating: You continue to eat up a storm, often eating as much as or more than Ian. You can eat more and more of the table food, needing very little modification. Now you are eating the same eggs as us (previously it was egg yolk only), which makes cooking up a batch of scrambled eggs so much easier! I am more adventurous with the foods I give you as compared to Ian, but you are also very willing to try new things. You will open your mouth for just about anything, although sometimes you will spit out the food if you don’t like the taste or texture. Sometimes you spit it out just to look at it before happily chowing down. You are still taking 4 bottles per day, and a few attempts to introduce a sippy cup with cow’s milk have not gone over well. However, when I give it to you in an open cup, you are glad to drink it! I think it will take a little while to transition you away from the bottle.

Sleeping: Sleeping continues to be very low key with no problems, and you typically sleep from 8 pm to 7am. You woke up a few nights around midnight needing to eat a bottle (when for some reason you didn’t drink enough milk during the day), but otherwise slept soundly. You like to have your blanket and pacifier before going to sleep. Our nightly ritual is: dinner, bath time, pajamas, read a book, turn out the hall lights, help close the bedroom door, turn off the lamp, and lay down to sleep with blanket and pacifier. We only allow the pacifier in the car seat and in the crib, and you are fine with that. I also noticed in the past several weeks that you no longer suck your thumb when the pacifier isn’t available, although I am not really sure when you stopped.

Special Events: Brooke and Dustin got married the first weekend of May. We traveled to Rowena on Friday morning, stopping for lunch in Weatherford and in Ballinger at the elementary school to visit Mimi. Everyone thought you were too cute, and you showed off your new walking skills. That weekend we had several chances to play outside and in the splash pool. You also rode the four wheeler for the first time with Daddy and then again with Grandpa! The noise didn’t bother you at all, and your “bravery” helped encourage Ian to try it for the first time as well. The wedding was short but fun; you didn’t make a peep during the ceremony and just crawled around after Ian for most of the reception. Your favorite part was the balloons.

Again, I didn't get any on the dot monthly photos, but I included a bunch from the week before your birthday when we were in Rowena. I just got some really beautiful pictures out there in the shade. I will share more when I add a post about your birthday party (post still TBD!!)