Well, officially on the 2nd…..I’m 2 weeks late. I blame it on post birthday party recovery and all of us dealing with the funk these past 10 days.

I can’t believe our baby girl is officially a year old! Not so much a baby anymore, but a happy, rambunctious toddler. So. Much. Energy.

We had a wonderful Labor Day weekend with friends and family in town to celebrate Ellen’s birthday.

Ellen was definitely NOT a fan of the smash cake. I’ve determined she is VERY particular about textures when it comes to food. And she hates to have her hands dirty or sticky. Even after a messy meal, she’ll hold her hands up and shake them or try to wipe them on the sides of her tray.

Same with the tutu. She hated it. It lasted all of about 10 minutes. Just enough time for me to snap a couple photos before meltdown ensued.

Hopefully we can all kick these fevers and colds and get back to enjoying the cooler weather we have coming! Bring on the FALL!!!

And to finish out the year of Ellen, here is a look back at the past 12 months…

STATS:

Weight: 20 lbs. 4 oz.
Height: 29.75 inches

LIKES:

Crawling like Mowgli from the Jungle Book, books, any kind of block or stacking cup, “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands”, walking around the sectional, mashed potatoes

HATES:

Diaper changes are still considered a sport around here. And we’ve discovered tonight that she is NOT a fan of spicy food (is she my daughter, for REAL?!)

MILESTONES:

{Sleeping} In bed and asleep by 8 and sleeping until 7-7:30 on weekends (6:45 during the week). And a 1.5-2 hour nap right after lunch. Now that she is 1, she is sleeping with the BIG kids on little cots at school! They sent home her little name tag that has been on her crib ever since she started school. Growing up WAY too fast.

{Movement} Crawling, pulling up, and walking around holding on to whatever she can reach! I give her a few more weeks and she will be walking. No doubt.

{Eating} Still going strong with our table foods! She has mastered just about anything that she can mash up or will crumble in her mouth. Her favorite snacks at school are vanilla wafers, animal crackers, muffins, and ritz crackers. She still loves to eat any kind of pasta, mashed potato, green beans, peas, cheerios, and yogurt. We are also still big fans of the squeeze pouches for the extra bit of fruit/veggies.

Ellen is now officially down to drinking 1 bottle of whole milk at night and will drink milk from her sippy with breakfast and lunch.

{Teething} Two new teeth on the bottom and 2 of her top molars have cut through and are on their way down! It’s a drool-fest over here.

{Talking} I’m still Dada, but Mama has slowly started working its way into her vocabulary. Although, I don’t think she has made the connection just yet.