One Year Older, and Wiser Too!

Ellie celebrated her first birthday on Dec. 20th! I tried making grandiose plans including fun outings and delicious food, but Ellie decided that what she wanted most was sleep. A daughter after my own heart! She took 2 very lengthy naps during the day, but we did manage to squeeze in some celebrating!

I cannot believe she kept the hat on as long as she did!

This is her new "excited" face, which Mike and I absolutely love!

We set the cake in front of her and she had no idea what to do with it. But as soon as I gave her a little taste, she realized, "Hmm... this is delicious." Forget the hands... she went face first into her cake with mouth wide open! Hilarious! We eventually stuck her hands in the frosting to get the classic "Messy Birthday Cake Picture."

The success of her birthday was directly proportional to how much of her little 1 year old body was covered in chocolate cake crumbs and pink frosting.

Here are a few of my favorite things about Ellie:

1. Basically she's the best, most relaxed, and cutest baby we could've ever asked for!
2. She likes to lean over and stick her face in front of yours when you're holding her, just in case you've forgotten who you should be paying attention to.
3. She points to herself when she says "Mama"
4. Her new love is balloons! My parents got her a balloon for her birthday and she'll hold on to the string while doing EVERYTHING! Eating in her high chair, playing with her other toys, drinking her bottle, crawling around the apartment. And she'll cry when she accidentally lets go and it floats to the ceiling.
5. She knows a few signs and can say "more" and "please." She does "more" very emphatically when we feed her oranges.
6. She can walk, but she chooses not to. She's no dummy! Crawling is WAY more efficient.
7. She mimics facial expressions.
8. She loves to brush her teeth!
9. Ellie can't help but dance when there's music on. Everything from classical to pop has her bouncing up and down.
10. My favorite is the way she scrunches up her nose when she smiles!

We love you Ellie! Happy Birthday!