13 Months

Ellie is 13 months today! I know I keep saying it, but it is CRAZY how time flies! Here is a picture that we took on October 30th last year. It is amazing how much bigger she is, yet you can still tell it is the same Ellie. She has the same scowl and everything. :)

Here are some fun things 13-month Ellies love to do:

- Walk!! She is walking everywhere now and it is her main mode of travel. Although she isn't running yet, she is usually on her feet until she falls - then right back up again. Unfortunately, she seems to like to fall head first into the ground. It has made for some great cries, bumps, and bruises, but we're getting more used to it. Just chalk it up to the toils of discovering.

- We "had" :) to go buy Ellie some new toys this week. We realized that most of her toys were geared at an infant stage instead of a discovery/imagination stage. We bought her a "Little People" set and she loves it. We also got her some shape toys that she has to fit the right shape into the hole...can't think of the right name right now. Anyway, she is doing well with those too!

- Ellie LOVES playing with her baby dolls. She holds them, rocks them, and carries them everywhere. It's pretty darn adorable. :)

- Her "words" are: Dada, Mama, Daaaa, Bu-no (Bruno), bu-bu (I think "baby"), Moo, Woof, Quack

- She LOVES to read. She usually has a book in her hand and if not - she is probably on her way to find one. Whether or not she will actually let you read the book is sometimes an issue, though. :) This morning she kept bringing me new books for us to read. Once we were done with one, she would toddle away and soon return with a different book. However, her favorite books are: Brown Bear Brown Bear, Where is Baby's Belly Button, and any book that has animals on it.

- Ellie has become more insistent that she is interacted with, rather than playing by herself. This has proven to be a problem when I am trying to study. Many times she'll come over to me and take my hands off the computer while I am trying to type my paper. So much for multi-tasking! Thankfully, this paper will be done in a month and I can devote my full attention to her!

- Ellie has 8 teeth and is eating anything and everything we give her. In fact, she plain loves to eat. :) Not surprisingly, she loves cookies. (don't judge me if you don't feed your baby cookies!) She has quickly learned that I don't share my desserts nearly as well as Daddy, so this has become a special bonding opportunity for them. The way I see it: Bonus! They are happy and I don't have to share the good stuff! :)