Balloon... Day 9

First thing first, FIND MY BALLOON!


Got it. Now I can start my day.


Books are better with a balloon in hand.

Ahhh... Sundays

G'DAY peeps, it is me, Ella.

I have SO much to tell you about. Uncle Jonathan and Joanna are here on HOLIDAY visiting me from O.S. It has been GREAT FUN having so much attention. And they brought me the best PRESSIES. I love my new PLAYBOOK and RHYME BOOK. They also brought me very cute SWIMMERS. These BATHERS will protect me from the sun. I can't wait to wear them. Joanna also brought my mommy some Australian wine. And as you know, my Mommy likes her wine! Most importantly, she brought some TIM TAMS, and mommy let me have the littlest bite.


This book is so cool. It has all these fun textures to touch and flaps to lift.




My new suit looks similar to this, except it is a two piece.


Mommy said she won't let me have anymore. I am going to try and change her mind.


I never eat so well as when we have company. On Saturday Daddy brought bagels for BREKKIE and special schmear because we have guests. Then we went out for lunch. And for dinner last night Uncle Jonathan used the BARBIE to make dinner.

Besides eating well, we have been doing a lot of shopping. We went to the outdoor mall and Joanna bought some LIPPY and eyeshadow at the MAC store. Mommy introduced Joanna to Crate & Barrel, Nordstroms, J.Crew, Banana Republic, and Pottery Barn. It was A REAL BLAST.

And that my MATES was my weeknd!

A 1,435 hugs,
ELLA

It Is Going to be a Good Day... According to Ella

I like to eat holding my birthday balloons.


I like to crawl with my birthday balloons.


Walking with my balloons is the best.


This is how I greeted Uncle Jonathan and Joanna for the first time. I had a balloon in each hand and would not let them go!


Today is going to be a good day.
I know this because:

~ I have FOUR people to admire instead of just my mommy.
~ I had a bagel with mango cream cheese for breakfast with my yogurt
~ my birthday balloons are STILL filled with helium and they are my favorite. I carry them everywhere.

Month By Month

What a difference a year makes! Check out how much Ella has changed during her first year; it amazes me.


ONE MONTH~ June 24, 2009


TWO MONTHS~ July 24, 2009


THREE MONTHS~ August 24, 2009


FOUR MONTHS~ September 24, 2009


FIVE MONTHS~ October 24, 2009


SIX MONTHS~ November 24, 2009


SEVEN MONTHS~ December 24, 2009


EIGHT MONTHS~ January 24, 2010


NINE MONTHS~ February 24, 2010



TEN MONTHS~ March 24, 2010


ELEVEN MONTHS~ April 24, 2010


TWELVE MONTHS~ May 24, 2010


*** Apparently we dress Ella in a lot of PINK! ***

12 month Stats

The sucky thing about turning ONE is the shots ~ All FIVE of them.
Ella took the first THREE like a champ and then decided, "Screw being brave. I deserve to cry after three of these things."
So she did, but her tears faded away with the magical appearance of MUM-MUMS.

And well, my little girl is not so little.
Height: 2' 6.5" (90 percentile)
Weight: 23 lb 2 oz (81 percentile)
Head Circumference: 18.27" (85 percentile)

One ALREADY?

Hi everyone! It is me, Ella. I know, I know, my Sunday post is a day late, but I have a really great excuse. I was just plum-tuckered tired out from my first birthday party! In fact, I am still tired. Something about play, play, playing all day long combined with being the center of attention, eating more cake than my little heart can imagine, and having a mini- nap did me in.



My party was so fun. Mommy and daddy have been working non-stop to prepare for the festivities. They baked, chopped, cleaned, and decorated. There seemed to be pink and green, elephants and decorations everywhere. It was really cute. Grandma and grandpa even came by early to lend a helping hand. I think they knew that mommy and daddy had a lot on their plates.





Even though the weather stunk and it drizzled here and there all day long, it did not ruin my day. With my happy attitude, I did not even seem to notice. My friends Piper, Riley, Keira, and Grafton celebrated my birthday with me. We played really well together except Mommy says I need to be gentler with baby Piper. Being one has so many responsibilities. I need to remember NOT to pull hair, NOT to use my friends' faces to push myself up, and NOT to be rough with babies. Geesh! Next thing you know mommy is going to transition me to cow's milk and switch out my bottles for sippy cups! I hope THAT never happens.









The sweetest part of the day for me was when I got to dig into my smash cake. In fact, when Mommy and Daddy put it in front of me, my first thoughts were, "Who are you and what have you done with my parents?!" and then I started thinking," Is this a trick?" You see, I NEVER get to eat sweets. Mommy and Daddy micromanage my meals. Luckily for me, it was not a trick and I had an ENTIRE banana cake to myself and let me tell you, it was more than I could handle. At first, I played in to my adoring public. I let them encourage me while I smiled and teased them. I wanted to make sure I had their full attention. While I did that, I calmly tasted the cake and savored every minute. And once I had everyone watching me and on ther edge of their seats, I dove right in. And It. Was. Absolutely. Delicious.

Being the birthday girl definitely has its perks.

*** all cute party decor was made by ETSY vendor sweetteaandpickles***

Birthday Girl....

Here is a taste of tomorrow's post....

Party Prepping

My house is knee-deep in party planning fun. Tablecloths, napkins, and favors are strewn about the dining room, all part of the build up to Ella's big day! Some might say I have gone a bit overboard, but to me, there is nothing like hosting a good party.

Look At These Baby Blues....

Look at Ella's baby blues. I just love them! They twinkle and shine and look deep into my heart. They pierce so deep that my heart actually melts. And Missy Moo, the lucky girl that she is, has eyelashes upon eyelashes upon eyelashes.

One Year Ago...

One year ago today I officially began my maternity leave. I loved the feeling knowing that I would not have to return to work until November 4th and I had MONTHS, MONTHS and more MONTHS to spend with my baby and husband. And like every maternity leave, the time flew by and I returned to work. *Sigh*

And on my last day off work, my kiddos threw me a "surprise" shower. I was HUGE and the kids were very concerned. I was scolded for weeks because I was on my feet too long and the size of my feet became an unofficial science project and as much as I was embarrassed of them before, I wish I had taken a few photos to remember my enormous feet because they really were that big.

Sleep Little Girl

We don't have many pictures of Ella sleeping so when I saw her little rump in the air, I knew I had to capture the moment. I took a great risk because the reason we don't have pictures of Missy Moo sleeping is because she wakes up at the littlest sound. Really.
After tiptoeing downstairs and retrieving the camera I was able to snap the above photo. Instantly Ella woke up, and she was not very happy about the impromptu photo shoot.

Ella the Fashionista

Ella is a fashionista. She has all sorts of adorable clothes: sweats, dresses, shirts, skirts, rompers, you name it. Not only that, she has an accessory drawer that would make any woman jealous. She has a hat wardrobe, a selection of sunglasses, and even fancy socks. She has no idea how lucky she is! In fact, Ella has more clothes than I do! Believe it or not, Ella even has a start on fancy jewelry. She is one fashionable little girl who seems to outdress her momma these days!

Steps....

My First Mama's Day

Recipe for a Great First Mother's Day

1 pound of sunshine
30 giggles from a certain Missy Moo
1 tablespoon of new earrings
a dash of a new shirt
3 cups of a sweet husband
3 teaspoons of vegetable skillet
mix together and sleep in for 45 minutes at 73 degrees

Mother's Day - "The Gift of an Ordinary Day" by Katrina Kenison

Oh, Sunny Day!

Having a child makes life fun. All of a sudden balls, toys, cartoons, kid parties, and play dates reenter your life. Plus, you have the perfect excuse to experience events intended for kids like carnivals, Chuck E. Cheese, Disney on Ice, the circus, and parades. Today was filled with such adventure.

First, we started the day at the St. John's Parade and it was glorious. Families were making memories, the sun was shining, and life was being lived. The Boy Scouts marched proudly down the street with one proud member chanting, "2, 4, 6, 8, Scouting is great!" Ella smiled at all the political figures that came by and flirted with a Rose Princess or two. We saw marching bands, and rodeo princess, and car after car after car. It was fun.

And tonight we attended our first neighborhood block party. After meeting all the neighbors I am convinced that we moved in to the best neighborhood.

Happy Almost Birthday... To Me!

Tomorrow is my 31st birthday. The last year has been a fabulous one.

I had the most amazing baby girl.
I graduated with my Master's degree.
The Hubs and I sold our house and bought a new one.
It was great year but life just gets better every day with Missy Moo.
And just for kicks, check out what I looked like exactly one year ago... Amazing, huh?