Gruuuunnntt

Ugh...bending over to pick up rocks is such hard work people

Austin Children's Museum

I have long awaited the day when I could take my child to the coolest kid's place on the face of the planet. As a nanny in high school I took my preschool age kiddos to the Austin Children's Museum and I think I had more fun than they did! Since E is so adventurous I knew she would have a blast too. They have a section meant perfectly for crawlers and early walkers, so no big kids flying around knocking wee ones on their bums.

Going up the slide...because what else are you supposed to do on a slide? I mean really people, c'mon.

Playing with the chickens and listening to all the farm animal sounds. She would press the button, an animal would sound and she would turn around and look at me with a smile and a look of amazement in her eyes. I wish I had gotten a picture but I had to put the camera down and enjoy that little moment.

She soon got bored with the baby stuff and out we headed to be among big boys running at break-neck speeds and big girls screaming and throwing feathers and blocks.

Playing with blocks

This was the part I remember most from my first visit. They have a play cafe and grocery store. Soooo wish they had this when I was a kid.

Have you ever tried a pretzel and a pickle? No? Well you are missing out buddy!

We love our fruits and veggies! (Noooot.)

"From the Dairy Farm to You: The Story of Buttercup"

Awwww.....Buttercup

Her favorite part of the museum...the fishies

The cutest toddler was showing Ella how to work this toy

But the best part was banging the golf balls together

The best part of this whole day was when Ella was approached by another little girl. They each had one golf ball in hand. The story went like this:

Other girl tries to grab E's ball

Other girl's mommy tells other girl No Ma'am!

Other little girl starts crying

Ella stands there looking bewildered

Other girl starts screaming

Ella looks at other girl and starts screaming too

Two mommies start laughing hysterically at our crying girls

Hands down one of the funniest things that I've seen since becoming a mommy

Long Overdue

I am just now getting the time and energy to post the last of Ella's "what I can do now" posts. Kinda sad, but exciting at the same time when I look at how much she has grown in the last month. So here we go...

At 1 year Miss E can:

Talk up a friggin storm..She says Iza (and points to my sister's dog when she goes to say hi to her everyday), kitty, cat, shoe, sock, Sa, Tia, mama, dada, outside and Ella (she will point at a picture of herself or her name monogrammed on her chair). It's not just babble, she recognizes what all those words mean. The babbling part is completely incomprehensible.

Says awwwww when you say awwwww when she does something cute

Gives toys to you and tries to feed you

Blows her nose, just not into the tissue. She likes to actually "blow" after you've wiped her nose.

Points at things and says "What's that?"

Can almost go up and down steps by herself

Tells Maggie to jump

Plays peek-a-boo

Helps take off and put on her clothes

Loves to play chase...all you have to do is tell her you're gonna get her and off she goes. And then if you say "You're gonna get me" and run she comes after you.

Imitates sounds and actions constantly. I tickled dada last night and she picked it up immediately and started tickling him. It was the cutest darn thing!

She has 8 chompers which she is putting to use. And she is finally starting to eat more solid food. She only gags every once in a while. But she's going to be a picky eater, just like her mama was as a child.

Her 12 month size clothes are finally not hugely large on her. They are still baggy at the waist but not falling off-saggy butt.

Things I wish Ella wasn't doing:

Pinching, scratching, hitting and biting...I got bit 4 times today. I realize all this is not out of anger, except the hitting out of frustration. The rest she just doesn't know any better, but ouchie! it hurts when she bites.

Climbing on everything so that I can't take one watchful eye off her for a split second for fear she may scale the washing machine and swan dive into the litterbox. Why oh why child?!?!

Throwing tantrums. I know I've said she has had them before but the other day was a full on doozie. It lasted a good 30 minutes. Arms hitting, legs kicking, thrashing in her crib. I was scared, very very scared. So hard to believe when you look at that sweet little face, huh?

Happy Birthday Sugababe!!

Aw...ma...gawwwd. My little is ONE YEAR OLD!! I just can't wrap my brain around this, I mean, I just freakin had her...like yesterday!! Alas, here we are, celebrating a year of smiles, poop, some tears (both mine and hers) and lots of love.

And I just knew it, Miss E got sick just in time for her big day. I knew it, I knew it, I KNEW it! I should be a psychic. We picked her up from school Wednesday and were told she had a fever. And that she slept a whole hour (unheard of) and then just layed her head on one of her teacher's shoulder when they picked her up. And you could tell. Her eyes were red and her face was all puffy. Dang cold. So our plans to take her to the Austin Children's Museum where scrapped and we spent all day inside so she could get better in time for her partay.

Despite the cold, she woke up this morning happy after a rough night.

Happy Birthday Ella!

In case you were wondering, this is what the little looks like when she wakes up in the morning after having her hair pulled up all night to keep it from becoming booger encrusted to her face.

"Mama, I will not sit down, kthksbai"

The last (sniffle, sniffle, bwaaaaaaa!!!) of our monthly tutu pics

Oh, we have a climber. So far, she has tried to climb the TV cabinet, her crib, the dogs and the bathtub.

And the birthday girl in her birthday outfit!!

"Can I pullleeeease take off my shoes??"

After staying in the nice warm house on a cold winter day, it was time to have some fun with family

A birthday supper that consisted of...well....bread. Just plain old bread. Miss E hasn't been too hungry today. Too full of snot I guess.

Among what seems like the millions of things she has started to do lately, one of them is to 'feed' you. And the dogs too. Here she is feeding dada, because he was hungry!

Eating her birthday cupcake, with sadly no icing. I know we will be testing her milk allergy now that she's a year, but I just didn't want to possibly add to the miserable-ness of a cold with an upset tummy, so no icing. There will be special icing at her party on Sunday though!!

JUMP POODLE!! (We didn't have the heart to tell her that Maggie wasn't actually there when Tia said JUMP)

So occasionally Ella will hold food high above her head and drop it behind her. She thought this was a good idea to do with her cupcake.

Not sure what this is. She starting running up to the dogs and doing it. Maybe it's a sign of a peace offering??

Grandma gave Ella a figurine that she had originally gotten for her mother, Granny. Granny used to collect them. So now Ella has a little piece of her great-grandmother, called "Grandmother's Love"

Tia got Ella her very own pair of diamond stud earrings. Just the cutest, ittle-bittiest little diamonds you ever saw!! Ooooh...DIAMONDS!

Dada decided we should get E a little wagon that she could pull stuff around in

I can't believe it, but Sassy and Poppy are going to build Ella her very own playground in our backyard!! When she is old enough to read this blog, she will be able to see this post, look outside at her swings and treehouse and think of her Sassy and Poppy and smile. We are so excited and can't wait to start designing it. I know Ella will love it, her fave place is outside. And they also got her a plush tea set which she clearly loves...

The tea cup

The croissant

The teapot

And the cupcake

And what better place to put your tea set than in the wagon from Maaaa and Dada

Our little family, a whole year later.

Some videos to come tomorrow. It's 11:30 at night and although little bit is sleeping now, that may not last the whole night!