Ellie is 12 Months Old!

One year old! I can't believe it. She is such a little smarty pants. The things that she understands blows my mind. Tell her to pat her belly and she pats her belly. Tell her to say bye-bye and she waves and says bye. She can also say baby, night-night, and moo (for cow). She says 'I love you'. I know what you're thinking - yeah right. I swear it's true. I just can't get her to do it on video for proof. She loves her baby dolls and stuffed animals. She gives them hugs and it is the cutest thing ever. She's also become much more snuggly with us, which we are just eating up. She is taking lots of steps and will be full on walking any day now. I personally can't wait. I'm so over the crawling phase. It's just so dirty. She has 12 teeth, and is now eating so many new foods.

We took our first beach trip in September to Destin. Went with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Dave, Marene, and Grandma Jane. We managed to avoid hurricane Ike in terms of rain, but the wind was pretty strong, and the tide was so high that there was barely any beach for the first couple of days. We were able to get in 1 day on the sand, and Ellie really like it - both the feel and taste. It wasn't so fun for mom and dad trying to keep her hands out of her eyes and mouth. I think we'll stick to the pool for the next year or so.

Then came the trip to CT for her birthday party. I think it was a huge success. I couldn't have imagined it going any better. Like always, she thrived with all the attention, lasting from 11 to 4 without any meltdowns. It was great seeing the family, and she finally got to meet her cousins, Liam, Meriza, and Mackenzie. They all played so great together. Makes me so sad that we don't live closer.

Here are some pics (click to view)...

Month 12