Ella is 15 Months!

Ella turned 15 Months on Sunday, April 5!

So, here are my 15 notes about Ella this month.

1 - She is so talkative and has started to say a few more words - her new words are "tickle-tickle" (never just one tickle, it's always tickle-tickle) and "uh-oh" (with major inflection in her voice between the uh and oh). She seems to want to experiment a lot with her voice and sometimes she'll say "hi" so softly you can barely hear her, and then other times she's yelling "hey" at people we pass. More often than not she's speaking in a language that only she understands, but I LOVE hearing her voice and going back and forth having conversations.

2 - Her laugh has become more hearty and it usually sounds like a scream that just explodes because she finds something so funny. And if something is REALLY funny, she has to use her hands to hide her face because it's just too hysterical.

3 - Ella LOVES getting her teeth brushed - she gets excited when she sees the toothbrush, happily opens her mouth and then enjoys all that gum brushing (since there are only 2 teeth!) - there's been a few times now where she takes the brush herself and takes over.

4 - We have a little routine whenever she wakes up in the morning or from a nap after changing her diaper where she drops her binky in her crib (although sometimes she teases me and pretends to drop it and smiles at me like 'gotcha mom' before she drops it for real), then she turns the light off on the way out. Watching her tiny little pointer finger working so hard to turn off a light switch is just precious.

5 - Her facial expressions are priceless - she has her surprised look where her eyes get so big like saucers and she raises her eyebrows; then there is her sweet look where she looks so peaceful and gentle; her non-gentle face when the dogs enter her sights; her pensive face where she is trying to figure out what's going on; sometimes she smiles just with her eyes and that is so precious because you know she's excited but she's not actually smiling; her face when I wash her hair in the tub and she's not too sure; and of course her big happy smile with crinkly eyes is really just the best of them all.

6 - She's now facing front in the carseat since she's over 20 lbs - she definitely seems to enjoy it more although getting into the carseat is frequently met with an arched back and flailing arms and legs because she is much too busy to be pinned into a carseat.

7 - She loves waving and does waves to all types of people in lots of situations. Sometimes she'll do a delayed wave where the person has already left and she then decides to raise her hand and wave. If she is REALLY motivated she will wave both hands at once!

8 - She climbs up our legs and hides behind our knees shen she wants to be close and get picked up. Sometimes I'm like "oh, so sweet, she wants to snuggle with me" - then as soon as I pick her up she's reaching for something on the counter and I realize I'm being used for my view :)

9 - Her hair has grown so much lately and I'm able to put a barette in the right side, which is where it almost falls in her eyes if it's on her forehead. I think she looks soooo cute in the barette but she doesn't agree and mostly spends her time trying to remove it!

10 - Ella's dance moves just become better and better - she now has a head bop move and puts her arms up in the air for her dancing - she absolutely loves music and her dancing is just too cute.

11 - Anytime there's something soft or interesting texture on the ground, Ella needs to try it out to see what laying on it would feel like - it's so funny b/c she will rest her head and tuck her arms under her body and rest for about 3 seconds at a time. We also know she's getting sleepy because she'll start doing that on the floor and then we know she's ready for her crib.

12 - Speaking of her crib, she's been creating makeshift pillows in there for a while now - she'll ball up the blanket and sleep on that, sleep on a stuffed animal in there, and even figured out how to pull the bumper down to use that. I have a little Snoopy pillow that my mom made for me when I was a baby that was my absolute favorite when I was young and it's been in storage for several years because I don't trust Sammy around it, but Steve got the idea to let her use that for a pillow since she's not ready for a 'real' pillow, so we got it out, washed it and put it in her crib - she doesn't do it all the time, but we've definitely seen her resting her head on my Snoopy!

13 - Ella is very fascinated by her tummy - she pushes on it with both hands, pokes it, and looks like she thinks it's a toy. Sometimes she'll zero in on her belly button but most of the time it's the big round belly that gets her attention.

14 - We just moved her up today to size 4 diapers because the size 3 are not leaving enough room for those ample thighs - such a big girl! Also she's almost in a size 4 for shoes as well. Speaking of her body parts, there is nothing better than her chubby upper arms in a sleeveless shirt or dress.

15 - She is still stingy with her kisses but is becoming much more interested in giving hugs! She will wrap her arms around you and snuggles. And she also does this with the dogs, and other children too. We always say what a great job she's doing being so gentle and hopefully she will keep it up!

So there you have it - 15 facts about our babydoll this month - my little toddler (who doesn't quite toddle yet :)