Birthdays!!!

Ella is 1 year old now!!!!!! Actually 1 year and 1 week old now! We had Ella's birthday party at a local petting zoo which was great, although it was HOT! It seemed like all the little kiddos didn't mind the heat. In fact, Ella was happy the whole time. She managed to make it to just about the very end of the party (which stretched out to 4 1/2 hours) when she wanted to nurse, and then of course fell right asleep! We had a good time, I think it turnd out well, but I did learn a few things like: don't wait til the day of your party to do the bulk of your shopping and make sure that you leave time to set-up for your party!!! We had our guests helping put out our decorations, yikes! I have always been pushing it on time... go figure. The funny thing is that I love planning things- just can't seem to plan to be on time! I'm already thinking about what we should do next year : ) Karaoke? It'd be inside with AC.... I'm going to have to convince Ryan that karaoke would be fun : ) At 2 years old, the party is still just as much for the adults as it is for her, right?

Ella sitting on a pony with Grandma Goldie at her side. In the picture below, Ella is with my mom, "Nana." She came in for a few days to help out with the party- BIG help!

And.... drumroll.............

We got a puppy! Actually, it's Ryan's puppy for his birthday, to be technical : ) Anyway, she's a lemon beagle, about 11 weeks old and super sweet. She was pretty shy at first, but she's warming up to us really nicely. She definitely likes to be around us : ) I'm saying "she" because we still haven't given her a name! We keep tossing names out like Bella, Betty, Beth, Daisy, etc but so far nothing feels right... Any ideas? I love our little puppy : ) I was really reluctant about getting one, since I know puppies typically mean accidents involving poop, pee, slober, fleas, yuck! And yes, there has already been poop and pee accidents in the house : ( And her nails made little tears on the ottoman (sign), but I think we picked up the perfect little pup for us : ) She's sweet. Ella and her seem to get along great so far- of course as a puppy she playfully nips, and Ella doesn't mind (!) I know, that sounds alarming, but it's quite innocent- but we will keep a close eye on those two to be safe. In this picture below, Ella is sneaking off with the pup's little snuggle toy!!! Scoundrel! : )

Today I sat down and filled out a baby signing memory book with Ryan. Guess how many signs our little smartie pants knows? 38!!! And that's the ones that we've observed! Not included in that number are a few "iffy" ones. I'm pretty sure she knows more (from watching her Baby Signing Time dvds), but we just haven't been able to put them all into context yet. Anyway, I'm so happy we started using sign language for her- it's such a great feeling when I know she really wants- for example- more milk, more food, or if she's all done. And whether or not it's from signing, I can really tell that her comprehension of language is building tremendously.

Ella is still going on the potty routinely- yesterday morning when I sat her on the toilet she immediately peed, then pooped, then signed and said "done!" We just need to work on her telling us she has go - we're still just following a regular routine which works, but ultimately she needs to be the one to determine when to go. Also, Ella is walking more and more- I would say that she's a toddler at this point! Toddling around and occasionally landing on her tush since she's still perfecting this new skill : )

Now, while I just said how WONDERFUL everything is, I'll admit- I'm seeing how your baby can test your patience! Ella is pinching and scratching right now- even biting somtimes- not out of malice, but excitement I think, or just not knowing any better. (Can a 1 year old even be naughty? I'm pretty sure the studies say no, although I'm not so sure myself....) So, I'm trying to teach her how to touch nice, and that teeth aren't used when giving kisses! This new part of parenthood- discipline, is definitely a stressful one since you just want to do what's right... Anyway, the one good thing is that Ryan and I are pretty much on the same page.... I swear Ella loves to use the word "no" now since she's hearing it a lot, and I even heard her like sing it once, lol... Pinch, scratch, bite- she's still the cutest little thing ever : )

While doing laundry, Ella climbed in the laundry basket, and I thought it was so cute, I raced to get the camera, and of course when I was finally ready, she had climbed out! So I asked her if she'd go back in so I could take her picture, and she did! She's posing for me here! : ) Like I said, cutest thing ever! : )