Tidbits of Elliana

It's so funny to me how time changes everything. Not long ago I wasn't sure how I was going to deal with the craziness that is my daughter. I even posted about how overwhelmed I felt at the idea of parenting and raising her.

I don't know what it is, but suddenly I find myself seeing Ellie in a whole new way. I don't know if she has changed, if I have, if we're just beginning to understand each other, of if I'm beginning to learn how best to discipline her and teach her.

Elliana is still very strong willed and busy, busy, BUSY! But, she's softened up quite a bit. She's more obedient, she's become pretty good at sharing and being kind to other kids (most of the time), she's more loving, she initiates hugs and kisses, and she actually lets us snuggle her for short periods of time (she is NOT a cuddler). She brings us more joy than we could ever have imagined.

It helps that this is my favorite age for little ones. Actually, I love all babies and kids, but I think the age from 1-2 years old is definitely my favorite.

Ellie and I have shared so many smiles, giggles, and just fun times lately. Here's just a few of them:

-She's been working on using utensils when she eats. When she succeeds at getting a spoon or fork full of food into her mouth, she claps wildly for herself and expects us to clap too. Ha!



-The other day we were praying before breakfast. After I said "Amen" she grabbed my hand and said "more"! So, we prayed again. And again. And again.

-Ellie has been working on her animal sounds. She can say bow-wow, moo, meow, and she can roar. When I was grocery shopping yesterday, I walked up to the milk and she started saying "Moo" over and over. I couldn't figure out how she knew that milk came from cows and then I realized that she saw the pictures of cows on the milk cartons. This girl is too funny.

-We've been practicing pointing out our eyes, nose, mouth, and ears with Ellie. The other day I decided to take a nap with her. I woke up to Ellie pointing at my eyes, nose, and mouth and saying each one.

-I've always wanted Ellie to be close to her cousins. For the most part she adores all of her cousins, but she has a love-hate relationship with her cousin Reagan, born just two weeks after her. Sometimes they hug and kiss and play well, and other times they fight like cats and dogs. A few weeks ago Reagan walked up to Ellie, grabbed her by the shirt, and dragged her into the other room. I wish I could have captured the puzzled look on Ellie's face. It was hilarious!



-I think Elliana is going to be a very organized, clean person. She almost always cleans up after herself, before I even ask her to. She also loves to organize. She lines things up, stacks things, etc. This morning she lined all of her duckies on the edge of the bathtub.

-I used to think Elliana was going to be a tomboy. I guess there's still a chance that she will be, but she's showing signs of being quite girly too. If she finds a bow, she'll hold it up to her head and ask me to put it in her hair. She also loves it when I tell her how pretty she is. Most of the time she'll repeat "pretty" and run off to show her daddy. :) I just had to add this. After finishing this post, Elliana came to me with my body splash in her hands and she was trying to spray it on herself. Ha ha! So yeah, this girl likes girly stuff too.

-Ellie is so expressive! I think she gets that from Caleb. Ha! She has so many faces. Her latest face is her pouty face. When we tell her no, she sticks her bottom lip out as far as it will go. It's so sad, and at the same time, it's hard not to laugh.








I'm sure I have many more stories, I just can't think of them right now. I'm sure I'll have many more posts like this in the future. This girl keeps us laughing all of the time. Good thing I have a blog. ;)