Well, here we are. Our baby is no longer a baby... he's ONE today!
A whole year... 365 days... 8,760 hours... 525,600 minutes... All that time has literally passed by in the sheer blink of an eye.
Gosh. I remember
every single detail from the day he was born SO vividly. And this is a big deal -- because if you know me well -- you know that I have a
terrible memory (which is why I take so many pictures).
But seriously, I remember
exactly how much my back hurt that morning (Ha! Cuz I was in labor and didn't even know it!),
exactly what I was wearing,
exactly how I did my hair that day,
exactly how bad that first contraction felt,
exactly the tone in the nurse's voice who said to me,
"we don't have time for an epidural, the baby is coming now, and you are going to do this," exactly how I felt the moment I saw his little head coming out, and
exactly how I felt the moment they laid him in my arms.
Ellis James Everard. You have no idea how much you changed my life. Our life.
*******
Ok, this post is getting sappy. I'll save that for a different time, because today we CELEBRATE!
Ellis James is the big ONE!!!
He laughs when he toots. He likes to play with my hair. He adores pestering Grace. He says "ahhhh" when we brush his teeth (which he has 7 of now, btw). His top three favorite foods right now: blueberries, oranges, and noodles. He loves all things animal -- books, sounds, and pictures.
Ellis is a climber. Zac calls him a little raccoon because he is forever climbing; on us, on the furniture, in the fridge... every where. And he basically would rather play with anything that is not a toy. He's a real big fan of a wisk and Tupperware (aren't most kids?!).
He loooooves being sung to. Currently, his favorite tunes are "The Wheels on the Bus" and "Row Row Row Your Boat". He is not into television or movies at all. I'll put Sesame Street or Baby Einstein on, and he might watch for a few seconds if I'm lucky. Not that I want him watching TV all the time, but dang -- it's getting harder and harder to cook supper when he's under my feet.
Ellis usually takes (4) 6 oz bottles a day. We have this routine that after his morning bottle, we look out the living room window and he gives me "The Report". This is when he points at all the things outside and talks sweet, soft baby-babble that I want to record & have forever.
He has two words that he says over and over: baby and hot. So very random, I know. We're working diligently on "mama" and "dada" but it just ain't happening. Ellis does clap his hands & gives high fives on cue now. He also "helps" with the laundry by taking all the clean clothes out of the basket for me. I fold them, put them back in the basket, and then he pushes the basket to the bedroom for me to put away the clothes. He's gotta earn his keep around here! :)
So remember
last month when I complained about how sick we've all been... well, mostly Ellis has been? This past month has been no exception. WHEN WILL WINTER BE OVER?! Or, WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?! UHG. Ellis had his first (double) ear infection and then a couple weeks after that, a stomach bug/virus where he vomited allllllll night long... and then had diarrhea for 4 days following that, with little appetite. Um, do you know how sad it is helping/watching a little person throw-up for the first time? I mean, he used to spit up all the time as a tiny baby, but that was just breastmilk and more like a hiccup. Vomit is
totallllllly different. It's like he didn't know what was happening or why, and worst yet -- momma couldn't make it better. Whew, glad that one is behind us!
Overall, Ellis is sleeping pretty good for us at night and napping twice a day. He usually has one or two "bad" nights a week where he'll be up for an hour or two randomly, but we think it's due to teething? IDK, don't we blame everything on teething? You can tell when he's tired though because he will be playing one minute, and the next he comes over by you and nuzzles his head in your shoulder. Sweetest thing ever.
Things I love about Ellis this month:
- He continues to have the most delicious cheeks to kiss.
- His blue blue eyes -- can they still change color after a year? I hope not!
- The fact that he's more ticklish than ever.
- His hearty laugh -- it's the best stress reliever.
- The way he points to everythingggggg. It's so cute!
- His thick hair. He got his second hair cut this month; it grows like a weed!
- Our little daily routines and rituals.
- That he's totally a momma's boy.
OH Ellis, you make me the luckiest momma in the world. You are so very loved!
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