1 year

It's still hard to believe that a year has gone by. Ella turned one on Wednesday, and we had the best day together. It rained hard most of the day, so we stayed in bed and snuggled, napped, played for more time than usual, and I lived it up with her--cherishing the closeness with my now toddler who wants more independence each day.
She is becoming such a big girl, and each new phase really does get more and more fun.

A few favorite memories from this week:
-Hal put a little velcro toy shaped like a U on Ella's head (like a headband), and instead of taking it off like normal, she petted it on top of her head as we told her, "Oh, Ella! What a pretty girl you are! You're so beautiful, and what a pretty crown on your head!" I swear she would have batted her eyelashes had she known how.
-We tried out the neighborhood pool for the first time. It took her a bit to get comfortable, she clung to me for dear life for about 20 minutes. Then, finally, emerged a quiet "Ahhh" as her hand rippled through the water.


We're having a small, family party to celebrate her bday tomorrow. I'm excited to have everyone there together to spend time and enjoy Ella. My sister-in-law is due in 3 weeks with her first baby, a girl, so we're on our way to baby girl-bonding time!