First Bday Party and Photoshoot

Ok, get ready for these. Cynthia (Elli's oh so talented aunt) took these of Elli. I LOVE them. And we didn't smear any frosting on Elli, she did it all by herself...

Both Alex and my favorite one

Elli's birthday party:

We had all of her cousins and some friends over for pizza, pinatas, cake and presents. Elli was a little overwhelmed, especially with the pinata. She just cried when all the 4-8 year olds went nuts over the candy and were screaming with excitement. She ate her cake and overall had a fun time playing.

(And of course it was owl themed)

11 months - 12 months

Elli at 11 months:

Elli at 12 months:

Amazing how they were only this big one year ago...

She is a true riot. She LOVES to play games, be surprised, thrown around and knocked over by the dog. Suka is officially her best friend and it is adorable. She will take her toys over to him and sit down in between his legs and play. Then she will pet him, lay on him and play with his ears/eyes/lips/face. He just stays there and takes it like a champ. I think he loves her too. He is getting excited for her to be bigger - she will lay on the floor and want him to play with her and he tries to be so gentle but wants to be rough. Eventually he just chases his tail in his own frustration and she giggles. For as much work as a dog is, he sure is worth it for her.

She started to walk the day after her birthday. All of a sudden, she just decided to take more than 4 steps in a row. She went really slow and took about 15 steps. When she fell down, she turned around and looked at us all like "holy crap, did you see that!?!" I was so glad both Alex and I were there to see it. Now she runs all over the house. I finally bought a gate for our stairs because she is too much of a daredevil to be trusted. Much easier now to get things done as I'm not chasing her everywhere.

She is started to be a little stinker sometimes. She likes to throw small fits where she just cries, and cries hard. Enough for tears. Sometimes I am not sure if it is a real cry or fake until I give her what she wanted and she stops immediately and smiles, all tear-faced.

This was grandma's idea the other day - let's let Elli put her hand in the pancake mix and see how it feels. In no time Elli was throwing the mix everywhere and laughing at herself. We couldn't help but laugh too : )





She still loves the tub. She likes to stand up in it mostly. And the splashing is crazy - the entire bathroom is usually soaked, myself included. And I just love her nakie little body!!