From the Mouths of Babes

Ella is starting to generalize with her words.

She touches her knee and says "elbow"

She pointed to a small round part on the car and said "eye"

She patted Mommy's tummy and said "pillow" . . . hmmm, seems I should be getting to the gym.

Wild Wyoming

Ella had a great time in Wyoming. Here is a link to the photo album.

10 Things Ella Learned in Wyoming

1. How to say her own name. Who won't melt as she coos "AY-la, AY-la"


2. Lemons are really sour!


before


after


3. She will respond to "Show me what's in your mouth" by actually opening her mouth and showing you. We'll see how long this one lasts. I get the feeling in the future show me what's in your mouth will be Ella's cue to run away real fast.


4. How to wink, or rather blink. Aunt Judy gets credit for this one.


5. Dancing is a lot of fun.




6. How to say "papa" and know that Papa is Grandpa Clint.


7. Dogs are waaaay cool. But they are kinda scary when they sniff in your face.


8. She likes it when you blow in her face. And she will even blow back.




9. King-size beds are a blast.


10. We can ALL survive a ten hour car ride!

Spectacle-ular

Pretty much everything in Ella's world is a toy, as far as she's concerned. Particularly her daddy's glasses (and anyone else's she can get her hands on).


Those of you who have seen Mr. Magoo cartoons might see a slight resemblance here.

Here's hoping that Ella has inherited her Mother's eyesight and not her Father's.

Chatter Box

Ella is becoming more and more vocal.
Her babbling is getting really complex. Mark and I are convinced that she is trying to tell us the nature of the universe. If only we could translate.

Also she is saying a lot more "real" words. Many of them she will blurt out if she sees the object, or just for fun.

This is her impressive list - so far
eye
ball
elbow - this is my favorite, it's so cute in her sweet little voice
up
moo
bye-bye
hi
wow
whoa
nose
uh-oh
ohs - as in cheerios
cracker
cheese - this sounds more like "sheee"
balloon
baby
apple - when she sees an apple, but it sounds a lot like "elbow"
shoe
gog (dog)
bird
car
nana (banana)
hat

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

"Da-da" is one of the words that Ella uses on a consistent basis.

She will even call out for Mark when she is looking for him.
"Da-da? Da? Da! DA!"



And when Mark comes home from work her face lights up and she can't wait to get into his arms. It's highlight of her day.

With this finger, I will rule the world!

Ella does her best impression of a mad (but still really cute) scientist bent on world domination.

Vaccination Nation

Ella had her One Year doctor's appointment today. (delayed 2 weeks due to doctor vacation)



She had to have TWO shots! Ouch. Here is a picture of her snazzy Looney Tunes band-aids.

Ella has selective stranger anxiety. It seems the only person that makes her cry is our pediatrician. He's a very sweet and gentle man, but Ella wants nothing to do with him and his instruments of torture. He just walked into the exam room and she got all upset. When he put the stethoscope on her body I swear her scream was so loud the windows rattled.

My ears are still ringing from the nose and throat exam.

My new pointing technique is unstoppable!

Ella loves to point. It's the first thing she does when she wakes up. At first it was just an indication that she noticed something.

Then, several days ago, she discovered that if she wanted something she couldn't get at, all she had to do was point and someone would probably get it for her (providing, of course, that it wasn't a razor blade or Monopoly house).

She has also started to use her lil' ol' pointer to answer questions (e.g., "where's momma?", "where's the doggie?", "which investment will maximize our earnings while exposing us to the least financial risk?").

Even more exciting, she is using The Point to tell us to look at something cool she has discovered (a gestural "Look, Daddy, look!).

I feel privileged that she wants to share her world with us.

2022

It'll be here sooner than we can possibly imagine!

Ella is giving us her best "oh-I-am-so smart" expression.
You never know, college admissions staff may read the Daily Ella.

"No Ella, we kiss with our lips, not our teeth"

Enough said.

Ella Speaks, some more

Ella's second word is "ball."
She'll say BALL when she sees her little nubby ball OR her big rubber ball.
She's so smart.

The Princess and the Pea

"Hi Grandma Norrie! What's up?"



"Oooo, what's that?"



"You can just pull them off?"



"Hey look, I picked a pea!"



"Oh, Grandma Norrie, did you want to give my pea a kiss?"



"Hey, wait . . ."



"That wasn't a kiss."



"Oh man, you ATE IT!"

A Good Time Was Had By All

Ella had a wonderful Memorial Day trip. She even got to meet family members she didn't know she had. Life is good when you're surrounded by people who love you.

Here are more photos.

Ella the Comedian

". . . and boy are my arms tired!"