Ellison Reese

So I couldn't resist including these shots... This first one was rather serendipitous. I was kinda happy that I actually captured one of her little scowls on camera. This is the look she gives complete strangers in the grocery store who approach her, trying to be all sweet. It'll only be cute and acceptable at this age, Ellison, so let's get it out of your system now, girl! :)

Ellison has been asking on a daily basis to "draw" (sounds like "jaw") as she toddles over to the kitchen drawer where we keep the pens and such. I wish I had gotten her started on the real crayons earlier - the box of 64 of the little suckers kept her occupied for SO LONG! We've been doing the washable markers and occasionally some pens with supervision, but crayons are apparently the way to go! The first time I got them out for her, she was so intent on her task - taking the crayons out and putting them back in, over and over. Oh yeah - she did dabble in creating a little art, too, but had more fun "organizing" her crayons. She becomes a little OCD with the broken crayons (not her doing) - she continually says, "Uh oh, uh oh..." and cannot continue with her creative tasks until the crayon in question is removed from the box. Coloring is one of her favorite activities right now. And I must say, she's got quite a beautiful scribble. :)

Ellison had her 15 month check-up last week. She's weighing in at 21 lbs, and she's 30 inches long. Her weight has stayed steady in the 25th percentile, but interestingly her height is dropping off, and now it's in the 30th percentile. Our little petite-sy.

Ellison's getting some major chompers in now. Two of her molars just started breaking through, with two more almost there. We have to say, these have definitely been the toughest ones to go through for all 3 of us! Well, I should say all 4 of us - Teddy's nose has gone through the ringer as Ellison bites it every chance she gets. Not only was she having a time with the (big) little buggers, but she got an ear infection to boot, and her parents have been messing with her nap schedule. Life is tough for 1 year-olds! Now that she's been on an antibiotic and we've come to a nap resolution (for the time being), she's back to being her happy, playful, well-rested self.

Ellison's getting some great quality time with her dad lately, which suits her just fine. I'm starting back to work, just on a per diem basis on some weekends, but I've had to do some mandatory hospital orientation during the week, which means that Jon has had to use some vacation time to be Mr. Mom. Some vacation, huh? :) Who are we kidding - he loves hanging out with Mookie! Well, I was feeling terrible that her mama wouldn't be around to take care of her while she's been sick. Ha! This girl acts like I have the PLAGUE! She wants nothing to do with me right now. Nothing. On Thursday when we were back on our normal schedules, I was so excited to be with her again & hang out with her all day. When she woke up, I was all smiles - so excited to get her out of bed. What do I get greeted with? "Daddy... Daddy..." while whimpering and pointing at the door. Oy. Now that the weekend's here, I'm still chopped liver. Her dad had to sit practically on top of her during breakfast this morning, as she just couldn't get him close enough. I'm like the boogey-man. I'm going to start sneaking Cheerios into my pocket. What Jonathan doesn't know won't hurt him...

Who would've ever thought we'd be so excited about 1 1/2 inches of snow?! Man, it's been tough being somewhere in the winter that doesn't get much snow. Strange to get used to - it's made us a little more homesick. It was somewhat of a surprise snowfall. Suddenly one night after Ellison went to bed, we peaked out the window to see the most incredibly beautiful snowflakes coming down. They were enormous! It made for such a pretty morning the next day.

I'm not sure what yoga pose it is, perhaps "Baby Standing on Head", but Ellison's into it. Usually she's grinning as she peeks through her legs, but one has to be quick with the camera. Life is very interesting turned upside down. Now we're getting into advanced techniques, like turning it into a somersault. Before we can even say, "Again?", she's already nodding her head "yes" and into position.

Ellison loves to be outside exploring nature. She had a ball last weekend just playing out in the yard.

Interestingly, we could only get Ellison to take a pacifier for about 3 months after birth before she completely refused it. Though we were bummed at the time, we also knew it was going to make life easier on us down the road - no "traumatic" weaning to go through. Well, for whatever reason, Ellison wants to keep putting her baby's paci in her mouth now. The thing doesn't even have the rubber sucky part on it, but she thinks it's nice to walk around with this thing in her mouth. It's apparently SO good that she's trying to get me and Jon hooked on it too.

Ellison's turning into quite the accessory queen - she's definitely all girl! She is so into shoes and socks, hats, and purses right now. Anytime we're upstairs, she starts digging into her shoe drawer and has to try on pair after pair - even when she's nearly naked waiting for her bath. She's even taken a liking to my shoes. Many times throughout the day, she drags a pair of my shoes around, puts her feet in them, and then clomps around. On these particular days depicted below, her accessory-of-the-moment was her little pink baseball cap.

Ellison's little birthday shots included the 2 loves of her life this time: Teddy & La-La (her lovey). At 15 months, she continues to practice her vocabulary & speech skills and is getting so good at letting us know what she wants. She has started this new thing where she gets a hard scowl on her face at times. When sweet strangers come up & try talking to her in the grocery store, she scowls at them. It's a little embarrassing, but thankfully I have the excuse that she's only 1. I'm trying to work on getting her to smile for strangers when she starts to do that. She loves Elmo and Barney still, but has also discovered Blue's Clues. She mimics Blue's little noises EXACTLY, and when he wags his tail, she does the funniest giggle. She also loves bunnies right now. She is finally giving us kisses on the lips - for a while only Teddy & inanimate objects got that privelege. I of course ask for them a hundred times a day, to which I often get an answer in the form of her shaking her head. But at least she gives in to my relentless requests on occasion.

Daddy had his little buddy rootin' for the Giants with him. Ellison enjoyed the perfect football game food - Cheerios & pizza.