365 days

Happy Birthday Baby Ellie!

This has been the best year of my life.

Love always,

Mommy

Who says I'm loud?

Ellie Speaks

I am very chatty. Mostly, I speak Alien & Japanese, but I can say a few words in my native tongue. My favorite word is "ball" pronounced, "Baaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhlllllllllllll!" I get very excited when I say this word.

The other word I enjoy is "dog". There are dogs everywhere -- in my house, in my books, & on the television. I see them walking down the street and I point and yell, "Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhgggg!" I like real dogs & stuffed animal dogs. I do not discriminate.

In the middle of the night, I like to say, "Ma. Ma. MaMa." Works like a charm.

Everyone beware: little ears are listening & my little mouth will soon repeat.

My Mommy is Freaking Out

Dear Diary,

Hey, it's me Ellie! I've been distracted by all the things that I can reach and get into that I completely forgot about the computer. Have you ever been inside a pantry?! It is SO fun -- there are shelves down low made just for babies to wreck. I love plastic forks and paper plates. I just carry 'em around and drop them all over the place - it's great! A lot of that junk fits perfectly in my wooden cart, so I stash things in there right next to Elmo.

Do you know what's better than a pantry? Guess! No, really... take a guess! A Lazy Susan! There are so many small glass jars and bowls and tea bags and coffee buckets and spices and I can throw all of them! And when Mommy catches me there, I just take off running with whatever I can fit in my little hands. Yesterday, I snatched Cayenne Pepper & 17 tea bags.

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So, it's my birthday in less than three weeks. I don't really know what a birthday is but Mommy says it's the only thing I really own and that we can have balloons. One thing I know for sure is that I LOVE BALLOONS! They are so fun. I have a purple one from Harris Teeter, but it keeps getting smaller. Why is that? Must be magic. Back to the birthday thing -- Mommy is kinda freaking out and saying things like, "You'll always be my baby." If I could talk out loud, I would totally tell her that she's starting to sound like Papa. And she keeps asking why I have to grow up and all that nonsense. I mean, does she REALLY want me to pee in my pants for the rest of my life?

I need my beauty rest or something like that. More like, I need some fuel for my afternoon of cabinet shenanigans. Smoochie Boochie!

Hugs & Kisses,

Baby Ellie

p.s. What's a toddler? Toddler Ellie doesn't really roll off the tongue...