1. She is starting to walk, some. She will take several steps in a row before plopping back and crawling the rest of the way. It was surprising to me how excited I was when she started doing this. I was almost giddy with excitement!! I had been dreading it because I know she will be harder to chase after, but it is so amazing to watch her learn to walk and so cute! Here she is the 1st time she started taking several steps at once!
2. We have now taken the bottle away completely now. This one just happened last night. For a couple weeks now she has only gotten a bottle at bedtime. I had already cut the others out gradually. I knew the time was coming for this, and had been preparing me for nights of screaming and crying at bedtime. And, Saturday night she was so tired she didn't want the bottle at bedtime and only took maybe 2 ounces from it. So, I decided that was it. She had shown she could go to bed without it, so that's the way it was going to be. So, last night as Todd prepared the bedtime items...medicine, passy, noise maker, bottle...I told him to just leave out the bottle and replace it with a prayer!! Ella once again amazed me because she was asleep in 10 minutes without any crying!! She initially pushed the passy away looking for the bottle, but she never asked for it and eventually took the passy. She was very tired again so tonight she might start the screaming and crying, but last night she was an angel.
3. We now take Ella's contact out every night and put it back in every morning. This one is huge for me because I remember when we first got her contact, and being relieved that we only had to take it out every 2 weeks to clean it because I was afraid we would have to do it everyday. And, the nurse and doctor told us that before long we would be taking it in and out everyday like it was nothing, and I thought they are crazy!!! But, a few months ago they wanted us to move up to every week, which was fine. But, a few weeks ago when her allergies started going crazy I decided we needed to get it out every night so eye could breathe. And, this has been working so well for us. She even knows now that before her bath at night we take her contact out and in the morning when we get up it time for her contact.
4. Ella now has enough hair on top of her head that we can wear hairbows without a headband. This one was also exciting! She seems much bigger with just a bow on her head. And, it seems much cuter, although I never thought was wasn't cute with the headband!!
5. This one isn't a milestone like the others, but it is just so cute to watch. Ella is a girly girl...loves purses and shoes. She will drag around a purse or shoe all over the house all day. She been like this forever it seems. But, here lately she has realized that if she puts the purse strap on her arm and not hold it she has a free hand to do other things with. It is hilarious to watch her intentionally put her purse on her arm just so she can hold another toy!!!
6. Finally, today I asked her for a kiss, which she normally gives generously to me, and she replied "no"!!!! I was shocked that she knew to answer that way, and then I was a little hurt that she did answer that way!!! She has known the meaning of 'no' for awhile now. And, she has popped my hand while telling me "no" when I was doing something she didn't like, but I didn't think she would be answering my questions with it already!!!
Ok, I'm adding this next picture because it's just funny!!! Todd, Ella, and I were sitting/playing in the living room the other night, and Ella decided to go climbing again and it didn't go her way this time. She ended up on her head in her toy box!!! She didn't know what to do or think. She never really cried so I snapped this shot before I rescued her!! Also, the mess around her is what she does about 3-4 times a day...we clean it up and she pulls it all out again and again and again!!!
