Check out this construction!

She's come a long way with Legos in just a couple of months, eh? She went from building simple towers at the end of July to making complex train structures at the beginning of this month. Amazing!

Curls

Eight blocks high

Check out her mad building skillz! Remember when she first started playing with Lego?

On the playground climber

This was Ellie's first time climbing the small climber at our local playground. She was a star! As much as I encouraged her to slide while sitting, it turns out that her preferred sliding method is face-first. Uh-oh, we're in for it now!

Ellie loves doggies...

even if she does call them "khee caahs!"

We got this funny t-shirt for her before she was born, and today she's wearing it for the first time. When Clara came over to greet Ellie shortly after she put on the shirt, Ellie said, "Khee caah!" to Clara (she still calls Clara a kitty about half the time). Then Ellie looked down, pointed to her shirt, and repeated, "Khee caah!" She definitely recognized that Clara and the pug on her shirt belong together, even if she is confused about the feline/canine distinction. She's a smartypants, though as you can see from the 2nd picture, she's a smartypants with a wicked cold. Here's hoping she feels better in time for Easter!

Look who's walking on her own!

Uncle Chris will be so proud!

Today Ellie learned how to put Legos together. She already knew how to take them apart, so now she's officially a Lego SuperGenius. Like uncle, like niece!

One More New Word

Camera

Do you think we take too many pictures of her?

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Ever mindful of photo opportunities, Ellie waited till she had the right clothing on to take her first unassisted steps this evening. Yay, Ellie!

This just in

Ellie is one year, one month, one week, and one day old today. Hooray!

Another word

After saying "Gram" last night, Ellie added "Grandpa" to her repertoire this morning!

Ellie's words

Ellie said 3 new words today. I'm so excited for her! Here's a list of her words to date:

Khee caah (kitty cat)
Claaah (Clara)
Gog gog (dog dog)
Num num (said when eating)
Yum
Da da (thank you)
Vuh vuh (love you)
Buh bye
Diaper
Uh-oh
Uh-uh (for "no")
Yeah
Meow
Quack
Rarr! (roar, for what a lion says)
Hey (a greeting)
Bath
Mama
Mum Mum (Mumzy)
Water
Come
More (spoken and signed)
All done (spoken and signed)
Pasta (new tonight)
Again (new tonight; till tonight she just said "'gain")
Gram (for Grammy...new tonight!)

Green Bean Queen

Ellie's favorite food is green beans! And here's a fun fact about this picture: Ellie smiled on cue for it. Funny, no?

Smartypants!

This morning Ellie said, "Uh-oh!" spontaneously when she landed on her bum after taking a spill. A few minutes later, she mimicked me by saying, "Meow!" then added, "Kitty." She turned 11 months yesterday and already she's added two words to her vocabulary, plus she knows to associate "meow" with "kitty." What a wicked smartypants!

Climbing stairs!

Guess who climbed her first set of stairs on her 10-month birthday? You're right--it's Ellie! She showed off her new moves yesterday at the Children's Museum.

A trick that's a treat

This morning Ellie pulled up on a kiddie chair and then pushed it around the room! She's out of control with the cruising, eh?

"Are you a champion?"

If you ask Ellie if she's a champion, she'll clasp her hands above her head in a victory pose. It's almost disgustingly cute, so we ask her about 100 times a day. She'll do it on her own, too, at which point we always exclaim, "Ellie's a champion! YAY!" It's good times here, friends.

Cruising

Ellie pulls up on the furniture and even cruises around a bit! She's shaky and slow, but she's doing it.

Guess who'll be lowering the crib mattress tonight?

Ellie pulled up to kneeling first...

then scooted closer to the railing (action shot here)...

then she stood up, proud as can be!

Happy 9 months, Ellie!

How big is Ellie?

So big!

It's true: On her 9th month birthday, Ellie began playing "So Big!" with me. Is she a genius or what?