11 Months: Almost a Year!

This morning Starbucks didn't have decaf, so I am currently fritzing out under the caffeine of a Venti iced coffee, the fumes of nail polish remover, the scent of the gold sparkly nailpolish I put on, and the new prescription of my Burke Warby Parker glasses. I'm pretty sure the equivalency of this would be expressing yourself while on... crack. Bear with me on this one.

My favorite memory this month was on Valentines Day. Her dadd got her a single red rose and a pink bear. A man who is romancing his sweet little girl, it melts my heart.

She loves ketchup packets and hot sauce packets from taco john. We have some in a drawer and she has proudly pulled them out and placed them in her favorite spots throughout the house; on her mini-table, in a few boxes, and given them to Kia.

She does this affectionate head bump thing where she taps her forehead to yours.

She has her top two teeth in now, along with her bottom too. She is weighing in at 22 # and is 31 inches long.

Takes a lot of steps on her own now. She can cruise, pretty much all over.  Sometimes she will still look back at us, with this look of can I do it? Watching her build that confidence is just so incredible. Were so proud of her!

She really doesn't like her socks. She enjoys pulling them off.

Loves to feed Kia food especially Cheerios.

Favorites this month: Kitties, Her books I love you through and through, Goodnight I love you, brushing her teeth, baby Einstein movies. 

Felt like this month has had the most sleepless nights. Between teething, a few ear infections, and getting a virus, we've all been sleepy and more cranky.

We're transitioning from nursing to whole milk. I find myself more on guard during our nursing sessions this month. With her top two chompers, we're both learning how to adjust, so that mommy doesn't get bitten. Learning this has been pretty painful for mommy! Ouch.

Loves wearing mommy's glasses!

Sick baby!

Reading her favorite book in bed!

Who knew boxes could provide so much entertainment. 

How she feels about her pony tails!

New shirt. 

Enjoyed cheering on UND to a Big Sky Conference win!

Auntie Angie came for a visit.

Daddy and Ellie

We really savor our weekend and have started to fall into a routine on Saturday mornings. I get to slip off and enjoy exercise classes at the YMCA. There is a dance class I absolutely love, but I am starting to explore others, like swimming and cycling. Exercise really speaks to my soul and I find is the best way to refuel my tank, nothing like sweating and being with people. Sometimes afterward I will take my time getting ready for the day, grab coffee, run an errand, or catch up with a friend. I can't even begin to tell you how much I enjoy this time.  Ellie gets to spend time with her two favorite men, her daddy and grandpa. They typically all head out to a local breakfast place to eat and catch up on each other's lives.

The space we have in the basement is starting to turn. Rand has enjoyed setting up his shop in the basement and has enjoyed building things and having the space and tools to tinker. Likewise, I have started to set up space to paint and sew, two things that often terrify me. I can easily turn a small pinterest project into the feelings one might have when trying to develop a plan to save America. Often, I am able to catch myself in that process and have gotten to taste and enjoy the freedom of expression. Rand and I are currently working on a fabric bookshelf and a wooden table and chair set. I've found new inspiration as I plug away at my master's degree, dreaming more about what it will look like to finish, and Rand has continued to work with his partner on their business.  With more daylight and warm weather I have a feeling the dreams will keep flowing and the dreary feeling winter brought will be gone soon!