Ellie Bellie is One!

My baby is one! I can't even believe it. I really feel like I blinked and she was ONE. It's been so much fun having a baby girl, it has been everything I dreamed it would be. We had so much fun celebrating her this week. Right now with everything going on with COVID we are banned from gathering in groups of 20 or more. So many people are sick right now and it's just a scary and uncertain time, and with Grandmas we're trying to be extra careful so I decided to throw TWO parties, one for each family. We had my family over (my mom, Haley, Danny, Owen, Leah and Dean) on Friday night and Andrew's family (Grandma Karen, Grandpa Gerry, Grandma Cow, Sy, Ashlee, Aaden, Kate, Luke and Joshy) on Saturday night. I am crazy and made a double decker cake and we served one each night. I also made one smash cake for each night for a grand total of FOUR cakes. Yes I'm extreme but I loved it and had so much fun doing it!

We had a great weekend at Ellie's parties and Andrew smoked lots of yummy food for everyone. We even went all out and rented a bouncey house for the kids and stayed outside in the backyard to be safe. 

She got lots of cute toys and clothes and everyone had fun enjoying her cuteness. The first night she was NOT happy (I think she's a little socially awkward because we've been in quarantine so long! Ha!) But the second night she was much more comfortable and even ate her smash cake so I was happy. She's just so much fun and I wish I could freeze her and time and my babies forever right now. 

With Chance, it felt like the first year of his life was the longest year of my life. Everything was new and unexpected and stressful for me since I felt like I didn't know what I was doing. With Ellie it's felt like it has completely flown by and it feels like time just keeps going faster and faster. 

Ellie has been such a dream baby. I think it's a combination of me being so much more relaxed and her being SO easy. She's really just been so easy from the beginning. Ellie goes with the flow, eats, sleeps and hangs out and does whatever we want her to do! In her first year of life she's been to Lake Powell three times (the first time at 2 weeks old!), St George (4 weeks old),  Bear Lake, many day boating trips, Disneyland, Hawaii, skiing in the mountains, and so much more. She's such a great little traveler and really just goes with our flow. Her life jacket has actually become her favorite sleeping spot!  :) 

When I look back on this first year I'll always be so grateful for all the sweet moments I got to have with her in so many beautiful places! We really got through the "nursing, sleeping, nurse some more" phase while having so much fun! But really, the down side has been how FAST it has gone. 

Ellie in California^^

^^Ellie in Hawaii^^

^^Ellie in Bear Lake^^

^^Ellie in Disneyland!^^

^^Ellie in Lake Powell^^

^^Ellie at the rodeo!^^

^^Ellie in St. George^^

^^Chance is SO IN LOVE with Ellie and is such a cute, sweet brother to her^^

Since Ellie was born I have loved so much about her. Being pregnant with her was more fun this time around, pushing TWICE to get her here was a dream, and the biggest dream of all was how healthy, happy and amazingly beautiful she was from day one. 

Some of my favorite things about Ellie when she was a newborn were:

• Her calm demeanor
• Her HAIR! So much hair and so curly and dark, which were both unexpected (Chance was BALD then blonde!) It's been so much fun
• How good of a sleeper she was...so easy!
• Her coo noises when she sleeps
• How much she loves me and is attached to me! 
• How much she loves her daddy 

Now that she's a little bigger my favorite things about her have changed but here they are so I never forget!

• Her spirit! She is spunky and fiesty! She let's us know exactly what she wants  when she wants it, even though she can't talk!
• Her dancing skills and how she shakes all over and smiles whenever music comes on 
• Her wrist and feet movements whenever she's excited about something
• How much she loves Chance
• How good of a sleeper she still is! 
• Her amazing pirate teeth - they've come in so randomly, the side teeth have come in before her front teeth so we joke that she looks like a pirate :)
• The way she sits facing me on my lap and always hugs and snuggles me 
• The way here hair smells when she's all clean 
• The way she hugs and squezes any stuffed animal you give her
• I could go forever! 

Here are a few of my favorite pictures of Ellie from her first year! She's just the best and I'm so glad I get to be her mom. 

xoxo

-steph