Look at me!

In the bathtub two nights ago Ella decided she was going to pull herself up again. We were playing in her ducky tub and she reached over and put both her hands on the big tub. Up she pulled herself and looked at me like "hey mommy, look at me!" 

A little before bedtime Ella was getting tired so we curled up on the couch and I got a bottle. Well actually, I got a bottle and then we curled up on the couch :) Ella likes to fight sleep, she still doesn't know sleep always wins...I have a feeling that is a long journey to that realization. So I got her all tight with me and gave her her blanket so she can pull it up and rub her little eyes. She likes to then take her arm and swing it up and down while she is drinking her bottle and trying to fall asleep. Too funny and sometimes a little dangerous if you are the way of her swing! She drifted off to sleep and I switched the pacifier in for the bottle as the bottle ran dry. I held her for a moment and then began to walk down the hall to take her to her bedroom. Here is where I paused and looked at my big little girl. I literally stopped and stared at her. As she overflowed in my arms I tried to remember holding her for the first time. She was so little and now I need to work out to hold her all the time. She lights up my life more than she can ever know. I think God sent her to me to rescue me...simply beautiful.

Yesterday we went to my grammie's pool again. James came this time so he finally got to swim with her. They had so much fun together. We were tossing her back and forth in the pool and she was laughing so much she couldn't make a sound. I was too scared to let go when I tossed her and James was giving me a hard time about it. He would just throw her to me. Each time I went to toss her to him he would move back so I would get nervous. Finally I got the nerve and she was just fine. She is a daredevil probably thanks to her daddy for sure. He dunked her under water for the second time. The first time I did was on her 7 month birthday. She did just fine with it again. She was a little shocked but looked to us and saw we were fine so she was too. Then right before we left Daddy gave her a mohawk. Take a look at this!

She was sleepy again before it was time for bed so I got her ready and put her in her crib. She was quiet for all of five minutes and then she was talking again telling stories. Then her stories turned into demands of come and get me! So since it was before her bedtime anyway I went in and got her and brought her back into the family room. I laid down on the rug with her, got a couple pillows and fed her her bottle. Soon she was fading. I was all cuddled up with her and the way I was holding her I couldn't turn around. I had to lay down too. So pretty soon I was fast asleep beside her with my arm draped over her. It was like all she needed was a little mommy to help her fall asleep.