THE ROTH-HURST FAMILY: Ella- 21 months old

*We can now REALLY say that Ella is a walker. She can push herself up to stand from the middle of the room and then walk across it. She is even realizing that walking is a faster means of transportation and is slowly making the transition to walking more than crawling. It’s crazy to see her cruising around the house, but we are loving it. She is gaining more confidence each day, but still remains cautious when we are out in public. I figure we definitely won’t lose her this way, because she likes to stay close by or hold our hands.

*In general, I have made the comparison that Ella is a slightly fussier baby than Jaycoby was. I have tried to keep my cool and not be too hard on the poor girl, but this month was extra challenging for both of us. Maybe it is because daddy is gone more and working longer hours. Maybe it is because she is going through a growth spurt and just needs more food and sleep than our busy schedule allows. Whatever the reason, she was a lot more fussy this last month. Her moods are unpredictable. She can be happy one second and sobbing the next. I’ve tried to have a patient attitude, but I’m human. There are days where I just want to make the fussing stop! In her defense, she always seems to get extra happy, silly and adorable within the hour before her bedtime (of course). There have been several days where I am watching the clock. Sometimes 7 p.m. just doesn’t come fast enough! But there have been several evenings where we find ourselves not wanting to put her to bed at 7, because she is in such a great mood. There have been some really long and more challenging days though. We’re just hoping that this is a “phase”. You are testing mommy’s patience, little girl. It’s a good thing you are adorable. I am easily distracted by that.

*I’m going to take a positive approach to this next issue we’ve had with Ella. She has been obsessed with the potty (and I’m not talking about potty training). I have caught her playing IN the potty several times and it isn’t funny. It really isn’t funny at all . But each time I remind myself that this is something that a grandmother would laugh at and would say is “silly” or “cute”. Then I force myself to chuckle about it, because we really could have bigger problems. I can only hope that she is as obsessed with the potty when it comes time for potty-training. And, by then, she better have broken the habit of splashing around in the bowl, or we will have bigger problems.

*Most of you know that I have a shoe obsession; especially when it comes to my kids. Lately, Ella has been fixated on removing her socks and shoes any time we put her in the car seat. I am okay with her being barefoot at home. It’s actually better for her when she is walking. But I’d rather she keep the shoes, and especially the socks, on when we are out and about. It has been REALLY cold lately and she insists on pulling it all off and being barefoot. Little turkey!

*Since day one, Ella has always gotten comments on how much hair she has. But her semi-curly locks have really grown now. Now we have something we can work with. She is well past the headband stage. Now I can pull it all up into a pony tail, adorable pigtails or we have lots of French-braid options. It’s a lot of fun for mommy!

*Words: she doesn’t really have more new words than I have reported before, but the words she says are all becoming more clear. Her soft, sweet “bye bye” can melt your heart and she is still saying “hi” to every stranger passing by.