Clothing size: 9-12 month clothes still fit, but I have been slowing rotating in her 18 month stuff. While she has a little room to grow, nothing is unbearably large. It also helps that Grandma Debbie bought her a whole winter wardrobe for her birthday- I am loving having some new things that aren’t worn out like many of the things her sisters have used.

Eye color: She’s melting me with those blue eyes on a daily basis!

Hair: Sometimes I can’t get over how blonde her hair is! My aunts said that mine was like that when I was little, so it’s extra fun to see a little piece of my childhood in her. Add in the blue eyes, and she looks like a little Scandinavian baby (her Great Grandpa on my side came to the States from Norway)!

Teeth: Six, but there’s another one up top that I can see hiding just below the gumline, eager to poke out any day now.

Eating: She eats it all! Really. I almost feel silly to make a list because it should just include every food I’ve ever given her. She even devours pickles and olives- she’s definitely my child! We also let her try a couple of small treats this month. She’s a fan of cookies!

She’s still nursing about 5 times a day. I love that time with her.

She’s also just the messiest eater of all time. This is the age where she really needs a bath after every meal (sometimes a quick rinse in the sink has to do)!

Sleep: She’s still a good sleeper, although these new teeth have had her waking up randomly sometimes (I’ve had recent 3 am and 4:30 am-ish wake-ups), but generally, she sleeps about 12 hours at night, from 7:30 pm to 7:30 or 8 am. She naps for three hours in the afternoons, but if we’re running late or have an appointment to go to, this might happen:

Words: I though I caught a “hi” once, but maybe it was just random. She still “mamamas” and “dadadas” all day long. Recently, she’s added the “v” sound to her vocabulary as well, so we get some “vavavas”, too. Once, right before Michael came home, I mentioned, “Daddy will be home soon!”, and she immediately grinned and replied with, “Dadada?” It’s just awesome to see her assigning words to people/things.

Favorite things: She loves baths, her Daddy, her sisters, snuggling with Mommy, dancing, playing peekaboo, playing with stuffed puppies, trying to crawl over to Scout any chance she gets, and just being silly all the time. She’s a really fun girl! She’s also suddenly in love with this little beagle stuffed animal that I saved from when I was younger. I’m kind of hoping that will become her equivalent of Kaya’s Kitty.Dislikes: Getting her face wiped, being buckled into the car seat, us taking things out of her mouth (she always finds the tiniest piece of fuzz or one of the older girls’ hair elastics and attempts to eat them…), and apparently, she doesn’t like wearing hats either, even when it’s cold. Good thing she’s cute with or without it! 🙂Nicknames: Nellbells, Nels, Nella Bella, Nellie, Nella Sunshine.

Milestones, etc.: -Wow, all the milestones this month! We’ve gone from barely crawling to moving around like a pro! Rolling was her major method of transportation before, and now she hardly ever resorts to it, because she can crawl fast! She’s also pulling up on everything, and is even able to stay standing while she uses her hands to play with something else (granted, she does kind of lean on whatever it is she pulled up on, but still)!

-I did get her to take some steps while holding her hands yesterday! Big progress!

-I finally got this girl her own sippy cup, and she loves it! She’s surprisingly good at drinking from it, although she does spill a lot and tries to chew on it. She’s only had water in it so far though.

-She’s obsessed with babies, including her own reflection, pictures, or videos of other babies. She loves to hold my phone (turned off) just so she can see her reflection in it. Actually, she’s become a little obsessed with holding the phone and will get grumpy when I take it back. Who knew a black screen could be so amusing?

-She’s an insane wiggle worm, and she has to have something to hold while she’s nursing or having her diaper changed, otherwise her hands are everywhere and she can’t sit still. I give her the most random things from her dresser while I change her- the tube of butt paste, jar of vaseline, hair bows, and the snot sucker bulb. Haha!

-She also loves to “wash her hair” with the washcloth I give her after mealtime. We’ll ask her if that’s what she’s doing, and she smiles and scrubs away. She usually ends up pretty wet, but hey, when banana goop is stuck in her hair, she needs all the help she can get!

Dear Nella,

You still know how to light up a room! No one can resist fawning over you. Everyone tries to get you to smile at them, and I can’t blame them- you are the cutest little dimpled baby. It’s been really fun seeing your personality blossom. You’re a wild one, but you are so loving and sweet, too.

Your sisters absolutely adore you. They still ask to hold you all the time, even though you have much better things to do now that you’re mobile. They often reminisce about when they first met you, and they sometimes say, “I wish she was still a little baby.” I miss those days sometimes, too, but I really love seeing you getting stronger and exploring your world.

We love you little princess! Keep smiling.

Love, Mommy