The Maxeiners: the big ONE and a birthday party!

just doesn't seem right, that ellie girl is now a big ONE year old!
time really does go by way way too fast.

she really has come a LONG way since her screaming, no sleepy, colicky days as a newborn/infant.
ellie is such a super sweet girl these days. she still has her occasional fits (usually because she just wants her mommy) but more often she is just a playful smiley little thing!

let me tell you that she is still a super huge mommy girl, if i am around she wants noone else but mommy.

but still gives her dada some lov'n too:)

not too many changes since our last update on ellie girl but the few changes are BIG ONES!

for instance we just threw away ALL of the bottles today! that's right, no more washing, measuring and toting around bottles for us.
we did it cold turkey, one morning we just decided let's go for it and elleanor agreed!
and our sippy cups are now full of regular whole organic milk!
we did half and half (half formula/half whole milk) for a little over a week when we made the switch and when that can was gone we were DONE!
so regular milk it is! she has a full sippy in the morning, a half sippy at lunch and another full sippy in the evening.
this girl loves to eat/drink, so it really doesn't matter how she gets it, she take it whichever way she can;)

no walking here yet, she can stand for very long periods and has taken a few steps between pieces of furniture but has yet to just take off (thought I don't think it will be long).

and then to the napping. caraline took 2 full naps right up until 18 months. this has been hard to stick with this go around. with an older child that wants to be up playing and outside, it makes it hard to get that morning nap in everyday. so some days we do it and some we don't. doesn't really bother ellie girl that much!
if we are at home with not much going on she will nap in the morning. if we are out running errands, playing outside, or going to the pool, she does absolutely fine without it!

on elleanor's actual birthday, we took a family trip to build-a-bear where she got a cute little birthday bear that sissy caraline named E.
then we went out to eat at Texas Roadhouse for her birthday dinner!
she loved it, this girl had rolls, chicken strips, and broccoli for her birthday meal and she cleaned her plate!

the day after her birthday we went for her 1 year check-up.
weight is 20#5oz
length 28 1/4 in.
and ellie girl checked out great!

the FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY was at our house.
we celebrated with the family and some of our very bestest friends.
there wasn't really a theme, just decorated with lots of colors and some fun little pinwheels.
tim made a fantastic lunch, brisket sandwiches and chips that are always a hit (thanks adam!), memaw supplied the pinwheel rolls, and nana and papa of course brought the cake and cupcakes!
ellie girl had a bear birthday cake, same one that daddy and sissy caraline had for their first birthdays:)