Growing part 2

I should have mentioned that the change table pictures in the previous blog were from Dec'08 (3 months) and May'10 (20 months).

These car seat photos are from Oct'08 (1 month) and May'10 (20 months).

Always growing

I'm sure I've posted something like this before, but it is amazing to me to watch this little person grow in front of my very eyes! The trial and errors, and trials and success are fascinating! I often wonder if Mark and I are still learning at the ripe age of 30-something the way Ellie is.

I don't know if we cheer on Ellie's growth and development differently because she started out so small, perhaps we do, but for whatever the reason, I am glad we celebrate them. Lately Ellie has taken to clapping for herself when she knows she's done something remarkable - I love it.

Mark and I are in the process of replicating photos of when she was an infant so we can show people that while she is still a little miniature version of the average kid her age, she has come leaps and bounds from where she started.

Climbing

When it became clear that Spring was around the corner, we decided to buy Ellie a little slide for the back yard. The first few times on the slide were a lot of fun, but also a lot of work for Mark and I, as she hadn't quite figured out how to climb up the ladder. I thought perhaps we had bought something too early for her and that it would have been a better purchase for next summer.

One night we were in the yard and Mark worked with Ellie over and over to teach her how to climb up the ladder - now I see her climbing everywhere.

My favourite memory was when she climbed into her little rocking chair, stood up and let go - laughing the entire time. The base of the chair was rocking away, yet she kept her balance and stayed upright for the three seconds she had let go for - she's our little dare devil.

Then last weekend, I was in the kitchen and I turned around and saw her playing at the counter top with Mark's iPod, head phones and loose change he'd left out. I'm thinking as soon as she realizes she can push the kitchen stool around and climb up wherever she wants to be, we may have to put the stool away.