51 Weeks

1st Step

Yesterday Ella took her first step by herself...And I actually caught it on video! Looks like she'll be walking any day now. See for yourself!

50 Weeks

49 Weeks

48 Weeks

11 Months

I know I say this every month, but I can't believe how big Ella is getting and how much she can do! She still hates to look at the camera when I'm taking pictures but I was able to get some great shots today. I hope I don't jinx myself, but Ella is consistently sleeping through the night and taking two naps everyday (fingers crossed!). Brian and I have been working on some new tricks with her. Ella does "so big" and she raises her arms above her head when we ask her "how big is Ella?" She gives hugs and kisses, but only on her term and usually only to Winnie or her stuffed animals. Recently, her favorite is practicing blowing out her birthday candle. We ask her "how are you going to blow out your birthday candle?" and she blows out. She hasn't been able to walk or stand alone for more than a few seconds, but she's still cruising around the furniture and loves pushing her toys with wheels around the living room. I'm trying to wean her off the bottle and on to sippy cups, but she's having some trouble. Hopefully Ella will get the hang of it in the next couple of weeks. I can't believe she'll be one next month! Where did the year go?!?

OBX Vacation

Last Sunday the Updegraff's left for our first family vacation to the Outer Banks in NC. Ella did great on the 5 hour drive and we only had to stop once for lunch. By the time we reached the NC border she started to get a little fussy, but we made it there with little crying. On our first full day we took Ella to the beach for the first time. She enjoyed playing in the sand and getting her feet wet in the ocean, but she was ready to leave after an hour. The house we rented had a pool and Daddy took Ella swimming. She loved it! She stayed in for about an hour and liked playing with her beach ball. The following day wasn't as sunny, so we went sight seeing. We checked out some local shops and went to the Wright Brother's Memorial. On Wednesday, the Dyment Family, Mike, Michele, and twins, Sarah and Taylor came and the party really started! Ella loves playing with her friends and we always have a good time with Mike and Michele. Since it's such a hassle packing everything up to go to the beach, we just hung around the pool and the little girls played in the baby pool and under the cabana. We all had a wonderful time and hopefully we can do it again next year! Below are some of my favorite pictures from the trip and here's the link to see all the pictures. Enjoy! http://www.winkflash.com/PHOTO/signin_es.aspx?esf=iosiojja2qodxyjzeddpi8j2xdm4x6