The Changing of the Guard

Well, I've been putting off this post for a while, but I guess it's about time.  This will be the last post in the Messmer Baby Blog.  Ellie, it has been so fun for Mommy to use this as a journal of your first year of life (and the 9 months before it too).  I can't wait to continue to watch you grow up as you become a big sister in April!

This blog is officially done, but since Messmer Baby 2.0 is on it's way, a new blog is up and running!  To keep up on our life happenings, check out the Messmer Baby 2.0 Blog.  :o)

(I just couldn't resist adding a few more photos of you!)

It's Official!

Look out world, because here comes Ellie!  You are now officially walking!  Daddy captured you toddling to him last night with his iPad.  All of a sudden you love walking and do it every chance you get!  From the couch to the coffee table, from the coffee table to your toys, from your toys to Mommy; you're non-stop!  My favorite part is how proud of yourself you are, and you should be Ellie Belle.  We're proud of you too; what a big girl you are.  :o)

Your Birthday Celebration

Well, today was a VERY busy day.  Not only did you turn one-year-old, but you also shared the news about being a big sister with all of your aunts and uncles.  That was a lot of Skyping!  By the time we were finished, it was almost your bed time.  We still had enough time to sing happy birthday and give you your very special ladybug cake made and decorated especially for you by your mommy and Grandma.

Even though you were tired, you had enough energy to dig into your cake!  You couldn't quite reach it to sink your face in, so you had to settle for small bites.

You made out like a bandit with gifts too!  Everyone thought of you on your special day.  :o)  You got all kinds of cute outfits, and there were toys galore too!  You've definitely got lots of thank you cards to write.  :o)

You Are 365 Days Old!

 I can't believe my beautiful Ellie Belle is one-year-old today!  Time has flown by, and your Daddy and I have enjoyed every minute of it.

 Your incredible smile and infectious laugh lights up our days.  You are such a happy little girl!

 You always have plenty to say and are not afraid to share it.  I can't wait until those sounds turn into words.  We're going to have such fun conversations.  :o)

You definitely know how to have fun too!  And with all of the fun toys you got for your birthday, you're never going to have to worry about being bored.

Celebrating with Nonna & Ga

I know it's a few weeks early, but Nonna and Ga wanted to celebrate your first birthday with you while they were here. You weren't too sure about the Happy Birthday song we sang...

...but as soon as you got a taste of that icing, you were singing a different tune.  Nonna made you two very special birthday cakes.  One was a pretty pink bear that stood up on your plate.

 The other one was a beautiful butterfly.  Once you tasted the bear, you knew just what to do with the butterfly!

Mommy and Daddy had to take the cake away from you or I'm pretty sure you would have devoured all of the icing.

 You had a lot of fun opening up your present from your Aunt Melinda, Uncle Sam, Benjamin and Christian.

 I can tell that you are going to have a blast with your new music table they gave you; you already love music so much!

 Next was your gift from Uncle Mark, Aunt Jess and Ari.  After that first one, you tore right into this one yourself.

The dress-me monkey got a big hug right away.  Nonna and Ga arrived with presents for you too, but were too excited to wait to give them to you.  You have already been playing with them all week.  I know that you are so happy with your new toys, but I think your favorite gift was being able to play with Nonna and Ga in person!

Your First Surgery

 Mommy was more nervous than you were this morning as we walked into the pre-operation room at the hospital.  Thank goodness Daddy came too.  You have been pulling on your ears for as long as I remember, so today we were finally able to do something about it; Dr. Hirschi put tubes in your ears.  You looked so cute in your little hospital gown!

Daddy and I had to give you some medicine to get you ready and calm you down.  It definitely did what it was supposed to do, you were out of it.  I watched as the male nurse walked away with you in his arms, staring at him and slowly patting his nose.  I can only imagine what you would have been saying had you been able to talk.

It seemed like we had just sat down in the waiting room when they were calling us back to talk to the doctor.  Everything went well!  As soon as you woke up, they took me back to see you.  You weren't crying (thank goodness).  In fact, the nurse had to call your name to wake you up because you were just sleeping away.

So, Mommy can relax now.  The surgery's over and you have tubes in your ears.  Let's hope this leads to more sleep-filled nights!

One Month To Go!

 You are 11-months-old and so full of laughter and learning.  You've been practicing your walking all over the house and are getting pretty good!  I have a feeling you're going to take off on your own any day now.

You're ears have been bothering you a lot lately, but you're such a trooper and handle it as best you can.  You still dazzle us with your beautiful, toothy smile - you sure know how to win us over!

 Daddy was very happy that Mommy dressed you in your Irish outfit for these pictures.  We watched our first Notre Dame football game of the season this past weekend and we were all decked out for the occasion.