Oh, wow. It’s almost been a year since the craziest day of my life (though it competes (crazy-wise) with that day when I was in Africa and I joined a group of guys going out to choose a sacrificial bull to honor the grandmother that had died the night before and the Land Rover died out in the middle of the sandy-scrubby nowhere and, oh yeah, my flight out of The Gambia was that afternoon. But, obviously, that’s another story).

Ellie is on her way to being a little person now. She toddles all over, sure-footed but still tumbling sometimes. It’s amazing that before they can talk babies can manage to balance on these goofy feet we have. She takes cute little steps, almost like she’s just leaning forward and catching herself from falling each time. She still mostly walks with her hands held out in front of her like a zombie, unless she’s holding a toy, and then she often walks while holding it aloft above her head triumphantly, like she’s hoping for applause.

Her babbling is sounding closer to talking, she doesn’t just repeat the da’s, ma’s, ba’s, ya’s and ga’s. She sometimes examines a toy making spitty th’s and playing with the different sounds her tongue can make. She repeats after us, “mamamama” and when I flutter my lips (do you know what I mean by this? Spitting/fluttering/ththtbbt-ing?), she says “aaaaaaaaa” and moves her hand up and down over her lips to make her own version. She also communicates with her eyebrows. As she smiles, questions, laughs, grumps and squakes, she uses her eyebrows. She is just so very, very cute.

She seems to have grown 3 inches in the last 2 months, but I’m sure that can’t be. Her eyes have become a translucent green, the color a shade darker than my own. Her hair remains blond, but with the potential to darken without sun and curls up a little in back. Her skin is still soft, dewy perfection and is delicious to tickle and monch. She has a sweet little jiggly belly, and, a new acquisition, love handles! She has two bottom teeth and the top ones are visible under her gums.

She is so, so sweet and mild. She is so much fun! Jesse asked me recently, “Did you know it would be this fun?”