Stuff about Ellowyn

Big sis shows Ellowyn that chalk is for more than just eating.

Ellowyn is really getting to be a pretty cool little person.  She can clap her hands, and she does sign language for "more", "water", and "all done".  And when she signs "all done" she also verbally says "aahh daahhh".  I'm calling this her first word.  (She says a lot of other things too, but I don't call it an official word until she will say it in the correct context without prompting on multiple occasions.) Which I guess means her first word is actually a phrase, but we can't all be perfect now can we.  I've been trying to get a good video of her doing it, but have yet to be successful.  I'll keep trying.

Anyway, she's also got really great manual dexterity and fine motor skills.  In addition to signing and clapping, she can stack things (and knock them down), put two duplo blocks together (and take them apart), work simple peg puzzles, take pop tops off of cups and put them back on again... I don't remember Mira's fine motor skills being this advanced at this age.



She's still not quite walking yet.  She will cruise (walk down the length of a table or couch while holding onto it) like a champ and she'll often stand and let go of whatever she was holding onto and just stand freely.  She even walks while holding my hand (one hand or two).  And yesterday, she took that single step that it takes to cross the gap from my coffee table to my couch.  So I think she's close, she just needs to build confidence.

Her one-year checkup was delayed a bit (due to being sick... AGAIN), but we finally went last week.  She is 25th percentile for height and up to 8th percentile for weight.  Which is up from 3rd percentile, so great.  The doctor showed me her growth pattern in relation to the official growth charts, and it's clear that she is growing at an appropriate rate, she is just down at the very bottom of the chart.  And, as he put it, the rate of growth is what's important.  So she's doing great on that.  Oh and head circumference: 90th percentile.  GIGANTIC noggin... itty bitty body.  There's a reason I say she looks like a tadpole when naked.  She's still wearing 6-9 month clothes, but she wears hats sized for two year olds.  She's like Betty Boop.  Without the tits and heels.

We also got the 1yr vaccinations, which included chicken pox.  The doctor told me that 5% of patients develop red bumps (like chicken pox) from the vaccine.  And sure enough... Ellowyn is a five percenter.  On the bright side, the doctor said that if that happened it was a good sign because it meant that she got a good immune system response to the vaccine.  It seems like, if there is any kind of sensitivity or complication or reaction, no matter how remote the possibility, Ellowyn will be that one-kid-in-a-thousand.  Well, at least she seems to have outgrown her skin sensitivity so I can now wash all our clothes using the same (less expensive) detergent.  So yay for that.

See the red dots under her chin?  Thank you chicken pox vaccine.

But I shouldn't complain because in so many ways she is such a wonderful easy baby.  She is generally happy, is able to play alone and entertain herself for long stretches of time, is bright and inquisitive, sleeps well, eats well... I have a lot to be thankful for when it comes to her.