Eloise Jayden: 1 Year Photos

I finally am getting around to posting these! I also took them a couple weeks late, but she is still 1 year old, so I think we're good. :)

Oh, Miss Eloise, we love you so much. We have been so blessed this past year to have you in our lives, to learn from you and experience this deep and lasting joy that comes from being your parents. I am so grateful that I get to stay home with her every day. I get to see all of her milestones, see her little gears work in her head as she figures out new things, see her start to mimic me, and show her every day how much I love her and cherish my time with her. It's not always roses and lollipops, but I wouldn't trade this time for anything. It goes by faster than anyone can prepare themselves for, and pretty soon you have an opinionated, won't-sit-still-for-anything little girl with such an amazing sense of humor and an active and alert mind that probably understands way more than I give her credit for.

She has started shaking her head no when I ask her if she wants something (or nodding when she actually wants it), trying to stand on her own (unsuccessfully so far), and wants to push her baby stroller everywhere.

Her favorite things are:
-unraveling toilet paper rolls. I don't like the idea of closing her out of rooms, so we just move the toilet paper higher and higher out of her reach. Ugh.
-taking baths (at least once a day, usually twice, and sometimes three if that's how it works out)
-drinking. She is the most well-hydrated baby ever. Drinks anything and everything, from straws, cups, sippies, the palm of her hand, water bottles. And has the wet diapers to prove it. She has stacking cups in her bath that she will drink her own bath water from constantly if we don't put a stop to it.
-reading books. But not having us read them to her. She has LOTS of board books that she works her way through every morning and several other times throughout the day. I love this about her.
-chewing on, carrying around, and sucking her own spit out of toothbrushes. Unfortunately, she doesn't love her own as much as ours, so she demands ours as soon as she sees them in the bathroom, and wants to pull them out of our mouths mid-brush. We've chosen to forget about all the germs she puts on to them as she drags them around the house. Ew.
-listening to music. She loves toys with buttons she can press and hear music, and starts shaking her little booty when she hears fun music. She giggles in church when the hymns start playing and people sing.
-stacking things. She has just started doing this, but is quickly figuring out how to stack cups inside each other, stack her wooden rings up, put books on top of each other, etc. Positive step towards less destroying and more organizing (I hope).
-playing with other babies/kids. She LOVES being out in public, and 'chatting' with other babies. She gets so sad when we leave the playground, or a friend's house. She is still pretty shy when adults try to talk to her, but still in that coy, smiling, endearing kind of way.
-holding her baby doll. She got a couple baby dolls for her birthday, and one tiny little one in particular she has grown very attached to. She almost always has it in hand when we get her up from naps or in the morning, and loves holding on to her and dragging her around. Big step for her, since she hasn't liked stuffed animals since she was 4/5 months old. But my mom had given her a stuffed teddy bear for Halloween that started the love story all over again (phew! I am so excited about this)
-holding on to things. She doesn't have one thing in particular that she is attached to, but just always loves to have something in her hand. This is especially true at naptime or bedtime. She will go to bed with the most random things in her hands (comb, polar bear, book, medicine dispenser, toothbrush, cream tubes...). Always funny to see what is left in her crib in the morning.

Least favorite things:
-getting diapers changed, getting dressed
-eating. still not much of an eater, and cannot be persuaded otherwise. She does love fruit, though, but not much else consistently
-being put down for naps
-having things taken away from her
-being shut out of the bathroom
-getting put in her car seat
-when she can't figure things out on her own, or do them on her own
-coming in from outside
-wearing bows in her hair
-dogs getting too close. She LOVES animals from a distance, but gets so freaked out if they approach her.

Warming up for the shoot, and she apprehended my chalk. Didn't EXACTLY love the taste of it. Good.

And now begins our comedic portion of the event. She kept making all kinds of funny faces whenever I pointed the camera at her, and luckily I captured them all. You know, for future posterity to laugh at? She gets this from both sides of the family - making goofy faces for pictures is in her blood.

And there's my beautiful girl...

Goofball

I call her my Monkey Moo. She crawls normally most of the time, but has adopted this way of crawling when in a dress, on uncomfortable surfaces, and just whenever she needs a good workout, I guess.

I think this one is Dylan's favorite

Our little chatterbox. This is her saying "bah-bah-bah-bah"

Oh, the scheming mind behind this look. Can you just see her as a teenager?

With her birthday sign (from her party). It's still up in our kitchen, so I snapped a couple with it. I love it, and her, and commemorating her year milestone.

We used a ball to keep her happy at this point in the photo shoot, and this is her clapping in anticipation of Dylan throwing it at her. Such a happy girl (most of the time)

Not too thrilled about the party hat. But she was so darn cute in it!

Yesterday, our baby girl turned one years old. In some ways, I can't believe that it has already been a year since she was born. However, it is hard to remember what life was like without her. I am sure that it was less enjoyable, fulfilling, hilarious and interesting than it is, now. Since this post is already starting off overly sentimental, I will continue on the feelings train and cite some of my favorite things about our daughter.

1- She laughs--A LOT. Lately, Eloise has become a social laugher. She laughs whenever other people are laughing even if she has no idea what is supposed to be funny. She recognizes the word funny, now, so when I point to things and say "isn't that funny?" she laughs in response. I am glad that she's learned from such a young age that laughing makes life so much better.

2- She loves books. I started reading to Wheezy when she was really little. I think I mostly just wanted a way to keep her still for a few minutes. She learned how to turn the pages from a relatively young age and now loves to look at the pictures (to go along with point number 1, she laughs at every picture).

3- She acts like her Mama. While everyone says Wheezy J looks like me (somehow she pulls it off a lot better than me), she acts more like her Mom. Since Julie is my favorite person in the world, that is definitely a good thing. My Mom was just remarking, today, about how Lo Lo may be the most engaging one year old she has ever seen. Eloise has been interested and curious about everything since Day 1. She was born sunny-side up with her eyes wide open--I think that is fitting in her case.

4- She is independent but loves other people's (particularly other kids') company. She can play by herself and keep herself entertained for long stretches of time. However, she is very interested in other people and is observant of them and what they are doing.

5- She is stubborn. This characteristic of hers has lead to some sleepless nights for everyone in the Cannon household. But, Julie and I both were (and some say are) stubborn people. I love that she has her own opinions, already, and doesn't give in easily. It is a personality trait that will serve her well in the future.

6- She is ours. Even if none of these things were true about Eloise, I would love her all the same. She is mine and Julie's. We wanted her, we prayed for her, and we couldn't be happier to have her.