More Gymnastics

What have we been up to? Nothing new. Lauren still loves gymnastics, and I am amazed by how much she enjoys it and how much she has opened up- she was pretty shy the first couple classes and now she runs wild... and actually ran to the front of the line this week to be the leader!

Perfecting her bridge

Learning to use the springboard for the vault Looks easier than walking, but is actually a lot more difficult with their hips above their head Forward Roll


And what has Ella been up to? Eating with utensils and hiding in cabinets! Oh, and emptying the cabinets out first so she can fit in them!

We also started Ella on whole milk now, so hopefully that will help her gain weight. At her one-year appointment she weighed 16lb. 1oz. which was pretty far below the growth chart. We did some blood tests to check her thyroid, electrolytes, hemoglobin, liver and kidney function, and they all came back normal. She just needs to grow!

Little Gymnast

Lauren started gymnastics in September, and she is really doing well. It is her first structured class and it is really neat to see her listen to the instructor and follow directions. The instructor expects a lot from these 2-3 year olds: this week we did two different flips on the high bar, started doing two-footed jumps on the balance beam, and attempted jumps with her knees tucked and then sticking the landing with their arms up.... yeah, it sounds easy, but two year olds like to land with their arms down on the mat to break their fall!

She has this figured out...

We had Ella's birthday party with the McNamara family last Saturday, and she definitely has this party thing figured out! She knew that the presents were for her and did a good job unwrapping. She also has the cake figured out, and wasted no time digging in this time around! Thank you to everyone, she has a lot of new toys- and I didn't think they made anything that doesn't already exist in my living room!

The cousins enjoying the cupcake cones I made!

It was a Minnie Mouse themed party, so everyone had to wear ears!

Even Maggie got in on the party action!

She's One!

Somehow the time has come, my baby girl is already one. We celebrated Ella's birthday with Dan's family on Saturday, and she adored all of the attention. She had fun opening presents and devoured her cupcake. We will be celebrating again tonight with just the four of us, and Lauren cannot wait to give Ella the presents she picked out for her.

She was in desperate need of a bath BEFORE this last picture where she decided to wear the cupcake liner on her head! We argued over who had to transfer her from the highchair to the bathtub... she was THAT messy!