The Elf Is One!

This post is about 8 days overdue, but I decided to wait until we had some fun pics from Annelise's first birthday party, which was this past Saturday. We had a fun time celebrating with our community group, and Hadleigh's friends Brennan and Jacob. Poor Annelise needs some friends of her own, as most of my friends decided to wait an extra year before embarking on two children...smart idea!
As usual Dave came through with a BEAUTIFUL cake, Pumpkin Spice with caramel icing...yummy! I think this might become a tradition. Annelise wore the dress Hadleigh wore on her first birthday, which surprisingly was the dress I wore on my first birthday...or maybe I wore it sometime around my first birthday. In any case, the dress is 30+ years old.
Enough about the birthday festivities, let's get to talking about Annelise! What a sweet girl she is! She is a little cuddle bug, and I LOVE it. She will be sitting on my lap and I can ask for cuddles and she will lean into me and make a little sighing noise. So sweet! When I ask for kisses she opens her mouth wide and leans in for a big smack...I try to aim her at my cheek!

She is still a bit particular. She isn't as tough as big sis, Hadleigh, and gets a little flustered when she gets bonked around. She still struggles a bit with her naps, and with eating, but we are doing our best. She seems to be a picky eater, but I am refusing to give in too much...she will learn to eat what we put in front of her.
She is a major cruiser, and will walk around the house with a little walker. I am SO excited about the prospect of having a baby that walks before 17 months! She is starting to climb which is interesting, and since we live in a split level I am going to have figure out how to handle that one. Yikes!
She is an oral baby, and everything goes into her mouth. For real? It is so gross, but not much I can do. As my friend Sar says about her Jill, I guess she is developing her immune system.

She is very persistent, and will sit at the outlet trying to take the covers off for at least 10 minutes at a time. It is so different to have a baby who is interested in those things. I know Annelise is going to be into EVERYTHING. If she is crawling and something is in her path she will pick it up and throw it behind her as she continues to crawl. This always makes us laugh, and she leaves a wake as she passes through.

She has become very social, always offering smiles and giggles which makes all our buds so happy. On her birthday she was passed from one person to another, and just enjoyed being played with and tickled.
She LOVES her big sis, Hadleigh and always squeals when HC is around. She also loves her Dada. The other day she spotted him through the window as he was walking into the house, and squealed and clapped so excitedly that I knew Dave must be home.

She loves to clap and wave hello and goodbye. She loves to babble, and loves to play with her new ball machine that Papa and Nana sent.
She loves bath time. Dave know has the girls help each other wash, so HC scrubs Annelise and Annelise scrubs Hadleigh. It is super sweet.

I love my little, particular, cuddly, social, persistent little girl, who is now 20 pounds and 28 inches (gotta love the formula to fatten them up).