Day 2,301

The First Day of 2018 and Mater is 9 Months!

We rang in 2018 with a family breakfast date at Berry Fresh Cafe. We were late to rise yesterday morning and upon realizing that yet again, Mom didn't have all the ingredients for the meal (happens probably at least once a week that I'm missing a key ingredient for a meal - so frustrating), we decided to treat ourselves instead! Mama dodged a bullet! 

This year, we're keeping track of number of breakfast restaurants we visit, as it's our one meal all year long that we always get to enjoy together, whether home, in Miami, or in some other random city across the US. Last year, we probably ate at 30 different - and local - breakfast joints and this year, we're looking forward to counting them all!

Upon returning home from brunch, Dad realized he'd made one final - and gigantically expensive - mistake of 2017. Any bidders on our water bill for December? Closet gets to pay it! Ay. He figured he left it on from 4 in the afternoon on the 31st until about noon on the 1st. So there's that.

We also had a beginning of the year race: Adam in the truck and Bear on the bike. 

Fact: Bear won. 2018's really looking up for you, Bud.

Also, for my first workout of 2018, I pushed Dad's truck 40 yards 4 times. Because: Mom strength. I used to go to the gym 4 days a week before having kiddies, but let's not kid ourselves...that just ain't happening. Now look at me, I'm pushing pick up trucks to ditch calories. A very fair trade, if you'd ask me.

And alas: she's nine months and you betcha, I'm still taking the photos.

Geeze Mom, not this again!

Oh yeah, Baby Girl, your sister had to do it and though I have about 1/16th of the time to creatively document you, you're still getting the camera in your face every 30 days. 

Our Chunk is huge and all sorts of buttery-fat soft. Her cheeks are mesmerizingly supple and my favorite thing to do is kiss them whenever I get the chance!! She LOVES kissing back, though most of the time that entails slobber in my mouth or her gums munching on my lips. She's still toothless, which has preserved my body more than I deserve. I look forward to the day they come in, but am happily basking in the meantime with unbitten and unbroken skin. 

She's easily the happiest baby I've ever seen.

She's also the loudest. Like, super duper loud. The kind of loud that makes your ear drums ring and your skin crawl. That's maybe the one thing I could do without, Ella Mae. And she knows it. But she does it anyways in order to get my attention - attention that she already owns. Still, even though it makes me want to punch my own ears, I love the sound of her screech. It's so cute. 

She owns more facial expressions than, well, she just has a lot of them. And she doesn't hold back her true feelings either. She'll let you know exactly what she's thinking, without reservation. It's really cute too.

She can say Mama and Dada and Milk ("Ba!") and squeezes her hands for milk when she's hungry or sleepy. She'll also clap at me in this instance as well. Literally, she'll look at me and clap her hands as though to say, "Hey you! Get over here and pick me up!" I always pick her up!

She loves her sister.

She loves her baseball bat.

And she's been scooting for about a month now. It wasn't until just recently that she finally discovered the wonderful world of crawling.

But what she has had discovered for a while now is how (un)comfortable it is sitting just on your one ankle. Girlfriend, please, for the love of my own comfort, STOP sitting on your ankle! It hurts to look at, babe!

Ok, can we just all agree that she's like, the cutest thing ever?! Her rolls, that hair flip (which has come on strong this past month), those eyes. MMMMMMM. I could eat her. Speaking of eating: she's in 12 month clothes now and has officially pooped solid poop now. She's not a fan though and the pain she feels when doing her business keeps her up at night. It's not fun. But the girl just LOVES food, so I'm stumped. She's still in size 4 diapers, which she's been in since 4 months I think? Her weight hovers right around 21 pounds and she is actually thinning out a little bit - noooooo! This mama is wild about her rolls! Keep them as long as they're cute, Ella Mae! They're not as cute when you're older!

Brother is her best pal. They're crazy about each other. He sings to her in the car and makes sure she's squealing with laughter whenever she's needing a pick me up. Those gut giggles are the best. 

EllaMater. 

Mater Tot.

Mater.

MaeMae.

BubbaJub.

Bubsie. 

Jabbas.

The girl finally has some nicknames.

She can also now pull herself up onto her feet, loves swimming, and knows exactly who she is. If you say Ella Mae, she'll look right at you. And if you say it in a high pitched, excited voice, she'll woo you with her fantastically adorable smile. 

Her hair - I'm obsessed. 

This month, she experienced her first Christmas, her first Christmas Eve church service, her first time in the nursery at church (a whopping 12 minutes), her first Christmas party at church, and her first Christmas party with our neighborhood friends. 

Things are about to get REAL interesting and REAL busy in the Conley house.

And we can't wait.

Happy none months, Ella Mae. You make me happier than I ever knew I could be. You are one sweet and dear treasure. I’m just smitten and crazy over you BubbaJub. 

Here we come 2018.

Looking forward to what these dimply hands and chubby toes accomplish this year.