today ellie turned fifteen months old. according to the fine people at baby center, “the 15th month is one that pediatricians and developmental experts consider a ‘milestone’ period,” and this is very apparent to us in ellie’s actions. she’s walking like a pro, getting into everything, learning new words every day and turning into a full-blown social butterfly.

at fifteen months, words she can pronounce almost perfectly include: mama, dada, hi, bye, bubble, ice, up and “ooh yeah.” her “baby” words (or those she says that only a parent would understand) include: nyny (goodnight), bah (ball and/or bird), ower (flower), ruh-ruh-ruh (dog bark), oo-oo-ah (monkey noise), muuuh (cow moo), neh (no), ahh duuuh (all done and/or gone) and a “ch” sound for cheese.

what’s even more amazing is that she understands a thousand more things than she can put into words. we beam with pride when she brings us items we ask her for, when we ask her to sit and she does, when we tell her it’s time for a bath and she heads to the bathroom herself. the other day i told her we were going to gymboree and she immediately went to get her shoes. she hugs and kisses the things she loves, whether it be me, ryan, her stuffed bunny or her uncle danny. she waves and blows kisses, often without any prompting from us. when i tell her it’s raining outside, she goes to the window to see for herself.

and much to our pleasure, she is warming up to other people in less time than ever before. the timid baby who used to cling to my leg at the sight of an unfamiliar face is now the little girl who checks that person out from a distance for a minute or two and then initiates play. she never sits still; she must be walking, exploring, on-the-go at all times. she’s a little lady in a tiny toddler’s body and the older she gets, the more our hearts swell with love for her.

happy, happy 15 months, miss ells! <3