Miss Independent

Gabriella, Miss Independent. Where do I even start with little Gabriella? She is most definitely the sweetest, cutest little girl I know (of course every mom says that!). But I will say she can also be quite a handful...stubborn, independent, and determined. She knows what she wants and she wants to do it herself. I hear multiple times a day, "I do it myself". If she doesn't get to do it herself, she throws a temper tantrum. And she knows how to throw them! I keep reminding myself that one day Ella's determination, drive, independence, and spirit will do her well. It's just a little hard to have a 2 year old like that. She definitely tests my patience.

Ella certainly is becoming more of a little girl. She absolutely loves her babies. She plays with them all day. She dresses them, changes them, feeds them, takes them for walks in the stroller, puts them down for naps, reads to them, everything a good mommy would do. She loves real babies, too. She likes to hold them and get them blankets, binkies, and toys. Ella also loves Barbies. She only has 3 at our house, but she plays with them often. My mom has a dollhouse and lots of Barbies, which Ella plays with when she is over there. She also plays with Devan's at her house. I haven't met a 2 year old as in to Barbies as Ella is. She loves them. And she really plays with them, they talk to each other and everything. She also plays with her tea set and Little People dollhouse and bus. Of course, I can't forget dress up....fairy dresses, tutus, high heels, jewelry, and hats. Ella is definitely girly. It is so fun to watch her. She plays really well and really gets into it.

One big difference between Ella and Andrew is that Ella talks a lot! Sometimes she talks so much I can't get a moment to think. She is always talking...to me, herself, her babies, her Barbies. She can now easily carry on a conversation and tell you what she is thinking. She has great pronunciation and the cutest little voice (most of the time, sometimes it can turn into screams). She has been in the "Why?" phase for a few months now, so she is always asking questions. And she sings. It's so cute! Andrew would never sing for me (and still won't), so I love it when Ella sings. She's pretty good at Jesus Loves Me, Happy Birthday, If You're Happy and You Know It, Hip Hop Happy Day, Wheels on the Bus, You are My Sunshine, and 5 Little Monkeys. If she is listening to a song, she can follow along, but those are the ones she can sing without music.

Ella has been in the potty training process for about 7 months now. She started peeing on the potty pretty much by herself 7 months ago, before she even turned two. She did great for months peeing, but would never poop on the potty. The last 4 days she has pooped on the potty, but now she won't pee. It's a total control issue for her. I know she knows that she has to pee (she did it for 7 months!), but she is choosing not to. She only wants to do it when she wants to. So I'm hoping over the next few weeks I can be more consistent and get her on the right track for peeing and pooping before Luke arrives.

There is no doubt that Ella is now a little girl and growing so fast. (Just a side note...we have those balls you can hang onto with a handle and bounce...just about 2 months ago Ella couldn't reach the floor when she sat on it....now she can reach the floor and hop all over the place on it....she is getting so big!). She is losing her baby look and starting to look older. Even her little Buddha belly is thinning out. We are so very thankful for Ella and all the joy and smiles she brings to our lives. She has the best smile and can light up a room with it. She is one goofy little girl and can make us laugh a lot. I look forward to seeing her personality continue to develop. She is very special to us!!