MorrowLove: Elora - 16 Months

Today Elora turned 16 months old. Our little girl is changing rapidly and becoming less "baby" every day. Her personality, opinions, movement, preferences, and activity level are starting to scream "toddler" more and more.

Each month I try to take pictures of her to remember her in that particular age/stage. Today I took her to a park for pictures. It was one of the hardest times I've had yet trying to get her to sit, smile, and place nice for the camera :) And it totally makes sense. She wants to move, explore, and examine her surroundings at all times. Why in the world would she want to sit still and smile!?

All that to say, Elora is so fun right now. Here are 16 reasons why we love her at 16 months!

1. Those EYELASHES (see picture #1). I am not sure where they came from. If you know me (sans mascara) then you know I have clear, short, thin eyelashes. Glad she didn't get my gene!
2. She loves to EXPLORE (see picture #6). Everything is a toy, game, and piece of art to her. She studies everything she sees and a lot of times "talks" to everything she sees, too!
3. She SLEEPS. Let me clarify on this one. She is a horrible napper. However, she goes to bed at night like a rock star and still sleeps soundly without ever waking up - typically about 12.5 hours each night.
4. She is so FRIENDLY. Taking her to Target is a trip. She points and waves at everyone she sees. She will yell out at people until they turn, see her, and acknowledge her waving. She is my social butterfly.
5. She is on the MOVE. If you know our story - you know that we were told Elora may never use her arms or legs properly....may never walk...etc. Well this girl clearly didn't get that memo. She is in constant motion. She crawls super fast and pulls herself up on furniture in a heartbeat. Although she is not walking, we can see it's just around the corner!
6. Those sparkling pale blue EYES. See picture #7. Enough said.
7. Her NOISES. This little peanut of a girl can be very loud. Most of the loud-ness is happy, which is great. She screams, clicks her tongue, babbles, is sing-songy, has bursts of shouts, and says a lot of "da-dada-dada-da-da", "wow wow wow", "do do do", etc.
8. The crazy TEETH (see picture #3). Elora's teething has taken its own course. She has some molars in already, yet still we haven't caught site of her one front tooth cutting through yet. So - it's a very interesting yet captivating smile she has right now!
9. Her SNUGGLES. She can be a snuggler at some points during the day, but mostly at night. She will lay her head on our shoulder and cuddle until she falls asleep. melt.my.heart.
10. Her KISSES. She has learned what "kiss" means and it good at giving them! She kisses people in books, her stuffed animals, and of course us! So what if its slobbery and open-mouthed? We'll take it!
11. Her CLAPS. She has learned to clap and does it on cue instantly. But, I especially love when music comes on and her initial reaction is to clap. Adorbs!
12. The CURLS! I should have taken a picture of them today, but didn't think to. Elora has a set of ringlets at the nape of her neck. Those golden blond curls get me every time!
13. Her FLEXIBILITY. Move over Gabby Douglas! This girl apparently wasn't born with joints. She can flip, flop, and flex in any way. I even have a picture of her sleeping in the splits!
14. She wants ATTENTION. When she wants our attention - it's obvious. She will crawl up to our legs and give a tug on our pants :)
15. She is a good EATER. Although we are still working on some texture aversion, she is such a great eater. She has a wonderful appetite and opens wide for every bite. She is rarely picky about what we give her and we are always shocked at how much that little body can consume. Yay!
16. Just because she is OURS! That's right ...