Ella 17 Month Update

Stats:

• Weight: 22 lb 11.5 oz  (59th percentile for WHO and 34th percentile for CDC)
• Height: 33.75 inches  (98.2th percentile for WHO and 98nd percentile for CDC)
• Head Circumference: 46.3 cm (57th percentile for WHO and 50th percentile for CDC)
• Diapers: Size 3 
• Total Teeth: 10 (new molars on the bottom on each side) 
• Clothing: Carter's 12 month dresses and 18 mo tops. For pants she wears 18 month pants and some 2T but they fall down over her butt. I put her in some 12 mo shorts and they fall down off her diaper. She's been wearing 12-24 month socks for a while now but they seem like they are getting small. Some shirts are still too wide. Some are too short too.   She's wearing 18 month Gerber onesies. We prefer t-shirts. She is wearing some painted t-shirts even though they are too big.  One is 24 mo and 2 are size 3 (website says they run small).  She wears size 6 shoes.
• Weight/Length percentile: 12% (WHO) or 3% (CDC) 

Sleep
She napped in the crib almost every nap. She survived at least 2 crib transfers from the car.  We only had 1 bad week of her not napping nearly long enough.  A little less than half the time, Ella woke up in the middle of the night for a quick nursing session and then right back to sleep. I'd say 6:30 was her standard waking time but that's going by memory. Once she woke up at 5 and stayed up. If she wakes up at 4:30 she'd nurse and go back to sleep but would not do it at 5.

Eating
I have been consistent at 3 daytime nursing sessions and 1 in the night if she wakes up. There have been some mornings where she didn't nurse. She's fine not nursing when I'm not here.  She has been eating better. We started giving her actual silverware and that works better. She likes plates too. We tell her she doesn't have to eat it all when we give her a plate and she surprises us with how much she eats.  We will give her more of foods she finishes too.  She has been a pro at eating cereal with a spoon in the morning. She eats yogurt with a spoon really well too. 

Sample Schedule:
She wakes up around 6:30. She goes to sleep between 8:30 and 10 though. Well we start bedtime routine roughly the same time but sometimes she's in her crib awake until 10.  She only naps 1 time so if that gets screwed up in a stroller and she naps 20 minutes that is her nap for the day.  Her nap is most consistently around 1 but some days as early as noon if she has a very busy morning and sometimes as late as 2  but the varying time is also based on if she woke up early or slept in so usually I can predict it pretty well.    She mainly starts her nap at 1 or later but there was a full week where she was napping earlier and earlier.

Special Moments:
On April 22, she walked in and greeted Dave with "hi dada."
On April 24, she woke up and cried in the night but then went back to sleep herself.  She said "I love daddy."  She bit me when nursing!
On April 25, she signed to use the potty but I had just changed her so I didn't think she was serious and then a few minutes later she peed in her diaper.  She loves sweeping.  She says "uh oh" all the time.
On April 26, we switched her to facing forward carseat. She was just insanely too long for it to work. She had her first poop in the potty (and then cried when she saw it).
On April 27, she fell at the park and scraped her knee.
On April 28, she was a good baby while I was also watching Clara.
On April 30, she sort of took a shower and then she finished with her bath tub in the shower. The tub in the shower is the best thing and can't believe it took until now to try it.  She learned about dunking cookies in milk.
On May 1, she started consistently saying "Daddy" instead of "Da Da."
On May 4, she woke up with a dry diaper. 
On May 6, she said "owl" and "apple."
On May 7, she peed on the floor after running away from the potty. Then in the evening she wore gutchies for 40+ minutes with no accidents.
On May 8, she actually spit after brushing her teeth. 
On May 10, she woke up dry!
On May 12, we attended library storytime and Ella was so behaved. She had a 4 hour nap and woke up with a dry diaper.
On May 17, we were trying gutchies and she ended up having an accident.
On May 18, she tumbled down a few steps at the park. She ended up with a bruise.  She actually didn't cry after nap for milk (first time since no milk after nap started on April 17 unless we had company so she was distracted)
On May 19, she said "Ella."  She learned to climb the ladder at the park. I held her the entire time but she did try to pry my hands off. Mostly bigger kids only climb it.

She did not want the bow in her hair.

Development:
She seems to be a pro at waving now.
She tries a lot more to dress and undress herself.
She likes to pick out her clothes. She will definitely shake her head no to some items.
She will also bring me her coat or shoes when she really wants to go outside. 
She's better at body parts and knows more of them.  She learned tongue and teeth with just one try. She's getting more if I just think of telling her more.
She can climb up onto couches without help and even climb up onto the back of them. 
She can also climb up into her high chair herself. She even buckled half of it in once.
She's talking more but still shy about it.
She can climb play structures herself and go down slides herself.
Lately I feel potty training isn't as good. She always shakes her head no when I ask. I realized she will sign for potty but then when I ask if she she has to go she shakes her head no.
She started spitting when she brushes her teeth. She barely spits and just randomly when drinking water will spit it out more but this is a start.
We started using the Find and Seek books but mainly I have her find Mini Mouse or Donald Duck and not the actual things she should find. But she loves it.
She started appearing into a mirror and saying "boo" to herself then hiding again.
Ella can move her arms to show you what the washing machine does. 
She can blow kisses if you do it first to her. 
She still continues to shake her head when you say "some people," shake her fist if you say "why I outta," give give, give high five, cheers her cup, and I forget what else.
Ella got a kid broom and she loves to "sweep" but she's not very good. She will get her broom and sweep up after she eats which is so funny. 
Ella bit her friend Clara this month. I'm not sure but think Clara stuck her finger in Ella's mouth. But then when Clara was crying and backing up, Ella just kept biting.  Ella has bitten me a few times. She seems to try to bite my shoulder when she wants to nurse then sleep and she bites me while nursing too.
I feel like Ella has had a lot less temper tantrums this month. I don't have data to back this up.  I think she is communicating better and that's the reason for fewer tantrums.
So far Ella eats left handed with her spoon unless she sees Dave eating with his right hand and then she switches to her right hand. She is not as good with her right hand.  She always writes with her right hand though.
Ella seems to go to people even if they are strangers. If we are out and a ton of people are around she does not care about me at all.
Ella has become more aggressive with Poly but in a way where Ella thinks she's loving her but really she's pulling her fur to get Poly closer.

Other Tidbits:
Likes
Ella loves to lean in for a kiss. 
She likes to push buttons. (Actual buttons but also likes to push my buttons. ha)
She loves Poly.
She loves to accomplish something new.
She loves to visit her friends. She leans in to get kisses from them too.
She likes to swing. She likes to be thrown around. I think she likes all things that are like a dare devil.
She likes to drink out of all the other babies' cups. Even if her cup is similar, she wants whatever isn't hers. 
She likes to ride on your shoulders. She also likes to be held upside down. 
Ella likes to get things when you ask her to. 
She REALLY loves books. She loves to be read to and loves to flip through the pages herself. 
She loves to do google+ hangouts and especially likes it when she gets to hold the phone or iPad herself. 
She likes to get your shoes for you.
She likes to use a plate or bowl and an actual spoon. 
She loves using her step stool to wash her hands in the sink.
She loves to help unload the dishwasher. She picks up the silverware and puts it in the silverware drawer. I have to actually put it in the right compartment but it's so cute to see her do this. 
She loves to point out airplanes and trains. She says choo choo and points in the direction of the train even if we are in the house. She just puts up with a grunt to point out the airplanes. 
She loves pens. She loves taking caps on and off pens.
Ella loves playing outside. She loves socializing.

I wouldn't let her have my camera

Dislikes
She hates when you leave her in a room when you leave.
She hates wanting to stay at the park when we have to leave.
She hates seeing her car and not going in it.
She does not want help eating. If you stir her yogurt for her she flips out. If you help her scrape the edges she refuses to eat more.

She dropped the smoothie jug and the lid popped off. She said "uh oh" over and over.

Fun Facts
Longest time sleeping: 10 hours 47 minutes  (647 minutes) (on April 21)
Diapers used (from May 1-19): 6.3 per day (decrease from last month. some of those are potty uses not diapers) 34x on potty (10x April 21-30 and 24x in May)
Time spent nursing (from May 1-19): 76 minutes (1:16) per day (decrease from last month)
Feeding average per day (from May 1-19): 1.8 oz (almost entirely cow's milk) This is averaged based on estimations of 1 oz or 2 oz or 3 oz at given times. 
Time spent sleeping (from May 1-19): 12.8 hours per day 
Nights she did not sleep through the night!: 11
Doctor visits: 0

Reading Daddy's Book

Favorite Toys
Balls
Basketball hoop
water table
toy laptop
New shopping cart
new car she rides to get to the park
new stroller she uses to push a doll
iPad (actual)
Owl Nightlight
iPod (ok it's a music toy)
Blocks
Books (I count them as toys) 
My phone (not a toy but she thinks it is)
Remotes
Toy Smart Phone
Shopping cart
Toy food
trains
Panda
Scrappy Cat
Doll potty and little doll when she's on the potty
toy kitchen

Pointing to the water jug then trying to drink (but it's empty)

Favorite Songs
--I'm not sure. She likes so many

Favorite Books
She loves ALL books. Some books she just likes to hear 4 times in a row.

Favorite Foods
Ketchup
Peanut Butter Cups 
Yogurt Bites

New Words 
purple (not exact)
daddy
mama
apple
da ball
ma ball
ba ball (basket ball)
yes
owl
boo
lip (said this as she pointed to my lips then repeatedly did it)

Still Saying
hi
dada
mom (very long o)
up
yup
step
cat
dog
fish
duck
moo
ta
app
boob
bird (not the best pronunciation)
ah (as in ah ah ah for what the count says)

Exactly 1 year ago (Note the crease in the chair)

Firsts
Poop on the potty.