THE wait is finally over – and after counting hundreds of votes we can reveal the winners of our 2008 Baby of the Year competition.
Ellie Louise Crook, 18 months, who was christened on Sunday, has been voted our most gorgeous girl and Lewis Slater, 27 months, is the bonniest boy.
Blonde, blue-eyed Ellie, who loves dancing and singing, lives in Albert Street, Church, with her mum Laura Ashton, 18, and dad Rob Crook.
Scaffolder Rob, 19, said: "I am really chuffed she has won as we tried our best to get everyone we know to vote for her. She is a really lively little girl who loves running around and always has a smile."
Meanwhile, brown-eyed tot Lewis, who attends Little Cheeky Monkeys Nursery in Great Harwood, is following in the footsteps of his older brother Ben, who was Baby of the Year in 2005.
Confident Lewis lives in Lime Street, Great Harwood, with his mum Kathy, 29, dad Martin, 34, a wood machinist, and brothers Ben, four, and Marc, nine months.
Kathy said: "I am absolutely over the moon. He is very photogenic. We’ll have to enter Marc when he gets a bit bigger and try and get a full set. It really is lovely he’s won."
The winners were chosen by readers’ votes from more than 200 original entrants.
Their parents will receive either a 20" x 16" framed wall portrait of their child, worth £300, from co-sponsor the Garth Dawson Studio or they can arrange a sitting for a special family photograph. There will also be a £50 cheque from the Observer.
