Stella - 10 months!

I am very sad to say that I haven't taken nearly enough pictures during this past month.  But I can assure you that Stella is growing quickly, and is learning so much every day!  Here are a few things we have been up to lately...

Stella absolutely LOVES kids.  Especially her cousin Sadie.  We were able to have Sadie over at our house for a "late-over" one night for her birthday.  The second she walked through the door, Stella was cracking up - to the point where her face was red, her eyes were watering, and she could barely catch her breath. She thinks everything Sadie does is hilarious and it is the cutest thing!  

Lately Stella has become very animated.  She is learning all sorts of new facial expressions.  I wish I could catch them all on camera!  She has her shy face (where she hides in my shoulder and looks away from people when she first sees them), her sweet face (where she tilts to head to one side and smiles), and Josh's personal favorite, the snorting face shown below (she makes this face and huffs and puffs in and out...I love it because she knows she is being funny when she does it, so she just goes on and on).

Stella is LOUD...and I mean really loud.  She just yells and jabbers at the top of her lungs for no reason.  At times she will even scream as high pitched and as loudly as she possibly can, just because she thinks it is fun!  It is adorable, but kind of deafening when you are holding her and she screams right in your ear :)

She went through a funny phase this past month or so where she would sit and shake her head side to side and then laugh.  (I have it on video but of course it wouldn't upload!)

She loves to wave.

She is getting very good at mimicking your sounds and actions.  She now says "mama" when she is sad.  It melts my heart every time!  Not sure she knows exactly what it means, but still...sweetest thing ever.  

She loves to snuggle with mom.  Often times when she is getting ready to go down for a nap, I will sit with her on my bed and just hold her in my lap.  Occasionally we both fall asleep that way and I absolutely love it.  

She still loves the TV - especially the baby channel, although it really doesn't matter what is on, she will sit and watch it.  She would probably sit in front of the TV all day every day if I would let her!  

This girl is still not crawling, but she is becoming very quick!  Just the other day, I took my eye off her for a split second, and I found her at least ten feet away from where she was originally, sitting at our bottom drawer, pulling out swimsuits and throwing them.  I guess its time to baby proof this place!

She is still the happiest baby I have ever seen.  It is rare that Stella will cry.  Even when she is tired or hungry, it is just more of a whine than an actual cry.  Josh and I joke that our next baby is going to be a grouch since she is so happy 24/7.  But that's okay, I wouldn't trade anything to see those smiles and hear those giggles every day! 

I feel like Stella learns something new every day.  She is very smart and growing like crazy, and I really cannot believe that she will be a year old in just two months!  I am trying to enjoy this last little bit of babyhood, before she turns into a toddler and takes over the place ;)  I could not be more proud of this cute little thing!  She is so very special, and always makes me happy every day.  Love her with all my heart!!

(Our one and only photo taken on Stella's first Thanksgiving - I know, terrible right?  I WILL take more pictures this month!)

Stella's First Halloween!

Whooooo's the cutest owl you've ever seen! This girl!!

 Stella had a great first Halloween!  And had the cutest costume EVER, if I do say so myself!  (Although she got pretty sick of that costume after being in it all day! So sad...)

We spent the day visiting friends and family, and doing a little bit of trick-or-treating.  

 Stella with scary aunt Brittany.  I really thought she would be scared of this zombie, but I think she actually like her better this way!  haha just kidding!  She did think it was pretty great though!

And with her two cute "cat"erina cousins...

Stella's pumpkin...she carved it herself! ;)

Josh's pumpkin...very impressive!

And my pumpkin. It looked better when it was darker...okay, okay it just wasn't that great to begin with!  So in case you can't tell what it was, it was a witch running into a tree!  Look hard enough and maybe you can figure it out! :)

Hope everyone had a great Halloween!  

Stella - 9 month photos

A friend of ours from high school was so generous and kind enough to take Stella's 9 month photos a few weeks ago, and we just got them back!  He is just starting out in photography - but I would say he is already a pro!  :)  Thanks so much Ian!

Oh, how I love that little girl!!!

Plus, a sneak peek of what's to come in our Halloween post...

8 - 9 months

Stella is growing up right before our very eyes!  She LOVES kids...anytime she sees kids, she just lights up and laughs!  And we don't have too many kids around very often, so anytime she gets to hang out with some, it makes her entire day!

Stella with adorable little Corbin

Cute cousins in their matching Halloween PJ's

This picture might fool you into thinking she is crawling....

 but she's definitely not!  She doesn't want to I guess, so instead she just rolls around like crazy to get where she wants to go!

  

 This girl loves to eat.  You might not think so since she is pretty small, but she devours her food at every meal!  And sometimes gets a bit messy in the process...

She is still a wonderful sleeper and loves her crib.

And when she gets tired, she sucks on her binkie and finds a corner of her blanket and rubs it on her nose... (Sounds like a couple of cousins I know!!)

She takes after her mama....

(Just kidding...I'm not a horrible mother I swear.  She does like to play with the bottles though!)

And she is still just the happiest baby I have ever seen!

 Stella went to the doctor this week for her 9-month checkup.  She is at 70% for her height, and about 30% for her weight - still tall and skinny!  Let's face it...she doesn't really stand a chance to be anything but that!

We can't believe how fast time is flying by...she is going to have a  birthday in just a few months and it makes us sad to think that my baby is growing up so fast!  But we are loving watching her learn and discover new things every day.

Baby Dates!

It has been a while since my last post and I have some major catching up to do!

For the past few months, Stella and I have been getting together with all of our mom and baby friends about once per month for a baby date!  It has been so much fun to get together with all of these dear friends of mine (most of them I know from high school or even middle school, but some are new friends who I have grown to love and admire.) 

In September, most of the girls couldn't come, so Jessica, little Ava, Stella, and I headed to lunch and the aquarium for a fun day out!  Ava and Stella are going to be the best of friends...I just know it!

Someone told us they kind of look alike...what do you think?

 I barely knew Jess in high school...she was more just a friend of a friend.  But our babies are only three months apart, and we quickly became great friends while we were both pregnant. I don't know how we weren't friends before, we have so much in common and I always enjoy spending time with her!

In October, more of us were able to get together, so we got all of the kids in their Halloween getups and went to Gardner Village for lunch.  Little did we know there would be 5 million people there, but we made it fun anyway!

Jess and Ava, me and Stella, Cami and Vivien, Whitney and Quinn, Allyssa and Finn.  Cute little Finn is our only boy in the group so far...we hoping to add more eventually!  For now, he is just a ladies man ;)  

(We are missing Nikki and Rilee in this picture as they had to leave early)

I am so glad we have all decided to do this.  We say it is a baby play date - but we all know it is more just for us girls to catch up, get advice from one another, and enjoy each other's company!

These play dates usually end up being exhausting for the babes...luckily the car rides home make the perfect naptime ;)

Stella Babe is 7 months old!

I can't believe I have a 7-month-old baby.  Here is a look at what Stella has been up to...

She still loves bath time!  She knows when we are getting ready to bathe her, and she gets so excited!  As soon as she gets in the warm water, she immediately puts her arms down into the water and relaxes.  She also is loving to suck the water out of the washcloth every time.

She loves playing on her back....still not so much on her tummy...

But sometimes the tummy is okay :)

She loves playing with and eating her toes.  Her little feet are constantly wiggling...I'm hoping that means she will be a little dancer ;)

Stella loves her puppy and smiles just looking at her!

She sleeps like a champion!  Especially at night.  Her naps are still fairly short during the day, but I'm thinking that's just the way she is going to be, so I have given up trying to change it.  

She is sitting up like a big girl...

And is trying to get her knees under her when playing on her tummy....crawling might be in the near future!  But since she hates being on her tummy so much and would much rather be sitting up, I am wondering if she might skip crawling all together, and just be a "bum-scooter".  I'm sure we'll find out soon enough!

She loves being in the water which has made this summer a blast!

She has been teething the past few days...I definitely feel those bottom teeth coming in, but they haven't quite cut through yet.  I think its just a matter of days now! 

This baby loves...and I mean LOVES to laugh!  Maybe I am just bias of my own baby, but I really feel like she is easy make giggle.  She is always happy and smiling!!  She gets the hiccups almost every time she laughs, but it is worth it to hear her crack up!  We have multiple laughing sessions throughout each day, and I love every second of it!

Most of all, she is just busy being silly...

and adorable...

at all times!

Seven months sure went by in a hurry!  This is such a fun age and we are loving every second of this little angel... I seriously don't know what we ever did without her!

Two down...

....Eternity to go!

Josh and I just celebrated our 2nd Anniversary.  Time goes by so fast!! 

I am so grateful to have Josh in my life.   He is such a sweet husband to me and such a wonderful dad to Stella. Recently, Josh's grandfather asked me if Josh is good to me.  I was so happy to be able to honestly answer with "Josh is GREAT to me!"   We have our differences, but I know he loves me and would do anything for me.  Neither of us are perfect, but I do believe we are absolutely perfect for each other!

Four years of dating plus two years of marriage and a baby later....and I am still head over heels for him.  So I guess things are going okay ;)

Love you Josh!  I'm so glad you're mine!