Mama & Stella (@ 9 months)

...xoxo...

*Stella's Room*

My friend Angie has been asking me to post pictures of Stella's nursery FOREVER (as in, since before Stella was born) & I haven't gotten around to it until now.

Oddly enough...but like most things in my life...it's still not technically done.

I still have to decide what to do with the big wall behind her crib...(vinyl letters? photo collage?)...figure out where to hang the framed Picasso print that's been leaning against her dresser for the past month...and possibly buy an area rug of some sort.

But for now...

For you, Angie...and anyone else who happens to care...here are a few glimpses into Stella's room at this particular moment in time.

My mom gave me this silver ABC/123 plate. I love it. It was mine when I was a baby:)

I know that you are supposed to take their mobile down at something like 6-months but I love her stars & don't see myself parting with them anytime soon.

This was the very first thing we hung in her room.

Baby's 1st Pearl Jam poster:)

I bought it years ago. Well, traded someone 3 other PJ posters for it, actually.

I just loved it because I always dreamed of having a little girl of my own...and it was TOO perfect that its color scheme ended up matching Stella's room so well:~)


It was Rob's idea to put her Sweet Dreams plaque above the door.

I was iffy about it at first but now I like that its there every night as I shut the door after putting her to bed:)

The way that this mirror complements the design of her bedding makes me happy.

Her crib is really beautiful but we had to buy extra fabric & rig the crib bumpers so that we could use them on it because the wood is so thick that the tie-things wouldn't reach around it to be tied!

I thought I'd treat Stella to her first rocking horse ride & snap a quick photo to go along with the rest of the photos of her room...

She wasn't really too sure about it yet though;-)

We'll have to re-visit him another day!

Daddy's 1st Father's Day

Sunday was Daddy's 1st Father's Day & I was so excited to give him his presents!

I didn't even want to wait to change out of my pajamas...

THAT'S how excited I was!!

Mommy & I got him an HD radio/ipod dock & I also drew him a cool picture! He ended up taking both of them into work to display on his desk:)

I think Daddy really enjoyed his 1st Father's Day:)

*Big Girl*

We took Stella to see Dr. Trotsky for her 9 month well-visit yesterday & our lil' chunky monk weighed in at 16 pounds, 12 ounces & measured 28 inches long!

Doctor gave us the go-ahead to start her on new & exciting table foods like baby yogurt & small bits of cheese. We gave her a few shreds of cheddar to sample with her dinner tonight and she *loved* it! Looks like she's a cheese fan just like her ma & pa;-)

Going Mobile/9 Months

I remember a point in time where 9 months took forever to go by. When you're a kid itchin' for the summertime, the school year seems to never end. But now...somehow...9 months has come & gone and what was *just yesterday* my tiny little squirming baby is now my creepin'/crawlin'...very mobile...little girl:)

She is 9 months old today. I can hardly stand to say it out loud......it hardly seems possible!

She waves hello now...and feeds herself Cheerios. She is also getting (dangerously) close to actually crawling! She moves both forward and backwards now...but mostly by creeping on her belly. And these monthly "photo shoots"...are becoming more & more of a challenge because staying still (or even just SEATED) is not so much an option anymore;-)

(Baby's 1st) Memorial Day

We had a BBQ in our backyard to celebrate your 1st Memorial Day:)

Daddy blew bubbles for you for the 1st time.

You really liked watching them float all around!

And then, after everybody went home, you gnawed on a frozen bagel for awhile & got crumbs all over the couch;-)

8 1/2 months:)

You get more comments on your big blue eyes than anything else;-)

(In second place would be how smiley & happy you always are.)

Here you are with your "Anti-Pauff"...aka...your Auntie Dylan.
And look at you, you big girl...standing on your own 2 feet!

Here you are with Papa, practicing your newest skill: waving HELLO:)

Sometimes you wave inwards at yourself instead of out at the person who is saying HI to you. I know it won't last but Daddy & I think its just the cutest!

I think you own more hoodies than your Dad & I combined.
And that's sayin' something!

You sure do love your "Gi's"!

That's what you call Casey & Lucy...your (Dog) GI (es)!

Yes, that's right. Mama bought a basket & put you inside of it so that she could take your photo.
This type of behavior should come as no surprise to you by now.

Not that you minded! You smiled the whole time:)

Purple stripes + hot-pink/green soled shoes = RAD

Man, kid. You are just too cool for school;-)

I.Just.Love.This.Picture.

...our SMILING HAPPY LITTLE PERSON...

...sitting in the grass of our front lawn...

Mama's 1st Mother's Day

My 1st Mother's Day was SO special:)

Flea Market fun in the morning...
Dinner with the family...
Loads of cards & gifts, including a scratch-off lottery ticket that ended up being a $100 winner!! (Many thanks to Alisa for that one!)

Thank you so much to everyone for all of the Mom's Day love:)

Check out this cool plaque Dylan surprised me with (on behalf of Stella, of course!)

Stella bought me matching Mommy & Baby tambourines so that she & I can play music together...

...and Rob bought me my very first pair of real Oakleys!

Ooh, la la.

Check him out, by the way.

He was rockin out on Rachel's guitar for awhile.

There's no mistaking he's the Daddy of a baby girl now, is there?! :)

Speaking of Rachel...she & Stella had so much fun playing together!

How cute are they?! I mean, really:)

*Eight*

Today is Stella's *8-month birthday* & the personalized hat I bought her to wear on the day she was born FINALLY fits:~)

BTW: She started to wave hello on Saturday & it just might be the cutest thing ever.

Best Friends

These 2 are so ridiculously cute together, I can hardly stand it:)

My New Favorite:)

I've always loved baby hats on Stella.

But my newest favorite thing on her...?

Baby Leggings!

How funny & cute are they?! :)

Ok, ok...

Enough pictures, Mom!

It's time for TUMMY TIME:)

Stella Bee: Week 33

Stella was born on a Thursday & ever since then, every Thursday in my day planner has been marked with a number corresponding to the number of weeks she's been alive. Today is number 33:)

I don't have a ton of time to sit at the computer these days & write the kinds of letters I did to her when she was still in my belly...but I DO want her to be able to look back & know what she was doing during this crazy/wonderful whirlwind of her 1st year of life.

And so...that brings me to the following list of All Things Stella, in no particular order:)

* You are 7 & 1/2 months old now...otherwise known as 33 weeks.

* You're not crawling yet...but you sure like to "creep" when you're on your belly!! If I put you down onto the floor & look away for a few minutes, when I look back you are always in a different spot than where I put you down........but its always backwards that you've moved:)

* You still drinks lots of breast milk every day. You also eat oatmeal cereal almost every day. You are such a good eater:) So far, you've tried the following (organic/pureed) fruits & veggies: sweet potatoes, peas, butternut squash, green beans, lentils, carrots, apples, bananas, mangos, peaches, pears, apricots, strawberries & blueberries. You like the green beans & lentils the least so far & pretty much LOVE everything else:)

* We let you occasionally take a small sip or 2 of water from a cup. You don't hold it yet but you do a pretty good job of sipping from it when we hold it for you:)

* You are still saying "Da-Da" pretty much all day, every day:) I've noticed you saying "Gi-Gi" lately, too...which I think might be your manifestation of the word "Doggie" since I say it to you all the time, whenever Casey and Lucy are around:) I haven't heard the all-important "Ma-Ma" yet, though!

* Your hair is still "peach fuzz" at best...and I must admit that when Daddy & I see tiny babies with lots of hair now, we giggle at them secretly because they look so silly to us! We're just so used to seeing your bald little head, I guess;-)

* You smile at EVERYTHING:) Some of your favorites are: other babies (in person and in magazines/books), your grandparents, your own reflection in the mirror and Casey & Lucy.

* You don't have any teeth yet.

* You've only been sick once so far & that was with a cold a couple of months ago. You were sneezing & had a runny nose for about 4 days or so. We didn't have to take you the doctor's or anything, luckily.....you just got better all on your own:)

* Daddy still gives you a bath around 7:00pm every night in your baby tub in our kitchen sink. Then he dresses you in a comfy sleeper & its off to bed! Your bedtime is still 7:30pm & you still wake up between 7 and 8am almost every day:)

* You wiggle your arms nervously when you're anxious & although I know I shouldn't think so...I find it adorable:)

* As of April 17th, you were 26 1/2 inches long & you weighed 14 pounds, 8 ounces. We don't take you back to see Dr. Trotsky again until the middle of June for your 9-month appointment.

* We call you by your given name some of the time...but lots of times we like to call you other silly names...

Pumpkin.
Munchkin.
Peanut.
Peanut Brittle.
Stellaphant.
Pum-Pum.
Stell-Bee.

...just to name a few;-)

* The first time we noticed you doing it was at 4 days old & you used it to learn to soothe yourself back to sleep & let us know when you were tired for months.......but you stopped sucking your thumb a couple of weeks ago. Even though I know its probably for the best...I would be lying if I said that I didn't already miss it. It was just about the cutest thing, ever.

...xoxo...

Baby Swing: Take 1

90+ degree days in April are unusual in the suburbs of Philadelphia, so Stella & I took it upon ourselves to take advantage of it while we could. After all, 75 degree temperatures at 9am in the Springtime are lovely, to say the very least:)

One early morning, a day or so ago, we took a walk down to the playground on the corner & tried out the baby swings for the first time.

I'm not sure Stella knew quite what to make of them...

Being her first time & all, I didn't leave her in it long. I just pushed her a few times & snapped a couple of photos...then plopped her back into her stroller & we were on our way...

We'll have to go back there with Daddy this weekend & try em out again:)

Just a couple (long overdue) Easter Pix

... with her fabulous (newly crowned) GodParents:) ...

...and her fabulous (not-so-newly crowned) biological parents:) ...

silly pink bow: REVISITED

...xoxo...

Its been awhile...

I can't believe how long its been since I last posted on here!

I guess we've been busy with life...and there hasn't been a ton of free time to sit at the computer & write.

Its been great spending more time outside though, now that the weather has gotten so much nicer.

Flea markets, picnics @ the park, walks around the neighborhood......and my little go-with-the-flow, happy-go-lucky baby girl loves it all:)