Growing older by the minute

Lately I have been noticing more and more how fast Stella is growing. She seems older all the time. I remember when she used to sleep almost all day, and she would lay so still, I could lift her arm, or her leg, and then drop it, and she would not even flinch. Now she doesn't want to stop moving for even a second. She has turned into an always active and loud little tyke. She has become extremely curious, never wanting to miss out on anything. She is aware of so many things going on around her, and she wants in on all the action. She has recently learned how to take her headbands off, and now keeping them on for even a little while takes a lot of distraction.

The most fun she's ever had

Andy and I took Stella on a little walk around our complex last night. I don't know if she has ever had as much fun as she did on that walk. Andy had Stella up on his shoulders, and he and I were skipping around, back and forth, going towards eachother and then away from eachother. Stella was laughing so hard. She just giggled and giggled over and over again, throwing her head back and screeching. It was so fun! I love when she has a good time and shows it. We can't get enough of her growing personality.

Daddy's girl...

That's what Stella is these days. She loves to be with her Dad. In the morning time, she sometimes even starts to whine when he hands her to me so that he can get ready for school. She especially enjoys when he throws her around up in the air, lifts her up so she can touch all the lights, and puts her on his shoulders so she can pull his hair. When he comes home from school, she will watch him walk all over the house, just staring at him, and getting excited when he looks at her or comes near her. She really really loves her Dad - and he loves her just as much!

My soon to be new obsession

My Mother-in-law Audrey is a fantastic seamstress and she sent me a package yesterday. To my surprise, she got me a sewing machine! I wanted to go out and buy some fabric as soon as I opened it. Lately I have become very interested in sewing because I want to make Stella lots of cute little dresses and outfits. Now I can...or at least I can try. I don't really sew. I made some boxer shorts in 8th grade home arts class, and my Mom helped me and my sister make some shorts when I was in probably 5th or 6th grade while we were at my Grandma's house over summer vacation, but really I can't sew. Now I am very excited to learn! Look forward to some posts of Stella in her homemade clothes!

Thanks Duane and Audrey!!!

8 months going on 13

Think I posted enough pictures? Some one is a little obsessed huh?

Stella is getting obviously older. She doesn't seem too big - she does seem long though. We had her measurements taken at the Doctor's and she is in the 25-30th percentile with weight, and the 90-95th percentile in height. Her personality has really started to show through. Most of the time she is so precious - laughing and giggling. She loves to be a little joker and gets the biggest kick out of tricking you. I absolutely love that about her. She is becoming a "do it myself-er". She doesn't eat well, nurses for about 1 minute and then she's over it, and you can get about 5-7 bites of baby food down her before she refuses to open her mouth for you, but if you give her a mum-mum (rice cracker) she will shuv it down her throat. She would eat 10 of those in a row if I'd let her. The mum-mums are our new trick for keeping her quiet and occupied. She still wakes up between 3 and 5 times a night, so at the end of this week we are going to leave her when she wakes up so that hopefully she will learn. (She will make her disapproval of this very well known I am sure) I need my beauty rest. She cries when Andy leaves for school - luckily I can have her distracted pretty quickly, but it is sweet to see how much she loves him. Andy thinks she will grow up to be a super-model. I'm thinking maybe a stunt double or something. She is so much fun right now - and we love it!

Ouch!

Stella has a tooth. This morning she woke up with a little white chomper stickin' out of her gums. Finally! I feel like she has been pulling on her ears and clenching her jaw for ever now, so it is nice to know some progress has been made. Getting a picture of the tooth proved just as painful, if not more, than getting that tooth down in the first place, so for now you will have to settle with one from last Sunday, but I will post a picture of the pearly white as soon as I get one.

A new little Nephew!

Getting new nieces and nephews is a big deal - right? Well, yesterday it was an even bigger deal - because on my moms side of my Family, no boys have been born since my Brother Tyler. And he is now the Father of a little boy. Finally they broke the girl streak - not that there is anything wrong with girls - I love them all, but It would be nice to get a little variety. So after Tyler suffered through 3 younger sisters, 8 female cousins, 1 adorable daughter, and 1 adorable niece...He now has A SON!


He weighed 6 lbs. 13 oz. and was 19.5 inches long. He looks so adorable and I can't wait to meet him! His name will probably be Samuel or Evan. We love him already! Congrats Tyler, Anna, and Grace!

Well being that it is valentine's day, I wanted to tell Andy how happy he makes me. Most of you probably know that expressing myself in words is almost, if not impossible, for me to do. So...I came up with the perfect idea of making him a little video that makes it pretty obvious, in my opinion, haw happy I am when he is with me. Posting it on the blog makes it more fun - because you all can enjoy a little sappiness, and it is much cooler for Andy to check the blog while at school and see it rather than for me to say - hey babe, come look at my computer, I want to show you something. So - enjoy...especially you Andy!

Disclaimer: Please excuse the lack-luster editing job...editing with Stella on your lap is not an easy task.

A little bit in denial...

I couldn't believe it when Andy called me today to tell me the sad news. I think my Brother put it best though - 4 years...4 years. I guess there is hope for us yet.

Got this in an email - thought it was appropriate since I am upset about this whole thing.
"Today's Republican Party is a riddle. Just like George W. Bush, its president whom it elected with fervor and now rarely recognizes, the party itself says one thing and does another. Republicans say they want a fiscally responsible president - smaller government, limited taxes - they say they want a president with vast experience, they say they want a president who has demonstrated leadership and success, they say they want a president with strong family values, they say they want a president with deep-based faith, they say they want a president who can make change, they say they want a president with strong resolve. Yet, they are making the only candidate who has all those qualities their second choice. Mitt Romney. Mike Huckabee lacks the business experience, fiscal-conservative, change-agent array that Romney's resume demonstrated. John McCain lacks the business background, Reagan-like tax-cutting commitment and reform-minded resolve that Romney has displayed. If Republicans really are looking for another Ronald Reagan, which they'll never find, they couldn't do much better than Mitt Romney. He can place even with Huckabee on faith, he can best McCain as an agent of change, he can best Rudy Giuliani on family values, he can bury Fred Thompson on vitality and nearly every other category and he can stand strong on all those standards against every Democrat - measuring up even with Barack Obama on family values and vitality. He even seems to have developed the strongest stance among all the candidates on an issue considered by most voters to be among their top three or four concerns - immigration reform. He has been a highly successful businessman, the savior of a scandal-ridden and debt-laden Olympic Games, and a reform-minded governor. His background is the most varied of the field, deeply steeped in private enterprise, international relations and government administration. This Republican guided the strongly Democratic-minded state of Massachusetts from a $1.2 billion deficit to a healthy surplus, he boosted children's math and reading scores to the highest in the nation, he provided a model for health-care reform and he avoided any hint of scandal. What are Republicans, and voters in general, so afraid of? There seems to be one word, beyond all others, that summarizes Romney's qualification for president - competency. I think there possibly are two factors that might solve the Republican riddle of why Republicans are reluctant to embrace the man who, on paper and in action, seems to represent all their best interests. One is religious bigotry, and one is envy. Romney is a Mormon, a much-misunderstood and often-ridiculed (out of ignorance) faith. Romney once, when talking about family values in a GOP candidates' forum, quipped, "I'm the only one on this stage who's had only one wife, and I'm the Mormon!" You've gotta like a guy like that. Romney last month delivered an eloquent and historic speech on the touchy subject of separation of church and state, trying to put to rest concerns about his faith. For anyone who was listening, and willing to carefully consider his words against American history, it was a treatise on personal faith and American governance. But apparently most Republicans and most Americans are comfortable living with the myths of modern Mormonism and their own religious intolerance. Republicans say they admire entrepreneurship and business experience, yet they seem resentful of Romney's enormous business success. While scornful of special-interest campaign finances, they criticize Romney for personally putting millions of his own fortune into his campaign, as his opponents tap into the accounts of major contributors. What is it the GOP has against competency as the prime qualification for president?"

Chuck Green, veteran Colorado journalist and former editor-in-chief of The Denver Post

Sneezes, Snots, and Coughs - oh my!

Poor girl is sick. She started coughing Thursday night and then came down with a slight fever. As you can tell from the picture, she also began sneezing and spewing snot from her nose. She has been very uncomfortable lately, and has learned to hate tissue. However - this morning, I am happy to report she is feeling much better. She is still "sick" however has not had a fever since last night, and is smiling more and being her usual super active self. If it weren't for the wheezing due to the fact that she won't cough up whatever it is in her lungs because it hurts her head to do so - I wouldn't really be able to tell there was anything wrong. So that is good. Bad news is that I am now getting all stuffed up after only feeling a little tickle in my throat for the past 4 days. Oh well - at least I wasn't at the worst while she was.
Since Stella has been sick, Andy and I have become super spoiling parents. Andy has been very attentive to her needs and that makes my heart melt. Love them both and am very happy Stella is on the mend!