Sunday treat

Just an example of one of the many many ways Stella is like her daddy.  :)

The 4th (a little late)

I just loaded these pictures onto my computer, and thought Stella looked so cute!  We had a great 4th of July this year.  We went to the Bass's from our stake.  They had so many huge fireworks, that we were looking up into the sky for over an hour.  Crazy, but a lot of fun!

a little friendly competition

Yesterday, Andy challenged me to a watermelon eating competition.  I am always game for a little competition, and when it involves eating watermelon (one of my very favorite foods) I can't resist.  Well, we decided half way through that neither of us would ever win at a fair - even though we were literally shuving the watermelon into our faces.  We both ended up with sore lips... it's hard to open your mouth so wide while violently trying to scarf cold juicy watermelon, but it's really fun!  The winner got to pick what movie we watched last night.  Well, I am sure you will be able to guess who won... we watched Rescue Dawn.  I was really really close though.  Barely missed beating him, and I think it is because I had a hard time not laughing.  P.S.   It's really tough to eat watermelon quickly while laughing. 

By the way, Andy's piece looks bigger, but it was just wider, mine was taller.  Mine weighed more in fact, but I thought I would be able to eat it better because it wasn't as wide, so I picked it.  Maybe I picked wrong. Or maybe I just married a really superb watermelon eater.     

Memories

I think this is a little more fun than tagging... at least a little different!  My sister in law nicole did this on her blog and it was so fun to write some memories down.

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together (either with just me, just Andy, or the both of us!).  It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.  It's actually pretty funny to see the responses.  If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Stella the ONE year old!

So I wrote this post on Stella's birthday, but couldn't get it all the way done...so it is just getting published today.  sorry.  Pregnancy is, unfortunately, just as I remember it...or maybe even worse.  I have been feeling horrible once again.  In the beginning, I really thought maybe this time would be better.  Well, that dream is long gone - so posting on the blog has obviously not been my first priority.  Posts may be few and far between, but I will try.  Anyway - on to the post from Stella's big day!

  

Today was Stella's first birthday.  It was her party and she was going to cry if she wanted to.  She is currently teething, and possibly a little sick as well, so her mood was not the most pleasant of moods.  I am currently sick as well, pregnancy related and non pregnancy related unfortunately, so I also did not get to do many of the things I was planning on doing for her birthday.  I had a cake envisioned in my mind, picture ideas floating through my head, an outfit to sew, and the list goes on... but I did not get any of it done.  Instead, Jeramia (the boy I babysit) and I did a little photo shoot with Stell today, but she was not happy for most of it, so good pictures are sparce, and then we went and bought Stella a mini birthday cake.  Boring, I know.   I was really hoping to do some exciting things because I think it would have helped me feel more excited about this day rather than a little sad that Stella isn't a tiny little baby anymore, but I did ok even without all the hoopla.  I am a little sad, but I think that being pregnant helps me to enjoy Stella getting older, rather than just wanting to keep her tiny, because I know that soon enough there will be another tiny little bundle, so I can just enjoy Stella in the stage she is in. 

Some things about Stella at 1 Year!

She is a climber.  She loves to climb on everything, but especially the couch and bookcase.  She will climb up onto the couch, and then climb up onto the back of the couch (which is not against anything in our house) so we have to watch her very closely these days.  I used to be able to leave her alone for a second while I ran to the restroom really quick, but I can't do that anymore.  She is too wild.  

She loves to bang on doors.  If Andy or myself goes into a room and shuts the door, she will go over to it and bang on it and yell until she gets it open, or we come open it for her. 

 

She initiates games of peekaboo by opening her mouth really wide in a surprised look.  When you catch on and open your mouth too, she hides her face behind the couch, or a blanket, or whatever is near her.  

She is anti eating.  This is a struggle every day.  She used to eat really well from Andy, but now she has learned how to spit things out, so even if we can shuv it into her mouth, it doesn't mean she has to eat it.  I am hoping this has more to do with teething than anything else...we will se

e.

She bats her eyes at strangers - little flirt.

When she wakes up in the mornings, or from her naps, she cries until I come in the room, and then she points to her teddy bear, or her zebra, both of which are in her crib, and wants me to pick them up and play with them for her.  

She holds phones up to her ear.  She also calls people - so we can't let her just play with our phones very often, which is very upsetting to her.  

She dances when she hears music.  She has done this for a little while, but her movements are getting bigger.  It is so cute to watch.    

She can give hugs.  If you tried to hug her before - she would just push you away.  She still does that sometimes, but once in a while, she will hold onto you and let you enjoy a little hug action.  

She has started to dislike her baths...again.  I thought we were past this.....nope.

She can fold her arms to say a prayer.  She doesn't always do it when we ask her - but when she does we feel so proud.

She weighs 19 pounds 2 ounces and is 30 inches long.

Hopefully I will have a video of the presents and cake experience posted soon... but it will have to wait for now.

3 Years! (yesterday)

So it is official.  Andy and I have been married for three years.  It seems like we have been married forever to me, in a very good way.  I feel like we have been together my whole life almost.  Weird.  It is pretty crazy to think how much has changed in these three years though.  One moment I was a single college student at BYU, and the next I am way out here in South Carolina with a wonderful Husband, crazy little precious baby girl, and another one on the way.      

Unfortunately, our actual anniversary yesterday was nothing to exciting.  Andy was sick  :(  - so he slept for a good chunk of the day.  We went on a little drive to get and keep Stella asleep, and then came home so he could sleep some more.  Then he had a mandatory meeting at work, but his boss (Chadd Rozmus) told him he could bring me along being that it was our anniversary, under the excuse I would sit with Jeramia to help keep him quiet.  Well, I didn't do much sitting with Jeramia, instead I walked the convention center with Stella because she can't keep her little mouth quiet.  Hmmm... but then Andy and I decided to go out for ice cream to at least celebrate a little, but Stella was already asleep in the car, so we had to go through a drive thru TCBY and eat in the car.  Hopefully this weekend Andy will be feeling better, and maybe get off work early enough we can go out and really celebrate. 

I love you Andy, and I have loved these last three years with you!  Looking forward to the many more in our future.  Muah!   

In other news...I am pretty sure Andy will be ticked when he hears that his most hated celebrity of all time (who I actually think is funny) Tori Spelling, has named her daughter Stella.  I guess it is a good thing I named my baby that first - or else Andy may have vetoed the name.  

In case you were looking for a suggestion...

for a place to go on vacation, we found the perfect spot.  Isle Of Palms in Charleston, South Carolina is beautiful, and the water is warm and inviting.  Andy needed to drive a truck down to Charleston for work, and so we decided to make a day out of it and hit the beach.  It was really really nice.  As you can see, the beach is lined with beautiful beach houses, many of which happen to be vacation rentals.  PERFECT!  

After we got home, our friends told us a lovely little bit of information.  Last thursday a crocodile was rescued from the shore right here on the lovely Isle of Palms.  Hmmm... but don't worry, you can still come here on vacation, that doesn't happen everyday.  

Stella really wore herself out playing in the water and crawling the entire beach again and again.  She was on "go" the whole time we were there, until she finally laid her head down on my shoulder and crashed.  The heat may have had something to do with it too.  It was scorching out.  

Stella's latest and greatest is her stinkbug crawl.  She is sick and tired of rubbing her knees on the ground, and we can't always protect her poor little legs, so she has come up with a good way of giving them a break while crawling.  While keeping her knees locked, she gracefully makes her way wherever she needs to go on her hands and feet.  She first realized she could crawl in this position while walking, she fell forward onto her hands and then kept going.  Silly girl!

Beware of these next two pics if you don't have the strongest stomach.   Andy hurt his big toe while in Colorado over the holidays while playing basketball and dodgeball with his brother Aaron.  He wore his dad's shoes, because he didn't have any athletic shoes with him, and they were a couple sizes too small.  Well, that didn't stop Andy from having any fun, but it did stop his toe from looking normal.  It has been black and blue ever since.  While we were getting in the car after the beach, he bumped his toe, and the nail came off.  Weird thing is, there was a whole other nail underneath it... it is just a weak tin one.  Luckily, when it lifted up, it didn't even hurt - probably thanks to soaking in the ocean for a while.  

This last pic is for my mom.  She wanted to see the cake I made for a friend who was helping plan a surprise party for her friend.   This is the second cake I have made, and you can tell.  It doesn't look professional, and I don't think I have a future in the cake business, but I'm still proud that I was able to come up with this.   At the party the cake was decorated with flowers, and the birthday girl loved it!

And for all those wondering how far along, etc...I am six and a half weeks along, a little early to tell the whole world, I know, but we can't keep things this exciting in.  I have been feeling a lot better this time around then I did with Stella, and have not thrown up yet.  I had a close call, but no food made it's way out of my body, so I am really hoping that it stays this way.  Gagging a bunch is a lot more pleasant than actually throwing up, and not feeling so sick all the time is making me feel like pregnancy is really no big deal.  If I get nauseaus, it is only for about 20 mins, and that's it, and it only happens between 2 and 4 times a day.  With Stella it was literally constant, and I really felt horrible all the time, so this is GREAT!  Here's to hoping it stays this way.    

So this little outfit may not be as high of quality as the other ones I like to make Stella, but it is definitely more exciting!  (if you can read it, that is)  

Stella - the wild child - with perfect timing

So I decided two days ago, that I would go buy one of those little toys that kids can push around and walk behind at a consignment store near our house, because bending over to hold Stella's hands everywhere she wants to go gets pretty tiring.  The first time I went to the store, Stella fell asleep maybe a minute before we pulled into the parking lot, so I turned around and went home.  A couple off hours later, I made my second jab at it and drove down to pick up a walking toy.  A couple of weeks ago, I had tried this already, but Stella cried when she realized the toy moved.  It freaked her out.  So anyway, we get there, she tries one out, and she loved it, as long as one hand was on the toy, and the other one was in my hand.  So this didn't completely solve the having to bend over and help her out problem, but I thought it was a start.  When we got home, I had Stella try it out once.  She walked with it one time across our very small living room, and I was proud.  But then she really surprised me.  She was standing, like she often does now a days, and then took three steps.  She has only taken single steps up until this point, so three in a row are a big deal!  Now the toy seems semi useless - she can use it to practice and to get faster, but I thought man, perfect timing.  10 mins after I put money out for something, you prove that after all you didn't need it that much.  At least she likes playing with the little flaps and activity things on the front side of it.  ;) 

  

Untitled from Melissa Smith on Vimeo.

11 Months!! AHHH!

11 things about Stella at 11 mos.

1. She love love loves TV.  We do not get cable, so actually what she loves are educational videos...(learning to read, sign language, spanish sing alongs, etc.)  but we are keeping the "educational" part a secret from her, just in case that word rubs her the wrong way.

2. She still is not all that fond of eating.  Now, she mainly likes to "taste" food by putting it in her mouth for a second, and then grabbing it out with her hands, or spitting it out, so that she can throw it on the floor.  

3. She has taken a few steps.  She is nervous to walk.  She concentrates so hard the times she's attempted a step, but usually she just stands until she wants to move, and then in a very controlled manner, squats down to her hands and knees, and crawls off.

4. She is now in the 18 pound range.  She recently has grown a ton.  Being that she now uses bottles again really helps.  She has apparently realized that in the car she is stuck there anyways, and so she often graciously eats and eats, or drinks really, away.  LOVE IT!  I am glad to know she is healthy.  She is also tall.  Around 30 inches last time we checked.  Growing like a weed these days.

5. She can finally...(I cannot stress finally enough) entertain herself for about 10 minutes when she wants to.  It has to be when she decides, but that is great!  I will take any little section of time I can get.  

6. She "says" a few words... very very babbled... but we think we are translating correctly.  Some are, whoa (when she falls or anything like that), Pooh (as in whinnie the pooh), Food (actually pronounced ba by her... but it definitely means food, maybe she gets it from bottle?).  Thats all I can think of right now.

7. She has a strong belief that she is to be the speaker in Sacrament meeting every Sunday.  She loves to blurt out many many different things, and we have had to take her out I think every meeting since she was 3 mos.  Hmmm...I bet this one will only get worse too.  

8. She loves to "play" with other little kids her age.  She is very social right now, and it is cute to watch.  She loves to pull every book at her level off the bookcase.  If I try to clean them up while she is awake, she will come stop me, or come take the books back off before I can put them all up.  There is no doubt in my mind that her intent is soley to make a mess - doing whatever may be necessary to achieve that goal. 

9. She has reverted to her old not sleeping through the night thing again.  Last night it was 6 times that she woke up.  Hello...nighttime is for sleeping, she does not understand.  I am hoping this is only because she is teething and has been the last week and a half.  (PLEASE!!!)

10.  Speaking of teething... she is getting her 4 teeth in on top.  Two have poked through, the rest are taking their time.  She is going to look so old!

This next one is technically more than one thing, oh well.

11.  Cords are her thing.  If there is a cord, she is going to yank on it.  She loves pictures of Jesus.  She will not stay sitting in a shopping cart.  She has started to cuddle a little more:).  She pulls even the little clips out of her hair now... great!  If I am on the phone, she gets jealous of the person on the other side, and has to sit (crawl all over) on my lap.  She loves to read books with mom and dad, especially Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?