Mesmerized!

Funny - Since my last post, Stella has become very interested in the television. We don't sit her in front of it, but it seems like every time she is on our lap that's all she wants to do. Tonight, Wheel of Fortune was particularly interesting. She was watching while she sat on Daddy's lap after dinner.


When is it time for Glee, Daddy? Where's my remote?



It's amazing how much she notices each day. She cannot keep her head still, constantly looking from side to side and even behind her to check out everything she can possibly find. I can't imagine what it must be like for a little one where everything in the world is fresh, fun and new. The best feeling in the world is walking into a room, talking to her, and a huge smile spreads across her face. She really recognizes us and seems so thrilled to see us. That includes Layla, too. She keeps an eye on her big sis all day! Stella wakes up in a great mood because she just loves to have someone talk to her. As soon as you say, "Good morning sweetie", the smiles begin. She has added lots of giggles along with the gurgles and coos.

Unfortunately, I miss the morning shift many days now. Stella is consistently sleeping for 8 hours or more. It's amazing. Aside from when we get home late, she is in bed by 9:30. She wakes up between 6:00 and 7:00 A.M. Several times a week, I have already left for work. We recently increased her bottles, so she is staying full longer and does not wake early to eat. I was getting used to waking up between 5 and 5:30 to feed her before I got ready for work. Although I miss that a little, I am impressed with a three month old that is such a wonderful sleeper. She had two days last week where she woke up during the 4 o'clock hour. I was hoping that wouldn't stick. I think she sensed that Stephen was away or something and just wanted to make sure Mommy was on her toes! Also, she went to bed earlier those two nights. Her internal clock never fails.

Channel surfing.

Stephen was behind this!



"Hey, where's that Elmo I keep hearing about?"

They're done!

Stella's collages that I talked about in an earlier post are finally complete and up in her room! They turned out so well. There is one hanging on each side of her crib. I told Ms. Jean what colors were in her room and that I loved music and eclectic things. These are what she designed. I am so happy with them!





For the past week or so, it seems you can never look at Stella and not find her with at least one arm in the air. I am not sure what that is all about other than she is growing like crazy and stretching.



Today, I thought this outfit would be appropriate. The froggy is holding an umbrella. It has rained like crazy since about 9 o'clock last night. My flower beds will look amazing next week!

Ferret Face

In case any of you were wondering why my sister calls Stella "Frank Burns", this is why. She has always loved the show M*A*S*H. I am sure she has watched every episode numerous times. One of the characters, Frank Burns, was called Ferret Face because of the way he sucked in his bottom lip. Stella's own ferret face and side grin always remind Aunt Sis of one of her favorite characters. So, even though my mom hates it, she gets called that pretty often.

The real Frank Burns!






The imposter. Sorry, it's a photo from my Blackberry.



And here is another random photo from this week. I love this. Stephen and Stella both look pretty interested in the "Busy Baby" book.

Pill Popper

This morning was probably one of my most unglamorous moments ever, but pretty funny. Stella has gotten up hungry the past two days at 4 AM. I really can't complain too much. She is a great sleeper and has been very easy on Mommy and Daddy for the past three months. We were fully prepared to be very sleep deprived once she arrived, but that has not been the case. This morning in particular, I was very sleepy. She was only stirring in her crib, so I decided to start my morning ritual to try to wake up a bit. I brushed my teeth, laid out my clothes for the day, got things ready for my shower, and then popped that little pill us girls take when we don't feel it's the right time for additional offspring. Enter my funny moment: I reached down to open up the bathroom cabinet door and noticed a little round white thing on the floor. I thought to myself, "I could have sworn that I swallowed that!" I picked it up for further inspection. It was a little damp, just like a pill that fell out of your mouth should be. I even got out my little pack of pills to compare the size to the rest. Yep, that must be it. Stephen was in the other room preparing for another turkey hunt, so I called out to him to come confirm my finding and make sure that he had not taken some little small white pill, too. He agreed that I must have been so out of it that the pill fell from my mouth. He went to Stella's room to change her diaper. I was still confused. I just KNEW I swallowed that thing. Oh well, here it goes again.

Ewww!! What?? Gross!!

I ran into Stella's room and announced to Stephen that I had just taken a small pellet of Right Guard! After he died laughing at me, he filled me in on the fact that he had dropped his deodorant on the floor and some pieces broke off earlier in the morning. He thought he had picked them all up. UGH! At least we got a good laugh. Mommy needs some rest. Haha!

In other news, our sweet girl is 3 months old! We love her more each day.

He's Back!

Stephen was gone for two days with my dad on a turkey hunt in LBL. Let's just say, I'm not cut out to be a single mom! I missed him like crazy aside from the fact that everything took twice as long without that extra set of hands. I was expecting to have the house spotless before he returned because I had no weekend plans. No such luck. I got lots of things done, but without Daddy here to entertain, I wasn't able to do it all. That's ok. We spent lots of quality time together. I would not trade time with Stella for anything in the world. The joy she has brought to our lives is indescribable!

These are some shots from our lazy Saturday. She looked so sweet in her crib when I went in to get her.





I was cracking her up doing different voices and making faces during a diaper change. Unfortunately, I never snapped a picture of a huge smile, but this little half grin is too cute!

Silent Stella

Look what showed up in the mailbox today! The fabric is here, patterns have been chosen, now it's time to crank up that sewing machine. Maybe, just maybe, there will be a picture of an actual garment by the end of the weekend.



Now it is time for a brief confession that will also end up with a little mommy bragging on my part:

So, I had a meeting to attend at 5:00 this afternoon. After work, I went to Mom's house to pick up Stella. She was eating, so it took a little longer than normal to get away. By the time we made it home, there was only a moment to change my clothes and pack up a small bag for Stella. Stephen had some things to do and would not be around to keep her. Aunt Sis had offered her services in case I needed them. This is where the confession begins. . . I just decided to take her to the meeting with me thinking that she would last thirty minutes or so before she got fussy, hungry, sleepy, or needed a diaper change. Well, at 6:35 she still had not made one peep. She mostly took in the sights of Higher Ground and listened to the other ladies talk. She took a brief nap on my shoulder and then sat up for some more socializing. So much for using Stella as an excuse! I can't even get out a good cry when I need one. Hey, I just wanted to get home early for a change, but no such luck. Thanks a lot Stella!

All joking aside, I am proud of our little sweetie. What a good baby!