One of the many. . .

Stella is a little over 4 months now, and I think that it is our first "hump" to get over. She is not a tiny baby anymore and wants to be so independent, but there is so much that she isn't able to do yet and she forgets that she is still so little! She doesn't need constant attention like she did as a newborn, but she can't stay entertained for long periods either. She hasn't used her bouncy seat or swing in over a month. She thinks she is too big. Her legs will stiffen and down she will slide when we try to sit her in them. We just put them in the spare room this weekend when we got tired of trying. She only likes her play mat and Baby Einstein entertainer now.

She can grasp her toys well and still bats at other things and plays. Then, it's almost as if she is frustrated because she knows they are supposed to do things that she can't make them do. I know I am probably dreaming it up, but I really think she knows that her piano is supposed to play music and she can't press it hard enough. When you put her down on her back, she will sometimes try to raise herself up unsuccessfully of course. She just turns red in the face and grunts. I think she may be a little hard headed already. Where in the world did that come from?! She mastered rolling over from belly to back many weeks ago and today rolled from back to belly!

She still doesn't want to eat ANYTHING! She is strictly a bottle girl. We have tried cereal, apples, pears, peaches, bananas, and sweet potatoes so far. She spits most of it out or will start to cry. We will still introduce things a few times a week and sooner or later she will take to the idea. She has to have something in her mouth constantly and we call her "Princess Drools Alot" like the baby on Toy Story. We are still on tooth watch. The doc checked her gums again last week. The signs and symptoms are still in full swing, it's just something you can't predict. It could happen this week or months down the road. I'm just glad we have a nice collection of ralph rags and toys for her to chew.

Stella is so much fun. Stephen and I love to listen to her new jibber jabber and watch her huge smiles. She loves to "talk" when we are in the car. Of course, I am convinced that she is singing along with the music. Being a mommy is the greatest!

A weekend update.

I have gotten behind in my blogging this week. Here are a few pictures I have taken recently.

Stella accompanied me outside on Thursday afternoon to water our flowers.




I noticed that my daisy plant was a little sparse in the middle, so I took a closer peek.



. . . and this is what I found. Awww! I hated to move it, but it was ruining my plant. Sorry momma bird.



Thanks to my pal, Tommy, I was able to make chocolate cobbler with Hershey's Special Dark cocoa earlier this week. Mom taught me to use it in brownies and such to make a much richer and delicious treat. Too bad Union City businesses no longer find it necessary to carry said product. UGH! Luckily, Tom found it in the great city of Nashville. Chocolate cobbler is one of the easiest recipes that I have ever been given. I keep these ingredients on hand all of the time, so it makes whipping up a quick dessert very easy. I'll post it below in case you would like to give it a try. All cocoa works great but if you ever spy some of the Special Dark, snatch it up!



6 tablespoons of butter
1 cup self-rising flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
------
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 cups boiling water

Place butter in 8x8 dish. Melt in oven while preheating to 350. Stir together flour, sugar, and cocoa. Add in milk and vanilla stirring until a batter forms. Spoon batter over melted butter from the oven. In a separate bowl, stir together the 1 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa. Sprinkle over butter and batter.
Note: With each step, be sure to not stir together in the baking dish. It looks a little weird just spooning the batter over the butter and then sprinkling the other on top, but it works for some reason. Carefully pour boiling water over all of the ingredients. Bake for 30 minutes or until set. 33 minutes is the magic number in my oven.

** The batter comes to the top and the rest creates a nice chocolate syrup. Vanilla ice cream tops it off just right. :)

Post chocolate cobbler nap. . .

4 month check up.

Stella is growing so fast. Today, she weighed 14.4 lbs and measured 24 inches long.

I am 2 feet!



I have to get shots for what?



We are so proud of our big girl. How is it possible to love someone so much!?

Pears

. . . . Stella can take them or leave them.

We have tried rice cereal on several occasions with Stella. She wouldn't get one bite down so we switched to fruit.

Apples = Fail

Bananas = Fail

At least she got some pears down. Maybe she just isn't ready? We'll continue to try a few bites here and there. She'll decide what she likes soon enough.

I'm supposed to do what with who?




Gross!



I thought you said that this was yummy?




Whoops! A few pears ended up in the hair.



You didn't get rid of my bottles did you?!

Finally!

Stella is finally asleep for the evening. She woke up at 7 A.M., napped about 40 minutes after lunch on Mom's shoulder, and that was IT for the day! Good grief. She was so tired all afternoon but just couldn't get to sleep. She missed her morning nap. I think that was the reason for the mix up.

She spent her first whole service in the church nursery and did well! I am sure that the ladies held and talked to her, which is perfectly fine. She was somewhere new and didn't want to miss anything by napping. Poor baby finally settled down around 9:30. She will sleep all night no doubt. I went in to check on her and she was in full stretch out mode. So sleepy!

Now, it's Mommy's turn. I have been entertaining her all day long. :)

Stubborn.

Stephen's Dad and Dawn got this precious outfit with strawberries on it for Stella the day of her baby dedication. She had it on today and I wanted a picture. Stella has started something new when she decides she doesn't want to do something or cooperate. She will stiffen her legs straight as a board. It's impossible to sit her up. I finally was successful.




Well, not for long. . .



And this is how she ended up!

Decisions, decisions.

The pictures from the photo session I talked about last week were posted online yesterday. Here is a sample of some of a collage that can be created using the different poses. I love stuff like this!



Katrina is awesome. It seems to take no time to get great shots. She and Whitney are both great with kids and make the experience fun. The hardest part was the wardrobe changes. Stella got fussy every time I bothered her to change, but she didn't seem to mind getting the pictures snapped. Now, how in the world do I choose my prints? I have to remember that there are many more sessions to come. I already have some poses in mind!

This could get bad.