Lately.

Days have been busy but relaxing all at the same time around here. Nights...the past few not so much. Stella's next set of two top molars broke gum two nights ago so they have been waking her up at night. She awakes with a painful cry and all she wants is to be cuddled. Guilty- but sometimes I just want to put her back in her crib and go back to my warm bed but I know when she doesn't quite fit in my lap anymore I will miss these nights and wish she was teething again ;)

On Friday I took Stella to Barnes and Noble which included a quick stop at Starbucks for a Vanilla Bean Creme Frappe for two :) to look at some new children's books. Her attention span in a book store is little to none. She had more fun taring down the books from the shelves than sitting down and reading them with me. When it was time to leave-holy mother of hell- the screams!

On Saturday we awoke to some snow. About 6 inches or so, enough to play in for sure! Stella kept signaling for Rick and I to follow her to the back sliding glass door, as she pointed outside saying "nooo" for snow. She wanted to go outside and play in it. So late morning we all bundled up and headed out for some snow play. She mainly wanted to eat it, follow Rick up and down the drive way as he snow blew and laughed at Ellie being silly in the snow. No snow play is complete without a hot cocoa to follow...with whip that is :)
Later Saturday night after our snow play, and some naughty Chinese food for grub, Stella's Gammy and Poppop came over for some playtime. Stella got her nails painted again for the millionth time that day and a few free laps around the house in her crazy coupe.

We have been doing our fair share of Valentine's Day treats lately. Before we had Stella I always did a festive treat here and there but since having her it has made me have so much more fun with food. Anything from simple little cut fruits during meals to specialty holiday treats. We both have fun making them but of course more fun sampling them all :)

On Sunday the family got together for Stella's cousins birthday. It doesn't happen very often anymore that everyone is available so when everyone is together it is so so special. Just to fill a house with people you love is something to be grateful for. My Grandma was saying that since the family growing the house seems small, I think it feels that much cozier. 

No better time for a Blizzard than now! Cheers!

16 Months

Dear Sweet Baby Girl,

    Where time has gone, I have no clue. But, I do know that I am enjoying life more than ever because of you. You are growing up into your own little self right before my eyes. You are funny, smart, curious, beautiful and are such a lover girl. When you come up to me and cup my face in your two little hands and give me a kiss-sound effects included, my heart skips a beat. Stella, there isn't a single day that goes by that Daddy and I don't tell you and each other just how beautiful or smart you are. I love you more than words can ever can write. You are my sunshine, my world, my everything. Happy 16 months baby girl. 

Stella, I love you something fierce. 

Love you to the moon and back,

Ma! (as you call me ;) )

Stella is full of spunk and energy these days. She has changed so much and is doing so many funny things, nonstop talking and sleeping and eating like a champ. 

Here are a few specifics:

-Stella calls Rick and I "Ma" and "Da" now. If she is looking for us she will call us, if she is being goofy she will yell it as she is standing in front of him or I, when she wakes up she will call us from up in her crib, or sometimes she just likes to walk circles around the house yelling "Ma! Da! Ma! Da!"

- She will walk around the house with a picture frame and identify the people (or Ellie) in the photograph. 

-When she wants milk she points to her bottle and says "mmm", can't quite get the ilk out yet. 

- When she wants a snack she will walk over to the pantry and yell "nack!"

- If she wants to watch Mickey, she will point to the TV and say "mmm". 

- She really eats anything and everything that Rick and I put in front of her. The only meals that she has not really cared for are the dinners that had a bit more kick to them than usual. I do dummy down on the cayenne or hot pepper flakes if the recipe calls for them. Some of her favorite foods are broccoli, poached eggs, lucky charms, pomegranate, peas, spinach, avocado, pasta, grapes, munchkins and whole grain strawberry cereal bars. Water and milk are her two favorite things to drink. 

- She is still in bed sometime between 7:30 and 8 and she sleeps until 7ish. 

- When she wants a diaper change, sometimes she will grab her own diaper without one having to ask her to get it. But if Rick or I ask her to get us a diaper, she does so and calls it a "Da"

- She loves loves loves to feed Ellie breakfast and dinner. Rick and I help her scoop the food and she dumps it into Ellie's bowl and tells her "Eee" for easy!

- She can identify Black, Blue, Yellow, and Green.

-She loves to take a shower and play in the rain :)

-She is wearing both 12-18 month and 18-24 month clothing. She is wearing a size 3 shoe and is still in size 4 diapers.

- She is a whiz on the iPad, but we do limit her time on it :)

-The list of things that she can identify is endless. 

- She loves to watch the deer come and eat. When she sees them eating she yells "Dees!"

-More times than not, you will find her in a tutu, a backwards headband, and most likely chap stick that has been heavily applied- preferably pink :)

-She has 12 teeth now and loves to brush them!

-She likes to do the itsy bitsy spider and does the hand motions as I sing the song. 

-When we wake up in the morning the first thing we usually do is get the fire going. When I get some wood off the porch Stella says "woo" and gets the paper out of the coffee table draw and begins to crumble it into balls for the wood stove. She is such a big help ;). When the fire is lit, she says "Ha" for hot!

-She loves to mix when cooking or baking in the kitchen. 

- After she eats her dinner she says "tee" for treat. Loves her dessert- girl after my own heart. 

I am sure I am missing a thousand things and will keep wanting to edit this post to add to this list. But this is a brief list of what Stella is up to these days. 

Valentine's Day Cards

we will never forget you sweet girl. 

Let me start by saying this week hasn't been one of the easiest. This is the week that Rick and I should have been bringing home our new bundle of joy but instead I find myself decorating this tree in memory of Mabel. I decided to leave the solar lights on it because at night they illuminate the tree and I can easily spot it when looking out the window...i find it offers a bit comfort allowing me to see it even in the darkest of dark.  I like to think Stella blessed us first to help us get through this. She is the perfect dose of happiness and happiness is the perfect medicine for going through something like this.

I was looking back at pictures from Valentine's Day last year and I am just amazed at how much my little babe has changed in just one year. She was a little immobile may I add,  ball on chunk last year and this year is running around speaking her mind.

my valentine last year...

 

my valentine this year

 

We have finally started our Valentine's festivities. We took a trip to Michaels Crafts and got a few things to make our Valentine's Day cards. We had a blast making them this year. Stella loves paint and stickers...so using both of those on our cards, I knew would be a hit. We stuck with mostly pinks and reds and lots of stickers! They are stamped and awaiting departure in the mailbox :)

Stella thinks everything is chapstick lately.  As soon as I uncapped the marker, she made sure to apply it liberally. Too bad she missed her lips and drew a mustache instead ;) 

We have lots more V-day treats to make but did start with these Valentine's Day blondies. I am a die hard chocolate fan so these were more up Rick's alley. I find Stella is taking after me with the chocolate too lately. When we went for our Monday morning food shop she usually picks out a vanilla with pink frosting donut for dessert after dinner but instead spotted a box of these...

 By the way these are disappearing from the box, I'd say these beat her love of glazed munchkins from Dunkin Donuts. 

On another note, I really look forward to my one cup of coffee every morning with snickerdoodle Coffeemate. The past few mornings as I am drinking it, she comes over with her tea pot and pretends to pour me more into my coffee mug. It was so cute...until she began to put other things in my coffee mug while I wasn't looking. I prefer to drink my coffee with no toys in it thank you ;) This morning I had about one sip left- the last sip of goodness. I turned my head to put a log onto the fire and guess I forgot about that last sip. Some time later I found that last sip....poured out onto my bedroom carpet with the mug sitting next to it. Grrr....

Happy Hump Day!

Some Favorites of an almost 16 Month Old

We have been busy bees around here. Not necessarily busy meaning out of the house things on the calendar busy but busy playing and keeping a toddler occupied :) Stella has a lot of favorite things to do and have lately so I thought I would write a few of them down...

This almost 16 month old needs to stay busy at all times! She is constantly on the go and loves to do things together. Chances are you will find her doing one of these. My little miss is loving nail polish. We play nail salon a million times a day. She loves getting her nails painted, painting others' nails and wants me to blow on her nails because for some reason her nails are still wet hours and hours later-or so she thinks ;) i was her first appointment- i think it went well. :)

Another favorite of Stella's lately is her two blankies and Minnie doll. These 3 things are carried around all day every day. When they are out of her sight- she looks for them saying "Mmmm" and "Ba". They go for naps, Minnie comes food shopping, you get the idea. 

This little girl loves "Stees" stickers. She loves making a collage with them and can have a wide open sheet of paper or coloring book page and she will still place each sticker right on top of each other. Speaking of stickers- I need to make a Target dollar spot run very soon to restock. We are running very low! They can also be a life saver when we are out at a restaurant. :)

I am sure every little one loves lucky charms for the marshmallows. Stella will go to the pantry and yell "Nack" meaning she wants a snack. She will right away grab for the lucky charms box and want some in a cup. Minutes later I will find that cup somewhere in the playroom or living room with all the dry cereal and not one marshmallow left- all picked through! 

I really try to limit Stella's sugar intake. Not the natural sugars but the processed sugars. My girl definitely gets enough of the natural sugars through her fresh fruit intake. However, Stella gets one treat a day and it's usually after dinner for dessert. I think I have said this before but Stella loves Dunkin Donuts munchkins. If Rick or I are near one or passing one we will get four for her.Sometime I am not sure if she enjoys eating them more or taking a bite of each one and putting them back in the bag. Either way, this little babe loves glazed munchkins and Momma loves her iced coffee. So a drive by trip is a win win :)

Baking together is one of my favorites along with hers. I just love watching her explore her sense of feel and taste through the baking process. When our treats are done- we always "cheers!" with them before giving them a try ;) Let the Valentine's Day treat making begin!

Some other favorites are cruising in her crazy coupe, being barefoot, putting on and taking off her winter hats, ripping out every single wipe in the wipe container, and coloring with her bathtub crayons during bath time. 

Cheers to a Happy Monday!

Oh, How Things Change.

I kinda still can't believe we are in 2015 here. I was recently thinking about the past years and how Rick and I spent many, (10 years) together just enjoying each others company, doing dating things etc. Not until December of 2010 did things start to move much quicker for us. We got engaged in December 2011. we got hitched in August of 2012, we got pregnant in December 2012, we had Stella in September 2013, and then we found out we were expecting again in May of 2014. So, yea things started happening much faster. Time started going by much faster. These days I have no clue where it goes; sometimes I just wish it would slow down so we can enjoy each moment a little bit more. Time can be so strange too. It feels like just yesterday that Stella was swaddled and placed in my arms while in the hospital bed and it also feels like her first birthday was eternities ago.

So much has changed in these few years. Stella has taught me something new each and every single day. About her. About me. About being a parent. About life in general. She has knocked the wind out of my sails and built me up higher than the tallest mountain.  She has added so much to Rick and I's lives. Chaos, worry, exhaustion. But more than those, much much more than those, is the amount of joy, happiness, and love that she has added to our lives.

Rick and I have been parents for almost 16 months now and these have been the best 16 months of our lives so far.

These past few years are something I will forever be grateful for.

Ivory Carpet...What were we Thinking?

Making messes are one of the things that we do best around here. We know how to make a real mess :) Most of the messes are made with either toys or food. Letting a toddler learn to eat with a spoon and/or fork is one the the messiest things ever; and the only way they learn is to do. Stella is getting the hang of it. Last night I made eggplant rollatini for dinner and she ended up eating her entire eggplant roll and avocado with her fork...all by herself! Rick and I sat and watched in amazement. It really is incredible how quick they catch onto things at this age. I don't even bother to unplug and roll up the vacuum anymore. It is always either plugged in the living room or the kitchen waiting to vacuum up another mess. ahh, the days when I didn't need to sweep or vacuum after a meal.  While on the cleaning up note Stella has her own way of cleaning up. After she is done at the table and I pull out her chair, getting ready to vacuum up her mess, she feeds Ellie her scraps piece by piece.

Ellie is not complaining. ;)

Thinking back when Rick and I moved into this house and put new carpet into the living room we clearly weren't thinking about dogs or children. The rug has taken so much abuse over the past couple years. Let's see...let's just say english bulldogs are not of the cleanest ;), a bowl of lucky charms-milk and all, blueberry yogurt...

ivory carpet....Rick what were we thinking?!?!

On a Rick note, his and Stella's relationship is just the best. He is really is an incredible Daddy to Stella. 

The best Daddy let's his daughter paint his nails...and his wedding band...

The best Daddy pushes you infinite times around the house in your crazy coupe.

 

The best Daddy brings you home munchkins as a little surprise on his way home from work.

The best Daddy cooks with you in your kitchen.

Playing nail salon is Stella's new obsession. She wants her nails painted every few minutes even if there is polish already on them. She is always asking me to blow on them, even if they are already dry. as a matter of fact, when she woke up this morning the first thing she did as I was taking her out of her crib was put her nails to my mouth and wanted me to blow on them. 

 I remember when she was born and saying I can't wait to paint her little nails pink...and now they are pink, Damn...where the hell does time go?

Indoor Activites

Frigid temps call for indoor activities! Besides running to the bank drive thru and a quick trip to the market for a few ingredients we have been house bound for the past 3 days. Single digit temps make me want nothing more than to keep Stella inside, stay in our pjs and roast by the fireside.  Playing dress up, coloring, playing in long warm baths have all been on our agenda. We have made as many different food combos with the fake food as we possibly can! Sometimes even bringing a toy into the living room makes it a whole new toy!

Of course baking has also been on our agenda. We made this peanut butter pie and these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. The pie is definitely on my make again list! It is so light and fluffy and not heavy from the peanut butter. :) and it is Stella and Hubby approved!

On a bedhead note....is this the craziest bedhead that you've ever seen?

With her hair getting so long, I never know what I am going to see when she wakes! Some mornings and after naps are crazier than others! And I love it! Grow baby grow. I do pin it back or throw it up in a hairband during the day because it lays in her eyes. 

She is really trying with her language these days. She trys to repeat words that you ask her to say and it is so damn cute. Tree is 'dee', green is ' een', blue is 'bu', Mickey is either 'mmm' or 'ieey'. At night we feed the deer and watch for them to come eat. Stella stands by the front door saying 'deez'! stella you melt my heart.

Cheers to a Happy Friday!

Toddler Tales and some New Years Thoughts

We spent most of the weekend relaxing and watching a new series on Netflix since in was yucky and rainy out. Besides getting dressed, in a clean pair of cozy clothes to head to my parents for a Saturday dinner we pretty much stayed in our pj's all weekend. I'm not complaining! Weekends spent in the playroom rock my world lately.

To say Stella cracks me up these days in an understatement. This little gal loves to dress up. I mean tutu, crown and all. I am waiting for the day when she won't want to take the tutu off and will want to wear it to the store. ;)  Sometimes the dress up goes as far as wearing my shower cap around the house! That article of dress up stays inside and will not be worn to the store ;) The cold weather brought on chapped lips- hate those suckers! But fear not- Rick and I's faces will always be smothered in chapstick and will never be chapped. Stella loves to share her chapstick but fails to get it on the lips. ;) The chapstick is tinted too; so it looks like a blush job gone wrong. Just need to remind myself to take a double look in the mirror before leaving the house ;) Best was when Rick feel asleep on the couch, head on the arm rest. He woke up to getting a facial with jazberry jam chapstick!

Totally guilty of using bribery throughout the day. Stella is a whiz on the iPad. I actually had to start hiding my Ipad by putting it under the coffee table. It didn't take long for her to catch on because now I just catch her bent over, looking under the coffee table yelling "iPad!" I thought I might as well use it to my advantage. ;) "Let's change your diaper and you can have the Ipad" or "Let's get dressed and you can have the iPad" or "Finish eating your dinner and you can have the iPad."

Trying to get in shape for the new year? ha! not me, that's for sure. No need for a treadmill, all you need is a crazy coupe and a toddler! I am looking forward to taking this bad boy outside in the Spring, because laps around the house are getting boring!

Stella is at the stage now when she thinks it is hysterical when someone gets hurt. She will purposely push on my back to push me down. Once I fall over she finds it quite amusing. She has also become a climber. She has the need to climb whenever on whatever she can. I swear if I am sitting on the floor, I must have jungle gym written across my forehead.

As I said before in one of my last posts my only new years resolution and I am not sure if it even qualifys for a new years resolution is to organize some closets and cabinets. I am not going to really set myself up with any other resolutions this year. I do plan on getting some other things done around the house as there is no better time than at the beginning of a new year! After the holidays the house just doesn't feel as clean as it could. I would like to give the house a good deep clean. That is going to have to be a gradual process since cleaning with a toddler attached to your hip isn't of the easiest. i accept the challenge!