Stella's 11th Month

It's hard to believe, but we are only one month away from celebrating Stella's 1st birthday!  Stella has had a month of being, as her grandfather says, a busy bee.  We all have a little girl on our hands that cannot and will not sit still.  Stella is definitely a walking pro, and she is all about exploring every nook and cranny she can get herself into. 


I have been at work during the days, so I get updates on Stella from her buddies.  Stella spends the days either with her dad, nonna, or grandpa; depending on Steve's class schedule at UNR.  Between the three of them, I am constantly being sent videos and pictures of what Stella is up to while I'm at work.  Gwen is even reaping the benefits because someone is always around, so that means that she is never in her kennel.  It's nice to come home to two happy girls every day after a long day of work.

As I mentioned before, Stella's grandpa keeps telling everyone what a busy little girl we have.  She really cannot be made to sit still; I think the only time we get her to stay in one place is when we get her in her high chair or car seat.  She circles the kitchen island, the kitchen table, the coffee table, then back through the kitchen and starts crawling up the stairs.  It is nice to have such a mobile baby, but we really have to keep our eyes on her, especially when she is somewhere that is not "Stella-proof."  Her grandparents have yet to make their house "Stella-proof," so the days that she spends over there consists of non-stop antics for them.

 







Stella had one 1st this month that made her grandpa very happy; Stella attended her 1st football game!  More importantly, it was a McQueen football game.  We always try to attend one of my dad's games each season, and with Stella being born the night of his last game last season, this season would be her first chance to attend one of Grandpa's games.  Not only was it the first home game of the season, but we actually had a more important reason to be there.  One of our oldest family friends was being inducted into the Hall of Fame, so we made sure that we would all be in attendance.  It was an awesome night that was a huge success, and Stella stayed out the latest she ever has in her little life.  We're already plotting for her next appearance at a football game to cheer for Grandpa, and plans are in the works to take her to her first 49ers game this season!

 Thankfully, the good weather continues here in Reno!  After a long summer of projects to put in landscaping, it has been great being able to enjoy the yard as much as we have.  Stella LOVES playing on the lawn; I think it is probably her favorite place to be.  She has loved being outside on playing on lawns since she was teeny tiny, so it was no surprise that her love continued when our lawn was finally finished.  She loves to run through the grass, chase Gwen, and call the birds.  I think this has to be my favorite new thing that she is doing.  My mom used to take her outside after dinner to watch the birds, and she would make noises to call the birds as they flew by.  In just the last few weeks, Stella has started to call the birds too!  She will look up at the sky and start calling, "Ah, ah, ah!"  It is the cutest little noise that I have ever heard.  Needless to say, between Stella's love for the yard and my love of her bird calling, we spend a lot of time in the backyard.

As you can see in the last picture, Stella finally got into something that Steve's been dying to put her in- overalls!  When I was pregnant with Stella, the first clothing item Steve wanted to buy was a pair of overalls.  After months of waiting, Stella is finally big enough to wear Dad's pick.  I think that Steve had more fun than Stells did, and he spent the day taking pictures and picking her up from the straps.  Stella was a bit confused by the whole experience, but I am glad that her dad had such a good time!

 Speaking of Dad, Stella and Steve have become best buds!  While I am at work, the two of them spend a lot of time together, so they have their own little games and laughs.  If you want to hear Stella laugh, all you need is Steve.  No one can make her laugh like her dad!  Her favorite thing is when he chases her.  She will run through the house cackling, with Steve following behind her saying, "You better run little girl!"  He picks her up and tosses her in the air, and she is in full hysterics by then.  They even have their own version of hide-and-seek that only the two of them play.  Seriously, if it wasn't clear to anyone already, it is abundantly obvious that Stella is a Daddy's girl!  It's amazing to think that these two were separated for the first many months of her life because you would never know that.  They are so adorable together; it just makes me love both of them even more when I see them playing together. 
  

 Other than that, Stella has had a pretty quiet month.  SHE is far from quiet, but it's fun to hear her little voice all over the house.  She is still practicing and learning new words, and she has really gotten into the habit of mimicking sounds.  If you sing something, laugh, or make a noise, there she is repeating you.  Stella is also still very much in love with Gwen.  She walks around saying "Nenna" all the time, and I swear that the majority of her days revolve around following Gwen around.  Stella also understands quite a few words now, and our favorite is "kiss."  You can ask her for a kiss and she will give you one, but she often just walks up to you and does it on her own.  The cutest though is that she's giving kisses to Gwen too!  She started by kissing her back while she was petting her, but now she will walk up to Gwen and kiss her on the nose.  Yep, I kinda love both of these girls!





Well, we are closing in on the official end of Stella's 1st year with us.  It really is hard to believe that she is already old enough to be having a birthday party, but at the same time, it feels like she's always been part of our lives.  She really is such a little ray of sunshine and such the happy little girl.  Speaking of the happy girl, here is Miss Stells hamming it up for her monthly picture:

September 28, 2012