Stella's 12th Month

Wow, is it really time to write this already?  Where did the year go?  This was Stella's last month of her first year, but it was definitely an eventful one!  From the the beginning of the month to her birthday party, we had a lot to fit into this month before it was over.

 




To start the month, we had Grandpa's birthday!  It was a small celebration dinner at our house, but it gave Stella a chance to see what she had to look forward to in about a month.  After the dinner, Grandpa and Nonna headed off to Catalina to celebrate the birthday with Stella's aunt, my sister Samantha.  While they were gone, we volunteered to doggy-sit my parents' dog, Trigger.  Trigger and Stella spend a lot of time together already, so they are old pals.  Stella is a HUGE fan of dogs in general, so she thoroughly enjoyed having two dogs to play with in her house.

After having a long weekend with Trigger having a bit of anxiety missing his parents, we were looking forward to having a quiet weekend following.  Unfortunately, Stella had different plans.  We spent a pretty relaxing day getting the house back in order, but after we put Stella to bed, we heard a little cough followed by some pretty serious crying.  Stella had thrown up in bed, and she would continue to throw up late into the night.  We had never experienced Stella throwing up before, so it was a rather sad evening.  Between the two of us, I would have to say that Steve handled it like a pro!  He was totally in charge and such the Dad the whole time.  Stella didn't get much of a fever, so it was just a lot of cuddling and TLC until she fell asleep.

Luckily, Stella woke up the next day as if nothing ever happened.  She was in for a boring few days though because her diet would be all water and bread until we fully tested her stomach.  She had the pleasure of a bread, Cheerio, and pasta diet until we finally introduced applesauce.  Besides the bland diet, you would never know this kid had been sick!  She was running around, climbing stairs, and singing to anyone who would listen.

The weather here finally officially turned into fall, so we had to do a drastic clothing change for Stella.  Even though she gets warm easily, like her daddy, she was still spending a lot of time outside.  Thankfully, after much work we had finally got Stella to wear shoes, and just in the nick of time!  After a summer of being barefoot, it took a few weeks to get her to wear them for more than a few minutes.  But, our outside girl needed shoes if she wanted to play in the new weather.  It is probably our favorite time of year because it really is beautiful here in Reno, and because there is such much to do this time of year.  It's also one of the best times of the year for sports, so if our TV is on, it's either football or baseball (and even a little golf for Steve).

Speaking of sports, Stella got a little insight into the lovely UNLV and UNR rivalry this year.  Ever since I moved back to Reno, my dad and I have made a point of watching the game together.  Being the only member of my family to graduate from UNLV, it's a day where I get to continuously explain why going to UNLV was the best decision I ever made... and why I am looking forward to basketball season ;).  I could care less where Stella ends up going to school, but what can I say, the girl looks amazing in scarlet and gray!

The weekend following our football game, we had another yearly tradition to introduce Stella to- Apple Hill!  My family has been going to Apple Hill in the fall ever since I can remember, and it was time for Stella to take her first trip.  The drive is almost to Sacramento, but it's definitely worth the short trip!  They have countless orchards and vineyards all marked and decorated for the season, and you can go into any one and find all kind of activities and treats.  We stopped at "Denver Dan's" and gave Stella a chance to play with farm animals, go into a pumpkin patch, choose her own apples, and look at local crafts.  It was pretty neat for us to see her enjoying all the new sights and sounds, and to know that the tradition will continue with our kids. 

Apple Hill was the bench marker for what we were calling "The Big Week."  We had about three days to breathe and then we were going into a jam-packed week.  We had a Halloween party, a football game, a photo shoot, guests were arriving, Stella's birthday party, and then Halloween itself all taking place within a week.  We prepped the house as much as we could, tried to get ahead at school and work, but before we knew it, it was time!

 We started off with a rather big Thursday night.  My grandma's retirement home was having a Halloween party, and she had asked if Stella could come visit.  Luckily, my aunt Debbie had bought Stella a Halloween costume weeks before, so we would make sure that she was dressed for the occasion.  Stella was definitely the belle of the ball, and I think that her GG really enjoyed having her come visit.  Right after the party, we had to go up to support Grandpa.  It was my dad's last football game of the season, so we wanted to be there for him.  We were SO lucky that Stella had on her costume because it was freezing!!!  The weather had a serious swing that week, so there we were with a little giraffe running onto the football field.  Stella had her one-year photo shoot in the morning, so we didn't stay too long.

The photo shoot was scheduled for 9 a.m., and the weather was looking to be about fifty degrees!  It was definitely a chilly time to be taking photos outside, but the changing leaves and beautiful scenery made it worth it.  Stella seemed to hardly notice the cold, so here's hoping that we got some great shots of her.  We only had a few hours to prep after that though because it was time for the guests to arrive!

Steve's family has not all been in one place since we got married almost seven years ago!  Lyn and Ken had already made plans to come out for the birthday, but Steve and his sister decided that this birthday could be somewhat of a reunion.  Steve, Julie, and Brian all decided that it would be great to surprise their mom by making sure that all siblings would be here.  So, we had Steve's family flying from Virgina, Texas, and Minnesota to make this birthday extra special. 

I don't think that Lyn had a clue that the rest of the family was coming, and it was so sweet to see her react to the big surprise!  Her birthday is just a bit for Stella's, so this was a birthday present for her too.  Julie also brought her youngest daughter, Caelyn, so Stella had the chance to experience having a buddy in the house for a few days.  I think that everyone truly enjoyed being back together and sharing old stories, and I think that the two girls also enjoyed their time together.  Caelyn was the big girl for the first time ever, and Stella was very interested in all that she had to show her.

 The rest of the weekend was all about family time together, and of course, THE BIRTHDAY!  After shopping around for birthday decor, I was definitely feeling a bit bummed.  Everything was pink, pink, pink and all about a princess theme.  I decided that we would go with Halloween theme instead because the decorations were so much cuter, and besides, Stella looks great in purple and orange :).  We ended up having a family party on Stella's actual birthday, and it was a great celebration!  Stella was a bit overwhelmed by all the people, but I think she had a good time too.  She even had her own little pumpkin pie to blow out a candle on!






The weekend gave me a lot of time to reflect on the last year, and I spent some time going through pictures, videos, and previous blog posts to refresh my memory of what all has happened in Stella's first year with us.  It really is incredible to realize just how much our lives have changed ever since they day Stella came into them.  She herself has changed so much in just a year, and I can only imagine what the rest of her life has in store.  She truly is just starting to come into her own and develop her own little personality.  It is amazing to see pieces of yourself and those you love all blended together into one perfect little person.  Happy Birthday to our bright, little star, Miss Stella Mia!

October 28, 2012