Stella's 6th Month: Half-Way Through Her 1st Year!

March ended quickly, and we were ready to head into April.  The main thing that I was looking forward to in April was Spring Break!  I still wonder if students realize how much teachers LOVE this "holiday."  I was looking forward to it because it meant a whole week to be with Stella.  It also meant that Steve's monthly visit was upon us!  There were many things that made this visit special: the visit would be for a whole week, my parents would be in LA, and this would be Steve's last visit before he moved to Reno for good!  To say the least, I was very much so looking forward to Spring Break.






Steve flew in on Friday; the perfect was to kick-off our break!  We started the trip with a visit out to show Steve the house.  It's difficult for a lot of people to fathom that Steve and I would choose a house without the other person seeing it, but we have had to do this before; Steve picked our last house in Albuquerque while I was still up here in Reno.  Granted, we were only renting that house, so the idea of me buying a house with Steve only seeing pictures made everyone a little nervous.  Thankfully, the visit out to the house only made him love it more!  Pictures and a short video can only show so much, so I was thrilled that when he got the tour he was okay with this being our first home.




To add to Steve's visit we also had another actual holiday to celebrate- Easter!  We opted out of having any egg hunt or activities for Stella, mainly because it would be enough of an event to be in a house full of people.  My parents typically have all of the family over at their house for Easter, so we knew that there would be more than enough activity to occupy Stella.  The day was gorgeous, and it gave Stella the first opportunity to show off her legs!  Seriously, the cold Reno weather has kept this little girl in two long-sleeved onesies and pants since she was born, so it was odd for her to be showing some skin :).  She was the perfect little lady in her first Easter dress.

  Right after Easter, my parents headed off to LA to visit my sister for the week.  This left Steve, Stella, and me alone together!  We had never had this opportunity since Stella was born, so it felt like a week to play house before we would be doing the real thing next month.  It was so nice for us all to have time to just be "us."  More than anything, we were looking forward to time together.  Steve had been watching Stella via iPhone, so he was excited to see the real thing.  We were lucky because Stella decided to save a few firsts for her daddy to see! Steve and I filled the week with many things that we had been putting off or didn't have time to do, but we also tried to schedule a few activities specifically for Stella.  To start, Stella's 1st baseball game!





 Back in March, I was blessed to hear that one of my favorite sorority sisters would be headed back up to Northern Nevada!  I was thrilled at the idea of having one of my Vegas people here in Reno, let alone two people that Steve and I both love.  Gretchen and Zac were coming up to Reno for an Ace's game, so we decided to join and have Stella's 1st baseball game!  In true Reno fashion, the weather was not optimal for a ball game, but I bundled Stella up as much as I could, and I loaded her into the Bjorn covered in blankets.  I cannot say that she thought much of the baseball game because she was very quiet.  I think she was a bit overwhelmed by all the noise and people.  I gave her the best play-by-play I could and explained how pitchers choose their pitches, all right behind home plate.  In the middle of my analysis, I looked down to find my little girl had fallen asleep.  I'll have to try again when she's a little older!  We ended the night early for a night game, but someone had a bed time.

On the same day as our baseball venture came another first, Stella's 1st word!  Now, as I mentioned before, Stella had been rattling off things that sounded like words, but this day brought something new.  Out of nowhere, she said "Momma" clear as a bell!  She seemed pretty proud of herself that she had actually said a word, so this word became her whole vocabulary.  She no longer tried to mimic "I love you" or "hello," her sole focus was "Momma."  For the rest of the day (and Steve's visit) we were all Momma: Steve, Gwen, Trigger, objects in the room.  If she wanted something, she would reach for it and say, "Momma."  All other words were on hold (and frankly still are) but we were all pretty excited to hear the first official one! 




In addition to talking, Stella continued to be little miss active!  She continued to be a huge fan of rolling over, mainly when she was in her bed.  She would roll over from side-to-side, back to front, etc.  It became a bit of an issue when she started clocking herself in her crib and getting her legs tangled in the railing.  Now, everything and every doctor will tell you not to buy bumpers for your baby's crib, but I was having trouble watching my poor little girl injury herself due to her nighttime activities.  I finally caved and bought bumpers for her crib.  Her injuries subsided, and the only issue I had was listening to her pet the bumpers as she falls asleep.  It seemed a fair trade off for me!

 She was sitting by herself and enjoying playing with her toys.  But, this month brought a big change that none of us saw coming.  Typically, you have babies that like to be on their backs, then they transition to their stomachs, and learn to crawl from there.  Our little lady decided that the back and stomach were okay, but she wanted to stand!  While Steve was here, he taught her to use her arms to pull up on our fingers to sit up.  We were pretty pleased with this because we would help her sit up, and then she would sit all by herself.  The day after Steve left, she decided to change the game a bit.  While I talked to my dad, I helped her to sit up from a nap.  I wasn't really paying attention, but the look on my dad's face told me that she was doing something.  When I turned back, she had used my fingers to stand up!

And thus started the new game for Stella- standing up!  She now could care less about playing sitting down or lying down; she always wants to be standing.  I even bought her a sit and stand toy that she could stand behind and push.  Our games now consist of practicing standing, standing and playing with her toys, and her favorite- dancing.  She has not taken any official steps on her own, but the girl is always standing up now!  I honestly think that she might just bypass crawling and start walking. 

The last big piece of news that came in the month of April were the appearance of Stella's 1st teeth... yes, teeth, not tooth!  After becoming even more of a chatterbox with her new word, Stella all of the sudden became very quiet.  We could tell that she was struggling and playing with her gums, but little did we know that her teeth were what were keeping her from talking.  It was almost overnight, but I woke up one morning to see two little tops of teeth staring back at me from her bottom gum.  Those two teeth came together, and they came with a purpose!  She has become even more invested in her mouth, and seems to enjoy the sound her teeth make on everything.  We shall see the direction the rest of her teeth take, but it is pretty cute to now see two little teeth when she gives us a big grin.




This was a big month of new things for Stella.  The craziest for me to believe is that she is now six months old!  Can it really have been six months since we met our sweet little baby for the first time?  It is amazing to me just how much she has grown and changed, even month-to-month!  Well, here we are at the half-way point of Miss Stella's 1st year with us.  She continues to surprise and entertain us every day, and I can't imagine life without her.  The best part is that Stella hitting the six-month mark means that we are extremely close to our little family all being together!!!  As soon as we hit May, we have nineteen days until Steve officially moves to Reno!  It's incredible to think that we have made it this far, and how close we are to being together again.  Here she is, Miss Stells at six months:

April 28, 2012

Stella's 5th Month

I'm getting bigger!

This month brought warm weather, some more firsts, another trip for Dad, and the biggest thing on our agenda... HOUSES!  Stella started out the month with her four month check-up.  As of March 5, Stella now weighs thirteen pounds, four ounces, and is twenty-four and one-half inches long.  As her doctor says, she is "fifty, fifty, fifty"- meaning that she is in the fiftieth percentile across the board.  I could have sworn that she was bigger, but it is still nice to hear that she is progressing.  I have to remind myself that this is the little peanut that the doctors were concerned about gaining weight.

Mmmm... rice cereal!

The trip to the doctors also brought the green light to start Stella on eating food!  This is something that both Steve and I were really excited to start.  We wondered which foods she would like, how much of a mess she would make, and of course, what funny faces would the poor child make as she tried the new tastes and textures.  I promised Steve I would wait, so we did not try anything new until he came to visit the day after her doctor appointment.  To start, we went with the tried and true: rice cereal.  To say the least, we were both impressed that Stella did not spit everything out and make a huge mess.  Mixed with milk, the cereal was nothing too magical, but it was a very different idea from how she had been eating.  We stuck with the cereal and kept coaxing her to enjoy her timeouts from her liquid diet.



Steve's visit was not all about baby food; it was all about house hunting!  We both realized that we were getting closer to Steve officially living in Reno and no longer visiting, so this meant that we needed to get serious about looking for a house.  This meant that his trip to visit his girls ended up turning into a business trip.  Steve was only here for four days, so we tried to squeeze in as many viewing as we could.  This meant that every minute I was not at work, we were scouting out potential homes.  We were determined to find a house that Stella could grow in, that we could have another baby in, that was in a location that we liked, that had the right features; the list went on and on.  Let's just say that by the end of Steve's visit, we were both discouraged.  We could not find a house that fit the description we were looking for in the location we wanted.  In a stroke of luck, we did find a house we were willing to buy on the last day of Steve's visit!  We literally viewed the house and took him to the airport!  But, he left happy because we had found a house.  We put in a bid and crossed out fingers for good news.

Learning about trees with Dad

Go Rebels!

The viewing of houses, stress and strain of choosing and losing them, and a mixture of odd weather brought a delightful treat- I got sick.  This in turn only meant one thing- so did Stella!  Thus, we were hit with Baby's 1st Cold.  It is the saddest thing to have a little baby sick because there is nothing you can really do for them.  I had a happy, sweet, little baby with a snotty nose and a cough.  It was amazing what good spirits she was in for not feeling well.  But, to say the least, neither of us were getting much sleep.  In addition to this, Stella's teething hit an all-time low, so she was definitely struggling through every night. 

Ohhh... can I have some?

Speaking of teething, we found out a new trend for Stella.  On St. Patrick's Day, I decided to have a Guinness to celebrate the holiday.  I could see little eyes following my every move I made with the glass.  I held the glass out to her to let her feel it, and the next thing I knew she was itching her gums on the rim of my beer glass!  This started Stella's new thing- sharing glasses!  If you had water, beer, anything in a glass... she wanted it!  You could actually see her little teeth when she would itch them on our glasses.

And the gums are on ice :)

Between her cold and the teething, I decided that something had to give.  I finally broke down and bought her an amber necklace.  I don't know if this cute little accessory truly does work, but her drooling has gone down and she seemed to be sleeping easier, so I won't question it! Unfortunately, with one success came a failure.  We heard that we had been outbid on the house.  After looking at the appraisal, there was not reason to go any higher than our original bid, so it was time to move on.  And so, we were now onto house hunting for Stella and Mommy, without Daddy :(.  We decided to open up the areas of the city we were looking to try and find the type of house we were looking for.  Stella and I were just starting to recover from our colds, so we got back to searching the internet.

Morning, Mom!

Just as Stella started to feel better, she also started to expand on a previous skill- rolling over!  In the past, I had only see her roll over on her play mat.  She would roll over from her tummy time to get back on her back, but this only happened a few times a week.  Then, she started to look at me or the dogs and roll from her back to her stomach, but again it was something that she only did a few times a week.  However, all of the sudden Stella decided that she loved being on her stomach!  I discovered this new love one night in the midst of our cold recovery.  I was hearing Stella in the monitor, but she sounded a bit off.  Upon entering her room, I found her rolled over, just looking up at me smiling.  It's a bit unnerving to find her in this position when you check in on her, but she sure did look cute!  This became her new thing during the month; every time you came into her nursery, she would be looking up at you from her stomach! 


As the month went on, so did our trials with food.  Let's just say that Stella was not a fan!  Rice cereal was still our main sampler, but she was stomaching it because it was mixed with milk.  The only place to go was into actual baby food.  After doing my research, I found out that we had quite a few foods to choose from.  I decided to start with something that I personally adore and that is fairly bland- avocados!  I figured it would be easy to mash and a taste that wouldn't be too shocking, so I had high hopes.  Stella had other thoughts about one of her mom's favorite foods.  She made faces and sounds I had never seen or heard from my little girl, and it was quite clear that she was not a fan.  The next food we tried were carrots.  I steamed and blended them, but again Stella was less than impressed.

We repeated these two foods, but nothing improved; I decided that I would call in an expert.  One of my coworkers has a daughter that is about ten months, so I figured that he might have some insight.  He suggested that I should mix the foods into the cereal/milk mix that Stella seemed to like.  So, with high hopes I headed down to the grocery store to buy a sweet potato.  I also decided to purchase a Baby Bullet to help me get a texture that I think Stella would be more likely to eat.  After making my first batch of "sweet potato surprise," it was time to see what our tiny critic thought.  Bless my coworker for his advice because it did the trick- Stella ate!  She ate more than I had ever seen, and she actually seemed to enjoy it!

Beautiful day for a run with my beautiful girl!

Stella final change came throughout the month; her little voice started to really come into its own.  We had all heard Stella babble and make little noises, but all of the sudden she was actually repeating us!  Stella would hear tones and repeat the sounds we were making.  The words that she really took to were "hello" and "doggy."  I can't say that either of these would be considered her first word, but man were they close!  She started by mimicking the tone that we used when we said words, then she started forming them into words.  As the month closed, she would even say "doggy" when Gwen and Trigger came into the room!  On a side note, she also became a HUGE fan of both of these dogs :). 





The month ended with excellent news- we got a house!  On a whim, I went looking at three houses on the twenty-second of the month.  By a complete stroke of luck, the first house I went into was perfect!  It was everything we were looking for in a house (minus Steve's three-car garage request) and it reminded us of the houses we loved back in Vegas.  Unlike the last house, we decided to look a bit further away from my parents and branch out to a new area in Reno called Damonte Ranch.  We loved the area and the new development coming up around the house, so we decided that the longer drive to Nonna and Grandpa's house was worth it!  We put in a bid on Friday and heard back on Saturday that it was ours!  It was a bit of an adventure because I had picked out the house and put in a bid without Steve even stepping foot inside.  But, he said that between the video I took and the pictures online, he was definitely on board.

And so, we ended March with many big successes: Stella was eating, talking, and rolling over with ease, and Mom and Dad had found her her first home!  We all felt blessed that she had survived her first cold, and that our hunt for our first home was over.  This meant that we were one step closer to the half-way point in Stella's first year, and one step closer to her dad being with us for good!  Here is our beautiful little giraffe at five months:

March 28, 2012

Stella's 4th Month

Waking up to a phone in her face... again!

The last few days of January came and went, and we were into February. This month has been a month of everyone repeating, "Look what Stella can do!" Our little girl was smiling, chattering, rolling over, and laughing. Now the challenge to document her talents became an all out war! My parents wanted me to see her activity while I was at work, and I wanted Steve not to miss a milestone. Thus far all we had on camera were smiles, so we had our work cut out for us.
 
What this all meant for Stella is that there was always a phone in her face!  The poor child; I think she truly began to hate seeing the back of an iPhone.  She would be doing something we would want to capture, see the phone, and she would instantly shut down.  Luckily, we had one day the first weekend in February that everything came together.  My parents were at a birthday party for my Lali, and I was home watching Stella that day.  I don't know if it was because we didn't have too much of an audience, but in a few short hours I had three big milestones all on camera.  I was able to send Steve pictures of her actually enjoying tummy time, a video of her rolling over, and he even got to hear her little cackle of a laugh! 

Hello!

Tired after showing off for Daddy!

After our big weekend, we we about a week away from our monthly visit from Steve!  Steve would be coming up to celebrate Stella's 1st Valentine's Day and my birthday, and we also had a few more important things to fit into his visit.  Stella would be taking her next set of professional photos with my friend Kendall, and Steve wanted to get a jump on our house shopping.  We both realized that he now only had three more monthly visits until he would be here to stay!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day was a day of dressing the little girl up in pink and hearts, and more about planning for this holiday when she gets a little older.  The day definitely made us both think about traditions that we would like to start for our family.  I can't say that we have it all together, but it was interesting to think about traditions we had growing up on holidays and birthdays that we wanted to perpetuate.  Luckily for us, Stella won't remember that her first Valentine's Day did not include any traditions.  Next year!

The next day brought Steve!  Unfortunately I had to work, but it meant that Steve and Stella would get a lot of time together one-on-one. I was definitely jealous that I was a work while the two of them played, but we had a great time together every day when I got home.  It is always nice having Steve around because we get to share the Stella love.  We are now only two monthly visits from Steve being here permanently!!!  It is going to be nice to have two of us to take care of the baby.  I can only imagine being able to look over and say, "Your turn!"

Steve's February visit was short, but we made sure to book Stella's next professional photography session while he was in town.  Stella is signed up for a "Baby Steps" program that my friend, Kendall, does with her business.  Stella had photos taken when she was two weeks old, just before her four month birthday, next will be between 6-9 months, and she will end on her 1st birthday.  Kendall takes the best pictures of Stella, even when you have the challenges that a baby can bring.  Stella was due for nap time at this session, but she really did play along for Mommy and Daddy.  Between outfit changes, being tired, going inside and outside, and making all kinds of annoying faces and sounds, Stella managed to give us an excellent session.  We even got our first family photo!  Here is just one of her photos from the session:

Our little giraffe :)

Steve left to return to Albuquerque, but not before giving me a VERY nice birthday present!  He decided that I needed some pampering, so he bought me a fancy spa package.  The nice thing was that they let me break up the treatments because I couldn't get away from Stella for more than three hours.  I scheduled my first treatment, a massage, the day after my birthday and it was amazing!  It was so nice to have a clear head and just relax for an hour :). 

Speaking of my birthday, it was quite a special day to remember.  Last year, I got a very special early birthday present- I found out I was pregnant.  My family was actually in town for my birthday, so I told them while we were out for dinner that night that we would have a new addition.  To spend this birthday with the baby that we celebrated last year was very special! 

Only a few days after my birthday, Stella turned four months old.  She had a month of truly growing into her little personality, and letting us capture it on video!  Here she is:

February 28, 2012

Birthday Surprise

It dawned on me that one year ago today I found out I was getting an early birthday present. After going from food poisoning to wanting brisket, I took a test on a Sunday evening. I wasn't too sure about the first positive, so I took two tests that night. In fact, I took another one in the morning before I told Steve or scheduled an appointment because I wanted to be sure.

I only wanted one thing last year, and it turned out that my prayers were answered in the form of an early birthday present. It's incredible to think that we began this journey towards our little lady a year ago today. By far, our baby was the most treasured gift I could have hoped for, and a gift that continues to give every day we share with her.

Stella's 3rd Month

Christmas was over and we were headed towards New Year's. So, what are the parents of a two month old doing for the big night... sleeping! If I were up at midnight, it would be to feed Stella. We could have cared less because I was getting close to heading back to work and Steve heading back to Albuquerque, so time with Stella was precious. The week directly following was going to be a blur, but we were trying to prepare. We had Stella's trip to the doctor to get her first round of shots since birth, Steve and I were celebrating our six year anniversary, Steve's mom was coming into town to meet Stella, and the week was ending with Steve returning to Albuquerque and me to work. So, we were gearing up!

Looking oh so cute to visit the pediatrician!

First up, Stella's doctor appointment. To say the least, I was not looking forward to this appointment. In fact, I had scheduled it so that Steve would be there for support! Stella went through her initial check-up well, and we found out that she was now weighing ten pounds, six ounces! This was huge for two people who were still being told to watch Stella's weight. Then came the not so great part: shots. In the end, I will admit that Mom cried more than Stella. I'm sorry, but there is nothing worse than hearing your baby in pain. They look up at you with these big eyes saying, "Why is this happening?" It's the worst thing in the world! But, she was a champ and survived the big event.

Stella was only a few days beyond her two month birthday, but she was FINALLY fitting into 0-3 clothes!  It was amazing to me that this little girl was still so little.  But, the pediatrician appointment made us feel better about our little peanut.

The day after Stella's big trip to the doctor, Steve and I celebrated our six-year anniversary.  With the help of Stella's nonna and grandpa, we were able to have a few hours to ourselves.  We had reservations at Harrah's Steakhouse, and we had an incredible time!  I will admit, a lot of the conversation did revolve around our little miss, but it really was a picture perfect celebration of our years thus far as husband and wife.

Meeting Grandma!

The next day brought a rather big anniversary present- Stella's grandma, Lyn!  Lyn lives in Minnesota, so we were not sure when she would be able to get some vacation time to come and meet Stella.  Luckily for all of us, she was able to swing a few days right before I headed back to work and Steve headed back to Albuquerque.  It was her first time meeting Stella (outside of FaceTime :) so this was a pretty special trip!  In addition to this, Steve and I had not seen Lyn since the previous Thanksgiving, so we were very happy to see her.  The three of us always have a great time when we're together (actually, Lyn and I have a great time without Steve too!) so I was prepared to fully enjoy my time with her.

The little giraffe's 1st trip to Cali!

Lyn's trip was short, so we tried to pack as much in as we could.  The main thing that we wanted to do was take her to Tahoe/Truckee.  In addition to Lyn's first trip, it would also be Stella's, as we had not traveled outside of Reno with her yet.  We started in Old Town Truckee to do a bit of shopping.  Lyn and I found what we usually do- jewelry!  We both left Truckee with some lovely pieces and great memories.  Tahoe was more of a drive through than a stop, but it was a beautiful day with great company.

The day after brought the departure of both Lyn and Steve.  Vacation time was over and it was time to head back to work.  We weren't sure when Lyn would be able to return, so Stella gave her an extra big hug.  We were so lucky that she was able to come out and meet Stella, so although short, her visit was very special.  Steve would not be back for six weeks, which was the longest time he had spent away from Stella.  So, Saturday was not the happiest of days for baby and Mommy. 

In the midst of this, I also was heading back to work.  After a little over two months of maternity leave, my students were headed back from break, and so was I.  I was not looking forward to being away from Stella.  I had always thought I could never be a stay-at-home mom, but I was quickly changing my mind!  I loved all the time I had with Stella, especially now that she was developing her personality.  I was also scared that I would miss more "firsts."  I had a feeling that she would do more things that I wouldn't want to miss while I was at work.  The idea of leaving my beautiful little girl to go watch other people's children was something I was not looking forward to.  But, like it or not, I had to report to my classroom in the morning. 

Grandpa and Stella getting acquainted

The only thing that was making my return to work easier was the fact that I was extremely comfortable with Stella's childcare.  So, who would be watching Stella while I was at work?  Her grandparents!  That's right, I am very lucky to have had this offer from my parents.  My dad would be taking on the bulk of the work (as he's retired) but my mom would also be there many days.  This meant that I had a real peace of mind when I headed back on Monday. 




Monday went very well.  There were only a few tears when I got in my car, and Stella is asleep when I leave for work, so she didn't even notice.  Dad had been practicing a lot with Stella on his own, so we both felt confident about our first day trying this.  But, Mom did take off work in case he needed back-up.  Text messages and phone calls were exchanged so I could keep with on Stella, and my iPhone (did I mention I love that phone) filled with videos and pictures got me through the day.  At the end of the day, there really is nothing like coming home to your baby.  They are so happy to see you, give huge smiles, and I always end up home at nap time, so I get a big "koala" session right when I get home.

Who wouldn't love to see this face after a long day at work?

The first week went by fast, probably because I would bolt for the door every afternoon!  I was looking forward to spending all weekend doing my job as a Mom, well the one that I am not paid for :).  My first week back also ended on a three-day weekend, so I had extra day to soak up my little girl before heading back to work.  I think we all pretty much had out routine down within the first few days, and Stella did not even notice the change of Mom being gone for eight hours every day. 

The month ended with a huge sigh of relief.  A month that I had been dreading because of heading back to work was about to be over.  Stella was continuing to grow and progress, so much that we all could not believe that this little peanut was becoming a little girl.  She was all smiles and chatter as we ended January.  Here is Miss Stella at three months old:

January 28, 2012

Stella's 2nd Month

Steve had only been gone a few days, but Stella and I were getting used to being on our own.  Steve and I had quite a duet going on with all things Stella, so it took some adjusting for me to fly solo.  As much as I loved having Stella sleeping in her pack 'n play or bassinet in my room, I decided that maybe she was ready to be in her crib.  I thought it best that we give her a try during one of her daytime naps, and it actually was a huge success.

Stella's 1st time sleeping in her crib

She had survived a nap, but could she actually sleep through the night in there?  More accurately, could her mom survive being away from her through the night :).  Even though her nursery is only next door to my room, I thought it best that I stayed the night with her.  So, I made a makeshift bed on the floor next to her crib.  This definitely was not the most comfortable of endeavors, but it was very comforting.  If Stella made a peep, all I had to do was lift my head and I could see what she was doing.  So, Stella and I were enjoying our new sleeping arrangements, but little did I know that we would have a guest joining us.

My other daughter (the furry one) Gwen was due to have her shots at this same time.  While we were there, I wanted the vet to check out an odd lump that I had found on Gwen's shoulder.  The vet was concerned about the lump because she thought it might be something more, so she scheduled Gwen in for a removal and biopsy.  Once surgery had been completed, I now had another baby on my hands.  Gwen had always been the number one dog in the house before Stella came, so now she was happy to take her place back at the top with her sister!  Besides some serious pampering, I also had to keep a strict eye on Gwen because she had taken to eating through her t-shirt and bandages.  By about her second or third t-shirt torn to shreds, I decided Gwen needed a nightwatchman.  So, now Stella and I had a new roomie at night.  

Gwen "sharing" the bed on the floor with me.

T-shirt #3, I think!

Around time of Gwen's visit to the doctor, I also had mine.  I was cleared by my OB/GYN for all activity, so I could finally run!  We were having an unseasonably warm and dry winter here in Reno, so it was the perfect time for me to get back into running.  Unfortunately for my former running buddy, this meant that Gwen now had to watch me leave for my daily time outdoors without her.  But, after ripping stitches and staples, I was not going to take any chances.  The good news was that Gwen's biopsy came back clear, so my long-time faithful companion was not in any danger.  Needless to say, she still shared my tiny floor bed :).

I should probably mention that the common theme in my life at this time was, "Why I LOVE My iPhone!"  As I mentioned before, Steve had convinced me to buy an iPhone before he went back to Albuquerque.  I wasn't too sure that I needed such a powerful and complicated phone, but this phone quickly became an extension of my body!  It was my entertainment while I fed Stella, it kept all my data on Stella's activity in an app, and most importantly, it helped Steve stay connected to us.  I would take pictures and video of Stella every chance I got and sent them to Steve, and we would end each day with a FaceTime chat on the change table.

Now as any parent knows, trying to capture all the new and adorable things your child is doing is quite the maddening experience.  Your child is doing something amazing, something new, and where is your camera... downstairs!  You finally get the camera, and your child looks at you confused; the moment has passed.  This is also why my phone became an extension of my body because I was convinced that if I always had my phone with me I would never miss an opportunity.  Boy was I wrong!  It took almost a week to finally send Steve a picture of Stella when she started to smile.  In a moment of pure randomness, Stella rolled over, but of course, I was not filming her.  So, trying to keep Steve updated became quite the game. 

Stella's 1st smile caught on camera!

It had now been three weeks since Steve had been with us!  This meant that we were coming up on Christmas and his return.  Steve would be coming in Christmas Eve just in time to go out for our annual dinner, and he would be staying through our anniversary in January.  Here are a few photos of Steve's arrival and Christmas:

Waiting for Daddy

He's here!

Christmas Eve

Baby's 1st Christmas

In addition to a visit from Steve, Christmas also meant a visit from Auntie Mantha!  My sister, Samantha, had been on of Stella's biggest fans.  I would send her pictures and updates on Stella, and she would send me more gifts to spoil her with.  Sam has never been a huge baby person, but I think she liked buying all the adorable things that you can get a baby.  Sam also didn't have much of a desire to hold Stella or be on her own with her, but Sam took two huge leaps during this visit!  First, she offered to watch Stella so I could take a shower before Steve arrived.  I was blown away and grateful for the offer, and since Stella was sleeping, I didn't worry about it.  After about five minutes upstairs, I heard a panicky little voice ask me to come downstairs.  I had to laugh a little when I saw what all the fuss was about.  I forgot to tell Sam that Stella had started moving more in her sleep, and this meant that her hat sometimes moved with her.  Sam found Stella in a position that I had become accustomed to, but it scared her half to death.  Here is what she found:

The second big move for Sam was actually considering holding Stella.  After starting off the night with some great food and a few drinks, Sam was kind of eying Stella.  I don't know what exactly came over her, but she took Stella in her arms when Steve passed her.  I was so shocked I made sure we got a picture.

All in all, I think that Auntie Mantha found a whole new love for her little niece during this trip.  She's not planning a family anytime soon, but I think her "little buddy" is growing on her.  I know the two will get along famously, and I'm already waiting for the day when Stella tells me that she wants to go live with her cool Auntie Mantha in LA.  Anyway, here are a few more pictures of them together:

Christmas and the holiday season were a blur, and I don't think Stella will remember much of the events because she slept through most of them!  Our little lady was spoiled by people near and far, and her nursery was now stocked with hats and shoes.  I think that was the theme of the year because she literally had a drawer full of both hats and shoes after the holiday.  A few days after Christmas was her 2nd month birthday, so here is Miss Stella at two months old:

December 28, 2011

Stella's 1st Month

Stella's 1st month held a host of exciting events. Two very fun holidays, baby's 1st photo shoot, baby's 1st trip to the doctor, baby's 1st bath at home, and many learning experiences for Mom and Dad. The day after we returned from the hospital it was Halloween. What to do with a newborn that is a peanut when you were expecting a "Steve-sized" baby? Find some clothes! We literally had one or two newborn outfits because we were anticipating a bigger baby, so we really had nothing for her to wear. But, forgot regular clothes, for some reason I was more concerned about getting Baby's 1st Halloween costume! Poor Steve, I sent him off to Babies 'R Us to find something for the big event. He returned, triumphantly, with a cotton candy colored bear suit. It was to die for! But, Lord bless her, Stella was too tiny for this newborn suit. We decided it would be less cruel to only have her in it for a few quick pose photos. Here are the results of our efforts:

 We moved on through the month getting to know each other better; figuring out quirks and habits.  But, as I've been told, baby's habits last about week.  So, just as we would think we had Stella down, she would start a new "thing."  She was and is a very quiet baby, so I really can't complain about our first month together.  She slept very well, and honestly only woke up because we made her when it was time to eat.  Half of the time it would take us 15-20 minutes to get her moving.  I wonder where she gets that... :).  She was just such a tiny little thing, we really had to get used to have this doll-like addition in the house.

Once we had Stella in the house about a week, I finally felt brave enough to give her a bath at home.  Well, I felt good about it, but I did invite Aunt Margo over to oversee the experience.  I was all prepared, new baby bath and accessories ready to go, and we were preparing ourselves for the worst.  Bless Stella, the little girl barely made a peep throughout the entire experience.  We had footprints made, too many pictures taken, and somewhere in there she did get clean, but she was a trooper during the long process.  Here she is... Baby's 1st Bath:

 Baths got easier as the month went on and we all were falling into a routine.  We were trying our best to help Stella gain weight and stay healthy.  So, this meant we weren't on much of a schedule with her because we wanted her to eat every three hours.  Our visit to the doctor came and went, and we were given the green light on Stella's growth!  We were so nervous (after our extra time in the hospital due to Stella's lack of progress) but it was a huge relief to hear that we were doing okay.  However, Stella was still VERY tiny!

The end of Stella's 1st month brought two big events: Thanksgiving and Steve's departure.  We decided to have a small Thanksgiving this year with only Stella, Steve, Mom, Dad, and me because it would be Steve's last night in town.  He had ended up staying longer than we had planned for (thanks to a very gracious boss) so we really couldn't complain that he had to go back after being here for almost all of Stella's 1st month.  But, after another lovely version of our "Stork Dinner," Steve had to head back to Albuquerque.  We have said goodbye many times since we have been together, but this was the first time that Steve didn't have to say goodbye to just me.  It was probably a little easier than leaving me pregnant and wondering if he'd miss Stella's birth, but more difficult because he was afraid of what he would miss.  He would be returning for Christmas, so we were only four weeks away from seeing each other.  We ended up getting me and iPhone so that Steve could see Stella every day, so he left and we both felt like we had a plan.  

The night that Steve left was my first night flying solo with Stella.  The little dear decided to see if Mom could hang.  Let's just say that Stella managed to forget how to swallow.  She would sit in her bassinet, getting curiously quiet, then all of the sudden, she would be gasping and choking for air.  It was a LONG night in which I was sure I would be calling Steve from the hospital, explaining that I was sorry and had tried not to let Stella die.  When she finally did fall asleep and was breathing normally, I breathed a huge sigh of relief.  I could handle taking care of Stella on my own.  She hit her 1st month mark on November 28th, and here she is on her one month birthday: