I Want to Wear a Coat!

Dear Winter Weather,

Where are you? Global warming you say? What's that? I hear it doesn't exist. Oh, those people don't know what they're talking about? That's what I thought!

Missing You,

The Girl Who Wants to Wear a Coat in December!
*and her friend who hung Christmas lights wearing shorts & a t-shirt
*maybe I should move (that's what readers will say)


There's something about Western Colorado that I love. Those who know me well, know that when we first arrived there I didn't think I'd ever grow to like it! Whether it's the slow pace, high desert mountains, good memories, or the people, I don't know. But I was so happy to visit Grand Junction recently for a quick trip. My dear, sweet friend Rebecca, had the great idea of getting back together with our book club and we made it happen. As soon as I saw the Rockies, I was thrilled! Colorado is one of my favorite places and I needed a break. We drove from Denver to GJ in perfect weather. The weekend was just what I needed. Catching up with friends, hiking, relaxing all day with no expectations (and no baby to attend to!!!!!) was the perfect mini getaway for me.
*Thanks Terri & Susan for putting us up...putting up with us...no...the first one! We behaved :)

at Beaver Creek

view of the Bookcliffs from my bedroom at Terri's

pretty evening sky

part of the gang...we missed everyone who couldn't make it

Stella LOVED Thanksgiving. She is very much into food right now, so it was interesting to see which table foods she liked. Well, turns out the girl doesn't say "no" to anything, except bananas (it's a phase). She gobbled up her turkey like a pro!!

Our little 9+ month old angel is pretty darn awesome. She's into everything and keeps us on our toes. Her laugh is infectious and thinks pretty much anything is funny right now. The only tears you see are the crocodile ones - post meal when we say "all gone." We're working on signing with her and she can sign "more," but today she just turned her head away and screamed when she didn't get something immediately. We'll keep working on it.

9 Month Stella Stats
-19lbs + (hasn't gained much in the last 6 weeks)
-28" long
-eats like a champ
-holds her bottle by herself
-likes mommy's earrings
-looks more and more like daddy every day
-says "dada"
-wants to see everyone's teeth
-working on waving bye-bye
-shy around strangers
-obviously crawling & lots of cruising
-likes remotes
-has two bottom teeth

Loving this holiday season. Such a special time. Can't wait for Winter Break and Christmas to be here!!

Getting Well

Here's the most recent scoop:

Stella is getting over RSV. It totally sucks. My poor baby girl has been miserable, which in turn makes me feel miserable for her. She couldn't go to school all week and her nanny has a long term position right now, so I stayed home with her. Let me tell you what everyone at work will say..."So how was your vacation?" I mean, they will say that exact thing right after they ask how Stella is doing. TAKING CARE OF A SICK BABY IS NOT VACATION!!! The positives of being home all week did not out-weigh the negatives.

Stella's latest:

Halloween was low-key for us. I made sure she
was not disturbed by trick-or-treaters.
There was a big "please, sorry, and thank you" posted on the door.
Next year, we should have a little more fun.

Our little strawberry

Not going to lie. We didn't even put her in this until today.

Stella is finally back to the happy girl we know. She just needed a super girl weekend (mom, aunt, and great aunt came to visit) Take that RSV!!

Friday I'll be Colorado bound!! This will be the first time I've left Stella overnight. I know Mitch will do just fine and I'm sure by Sunday I'll be overly anxious to get home to see my sweet girl.

My Favorite Season

Fall is here!! Really that's all I wanted to say. Stella Kate is the most amazing blessing we could ask for. She is so fun right now - crawling, standing, fighting diaper changes, laughing at the dogs, chasing the dogs, playing peek-a-boo, trying to climb the dogs' stairs, getting into the dogs' food, etc.

I'm pretty sure we have a "ham" on our hands! And she would not let go of that sock :)

Back to School

I went from 15 darlings to 21 kiddos in 24 hours. I was in heaven until they closed a section on our grade level. Getting back in a routine has been a little hard, but has helped me become more productive.

Stella has been in daycare for three weeks now. I still don't like that she has to go, but I like her teachers, so that helps a lot. She kicking the tail end of a nasty cold. She's a tough girl though and is always smiling.

FINALLY!!!! Cooler temps arrived and I've been outside every chance I can get. On our morning walk Stella's toes actually got cold...oops. We started PlayWisely Saturday. So far, so fun. Stella had a great time and she did really well. I think it's going to be good. Other than that we're just getting back into the groove and relaxing when we can.

enjoying cooler temps this weekend

Love this girl!

Stella Kate Update

-7 months Saturday
-18lbs 1oz
-CRAWLING!!! This started Sunday when my sister & dad were over...such a show off :)
-doing lots of yoga positions (and was previously scooting all over the place)
-hasn't turned her head from any food (as long as it's mixed with fruit)
-got her 1st cold :/
-standing in her crib, but hasn't figured out how to get down
-happy all the time
-laughs hysterically when the dogs run around & play

Our Happy Girl!

Loving life!

Toning it down...Ha!

1. I want the option to mute all Olympic commentary, but still hear the hype of the crowd. There aren't any polite words I can express via FB/Blogger about Olympic Commentators.

2. Blogging - I really have NO filter. Crap. Why am I so opinionated?!?! I should write a book about everything that pops into my head because I end up deleting almost everything I type. Would that sell? I think after today I will only blog about family life because what I have to say can't be put out there without consequences.

3. Today is the first day in a week that I don't feel like death!!!!

I am pretty sure that I could conquer giving birth naturally now that I've had my tonsils and adenoids removed. This past week has been something along the lines of a slow-dying death. I have never felt so incredibly miserable in my life. The first couple of days weren't that bad, but days 4-8...Whoa!!! I expected a ton of throat pain, but what I wasn't prepared for was the serious amount on stabbing pain that would emanate from my ears and tongue. All of the post-op stuff I've read about the procedure mentioned SOME ear and tongue discomfort. My doctor has been completely unsympathetic and says it's all normal. I'm not one for crying when in pain, but I've been brought to tears a few times this week. The doc's solution - Drink More Water! I've been chugging it down...if I have anymore I'm going to throw up!! Drinking water along with taking pain meds haven't done the trick. I've had to GRIN and bare it. Okay...actually there was no grinning, just crying (which makes it worse) and  grasping my head until the pain subsides. This morning I woke up thinking...man, why didn't I schedule an appointment with my acupuncturist?!?! She could have totally helped in the pain department!!

On the eve of my tonsillectomy I blew up a bunch of balloons and made Mitch dinner for his birthday (a day early). What a way to celebrate a birthday, right? Catering to your wife while she's ordering you around via white board. Mitch is truly amazing!! I know we'll celebrate with a nice dinner out in a couple of weeks, but by then the looming presence of work will be upon me and I'll be a wreck.

I am unprepared for this school year. Until last week when my teammate called I knew in the back of my mind when I had to report back, but had pushed all work related business out of the way so I could enjoy summer.

Being home with Stella has been a true blessing. I'm dreading the fact that she'll be starting school in 10 days. We'll have to wake her super early just to get her there and I pray that I can get my work done during the day so I can rush to get her. As all teachers know, we don't work from 8-3 like many assume. We get there an hour before school starts and stay very late. Once we leave, we bring home more work to do. I envy those countries where the workplace rewards hard work and values shorter work weeks. I love their overall sense that a rested worker puts forth more effort and is more productive. **I think I'll start researching which countries those are and if feasible - move there.

BTW - Has anyone been watching Newsroom on HBO? Jeff Daniels hit the nail on the head in the first episode.

On a lighter note - Stella Kate Update:

-she LOVES solids (which I'm making!!)
-she's about to crawl...she's got a really good scoot down and is rocking on hands & knees!!
-we are so lucky to have such a happy girl

Here are a few pics from our weekend in Surfside.

That's all I've got!

Peace

No Complaining!

You know...I've been making a list of things to blog about lately, but when I went back to it, it was a bunch of complaints. So I just deleted it all and said forget it. No one really wants to hear me complaining. I woke up today and decided I was going to be in a good mood...and I AM!!

Not much has been going on lately. We had a really low-key Fourth of July. There's not much you can do with a baby in Texas when it's 95 outside. We grilled out with friends and that's pretty much it.

the twins keepin' cool
this pic makes me think of a typical Texas summer

a laid back kiddo with her daddy
these two are quite alike      

Stella is getting so big. I can't believe how quickly she's grown. She just turned 5 months old!!!

This girl is super laid-back...until she's not. Wow can her mood change in a second. I shouldn't laugh, but I'm totally cracking up right now.   

(I know...I sound like a bad mom...whatever...it's funny)

Stella Kate Update:

-GREAT night sleeper - 11.5hrs without a peep

-Napping...I've been instructed to read a book about baby sleep habits...I guess I should get on that...right now Stella takes two 45 min naps during the day and is still catnapping in the evening. I can NEVER get her to stay asleep after her first REM cycle is over. Whatever...I sound like an idiot talking about REM cycles. But they're no joke. I can't figure it out.

-She can sit up by herself for a few minutes

-She can pull herself up to standing with our help

-Roxy & Stella are becoming fast friends...I never thought this would happen

-Her smiles are the BEST!!

As for my other two children - Roxy & Beau

Beau was recently diagnosed with some sort of funky eyelid issue. So he's on 4 different pills and eye drops. Do you even understand how hard it is to give a dog eye drops?!?! I had to buy one of those pill counters that divides your pills into morning and night because it's so confusing!!!

*Side Note: Roxy likes the cookies and cheese puffs from the Nutrisystem box. One day I came home and there was a perfectly opened wrapper on the couch...then I found the rest under the bed. She's a crafty little girl. Her unwrapping skills never cease to amaze me. 

Upcoming Events:

Next weekend we're heading to the coast for a long weekend with Mitch's mom and stepdad...YAY!

I'm having my tonsils removed...YAY! Yes, I know what you're thinking. Why on earth would I be excited about that? Well, since high school I've had the worst tonsils and I've never done anything about them. So, yes...I'm thrilled to have a sore throat from hell for about a week and to lose weight because I can't eat. (I promise that 2nd thing is not why I'm having my tonsils removed..although it doesn't hurt in the case of Barbara vs. Baby Weight)

~Pray that I can get motivated to workout. It's scary over here. And whether I want to or not...I must fit into my work clothes in 4 weeks. YIKES!

St. Pete Week

Last week Stella & I took a girls trip to St. Petersburg, Florida with my mom and sister to visit our aunts. Everyone forgot to tell me that taking a 4 month old on vacation is NOT a vacation. Now I need about 4 days of sleep...who's coming over to watch this super cute, highly entertaining girl??

Our week started off with uncertain weather. Debby was a bit of a downer and we didn't know when she was going to leave. Monday the beach looked like this...

It finally cleared up and we had a sunny week. We stayed by the pool most of the time. Stella decided she loves swimming (phew...I was getting worried). We only went to the beach once. It was just easier to walk out the back door and float around without having to pack up the beach gear.

Stella got to meet her Uncle Jeff & Aunt Roni for the first time :)

We took a glass blowing class at the Morean Arts Center for mom's birthday. It was probably one of the coolest things I've done! We also went to our favorite tapas restaurant Ceviche. We go there every time we're in St. Pete. Delish!

Michelle was an awesome teacher!

Other than that, it was a pretty chill week. It's always a good time when we are with our aunts. Next time I decide taking a trip with our baby is a good idea, I'll be taking the nanny!


Stella Kate Update!

We've tried rice cereal a few times. She doesn't have any opposition to it, but she doesn't get the whole spoon/food thing yet. We'll keep working on it. (I have a really awesome video, but it's taking forever to load...wtf...so forget it!)

She is super fussy due to teething...Seriously I feel awful for her. She is really fussy and will only stop when I push her around the house in her stroller...So that's what I do :)

A few more pics from the week:

Stella's 1st plane ride
I don't really heart Southwest
What's the big deal?

Roxy now loves Stella
(or she realizes that Stella's not going away) 

Tray tables are also good for napping & changing diapers

Chillin' out by the pool

working on my glass creation

floating :)

Happy 4th of July week!!