Big Girl Chair

Matt and I have been talking about the idea of getting Stella a “big girl chair” for her first birthday.  Whenever I hit a Home Sense, I always let Stella sit in a few of the chairs to test them out.  She LOVES sitting in these chairs.  She gets such a big smile on her face while clapping her hands in excitement.  In fact, I’m pretty sure I could leave her there while I shop, come back, and she would never have left the chair.

She’s only wearing one shoe because during our shopping experience she decided to chew on one for entertainment.  I like this chair because it has the little foot stool that came with it.  So cute!

This one was actually a little rocking chair, which she wasn’t as much a fan of.  She couldn’t figure out why the chair kept moving back and fourth.  However, she REALLY liked the pink poke-a-dots as she kept scratching them to see if she could peel one off.

I can’t believe that in about one more month our little girlie will be turning one!  I know I’ve said this before, but it’s just so crazy how quickly the time goes!  Sooner than later she will be reading her books in her very own “big girl chair.”  Yeah!

The Broom… Really?!

Recently, Stella has discovered the kitchen broom and dustpan hidden in between the stove and cupboard.  It continues to amaze me how determined Stella is to explore any new thing she can get her hands on.  She wants to explore the fire place, the electrical outlets, the plugs to everything, the central vac holes in the wall, the cupboard drawers and doors, under the couch (got her head stuck a couple times), behind the couch (got pinned between the wall and couch), her night light, pulling books off the shelves, and pretty much every little ball of fuzz she can find.  She’s keeping me busy… but I LOVE it.

Here are some pictures of Stella with the broom and dustpan.  The pics take place on two separate occasions.  This first set of pictures was the very first time she found the magnificent broom.  She played with it for about 30 minutes straight while I worked on dinner.

This second set of pictures are so sweet.  As she played I told her how lucky of a Mommy I was to have such a good little helper in the kitchen.  To my surprise, this actually seemed to cheer her on as she tried so very hard to sweep the floor just like Mommy!

She was so proud of herself for helping too!  Thank you for being such a joy to care fore and love, Stella.  You make me laugh everyday! xo

Morning Without Mommy

This morning I had the pleasure of going shopping with Emma (my sister-in-law) and Susan (my mother-in-law) in hopes of finding Emma a prom dress.  We were successful!  Matt stayed at home with Stella for the morning… actually, until 3 in the afternoon.

They decided to go to Toys R Us together for a little outing.  While I was in Toronto shopping, I called Matt to see how the day was going.  He had just put her down for a nap, and told me about their toy shopping adventures.  Matt proceeded to inform me that he had got a couple of things for Stella.  With her birthday just around the corner, I found this to be a nice surprise.  Then, Matt started to explain the reasoning for his purchases which both melted my heart, and made me laugh.

Matt said: “There were just a couple of things that she really liked.  When I showed them to her she just really loved them so I thought I’d get them for her.”

I know Matt loves his daughter so much.  I don’t want to suggest that Stella “has Matt wrapped around her little finger” because I think that’s taking it a little too far.  However, I would like to suggest that he may have been slightly “wooed” by Stella’s cute little face and smiles when it came to the toys.

The details in the pictures tell all:

Here is Stella looking less than enthused with the whole experience.  Until…

… Daddy shows her some toys and her face lights up with glee.  Purchases are made in large quantities.

On the ride home, the trunk is full of toys and Stella is content as a pig in mud… having a well deserved snack from all her hard work of toy shopping.

Upon arriving home I enter the front door and literally see two large bags full of toys!  I then received the break down of all the toy purchases.  Two toys are for her birthday, and they were quite small.  One “toy” is those soft spongy mats we’ve been looking for for quite awhile.  One stuffed bunny was a cheap treat because she really liked it when he showed it to her.  The other bag full of toys were purchased (ultimately by Nana and Grandpa) and will be living at their house for when Stella comes to visit.

Although all these toy purchases seem to have a perfectly good explanation, I still think that Stella was able to charm her Daddy today.  I find this to be so sweet. I realize my perception of this will change in years to come, but for now I will allow myself to enjoy it… even just a little bit.

Love you both!  XO

Being a Parent

When I look at this picture I see her innocence.  She is so precious.  This face compels me to do all that I can to train her up in the way of the Lord.

I have no greater desire for her than she come to a saving knowledge of her Savior Jesus Christ.  I know that she is ultimately not mine.  God bought her with a price, and he has given Matt and I the weighty responsibility of being her parents.  I feel both overwhelmed and blessed by this responsibility.  For all the times I have been and will be a “bad” parent, I am thankful that God holds her in his hands and is sovereign over her life.

God, grant Matt and I the wisdom and strength to train up Stella according to your Word.  We will fail.   Grant us grace and lead her in the path of righteousness despite our failures.

Nana and Grandpa’s House

A few nights ago Matt, Stella and I went for dinner at her Nana and Grandpa’s house.  Stella had such a great time socializing with everyone, and we all had a great time laughing at her ability to entertain us.

The visit started out as it usually does… cuddling with Grandpa.  Here is a picture of her sitting on Grandpa’s knee quite contently.

As many of you already know, Stella’s Uncle Drew is away at school in California most of the year, so he quickly came on the couch to cuddle with Stella as well.  As the three of them sat there together, the rest of us started singing songs so that Stella would laugh and we could take some photos.

Here is a picture of Stella so thrilled to be with her Grandpa and Uncle watching Nana and Mommy sing her silly songs.

What a little muffin she is.  Eventually we got a nice pic of Just Stella and Uncle Drew… apparently he wants to update his desktop picture at school.  So sweet that he would use a picture of him and his little niece.

Two funny stories while we were there.  The first “story” has to do with the carpet.  In their living area is a rug that is made up of very long tassels.  To make a long story short, the rug freaks Stella out.  When we sit her down on it, she touches it gently with her little hand and then pulls away quickly with a look of disgust on her face.  She tries to get herself off of the rug as quickly as possible without touching it too much.  It’s such a cute little ordeal that I sit her on it just to watch the drama unfold!

Here is Stella standing (rug in behind).  So sweet.

Second story has to do with Nana leaving the kitchen without Stella’s permission.  Nana was cooking up dinner in the kitchen and Stella was watching… they do this together often.

Nana had to quick leave to use the washroom, and Stella started screaming in disapproval!  I then come into the kitchen and hear Susan apologizing to a very upset little girl.  Can you say, “separation anxiety!”  At least we know shes totally in love with her Nana!

As usual we had a wonderful time just being together as a family.  May we have many more times like this in the years to come! Love you all!

Stella’s New Spring Attire

I have been looking for a jacket for Stella for quite a while now.  She hated previous jackets I bought her because they we not stretchy, and therefore she was not comfortable enough.  I know this because she would gladly wear a sweater with “give,” and would not gladly wear a coat with “no give.”

I found this adorable little jean jacket in the Gap that is stretchy jean!  I was not in love with the price… but I was in love with the jacket.  I decided to buy it because I knew it would last her a while, and I knew that she would be comfortable in it.  I don’t normally make such splurges on infant clothing, but for this little peach coloured jacket I made an exception!

Excuse her funny little face, but I’m pretty sure it’s one of the cutest things I’ve seen on her.  She has worn it everyday without fail since the day of the purchase.  SUCCESS!

The second little Spring garb I bought her was a new pair of shoes.  Her feet are almost impossible to find shoes for.  Often, they won’t fit in sandals or shoes because they are too fat.  The length of her foot is still 3-6 month size, but the fatness is… well… difficult to deal with.

I was in a Joe Fresh store when I found these little numbers that just happened to be made for fat feet like Stella’s.  They are 3-6 month size, but very accommodating to her obese feet.

Also, they were super cheap. Not only were they cheap, and not only do they fit, but they are super cute!    Another SUCCESS!  P.S. Please excuse the vacuum… it is one of Stella’s favorite “toys.”

Yeah Springtime!

Wild Child

So now that Stella is “getting around” more, she is becoming quite a little wild child.  She shows no apprehension when trying to pull herself onto furniture, or crawl all over Mommy or Daddy.  Here’s a pic of her “attacking” me while I was trying to take a picture of her.

Pardon the blurriness of the picture, but it was too difficult to steady the camera with all her shenanigans.  The tongue stuck out is a clear sign that Stella is concentrating very hard and mustering up all her gumption to accomplish something VERY important!  She was on a mission to cuddle Mommy, and there was no stopping her!  She’s a nut-bar, but I love her.

Crawling and Standing

It’s finally happening.  Stella is now 10 and a half months and she is actually crawling.  She has been skooching around in a VERY weird way for a few days now, but yesterday was the first day that I’ve seen her CRAWL… and she’s getting faster by the minute!  She’s also started pulling herself up to standing position with the help of furniture around the house.  Here’s a picture of her standing after she pulled herself up using the stair railings.

As you can see by the look on her face, she is VERY proud of her new accomplishment.  Next step is she’ll be racing up and down the stairs!

In the past, I was able to plop Stella down on the floor with her toys and know that when I came back in a minute, she would be right where I left her.  Those days are over.  I’m having to re-think my strategies when it comes to getting things done around the house.

Yesterday I did a little gardening outside and I stuck Stella in the play yard on the porch.  This way she would be safe, able to watch me and play with her toys.  She was less interested in her toys, and more interested in practicing her standing up skills.  She would stand and then sit, and then stand, and then sit… wanting my congratulations every time!

She loved to watch me work away, and enjoyed being out in the BEAUTIFUL warm weather.  When I look at this picture I am reminded of how quickly the past year has gone by.  Next month she will turn 1 year old!  She is becoming such a “big-girl.”  Stella has been a blessing to us this past year, and we can’t wait for all of the adventures we will have with her this summer!  We love you Stella!

Mini II

Here’s another picture of Stella sporting her mini skirt.  She posed with her tongue out while Daddy took the picture.  What a happy little girl she is… always ready and willing to give you a smile.  In fact, she will even smile when she’s grumpy, or in the middle of a cry… you just have to smile at her first.  But that’s another story…

I know I edited this picture to death, but I still thought it was cute and needed to be posted and remembered.

My little Cutie Pie!  Mommy loves you.  xo