Stella's First Christmas

We had a full house for Stella's First Christmas and it was lots of fun!  Stella hasn't learned how to unwrap a gift yet but Mommy helped her out.  She received lots of nice things - clothes, toys, books, and Santa brought her a big girl car seat which her cousin Dana helped her unwrap (Dana noticed right away that it would be too big for Stella to unwrap by herself!).  We enjoyed a delicious Prime Rib dinner at Aunt Mary Jane and Uncle Neil's where we spent most of the day.  It was a relaxing and memorable day!

Stella pulling herself up at Aunt Mary Jane's

This purse ornament was a gift from Nancy H - it is the perfect size for Stella to carry around, although this isn't exactly what we had imagined...

Stella is doing well pulling herself up and pulled herself along the church pew on Christmas Eve.  She is starting to be a little bit more brave as each day passes, despite a few falls here and there, and it is fun to watch her learn and prepare for her first steps!

This week Stella and Mommy will head back to Burlington for a routine check-up at the Neonatal Follow-Up Clinic and a visit with Auntie Caroline.

Stella's Standing!

Stella is doing very well progressing toward taking her first steps.  This week she has mastered pulling herself up into the standing position.  We captured her pulling herself up in the bathtub (which was fun and a little scary for us) and telling us all about it.  The video is pretty dark but we thought it was worth sharing anyway!

Stella Stands Up

Other news this week is that we learned that Trey's monument has finally arrived from Vermont (of all places!) and is ready to be placed at the cemetery.  Since we are covered in snow here the placement may have to wait but we are happy that it is ready.  Uncle Dan and Aunt Melissa, who are also Trey's Godparents, thoughtfully had some wreaths placed at the cemetery, one with their son Timmy, and one with our sweet Trey.  Thank you for making these arrangements Dan - they look great!

The boys: Timmy and Trey

Trey's Cemetery Plot - We are looking forward to having his stone placed when the weather allows.

Shop 'Till Stella Drops!

As Christmas Day approaches we've been busy.  This Saturday Stella spent the whole day with Mommy and Gianna so Gia's parents could do some holiday shopping.  It was so much fun to see the girls entertain one another!

Sunday we literally shopped until Stella didn't want to shop any longer.  She was so tired but wouldn't give in to all of the hustle and bustle so we headed home.  She was a happy girl when we visited Santa though and it really was a productive day.

Stella and her new friend, with an angel looking over her shoulder.

So far Stella doesn't seem all that interested in our Christmas tree which we don't mind at all!

Other news this week: Stella has begun to prop herself up on her knees and will reach for things.  She is so proud of herself when she is able to pat the couch!  Also, she is working on learning how to use a sippy cup and is doing a great job!

Stella Meets Santa

Stella spent the afternoon with her Grammie on Saturday while Dad coached a game and Mom officiated at an indoor track meet.  Stell Belle hasn't been feeling that great but her and Grammie ventured out to the VFW Christmas party for just one hour. 






                                                                         


Stella had a great time meeting Santa and receiving a whole bag full of goodies just for her. 

Stella was fascinated with the gift tag on her present, which is no surprise to us...  We take pleasure in knowing that the simplest of things amuse her now because we know it won't always be that way!

 





Thank you to the Ladies Auxiliary for throwing such a nice party, and thank you Grammie for spending the day with Stella!

Stella's First Trip to Ohio

As mentioned in our Thanksgiving post our family traveled to Ohio to spend the holiday with the Hooley's.  Grammie and Pa came too, as well as our nephew Logan.  While we were there we were able to see Jeanie, Doug, and Jordan (family who visited from Cincinnati), and Adam and Karissa (Adam is a great friend from WVWC who we've stayed in touch with).  It was a busy visit but we had a nice time seeing everyone.  Thank you to Melissa, Dan, and their girls for hosting us for the weekend - we really enjoyed ourselves!

Stella's first bath in the kitchen sink (after 10 months we thought it was about time!)

Stella with her cousins Cailin and Dana

Stella with Adam and Karissa

P.S. Stell Belle slept through Thanksgiving dinner so we didn't get to all sit around the table together as planned.  Maybe that will happen on Christmas day instead!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving 2010 @ the Hooley's in Orient, OH

This year our family is so grateful to have one another.  We are also grateful for the many people who have helped us out in a variety of ways.  We've made some new and lasting friendships this year, and have been touched by complete strangers.  We miss our sweet Trey terribly, but we are grateful too for the time we shared with him.  And lastly, we are grateful for Stella's good health and happiness.  She is doing so well and most of the time is such a joy to everyone around her.

Pasta, Carrots, Black Beans, Kiwi, and More!

Stella has changed so much in such a short time.  She is healthy and growing and we are so happy.  Behind her success is good nutrition (which was also the foundation of her time spent in the NICU).  Watching the transformation from a formula only diet, to cereal, to baby food, and now table food has been remarkable.  We've given her mostly home-made baby food but now we are so excited to be able to begin feeding her the same things we are eating (like some of the foods listed in the title of this entry).  She is such a good eater and enjoys most everything we give her.  This week Stella has begun to feed herself, literally.  She makes a mess of course but she figures it out which makes us realize what a big girl she is becoming.  This milestone has arrived just in time for Thanksgiving so we are looking forward to all of us being able to gather around together and all eat at the same time.  We are heading to Ohio to be with family and should have some good pictures to post later in the week!

Stella had the chance to play with Gianna this week not once but twice which was lots of fun.  This photo is from Saturday evening when the girls were getting ready for bed.  Gianna was so sweet giving Stella a hug.  We know it won't be long before they will be running around together, stealing each others toys, and learning about friendship from one another.

Promoting the Ronald McDonald House

Our loyal blog followers may remember us mentioning during our time in Burlington that we took part in a shoot for a promotional video.  The producer did a terrific job and we are happy to share it with all of you:

http://www.youtube.com/v/uOEHR-gsLVw&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3">

Separation Anxiety

This week Stella had some special time with her dad in celebration of both Veteran's Day and Native American Day.We had no weekend plans so we did a little bit of shopping and mommy and Stella had a nice long nap together on Sunday afternoon.  This quiet week was just what we needed before the holidays set in.

Since it was such a quiet week we don't have too much news to share.  We are noticing that Stella is beginning to experience some separation anxiety.  She really doesn't want you to be out of her site, and she wants to be held a lot.  We are happy to have her affection but know we will have to find a balance which will work for all of us.

Since we had a quiet week (which we are so grateful for!) and don't have a lot of news we are posting some comparison pics to show how far our sweet Stell Belle has come.

November 17th is National Prematurity Awareness Day.  We hope you will join us in wearing purple in recognition of all babies who are born premature.

Stella at the beginning of January - it may look like she's relaxing but she was working hard to make up for her early arrival.

Stella in October, happy and healthy!

Children's Memorial Service

After a quiet week Stella had a busy busy weekend...

Friday night we had some company over for a girls night - Stella had some good quality time with her dad while I visited with some good friends.

Then on Saturday Stella and I headed to Burlington for the night.  Daddy stayed behind so he could attend a pre-season coaches meeting for basketball.  Our trip was short but very eventful!

We started the visit off with Caroline's baby shower.  Stella was one of many babies who entertained the crowd.  It was so nice to meet some of Caroline's friends, see all of the wonderful things she received in preparation for her new baby, and to hear some of her fond memories of the time she had in the NICU with her baby Hope.  It was also a nice surprise to run into Nurse Pat, who took care of Trey often.  After the shower we went to the Fletcher Allen cafeteria to meet with Nurse Julie before her shift.  We had such a nice visit catching up and remembering Trey.

Stella playing with Heidi

On Sunday morning (after a somewhat sleepless night) we went to IHOP to meet Miss Heidi for breakfast.  It was the first time I've ate at IHOP since June and it was delicious!  Then we headed to Fletcher Allen to visit PICU and NICU staff.  We saw Carol, who was with us the day Trey passed away.  I was overwhelmed seeing her again after all we went through together.  It was such a nice visit.  While we were there we also saw some of the other nurses who meant so much to our family during our time in Vermont, including Liz and Kristen, who took care of our children often.

Around lunchtime Stella and I met up with Grammie and Pa at the Ronald McDonald House (because a trip to Burlington will no longer be complete without a stop there!).  We headed to Williston for a nice lunch out and a little shopping before we went to the UVM Chapel for the Children's Memorial Service hosted by Vermont Children's Hospital at Fletcher Allen Health Care.

The service was a nice compilation of songs, stories, poems, and photos.  At the service Stella and I had the chance to see Dr. Macauley, who baptised the babies among some other things he did to help take care of us, and Dr. Lahiri, a lung specialist who worked with Trey. It was really nice having Grammie and Pa with us, as parts of the service were difficult.  It was also nice to be joined by Heidi who was such a big part of Trey's time with us, and of course Caroline, who was also honoring her sweet baby Hope.   We are so very fortunate to have had our experience with Trey at Fletcher Allen, a hospital which truly does a terrific job at taking care of families.

We headed back to NY just before six, and although it was a late night getting back, the trip was well worth it.  Visiting Burlington will always be bitter sweet for us.  It is the people we met who will always keep us coming back.  They took care of us, and we've made some wonderful friends who have come to be known as our 'Burlington Family'.  See everyone next month when we visit for Stella's neonatal follow-up!

Happy Halloween!

Stella's first Halloween was very special because rather than going out trick or treating the treats came to her.  Thank you to Grammie, Pa, and Grandma for coming over for dinner to see Stell Belle all dressed up.  We had so many trick or treaters stop by that Pa had to go down the street and buy extra candy!  Stella wasn't all that interested in Halloween this year, but we had fun anyway!

Carving Pumpkins

Playing with slime daddy made for his chemistry students.

Other news this week: Stella has mastered crawling.  She is making her way around and is so pleased with herself when she reaches her desired destination/object!  Stella had to go to an alternate child care provider on Friday and she did great!  She is a 'go-with-the-flow' kind of girl and she didn't mind being around new kids at all!  Thank you Missy Mills for looking after Stella for the day!  Stella also had some time with Grammie and Pa on Friday when our family had a sleep over in Canton.  And Saturday Stella was able to visit with her Great Grandpa Cutway and meet Great Grandma Ann for the first time! 

Stay tuned because next week we will be making our way back to Burlington for Auntie Caroline's baby shower and a special ceremony in remembrance of Fletcher Allen pediatric patients, including our beloved Trey. 

Time is flying...

We continue to be amazed at our beautiful little girl as she continues to learn about the world around her.  As she plays with new toys, it is fun to watch her figure out how the toy reacts when she does something to it.  Stella also chews on a regular basis, which has opened the door to her trying new foods.  (She had a mcdonald's french fry, and tried (and loved) black beans tonight as we had some mexican)  She continues to brighten each and every day of our lives and we hope she can continue to do so for so many more people besides us!!

This weekend she got to visit with some of her dad's cousins, as both Jeff, and Jessica Gilson and their families were home in canton.  It was the first opportunity for us to meet Gianna Basta, and the first time they got to meet Stella in person.  This also marked the first time that we saw Jeff and his family in quite some time. (way too long)  It was great to see everyone, and there was not enough time to visit, but Stella loved meeting new relatives and can't wait to play with them again!

The other exciting milestone this week is that Stella is crawling!  She is by no means an expert yet, but she has taken at least 3 or 4 "crawls" before falling on her stomach.  She can now move to get something that she wants, and this makes her happy.  Although sometimes she gets frustrated because she cannot quite move as fast as she wants.  Here is a quick video of her moving just a bit.  This is the first time Daddy saw this, she currently does it a bit better.

Falling Leaves taste good?

It seems as if time just flies by, especially with our beautiful girl growing like a weed.  It is hard to believe that the leaves are leaving us, and that white stuff will be here sooner than we would like. (With white stuff comes an orange round ball also)  We continue to be amazed at how much Stella is learning each and everyday.  She now knows how to get something when she wants it.  She waddles, military crawls, and rolls all over the place.  She is always finding something that catches her attention.  We are waiting for the time when she crawls, as of now she gets on her hands and knees and rocks back and forth.  She is figuring out how to feed herself some finger foods, although she by no means has this mastered.  New toys amaze her, but to her there is nothing more interesting than an items' tag.  It doesn't matter how colorful, or loud, or bright something is, Stella will find the tag and play with it instead of the toy itself.  This should make birthdays rather simple in the future!!

Stella also experienced her first babysitter that was not family or daycare.  Mom and Dad attended a "Beers around the World" party and Whitney Sevey was kind enough to watch our sleeping cutie.  They had tons of fun, and we wanted to thank Whitney so much!!  We are so happy that Stella is very laid back (I wonder who she gets that from); it is nice that she doesn't mind just going with the flow sometimes.  This is especially the case when Daddy is taking care of Stell Belle!  One of our favorite pictures so far...

Burlington Friends Visit

Stella napping with Burlington Auntie Caroline

This weekend Stella had a very special treat: a visit from Caroline!  Stella spent a lot of quality time with Caroline during our time in Burlington and the two of them were able to relive some of those special moments this past weekend.  This time around Stella is a little bit bigger and a lot more interactive though!  We had a fun weekend which included a visit to a local Apple Orchard.  Stella isn't ready to pick apples but she enjoyed being outside.

This week Stella had her 9 month pediatrician appointment.  She now weighs 16 lbs. 8 oz.   She also grew two inches in length.  She's a  growing girl and she's doing great!

Our Changing Baby

 Stella is growing and changing so much.  It is fun to witness first hand all of the things she is learning.

This week has been particularly exciting.  We discovered on accident that Stella can hold her bottle all on her own!  She was spending some time with mommy's bff Kristen while mom was cleaning the basement.  It was really fun to walk in the room and find Stell Belle being such a big girl!

Stella hasn't learned how to crawl exactly but she certainly can figure out her way around.  She is moving all over the place and trying to touch and feel everything.  She is even starting to show her frustration with us if we take something away (especially paper - she loves to put paper of any kind in her mouth and hates to have it taken from her!).

Doubly exciting this week is Stella's ability to sit all by herself.  We've been waiting patiently for this as it changes everything.  As you can see she really enjoys playtime.  She is double fisting it with the toys too.  She brings something with her more often than not now when we are on the move.

Stella continues to fill our days with joy, laughter, and excitement.  We hope she does the same for you on a weekly basis through our blog postings!

Stella's First Sleepover!

Stella with Grammie and Pa

Stella spent her first night away from Mom and Dad for a sleepover at Grammie and Pa's house.  She did better than mom (who really, really missed her!).  She had a great time and was a good girl for her grandparents! Mom and Dad had a nice evening out with a delicious meal at 'The Club' and a shopping trip to Walmart which concluded with an enthralling game of 'Big Buck Hunter'.  It's amazing how different a trip to the store is without Stella.  Our date night ended with some Wii challenges which we haven't played in forever - BethAnn's age is 50 which is surprisingly young. We missed Stella but it was good for all of us.  We are so very lucky to have family close by.

This week Stella tried out shoes, fought a cold or allergies (we aren't sure which), visited with the Seveys, tried peaches, and shared her smiles with the Canton UMC.  Her second tooth is definitely through too!

Fall = Pumpkins!

This week Stella's first tooth started to come through - right in the front at the bottom of her mouth.  She is taking this quite well, as her mood hasn't changed a bit!

Stella's new food for this week was pumpkin - she didn't seem to mind it!

With both her parents @ work, Stella spends her week days with Denise, who obviously keeps her busy during the day.  She often takes a little cat nap on the way home.



Since we miss out on a lot of time with Stell Belle during the week, evenings and weekends are extra special.  Stella loves hanging out with her daddy inbetween dinner and bedtime! (As you can see, it's a tough job for him...)

On Sunday we visited Breezy Maples Farm with the Britton's.  It was a beautiful fall day and we all enjoyed being outside, seeing the animals, going an a hay-wagon ride, and picking out our pumpkins! We even ran into    the Worthley's who were out enjoying the day!

Stella's pumpkin is just the right size!

Gianna, Hannah, and Stella

Our cutest little pumpkin!

Go Team!

This weekend we took Stella to a soccer game and a triathlon.  She also checked out volleyball practice earlier in the week when Mom was at a graduate class.  Since sports are a big part of our family we figured why not expose Stell Belle early?  She was very cheerful and excited to see the competition but she is this way most days.  It really is too early to tell if there is an athlete within her...

Stella hanging out on the lawn @ the SUNY Potsdam Triathlon

Sneezes and Snuggles

The drastic change in the weather has brought Stella sniffles along with it.  Miss Stell Belle has stayed a happy girl for the most part, but she's stuffed up and sleepy.  It's nothing that some good snuggles and a humidifier can't take care of though!  We enjoyed some relaxing time at home this weekend cuddling with Stella which helps her rest better.

Other news this week: Stella tried broccoli, which she tolerates but doesn't seem to be a big fan of.  She also spent two full days with Denise since Daddy has gone back to work.  Stella brings smiles everywhere she goes which draws a lot of attention our way - at church, the Cactus Grill, and grocery shopping to name a few.

Pig Roast 2010

With Uncle Dick

This weekend we shared Stella's sweet smile with everyone @ the Goolden's Annual Pig Roast.  The Hooley's were visiting from Ohio, and lots of family and friends joined us for the festivities.  Mommy was nervous because Stella had some sniffles later in the week but she was feeling better by Friday and the weather was spectacular. After the party we slept over at Grammie and Pa's and had breakfast with everyone before they left.   It was a fun way to end the summer so to speak.

This past week was Stella's last full week at home with daddy - it's back to work on Wednesday...

Stella with Grandma Linda

Our Visit to Burlington

NICU 2010: Rachel and Jeff Mars with twins Bradon and Riley, Carleen Meseck with Ty, Tara, Shawn and Kadence Graham with Owen, and Randy and I with Stella - (missing Dawning and Nina from NYC, who had left prior to this photo)

We had a wonderful and very busy  trip to Burlington!  It was an emotional weekend but we got through it and it was nice to see some Fletcher Allen friends.  When Trey passed we just sort of up and left without saying goodbye to anyone, so this was a nice chance to just let people know we are thinking of them.

The NICU Reunion was a lot of fun despite the rain.  We had a chance to catch up with some people who meant a lot to us.  The picture above features some long-term NICU families during the beginning of '10.  We also had some time to visit with some NICU staff including two of our favorites:

Stella with Lizzy B. - one of her primaries, and our NICU 

'Mother'

Stella with Miss Heidi, one of Trey's primary care givers

In addition to the NICU Reunion Picnic, we had a great time visiting with Caroline and Caleb.  We had a delicious dinner out on Sunday night and were very grateful to stay the night at their house.  Stella had some quality time with Caroline - her 'Burlington Auntie'.

Stella's doctors appointment today went great.  We were able to see Elizabeth, the nurse practioner who has been working with Stella from the beginning, as well as Dr. Johnson, a neonatalogist we had been hoping to run into.  Stella has made wonderful progress - she now weighs 15 lbs. 15.5 oz. so she no longer needs to have fortified formula (we can just follow the directions on the side of the can now, no special recipe!).  They gave us some more tips for homemade baby food options and said they don't need to see her again until the end of December.  We are so pleased that Stella is doing so well.

We finished off our hospital trip with visits to both the PICU and NICU to see staff we had spent time with during our long stay.  We also stopped in to see Beth's colleague Nancy who is recovering from a very serious illness.  She is doing well and it was good to see her getting back on her feet!  All in all we had a great visit.  The first trip in to the parking garage was a little overwhelming, but once we made it into the hospital it wasn't so bad.

Our trip to Burlington would simply not have been complete without a visit to the Ronald McDonald House.  We stopped in to drop off a few items and to see some of the house staff.  They greeted us just as warmly as they always have...

Stella visits old friends!!

Stella had a quiet week @ home which included two home-cooked meals with good friends: The Zender's and The Britton's. The week culminated with a Sunday trip to Burlington to visit with former NICU families, Fletcher Allen staff and Auntie Caroline.  Tomorrow we'll visit the NICU follow-up clinic to see how Stella is progressing.  Check back for the doctors update and some pics from the weekend.

Stella's First Vacation

Stella experienced her first roadtrip this weekend - we traveled seven hours to Waterville, Maine to visit with the Smart family.  It was so great to see Stacy (a WVWC friend of Beth's), Aaron, and Lily - who we met for the first time.  Lily is almost two and she was very happy to have a baby around!  We enjoyed a Lobster feed, a trip to the batting cages and mini-golf, and relaxing around the house just catching up.

Stella wasn't very fond of the car ride, but we travled through the night on the way there so she only had to struggle through the trip back.  We had long stops in Montpelier, VT and Plattsburgh, NY so she could have a break from her car seat and it went pretty well.

Other news this week: Stella is now fond of both peas and applesauce.  She is getting around during floor time really well, she is a scooter.  We don't think it will be long before she starts to prop herself up in an attempt to crawl!

We are looking forward to a trip back to Burlington this coming weekend.  We will be visiting for the NICU Reunion Picnic, a neonatal follow-up appointment, and to see our Burlington family of course!

We Love Summer!

Stella spent some quality time with her Grandma Todd and met some relatives at Aunt Heather Gilsons this week - including Uncle Gary and Aunt Chris who were visiting for a few days.  She also visited the Pribek/Britton families at Chateaguay lake, went to her first parade during the Tri-Town Festival, met another baby her age at the Zender's house, and had a quiet Sunday with Mom - we went to church and watched The Princess and the Frog (well, she fell asleep part way through but we're sure she'll watch it plenty of times in the days to come)!  Stella seems to really enjoy being outdoors and loves to go for walks in her stroller.  She is also doing really well with spoon feeding - she just figured it out somehow!  She isn't a big fan of cereal but we tried it with added bananas today and she ate every bit of it!

Waiting for the Tri-Town Festival Parade

Watching a scene from The Princess and the Frog

Four Little Ladies and Friends

Although Stella doesn't live close to her female cousins they certainly have a few things in common!  I've posted some pictures of each of them with animals from their home states - Stell Belle at TimeQuest Animal Farm in New York (which we visited this week), Haley on a beautiful beach in Hawaii, and the Hooley's at home in Ohio.

Stella continues to do well.  She had a fun week which ended with a nice dinner at Aunt Mary Jane and Uncle Neil's house.  This week we are looking forward to seeing some of daddy's extended family!

Stella with a Goat

Haley with a Sea Turtle

Hooley's with one of their bunnies Mckenna

A Day of Firsts...

Today was a busy day for Miss Stell Belle.  Mommy took her to church for the very first time and she did pretty well.  Her schedule was a little off so during church, when she is normally sleeping, she stayed up and fought going to sleep - there was just too much to look at and take in!

Stella in her Sunday dress

Stella also attended her first golf tournament today.  Daddy was invited to play in the Malone Member Guest.  The Club really puts on a show at the conclusion of the tournament with an All-Family reception complete with passed hors d' oeuvres and cocktails, a buffet of yummy snacks and desserts, a shoot-out competition, a penny raffle for the kids, and awards for the weekends best players.  Stella loves to watch people and enjoys the outdoors so she had a great time!

Lastly, Stella talked to her Aunt Patti on the phone today.  She chatted right back at her and it was sooo precious!  We can't wait for the time when she talks to us on the phone too (Mommy usually checks on her @ lunch time, but she's never responded like that!).