Bye Bye Bottle

Stella continues to work toward the usual milestones for toddlers.  Moving from the bottle exclusively to a sippy cup is her most recent accomplishment.  We are so proud of her!  The transition was much easier than we had imagined, and we are excited to have purchased our last can of formula for her.  We suspect that walking will be her next milestone - she is getting closer every day.

Stella is such a sweet little girl who is happy and laid back most of the time.  Her personality is developing though and she is starting to express a little bit of an attitude.  She's not always agreeable, such as in these photos where she's very upset about having her diaper changed...

Stella and daddy were spoiled by lots of time together this past week during the public school mid-winter break.  It's back to the usual routine this week though.

Fun At Home

We've been spending a lot of time at home this winter and are exactly where we want to be!  Stella and Mommy did venture down the street this weekend for the Brasher Falls Winter Carnival Parade.  It was a cold day so we didn't stay outside for long!  During our time at home we've learned the simplest things can amuse Stella - such as a balloon, a book, or our cat Cole, but also that she's really interested in the things we are doing - such as laundry, paying bills, or homework.  We involve her as much as we can, she's already a little helper!


Cole is intrigued by Stella, but he keeps a safe distance from her!  He loves to tease her by running up the stairs when the gate is up!

Stella thinks she should have a turn typing,
but these moments are few and far between
because we are still working on what 'gentle' means (hence Cole keeping his distance!).

Our Snow Baby

Tonight we entered Stella in the Tri-Town Winter Carnival Snow Babies contest.  This year's theme is the 1950's and it just so happens that a family neighbor from Canton, Irene Patterson, passed along some of her daughters baby clothing this past summer.  While I never imagined having the opportunity for Stella to wear a truly vintage dress this was the perfect opportunity!

A Fluffy Stage

Stella's Our Star

A Special Necklace (Passed down from Mommy)

Close-Up of Vintage Dress

Stella Can Hear!

This week Stella had an appointment to have her hearing checked.  She passed her newborn hearing screening in the NICU but a follow-up test was recommended just to be sure there weren't any complications from prematurity.  We knew Stella could hear based on her reactions but took her to the appointment just to be sure.  She did great just as we thought she would!

Stella was a social butterfly this weekend despite feeling a little under the weather.  We went to a birthday party on Saturday, she played with Grammie and Pa that night (who stayed over so we could have date night), and went to church on Sunday morning. 

Over the weekend we found that Stella was determined to have just one nap during the day (which never ends well!).  Combined with her runny nose the lack of sleep made her one grumpy little lady!  We still enjoyed her company though!

A Different Routine

Stella is very interested in the refrigerator these days...

This past week Stella's usual routine was a bit off.  Wednesday was a snow day so she was able to stay home all day with her daddy.  On Friday she visited her substitute day care where she had the opportunity to play with several other children.  She adapted just fine and had a good day; she was a happy girl when Mommy picked her up!  On Saturday she spent a few hours with her Grammie who took her sledding for the first time - they had lots of fun.  That evening we took Grammie and Pa out to 'The Club' in Canton to celebrate their 38th Wedding Anniversary!  Stella was a hungry little girl when we arrived so she was a bit fussy but once we put some food in front of her she was her happy self again!





Now that Stella is a toddler she sometimes thinks that she can skip a nap.  Well, she really can't.  She needs 2-3 hours of rest throughout the day and when she doesn't get enough she doesn't make it through dinner.  This photo is one of those times!