Pool Parties

We've had a very busy summer so far despite working hard to make sure Beth is able to take it easy.  Stella is enjoying outdoor play time and loves the water.  Here are a few captions of her summer-time fun:

At the Zender's Pool during their 4th of July Party

At the Mill's Pool after the last summer AAU Basketball Tournament

And splashing around in her own pool with Katy and Toby - the pool slide's not as fun as it looks so we improvised with her other slide which she really enjoyed!

We've also been spending some time inside cooling off.  This weekend we had a barbecue at Gigi's house and as always the girls had lots of fun together.  Gigi's a little older than Stella and is better at sharing but she's helping Stella get the hang of it!

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Summer Chillin'

As summer continues to blossom, it seems like our Stelle Belle does something new each and everyday.  She continues to do well with improving her vocabulary.  She has mastered the words "no" and "eat".  She has some work to do but she does well with other words like: kitty, eat, potty, yuck, eye, etc.  She is doing wonderful in many other aspects also. (walking/running, playing, etc.)

She is currently at the awesome stage where we can get a kiss on demand, as you can see from the picture below.

I love my Grammie!

Stella is also getting to the stage where she is trying to push our patience, but with this following face it becomes difficult to discipline, but you "gotta do what you gotta do".

It's a tough life...

Stella still loves to rest...

Borrowing Dana and Cailin's Grammie for a nap.

Family will always be most important to us, and the fleet of cousins continue to grow!!  We spent the weekend in Canton and Harrisville visiting the Hooley's who were home for the holiday weekend.  It is always wonderful to spend time with family, how can you go wrong?

Kodak Moment with Cousins

Forming Words

 Stella has started to imitate things we say and is trying to form words.  This week she said 'hi daddy' and she's also started to say 'no' in context (which is cute, but is already losing its appeal though...).  It's really exciting to see her becoming such a big girl!

This was Stella's last full-week with Denise for a while since school has ended.  Stella will get to spend the next 10-weeks at home with her daddy most days.  They will likely be spending a lot of time playing in the water because Stella really enjoys it, as you can tell from these photos from Memorial Day weekend (courtesy of Aunt Patti!).

Father's Day Weekend

Beautiful morning...we are very lucky!

After a good week which included a visit from Nancy and Michael Hess who came over to help us with some cleaning (since Beth's taking things really easy these days)  we headed to Saranac Lake for the weekend for an AAU tournament.  We weren't sure how Stella would tolerate the gym two days in a row but she did awesome.  The Panthers played four games Saturday and two on Sunday and Stella had a fun time playing with parents and siblings of Randy's team. 

On Saturday night we enjoyed a special treat - a sleepover at Colgate Camp with the Mills Family.  We had  such a nice time visiting with our friend Kathy and relaxing around the fire.    Stella had fun running around the grounds because she loves being outside!  Our weekend was complete with a hearty lunch at Tail O' the Pup in Raybrook.  Beth had a delicious lobster feast which didn't seem fair at all because it was Father's Day after all. 

"Daddy!!  I want you to blow bubbles!...and I think I want to go to Colgate instead of SLU!"

Since it had been a long weekend Stella was tired and had some cuddle time with daddy once we made it home.  It was the perfect ending to what turned out to be a very nice Father's Day.

One year later; Basketball, Wedding, and Family

The saying is that time heals all wounds...I'm not sure we agree.  Not a day goes by that we do not miss our little angel, and wish he were here to play with Stell Belle.  One year ago today we had to say goodbye to Trey...I'm sure he knows that he is not forgotten and that he is always going to be loved.

Stella continues to amaze us.  She is getting so big and learning so much each and every day.  It is exciting to watch her everyday to see what she is going to do next.  There is only one thing that could have made it more enjoyable...

It was again a busy weekend.  Randy traveled to Watertown with his basketball team.  Beth was part of a wedding celebration in Canton.  Needless to stay, Stella got some quality time with both her Grammie and Pa and Mike and Linda Mason.  We are sure that the spoiling was at a high level, and we wouldn't have it any other way!

Girls Weekend

With Randy @ golf states Stella and I had a fun girls weekend.  We stayed over at Grammie and Pa's on Friday and grammie went with us to the Dairy Princess Parade on Saturday.  On Sunday Stella tried her best to behave at church - it sure is a long hour for her though.  In the afternoon we visited the Britton's to give Gianna her birthday presents and have dinner.  Stella has weathered a small cold this week and we're so glad she's feeling better.  We ordered her Sunfari Play Center Pool today in preparation for a summer of fun at home.  We are looking forward to lots of time outside, especially since Stella will be home with her daddy most days.



Stella having a lollipop from the Dairy Princess Parade



Memorial Day 2011

This year Memorial Day brings new meaning to our family.  While the weekend was very busy between family events and golf sectionals, we managed to take some time out with the Hooley's to plant some flowers at our boys graves.  Trey's monument was placed just this past week and while it has been long in coming, it was well worth the wait.  We've been having lots of fun seeing family from out of state and will post some pictures of all of the little ones together very soon.

A Quiet Week

We don't have much news this week and unfortunately we don't have any new pictures to share.  We had a really nice weekend at home and continue to be impressed with all of the new things Stella is learning and doing.  She now knows how to 'shut the door' and 'get her shoes'.  She is also starting to repeat words that we say, like pretty (which is obvious) and garbage (which is a little harder to make out!).  She is becoming such a big girl and wants to help us all the time: with folding laundry, planting flowers, typing an e-mail - you name it, she wants to be involved!  We are really getting excited to have family visit during the Memorial Weekend Holiday.  We have lots of family things planned for the weekend and are looking forward to having some time with everyone and to meeting Skye in person for the first time!

Our 200th Post

In celebration of our 200th blog entry we thought we'd share some news with everyone about our growing family.  Not too long ago we learned that we are expecting another child.  We are at the beginning of our 2nd trimester and so far everything is going well.  We have a fantastic obstetrician who is taking great care of both mommy and baby.  We are taking several precautions to try to ensure a full-term pregnancy this time.  While this pregnancy has been a big surprise for us this is very special news for our family.  The Hooley's visited this past week and seeing Stella have so much fun with her cousins is a good indication that she is going to love having a sister or a brother to play with!  Here's hoping for a healthy pregnancy and a happy and healthy baby at home with us this fall.

Stella's First Bruise

Stella is such a big girl now and she's done very well getting around.  She took her time walking until she was really ready and overall she's a pretty coordinated little girl.  This Friday night when we were playing in a courtyard at BMC during one of daddy's games she tripped over mommy's purse though.  She fell on some rocks and has a cut on the bottom of her face.  Poor Stella, she was a trooper but she has a mark that looks like it hurts.  She doesn't seem to even notice it though.  We had a fun weekend spending some time outside now that nice weather has finally arrived.   We barbecued both days, and had a visit from Grammie and Pa Sunday afternoon. 

We can hardly believe that it is May already.  We are looking forward to the end of the month when the Perrin's will be visiting from Hawaii!  Stella's cousin Skye is just a few months younger than her, and they are about the same size so I'm sure they will have lots of fun playing together.  The Hooley's will be home too so all of the girls will be together for the first time.  We can't wait!

Easter Sunday

This year we had a quiet Easter Sunday at home and it was a really fun and relaxing day.  Stella did her best at church and looked so pretty in her Easter dress!  Grandma Todd, Sabrina, Adam, and Gianna joined us for a nice meal and the girls had lots of fun playing.  We even brought out the plastic golf clubs and played outside for a bit.

Earlier in the week we traveled to Burlington for Stella's developmental assessment.  She did such a great job, scoring between 13-15 months in all of the tested categories.  We are so happy about Stella's good health and progress!

Caroline getting Stella ready for bed.

We spent the night in Burlington and had some quality time with some good friends.  We stayed at Caroline and Caleb's and met baby Esme for the first time.  She's very sweet and after holding Stell Belle she seemed so tiny!  We also had a nice dinner with Heidi, visited some Fletcher Allen staff at the NICU, and spent some time with Lizzie B.  It was a really nice visit.

 

Baby Esme

Stella playing with Lizzie B.

Will Spring ever get here?

As the spring season refuses to show its face, Stella continues to grow and grow.  It amazes us how much she continues to learn each and everyday.  She is starting to use little "words" and knowing what they sort of mean.  They may not sound exactly right, but we are beginning to recognize what she is trying to tell us.  She had a check up this week, and once again everything is right on track.  Her doctor has no worries and is impressed at how healthy she continues to be.  We are very thankful for this good health as many preemies often have some minor issues.

Stella spent lots of quality time at home this week, as dad was on spring break.  We tried to just relax and get some rest.  We did get out of the house a few times, including a trip to Potsdam to participate in an easter egg hunt, provided by Beth's boss Ruth.  Although she didn't really "get" the hunting part, she had a wonderful time.  It also amazes us how well she adjusts to different situations.  She tried her first peep, and seemed to enjoy it! 

Allergy Season

We took a break from blogging last week because some of us are a little under the weather.  With the change in weather it appears as though allergy season may be taking over our house.  Both Mommy and Stella have been a little grumpy with runny noses and sore throats.  Stell Belle has been resting more (sleeping in until 7 o'clock even!) and changes her mood after we give her Tylenol.  Hopefully this will pass soon.

We all traveled to Schenectady on Thursday night so Mommy could attend a work meeting on Friday.  It was a short trip which included a lot of time in the car but Stella didn't seem to mind.  She had some special time with daddy at the hotel pool and wandering around Golf Galaxy.  Being all together certainly made the trip worthwhile!

Over the weekend we had a nice visit from Mike and Linda Mason, who brought Stella a special new outfit.  On Sunday we spent most of the day at Grammie and Pa's just relaxing.  This week will be a little different for Stella because she'll be home with Daddy for most of the week while he's on spring break.

Stay tuned for next week's update on Stella's 15-month pediatrician visit and first Easter Egg Hunt!

Stella is Walking

Stell Belle has finally mastered walking!  She still crawls some, she knows she can still get where she's going faster on all fours but she certainly is enjoying her new skill.  We are so proud of her!  We are also very excited for her to learn how to walk with warm weather just around the corner (we hope...).  We are looking forward to playing outside!

Final Four

Although the Panthers didn't qualify for the final four a group of our friends traveled to Glens Falls for the weekend for the state tournament.  Stella and I joined daddy on Saturday for the night.  We didn't watch any basketball but we did do some shopping, had a nice dinner out, and played in the hotel pool.  Stella did great traveling and was a very good girl at dinner despite being out well past her bedtime.  She's a very flexible little girl so when mom feels stressed out about her having lunch a little late or not having a long enough nap it is completely unwarranted!

The highlight of the weekend was probably taking Stella to the pool.  She hasn't been in the water since the summer so we weren't sure how she'd feel about it.  She loved it!

Basketball Regionals

Cuddle time is the best time!

Yesterday we traveled to Troy, NY for a BMC basketball game.  Stella had a good time at the game and didn't seem to mind the trip at all.  There were a lot of fans cheering on the Panthers and although we didn't capture a win it was a great game!  Like several of daddy's players though, Stella really wasn't feeling very well.  Our poor little girl became sick in the car twice on the way there.  At first we thought maybe she was car sick, but after returning home she still seemed to be a bit under the weather.   She hasn't had much of an appetite, which is very uncharacteristic for her, and she has slept a lot!  She slept in until 10:30 this morning (a first ever!), took two naps, and went to bed at 8 o'clock, her usual time.  While she was mostly a happy girl when she was awake today we think she's fighting something off.  Stella is not walking yet but she is making good progress.

Stella cheering with Craig Rowe for our panthers!

Day Trip

This weekend we decided to take a road trip to Plattsburgh so Daddy could scout a basketball game in preparation for the first round of states this coming Tuesday.  We weren't sure how Stella would do with the long car ride and the busy atmosphere but she did great.  She rested up in the car and entertained herself well during the game.  Then we headed to Target where she didn't mind tagging along to shop at all.  We bought her a hat and sunglasses because we know the warm weather we are longing for will eventually be here.  While shopping we ran into both social workers who helped us during our time at Fletcher Allen - they had ventured over to NY to shop at Target and we coincidentally were in the store at the same exact time.  It was such a nice surprise to see them!  We finished our evening out with dinner at Applebee's and discovered that Stella likes their food just as much as we do!  On Sunday the weather wasn't nice enough to do much of anything so we enjoyed a quiet day at home.  We both soak up all of Stella's affection every chance we get right now because we know before long her hugs and snuggles might be few and far between.

Already in Daddy's check book...ready to spend, spend, spend!

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!

A Normal Week

This week was pretty routine.  Mommy started graduate classes for the semester, Daddy kept busy with basketball, and Miss Stell Belle has been her sweet self!  We are pretty content with having what you might call a normal week.

Stella is doing well learning how to walk.  We have discovered that she loves to practically run behind her toy Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Train walker if we let her loose in our big living room.  All the open space is perfect for her to get several practice steps in all at once!  She also loves to 'read', especially her little Mickey Mouse books from Aunt Jeanie and Uncle Doug.

We had a fun Friday night with sleepover guests Grammie and Pa and Stella's cousins Logan and Neil.  Going to Daddy's basketball game was the highlight of their visit and Stella was such a good girl despite being up well past her bedtime.

This week, we look forward to baby Esme's arrival - Auntie Caroline should have news to share with us about meeting her little sweet pea very soon!

We're Back

Apologies go out to all of our loyal blog followers - we missed last Sunday because a few of us were under the weather.  Stell Belle is happily moving along, working on taking a few supported steps here and there.  She is most comfortable on all fours still but it doesn't slow her down any!  Her third tooth is working on coming through and she is becoming more and more vocal.  We love to watch her grow and change as time passes.  This week Stella and Mommy had a sleepover at Grammie and Pa's so Mom could work an Indoor Track Meet on Friday night and another all day Saturday.  Stella and Grammie had some really good snuggle time and are already looking forward to their next sleepover!

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to go see Trey's monument which has finally arrived.  We are so happy with how it turned out and feel it was worth the wait!  If all goes well it should be placed at the cemetery sometime this coming April.

Our Birthday Girl

This weekend Stell Belle was a busy little girl.  On Saturday she played and played with her Grammie while mommy did some things around the house and finished a few preparations for her birthday celebration.  That evening we watched daddy coach and Stella was able to stay awake for the entire game - even through overtime!  It was a really exciting game and the gym was very loud but Stella enjoyed every minute of it!  On Sunday we celebrated Stella's first birthday with some family and good friends.  We had a full house and Stella was given lots and lots of nice things.  Stella had some special visitors too - both Nurse Heidi and Nurse Julie made the long trip from the Champlain Valley to celebrate with her.  When she tried her yummy birthday cake Auntie Mary Jane made special just for her we video-conferenced in her other Aunties in Ohio and Hawaii.  It was nice having them be part of Stella's birthday celebration in this special way.  Stella was a happy girl today and we think she had fun at her party!  We ended her day with a birthday story book from Nurse Barb 'Goodnight Vermont'.

Happy Birthday Stella

We can hardly believe that Stella's first birthday has arrived!  She is becoming such a big girl and we are enjoying nearly every moment of our time with her.  While we saved the celebrating for her party this coming Sunday there was no basketball practice today so we had some nice family time together which can't be beat!