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!

An unforgettable year

As one year comes to an end, and a new one begins, it is only natural for all of us to remember the year gone bye.  The past year is full of memories that will stay with us forever.  Because of the memories we would like to forget, we hope we never have a year like that again.  On the other hand, we have had tons of memories that we want to cherish forever.  This is life I guess, we take the good with the awful; all we can do is move forward.


We look forward to watching Stella continue to develop into a big girl.  On that note, it is worth mentioning that she had a neonatal follow-up appointment this past week.  Everything is wonderful, so wonderful that they no longer need to see her at the follow up clinic!  She weighs over 18 pounds as she approaches her first birthday.  It is so exciting to see how much she learns each and everyday.

Through the rough times, and the good times, we were/are so lucky to have our friends and family who always are there for us.  Without this support system, who knows how things would have been.  We look forward to continuing to spend time with old friends and family, but also make time for new friends.  Speaking of our new family, Stella and Beth visited some of our new Burlington family after Stella's appointment.  They enjoyed a nice lunch with auntie Caroline, and then surprised nurse Heidi at her second job at Essex Rescue.  On top of this they got to see some people in the NICU.  We are so thankful that we got to meet and continue to relate to such great people. 

We wish everyone a great 2011, and plan on continuing this blog to share our experiences with our beautiful daughter!!

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!