1 year photo shoot!

How could it be time for this already?? The photographer agreed it felt like we were just here taking her new born pics. but oh my word we had soooo much FUN and I'm so excited how they turned out:)

 Lil Miss looks too Cute for words....

Stelly wanted nothing to do with her cake.. in Fact it made her gag 

Girlfriend always has her feet crossed, pretty much has since the day she was born

Outfit and top hat courtesy of Gg! It was also her party outfit

She sure loves her Gg

Daddy's girl!

Hamming it up 

Had to show off the jean jacket Gg made for her

and we're done:)

Estella did so good, we may have sang Happy Birthday 500 times but whatever works...right?

12 Months Old, Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

My Lil Miss Stell Bell you are ONE years old today...How can that be???? I can't believe I'm writing this post already. It seems like just yesterday I was writing your birth story, with you cuddled up on my chest so teeny tiny. Just thinking about you that small makes me tear up in an instant. This is such a big milestone it makes me sad to think you aren't my lil baby anymore, but I'm also so proud of the big girl you've turned into. Estella you have brought so much joy into not only our lives but also the rest of our families, no one can get enough of you:) You have one spunky, fun, sassy, happy, big personality. I get told all the time from family, friends and even strangers that you are the happiest baby they've ever seen...(they always ask does she always smile this much....Yep pretty happy girl I say:). You love to flash that big smile of yours, you are the sweetest, funniest, cutest, most lovable baby I know and I'm so lucky to be your mama:)  It's crazy how fast this year as truly gone, but it has definitely been the Best most rewarding, crazy, fun year yet:)

Height/ Weight/ Head cir ~
20lbs 10oz ...60%
28 1/2in long...24%
17in....11%

Loves~ You love to be outside if we are inside you go to the window to point and look out...thankfully the weather finally warmed up the last two weeks! Other things you love are going on walks, snuggling your blankies, banging things together to make loud noises, playing where's Stella, splashing in water whether you are in the bath, washing your hands in the sink or finding your sisters dog bowl..ick! You love using your walker and cruising around the house, dancing, any music you hear you start moving your lil body. You love your baby dolls or stuffed animals you will squeeze them and give them big kisses. Reading books, using anything and everything as a phone, but the phones you love most of course are our real ones (it's crazy you move your lil thumb up & down because you know it moves things on the screen... smarty pants)

Play date we walked the path at a state park, played at the park and had a picnic

Eating~ Still two bottles a day with formula haven't tried whole milk yet because I want to talk to your Dr. you love cheese but every time you eat it you get horrible gas, so I'm afraid what the milk will to. Your favorite things to eat are any type of fruit, you love love blueberries, carrots, avocados, waffles, deli meat, cottage cheese, raviolis, a chicken noodle veggie meal, Cheddar bunnies, Cheerios, veggie straws  

Sleeping~ Pretty much the same, down around 7:30 up around 7 but sometimes you will sleep till 8 those days are few and far between, but oh so nice! You sleep with your arms tucked under your tummy with your booty in the air, It's so cute:)

Clothing~ Mostly 12 mon, size 3 shoe and 3 or 4 diapers 

Fun Facts~ You have beautiful white blonde hair, the prettiest bright blue eyes, fair skin and 3 teeth, your working on you fourth you can just barley see it poking through. You aren't walking alone yet but you are getting around with your walker or hanging on to furniture. You are obsessed with happy birthday song, you have a toy cake that sings it and you dance like crazy, so at you 1yr photos if you weren't smiling we would start singing and you would clap and dance immediately...silly girl (only sang it about 50 times that day ha) You are crazy about other babies and kids. At play dates or in public if you see one you get so excited and have to get close, you aren't very gentle but we are working on that;) Your fur sister Chloe and you are besties, she now has been sleeping right in front of your crib. You've really started to get what no means and when you don't want me to change your diaper, get in your car seat or when I take something away that you want you will shake your head like crazy and say na,na,na that is your no, no, no

You love your new swing that Gg and Grandpa got you for your Birthday

Firsts~ You tried cake and donuts for the first time and didn't like either, I couldn't believe it! You swung on a big girl swing for the first time you loved it, never thought you would be 11mon old doing it for the first time but we had snow just two weeks ago, this weather has been crazy. You finally said mama, but of course you really only use it when your upset and crying but I'll take it:) And last but not least you pooped in the tub for the first time lol, it was with daddy when I was at work but I got a good laugh haha

Birthday Breakfast, you weren't feeling the donut but Mommy took care of that for you;)

Baby girl, You have changed from this tiny lil baby to this big girl with a big personality right before our eyes. Seeing you light up and smile is seriously the best feeling in the world. We are so proud of you, and feel like the luckiest parents EVER!!! We love you to the moon and back!

1yr photo shoot was so fun and they all turned out awesome more to share soon:) 

We wish you the HAPPIEST FIRST BIRTHDAY EVER! 

Love You Always & Forever,

Mommy & Daddy

11 months!

Ok My sweet baby girl this is the last official month that you are still a baby and not a toddler, this is very hard to wrap my head around and it's getting even closer now that I am 2 weeks late at posting this!!!!!! You are going to be the big ONE next month...yikes I'm not ready for that yet!  This month was just as fun if not more fun then the last. You have become quite the chatter box lately, you love to hear yourself jabber and squeal! You are also one social lil thing, you love to be out and about watching everything around you. You point at anything and everything and love to smile and wave at anyone whose looking! We still get comments everywhere we go about how happy, smiley, cute and blonde you are...I have to agree with them and it sure never gets old having strangers tell you this:)

Weight/Height~ Not sure maybe 21lb

 Loves~  I asked daddy what he thinks you love right now and his answer was everything ha! You kinda do you are one happy baby and everything seems to excite you lately. Some of your favorites are giving big open mouth kisses/ licks, reading books, dancing to music, rolling a ball back and fourth, snuggling your blanket, playing "where's Stella" aka peek a boo, clapping to patty cake, talking on the phone when we say ring ring who's there, eating puffs & cheerios! Oh and you love your baby Einstein take along tunes the thing goes everywhere with us because it always makes you happy

       

Using your take along tunes as a phone and snuggling your blanket 

Dislikes~ Getting you diaper changed, you hate it and freak out every time, getting into your car seat but once your buckled your usually fine,  and a new one is getting told no you have started to get a lil testy when you don't get what you want

Eating~ We are down to 2-3 bottles a day and the switch last month from soy formula to regular went pretty smoothly, so I'm crossing my fingers it will go well with whole milk too! You are getting less picky, you will pretty much eat anything I put in front of you, but your favorites right now are blueberry waffles, bananas and a chicken noodle veggie mix! Meal time is getting very messy now days, your new thing is to smash your food and wipe it all over and you still love dropping food on the floor for miss Chloe

Sleeping~  Night time 7:30-8pm to 7am. For naps you still mostly take two usually a shorter one in the morning and a longer one in the afternoon.  Still struggling to get you to nap in your crib though

Clothes~ Mostly 12 months, size 3 shoes and 3 diapers during the day and 4 at night

You are obsessed with pointing 

Fun Facts~ You took your third trip to Florida and again did awesome on the plane, you still copy anyone that coughs and you now have two teeth one on the bottom and one on top, you like to grind them (anyone know how to stop them from grinding their teeth??)

 

Firsts~ You celebrated your first St. Patty's day and Easter. You said dada for the first time, crawled the whole stair case, we took our first trip to the children's museum , you've tried lots of new foods, and you swam in the ocean for the first time

At the children's museum with auntie Ash and Mr.Max, you had so much fun at the water tables

Stelly there is not a day that goes by that I don't think how lucky we are to have you, you are one special baby girl and you mean the world to us! We love you to pieces

Love Always & Forever,

Mommy& Daddy

Snow snow go away

This is what my front yard looks like!!! We got a good 10 in if not more, YUCK! I like snow just not this time of year. Yesterday morning there was no snow on the ground, I could see green grass ok maybe brown but none the less it was grass and not snow! Hoping this is the last of it and spring will appear next week...fingers crossed!!!!

Crazy to think last year we had 70-80 degree weather for over a month already!!!

We had a play date this morning with miss Savannah, I decided to dress Stell in bright colors to pretend it's nice out side, and it was to funny that Libby had dressed Savannah in the same colors too! I had to take a picture of them posing like this, it was so cute we didn't pose them they were just sitting like this:)

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and I'm praying for all in Boston and anyone affected by this horrible tragedy!!! 

A much needed vacation!

Well to say I've had a crazy past few weeks is an understatement, I have not had great luck lately and I'm hoping we are on the turn around for that! It all started a few weeks ago when I got into a car accident, then our2 year old dishwasher broke, and this week my poor dog Chloe hurt her back badly no stairs for 4-6 weeks very limited activity and lets just say we've spent a small fortune for them to not be able to do anything but pain meds! With all this we are trying to finish our small kitchen remodel, I'm working on finishing stuff for bridal shower im cohosting next weekend, I'm helping throw a baby shower for my sil may 5th and I'm trying to work on stuff for Estella's 1st birthday which I'm so behind on it stresses me out! With so much on my plate, I've been looking forward to our family vacation for weeks and of course we get a winter storm warning the night before we leave, only to add to the stress of leaving my poor dog and putting a lot of responsibility on my brother to take care of her! Well we barely made it out, our plane was one of the last that got to leave before being canceled but we sat on the run way for 2 1/2 hours, our 3hr and 20 min plane ride turned into a 5+hr one! It was awful but Estella did amazing and at least we got out! So anyway we finally made it to sunny Fl yesterday and I could not be happier! I'm going to distress and enjoy the beach and warm weather!

Have a Happy weekend everyone, I'll leave you with a few pictures from last night... If you can't tell Stella is so excited to be here;) and it was the sweetest thing ever seeing stell hold Gg's hand as daddy pushed her on a walk, melt my heart!!!!

Estella's 1st Easter

Although the weather didn't quite cooperate we still had a great 1st Easter with our lil miss! I couldn't believe that stell was so into her basket, she dove right in like a pro! It was fun to see her get so excited over her gifts, and I know next year is going to be even more fun with her running around:)

Not loving Mr.bunny

attacking her basket as soon as I set it down... she even knew which one was hers;)

Chloe joining the action too

Showing off her new bunny, she loved the thing( so glad I made the extra trip to mall of America just for it) 

With her favorite guy in the whole world

So Excited that the bunny came to Grandpa and Gg's house too

Trying on her new Wee squeaks sandals, my dog was going nuts over them! I have a feeling if we leave these out of our site my dog will have then ripped to shreds or my child's foot might be missing (might have to remove the squeaky part)

Attempting a few family pictures outside, it was a bit chilly for my
short sleeves but I didn't care I can't wear another sweater I'm so ready for the snow to be gone

We couldn't forget about chloe, she had to get in on one!

Mommy & Me  

 Love this lil girl so Much!