Stella is 2!

Sweet Stella Bella is 2 now.

She opened presents, she ate pumpkin cupcakes, and she enjoyed all the extra love and attention on her birthday.

Stella is....in a few words.... determined, affectionate, hardy....and full of life. She is high-spirited and strong-willed. You can't hurt this girl. But she can hurt you.

She is the cuddliest of all of my kids. Even more so than Cora. She loves to hug, snuggle, and kiss. But only on her terms. If you ask for it, forget about it.

She has a mind of her own. She knows she is a princess. Most of the time, we all concede to Stella. She gets her way far too often.

She is happy to tag along and join in with whatever everyone else is doing. She is clueless most of the time, as to what we are doing or where we are going. But she just jumps in her car seat and comes along for the ride.

She is still a mama's girl at heart. She always has been. No one can make her happy the way mama can.

Surprisingly, Stella has become a very loving and sweet big sister. Honestly, I was most worried about her transitioning into not being the baby anymore. It never worried me with the other girls, but it did with Stella. But she LOVES Cora. Adores her. Wants to kiss her and hold her every chance she can get. She carries her bathroom stool around so she can watch while I feed and change Cora.

And inevitably, this happened the other day...

Lucy and Annie did it too. And I was waiting for it to happen with Stella. She loves her baby doll but she isn't quite as....nurturing...or gentle as the other two girls were at her age. She hits her baby dolls on the head on purpose and slings them around when she gets mad. So I guess it took her a little longer to decide she wanted to breastfeed.

Eventually she made the choice though. She's in.

I can't believe this girl is two. She is my baby and I still treat her like it.

Happy Birthday Stella.

15 months

Our precious Stella is 15 months! She has turned into quite a little character these past few months. Her personality is really starting to come out.....and we think she's kinda....well.....she's MEAN.

What? That sweet face? Don't let her fool you. The girl knows how to get her way.

Yes, she is a very sweet baby. She gives kisses and she loves to cuddle. But if she wants something, she has a little bit of an edge. And she gets it. Usually by force.

Ok she's not really mean. But it is funny to see how early and how young she has picked up on the dynamic of our family. She knows she's the baby. She knows how to work her big sisters. And she definitely knows how to work her mama and daddy.

Honestly, we all love her so much and most of the time she is still very laid back and easy going. It will be interesting as she gets older to see her spunk continue to come out.

I've just decided to accept the fact that none of my children will have mild personalities. They all have a little bit of drive, independence, and toughness. Each in their own way. Let's just say that the teenage years in our house will be anything but dull.

riding her hippo she got for Christmas from Big Daddy and Grandma 

I've really noticed Stella's little toddler-isms start to come out this month. She seems less like a baby and more like a little mischievous munchkin. She will follow commands (for the most part), she has become very playful and active, and she's even walking! 

She loves to give big, wet, slobbery kisses. She still LOVES to eat and starts dancing when she sees food coming. She loves music and loves to dance. She loves emptying the kitchen cabinets. She loves taking anything out of a container and then putting it back in (what child/toddler/baby doesn't??)

She still has brown fuzz for hair and her eyes are dark brown, a lot like Lucy's. 

She isn't very fond of milk anymore. Which is fine with me. I still give it to her in the morning when she first gets up but she only drinks it about half the time.

I think she is on target for weight/height....but she certainly feels a little on the chunky side to me. She's much thicker and feels heavier than Annie. But she's wearing 12 month clothes and is pretty short.

I told her to kiss the hippo

She walks across the room independently, but still crawls most of the time. Especially when she wants to get somewhere fast. She is walking more and more though and starting to stand up and choose to walk even if she starts in a sitting position.

I was looking at pictures and videos of Annie around 15 months the other day, and Annie was SO much more advanced as far as gross motor skills. She was running around and climbing already. I forget how things change so quickly around this age and I imagine Stella will be taking off very soon.

walking across her room 

I can't even remember what it was like before Stella joined our family. She just adds so much personality and dynamic that it's difficult to remember what we did without her.

I just love this age and watching how much they grow. She has changed so much just in the past few months and I know will continue to change in the next few. Soon babyhood will be behind her and she'll be blasting straight into toddlerhood.

Sweet girl! You are so loved Stella!

Stella is one!

We are all in denial about this. It just can't be true. It seems like only yesterday we were seeing this face for the first time.

But it wasn't yesterday. It was ONE whole year ago!! Stella's first year has truly been a joy. Maybe that's why it went by so fast. 

This girl keeps us smiling and giggling with her sweet ways. She is such a love muffin.

For such a laid back little lady, she has a load of personality. Her faces are to die for.

Stella is still SUCH a mama's girl. She is fully weaned now and I expected her to not want me so much after she finished breastfeeding....but that hasn't changed...and I'm loving that she loves me so much.

She is crawling and pulling up and somewhat cruising now too. I still don't expect her to walk anytime soon and am certainly not anxious for her to because she is mobile enough to keep me busy.

She is a very good eater and loves her food. She gets excited when she sees food coming. Bread is her weakness (join the club). I have to save her bread for last otherwise she won't eat anything else! She has a lot of teeth now, 8 I think with two more coming in, so there isn't much she can't eat.

She is waving bye bye now and signing "all done". That's about all the signing I've done with her. She still says da-da every time I try to get her to say mama.

Stella is only one size behind Annie in clothes. She is definitely chubbier than Annie but much shorter. I have loved watching their relationship blossom now that Lucy is in school. I think they are gonna be best buds. When Lucy is around Stella gets left out a lot and plays by herself very well. She also spends a lot of time on my hip.

She still doesn't have any hair...just some brown fuzz. Her complexion and features remind me so much of Lucy. But everyone says something different about who she looks like....some say me, some say Lucy, some say Annie. Poor Mark. No one says she looks like him.

She loves her sleep. She loves sucking her fingers. She loves her sisters. Lucy makes her laugh the hardest and we all crack up laughing when we hear her sweet giggle.

Apparently she also loves cupcakes.

Every time I look at Stella, I can't help but think...

What if we stopped after Annie and only had two kids?
What if we didn't trust the Lord to provide and bless us with another child?

We would have missed this face. This joy. This love. I am so thankful for God's blessing and provision. For Him pressing on our hearts. For His plan for our family and for this baby girl.

Stella Jean you are such a blessing and an answer to prayer. We adore you. Happy Birthday sweet girl!

Guess

Which one of these babies just turned ONE??

A Change in Seasons

We hit a big milestone this month. Our oldest started kindergarten.

It's kind of a big deal. Not only was this her first day of kindergarten, but also her first day of school EVER. Lucy did preschool at home with me so this was her first classroom/school experience. She really wasn't all that excited to start school. She wanted to stay home and continue to do school with me. While I have LOVED homeschooling her and watching her learn and grow at home, Mark and I both decided to try out kindergarten this year to see how it goes. There is a chance we will bring her back home again next year for 1st grade but for this year we have committed to sending her to school. It's at a church nearby and it's only a half day program for 4 days a week, which I think is a great transition for her (and me!) since she isn't used to being away from home all day every day.

 Showing me her book bag she is so proud of

She has done exceedingly well. Especially since she didn't want to go. There were NO tears on the first day. She found her spot at her table, started working on what the teacher had out for her and told me bye. Like, no biggie, I got this mom. The second day she asked me if I would just drop her off in carpool line and not walk her in. Every morning she pops right of bed and says she's excited to go to school. I'm so glad she loves going!

Someone else was not very happy when we started pulling out of the parking lot and she realized Lucy wasn't coming with us.

While I definitely miss Lucy in the mornings, it has been nice to get some one on one time with the little ones. Annie was really whiny and clingy the first week Lucy was gone, I could tell she was bored and was missing Lucy. But since then she has really gotten into a little routine of her own and is enjoying all the extra time with me.

Meanwhile, this little stinker somehow turned 11 months old without me noticing!

Stella's little personality has exploded this month. She is crawling all over the place, getting into everything, dancing, grunting/growling instead of signing or talking, trashing entire playrooms by herself, and still manages to have all of us wrapped around her chubby little finger.

At 11 months, she still takes two LONG naps a day. Makes me wonder if she will ever go down to one nap. She is breastfeeding 3 times a day (I just cut down one feeding in preparation for weaning her completely), is wearing 12 month clothes, and loves to eat.

She is very laid back in the sense that if you sit her with a box of toys she is very content for a long time. On the other hand, she can certainly get into trouble if no one is watching. She isn't as active and mischievous as Annie, but definitely more so than Lucy was at this age. She's a good blend of the two of them, leaning more towards Lucy's personality and behavior. I frequently find her in the dog bowl or with strange things in her mouth, but so far she's much more mild than the Crazy Middle One.

Getting into trouble in the pantry 

She has 6 teeth right now, but eats as if she has a mouthful. She LOVES LOVES her sisters and I seriously love watching her play with them.

 11 month picture

Since Lucy is the family referee, Annie and Stella have had to learn to play with each other while Lucy is at school. The first few days they just sort of looked at each other like, "so who's gonna be the boss here??"

While Annie is older and can be bossy, I have no doubt that Stella can hold her own. She is a little toughie and may even be the class bully. We'll see. 

I can't wait to see these two blossom and grow, both separately and in their relationship together.

This has definitely been a season of change for us. New house, new small group, Mark's schedule changing/increasing, Lucy starting school, and now having another little one who is mobile and active.

I don't love change. Ok.....I really really dislike change. I like consistency, predictability, and......pretty much all things boring. But the recent changes in our little family have really brought about a lot of growth and blessing, and I am so thankful for being stretched and changed.

Now that we are settling in....I'm certain more change is just around the corner.

Mobile at 10 months

Miss Stella is 10 months old!

As you can see, she is trying to crawl off the chair.

That's right. My lazy, fat, sedentary baby is crawling. 

It happened out of nowhere really. I just thought, well, she's just going to be one of those babies who never crawls and doesn't walk until she's 18 months....and that's just peachy with me because I have two very active, mobile children already and it will be nice to have one that will just sit still.

HA! That was a lovely thought I had there in my head.

Stella must have telepathy and decided to prove me wrong. Apparently I don't have enough work cut out for me so she decided to start scooting while Mark was out of town for work. Scooting pretty fast too, I might add. Then we move into the new house and BAM she's crawling. 

Despite her horrible timing on deciding to become mobile, Stella continues to be such a joy in our family. Life with three certainly has it's challenges, but how empty our family would be without Stella. She fills my heart to the brim with joy. She is a mama's girl to the CORE. She wants only me if I am within her sight/sound/smell range. And I am more than happy to oblige and pick her up whenever she wants. 

At 10 months, Stella still has some rolls but is certainly thinning out from her new found mobility. She wears size 12 month clothes and size 4 diapers. She nurses 4 times a day and is pretty much done with baby food. She eats whatever we are eating now with some modifications. She LOVES avocado, sweet potatoes, and any meat (weird). She is also a fan of my applesauce oatmeal muffins.

Laid back, happy, and go with the flow is how Stella rolls. She does like to get in on the action now that she can move, but she also likes to sit back and watch her sisters (and mama) act crazy. She makes the funniest "worried" looks sometimes while she watches us. I'm worried too Stella....

She has her two bottom teeth and four top teeth breaking through at the same time. She has Lucy's dark brown eyes and that little vein in between them. Her hair (well....let's be honest it's not hair) is dark and I think may even be darker than Lucy's. She got pretty tan while we were at the beach despite slathering her in SPF 50 so I think she will have my skin.

She is a LOVE and you just can't help but squeeze her or kiss her 57 times a day. She is soft and squishy and everything a baby should be. I just love her to pieces.

When she turns one I'm going to have a mental break down.

You know that feeling when you think you might pass out from exhaustion?

Yeah, that's me lately. 

I have been SO tired. Mainly because we have been SO busy. Why is May always so crazy? Our kids aren't even doing all the end of school year business and somehow it's still insane. Not to mention just general life with three little ones will straight wear you out. In the evenings after the girls are in bed Mark and I look at each other and say, is it like, midnight?? (it's not by the way....just feels like that)

Due to all the sleepiness, I've missed a few special events here on the blog. Let's recap.

May 27.....Our 7th Anniversary!! I can't believe we've been married for 7 years. One day I'll tell our love story here on the blog...but not today...one day when I have time and energy and am not suckling an infant or chasing a 2 year old or fighting with a 4 year old. So, yeah....not today.

Mark and I have never been into big romantic gestures. Give us a date night out and we are happy. So for our anniversary we went out, just the two of us, to one of our local faves. It was lovely and happy and giggly and fun and everything an anniversary date should be. 

June 2 and 8th - Mark and I both turned 29. Eeeek. One more year til 30. I'm kinda freaked out, I'm not gonna lie. We squeezed in another date night to celebrate our birthdays.

June 9th- Lucy's first ballet recital

This was so much fun and brought back insane girl-hood memories for me. I took ballet and gymnastics growing up, and though I ended up following the athletic route and playing sports as I got older, I do have fond memories of my dancing years. I did Lucy's hair and make up (thanks to my mom for doing my hair and make up all those years!) and can I just say, MY recital costumes were not this cute.....

She. Had. A. Blast. The girl is a performer....what else can I say. She most definitely did NOT get that from me. That is allllllllll Mark's side of the family. (Name any play or musical, I guarantee Mark OR one of his sisters starred in it.) That's a little known fact about Mark. He has some drama in his genes.

On the way home from the recital, Lucy said "I wish I could do my recital over and over and over and over. I had SO much fun." She seriously loved it. The flowers helped.

June 11 - This sweet munchkin turned 8 months old!

Really can't say enough good things about this chunk. She is so lovey and affectionate. She is also a fattie. But perfectly fat. Just enough to make it impossible to stop squeezing her.

She is showing no signs of moving anywhere fast...which is fine with me. She loves to sit on a blanket and play with toys. She is getting better at eating baby food, though most of the time she just wants to grab what's on my plate. She is still breastfeeding great. 

Her first two bottom teeth are just starting to poke through. She's pretty much a do my own thing in my own time kinda girl. Lazy, fat, and Oh So Happy.

Little bathing suit factoid for ya: All three girls have worn this swimsuit. One of the few things that all three girls have been able to wear. (Having three girls in three different seasons all three different sizes isn't very convenient when it comes to hand me downs.)  It's a cheapo target brand one that turned out to be adorable on and actually held up really well. It's a size 18 months (though it runs small). Lucy wore it when she was about 10 months. Annie wore it at 15 months. And now Stella....at 8 months.

Lucy

Annie

Stella

My pillow is calling me....