Tickle Me Elmo

We're sorry for this reaction, Patrick + Laura, but since you know the story now I might as well share the video!

Photos: Christmas in Tennessee

It was another great Christmas at Nana and Grandpa's! We still haven't figured out where to put all of Stella's new toys and 1 million stuffed animals, but there are far worse problems one could have. Below are some photos from our time in TN. Most of it was spent in the hot tub watching the snow fall. Ahhhh~

In other news, Stella started her new daycare arrangement today with our friend Deb and her kids Emerson (almost 2) and baby Elias. There were a few tears at dropoff but I could tell she was eager to get over it and get back to playing with Emerson's XMas presents! Can't wait to hear how it went today.

Merry Christmas!

We love this age!

Stella has been so awesome the last few weeks. I think 15 months is my favorite age yet! She's playing all kinds of games with us, goes to sleep without protest - even for a non-family member babysitter - and, as you can see below, is becoming quite the finger painter! We're really excited to see the other Coles this week and share the fun.

This little piggy

Photo albums

I've been slacking off on the blogging lately. Sorry about that! Here are some photos from the fall that have been on Facebook, etc, instead:

This is from a Labor Day photo shoot in nearby Candler Park:


And here are some from our NE Wedding Blitz:


I promise to add more soon!

First day of school - starting Parents' Morning Out

I was able to secure a spot at a nearby Methodist church's Parents' Morning Out program two days/week for our little goose. And...she loves it!

Yesterday was her first day and I was a ball of nerves. Luckily, everything was perfect for setup; an early nap (up at 9:30), morning BMs, and a good mood added greatly to the day's potential for success. Sure enough, she made friends, had a ball, and didn't even cry except for one time when she was accidentally shoved down by a bigger kid. What a big girl, right?! It's great to go pick her up and see her happily playing with other kids.

Today was not quite as perfect - no nap, no poops, and a bad last night meant that she was a little more sensitive today. But her teachers said she was still really, really good - and is doing so much better than most kids in their first program away from home. I'm very proud of her, just like I'm proud of the trunkful of consignment goods and new haircut I was able to get this morning while she was at "playtime".

Oh, and they sat her at a kiddie-sized table in a chair for lunch and she did not topple out of it. Guess I'll need to make an IKEA run sometime soon!

Mom's photos

Mom took these on Friday at Jess's. Some really good ones of Stella's many 'personas'. :) Click on the below photo to see the whole 30-image album.

Looks like I'll be reorganizing the tuperware cabinet this morning. And installing a lock. Maybe this is a form of early activism against plastic food containers...

This week

We had a great time in Boston last weekend. Went to a gorgeous wedding in an old jailhouse that's now a swank hotel, saw lots of friends and family and enjoyed some cooler temps (until I got cold and was ready for ATL again). Stella was *awesome* on the trip, despite the fact that she seems to be teething again. She slept great and was easy on her babysitters. Here are some pics I took of her this week. For the most part, she's walking unassisted now, even on mulch.

NMC Birthday Party

Whew! We survived 60-something toddlers and parents in our home Saturday morning for a mom's group August babies birthday party- and amazingly enough nothing major was broken! It was a great party. Here are some photos from the event.

Photos: 1st birthday party

Happy Birthday, Baby!

The best of your first year in photos.

Just seconds before....

her first steps! Here are the pics I was taking of her for Mimi right after I put on the magic shoes. You can see her getting ready to walk on over to me. (Mimi: click to enlarge and you'll see how tiny her feet are!)

More walking

Walking!

Goodbye, babyhood. Hello, toddler!

I have to share the story behind her first steps yesterday, caught on film by Daddy later that night (below). My nice UPS guy had just dropped off a package from Shoes.com, which I knew by the size of the box were Mimi's birthday present for Stella. Just to check for size, I put the shoes on her and started taking a few photos for Mimi, since she just happened to be in an outfit she bought her as well. Stella has had these shoes on for all of 1 minute when she decides she wants to check out the camera and she WALKS over to me! I could have handled it better, I think. I screamed and grabbed her and started laughing hysterically over the magic shoes. Was worried for a second there I'd scare her away from ever walking again but she thankfully she kept on trying it out all day yesterday and this morning - with and without the magic shoes.

In the first walking video she's making a fish face, which app. Rob taught her how to do yesterday afternoon. Also uploading a video of her eating a sandwich on Tuesday, just b/c it's cute.

Walker

Walkin' and talkin'

Some recent photos

11 month update

Just thought my readers were due a Stella update. Here are a few things going on with our little munchkin:

• She's on the move! Her highchair, play table, and walker are all used to help her 'walk around', as are Mommy & Daddy, of course. She can stand on her own for 5 seconds or so, just as long as it takes for her to remember she's not holding on to something and... down she sits.
• She's quite the mimic. Her verbal repertoire of mama, dada, bye bye, uh oh, and ladle ladle (we're not sure what this means but it's a very popular word) are supplemented with the noises she makes to match the coffee grinder (hummmmm), Rob's Indian warrior noise (she can even do the hand to the mouth effect), and 'singing'.
• She dances. Play the Mozart Music Box or the CD's Nana gave her and she twists side to side holding her hands together to the songs she likes best. I've been trying to get this on camera but she thinks the video camera is HER toy!
• Her favorite toys right now are puzzle-type things that have blocks or balls she can put inside of something else. She's really into putting something into a container, taking it out, and doing it again about 50 times. Great with me!
• She's growing. We're *finally* about to size out of the 9 month clothes and transition to 12 month. We'll be there just in time for her birthday, I think.

Here's a pic of her conked out on the flight to Austin.

Austin

Hi folks,

We're back from a long weekend in Austin, where we had a great time with our dear friends in a VERY sweet house in the Texas hills. I just took a few photos (below) but Melissa took more. The flight both ways went great - Stella was fine as long as she was allowed to socialize. She walked the aisle of the plane and climbed up to chat with our neighbors over the seat. We turned the corner this weekend on a few things - she can now climb stairs, she eats meat (salami and turkey are favorites), and loves lemonade. What a little toddler she's turning into!

Photos from magazine photo shoot

As most of you know, Stella was selected (thanks to her agent, Aunt Cassie) to be in Pregnancy & Newborn magazine. We went to a studio downtown today for the photo shoot and found out it was for a Halloween article. Stella was paired with 14-month old Brody and was dressed as a 'ballerina princess'. Doesn't get much girlier than that! The headband probably won't be in the final shot - they took it off for most of the shoot. I hope to get some of the photographer's photos in the coming weeks but we'll have to wait until October to see which one they use. Photos from today:

Video: 6/16 playing

Cruisin'

OK I've been busy! Stella went from crawling on one Sunday to full fledged cruising the next. She's pulling on up literally everything and walking around rooms. It's a full-time job just keeping up with her. Those foam floor tiles I ordered could not come soon enough!! Video coming soon...

Peanut Butter

On her 10-month 'birthday' today, Rob gave Stella some peanut butter. He's been counting down the days to this one, peanut butter being his favorite food and all. Sure enough, Stella loved it, complete with big smiles and happy noises.

HOWEVER, 10 minutes later we both noticed a rash on her cheek and chest. It went away in about an hour but needless to say, she will not be getting any more PB for a while! Hopefully it's just her age and not a sign of a serious nut/legume allergy, although from a bit of web research it could be either one. Hmmm.

Video: Crawling!!

Yep, I go see a movie on a Sunday afternoon and what does Stella do in my absence? Crawls for the first time! Rob took this video on his phone. Atta girl!

Photos: Memorial Day Weekend

Video: donkey laugh

Shot some video this morning while Nana was here. First you'll see Stella's new donkey laugh and then a little of her practicing 'talking'.

Early Christmas presents

Stella got her Christmas wish early this year: Two Front Teeth! One made its appearance in Florida and the other one is just poking through now. Poor thing is having lots of trouble sleeping and keeps making biting sounds as she practices hitting top and bottom teeth together for the first time. Oh, and yes...she bit me tonight. Fun times.

In other news, I hired a part-time nanny to watch her 4 days a week, 2:30-5. Today was Egan's first day and she and Stella have really hit it off already. S loves her and I love having some time to focus on the job search. Egan loves Stella - everyone wins!

First words: bye bye

Florida

Just back from a great week in Florida. The week was uneventful in a good way, and it was great to spend some time with Casey and Corinne. Stella basked in all of the family attention, as usual, and said her first word the day we left. "Bye bye" (with a little wave)!

Video: our little roller

New tricks

Stella's uncovering all kinds of new tricks these days. Over the weekend she learned to: roll like a tumbleweed (she can go from one end of our bed to the other end in no time!), take off her diaper ("uh oh" all right!), and sleep on her belly (once she's exhausted from her roller derby time). After all of this activity I thought she could use a massage, so I took her to a massage meetup with my mom's group. Here's a photo of all the 8-month olds post-rubdown.

Photos from Friday's Dogwood Arts Festival

We all came out for Dad's gig Friday at the Dogwood Arts Festival. 80,000 attendees were expected over the weekend and the Dark Hollow Band was fantastic. Nice work, Dad!

Video: loving her toothbrush time

She just did what?

Another surprise...I had Stella on my lap last night after her dinner and she decided to pull herself up to standing! We caught the 3rd & 4th times on Rob's phone.

She's not where I put her!

Today I really had that first moment of...Hey now, she's not where I put her! Stella learned today to scoot backwards on her belly. Here's a photo of her handiwork. Just a few minutes before this was taken she was playing with that bumblebee!

Easter in TN (and some updates)

Several folks have pointed out that I'm not posting as often as I used to. I'm glad you noticed! Mostly, that's because Stella's grandparents (and one great) are now on Facebook, but it's also because she sleeps less during the day and keeps me busier. Plus, the weather's SO NICE!

Anyway...since I last posted, Stella got her first two teeth! That's right, two at once popped right through. She was a little fussier than usual but still slept through the night for the most part, so I'm hoping she'll handle them all this well.

Since Rob's studying hard for Exam 8, Jess, Stella and I got out of his hair for the weekend and spent Easter in TN. We took quite a few pictures and here are some of the best. It was a great time, but Stella was *really* glad to see her crib last night. :)

Mom's Group event today

I feel so bad - it was my idea to do the 'babies on the couch' photo and just look what happened. Oh well, we had fun!

Someone thinks she's a big girl

Stella is still not crawling, but loves to stand! Her Daddy propped her up to stand on her own and I took some shots. I'd love to see this flip-book style. Hilarious!

I got a new Nikon camera, I love to take photographs...Mama don't take my picture any more!

We just took Mimi and Aunt Kylle to the airport. Such a great weekend! Here are some photos of our time together.

6 month pediatrician visit and general updates

I know it's been a while since I posted anything other than photos/videos. Sorry!! Stella's awake a lot more during the day and I no longer have all of that leisure time I used to take for granted. :)

We're all doing really well. Stella's right on track - she enjoyed solid food, as you could see, and is babbling constantly and showing lots more personality. She's even taking music classes. Today she made up a game where she sucked Mommy's face for a while, then pulled back and squealed with delight. I thought it was hilarious as well until I looked in the mirror and saw a big old hickey on my cheek!

She had her 6-month pediatrician visit on Monday. Rob was off and he joined us. She hadn't gained any weight since last month (hard to believe so it's probably a clothing difference) and still weighed in at 17lbs 14oz (80%ile). She's 26" long (65%ile) and her head is 17.25" in circumference (90%tile). No teeth yet but we're keeping an eye out for one any day now.

In other big news - she's sitting up on her own really well now, so we were able to go to our first playdate on Tuesday. She was a little overwhelmed a cried a few times, but it's good for her to get used to other kids so we'll keep going when I can find the time.

The house is still a major work in progress. I finally decided on a sofa for the den and plan to order it tomorrow. Next up- painting, more window treatments, and then maybe we'll get around to hanging something on the walls. It could very well take us a year to get settled in here at the rate I'm going. The wrist injury hasn't helped matters but it seems to be getting a bit better with the brace and the cortisone shot last week.

That's the news from 479. If you're still reading, you must be related to me!

Video: First solid food!

Happy 6-month birthday, Stella. Mama made you some southern sweet potatoes - baked and then pureed. Yum. Enjoy!

Video: shakeshakeshake

The park

Stella and I went to the park yesterday to watch the big kids play, and one of the moms recommended I put Stella in the swing. Shocker...she loved it! Can't believe I hadn't thought of that before. Swinging and being outdoors are her two favorite things. Combine them and she was downright cackling! I took these on my phone:

Hawks/Thunder

Rob and I went to the Hawks game on MLK day. Big Thanks to Aunt Jess for babysitting! She was a star - no tears the whole time. (It helped that Stella slept for 3/4 hours we were gone!)

It was fun to see an NBA game up close - and be on national TV. Kissing. :) That was for you, Casey. As you can see, we were pretty close to the action!

Just Ducky

Girls day out

Melissa visited this weekend from San Francisco (how surprised was she to find snow on the ground?!) and Stella and I took her to Lenox mall to escape the cold.

Photos: New Year's Sandiford Get-together