Stella - 9 Months

Weight: 21lbs, 3 oz (89%)
Height: 28 inches (63%)
Head circumference: 47cm (99%)

Clothes: 12 to 18 months.  Not going to lie, Stella can totally fit into 24 month tops and pants.  The kid is a beast!  I love her little squishy thighs!

Diapers: Size 4

Eating: This child is an eater  Her most favorite thing to do is EAT!  She is still taking in anywhere from 30 oz each day.  A typical day when she's going to daycare is:

6:15 a.m.: 6 oz
9:15 a.m.: 1 container of baby food
9:30 a.m.: 6 oz
12:15 p.m.: 1 container of baby food
12:30 p.m.: 6 oz
3:30 p.m.: 6 oz
6:00 p.m.: 6 oz

Snacks: Puffs, yogurt melts, grapes, peaches, Mum Mums

Yep, still an eater.  This past month she started eating off the menu at school.  Typically, I circle what I think is okay for her to eat through the week.  So far, I have circled only fruits and veggies.  I think next month, we will start more proteins.  She loves to self feed and I swear if you let her, she would eat an entire can of puffs in a day!

Sleep: She hates to nap.  She usually has ONE nap every day.  ONE nap - can you freaking believe that?????????  She usually goes down around 10:30/11:00 a.m. and sleeps for about an hour and a half to two hours.  That's it - she rages for the rest of the day!  :) 

However, the kid is a rock star at night!  During the week, she goes down anywhere from 6:45 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.  Since using the "cry it out" method over a month ago, she pretty much goes down without a fight.  She may cry for a minute or two, but that's it.  I think she is so darn worn out from her day and lack of sleep.  I guess if she's going to sleep for 12 hours straight on the weekend, I will totally put up w/ no naps during the day. 

On a side note..............we have not had to do any breathing treatments in almost 3 weeks!  Hallelujah! 

Crying:  Stella....................................... She is still crying!!!!!!!!!!!!  I guess this is why date nights are few and far between.  I just feel so darn guilty leaving Stella with anyone between the hours of 4 and 6 p.m.  Stella goes nuts!!!!!!!!  It is so obvious that she is soooooooooooooooo tired and needs sleep.  Steve and I had our first date night since September this past weekend and we could NOT leave the house until 6:45 p.m. because she was hysterically crying.  Inconsolable!  I had to put her down before we could leave.  Had I left it with my girlfriends to put her down, who knows how long she would have cried.  Oh well, this can't last forever right????????  Day by day, day by day!

Milestones: This past month has been full of smiles, laughs and very loud little girly screams.  Probably the biggest milestone has been her rolling over.  I haven't mentioned it much since her 6 month post, but the kid has NEVER rolled over from her back to belly.  Well, that changed this month and I couldn't be happier.  Her physical development has really been eating away at me over the last couple of months.  Lottie was crawling by 8.5 months and was rolling over by 12 weeks.  Looking back at Lottie's 9 month post obviously doesn't help this mama's psyche and I continue to tell myself that no two babies are alike.  Of course, when speaking to Stella's pediatrician about it, he doesn't seem to be concerned in the least.  He seems to think her weight and the fact that she is a big baby has a lot to do with it.  He also said she may be a little lazy and stubborn.  I put Stella through a series of tests the doctor gave us before her 9 month appointment and she was fine in every way except for gross motor skills (crawling, rolling, walking, cruising along furniture, etc.)

I will say that over the last week, she has really come along.  She is scooting all over the floor while on her belly and her bottom.  Even though she's not crawling, she somehow manages to get from one side of the room to the other in no time!  She is ready to go!  She just needs to gain a little more core strength.  That big ole belly of hers is really getting in her way.  She will get there!  I just need to learn to stop worrying about it so much!  Mom guilt is the pits, I tell you!

Moving on.............Stella is still the sweetest little thing!  When she's not tired and crying (ha), she has the sweetest, most genuine smile on her.  Her belly laughs make me chuckle and my heart just smiles!  She loves music!  She also loves "peek a boo" and when I make silly faces.  She still loves to rock back and forth like a psycho in her exersaucer.  She gets more "air" in her jumper that hangs in the doorway than I've ever seen any child do.  She also loves to eat puffs in her jumper.  Thank goodness for the little tray that comes with it.  She also loves throwing all of her toys, especially balls all over the house.  I must pick them up a thousand times a day. 

We are still at the stage where everything she touches goes immediately in her mouth.  I know that won't be changing for a very long time!!  Although, it has become a bit worrying.  We really have to be careful because Lottie leaves all of her "little" toys, jewelry, etc. all over the house.  I can't count how many times I have caught Stella trying to put stickers, rings, etc. in her mouth.  It's hard to baby proof when you've got a 3 year old in the house.  We've tried explaining to Lottie a thousand times that Stella can choke on those things, but it still doesn't stop her from leaving her stuff laying around the house.

We still have NO teeth.  Lottie got her first two bottom teeth at 6 months.  Like I said, I guess no two babies are the same!  I'm sure she can't wait to get her teeth as much as she loves to eat!

Sibling Love: WOW, Stella loves her sister.  Her face lights up when Lottie enters the room or speaks to her. Her favorite is when her sister dances or bounces up and down in front of her.  She lets out the biggest belly laughs.  When she sees Lottie playing with her toys, she wants to be a part of it.  Lottie is constantly petting her head, trying to force a paci in her mouth or tugging on her hands.  The tugging of the hands and arms has gotten out of control!  I don't know how many times a day I have to tell Lottie to leave Stella's hands alone!  I rarely leave the two of them alone in the room!  That Lottie can't be trusted!  Usually Stella is the one who's oohhhhinngggg and ahhhhhing over her sister. But this past month, Lottie has really taken an interest in Stella.  She's constantly telling me how much she loves playing with Stella.  She's normally snatching things out of Stella's hands or telling me to tell Stella to stop eating her princess and give it back...... And so it begins..................  Honestly though, Lottie has been a huge little helper this past month.  Anytime Stella cries, Lottie is right there telling her it will be okay.  I really love watching their relationship bloom.  The way Stella looks at Lottie like she is already her idol just melts my heart.  I would say the only thing that has changed this past month with the two of them is that Lottie really gets aggravated with Stella when she grabs her toys (princesses, dolls, etc.) and tries to eat them!  HA! 

Likes: EATING, sucking on her hands, taking a bath, putting her warm jammies on at the end of the day, seeing her daddy walk in the door from work, playing with sissy when she's not poking or prodding her, sitting up, throwing toys all over the house, being tickled, riding in shopping carts and having her hair brushed.

Dislikes: Being hungry, napping and big sister tugging on her arms and hands.

****The only way Stella would sit still for these photos is by giving her a Mum Mum!

Carolina Panthers - Division Playoffs

Boy do we love our Panthers.  It is a shame we weren't able to finish off the 49ers to head to the NFC Championship game.  Oh well - there is always next year.  We are still a pretty new team so this time next year, I am hoping and praying we pull it together and make the playoffs again.  The energy around the city was electrifying come game time.  It was the best we have witnessed when it comes to these Carolina fans.

Since we have season tickets, we were very fortunate not to have to fight to get a playoff game ticket.  And being since Lottie absolutely adores the Panthers, it only seemed fitting for her to go to the game.  She is a tried and true little Panther fan.  She has been marching up that ramp to the upper deck for the past three years whether it be in a carrier, being held or walking up on her own.  She is always quite the little trooper when it comes to going to the games! 

And to hear her run around the stadium screaming, "GO PANTHERS!" is absolutely adorable!

Her only request usually is making sure she gets a popcorn and a program.  She loves throwing back popcorn and reading through the program.  The highlights of the program are normally the Panther mascot and the cheerleaders who she loves. 

Here's a look back and mine and Lottie's day out at the game - we had such a blast!

 

Lottie's first Panther face paint.

 

Flo Rida performed at half time

 

Tailgating in the cold, eating a sandwich

 

And Finally..............

 

Lottie jamming out during half time!

 

Gosh, I love this kid! 

 

 

 

I can't believe football season is over!!!!!!!!  And can we talk about that Super Bowl...........Awful! 

 

Bring on August - I have a feeling Lottie will be fighting tooth and nail to go to every home game. 

Stella's First "Big Girl" Peas

 

Sweet girl is growing up so fast!!! 

 

This past weekend marked Stella's first time eating "real" whole peas.  She loved them - although I am certain most of them ended up in her high chair.  Stella is definitely going to be my little eater.  She is ready for just about anything I put in front of her.  Even though she still has NO teeth, she's not letting that hold her back from getting her grub on!



A day in the life of a toddler at daycare!

 

Just another day at daycare! 

 

Lottie went on and on and on about her friend biting her at school yesterday.  I had to catch a tidbit of that conversation on camera!  She cracks me up!

 

Excuse the laundry, trash, etc. - we are packing up and heading to the beach this weekend to see my sister and there is stuff everywhere!!! :)

Lottie's First Movie - FROZEN

Over the Christmas break, Lottie and I decided to venture out to see her first movie in the theatre.  We were both pretty excited about Frozen.  As we should have been.  The movie was really great.  The perfect first movie for a little girl!  She was the absolute perfect age to see a movie.  She sat through the entire time.  We ordered a small bag of popcorn and that was all she wrote.  We snacked and drank bottled waters I stuffed in my purse and little chocolates I also stuffed in my purse.  Ha!!  Reminded me of going to the movies with my mom.  She would fill her purse full of candies, chips, juice boxes, etc. from Eckerds right before walking into the movie.  The good ole days........  I wish she could have joined us to watch this movie.

The first movie my mom ever took me to was Bambi.  And let me tell you, it was a tearjerker!!!

Frozen was such a cute movie though.  Although, it has been so long since I have been to a theater, I couldn't believe how many PREVIEWS there were.  OOC!  Oh well, once it got going, it was very, very cute!!!  I may have even teared up in the end!

Sisters - Watch Them Grow

 

Stella - 8 Months

 

Lottie - 2 years, 11 months

 

OMG, it is getting harder and harder to get photos of the girls, but when I do, they crack me up.  Stella smiles all the time and well............... Lottie, it's a toss up!  I either get the sweet angel I know she can be or I get the bossy, sassy, moody little girl that keeps me on my toes! 

 

Girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Stella - 8 Months

Weight: 20/21 lbs

Clothes: 12 to 18 months.  Thank goodness this girl got some new clothes for Christmas!

Diapers: Size 4!  Made another move up this past month.  She will be wearing Lottie's old diapers in another month or two!  :)

Eating: This child is an eater  Her most favorite thing to do is EAT!  She is still taking in anywhere from 30 to 32 oz each day.  A typical day when she's going to daycare is:

6:15 a.m.: 6 oz
9:15 a.m.: 1 container of baby food
9:30 a.m.: 6 oz
12:15 p.m.: 1 container of baby food
12:30 a.m.: 6 oz
3:30 p.m.: 6 oz
6:00 p.m.: 6 to 8 oz

Snacks: Puffs, yogurt melts

Yep, still an eater.  She stays on a pretty tight schedule through the week, but Steve and I swear she goes on a full on feeding frenzy on the weekends.  She has to take in around 36 oz a day sometimes.  I've never seen anything like it.  Her favorite foods are sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, apples, bananas.  She still hates rice cereal!  She tried puffs and yogurt melts this past month for the first time and has grown to like them.  It took her a minute to figure out how to feed herself, but she's slowly figured out how to get them from hand to mouth.  Although, most times I see them thrown all over the floor, so not sure how many are actually going into her mouth.

Sleep: She hates to nap.  She usually has two naps every day.  The one mid morning usually lasts around an hour to an hour and a half.  The one in the afternoon generally only lasts 30 minutes.  While Stella still sleeps like a rock star through the night, she's had a hard time putting herself to sleep this past month.  We've had to break out the ole Ferber method and let her cry it out when we put her down.  We've been pretty adamant about putting her down between 7 and 7:30 p.m. depending on her level of sleepiness.  She's never screamed more than 25/30 minutes at a time and has gone all the way down to only 5 minutes of crying.  I generally try to keep myself really busy during that time by folding laundry, cleaning, anything to keep my mind off the "screams".  I hate it, but I think it is definitely easier with baby #2!  Lottie will sometimes say, "I can't hear anything, make Stella stop crying!" :)  Like I said, once Stella goes down, she is down, we don't hear from her again until the sun comes up. 

****Not much has changed this past month other than her waking up around 3/4 a.m. She lays there talking / cooing and puts herself back to sleep within 10 or 15 minutes. 

On a side note, she is still doing her breathing treatments at night so most times it puts her out which is a good and bad thing.  She usually falls asleep which means she isn't fighting me when I am giving her the treatment (awesome).  On the other hand, I would rather her put herself to sleep in her crib.  Oh well, I'm not going to worry about it too much.  There are far bigger things to worry about!

Crying:  Stella....................................... While you seem like a happy baby most times, you are a crier!!!  She is still crying!!!!!!!!!!!!  I guess no two babies are alike!  Isn't that the reason we all try for #2 anyways????  Everything is sooooooooooooo perfect the first go around and we think it will be just the same with #2.....  Ha, yeah right!  I remember my mom always told me that I was the easy baby and my sister was "difficult". 

Milestones: This past month has been full of smiles, laughs and very loud little girly screams.  I swear she has the sweetest smile and spirit.  She loves being tickled and sitting up right.  She's gotten much better at tummy time.  She has hated it from day one and still doesn't love it, but she's starting to really support herself and even scooting backwards and turning.  Now if she could just build some more upper body strength to support that big body of hers, she might start crawling in a month or so.  Lottie started crawling around the 8.5 month mark.  Her favorite thing is to sit her up on the floor or couch and let her have at it with her toys.  She loves banging them on the floor.  She also loves to yell and scream.  She loves music!  She also loves "peek a boo" and when I make silly faces.  She loves to rock back and forth like a psycho in her exersaucer.  She gets more "air" in her jumper that hangs in the doorway than I've ever seen any child do. 

This month also marked Stella being able to use those legs of hers to stand!  She's not 100% standing on her own, but I imagine within the next month, she will be stronger and standing with little to no help.  When I stand her up beside the couch or toys, I'm always there to catch her, but like I said, in another month or so, she'll be good golden when it comes to standing. 

We are still at the stage where everything she touches goes immediately in her mouth.  I know that won't be changing for a very long time!!  I am waiting for the call from day care stating she's got hand/foot/mouth disease or thrush.  If I recall correctly, Lottie got hand/foot/mouth disease at 8 months old.  Good ole daycare for ya!  Still waiting for the call............ 

We still have NO teeth.  Lottie got her first two bottom teeth at 6 months.  Like I said, I guess no two babies are the same!  I'm sure she can't wait to get her teeth as much as she loves to eat!

Sibling Love: WOW, Stella loves her sister.  Her face lights up when Lottie enters the room or speaks to her. Her favorite is when her sister dances or bounces up and down in front of her.  She lets out the biggest belly laughs.  When she sees Lottie playing with her toys, she wants to be a part of it.  Lottie is constantly petting her head, trying to force a paci in her mouth or tugging on her hands.  The tugging of the hands and arms has gotten out of control!  I don't know how many times a day I have to tell Lottie to leave Stella's hands alone!  I rarely leave the two of them alone in the room!  That Lottie can't be trusted!  Usually Stella is the one who's oohhhhinngggg and ahhhhhing over her sister. But this past month, Lottie has really taken an interest in Stella.  She's constantly telling me how much she loves playing with Stella.  She's normally snatching things out of Stella's hands or telling me to tell Stella to stop eating her princess and give it back...... And so it begins..................  Honestly though, Lottie has been a huge little helper this past month.  Anytime Stella cries, Lottie is right there telling her it will be okay.  I really love watching their relationship bloom.  The way Stella looks at Lottie like she is already her idol just melts my heart. 

Likes: EATING, sucking on her hands, taking a bath, putting her warm jammies on at the end of the day, seeing her daddy walk in the door from work, playing with sissy when she's not poking or prodding her, sitting up, playing with her new piano toy, pressing buttons/playing/swaying side to side like a psycho in her exercauser, putting any and everything in her mouth, standing up and being tickled. 

Dislikes: Being hungry, napping and big sister tugging on her arms and hands.