7 months old!

I am a terrible blogger and have just felt extremely unmotivated in all aspects of my life. I am trying!

Stella at 6 Months

Stella is 6 1/2 months old and I want to jot a few thing down so I remember this time.
Stella is giggling out loud now! She went form her weird little laugh noise to a full out giggle! It is the best sound in the world.
She blows rasberries and spits all over our faces!
She grabs for everything put in front of her!
She knows how to use her hands and i love how she puts her hand on my mouth and face while I am nursing her.
She loves to grab her daddy's beard and sit on his shoulders. She uses his hair as her reins :)
She is getting a bit more interested in the thought of crawling. She can push her upper body up, but hasn't mastered the lower half yet. I am enjoying her not being so mobile.
She is eating carrots (which were the first veggie), rice cereal, sweet potatoes and peas. She is a very hearty eater!
At her 6 month visit we found out that she is in the 110th percentile for height and 75th for weight.
She loves when I play the guitar for her. She smiles and bounces up and down in her workshop (exersaucer).
She is TEETHING! I just want her bottom teeth to come in already! I feel so bad for her!
Stella is recognizing her family and smiles when she sees them.
Stella has dropped Groovy Giraffe as a friend (for now) and mainly chills with Amelda.
Stella smiles more than any baby I have ever met. It's insane! I never have to pull out all the stops to get the kid to smile!
Stella loves taking a bath and when I pour the water on her, she puts out her hand and watches it go through her fingers.
She loves being bundled up in her towel after her bath. It's so cute, she smiles so big! Then I put her on the counter where she dances naked in the mirror. She laughs at that as well!
Her poop smells and gets worse everyday! I miss the breastmilk poop!
Stella had her first Halloween and first Thanksgiving and was such a good girl at both.
Morgan and I feel like we won the baby lottery and we constantly say how much we love her and how lucky we feel.

6 Months Old

Ok, Ok, I suck! I may actually be the worse blogger ever! I have been busy! It's not that I don't want or think to blog, it's just that I get too tired:) Anyways, here is Stella's 6 Month picture, 2 weeks late. Like I said... I suck!

Pumpkin Patch

We took Stella to the pumpkin patch yesterday. It was extremely close to her bedtime and she was on the edge of crankiness, but we took her anyway. My sister-in-law/bf Ang always says to have really low expectations so you won't be disappointed if they act up. We went thinking she was going to scream the entire time and were OK with that, but instead she quietly observed all of the children and stared at the horses and had an OK time. She cracked a few smiles to get us off her back and all and all it was a success!

5 months old!

What Stella is up to these days!

Stella will be 5 months old tomorrow and I just want to take a moment to jot down all of the amazing things she is doing these days!

Stella is rolling over onto her tummy, but finding it difficult to get back! She fusses and screams the entire time she is on her stomach. She has rolled back onto her back a few times, but it's not yet consistent.
She doesn't have a full belly laugh yet, but she makes a weird sound with her mouth when she is happy that sounds like a duck! It's so weird and so cute!
Stella is allergic to both milk and soy based formula, which means that I am strictly breast feeding and super exhausted!
She loves to stand!
She has discovered her feet and the connection between her hands and her feet! She has also realized that she is flexible enough to put her foot into her mouth and does it non-stop
Stella is teething and gnaws on everything!
She hates rice cereal and makes a funny face everytime we even try to give it to her.
She starts to fall asleep whenever I sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"
She sleep in the car...finally!
She loves being in her stroller, facing out!
She likes to grab daddy's beard....and my hair.... and earrings!
She loves kisses and will open her mouth if you say "you want kisses?"
Stella has a great sense of humor! She will look at you with a straight face and then crack a baby smile.
Stella sleeps in her crib both naps and at night and has been for over a month!
She loves Baby Einstein and laughs hysterically (duck laugh) whenever baby lamb comes on.
Stella loves to cuddle....
And i love to cuddle Stella.

Beach

We took Stella to the beach for the first time yesterday and she didn't react the way I wanted her to react! I had dreams of putting her feet in the sand and dipping her little baby toes in the water and having her laugh her funny little laugh. It was actually quite the opposite. The moment her foot was squished in the sand she started screaming! It was overcast and the sand was a bit cold, so it may have been a combo of factors. I was super disappointed because i love the beach and I wanted Stella to love it as much as I do. She will learn!

Trying new things!

Stella tried rice cereal for the first time tonight. I am not quite sure how she feels about it. She wasn't overly excited to eat it but she didn't cry. She spit out a lot of it, but I am really proud of her for giving it a try. We mixed it with formula instead of breastmilk so it was all new and I think she did great with the change.

Clean Carpets!

We got our carpets cleaned today and it put me back where I need to be mentally. I have OCD and having things around me organized and clean is important. When things are out of control I don't feel like myself and my house hasn't been clean or organized in months. I hope we can keep this place clean so I can regain conrol and balance in my life. When Morgan got home we laid on our clean floor and worked on our computers. Stella was helping Morgan with his homework. She just loves her daddy :)

Stella's favorite song as of late...

besides everything Slater Sisters, of course ;) She laughs and I think kind of sways whenever I play this video. She is a big Sara Bareilles fan!

Ugh!

When does all of this get easier!? I am sick, Stella woke up with congestion and a cough and my hair is actually falling out in clumps. Im' tired. No picture today; no one wants to see whats going on over here!

4 months old!

I forgot to post a picture of Stella on her 4 month birthday! That was the old bad blogger! I loved this one!

Pictures of the day :)

So here she is after her long ole nap!One sock, crazy outfit and hanging with her favorite pals, Amelda (from our friends in Australia) and Groovy Giraffe (from our friends in Ireland). She loves them so.

Better Blogger...

I have decided that I am going to be a better blogger! I love reading other blogs and I realize that I don't blog as much as I should or actually want to. I am always afraid that it won't be interesting or that I am not good at expressing myself through writing. I always say that I am better at expressing myself verbally, which is why I don't give cards very often (sorry people who like to give and receive cards). Well, I am over excuses and I really want to have a record of all of the amazing things my Stella does, so I shall blog. I am challenging myself to post everyday and post a picture as well. Let's see how I do!

We took Stella to a music class this morning, that Morgan's friend Josh from work's wife runs. It was so fun! It was during Stella's nap time so I had super low expectations, but she did OK. She didn't smile, but she didn't cry so to me that is a success! There were babies ranging from 2 months old to 15 months old. Morgan and I were both a little out of our comfort zone at first, but by the end of it we were both singing loudly and dancing freely :) No pictures, unfortunately! We really want to make it a regular thing we do, it was nice to focus on our little girl outside of our house and around other babies! I know I said I would post pics everyday, but it will have to wait until little miss sunshine wakes from her thus far 3 hour nap! I think the class took it out of her. It's not easy being a social butterfly :)

Smiles

These days Stella is all smiles. If she is fed and well rested she is the most content baby. She can sit in one spot and be entertained by virtually anything. She loves her mobile in her crib and will lay on her big blanket in the middle of the floor for long periods of time. She is easily impressed and lovvvves kisses from her daddy. He will say "i want kisses" and she opens her mouth and prepares. It's pretty cute! If she has a good nap she will wake up with a smile on her face and that smile will continue until she is hungry or ready to go back down for a nap. We are enjoying our girl so much and both of us can't believe how obsessed and in love with her we are.

3 months!

Our Stella Kate is 3 months old and I am just smitten with her. She is seriously the best little girl in the world. She is perfect! She is starting to laugh and trying to communicate with us. We sing, dance and talk to her and will do just about anything to make her laugh. When she isn't sleeping or eating, she is smiling! I want to take this time, put it in a bottle and keep it forever. My only wish is that she would sleep through the night in her crib and not need to be pushed vigorously in her swing!

Olive Pie & Stella Stew

Stella met her cousin Olivia for the first time on Sunday. Olive was teething and Stella was being her colicky self, but we managed to get them together for a few pictures. ( Thanks for the cute dress Jen! )It was so good to see my cousin Jenny and to hold and love up Miss Olivia! We are so happy they will be living in the states so we can visit! The last picture is my favorite!

2 Months old!

Our Stella Kate is 2 months old! She is smiling more everyday and is super alert. She looks me and her daddy straight in the eyes as if she can see into our souls. It's weird! She is starting to scoot herself across the blanket during tummy time and has started making new cooing sounds. I am so in love with her that I can't handle myself sometimes. I kiss her non stop and she smiles when I do. I love my girl! Happy 2 month birthday sis!

2 month check-up and first round of shots!

Stella will be 2 months old tomorrow! The time has flown by and she just seems to be getting chubbier and chubbier everyday. We had her 2 month check-up today, she is still in the 85th percentile for height (23 1/4 inches) and went from the 15th percentile for weight to the 75th! She now weighs 11 lbs 11 oz! The doctor said that she looks great and also commented on how beautiful her eyes are:). Anyways, she screamed the entire time and is now taking a nap in her swing with a band- aid on each leg. My poor girl! Here are a few shots of my lady at the docs and then on the way home.

Take that!

We had a rough little 4th of July weekend with Miss Stella. She has seemed a little off the past week and hasn't been sleeping at all or eating properly. I have felt so discouraged, frustrated and defeated and I wanted to blog about it! I read tons of blogs about other peoples' children and their kids all seem so perfect. I was telling my mom this and she laughed and said that no one wants to post pictures of their kids screaming and they don't want to talk about the bad moments. Well, if you have hard moments with your kids and are reading this blog, so do I! We think she has a sore tummy. Last night Morgan gave her a herbal gas reliever and she slept through the night for the very first time! She is also taking longer than 10 min naps today, so let's hope we have solved her little problem! Here was what our ride home from grandma and grandpa's house looked like!

I love...

Stella is 6 weeks old and I honestly can't believe how quickly the time has flown by. She looks different to me everyday! I look at her and pinch myself because I can't believe she is mine. She is more beautiful and amazing than I could have ever imagined her to be. Her personality is so silly. I want to remember everything about her in this little time in her life because it is flying by. so here is a list of things I love about my Stella:
-I love when we take her out of her swaddle and she stretches her arms above her head and pierces her lips. She stretches so much that it seems unnatural.
-I love when she he smacks her tongue at me when she is hungry, it's insane, her mouth makes a loud popping noise. I am almost insulted by it. It almost seems as if she is saying "give me my food NOW mother".
-I love her dimple on each cheek and sometimes after she is done eating she will smile and you can see her dimples. She hasn't smiled for us yet, but she smiles at the funny little jokes in her head. I can't wait until I am able to make her smile and it's not just a reflex.
-I love when I am burping her over my shoulder and her little face is right in mine and her eyes are squinting and she is making weird grunting noises.
-I love that when she farts Morgan and I think it's each other because that's how mature they sound:)
-I love that she loves to fall asleep on my chest.
-Even though I find breastfeeding to be exhausting at times, I love that she needs me and finds comfort in something only I can give her.
-I love when her long hair in the back hangs over her swaddle.
-I love that after she takes baths, when she is all bundled up in her towel she tries to suckle through my shirt for comfort.
-I love when she cuddles up with me in bed in the morning.
-I love when she goes cross eyed.
-I love the peach fuzz on her shoulders.
-I love that she is making new cooing sounds everyday.
-I love loving her.
-I love that she is mine and that I get to keep her.

Bath time!

She usually cries and she didn't this time... Success!

Stella is here :)

I have been a terrible blogger, but I also just had a baby a month ago! We were in the hospital for 15 days! I started having contractions on Sunday, May 2nd at 3:30 in the morning and was kept until the 17th, 4 days after Stella was born and the day before my 30th birthday! I am doing amazingly well and so is our little princess. The c-section went better than expected and I got to keep my uterus :), which means that there will be more baby Sandlers at some point in the future (not near future and probably only one). Anyways, our little Stella Belle is a month old and we can't get enough of her. I literally can't wait for her to wake up during the day so I can smooch her face! She was 7 lbs 2 oz when she was born and is getting chubbier everyday. She makes funny faces and just loves her mommy and daddy. We are seriously blessed to have her in our lives and wonder what we did with our days before she got here. My life feels more complete now and I am happier than I have ever been. I can live without sleep, but could never live without my princess. Morgan is taking more pictures of Stella today after her bath so I will post those later,but here are a few that are already up on facebook! Enjoy!

Baby Shower

My mom, Bridgie and Ang (and daddy) worked their butts off to give me and Stella the most beautiful baby shower ever. The weather was perfect, the food was amazing and so many people showed up. It was the best day. We got so much stuff; our Stella Belle is hooked up! Thanks to everyone who came and to those who didn't, but sent a gift. I am truly blessed to have so many amazing people in my life.