Meeting the Whitmans

A few of the Whitmans came into town to visit, and Stella had a great time playing with her relatives from New Jersey. She ate at Guisseppi's, Lou Malnati's, Hackneys, and went to a BBQ at Jack and Colleen's.



She had fun with Catherine and Great Uncle Mark in the pool while Mommy baked a cake. Here are some pics from the festivities.

Nine Month Appt.

Stella had her nine month appointment, and everything looks great! She is 22 lbs and 13 oz, 29.5 inches, and has an 18 in head circumference. That makes her in the following percentiles:
Length = in percentile 95
Weight = in percentile 95
Head Circumference = in percentile 90

She is a big ol' girl. Everywhere we go, people assume she is two years old and try to give her crayons, a kids' menu... She's going to be a basketball star.

Doc said everything was in order- she didn't need any shots and is developmentally on target. Her next appointment is scheduled for October after her first birthday. Hooray for healthy and happy babies!

Blub-Blub!

Here is another fun trick from the Whitman's. Stella had an educational visit with them!

So Big!

The Whitman's taught Stella some new tricks!

A Box of Cheese Please!

Stella loves to eat cheese in her new chair! Chris picked up this cute old wooden high chair at a second hand shop. I just ordered a red gingham pad for it, and it is just bound to be adorable. Hooray for no longer eating in the bumbo seat!

Father's Day, David's Bday

We had our first Father's Day! We started out by getting lunch with Grandpa Gary and Uncle Jack and Boston Blackies. Yum!
Then, Daddy headed over to see Grandad Ian and Uncle Tony out in Elgin for some swimming and fun. The festivities don't end there, however, because we got Daddy Cubs tickets! We are going to see a game on the 2nd and Stella can sit on Daddy's lap. Here are some shots from the day and David's birthday.



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David had the fam out to Sweet Baby Ray's for his birthday.



Stella and I have been taking a picture on the computer every day this summer. Here is the one from today!

Loads of Play Dates! Lots of Fun!

We are well into the summer, and it seems I have finally found a moment to catch my breath and update the blog.



Stella has been having an awesome time; she plays, and eats, and swims. Hooray! She has been eating pasta, eggplant, and all kinds of yummy summer fruits. I have lentils (with cumin even) on the stove for the girl as we speak.



We have had some nice lunch and dinner dates, and even a few sessions at the local pools.



Today we went to see Ralph's World at Ravinia with some of the babes from my work and had a blast, despite the heat.



Stella is beginning to motor a bit on the floor. She likes to lay on her stomach and turn about in circles. She doesn't quite propel forward... But I think we are getting close!



Oops, the pressure cooker just released steam and freaked the kid out! She is startling a bit and showing fear toward loud objects (like the vacuum). As much as I hate seeing her afraid, I LOVE that she cries and reaches out to me.



Daddy is out buying a new high chair, so we will have some shots of that soon. She is totally transitioned to the big girl car seat now.

Summer, Summer, Summertime!

School is out! I am so excited about playing with Stella for the next ten weeks. In fact, immediately after our work party, I took Stella into our pool. She is a water-baby by nature and loves to kick and splash. She was mystified by the teenagers at the pool and couldn't help but stare them down.



This is an old pic of the girl with Grandma, but I wanted to post it and say thanks to Grandma Connie for watching Stella this last semester while Chris and I worked. It was so hard to leave Stella and go off for the day, but that fact that she was with Grandma made it a lot easier. Thank you so much- there aren't words enough to express how grateful we are and how lucky Stella is to be surrounded with such compassionate and giving people!

Happy summer, everybody!

Meeting Arthur

Our whirlwind weekend has come to a close, and we have one pooped little chica. Friday was Taste of Des Plaines, on Saturday Mom and Dad had a date and Stella got to go to Chuck-E-Cheese with Grandma Connie and the cousins, and Sunday was meet Arthur day!



We headed on up to Maria and Pat’s to see baby Arthur during his visit from Kansas. He certainly is a cutie and a very well behaved two-month-old. Stella loves babies, and although we had to encourage her not to pinch him, she was quite enthusiastic and intrigued by her newest cousin “once removed”.



A ton of fun was had by all, and Stella got to hang with lots of Hurtenbachs, Sharpes, and even met her Great-GrandAunt Susie and Uncle Ken. Having not napped the entire day, Stella is now soundly sleeping beside me, and likely dreaming of all of the fun we had!



This weekend held the promise of experimental cuisine, and we did not fail to deliver! Stella ate bites of pancake *vegan, of course, and today Grandma Louise was sneaking some apple fritter to the foodie in the back seat on our way to Wisconsin. While we were there, Stella ate some watermelon and tabouleh (which is a bulgur wheat salad provided by Becky.) She sat in the same high chair that my cousins used some twenty-something years ago, and knocked the majority of the food on the floor. Boy, did she ever have a tummy ache tonight! Perhaps now that Maria is a grandma, she may decide to take on a dog to keep the floors tidy?

Pancakes? Yes, have some.

Last night was the Taste of Des Plaines, and it was so cool to see everyone with their babies! I remember last year, being pregnant and hot (Andrea said I was "crabby") and dreaming about what this summer would be like with our baby. What a wonderful time. Stella played with Jake, and had a little foot war. We saw Bella and baby Amelia. We met little Breanna, and had a wonderful time with all of our friends. We are so very blessed.



This morning, Stella woke up and we put her in our bed to giggle a bit. I made some coconut pecan pancakes, and we ate together on the couch. Stella even ate some pancake bits that didn't have any nuts. She loved it!

Memorial Day

We had a very nice Memorial Day, and despite the initial storm- we made it into the pool! I am uploading a few pics from the day.



We made it out to Aunt Jennie's and ate a ton of chips! Stella had diced up musk mellon for the first time and loved it. She wasn't too pleased about the guacamole.



Stella just LOVES being in the pool. She splashes and kicks. She is sporting her new swimsuit.



Stella sat up in the cart at Sam's Club like a big girl. I think she enjoyed the new vantage and liked people-watching.



Stella and Bella Brandt had a play date. Bella is two months younger, and the two jealously yanked toys away from each other and participated in some parallel play.



Elizabeth S had a picture like this with Amelia and I had to copy it because it is too cute.