End of Summer Blues

It has been almost a month since my last post, and I believe it speaks to how busy we have been! Stella and I had a great summer together; thanks to all of our friends and family that played with us. I have been back to school for a week, and Stella has been with Grandma Louise. Today was the first day with her new Nanny, Emily. We are very lucky to have Emily to hang with our girl while Mommy and Daddy are at work.



Stella has made a lot of developments over the last month. She is a very fast crawler, and quickly makes her way about the house. She also is standing and cruising along furniture like a pro. Grandma Louise saw Stella standing unsupported while playing for over a minute, but put her down on her tush because she got worried she would fall.



Stell has been waving and saying "Hi". She also picked up my cell a few times, put it to her ear and said, "Hi, Dada." She points at objects and asks "Who's this". All day long she says something that sounds like ATTACK!, but we are pretty sure she means something else.



We had a great time at Jack and Colleen's wedding this past Saturday. Stella was very well behaved at both the church and the reception. She had the cutest dress from Von Maur, and took some nice photos with her now second-cousin, Kalyn. Congratulations to Uncle Jack and Aunt Colleen!



Stella's first birthday is coming up, and I have feverishly been searching the web for resources. I think it is going to be monkey themed because she LOVES her monkey puppet from Grandpa Gary.

Stella, On the Move

Away to Europe: Just some of the Events and Pics

Our world traveler had a wonderful time staying with Grandaunt Elaine and her family. We saw the sights, ate delicious food, met amazingly generous people, and had a fantastic experience. Many thanks to all who fed us, played with us, and housed us. Stella is so very lucky to be surrounded by such magnificent people.



Not only did Stella play, but she learned too! Stella is now doing "dinda-dinda" thanks to Trisha and Nana, and even started crawling when she wanted to discover all of the new things in Elaine's home. Dinda-dinda is something that Nana once did with Stella's Granddad back in India! Stella picked it up in no time!



Stella saw a ton of historic places! We went to Stonehenge, Hampton Court (where Henry VIII lived) and the maze, Tower of London (where Anne Boleyn was beheaded!), and took the Tube through London! We took a ton of pictures, and I will post some of the highlights.



Best of all, Stella met her Great grandmother, Nana.






Stella started signing "more" but then started using it as a parlor trick without any real meaning attached. :)
She also met Eden and Alexandra, her second cousins (or something like that- we have been debating the title).





Mommy and Daddy took a side trip to Paris while the family watched Stella in England. Thanks to the relatives for all of the special attention.



Stella played with Grandaunt June, who showed her the fish and showered her with gifts- including a giant Teddy!



Stella played with Hannalisa, and learned how to say duck (or so we think..). It sounds like "duh", and she has plenty of ducks to call for!



Stella ate lots of toast with jam, and loved the dahl at Elaine's. She ate all of it off of Mommy's plate! She also liked Noula's okra and roasted veggies. It is nice to see Stella eat something other than cheese!



Stella visited Cleopatra at the British Museum, and was mesmerized by the Rosetta Stone. Stefan took us to Bushy Park, and Stella saw some swans up close and personal.



Stella liked riding on the wrong side of the road, and is grateful for the car seat from Mari and Danny. She can't wait to learn Eden's trick "What do Mommy and Daddy do?"



Stella was so well behaved on the flights; she was a bit squirmy, but didn't holler at us at all. She stayed awake for almost the entire eight our return flight, but was a very good girl.