July 30th - My Morning Routine

6:45am 

Logan gets up to get dressed and ready for work while I keep snoozing 

7:15am 

Stella bug starts cooing and stirring so I go get her up (she is the happiest and bounciest baby in the mornings - it is SO cute) 

7:30am  Feed Stella her bottle with one hand while checking email and social media with the other hand

8:00am Stella plays on her play mat or swing while I get ready for the day

8:30am I get Stella dressed for the day and we walk across the street to Starbucks to pick up my morning Chi Tea Latte

9:15am Stella typically goes down for her first nap of the day and I bust my tail to get as much work done as I can! 

10:30am Stella is up from her morning nap and our "morning routine" is officially complete! Then we start planning our daily adventures :) 

And that officially wraps up the 30 day challenge! I enjoyed some prompts more than others, but it was good exercise to get me into blogging daily again! I will try to maintain at least 2-3 posts per week- that is my realistic goal.  Hope you guys had a HAPPY JULY!!!! I can't BELIEVE it is August on Thursday... where does the time go!??! 

July 29th - Famous for 1 thing...

If I could be famous for one thing, I wish it were my voice. I would love to leave a legacy through my song lyrics and music.  Music is timeless and lyrics can spread a message, encourage, empathize, and encourage.  I love the power of lyrics and I have always had somewhat of a "soundtrack" for all the big moments in my life.  SO... there you have it, I wish I could be famous for singing... but I think it's time to come up with Plan B. haha! 

July 28th - Your LAST Dream

So I was going to write this yesterday but couldn't remember my dream from the night before,  so last night I told Logan I needed to REMEMBER my dream so I could write about it here TODAY... And somewhere amidst driving him to work, drinking my morning coffee, and bawling during the Kidd Kraddick in the Morning show it's gone...  I remember listening to that radio show in elementary school during car pool with my friend Lindsey Bayer all the way through my morning commute to Neiman Marcus downtown.  It has been such a staple in my morning routine for the past 20 years. It is so sad that Kidd Kraddick has passed and I truly don't know how they will carry on without him, but I LOVE that he is being remembered for his heart for charity, and this one quote: "Keep lookin' up, 'cause that's where it ALL IS."  

Stella Rose: 6 Months Old

I truly say this every single month but this really was my favorite month.  I am still trying to learn how to work from home AND be at stay-at-home mom. It is a tricky balance, but Stella has become my coworker, lunch buddy, "play break," and entertainment during the day. I love having her as my sidekick.  These days she is SO mobile- I don't have to worry about her when we are in public at all! We can go to the mall, go on a walk, go to Starbucks, or out to eat and she loves to just take it all in. Each time I put her in her carseat, I tell her "Stella, we're going to go on an ADVENTURE!" and she gives me a huge smile... Even if that "adventure" is errands... to her everything seems exciting these days and thats fun for me! 




Weight - 18 pounds 15.7 oz / 95 %

Length - 27 inches / 90%

Head - 17.5 inches / 93 %

LAUGHING and it warms my heart :) 

Rolling over BOTH ways

SITTING UP for long periods of time and not folding over.  You can even sit up and play with your toys these days.  

Smiling ALL THE TIME. When we walk in the room, when you meet a new person, or when we put you in the swing... you still LOVE the swing! 

Working BIG TIME on the teething - swollen gums but no teeth quite yet.  We are giving you chew beads, Tylenol, and toys... everything goes in your mouth these days! 

Babbling baby... just learned the "M" sound... sounds like "mamammamamma" but with ZERO intention of trying to say the word "mama" so it doesn't count! 

We tried a few foods this month - lime, mashed potatoes, banana, icing, ice cream, watermelon... Guess which were her favorites? 

Another BIG accomplishment is that we finally felt comfortable putting you in the church nursery during the service. We have done it 3x now and it was scary at first and we watch the screens like a hawk anticipating her little number to pop up, but so far it hasn't and we've been able to worship and enjoy the message without any interruptions.  This is a MUCH less stressful way to do "big church" rather than trying to keep you radio silent for an hour :) 

She is FINALLY okay in the swimming pool.  We tried it 2x before the beach and she was skeptical, but once we got to Florida and the water was really warm she fell in love with it.  Now she's our little fish... she can stay in the pool for an hour and would probably stay in the bathtub that long too if we let her :) 

First family function where you weren't screaming in the back room the entire time... I think you are FINALLY warming up to crowds :) It was a very HAPPY 4th of July!





And of course... the HIGHLIGHT of our month, your FIRST trip to the beach!!! (And surviving a 17 hour car ride!!!!) You had a BLAST!!! You weren't the biggest fan of the SAND, but by the last day we were able to take you into the ocean and you didn't cry.  The sound of the waves didn't scare you, in fact, it was the perfect white noise for a good afternoon snooze :)  Thanks to Gigi and Opa for the amazing beach house! We had so much fun with them AND your cousins Drew, Callie, and Reese!

July 27th - Most Memorable Vacation

Italy... Trip of a lifetime. We went in April 2012 right before we become pregnant with Stella. We sipped wine in Tuscany, explored Siena, hiked through Cinque Terre, and fell madly in love with Rome.