Happy 4 Years!!!

A NEW Tradition: Pumpkin Carving

As most of you know, my hubby Logan grew up in France as a missionary kid.  France does NOT celebrate Halloween so Logan had never EVER carved a pumpkin before YESTERDAY! I could NOT believe it! So this weekend we went with Mimi and Pappa to the pumpkin patch to pick out a few PERFECT pumpkins and then we sat on our front porch and carved them last night.  It was a special night and Stella was SO intrigued by the whole process- It was very easy to keep her occupied... all you had to do was give her the pumpkin "lid" and she would gnaw on it. I look at these pictures and think of how much has changed in just a YEAR and how BLESSED I truly am.  I love my little family :) 

Stella Rose: 9 Months Old!

Well every month is FUN...but you hit some BIG TIME milestones this month Stella-bug!!!! You are LOVING the cooler temperatures, being outside more, and you were SMITTEN with the Texas State Fair!

STATS: 
Weight - 21 pounds 11.4 oz (93%)
Length- 29 3/4 " (ABOVE 95% - you are LONG GIRL!!!) 
Head- 18" (90%) 

You got your first 2 teeth!! (FINALLY) The bottom two :) You caught a little cold beforehand and had a REALLY runny nose! (Oh wait... you STILL have a runny nose- those boogie wipes are our new BEST FRIEND!) 

You are CRAWLING.  You started a little over a week ago and are gaining speed and precision with each passing day... So we are quickly learning what and where to baby proof! 

You are saying "Uh OH" - Not in the right context per se, but you say it and repeat it after we tell you to. Its SO cute!

SLEEPING: You have started to go to sleep earlier! (Probably because you are so active, you are wearing yourself out!)  You go down around 7:30 and are up around 6:45 or 7am when we take Daddy to work.  You are napping consistently every morning for about an hour around 9am and typically take an afternoon nap between 2-3pm for around an hour.  So although its still not consistent, its getting BETTER. And you PASS OUT on your tummy these days. 

Eating: Still 6 oz every 3-4 hours with your last bottle around 7pm.  You eat a fruit in the morning and a veggie in the afternoon but we are going to start incorporating table foods into the mix this month 3x per day. You started eating some already this month.... you LOVE pickles and rice! Who knew?!?! 

You LOVE your stand up play table and can stand up really well! You also have STARTED to show an interest in TV.  I can put you in your excersaucer in front of Sprout and you are good to go for about 15 - 20 minutes- its a game changer for me! I can do dishes, get some work done, or fold laundry.  

Now that its getting colder, it is time for us to start wearing shoes! AND you aren't the biggest fan- you love taking them off and chewing on them. But we are working on it... Mommy bought you some sparkly Tom look-alikes and baby Uggs :) SWOON!

We moved to LAKEWOOD so you have a brand new nursery and home and you love it :)



This is how you help Mommy COOK!

Stella-bug - You are just the SWEETEST girl! When we carry you around you love to lay your head on my shoulder.  You also get a little shy and hide your face in my chest when you meet new people.  You also LOVE running errands and sitting in the carts.  AND you are slowly morphing into your Daddy- you have his straight line, no teeth smile, eyes, and expressions BUT you still have Mommy's round face and open mouthed grin :) You are a great blend of both of us and have the most energetic, spunky personality - You flap your arms like you are flying when you have LOADS of energy and you are TALKING ALL DAY LONG! You LOVE to hear yourself talk and if no one is paying attention to you, you talk EVEN louder! 

Stella's FIRST trip to the Texas State FAIR!!! Thank you Gigi and to Aunt Katy for coming in town :) 









Pumpkin Patch date with your best little friends :) 








First weekend at the RANCH with the Cochrans- SO FUN!  You LOVED the 4-wheeler!