Keeps Going and Going and Going

Warning: if you get motion sickness you may not want to watch this. My favorite toy these days is a jumper and I LOVE to jump.

No, No, No!

It's so fun to shake to my head no, and it always gets lots of laughs. It all started with my Uncle Jake shaking his long, curly locks in my face. Then I realized that I could shake my head too even though I don't have long, curly locks yet.

July

8/6 Uncle Jake

Somedays I Feel Like My LIfe is a Photoshoot...

7/26

DJC Arrives

7/16 At home in West Lake

7/16 Sleeping in his crib, clearly he doesn't take after his older cousin ;)

7/12 Hours old

I am so excited to show off my new cousin Daniel Joseph Coughlin. He arrived July 12 @
8:55 am. He was 6 lbs 9 oz and 19 inches long. At first I thought he was a toy because he was sleeping a lot but then I realized he is alive. I keep trying to get my hands on him but I have been unsuccessful. I guess I will have to wait until he isn't as fresh before I can play with him. I don't mind all of the attention he is getting as long as I get some of it too ;) Being a big cousin is a big deal and I just know we are going to be best buds.

At last...

7/4, Sporting our Red, White and Blue


6/30, First Boat Ride

6/14, Eating Applesauce

5/27, Baby C's Shower

5/8, Dad's Graduation

So much has happened since my last post...

My dad graduated law school and then we started packing our bags. I vacationed at Noanie and Papa Jeff's house for a couple weeks while my parents prepared my new room. Speaking of new room, I FINALLY have my own room and closets :) Turns out the secret to good sleep is having your own room. Yep you read that right I LOVE to sleep, day and night. I think I am catching up from all of those sleepless nights in Cincinnati.

When I am not sleeping I am helping my mom unpack boxes and swimming at the neighborhood pool. It is just around the corner from my house so I get to go almost everyday. I even have my own fan club there, it is so refreshing to hang out with people my own age.

I am crossing milestones off my list left and right, but I will save those for next time. Also I have to tell you all about my new cousin. I am just so busy!

Big News...

I am moving to Toledo! I had enough of sharing my bedroom with my mom and dad, so off we go. I will be sad to leave my friends in Cincinnati, but excited to see our new friends too. Here are some pictures from the last month and now that my mommy won't be working for a little while, maybe she will do a better job of keeping you all updated.

P.S. Can someone tell my parents that half birthdays are worth celebrating.

Laughing at my mom! (4.30)

Getting too big for my bucket, but I love the shower. (4.14)

Eating cereal with pears and bananas. (4.7)

Drying off after bath time. (4.14)

Family photo on Easter Sunday. (4.4)

My mom's funnier than your mom!

My mom just cracks me up... enjoy the video!

Life's A Beach Part II

Splashing in the pool

Dinner on the beach

My new hairstyle and shades

Tummy time at the ocean

My last day in the sun

I couldn't fit all of my Florida stories and pictures into one post because I was there for 14 days. The second week was just as fun as the first. I learned how to splash in the pool, take naps on the pool deck and fall asleep to the sound of the ocean. Tummy time is much more fun when you have a view of the ocean. I can hold my head up all by myself now, love to stick everything into my mouth, especially other people's fingers, and am starting to get bored of this whole napping thing.

Life's a Beach Part I

Walking on the beach

My new toy

Hanging out by the pool

Baby blues

My new sun hat, and a little drool

Another successful plane ride, and by successful I mean I blew out my diaper again. There is just something about being up in the air that really relaxes my tummy. I discovered a new toy, my feet. I suspect they have been there all along, but covered up. I could go on and on about all of the fun I had in Florida, but I think pictures do it more justice.

Windy City

Ben and Ellie, who my mom babysit/practiced on

Kathryn, hostess with the mostest

Liz, the one who got me to laugh

Uncle Wobbie, an old favorite

Sorry for going so long without posting but I have had a busy month. It kicked off with a trip to Chicago, my first LONG car trip. I stayed out way past my bedtime, got to meet lots of mom and dad's college friends and I even laughed out loud for the first time!

3 months...

Poppin' my collar Miami-style... NBD

Take that Doc, don't yell at my mommy

Bumbo Seat, looking a little squished

All you can eat pancake breakfast at the Ferris's

Play date with J.J.

Believe it or not I am already 3 months old and of course my list of accomplishments keeps growing. At my 3 month checkup I got 3 immunizations which were supposed to make me a little crabby, but I am a strong girl and didn't have any side effects. However, my mom got yelled at by the Dr. because she isn't helping me with my tummy time and since then I have been spending A LOT of time on my belly. I think I will be rolling over and crawling in no time. I can now support all of my weight on my legs, hold my head up and prefer to sit up vs. laying back. I am starting to like my own space and enjoy kicking back on my play mat and playing with my Pink Poodle Lala. I tried to hold a boy's hand, to see video check out his blog: http://skeldonfamilyadventures.blogspot.com/2010/02/jjs-first-valentine-and-playtime.html

All Smiles from the Mile High City

Who takes an eleven-week old baby on a plane? Seriously? Of course, it turned out the flight was uneventful, well sort of. I decided to sleep, eat and smile almost the entire way there. I was just as pleasant on the way home, other than a really nasty blowout of my diaper. Mom and dad had to change me on their laps, bu thankfully the other person in our row was a really nice man with 4 kids of his own. He understood. However, the stewardess did give mom a dirty look when she handed over the plastic bag full of dirty diaper and the onesie that I ruined.

While we were in Denver, we stayed with Emily and Nick Sass and their dog Dorsey. They were great hosts and we loved the city. Dad got to go skiing and mom and I had no problem staying behind and supporting the Denver retail industry. It was really sunny and beautiful all weekend and we all had a lot of fun seeing how things are in the Rocky Mountains. On Saturday I got to meet mom's oldest friend Jen and that night I got to sleep under a table while the adults went out to a nice Valentine's Day dinner.

Good thing we got home when we did because it has been snowing in Cincinnati ever since. Dad has had 2 snow days and has discovered new tricks to get me to smile and even giggle. Of course the giggle happened in between takes but I promise I will let them capture it on camera once I feel more comfortable.

2 Months and Counting

Staring at daddy on his snow day (2/9)


Hanging out in my crib on my two-month birthday (1/28)


Sucking on my thumb during tummy time (1/19)


All bundled up ready for a walk (1/14)


Mommy's trick to get me to sleep in my crib (1/27)

My life has changed so much since I was born. I can add sleeping in my crib to things I have already accomplished (after numerous failed attempts and tricks found on the www, the trick that worked is shown above.) In the past couple of weeks I have visited with baby friends, had a special out-of-town babysitter so my parents could go to law school prom, gone to Louisville, the grocery store, Costco, and LPK... 2 months and already a social butterfly! And I am off to Denver this weekend. Yep you heard it right I am taking my first plane ride to the mile high city. My parents are crazy, huh?
As you can tell from my pictures, I am eating much more these days, between 5-7 ounces every 4 hours. My favorite things to do these days are to go on car rides, suck on my hand and thumb, smile and watch mommy and daddy make silly faces at me (fish lips is my new favorite). It's only a matter of time before I begin to giggle. And Facebook. And Tweet. And go on dates. And talk back.

The Bucket...

Many of you know about my living arrangements and for those of you who don't, there is NO bath tub! One of mommys friends found the perfect solution, the bucket bath. This video is for all of you skeptics out there. I LOVE my bucket, it reminds me of being nice and cozy pre-birth. This is now part of my new nightly routine as mom and dad are searching for some sort of schedule, ok mostly my type A mom. My routine starts with a bottle, then the bucket, next a baby message, then a book and finally some time rocking in my chair. So far this new routine has contibuted many sweet dreams for me and my parents.

Stella's Firsts

So I'm six weeks old now and have already accomplished quite a few things:
- Slept through the night
- Took a bath
- Had a diaper blowout
- Went on a road trip to Cleveland
- Went on a road trip to Toledo
- Rolled over (mommy thinks daddy helped me, but I did it all on my own!)
- Shopped at Nordstrom
- Went out to breakfast at Echo with mom and dad
- Rode a two-wheeler (just kidding)
- Smiled at mommy when she made funny noises with her tongue
- Had the sniffles
- Forgot to go to my one month doctor's appointment
- Played in the snow
- Met a cute older boy and let him hold me
Mom and dad are hoping that "slept in my crib" is the next thing to add to the list, but I really like sleeping in my lamb seat for now. Here are some more pictures!