Weaning and Homemade Baby Food

...so Stella likes carrots...its official. She ate them with her peas like a champ tonight. Matt successfully made homemade baby food tonight, too! We now have 2 ice trays full of carrots in the freezer for Stella Badella!

In other news, I am still weaning Stella and tonight (for the first time) I am a bit sad. It will pass and I know she has not a clue as to what is going on - I mean, really, at this point, she just wants to be fed....but it's the end of an era and I'm not so good with endings, especially when it comes to our all-too-fast-growing daughter. It's for the best, I tell myself...it's for the best. I'll go back to my list of pros in my head:)

Stella is 6 Months Old!!??

...I can't believe it. Stella is 6 months old, well, actually, today she's like 6 1/2 months old, but I'm late blogging:)

...back to what I was saying...I can't believe it...as in, really can't believe it...here's Stella's past 6 months:

 Stella, just born...

"Word" on her one month birthday, 7.1.2010

"I'm judging you" on her 2 month birthday, 8.1.2010

"I can't stand how funny you are, Mommy!" on her 3 month birthday 9.1.2010

 "Mom, the sun's in my eyes" on her 4 month birthday 10.1.2010

 "Woah, to the flash on that camera!" on her 5 month birthday, 11.1.2010

 "I'm the cutest ballerina ever" on her 6 month birthday, 12.1.2010

...we just had her in the hospital, yesterday, right??

Here are her stats at 6 months:

• 16lbs, 15oz...chunk monk!!!
• 26 1/4 inches tall
• currently sleeps from 7 or 8 to somewhere between 5 and 7, nurses, then goes down for another hour or 2!
• started baby food and loves apples, bananas and peas...this week we are working on carrots, though Matt is convinced she isn't a fan...I promptly informed him it takes a baby 15 attempts at one food to determine whether or not she actually likes or dislikes it...we've got a few more rounds to go! I am also making Stella's baby food, which is very cool. It's super easy, cheap and you can make enough food in one day for like 2 months if you have enough storage space! Did I mention how cheap this was?

We've been exclusively breastfeeding Stella since day one, with an occasional formula bottle here and there when we run out of milk and I'm not available, and I've THOROUGHLY enjoyed it. I wouldn't have it any other way and if God permits, I'll breastfeed all of my babies. I can't say enough good things about breastfeeding. However, we've decided to start weaning Stella to formula. The pediatrician said I no longer had to nurse her every 4 hours (what a difference that makes!) and could cut out one feeding so she was instead nursing 4 times a day with 2 baby food meals. It was a very tough decision, one that I have been on the fence about for a while now, but once we reached the 6 month mark, which was my minimum goal, we decided it was what was best for our entire family to stop nursing. I've already begun to replace one nursing period with a bottle and she's doing really well. I feel certain this is because we introduced the bottle to her early - she has never had trouble taking the bottle, so weaning her shouldn't be difficult. It will probably be more difficult for me than her! Hopefully by the end of next week she'll be officially weaned.

Things I'll miss about nursing:

• the special bonding time only Stella and I experience...the look on her face is priceless!
• the way she relies on ONLY me for nursing...it's a proud and rewarding feeling knowing that I am an integral part of her day, everyday
• the time I get to "slow down" during the day when I have to nurse her...it gives me a break to just stop and enjoy my life for a while
• this is a double-edge sword, but the ease in which we can "get up and go"...I still have to get her ready and pack her diaper bag, but I never have to worry about a bottle or formula...her meal is always ready and available!
• putting her to bed...our ritual is dinner, bathtime, and nursing, then to bed. I am almost always the last one to hold her before she goes to sleep, and that is a sweet, calming time for us both
• I'm not too proud to admit that nursing is a great way to keep the weight off...I don't know exactly how much, but I think a mother burns like 300 calories each time she breastfeeds, so its like your working out while sitting down and relaxing!

I will miss breastfeeding very much, but I am excited about all the great things that come with this welcomed change. For one, Matt will get the joy of feeding her now (along with other family members), which for the majority of the time was only my responsibility.  I don't know what it is, but there is something so sweet about feeding a baby! Secondly, and lastly (for I do not want to appear to "bash" breastfeeding, as I feel it is the best way to feed newborns), I will not miss having to wear nursing-appropriate attire. I can't tell you how many times my ADHD brain has forgotten to wear something I can nurse easily in, especially when going out for the day or going to a function. In which case, I have to undress to nurse. Not fun. I've learned there are many dresses you cannot nurse in and cannot take one strap off, which requires you to fully undress.

Like I said, I love breastfeeding and will breastfeed all of my babies, and maybe in the future I'll even breastfeed them up until their first birthday, like the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests...but for now, we are closing this chapter on a happy note:)

Thankful for Thanksgiving

I know its about a week late, but hey, we've been busy and on the road, so gimme a break:) I was very thankful this year for Thanksgiving and time spent with family. We've had a rough past month or so after I lost my job, so we welcomed good time spent with family and friends. We started off a week before Thanksgiving with my best friend's wedding in Mobile. Since my camera broke, I was forced to take pictures with my phone, but I did get a few photos from friends via Facebook, so enjoy:)

 Girls' Bridesmaid Luncheon at Cortlandt's

Matt, Stella and I in the vestibule before the ceremony, St. Mary's Church

My besties:) L to R Kelly, me, Candace, Cheree, Victoria, Cherie Kaye 

 Mommy and Stella taking a break from dancing for suppertime:)

And on to Thanksgiving...we had such a great time in Columbus visiting with family. It's always been a tradition to meet up the night before Thanksgiving and enjoy a Mexican feast at the Mexican Kitchen but we've not been able to attend for at least the past 5 years! We made an extra effort to get there in time and we were so glad we did! Staying 2 nights in Columbus was so nice. One night is just not enough!

Pops and Stella

 

Gram and Stella fist pump...classic!

 "You are the most fascinating thing I've ever seen, Pops." -Stella

 Rocking the "Baby's first Thanksgiving" bib, courtesy of Aunt Nancy!

 Stella surrounded by loyal subjects...Aunt Colleen on the left and cousin Blair on the right

 Mommy and Stella - first Thanksgiving!

 Mia, Stella and Pops!

 Three generations...Stella, Pops and Grandpa Billy

 Then we took it down to Hattiesburg for a weekend with the Devereauxs..Stella was absolutely amazing on the trip...we were very surprised, seeing as how she usually HOWLS when put in the car seat...hopefully that is a phase she is outgrowing!

 Yes, count them, that's 4 schnauzers! Sophie, Gus, Tilly and Berti....Stella can't believe it, either!

 We even got to visit the Thrashes while in town! We loved having lunch with them and letting the girls play with Stella. Lizzy was the sweetest, always giving her a paci. Marie wanted to hold her and did such a good job!

 Tell me he's not an experienced Dad...I guess three baby girls will do that for you:) Also, will you check out the staring contest we've got going on?? Stella vs Lizzy...I think Stella wins! Hilarious!

 Katie, my long lost friend:) It was so good to finally catch up with you:)

 We also took some Christmas pictures because my oh-so-together, decorating-queen-of a-mother-in-law had her beautiful house decorated and tree up PLUS all the children and both grand girls were in town!

 ...to add even more fun to a great weekend, my sweet sister in law, Megan, got engaged!!!!! We are so happy for you and Chris, sister!!!!

 Of course, Stella must still practice tummy time!

Look at this fat chunky monkey! Can you believe she was a week shy of 6 months old here?! She's heavenly fat, I tell you...I could eat her with a spoon! I'll post more 6 month stats after her check up next week! I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving as much as we did!

Perfect Christmas Card This Year!

I now have the perfect subject for Christmas cards this year...Stella! I joined the "now married" population and assumed the role of Christmas-card sender-outer-after Matt and I got married in '07. Now that we have dogs AND a brand new baby, we must continue the tradition (though, I must say, no dogs have graced our Christmas cards:) and what better way to wish friends and family than sharing a picture of us with our prized possession, Miss Stella at 6 months old!

So I am thrilled to pick out our Shutterfly Christmas cards this year! They've got a wonderful promotion going on for bloggers, so if you're interested in sharing the Shutterfly love in exchange for free Christmas photo cards, check out the promo here. Look at how many options I have to choose from here. There are so many precious options - I know it will be a tough decision! Here are more Christmas card options from Shutterfly here. And lets not forget how fabulous Shutterfly cards have been for us in the past..remember Stella's thank-you cards? We even used Shutterfly's photo cards BEFORE she was born by using one of her sonogram images! I remember saying "well, if we don't have a name yet for our butter bean for her thank you cards, at least they will have include her picture! Hopefully you can see the finished project here... Once Stella was born, we took this picture at 7 days old and replaced her sonogram picture with this one - I hope the links work!! We were so happy with the finished product for her thank you cards and received so many compliments...we've already run out and are ordering more soon!  Thanks, Shutterfly!

We've been faithful Shutterfly users for years now. For our first Christmas together, we used a great card from Shutterfly that pictured us in front of St. Louis Cathedral in NOLA - how apropos, right?? We were commemorating our first Christmas in the Big Easy! To be honest, I don't remember what we used in 08 and 09, but none will compare to this year's card! I am so excited to get started!

Here are the picture options we will choose between for this season's card - one of the whole fam from Candace's wedding:

 or one of Stella by herself looking precious:

 ...I can't wait to get started testing them out in photo card designs at Shutterfly.com! 

Life Changes

Many things have been going on in our lives over these past few weeks. I am no longer working for Kelly's Kids and am currently staying home with my sweet Stella. We are unsure what the future holds as far as being a working mother versus a stay at home mother, but I am trying to enjoy this time at home with Stella first and foremost. I am keeping a sweet couple friends' new baby girl on Mondays and Tuesdays, which I love! Sweet McKenzie and Stella love playing together:) I also just had an interview with a pharmaceutical company who is looking for a sales rep in this area, as well as taken steps to become a certified Pilates instructor. Both of these are dream jobs for me so we'll see how they play out in the coming weeks:)

In other news, we bought a HOUSE! We are so excited to now be official homeowners in LA after living here for 2 1/2 years as renters! We bought a lovely, historic home in downtown Covington that needs some TLC and updating....a new project I am DYING to begin...but we have a wonderful canvas to work with!

We have agreed on a price contingent upon an inspection and appraisal, so while I say we "bought" this house, it is, of course, not final until we officially close on December 27. Until then, I will have to dream about my projects for this house. For those of you who know me, you know that "planning" is not one of my strong suits. I get a bit excited about potential ideas/plans/projects and tend to jump in full force rather than planning them out methodically...this is where Matt comes in. He's much more practical and thoughtful when it comes to projects like renovating a home:) I already have a folder on my desktop filled with ideas for the kitchen and bathrooms - I'm channeling my energy into finding the exact style I want rather than going out and buying paint and light fixtures ASAP!

We've got a fabulous wedding this weekend and Thanksgiving next weekend, so we are gearing up to be on the road quite a bit over the next 2 weeks. My best friend from college (Candace) is getting married this weekend and I am so thrilled to be her matron of honor. Wedding festivities begin in Mobile this Thursday so we'll head over after work for a fun filled weekend! Then next week its off to Columbus for 2 days and Hattiesburg for 2 more days so we can show off Stella to family members who haven't met her yet and enjoy Thanksgiving with family! We are so looking forward to this time with family and friends! We'll have lots to post more about in the near future! Happy November until then!

Stella Vetos Oatmeal

Stella tried oatmeal this past weekend and we didn't like it....see her reaction on the video below....hilarious! I think we'll stick to rice cereal for now!

FYI here are our stats:
5 months, 1 week on Monday, November 8
15lbs 7oz (November 1)
24 inches long (November 1)
can lay on tummy and lift head and torso to 90 degree angle
can smile and laugh like crazy
can sit up with assistance
can reach and grasp for things like her paci, Sophie Le Giraffe and my hair
eating her weight in rice cereal
still nursing exclusively (yay!)
sleeping through the night most nights - except for the past 2 nights where she's decided to wake up from 3-4am - I look past it, seeing as how she's been sick for 2 weeks!

Stella, 5 Months Old and Our 3 Year Anniversary!

As we approach Thanksgiving, we have TONS to be thankful for...one being our sweet, happy 5 month old Stella...

(...don't be fooled by her scowl...this is just too funny of a picture not to share. She cracks me up! She was all smiles 2.2 seconds before this one) and second being our third wedding anniversary!!! We celebrate three years of marriage tomorrow! Happy Anniversary, Love!

In other news, we had a blast trick or treating with Stella for her first Halloween. We joined MC, David and Millie on Algiers Point to trick or treat - Stella was a woopie cushion...and don't worry, she provided the sound effects herself! She got great compliments on her costume!

...and I'll just leave you with this hillarious picture of Stella's Who Dat uniform, courtesy of Aunt MCat and cuz Millie (the onsie, that is)...you don't have to tell me how ridiculous that headband is, I fully understand...but it was black and gold so I HAD to buy it. She ONLY wears it when we watch the Saints...and when I want a laugh!

Can You Really See the Light at the End of the Tunnel??

...when people say that, do they really mean it? Or are they simply trying their hand at some sort of self preservation...just trying to hold on to the thought of that light at the end of the tunnel, to get through the really messy, unfun part.

I am determined to keep this blog about positivity and all things Stella, which I can say, are usually fun and smiley and nothing but optimistic, because when I look at her, I see only happiness and many, many months and years of blessings ahead of us. But we can only be perfect and happy a certain percentage of the time...so I'll just ask for prayers. Please pray that this difficult time we are going through eases up and that with God's help, we'll be directed on the path he chooses. Another good idea would be to pray for understanding...to let go of the things we cannot change and to change the things we can.

In other news, Stella is a sick baby! The ped said she has a virus, but unfortunately we cannot tell from the blood test what kind. Stella hasn't been quite herself these last few days and I haven't really known what to do. She hasn't been running a fever but I could tell she doesn't feel good. She was a lot more fussy than she's ever been, which is very out of character for her. We've been on rice cereal for a week or 2 now, so I know she's getting enough food, along with nursing, except for these last 72 hours where she just hasn't nursed for her usual amount of time. After 2 days of straight fussing, I scooped up Stella in a rush to go to the doctor, without an appointment. I was just at my wits end...I knew something was wrong with her...I couldn't be imagining it. 

While I cried and explained the symptoms she'd had and then apologized for crying, the nurse kindly asked if I'd been getting enough sleep...what is enough sleep these days?? Really? I really didn't know how to answer that. We go back to Stella and they checked her out and said she didn't have thrush (one of the symptoms I noted was a whitish color to her upper back gums and roof of her mouth - but the ped said that was normal coloring for a baby) or a fever or an earache.

After talking with the ped a bit more and explaining that her hunger tapered off a bit (even though she tipped the scaled at 15lbs 7 oz!!!) and she hadn't gone to the bathroom in 6 days, she decided to order a blood test to rule out an infection. So my poor baby had to get stuck:( It was just as bad as a shot:( The tests came back within minutes and it showed that she definitely had a virus. The ped told me that she most likely hasn't been running a fever because she was breastfed versus formula fed. You see, she is definitely sick and more than likely has body aches and head aches and maybe even a sore throat, but the usual tell tale sign of a sick baby is fever and crankiness. Babies who are breastfed tend to fight of fevers more than formula fed babies, so she was very happy I brought her in rather than blame her crankiness on teething or a growth spurt. The ped said my breast milk was probably the reason she WASN'T running a fever, which made me feel great about our decision to continue nursing indefinitely!

So I'm giving her .8ml of Tylenol every 4 hours as needed and will watch her over the next few days. The ped said with a viral infection, you can't really do anything except keep her chocked full of fluids - antibiotics only work with bacterial infections. So here's hoping that Stella gets to feeling much better soon! I'll leave you with this pretty precious picture...it was taken today at 21 weeks, 1 day old sharing a smile for mommy even though she felt pretty rotten!

We Found Out We Were Pregnant a Year Ago!

...a year ago this past Thursday!!! We can't believe it's already been a year since our lives were totally changed for good:) This collage shows Matt's birthday gift that kept on giving and giving! You see, we found out we were pregnant the day after Matt's 30th birthday, October 8th - a day we will never forget! Like I said on Facebook...last year for his birthday I gave Matt a big ole fat positive pregnancy test. This year - Mellow Mushroom pizza. Way to live up to the curve! Happy Birthday to my best friend! I love you!!

...and now we have THIS sweet thing as a daily birthday gift...I mean, could she be any cuter?

 

Sweet thing fell asleep in her swing with her pacimal juuuuust barely in her mouth!

 

Here we are enjoying the festivities of the Light the Night Walk in New Orleans!

 

We are just so stinking blessed to have Stella, even though the time is FLYING by! We can't believe in 3 short weeks she'll be 5 months old....it's truly crazy. At her recent 4 month appointment she weighed 13lbs, 13oz and measured 24 1/2 inches tall. She is right on target with her developmental goals, though she hasn't mastered tummy time yet:( Maybe I'm a bad mommy...but she just doesn't like it. I try and try and the kid doesn't do it for more than 5 minutes without getting upset and smooshing her face into the ground. Well, at least we get in 5 minutes of practice every now and then, plus her practice at daycare!

The pediatrician gave us the green light for baby food but also said if we weren't ready we could continue to nurse her exclusively and not introduce baby food until 6 months. She said to watch Stella and as soon as Stella pays attention to us eating, she's ready to try it herself. I may have caught her eying a bite of my super over the last few days....but I'm not jumping up to buy a box of rice cereal and a baby bowl just yet. We'll wait and see with the baby food. Neither Matt nor I are really ready for that!

We Met Our Goal for Light the Nigh Fundraiser for LLS!!!

Here we are at this past Friday's Light the Nigh Walk in NOLA - and guess what...we got a T-SHIRT for meeting our goal of raising $100 - we are "Champions for Cures"!! Thank you to everyone who donated - I walked in memory of Jennifer Steckler, a family friend who lost her battle with leukemia while Matt and I were on our honeymoon and in honor of my childhood bestie, Sophie, whom Stella is partially named after (she is Sophie Estelle and Stella is Estelle Anderson) who is a leukemia survivor.

Matt and I joined the team somewhat last minute. My sis Mary Catherine is team captain AND works for LLS (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society). The team is Life of Brian, made up of Mr. Brian O'Neil's wife and family, neighborhood friends of MC and David. Mr. Brian lost his battle to cancer in 08 and the team has been walking in his honor every year. We were so excited to join the team this year and look forward to walking at many more Light the Night events! Our team is so so close to reaching our team goal of $5000 - we are currently at $4475! I am still fundraising until I meet my 2nd goal - $200. You can help me reach my goal by just donating a few dollars here http://pages.lightthenight.org/msla/NOrleans10/CDevereaux. Even though the walk is over, we can still raise money!

We had such a great time last night - and may I mention that this was no physical/excercising fundraiser...this was a New Orleans type walk where everyone ate heavily and played around prior to the walk. We mosied, really:) But it was great fun. Everyone held balloons lit from the inside and walked around the lake at Lafreniere Park - at the end, they all released the balloons simultaneously...I say "they" because we didn't get to participate. Stella had other plans, which included freaking out, eating and sleeping, so we let our little balloons go on the walk to the car - it was still special to us!

Thanks for letting us join the team, guys! We'll definitely be back again next year!

Love to Look at Houses

Matt and I are looking at this house today...to purchase. What in the world are we thinking? The whole thing has to be renovated BIG TIME. However...they are pretty much giving the house away in an estate sale...oh, the joys of our crazy life!!!

Stella's Christening and Her Big Upcoming 4 Month Birthday!!!

Well, in pretty much 12 hours, Stella will turn 4 months old and will be getting some icky shots. I love her birthdays but hate that they are usually commemorated by immunizations:(! It's been SOOOOO crazy around here...I am just barely seeing a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel!

Stella started daycare 2 weeks ago, which has been tough, especially since we've all been sick for at least a week now. We went to the pediatrician this past Saturday to make sure it was just a regular cold and not something terrible like RSV and she checked out fine weighing 13lbs 13.5oz! I can't believe how big my girl is, though I know other babies who are SLAMMIN' on the pounds compared to my little Stella. She's just a petite thing, that's all:) Daycare has been somewhat...interesting. I am lucky because (if I want) I can stalk Stella all day via the daycare's webcam and keep an eye on the teacher. After watching for a few days, I can honestly say that I do trust Stella's teacher and the whole daycare in general...there's just something about having to share your child's sole caregiver with 3 other children...especially after having a perfectly wonderful nanny in house for 8 weeks! Other than the sinusitis I've developed from daycare, Stella seems to be ok with her illness. It's really only nasal congestion and a bit of a scratchy throat, which has all improved over the past week. I've got her mattress propped up one side and a humidifier going constantly in her room because I'm terrified of developing ear infections. Fingers crossed, it seems to be working! We'll see at the doctor's office tomorrow!

This past weekend was Stella's Christening at our church here in Mandeville! Stella wore the slip, gown and cap that has been in our family for 55 years. This was also worn by Stella's cousin Millie, myself and my siblings, all my cousins and my mother and her 2 brothers. The gown was a bit small for Stella - apparently you are supposed to get babies baptized before 3-4 months - oops. But I was merely keeping up tradition because my grandmother jokes that when I was baptized, mom waited so long to do it that the gown had to be draped over me because I was 5 months old! Well, at least I was baptized at all!

After her christening we hosted lunch at our home for 30 of our family members and friends. We are so so happy that we got to spend the weekend with everyone - having each of you there meant more than you'll know. Even though it was hot in our little house, the Saints lost and I ran out of food (I know, right? What a terrible host!), it was such a wonderful occasion for Matt, Stella and I. Here are some pictures of our special weekend:

Saturday, WWII Museum, Warehouse District, NOLA

 The cake, Frangelico Hazelnut Cake with Butter cream Icing by Zoe's Bakery

The grandmothers (Jen Jen and Che Che) dressing Stella in our vintage christening gown

 Parents and Godparents, Aunt Mary Catherine and Uncle David

That paci had to be in her mouth...we didn't feel very good - but at least we looked sweet:)

Mommy and Daddy with baby Stella!

 Mommy and Daddy getting ready for her baptism

 The Devereauxs

Stella's Godmother MCat

 Pops and his kids and grand kids!

 Lauren and Sean left their week and a half old baby girl McKenzie to be there!

 Proud Mommy and Daddy - Stella has her hands in her mouth 23 hours a day

 The 4 gennies - for those of you who don't know why we take pictures like this, one of the last Christmases we had with our Nannie (Mae Mae's mother), they took a silly photo at Christmas with Nannie, Mae Mae, Mom and MCat (4 generations) posing like this, all poking a little fun at Nannie who struck the pose first. Now, we've made it a tradition and we have the exact same photo when Millie was baptized!

The 4 gennies again:)