Party Girl!

Stella has had another fun week of seeing her friends! This kid has quite the social life!

Yesterday we met up with Lauren and Ryan for a stroll around Market Fair Mall. It was more like a run around the mall with some chasing involved but it was cool and they have Starbucks so we were happy. Here is a cute shot that Lauren took and I stole from her. (I hope you don't mind!) Once again I was minus my camera but hopefully I will have one next time! We always have fun seeing them even for short visits like this one was.

Stella and Ryan looking awfully innocent!

Today was a birthday party for Stevie Gerber! It is hard to believe he is already 2 years old. His mom, Patti, throws the best parties and this one didn't dissapoint. They just got a new trampoline and the kids were LOVING it. Stella also had a blast in the little pool and riding in the wagon with the rest of the kids. Too many great pics to put all of them up but here are a few. None taken by me but all courtesy of Patti's MIL. It was another hot day so all the shady trees were wonderful to sit and relax while the kids played.

Happy Birthday Stevie!!!!

Stella taking a dip!

SB's first time on a trampoline!

Pearce, Jack, Stella and Rebecca in the wagon!

Table top Pearce!

Yummy cupcakes!

As a special treat Brian had taken the day off today so when Stella got up from her nap her favorite playmate was here and ready to play. Lucky girl!

Trip to Sayen Gardens!

We had a great day with Stella today, but before I get to that, we have to mention the new challenge that has entered our lives. Bath time has never really been too easy with Stella but we settled into a pretty good groove for a while and she seemed to tolerate it, and sometimes even had fun. Well, those days are over and we are baffled as to why! For the last couple of weeks she has refused to sit in the tub. She'll just stand and whimper most of the time, before she reaches her breaking point and tries to climb out. This is usually when her hair is full of shampoo, so things tend to get challenging at that point. But now things have really taking an odd turn as she has gone from being unhappy in the tub to being downright frightened. We tried a new toy tonight, an auto-bubble blower that sticks to the wall. She absolutely loves bubbles and this helped for a few minutes, but not enough. She still wouldn't sit. Then she just started freaking out. Like total panic mode. I took her out of the tub because I felt so bad for her, and she hadn't really been cleaned at all. Who knows what is going on. Our next tactic may be for me to get in with her to see if that helps. In the meantime, we have a dirty (but cute!) little girl.

Anyway, on to today's fun. Jen had a photo shoot in the morning so Stella and I hung out and took a quick trip to Lowe's. After her afternoon nap, we drove over to Sayen Gardens and she had a blast running around. Fortunately, most of the areas we were in were shady so she didn't get too overheated. She loved running down the paths in the woods and checking out the fountain. There were 3 weddings going on there this afternoon so we couldn't really explore as much as we probably would have liked. But we had fun anyway. When we got home, daddy needed a nap but Stella B was still ready to go! Actually, she was mostly ready to watch Blue's Clues while daddy snoozed...

College tour!

Yesterday Stella and I met Ryan and his Mommy Lauren for a playdate in Princeton. We had lunch at Panera on Nassau....by the way, they have new computers so this is no longer a fast food restaurant and your meal could take as long to order and receive as it would to drive home and make it yourself! ANYWAY, we fought both Panera and the kids to enjoy our tomato mozzarella salads and chai tea latte's and then took them to the PU campus for a good run around.

Stella is walking 100% of the time now and just loves to run and run and run....she doesn't actually have to be running anywhere in particular...just running! So the campus was pretty much perfect for her and Ryan to get their run on.......Here are a few cute pics....

Fun filled week!

Stella and I had a very busy week which makes for great naps! TeeHee. On Monday we had lunch with the M's from PHS-Maureen, Margaret and Marcia! They are such fun to see and always love playing peek a boo and hearing the latest Stella drama. They got to see Stella walking for the first time which was a thrill and hasn't gotten old for me yet either! As Margaret walked around the little courtyard with her I beamed with pride and thought how blessed she is to have so many people in her life that love her. Thanks girls!

Tuesday was a trip to Little Gym to try a free class with Rebecca and her mommy Jill. Stella is still too young for this in my opinion. She wanted nothing to do with chin ups and somersaults and couldn't help but run laps in the big gym and climb on anything she could get her hands on. She screamed as we left which makes me think there may be a time for Little Gym at some point but not right now. We headed to the park after that and had lunch in the scorching heat. Patti and Stevie joined us and we watched the kids melt while whiping our brows and whining about the heat. It was a lot more fun that is sounds. ;-) Tueday evening Jill, Steve and Rebecca came over for pizza and the local community concert. The girls barely lasted the wagon ride to the concert before the heat and excitement of the day caught up with them. The Mommy's didn't mind since we are both pregnant and this heat is killing us....so we waddled back home to hit the cribs and sit in the ac.

Wednesday....Stella had her 18 month wellness appointment. She is doing just great and the Dr. was happy to see her walking so well. She now weighs 24lbs and is 32 1/2 inches tall. Thank you Daddy for those inches! The appointment went well and she barely cried when she got her 2 shots. I felt sort of emotional to think that our next appointment will be for her 2 year checkup. How will this little one be 2 years old soon! Ok, in 6 months but still...it is going too fast.

Thursday was playgroup at our community pool. Pearce, Stevie, Rebecca, Nathan and Taylor joined Stella for swimming and lunch......again, in the scorching heat. Have I mentioned that I am not a fan of the heat? Not sure if that has come across at all. Anyway, Stella padded around the perimeter of the pool for about 20 minutes before working up a good sweat and deciding to go in. This was the 4th or 5th straight day of over 90 so the pool was really the only place to be. All the kids had a great time swimming and LONG naps were had by all.

Friday was the icing on the playdate cake as Ryan and his Mommy were coming to play! We went to the Robbinsville Library for the worst children's musical hour I have ever endured. I felt like I was watching an SNL skit! The 2 singers had matching t-shirts that they had made in the car 5 minutes before with a bubble marker. They sang to recorded background music and covered topics like shapes and opposites. What is wrong with farm animals or ducks or even that spider I that to sing about! Lauren works so she doesn't get to attend many of these I was sure sorry she had driven nearly an hour for this. We had a good time muttering funny comments under our breath and trying to keep the kids in line till the last sway. We fled the library and headed for Chick Fil-A.....the best way to recover from bad music is deep fried chicken. Stella had a bit of a meltdown when she saw the playground but found out she would have to wait until after lunch. Bad Mommy for letting her see it! She recovered though and after lunch we let the kids run around in there for a while and wear themselves out. Stella was hugged to excess by a little boy who saw in an instant that she is adorable and sweet and wonderful...when not pitching a fit. I finally had to ask him not to hug her quite so much....I mean tackle her to the ground. Very awkward and lucky for this little guy Stella's Daddy wasn't there.

FINALLY! Today we went to Lauren, Pat and Ryan's for dinner and had a wonderful time and great food too. It is just so fun to see these 2 play together and think of the little bugs they used to be. Lauren made yummy mac and cheese and burgers and a smore's dessert!!! The heat wave continues so we were happy to play inside and hide from the sun. Here are a couple cute pics including one that shows Brian getting practice having 2 kids. He seems to be handling it well. It was so fabulous to get to see them 2 times in a week! Thanks again for having us over! xoxoxo

Dancing Stella!

Earlier this week, when Jen's parents were in town (and before I was stricken with Pink Eye, gross!), we went over into Washington Town Center to listen to some music. Every Tuesday night in July they have a live band perform at the gazebo on the lake. We went a few times last year when Stella was a little one and she was completely oblivious. I didn't know what to expect this year. The concerts don't start until 7, which is just about when she is going down for the night. But we took a chance and I'm so glad we did because this was probably the cutest I've ever seen Stella in her 18 months of life! We got there and the band had already started. They were playing classic rock, probably not Stella's favorite genre, and they were a bit loud. So I wasn't sure she would go for it. She wanted out of her stroller almost immediately after we got there, and after we took her out she made a beeline right for the stage. At first I was mortified as no other kids were up that close. But Stella put on a show for everyone, dancing like crazy (which basically means spinning in circles and shaking her butt periodically). It was insanely adorable. Soon other kids rushed the stage as well and they had a little mini-mosh pit going. Stella was just overjoyed, seeing all these other kids running around. She got knocked on her butt once and we had quite a few near misses, but she was loving it. She ran out of steam after a half hour or so (I could tell because she was trying to sit in various people's chairs), so we scooped her up and headed home. Hopefully we'll catch the other shows this year and remember to get some video next time. Here are some photos that Grandma took!

Stella Sparkle!

Today we had the 2nd annual McGann 4th of July trip to NYC! We happily learned last year that all the things that can make a trip to NY annoying....bad traffic, lines at the tunnel, crowded streets (bad for strollers) and no parking are not an issue on 4th of July! So a tradition was born. We had the same great fortune this year and even met up with our good friends Jon and Kat at the Central Park Zoo. Stella did great today and had so much fun running...yes, running around the children's zoo. She couldn't be bothered to look at the animals because she had to keep moving. It was very cute and we can't believe that in only 2 weeks she has gone from crawling to running and even some dancing! Happy 4th of July!

Stella looking so excited!!!

Stella will not willingly let me take her picture but here she is with Daddy and Jon and Kat, sort of.

Stella Sparkle running!!!

Stella letting Daddy rest...but only for a second!

Happy 4th of July!

Some cute pics from the park today.

She had Daddy melting in the heat!

How cute are her little legs!?

This shot is really sweet if I don't say so myself. She was watching the other kids on the swing and totally entranced. Click to see this one large and check out her eyes!!!

After only 2 weeks of walking Stella B is realy to climb!

18 months already!!!

Stella B turned 18 months old on Saturday. It is just impossible to believe that she is already and year and half old. Now that she is walking she seems much taller (Thank you Daddy) and she looks like such a little girl! Since she pretty much won't let me take her picture I thought I would take her to Kiddie Kandids and see if they had any better luck. Not so much. Stella had the guy who worked there and I jumping, singing and acting all a fool and she barely cracked a smile. Mostly she stared at us like we were...well, acting all a fool. Here are the 2 best of the lot though. Happy 18 months Stella Barbara. We love you so much!