Fun Sunday at Grandpa's

Stella made her first visit to Grandpa's out on Long Island yesterday and we had a really nice time. I was definitely concerned about how she would hold up after a long car ride, especially after she only napped for about 40 minutes of it. Being in a new place with lots of mostly unfamiliar faces was going to be a challenge, I thought, especially since she has been so fussy lately after being sick. But she was such a champ and I don't think she cried or fussed once the whole time we were there! Actually, I'm wondering if our daughter has a future in politics, because she really seemed to be working the room. When my dad would tickle her under her chin she would smile and gaze up at him with her big eyes. And when my sister held her she just leaned back and hung out on her lap for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, if either Jen or I try that she's usually not having it. Anyway, it was a great weekend and it is such a relief to have her feeling better. Her nose finally stopped running after 2 weeks! And she isn't snoring at night anymore since she is no longer congested (but I kind of miss that!). She just turned 15 months on Friday and she's becoming such a big girl!

Even CUTER!!!!

Easter weekend

This was a really great weekend in spite of the fact Stella was still very sick and really rather unpleasant at times. A huge thanks to my parents for all the great Easter treats and gifts and for coming to visit and being patient with our crabby girl. I know they watched a lot more Backyardigans than they ever thought they could! TeeHee. Here are a few shots of Stella at the Easter egg hunt in our community and the hunt my mom put on for her Sunday afternoon inbetween crying fits. The top left shot is Stella getting as close to her little TV buddies as she can. Happy Easter!

Make that a rough, rough, rough, rough week....

Poor Stella B and I have been fighting the fight this week with our noses! We are still struggling but I think we are on the other side of it. I hope so anyway.

Almost everyday this week one or both of us ended up in a whining, runny nose filled, heap at some point of the day. We managed to fit in a few errunds and activities inbetween naps, coughing fits and nose blowing so the week wasn't a total loss. A huge thanks to Patti for letting us come to play yesterday! I think it is safe to say we are thrilled the week is almost over and hopeful that our colds are over with it. Brian was a total trooper with his girls and thankfully though he had a close call seems to have missed out on getting sick himself. Thanks Lovey!

I am so happy that Spring is officially here and this weekend my parents are coming to visit for Easter. Tomorrow there is an Easter egg hunt in our community that I hope to bring Stella to and get some cute pictures. It should be a fun weekend and it will be nice to have them here to see how fun Stella is right now. Hopefully she will keep the whining heap incidents to a minimum....and I will too.

Rough, rough, rough weekend

Wow, this was a tough weekend. Both my girls are sick! Jen's been sick for a few days and it really hit hard this weekend. We noticed that Stella was a bit sneezy/coughy when we were putting her down last night so we were concerned she had caught the bug too. Sure enough, starting at about 3:00 AM she woke up very upset because she was so congested. We were able to get her to calm down but within an hour she started up again. Jen wasn't getting much sleep anyway because she was so congested herself. Anyway, it was off and on like that until just about 7 AM when I decided to get her up and take her downstairs for breakfast and let Jen sleep a bit more. Today was a struggle but all things considered she did pretty well. She was mostly in decent spirits despite being totally blocked up. At least until about 4:00 PM or so, when her afternoon nap lasted about 15 minutes. From then on she was just miserable, although it was really sort of off and on. She would be inconsolable for some stretches and then simley and happy for others. We're listening to her breathe very heavily now through the monitor as she is down and hopefully out for the night.

We really can't complain as we can probably count on one hand the number of weekends we've had like this since she got past the 3 month mark. And as challenging as last night was at times, there was something really sweet about going into her room and calming her down. Jen suggested just stroking her face and tummy (I probably would have foolishly picked her up and walked her around the room), which I did, and it was so nice. Usually if you put your hand near her face she'll push it away, but last night she just lay in her crib as I rubbed her cheek, looking up at me with a sad look on her face. It was a bit heartbreaking but sweet too. Anyway, let's hope that we have a somewhat peaceful night so both my girls can get the rest they need and get better!

St. Paddy's playdate at Patti's!

Stella and I have had the good fortune to find a wonderful group of moms who let us play with them a couple days a week. One of the moms had us all over on Friday for a playdate to celebrate St. Paddy's day kid style...meaning pizza and puffs but no booze. It was fun and the kids were all worn out and had great afternoon naps. The post-playdate nap is just one of the many perks of this group. Here they all are ready for St Paddy fun.

Like daddy, like daughter...

In my younger years, I was known to spend quite a bit of time on the couch, staring at the tv and stuffing my face. I am so proud to see my daughter shares this interest! What's that they say about apples falling from trees?