Autumn Leaves

Stella LOVED playing in the leaves in October. We had so many cute pictures of her playing in the leaves that it was hard to choose which ones to post. So, I just posted a massive amount. I love these pictures because they are just so…Stella. They embody her personality and her excitement. She is a pretty special little bug.

Cedar Point

Earlier in the summer we bought two tickets to the amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, called Cedar Point. We got them for really cheap through the OSU student union. We knew our chances to use them were running out. After much discussion on a Friday night about the pro’s and con’s of going to Cedar Point the next day, we decided to sell the tickets and stay home because the thought of taking a baby to a theme park all day without a place to nap sounded awful. We went to bed decided. The next morning we woke up feeling a little bit sad that we decided not to go. That’s when we looked at each other and said, “Let’s just go!” So we rushed around to get everything ready and jumped in the car for the two hour drive.

Stella was an absolute angel! She had so much fun! She napped on a blanket in the grass and in her stroller. She loved hanging out outside with her mom and dad, watching all the cool rides.We learned our lesson that day. That lesson was to just go and do things.  True, it was harder with a baby and we didn’t get to go on as many rides as we would have pre-Stella, but we all had so much fun and it was way better than staying home and watching Netflix all day. And the joy in Stella’s face was obvious, just because we were out doing something fun together.

There were some really really intense roller coasters. We were able to use a baby swap pass that allowed one of us to wait in line while the other could wait with Stella. After the first person rode, the second person could walk right on.

Cedar Point is on a little, skinny strip of land that juts out into Lake Eerie.

Here is a little video showing the shore line from the top of the ferris wheel. You can also see some of the ride Wicked Twister. It was one of our favorite rides because there was no line for it! After waiting almost two hours to ride Millennium Force, we were all about a ride with a 5 minute waiting time.

The Wicked Twister:

 

 

Stella even got to go on a few rides. She loved it!

Stella was so good that we were able to stay until closing time at 10:00. I lost my wallet in the park and went back in after closing and ran around the whole park searching for it. I didn’t find it, but the next week I got it in the mail. Someone found it and I am so grateful!

What a great day!

Stella is 8 Months

 

We love our little girl. She is growing up so fast!

Oh, those eyes melt my heart!

A little about Stella at 8 months:

• She is just shy of 29 inches and just shy of 22 pounds.
• Her favorite foods are: pears, squash, baby puffs, little wild blueberries, any think in little pieces that she can pick up and put in her mouth by herself.

• She also loves to eat inedible objects like paper, leaves, sticks, wipes, clean diapers, you name it.

• Her favorite toys: balls, books, Piglet, Eeyore, magazines or newspaper, anything that makes music. She also really loves pictures of her mom and dad.

She loves to kiss pictures of people:

• Words: daddy, dada, mom, baba, hi, hey, yaya. I’m almost positive she knows what she is saying when she says dada, baba, and mom. She always says dada when Benj comes home and when he is playing with her and she cries out mom when she is sad or wakes up. And she has started saying baba when I start making her bottle.
• She has 4 teeth. Two bottom teeth and two top canine teeth.
• She can sit herself up on her own, pull herself up onto her knees, and crawl. She also just started using her thumb and pointer finger together to pick things up.
• She doesn’t really like watching tv, but she does love Sesame Street. I let her watch it for a few minutes here and there when I have to make a phone call or something like that.
• She has started waving her hands really fast when she is mad or excited. Its really funny. She just started doing it yesterday, so I don’t have video yet.
• She loves to go fast in her umbrella stroller. She leans forward and spreads her hands out like she is flying.

• She loves riding on Benjamin’s shoulders.

And in her little pack:

• She has started wanting to snuggle before she goes to sleep. She has never been a snuggly baby, but all of the sudden she wants me to rock her for a little before she will settle down for bed.
• She is scared of hand dryers in public restrooms, blenders, food processors, vacuums, and anything that makes a sudden loud noise.
• She loves dogs! Especially small dogs. She was obsessed with my parent’s little dog when we went to visit.
• Her favorite songs are And the Green Grass Grew All Around and You Can Close Your Eyes by James Taylor. I can always cheer her up with the first one and I can usually get her to calm down for sleep with the second.
• She is a bouncer. She sits on her bottom and bounces up and down as if she were on a trampoline. She loved Grandma Kaye’s trampoline, by the way.
• She loves to wrestle and rough house.This consists mostly of her attacking one of us while we are on the floor. She makes this funny little growl, too.
• She loves other children. She loves it when other kids come over to play.

 

She usually tries to maul the other kids.

Look how excited they were when Benj got out his guitar!

And oh, the faces she makes. I love all many crazy facial expressions she is always making:

Who,me?

She is really a sweet and happy little person. I love seeing the curiosity and wonder in her big eyes. We love you little Stella Snow! Stop growing up so fast, will ya?