THE House....

We had an inspection today on a new (to us) house... there were a few unexpected issues (read: huge leak coming out of the dining room fan when the water was turned on) but nothing that our handy plumber and handyman husband couldn't/can't handle!
The pictures are no longer posted online so I snapped a few to give you an idea.
We are planning to paint to door (color still in debate), paint the shutters black, paint all the walls a neutral shade (including the upstairs wood panelling) and do a deep clean in the bathrooms.
There's also a pic of SJ in her new big girl seat... she comes with the house too!

When you walk in the front door you are in the living room and can walk straight into the dining room and to the left of that is the kitchen. Off the immediate right are the stairs leading to the second floor.





Off the right side of the living room/dining room area there are two bedrooms and a full bathroom. They basically only need a good clean and some fresh paint




This is the upstairs... two rooms with wood panelling and a full bathroom. The rooms need paint but are really cute with large closets, attic space and built in drawers, shelves and desks.




This is the median/cul de sac and pictures of the back "yard"

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9.....10!!

We made it to 10 months! We are on the final dash to the one year marker.
This month has been so eventful. A trip to Duxbury, MA and a trip to Texas and a vacation to Lake Tahoe! Stella is truly one of the most traveling babies I have ever met. She does fairly well but with increased mobility comes increased agitation on plane rides, which is not much fun.
Before we went to Texas, SJ had some sort of cold/allergies and after a week they cleared up and all was well. The day after we got back from Texas she started up with it again. It's been over a week and the little babe is a cranky, snotty mess!! I'm not really sure what I should do at this point? If I go to the doctor I am pretty sure I will be wasting $20 for him to tell me to wait it out or he will give me some drug that I am not too keen on giving to my little one. I'm just hoping it will clear up soon. Because of the allergies and a very busy schedule naps have been more often a miss than a hit. I don't think that helps her cranky disposition one bit either!
Stella is SUPER mobile these days. She can reach the kitchen counter on her tip toes and the piano and highchair and just about anything else she really sets her mind on. She isn't afraid of falling or rolling (and has the bumps and bruises to prove it)... as long as mommy is near. Remove the mommy and remove all sanity. Same song, 10th verse.
Stella is getting lots of hair and in general assuming a much more big girl look. It's crazy to see her growing from day to day. She is so interested in having a conversation (with lots of hand motions) and looking into every little detail of every little thing. She is into everything!
Because she is still crawling and pulling up on anything she can, I don't have any pictures of her...I am constantly in motion with her and have no time to grab a camera and by the time I do, she is on to something else.
We are inspecting a new house today and so hopefully I'll bring you pictures of the babe and house soon!
Happy 10 Months SJ!

Miscellaneous

There is nothing much to note about SJ but I just felt like giving you a little update on our normal day to day...



This week has been a little bumpier than usual because SJ has had some sort of cold or allergies. I don't know which I would prefer. If it's a cold, it's sad because she is contagious and thus we have to stay pretty quarantined (which we mostly have). However, if it's allergies, it could last months and months or off and on for her entire life. I don't want her to have to go through what I have gone through.... isn't that the main point of nursing for a year and delaying this food and that etc etc...? Either way, it was just another test of my motherhood skills (which are still being refined to say the least). I always feel like this will last forever and then am ashamed of myself when it is over in a mere week or two. SJ stopped taking naps and started waking up earlier and earlier in the mornings and was the fussiest I have seen her in six months or more... I was becoming frazzled. Then today, she slept like normal and has taken two great naps! Oh mommy, when will you learn to chill out!
In a week or so we are traveling back to Texas to hang out with Drew's Gran and the rest of our families. We are hoping to go swimming a lot while we are there. SJ had her first dip in the ocean when we went to Duxbury recently and she liked it. It was so cold and thus we thought she would dislike it but she seemed really pleased the whole time. Can't wait to see her in the pool again.
Last week SJ started pulling up on everything and has become really sturdy on her feet. Today, for the first time, she even let go of what she was holding and stood on her own for a few seconds.
I can't believe that the summer is basically over. Seminary classes start online in a little over a week. I am still very excited but also a little sobered by the amount of work in the syllabus. It's never as bad as it seems right at first. I think I will miss seeing my favorite professor in person and hearing his asides but I'm thankful for the online option at this stage in our lives.
I'm also going to be a teacher's assistant for my good friend and mentor as she homeschools her four children. I am so excited to be able to help her out and also to be able to learn along side her as she teaches, disciplines and loves on her kiddos. I know SJ will also benefit from being around other children so often, especially as she develops more and more... and from being in a more structured play time several times a week. We are going to work with the little girls while the boys are getting more formal schooling. I can't wait.
Then before you know it, SJ will be ONE! I am already planning her party in my head and trying to learn all about this new stage that is fast approaching. I have no idea how to wean or what to feed a one year old or what to occupy her time with etc etc... it's going to be fun!
Here are some pictures from our day to day lately...

sitting on the a/c vent on our hottest day of the year so far... in fact I think the hottest day I've seen in four years here!


teething and standing up at the same time... what talent!



We had to say goodbye to some of our closest friends... Jane and SJ hanging out for lunch/tea one last time

9 Months...a little late

So SJ is blowin' straight through all these milestones... next up is ONE YEAR! I can't believe it. I think I've said that every time. We haven't taken SJ to the doctor yet for her check up (b/c we know she is fine and don't need to pay to have them tell us) but here are her stats...
Longer
Taller
Stella is measuring way above the average one year old in height and weight and last time I checked she was around 30 inches and 20lbs (about a month ago).
We are still nursing but have started to introduce more and more solids. Right now she gets at least one meal of solids a day and we are moving up to two. She LOVES avocado and cheese and takes just about everything else we have given her. The only thing she has ever rejected was a slice of yellow bell pepper. She wouldn't even tolerate it to be on her tray. This is so hilarious b/c neither Drew nor I appreciate bell peppers and it has only been in the recent months that I have been able to tolerate the red and yellow/orange variety. The green don't have a chance in this family. So it's funny that without any prompting she rejected this veg. Oh well. We'll try again some time soon.
At 9 months Stella had her two bottom middle teeth fully installed and just recently started cutting all four middle top teeth. Needless to say, she has not found that a pleasant experience. During her ninth month Stella had a trip to Texas for a wedding, a trip to Kansas for a wedding and a Lewis family trip to Duxbury, MA. She is quite the traveling baby. She has done well on all her flights and has flirted with all the other passengers.
Stella has learned how to wave, fake shyness and give a low five or high five. She loves to talk non stop and eat anything in reach. She still comes at life with the tongue first.
Just this week (9.2) Stella learned how to pull all the way up to standing and has had quite a few tumbles in the process. Pretty soon she will be cruisin' around the house and then we'll really be in trouble.
She is such a fun and happy baby to mother (yes, even in the midst of teething woes) and I am so thankful to the Lord that she came through the colic phase and is now so happy to be with me and wants me around all the time.
We love you SJ... and apparently she loves you too (see video)!

Want a Kiss? from Lindsey Lewis on Vimeo.

Because I love you...

and I love her
and, well, she loves herself....
I thought you should see this..

Kiss the Baby Take 2 from Lindsey Lewis on Vimeo.

Updates

This should brighten even the worst Monday!

SJ 7mo Laugh from Lindsey Lewis on Vimeo.

This video is proof that Stella is quite the camera ham. She will rarely continue to do any trick once she sees that camera. She will just stare at it and smile.

Little Puppy from Lindsey Lewis on Vimeo.

This video is a little dated but it is still one of her favorite spots to be. Instead of licking it, now she likes to pull up on it and grab at anything on top of it.
I haven't really be blogging lately because there doesn't seem to be much to blog about. After our trip to Texas and Kansas it took me a while to get back into the swing of things. First I rested a lot to catch up from all the busy activities we had been doing and then I had to restock the fridge and pantry and learn how to cook meals again. Then I had to clean the house and run errands and catch up with friends etc etc... I am just now feeling back to normal. And so is Stella... apparently... because she has gone back to shorter naps and less clingy days.
Lately Stella has mastered her crawling skills and can crawl across the whole house in a matter of minutes (usually to find me). She also likes to pull up on things onto her knees and has pulled up all the way to standing a couple of times on my leg. We think she is teething again or having a growth spurt b/c a couple of times in a row she woke up periodically in the night crying for no apparent reason and she has been a little cranky even in the day too.
We have started to give her solids on a more regular basis. For about the last two weeks we have given her a full feeding of solids before her last nursing because she was acting like she was still hungry at night. Avocado seems to be her favorite but she has enjoyed every fruit we have given her as well. This past week I gave her some raw milk, organic cheese and she LOVED IT. It is the only thing I have ever put in her mouth that at least some of it did not come out. I kept checking her clothes, diaper and high chair for dropped pieces but there were none! This week I am trying to add on another feeding of solids during the early afternoon to see if that helps her stay more comfortable during the 9 month growth spurt.
Stella loves to cluck her tongue and is learning how to clap and give a "high five". She has said mama, dada, nana, ga, ba, and a whole bunch of other gibberish sounds. She also can give a good raspberry.
In other news we have picked three zucchini from our garden and lots of broccoli and today we have a few huge tomatoes that look like they are ripe for the picking. Several cherry tomatoes are orange colored and there are several strawberries to be picked! WOO HOO! I am super pumped about our veggies! I'll post some pictures soon.
The babe is awake... so I'm off!

Back!

It has been a CRAZY week! Tuesday I flew to Dallas with the little one and got to visit with the in-laws and Drew's Gran (Stella). SJ did really well on the flight with only a brief melt down at the end from being forbidden to eat the lady next to us' watch, magazine, coke bottle and hair. Poor kid. Then she took a great nap and we headed back to FW. She basically went straight back to bed.
We had so much fun the following days hanging out with my parents and sisters and other various friends and family along the way. My parents took so many pictures and video of her it was hilarious. I don't think there were many consecutive minutes where one of them didn't have an iphone or camera in her face. haha. She was a big mama's girl the whole time but did better about playing and laughing with other people as long as I was in the same room as her.
The wedding festivities began Thursday night and continued through Saturday night. It was so so much fun to hang out with my life long friends and also to meet some new sweet girls. I felt really blessed the entire week.
SJ slept great (minus some seriously early mornings) and ate great and really did great in general.
Sunday we left early for Kansas and Drew's brother's wedding. It was a little difficult to orchestrate with SJ needing naps and going to bed earlier than most people but we still managed to squeeze in some fun. Our new sister in law was absolutely stunning and more than anything else we are thankful to have her cemented into the family! Aunt KK woo hoo!
Monday we flew back to the ville and SJ finally had it with all the flying and missing naps and she just layed across our laps, stuck that cute thumb in her mouth and slept the whole flight. It was amazing. She has never slept in our arms since those early days of life and it was really too cute.
Today she seemed to be playing catch up from all the travel and teething and slept most of the day away (which was a nice treat for one tuckered out mama too).
That's the update.