Time Slips By

It has been almost two months since I posted! I can't believe I fell so behind. Well, Miss Bella has been growing so fast. She is now walking, and on the verge of running. She is saying Mama, Dada, Baba and Bye Bye. It's amazing to see her learning. She is very clever, and loves figuring things out.

Dancing is still one of her favorite things to do. Only now, she carries the music around and dances while she walks. She likes playing games like peek-a-boo, and pretending to give you something just to snatch it away at the last second. I am pretty sure we are getting to the stage where she likes to push buttons to see how far she can get. Unfortunately for her, it's not too far...lol.

Bella now has seven teeth, and is starting to get some of her back teeth in. She is eating so well, and loves adult food. So far, the only things she doesn't like are yogurt and celery. It seems like she always wants a snack or some of our food. I think she gets her never ending appetite from her daddy!

Jamie is really enjoying that she is old enough to wrestle around a little. She loves it when he flips her and tosses her in the air.

Building forts is a big thing with her. She likes to hide and pop out. She will drag toys in there and laugh the whole time! She is also into babies. It seems like she always has one in her arms. It's so cute how she likes to pat them, then throw them down and start cracking up.

Last week, she started feeling a little icky. I took her to the doctor, and they said she had an infection in her eyes, a double ear infection, and mild pneumonia! I couldn't believe it all hit her at once like that. They had to do an x-ray and give her a shot of antibiotics. I felt so bad for her. She really did well, though, and is feeling much better now.

My little angel is less than a month away from being one year old. It is exciting and heart breaking at the same time. I love watching her grow and learn, but I am so going to miss her being a baby. I am so proud of the little person she is turning into!

Maybe I Should Change the Title to "Our Little Coven" :)

Well, Bella must have soaked up some of the Twilight Saga that I read over and over while I was pregnant. She decided to pop out her "vampire teeth" before the other top ones. That kid cracks me up. It's so funny when she does her scrunchy smile and those teeth show.

We are starting to plan for her first birthday. It's exciting and sad at the same time. I'm going to miss her as a baby, but it's so fun seeing her grow up. We are thinking about doing a Rainbow Brite themed party. That was my favorite doll when I was little. :) I can't wait to see her face when she gets into her cake!

Our little angel face is really on the move. She is so close to walking and she is always dancing. There is no doubt she is going to be a talented young lady. Of course, I am not being bias. :)

She is really eating up her "modeling" for Jeannie. Bella definately knows how to pose. It cracks me up how much she already knows how to play it up.

Bella is such a clever little girl. She tries to help with laundry and even unloads some of the silverware for me. She is always so proud when she finishes. Nothing makes me happier than that smile of accomplishment she gets.

Jamie wanted me to throw in that he is awesome. He is such a guy. Lol.

I am really getting excited for Bella's first birthday. It is sad that she is getting out of that baby stage, but it's so fascinating to watch her grow. She is the best thing that could have ever happened to us!

Fourth of July

Bella and I took a little trip, for the Fourth, to visit some family. It was really nice to see everyone and get away for a while. Bella was finally able to meet most of Peters family. She had such a blast. She was a great sport in the car. It was quite a drive. Luckily she slept most of the way. Once we got there, she had her first boat ride. She didn't really like the life vest, but she liked it once we started moving. She just kept licking the air. :)

It was so great to just take it easy for a few days. There were alot of firework shows all around the lake and we could see them from the porch. Bella made friends with her cousins, especially J.P. She thought he was great. Her aunt Emily made red, white and blue headbands. Bella was so adorable in them. We did hit one bump in the road when the car broke down. Luckily it was something that was fixable and we were able to stay another day! All in all it was a great holiday.

Standing

My little Love Bug decided to start standing! I love her determination.

She wants so much to be a big girl. She tries to dance while standing, but she doesn't quite have the balance for it. It's just a matter of time before she takes off running.

We have been taking her to the pool, and she loves it. She has a little floaty boat that she likes to play in. She even likes "jumping" from the edge of the pool to Daddy. She has such a brave and playful personality.

We are getting ready to go on our vacation on Friday. Unfortunately, Jamie isn't able to come along. Bella and I are going to try our best to have a good time anyway. :) We are very excited to see some family and just relax for a few days.

This Weekend

For anyone who has not heard, Jamie was officially promoted at work. He started his new position on Monday. We are very excited and I am so proud of him. He works hard and does everything he can to take care of his family.

This weekend was Bella's first time at the pool. We bought her a new swim suit and lots of sunscreen.

She had such a good time, and is already more tan than me. I don't know how it happened, she was wearing SPF 50. Good genes I guess. She also took pictures for Jeannie. Jeannie makes hats, headbands and lots of things and sometimes uses Bella as a model.

Jeannie makes such awesome stuff.

Bella now has two teeth and is eating anything she can get her hands on. Most of the time, it's my food...lol. She is starting to wave and is desperate to walk. It's so funny how self sufficient she wants to be. Yet, she still wants someone close by her. On a slightly more silly note, apparently Bella is taking after Jamie and is becoming a Jedi. She is so sweet and funny. I am the luckiest mom in the world.

In a few weeks, Bella and I are meeting up with some family for a little reunion. It's going to be nice to get out of town for a few days and just relax. I can't wait for everyone to meet her.

Such a Funny Kid

Bella loves looking at her picture on my phone. Whenever she sees it, she laughs and talks to it. When it turns off, she leans in really close like she is trying to find the baby in the phone. It cracks me up. You can tell she is really looking for the other baby. I just love all of the cute things she does. She also loves to stand up, then bend down to pick stuff up off of the floor. She will throw things on the floor just so she can get them again. I wish I was so easily entertained. The best part of my day is coming home and playing with my Baby Love. I am so ready to stay home so I can spend more time with her.

Wow...not prepared.

Bella totally freaked me out today. We were playing and all of a sudden, she took three steps away from me. She walked ALL by herself. I am so not ready for this. I don't think she is going to take off running, but she is going to be walking in no time. She isn't even eight months old yet! I knew she was determined and independent, but I can't believe it is going so fast. My sweet little baby is growing up way to quickly. I better not blink, she may be grown if I do.

So Thankful

I am so thankful for all of our family. They are always there to help us out when we need them. Our moms, Kristin and Leah have been so great to help us with Bella. The thought of leaving Bella with strangers makes my whole body ache. I know it's a little silly, but she is my angel. I can't just trust her to anyone. Of course our goal is for me to stay home, but while I am working, it gives me comfort to know she is with people that love her and will take good care of her. I also have to say thank you to my wonderful husband for being patient with my crazy overprotective self. I am so glad that he understands my desire to stay home with Bella, and he is doing everything he can to make it happen. Everything will work out.

Bella Has a Tooth

Our little baby girl finally got her first tooth! Poor girl has been teething for months. Looks like the other one is about to come out too. She is eating so well. She is on stage three baby food, but prefers whatever I am eating. I think she would eat anything you put in front of her. She is learning how to use a sippy cup now. Everytime she takes a drink, she lets out a gasping squeal of excitement. It is very cute. She is no longer limited to our living room. She has overcome her fears and feels free to go in whatever room she can get into. That means I have to be very careful about what is laying around. She can also get to the end tables and whatever else she can pull herself up on. It is alot of work, but so much fun. I am so proud of her. I think she is going to be a very determined and brave girl. I am so excited to see what she does next.

Getting Older

Well, I had my birthday last week. It was nice and I was able to celebrate with friends and family. I am, however, starting to become less concerned with my birthdays. I am now more focused on Bella and all of her celebrations. She is getting so big. She is pulling up on everything and crawling everywhere. She LOVES dancing and being chased. She has also started noticing when I am leaving, and she doesn't like it. Bella is also quite a fan of food. If she had teeth, she would eat anything you put in front of her. Her most recent discovery is stuffing. She is such an awesome girl.

Under the Weather

So Bella and I have both been sick the past few days. It is a miserable thing to be sick. It's even worse when you don't get to rest. But mothers rarely get to rest. I feel so bad for my baby girl. Night time is the worst because it is so hard for her to breathe when laying down. Last night she spent a good part of the night just sleeping on me so she could be upright. She is doing pretty good with the breathing treatments now. The first couple were a little rough. Though she feels so yucky, and I know she does because I feel it too, she is such a little trooper. She is still very happy and playful, when she isn't tired. Hopefully we both get better very soon.

Oh the frustrations

This has been a rough week. Work has been driving me crazy to the point of leaving. To make things worse, Bella has decided that she wants me holding her 24/7. She is normally so independent. I am sure it's just a combination of teething and now understanding when I am not with her. It is just very frustrating when I have so much to do around here. I feel bad because I know she loves me and just wants to be with me. Hopefully once those teeth come in, she will go back to her happy independent self. On a better note, she is crawling! She started of with an army crawl and has slowly worked her way up to a real crawl. I am so proud of her. She is my joy.

Blue Eyed Angel

Our gorgeous little girl is already six months old. I can't believe how fast the time flies by. She is sitting up and almost crawling. She just scoots along wherever she wants to go. She is the very best gift God could have ever given me. I am very excited for my first Mothers Day!