Two's

It seems that the "terrible two's" have begun...lol. Miss Bella has decided that "No!" is her new favorite phrase and that she wants to do EVERYTHING on her own. Unfortunately for her, she still has trouble with the latter. It's so funny to watch her try and do things that she just isn't big enough to do. She has learned to open doors on her own, which may not be a good thing, and knows how to unlock many of our locks, also not a good thing. Lucky our front and back doors are too difficult.

My baby girl has started to become aware of her own opinions and desires. It's funny how they go from needing you to make all the decisions to making most of them themselves overnight. She loves to play in rain, she has her favorite cartoons, she know what she likes to eat, and she knows how she wants to spend her time. I love that she is so girly, but still loves to play outside and run around with all of her cousins! She has become pretty assertive about what she wants and a little bossy when it comes to making that happen. I don't know where she got that from... :)

Bella has really taken off in the academic sense. She can count to ten, knows almost all of her ABC's, knows most of her colors and shapes, and is starting to speak in sentences. It's always so impressive when she begins to understand something new. It amazes me how much knowledge she can absorb in such short amounts of time. I am a very proud Mama!

Changes

It's been quite some time since I last posted, and things have definitely been interesting.

For starters, we are now living with my parents. Hopefully this will allow us to pay off some debt and save up for a house. Bella has adjusted very well to this, but it can be difficult for the rest of us. It is hard enough having two adults with their own opinions on how things should be done. Having four is much more trying. We are doing our best, though, and it seems to be going well enough.

We all recently took a trip to Destin, Florida. It was nice to have some time to relax and enjoy a pretty beach.

It was Bella's first beach experience, and she wasn't too sure how she felt about it. She was excited, but didn't care for walking on the sand or getting in the water. She eventually got comfortable enough to play and we had a great time. It had been a while since we had a vacation, and it felt good to get away for a while. We were also able to stop and visit some good friends on our way home.

On another note, I have just started a new job. After four years at my preschool, I decided to be a nanny. The original idea was to stay home, but after some unforeseen complications, this seemed like a good compromise. I am able to have Bella with me, but I am still bringing in money. The family I am nannying for seems very nice. It may take some time for us all to get to know each other, but I am hoping this will be a good opportunity for us.

Jamie is still at JSC and is finishing up school. He should be done by the end of the year. It will be nice to have him around more, and I am sure he is excited to be done with homework. :) He is also very excited about getting our own home soon. Now if we can only agree on where we should live...

Bella is doing amazing. Everyday she learns or does something new. She is talking up a storm and is always on the move. She is very smart and inquisitive. She will spend as much time as necessary to figure things out; and once she does, she continues to practice over and over. She is certainly a creature of habit and never forgets. On the flip side, she takes after her daddy and is VERY goofy. She is always giggling and trying to do things to make us laugh.

I am so grateful that I can be with her more with my new job. But it seems like no matter how much time I have with her, I can never get enough. If I never do anything with my life, aside from being her mother, it will still be so much more than I could have ever hoped. She has given me purpose and I am so proud to have her as my baby girl.

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.