Play Time with Ember

As I've previously mentioned, Stella and Ember are quite fond of one another.  Just today and yesterday, they have been interacting quite a bit.  So much so, that I ended up taking 3 separate videos of them which I've combined into the single video below.  Stella does this really soft back and forth brushing on Ember with the back of her hand that cracks me up.  You can see examples of this early in the video at around 28 seconds and 40 seconds.  I wish I had recorded some more prolonged examples of this, but both Ember and Stella tend to act funny if they know the camera is rolling.  So, what you see below is only a result of my super stealthy ninja video taking skills:

Old Highchair

We are visiting in Wichita today, and my mom had got out the original high chair that myself and brother and sister used way back when.  Since my mom is still working on getting the lining for the chair so that she sits more snug in it, I decided to put a modern twist on an old chair by wedging Stella's bumbo chair in it to keep her from wriggling out.  I think it worked quite well:

Stella's Oration

Stella is very verbal these days.  Today, I caught her starting to speak up, so I decided to video tape it.  I didn't know that she would babble on for more than 5 minutes!  My favorite part are the looks she gives me around the 3:00 and 3:45 minute marks (you can hear me laughing in response).  The video also shows the fondness she has for her feet as she tries to put them in her mouth:

6 Months!!

Today, Stella is 6 months old.  It sounds cliche, but we really can't believe how fast time has flown and how much she has changed these past 6 months.  These past 6 months have been some of the most challenging and trying, but also the most rewarding, fulfilling, and happiest time of our lives.  We were VERY pleased with how her 6 month pics came out.  Here are my favorites (all of them are in my picture gallery):

Getting Better at Solid Foods

As I previously mentioned, we started Stella on solid foods a few weeks back.  We're still working with her on rice cereal.  From the video below, you'll see that she tries to eat her bib in conjunction with her food.  Not sure where or why she picked up this technique, but it's both frustrating and amusing:

Stella's First Easter

Stella got all decked out in a pink tutu and bunny onesie for Easter.  She got a bunch of Easter loot seen in the pics like some new stuffed animals and a book.  She was especially photogenic today.  Megan had my 30th birthday party the night before, so it was nice to have her grandparents still in town to help share this day with her.