Big Bass

Stella and I go fishing at our local neighborhood pond about once a week.  We usually get some bites but lately they haven't been turning into a catch.  However, today, Stella's first ever fish was a monster bass! I had to reel it in, but she hooked it!

I explained to her that the fish was a large mouth bass.  So, when we came home, she proudly explained to her mom that the fish she caught "had a big mouth"!

First Glimpse of Little Sister

We decided it would be cool to take Stella out of school early, so that she could check out her little sister during the sonogram we had scheduled today.  It's hard to describe her reaction, but it really warmed our hearts.  She was so excited, proud, and amazed by the live sonogram of her baby sister!

Stella's feedback from the video was that the baby was wearing glasses and had teeth!  We got a big kick out of this.  Here's a profile pic from this sonogram session where you can kind of tell where she was getting this impression from due to the hollowed out looking eyes and would kind of looks like teeth in the jaw area:

Also, as Megan suspected, the sonographer said that she could see hair (which she indicated is rare to be able to tell in a sonogram):

First BBall Game

Tonight, I took Stella and Braedon to their first Wichita Wingnuts baseball game (it was technically my first too since the Wichita Wranglers no longer exist).  It was a nice evening and the Wingnuts won.  I was surprised by how much Braedon already knew the rules to baseball (which he later explained to me was due to the baseball game on the Wii).

I think the highlight of the event for Stella and Braedon was the popcorn.  They put away one large tub each!

First Time at the Zoo

Previously, we had gone to Deanna Rose where Stella got to check out some animals, but today we took her to the actual Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita where she was exposed to a much larger variety of animals outside the barnyard persuasion.  She lasted a good few hours and seemed pretty interested in the animals, especially the tunnel in the rain forest where the fish swim right in front and over the top of you (top right).

First Steps (oh, and Happy Halloween!)

I was expecting Megan to dress up Stella in a princess costume, so I was surprised when she get got her a gnome costume.  There must have been something magical about that gnome costume, because she took her first steps in it.  Right after we got her in the costume on Halloween day, we wanted to have a photo session.  She's been pretty good with standing up on her own, so I tried to pose her in a standing position.  As soon as I did, she took a couple of steps towards us while we were trying to snap a picture of her.  We were definitely taken back when she did this.  I wish I would have got it on video, but at least both of us were there to see it!

First Time at Deanna Rose

We had a lot going on this weekend.  My dad and I went to KU's homecoming game Saturday morning (we almost actually beat Texas), and then Megan and I went to the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert Saturday night.  My brother also came in town with my parents to go to the Chiefs vs. Raiders game on Sunday.  Since we had time to kill on Sunday, we decided to take Stella to Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead.  I'd always wanted to take her and today seemed like a perfect time to.

I know Stella loves animals from our walks that we take to the nearby South Lake Park where she likes to watch the ducks and geese.  I think she has a thing for feathered creatures because she was fascinated by the birds at Deanna Rose too, including the bald eagle, owls, and turkeys there.

I don't think she was as interested when the goats molested me for the handful of food I had:

Mom was happy because she got to take the "fallish" photo with the girls that she wanted:

The last thing we did was check out this barn that had E.T. in it.  I have no idea how E.T. was affiliated with the barn, but I took a picture of Stella with the alien anyways:

We only got to scratch the surface in the ~1.5 hours we were there, but I think we will definitely be returning and spending more time on the stuff we know Stella will like.

1 Year Birthday Party

Today, we had Stella's 1 year birthday part at my parent's home in Derby, KS.  We chose to have it there instead of where we live so we could increase the chances of as much family coming as possible to celebrate this special occasion.  We were fortunate to have a good group of friends of family that made it (with Grandma Judy bearing gifts from others in MO that couldn't make it).

Megan did a great job of planning and getting everything ready for the party.  The party was princess themed complete with tiara topped cupcakes and a crowned smash cake.    We also had plenty of BBQ from  Hog Wild.

It was basically like Christmas for Stella based on all of the great stuff she received from everyone.  Here is the princess herself decked out in a tutu before opening her gifts:

In addition to all of the party pictures, I also have several videos to share from this momentous occasion:

• A photo montage that we played on repeat at her party.  This is only a small special selection of the 1000+ pictures I have taken of her so far
• Opening gifts
• Gingerly getting at her smash cake (despite previous practice with a cupcake)

Happy 1st Birthday!!

Stella turned 1 today.  Although cliche, time really has gone so fast, and I can't believe she's already existed for a complete revolution around the sun.  We've enjoyed every minute of it, and there's nothing I'd rather being doing than spending time with her.  I'm so proud of her that she's already managed to become such a cool little person in her short time on this earth.

To prep her for her actual birthday party and smash cake to take place on the 20th, we got her a cupcake.  Below is a video of her getting at it.  She seemed really shy and unsure of this new experience at first, but she became comfortable and messy in no time.

Messy Spaghetti

It seems like everyone has a picture of their first encounter with spaghetti, and I didn't want Stella to be any different.  Megan perfectly timed this occasion right before she went on a girls night out.  Basically, she suggested that Stella could have the leftover spaghetti and meatballs that we had the previous night, heated it up, put the food in front of her, watched her make a mess, and then left the house.  It was quite an endeavor to promptly get Stella in the bath and then cleanup the aftermath, but I think it was worth it.  Next time I'll put down a tarp.

Movie Night

To say that Megan is obsessed with the animated movie Sleeping Beauty would be an understatement.  She can basically recite every line from the movie.  For quite some time, she has been looking forward to watching it with Stella, and she decided tonight was the night.  Stella actually paid really close attention to it for at least 20 minutes which was surprising since she seems constantly unsatisfied and bounces from one activity or toy to another.

Crawling

Unfortunately, I don't have any good pics or video from today when Stella advanced from the commando crawl to a normal crawl where her legs and arms are coordinated in movement.  I just wanted to make sure I captured the date in this post.  From a baby proofing perspective, not much has changed, she can just get places much quicker now.  I'll try to get some video for a future post...

My First Father's Day

Today is Father's Day, and Stella got me a really cool custom made travel and coffee mug with her pictures on it as well as a new pair of boxers. You might not be able to tell from the picture, but the wording on the boxers is "The Best Awesome bad A** Dad" with Homer Simpson standing off to the right.  I already know I'm awesome, but it's pretty cool to have boxers from your daughter and Homer Simpson that confirms it.

Stella also took me to my favorite Vietnamese restaurant, Vietnam Cafe, for lunch.  It was a great day.

First Play Date

Megan had been in recent contact with a friend from high school she hasn't seen in years.  It turns out they live nearby and have a daughter about the same age, so it was decided that a "play date" should be arranged.  I wasn't there, but it's my understanding that Stella's first social experience with someone her age went well and hopefully there will be more "dates" in the future (no actual dates with boys though since she'll be joining a convent right out of high school).

First Pool Time

Caution: the picture below contains unsolicited pectorals, but also a super cute Stella splashing in the water.

Megan bought a huge blow up pool that can easily fit several adults in it.  I originally made fun of her for the purchase, but it actually ended up working out really well (after I found a semi-flat spot in my very sloped backyard and used my air compressor despite the explicit warning not to).  I think Stella would agree as well.  After she got over the initial shock, she absolutely loved it (see s%#@ eating grin below).

Megan also got her a floating canopy thing she can sit in and move around on our own.  She seemed to be most happy though in our laps and just splashing around.  Hopefully we will be able to use our "pool" many times this summer.

First Mother's Day

Today was very special, because it was Megan's first Mother's Day (not to be confused with Mother's Day - Unborn Edition).  Stella was very thoughtful and put together a nice frame that included one of her 6 month pictures and her hand print:

I think I now know why most parents take hand and foot impressions of their babies in the first few months.    All Stella wanted to do was grab the forming material and wad it up.  It took several tries and a lot of distractions for me to finally get her hand impression.

Also, Stella got mommy a Mother's Day cookie bouquet to satisfy her sweet tooth:

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.

Sitting Up

Stella is getting stronger and stronger.  Today, she managed to sit up for at least 10 seconds while holding herself up with her arms.  Although it slightly resembles the posture of a gorilla, it still counts:

First Pigtails

Stella has had long hair since the day she was born.  Just recently, Megan has been experimenting with her and pig tails.  Needless to say, they turned out pretty great and will become part of a regular rotation in her attire.  Also, as seen above, Megan continues to put sunglasses on her for most outdoor events.

First Solid Food (an attempt)

Today, we decided to get out the high chair and try to see if Stella would eat any rice cereal.  I'd never heard of rice cereal before, but it's as appetizing as it sounds and resembles curdled milk.  Anyways, she is almost 5 months old and the pediatrician said to go ahead and start with the rice cereal around this time.  You be the judge on how much she liked it and if anything was actually consumed:

We'll keep trying...

First Christmas (montage)

I didn't do near as good of a job keeping up on all things Christmas and Stella related as I wanted to.  So, I give you the Christmas Montage.

As usual, Megan and I put up our Christmas tree in the front living room.  The tree turned out to be a really good way to calm Stella.  She really likes lights, especially those that change and twinkle such as those from our television and the tree.  So, if she ever got upset, which isn't very common so far, I'd just walk her over to the Christmas tree and she'd stare at the lights in awe and be comforted.

The week before Christmas, Megan and Stella headed down to Bowling Green, MO to celebrate Christmas with the Moss's and Sorrell's.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it because sister Megan had her graduation from Nursing school this same weekend (congrats Megan!).  Above and to the left, you can see Stella laying with Grandpa Marty who's just a bit bigger than her.  Uncle Tommy is seen holding her in the same "deer head" room and Megan holds Stella while she opens her Xmas loot.  Also, Stella had a great time meeting all of her Sorrell aunts, uncles, and cousins for the first time, but Megan didn't remember to take any pictures :(.

Santa came to our home a few days before actual Christmas day and our trek down to Wichita.  The night before, we put out Stella's wish list along with some Milk and truffles (we didn't have any cookies on hand) for Santa.  The next day, the family opened our gifts from Santa.  Stella did, in fact, get the Laugh & Learn Puppy that was on her wish list!

After having to purchase a rooftop cargo bag, we made it down to Wichita with all of our stuff and gifts for the family.  Above and to the left, Stella sleeps in her crib on Christmas Eve wearing the holiday outfit that Grandma got for her.  To the right you can see Stella at Grammy's on Christmas morning.  She got all kinds of neat stuff, including Stella Squeak's Cottage seen in the picture.

Uncle Ryan holds Stella on Christmas morning on the other side of town at Grandma's.  She's holding her baby's first doll that Ryan gave her.  Grandma and Grandpa are smiling in front of the tree with Stella as she sleeps through most of her Christmas morning.

I took off the entire week of work, so we got to spend a nice relaxing week at both our parents' while everyone got to better know Stella.  Above, you can seem Ember "guarding" the crib while everyone else enjoys the holiday.

There are many more Xmas related pics in Stella's picture gallery:

• 12-05-2011
• 12-16-2011
• 12-17-2011
• 12-18-2011
• 12-21-2011
• 12-24-2011
• 12-25-2011
• 12-27-2011