First...

haircut!!!

Stella had a big week. She has officially dropped a nap, so we're down to only one a day! Sometimes it's 3 hours, sometimes only an hour and a half. We're learning more and more all the time!
We had a couple of visitors from Cincinnati on Thursday! Our friends, Emily and Eleanor were on spring break this week and for their "wild" trip, they came to Columbus for a few hours to visit us! It was fun to get the girls together again. Thanks so much for making the drive up!


On Saturday, we were very busy. First, we took Stella to apply for her passport. Yes, a passport. I didn't have one until I was 21...but our 13 month old has officially submitted her application for permission to leave the country. So, Grandma and Grandpa Bettcher...get ready, I'm going to want a visit to Canada!
After that, we went to the children's hair salon for the BIG FIRST HAIRCUT! As you could see from the video, the haircut was a great success! Stella had fun, while we were able to relax and breathe a sigh of relief after discovering she could have cared less about scissors and a stranger near her head. She's teaching us a lot about going with the flow, being spontaneous and changing the environment if something isn't working. Those ideas all seem like simple concepts, but for someone like me who is a "creature of habit" and likes routine, I am still learning to adjust.

We LOVE distraction techniques!

See how fast the stylist had to move to keep up with our little wiggle-worm? You can hardly see the comb!

What do you think?

Almost April?

How is it that another month is almost over? Whew...time sure is flying right now! Of course, we're still having lots of fun, but sometimes I feel like I just need to catch up. In case you're curious about the "fun" that we've been having...here's a few photos from the past week!
Stella and I having been craving a little hint of spring so much that we went to the Franklin Park Conservatory for their "Blooms and Butterflies" exhibit. It was great! She seemed to enjoy the flowers, butterflies and birds. It was gorgeous...bright colors, warm sunshine, lush, green plants...oh I'm so ready!

There were wonderful glass sculptures throughout the gardens and ponds. Here's Stella by the koi pond, fascinated by the fishies. The chihuly exhibitions are beautiful...much more so than what I captured on my camera. If you have an opportunity to see his work, definitely check it out!

And a little post-breakfast fun...at least we think she was having fun. I'm still not exactly sure what Miss Stella was trying to accomplish? She sure looks cute though!

And, once again I'm kicking myself for not using my camera when I should have. Our friends Tamie and Rob made a trip up from TN this weekend to visit us and to go to the Bruce Springsteen concert (which they were front row for, by the way) and I neglected to capture either of them playing with Stella. AHHHH! This should be a reminder to anyone who comes to visit...make sure to ask me to photograph you! ;) (Not like that's a weird thing to ask or anything.)
Most importantly...we hope you had a blessed Easter!

Switching Gears...

Ok, so I probably sounded a bit defensive in my last blog entry. Sorry. I guess I was feeling a little bit that way. That might have been the stress of the uncertainty of dealing with life without a pacifier. Anyway, I'm happy to report Stella went to sleep tonight once again without one and she didn't make a peep! YIPPEE!!
Next, and much cuter than the previous subject...our daughter likes spaghetti and we have photos to prove it! I know most kids like or even love spaghetti, but she had tried it before and was a little freaked out by the noodles and didn't want to touch them. I'm sure you can tell how she feels about them now:



Yes, that's right, she's stuffing the noodles in her face!

Oh and remember how I mentioned I was really excited about spring coming? Well, I still am, but it seems a bit far off...it is currently snowing...AGAIN!

Lastly...I AM GOING TO ITALY in May!!! Nick "has to go" (like that's a punishment) to a conference for work just outside of Florence and we figured since one round-trip ticket was paid for...we had to take advantage of such an amazing opportunity! So, for our 4th anniversary, we will meet in Rome, spend a week traveling north to end our journey in Venice! I'm so excited! This is the first trip that we've had just the two of us since our honeymoon! So, obviously that answers the question, "is Stella going too?" Nope! I'll be dropping her off in Minnesota with my parents for the week. I get to visit with them for a few days before I jet off to Europe! This is going to be wonderful. I got a small taste of Europe 7 years ago when I spent a week in France. I can't wait to go back!

Speaking of wonderful...I was thinking earlier today how amazing our friends are. We've been in Columbus almost 4 months now and we've had visitors from all over come stay with us, stop by on their way through town on a road trip, pop over when they were visiting relatives, and friends who are still planning on visiting. When I meet people here for the first time, they ask if I'm meeting people or if I'm lonely. Who has time to be lonely when all of our favorite people have been coming to visit?! We love it! So, thank you...mom, Katie A., Erin, Ben, Mike, Gail, dad, Amanda, JP, Bella, Rob, Jackie, Ian, Kelli, Karen, Larry, Kim, Jon, Jim, Ben, Tom, Mike, Cathy, Kevin, Courtney, Jack, Robert, Judie, and everyone else who has visits planned. We can't wait to see you!

"Mean" Mommy and Daddy

We have gone through another BIG milestone at our house this week...we took Stella's pacifier away FOREVER! She only used one at nap time and night time, so it's not like we had to look at the plastic thing covering her sweet face very often during the day. But, after her one year check-up and talking with her pediatrician, we decided it was time to take it away. The doctor said, "go for it,'" so we're following orders.

SIDE NOTE: I, personally, really don't care if other families use pacifiers or not...if they use them all day, only for naps, they can give it to the child until they are 15 for all I care (ok, I do think it's gross when people let their kids have pacifiers during mealtime)...but really, it's up to the individual family.

So, yes...in case you were worried, our daughter is surviving. Stella's first night sans pacifier was Friday and yes, she fussed a bit at bedtime and even woke up a couple of times after we put her to bed, but that was it, no drama, and no need to give it back. She napped on Saturday without it and went to bed again last night really well and is currently napping without the pacifier once again. So, hurdle accomplished (we think)...the doctor warned us that it can take a week to ten days for her to really adjust to this change.
Truthfully, yes, we could have waited...she knew that it wasn't allowed out of her bed...but we also figured her will and her memory are only going to get stronger. So, eventually we would have to leave it up to her to say "buh-bye" to the pacifier rather than us doing it now.
Is the "right" thing...??? Who knows for sure? Dentally speaking, most likely, yes. That's why the doctor stressed going for it now. Overall to her development as a young lady? Probably won't be an issue at all.

Even though I have only been a parent for a little over a year, I am quickly learning there are MANY different ways to raise a child. I figure...if you meet their basic needs (food, clothing, warmth and most importantly LOVE) then, you're doing it right. So, of course, I too have my opinions about how children should be raised and do sometimes feel the need to share my thoughts about what "should" be done...but really, I don't know what goes on in your home day after day after day...and no one knows exactly what it's like at our house either. Except you now know one big thing...we are a pacifier free home. :) What will happen if/when we have child number 2? We will cross that bridge when we get to it.

Now, does this look like a deprived child to you?



HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!

SNOW!

Columbus and a lot of other parts of the mid-west got smacked yesterday with a big snowfall. We have 15-16 inches at our house and stayed inside to avoid the storm...until today! It was time to take Stella out to play! Unfortunately her "little" snowsuit doesn't fit anymore and the only boots she has will probably fit her next year. So, we made do and bundled her up for a little photo shoot this afternoon.

This was a nice break for all of us since Stella has been sick with roseola since last Sunday. And if you know our darling daughter, you know she's a "go with the flow" kind of girl. There isn't much that will rock her boat. Well, this virus has practically "sunk her ship." She has been MISERABLE...fussy, not interested in doing much of anything, irritable, not thirsty, sort of hungry, mad if you hold her, mad if you don't hold her...the list continues, but I'll spare you the details. Anyway, she seemed to enjoy the trip outdoors and as you can see, even smiled a bit for us.
Now that we've enjoyed (more like tolerated) this return to a winter wonderland, we're ready for spring. It's time to play outside and dig in the dirt! I can't wait to see what plants are in the flower beds of our new house! Is it strange that I still think about our old house and my little gardens and wonder if they'll be taken care of? I'm going to be really bummed if the girl who bought the place doesn't enjoy the work that we put in there. If she doesn't, I'm going to dig up the perennials in the middle of the night and plant them back here! (Just kidding...but a little part of me might want to do that.)
Here is our little first hint of spring (hopefully). If you know me, you know that I do NOT like birds at all. A bird in the yard is fine, but seagulls, pigeons, flocks of anything...GROSS! So photographing a bird doesn't really seem like something I'd do. But, this sweet robin was such a great splash of color against the black and white of the trees and snow, that I had to capture him all puffed up keeping warm during the lovely snowfall.

The latest...

Lately I've gotten a number of emails asking me what Stella is up to these days. I SO appreciate the interest in our daughter and realize that I have been lacking on blog updates, otherwise no one would be asking these profound questions. ;)
So, here's all the "newest" stuff going on at our house...
-she's practically running around the house
-she appears to understand practically everything we're saying
-she "roars" like a lion (see video below and listen carefully)
-she knows where her eyes and teeth are
-she brushes her 6 teeth every morning and every night (as long as we remember)
-she shakes her head NO when she doesn't want something, and means it
-she has a lot of hair that is tons of different lengths and I can't decide if we should cut it or not? I want her to look like a little girl...the shorter the hair, the more likely to be mistaken for a boy. Opinions?
-she dances to music of any kind
-she greets Nick with "da-da" when he comes home from work
-and this week she has a little fever :( why? not quite sure, but we may head to the MD tomorrow to make sure she doesn't have an ear infection...she's been such a trooper even though it's obvious that she feels icky
-there are many other things that are new and different each day, but these are some of the big ones lately!

Enjoy the latest video footage...sorry again for the horrible lighting. I'll try to catch her during the day for the next movie moment.
**remember to listen closely for her lion impression and her interpretation of what a dog sounds like
oh and she has a disappearing act as well!