Last week, Stella, Tyler and I headed down to Texas to visit family and attend my stepbrother Brent's wedding in Dallas. It'd been awhile since Stella had been on a plane (she's so much more grown up than last time we visited), and with her getting older, bigger, more mobile and more opinionated, I wasn't entirely sure how the trip would go. But Stella proved to still be a good traveller, and we even lucked out with an extra seat for her to hang out in.
Another plane trip, with the benefit of some time in her carseat. It worked better when we flipped the seat around so she couldn't kick the back of the seat in front of her. (Sorry random passenger!)
We spent the first few days in Commerce with my dad and stepmom. It was nice to leave the cold, rainy weather in Seattle for a few beautiful fall days back home. We got to take Stella on plenty of walks; for as well as she travelled, we had a hard time getting her to sleep well while away--stroller rides helped, as you can see below....
Post-walk with Grandpa Bob
We also took her to the pond on campus to feed some ducks and geese. You can see in the picture below how I'm spending a lot of time these days--hunched over while Stella walks holding onto my hands.
Taking a stroll and feeding some ducks
Sadly, we forgot our camera and didn't get any photos from the wedding. It was beautiful, and we're so excited to welcome Brent's new wife, Liz, to the family. Stella is lucking out to have another sweet and loving aunt!
We also spent a few days with my mom and stepdad. Unfortunately, a few days of being in lots of new places and around lots of people meant that Stella was a little cranky and clingy, but we found a few ways to help her open up to people:
In the backyard with Grandpapa--she was fascinated by the tree
Eating Mum Mums with Uncle Tim--he was her new best friend after handing off her new favorite baby treat!
Hanging with the women of the household: Aunt Jeanne, me and Stella and Nana
Stella also got her first birthday celebration, complete with singing, cake and a new baby cell phone (hopefully that will make her less obsessed with the real thing.....)
Stella's first 1st birthday celebration
In one week, Stella turns one. I know it's a cliche to reflect on how quickly the time passes, but--wow. On Friday we'll get the new stats at her 12-month check up, then more celebrating begins!
2 comments:
Happy Birthday Stella! What did she think of her cake? Was that her first taste of chocolate?
Thanks, Emily. She did have her first taste of cake at my stepbrother's wedding and got pretty insistent about having more that night. I'm still deciding what her birthday cake will be this weekend..... Chocolate? Carrot? Spiced applesauce? So many options..... (Oh, this is Sarah)
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