1 1/2 Years Old Already!

{This is about a week late but I was waiting on her stats to post.}  We went to the doctor today for Stella's 18 month well check up and I can't believe how much she's grown.  She weighed in at a whopping 20 lbs. 4 oz. and is 29 3/4 inches long.  She's in the 10th percentile for weight and 5th percentile for height, which is awesome b/c she's growing right along her curve that she's been on since she was a few months old.

She loves to eat "real" food and has enjoyed eating what we eat.  She loves zucchini, squash, carrots, chicken, rice, sweet potatoes, hot dogs, pasta, cantaloupe, pears, melon and watermelon.  She loves other foods too but these are her favorite things.  She's finally drinking milk from her sippy cup really well, too!  YAY! (That's been a big battle we've been dealing w/!)

The doctor asked us if she's saying about 4-10 words and I laughed b/c Stella says WAY more than 10 words.  Kyle quickly informed the doctor that Stella is a genius - to which the doctor chuckled and said "I'm sure she is!!!"  Anywho, she really does know a lot of words and is beginning to form a sentence.  The other day as I was eating breakfast, she looked at me and said "want some!"  Truly amazing how much she's speaking.  She's also using sign language.  She now knows the signs for "more", "thank you" and "milk" and uses them correctly - and often.

She loves to be outside when the weather is nice.  She loves to go to the park and "sing" (ie swing) and "side" (ie slide).  She loves watching the birds fly in the sky and she loves to hear them chirp..."teet, teet, teet"!

Kyle's in a softball league so she enjoys going to the ball field and playing with her friends.  

Here she's dancing w/ her buddy, Jack.  She LOVES to dance!  The Fresh Beat Band (or La La, as she likes to call it b/c they sing "la la la la la laaa" at the beginning and end of every show) is her favorite show b/c they sing and dance throughout the show.  She's mesmerized by the show's characters and loves saying their names...Kiki, Marina, Twist and Shout.

She loves giving kisses.  My FAV and her little big boy came to visit last weekend and Stella (and Bella!) loved playing w/ Christopher.  Not sure her daddy enjoyed seeing her do this but I'm sure he'll put an end to it soon! ha ha

Every day is full of laughter and amazement and we treasure each and every day.  She is the sweetest little girl and we are truly blessed to be her parents.  We look forward to what the future holds for our precious baby little girl!

Can You Tell Me How to Get To...

...Sesame Street?!  Last weekend we decided to take Stella to see Sesame Street Live.  She loves watching Elmo on tv on occasion and she has TONS of Sesame Street books.  If you ask her to name the characters in the book, she can tell you ALL of them...Elmo, Big Bird, Grover, Cookie (Monster), Abby (Cadabby), Ernie & Bert, Snuff, Oscar and Zoe.  Sometimes she calls Zoe Abby instead but hey, she's a pretty smart little girl if she remembers all of their names except for one.  Anywho, we knew, well, we hoped! she would love seeing it live based on her love for her books...and she DID!!!  And duh, of course she had to have a special Elmo dress to wear!!

And of course daddy HAD to buy her a souvenir!

Snack time w/ Daddy before the show starts!

We had awesome seats!!

"If you're happy and you know it clap your hands!"

 She cried when a song would end b/c she thought it was over.  As soon as another character came back on stage it was all smiles again!

I think Kyle and I enjoyed it as much as she did.  After the show we decided to continue the happiness and have lunch at...where else, but McDonalds!!  Happy Meals and Elmo = a FUN day for the DiEduardos!

Ultimate Slacking Blogging Mommy

Yep, that's me!  I'm super duper slack in the blogging department but that's because every bit of my attention (well, my spare attention when I'm not working or sleeping) has been lovingly devoted to a certain busy little toddler.

Over the past few weeks we've been busy...

Having a snack and trying to feed the ducks at Winthrop Lake...

...visiting all of our fave animals at the Riverbanks Zoo...

...going grocery shopping at Harris Teeter and making sure we leave w/ a blublubblublublu (aka BALLOON!!)

...coloring for the first time w/ colored pencils...

...enjoying the beautiful sunshine and playing outside...

...playing "dress up" with fun, crazy outfits...

...dancing to the Fresh Beat Band...

...playing dress up AGAIN!"...

...playing "Superhero dress up" like Toodee on Yo Gabba Gabba...

...and riding her rocking horse all by herself like a big girl!

Whew!  See why I haven't had time to blog!?!  She's been busy growing and exploring.  And boy have we had FUN!!  I love to just sit back and watch her explore.  It's so amazing to me how smart she is and how she picks things up so quickly.  Truly awesome!