Stella Reads to Herself.

Fussy No-Pants.

A few days ago, Stella was a fussy pants; actually, she was really a fussy no-pants.  She's been having little freak-attacks each time I change her diaper...sometimes this involve contorting her body in such ways that I can't get her clothes back on...sometimes I give up trying.  The end result looks something like this:

And this...

 And this...

And this...

I still love my fussy no-pants.

Stella's New, Fake Sad Face.

This one speaks for itself:

Stella's New, Fake Sad Face.

Favorite Moments.

My favorite/funniest moments of the day:

• Cuddling with Stella after her first nap...she's snuggling a lot lately and I'm LOVING every minute of it!
• When Stella nearly pants me as she tried to stand up using my leg as her balancing post; I had to laugh.
• Watching Stella smile when Tim came home and gave me a kiss.  We kissed a bunch of times just to see her smile...and because it's nice.
• Calling home when I was out getting some work done and having Stella respond to my voice, smile, and grab the phone from Tim's hand.
• Dancing my heart out at Zumba tonight while Tim did the bedtime routine with the baby.
• Listening to Stella read to herself - she's using inflection in her gibberish so I know she's modeling what she hears, and she's turning the pages all by herself.

I'm super thankful for my life.

10 Years Ago.

Just over ten years ago, I met my dear friend, Pam.  She was my "randomly" assigned roommate at UNH; I always quote "randomly" because I don't believe in coincidence.  God knows what He is doing and He knew what He was doing when Pam and I were assigned to each other as roommates that fall of 2000.  Pam became a Christian during her freshman year at UNH, and God used Pam to draw me back to Him.  

Today, Pammie brought her sweet, new baby James over to play and there was a moment during her visit when we were both nursing our babies and talking to each other.  I said to her something like, "If someone had told you ten years ago that we would be sitting here with our babies, could you even have imagined that?"  So much has changed in over ten years, but it truly feels like just yesterday that I was moving into room 740 in Stoke Hall...just wondering whether or not I'd connect with my roommate.  

I take such JOY in my friendships, and Pam is no exception.  God has been very good to me by bringing so many wonderful women alongside me to walk this journey.  I now look forward to my child being friends with Pam's children and my other friend's kids, too...wow, that is so cool.

Temper Tantrums

Stella has been throwing what I would call temper tantrums lately.  It's pretty disconcerting since she's not even ten months old.  It's amazing to see such a tiny person express intense joy, gentleness, and love at a very young age, while at the same time I see the seeds of disobedience already making their appearance in her life!  

She loves our wireless router which sits atop our computer, close to the floor of the office.  It has blue flashing lights and probably looks like a toy (note to self:  it would be a good thing to move it, to remove the temptation she feels every day...).  Our daily routine:  Stella plays happily with her toys for a while and eventually makes her way over to the router.  Before I even have a chance to gently redirect her or tell her "no," she looks back at me, looks at the router, looks at me, looks at the router, and then reaches for the router.  I can see the wheels turning in her brain as she knows what I'm going to say to her, and yet she still disobeys and goes for the thing every time.  I remove her from playing with the router and she lays on the floor in a ball and cries, or my favorite is when she flips over on her back and kicks her legs.  This routine lasts for all of 15 seconds and we shift gears into either playing with something else or she tries to get back to the router.

Ever since the fall of man, this nature of disobedience (sin) has lived inside us as human beings.  Thankfully, I get to see the wonderful qualities of God in my daughter FAR more often than I see the sinful nature of man, but there is no denying that this willful disobedience starts early and is evident in the relationship we have with other people and with our Heavenly Father.  This is the first time, however, I'm getting a glimpse into how very much my God loves me as His child; I am grateful for His gentle discipline in my life and for His life-giving words of truth.  I'm grateful to be saved by grace through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  I am so thankful for the privilege of raising Stella, of teaching her right from wrong, setting boundaries, and loving her like CRAZY throughout it all.  Through being Stella's mom, I am coming to a greater understanding of God's love for me and why my obedience to Him matters. 

"This is love for God:  to obey His commands.  And His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world.  This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.  Who is it that overcomes the world?  Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." 1John 5: 3-5

Stella Head-banging and Conducting

Cradle Cap

Stella has had cradle cap for a while now - basically like eczema which commonly occurs on top of a baby's head.  It's been bugging me lately, so we broke out the baby oil before her bath yesterday.  Not only did it prove a useful solution for the cradle cap, but it provided us with these hysterical photos - hey, if you're gonna get messy you might as well have some fun, right?

Our toothy Alfalfa.

How can she still be so cute while also looking so greasy?

Guaranteed To Make You Laugh...I Did!

Stella has been talking a lot lately - of course, she rarely says anything that makes any sense, but it's like she's having a full conversation with me.  Enjoy!

Parenting Philosophies.

I just read a blog post about attachment parenting and it really got me thinking - actually, the comments on the post made me think more than the actual post itself.  People's responses were so divisive...both for and against this particular approach to raising children.  

I own many books on different parenting philosophies and I have yet to read any of them.  The more I adapt to my role as Stella's mom, the more I realize that parenting is a day-by-day, moment-by-moment job...and I can't imagine trying to fit Stella or myself into one particular philosophy or method or role; that's not to say that I don't have goals, general ideas on parenting, or any semblance of a schedule, but I find that remaining open (to each new day, to my daughter and who God created her to be, and to my own needs, strengths, and desires...) from the start of this adventure has been the most helpful method of parenting thus far.  Another blogger, a fellow UNH alumna who was involved with me in InterVarsity, said it much better than I could have - read her thoughts on remaining flexible as a mom here.

Stella's New Loves.

We had some long-awaited company this past weekend - Matt and Cristen, Tim's cousin and his fiancee, came all the way from Maryland to stay with us!  I hold a special place in my heart for all of my cousins and I'm so grateful to now share that kind of relationship with Tim's cousins, especially with their wives.  Tim grew up in a family of all boys - he is one of three boys, his cousins are three boys, we have three nephews from Tim's oldest brother and no nieces, Tim's dad was one of three boys, and his mother had one brother and no sisters...needless to say, girls are a rarity in the Carpenter/Piontek family.  I'm thankful that God has brought Cristen and Matt together - and now I can start anticipating our visit to Maryland in June to celebrate their marriage!  Stella will undoubtedly be the most stylish baby in attendance as she will be donning one of the adorable dresses Cristen and Matt bought for her...you better believe there will be many more pictures in the future, similar to these gems from our precious time together...

Two beautiful ladies.

Stella doesn't snuggle with just anybody, only people she loves.

Measuring Accomplishment.

I have at least three to-do lists going at any given point in time.  I realized this today when I was making a today to-do list off of my longer-term to-do list.  I was filling my list with all the things I wanted to get accomplished today so that I could cross each item off one at a time, thus generating a sense of accomplishment and affirmation.  Being a stay-at-home-mom it can be difficult to feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day.  I don't have an office where I can focus on specific tasks, take phone calls, and answer e-mails related to my job; there is no boss giving me guidance or direction on specific projects; I'm not a part of a team of co-workers laboring toward a common goal.  Even so, I could have never imagined this new job of mothering Stella would be so incredibly gratifying.  While there are days I miss dressing up, talking to adults, and feeling a tangible sense of accomplishment, I get to experience moment-by-moment interactions with my daughter.  There is nothing I ever experienced in the work world that compares to the satisfaction and joy I feel being with Stella each day.  I can't imagine missing her crawling or standing up for the first time, seeing her dance to her musical toys, or feeling her rest her head on my shoulder just because.  I love having the opportunity to breastfeed her, to see her get excited about playing with the dogs, to take her with me wherever I go, to make her baby food, and to introduce her to all these "firsts" in her life.  This job is far from glamorous; I often smell like spit-up, I don't feel very pretty most days, and I don't dress up for work much anymore, but thankfully my main client doesn't really care what I look like (or smell like, for that matter...).  What is being accomplished in our home day-by-day cannot be measured by any progress report, annual review, or to-do list.

Didn't Stella's dad do a great job dressing her?

Evidence of a Good Nap.

Lately, I can judge whether Stella has had a good nap by three factors:

• what kind of mood she's in when she wakes up (happy = good nap v. cranky = not enough sleep)
• how crazy her hair looks when I pick her up out of her crib (the crazier the better...)
• whether or not her cheeks are rosy (rosy = good nap, heavy sleep)

Today was a good nap day.  I submit the following evidence for the jury's review...

Exhibit A:  Bed Head.

Exhibit B:  Rosy Cheeks

Exhibit C:  Excellent mood.

"Ta-Da!  I'm Stella, just like the chair says!"

Ladies and Gentleman of the jury, I rest my case.

Stella's 3 Favorite Things.

What were your three favorite things when you were a kid?  Today, Stella's three favorite things were as follows:
-a tub of Cetaphyl Lotion
-one of her Robeez Shoes
-my old cell phone

Pretty basic.

By the way, what crazy person has been dressing my daughter lately - oh, that would be me...

Movement.

These days there is a lot of movement in my life - I mean that literally...it's difficult to take my eyes off of Stella for more than a few seconds.  I'm having a lot of fun keeping a constant watch - look at all I saw in just a few minutes this afternoon...

Is she sucking on the fake pacifier from her Baby Stella doll?

Will I find her sorting through our clean laundry...?

...or perhaps eating her baby doll's foot?

Maybe she is smiling mischievously from behind the chair.

Could she be playing me a tune on her learning table?

Alas, if all else fails, she's likely got a-hold of her laughing pickle (what kid has a laughing pickle, anyway?)...

Setting a Good Example.

Tim and I have been thinking lately about the daily examples we are setting for our family.  There are certain routines I have with Stella that I'm sure, if I stopped them today, she wouldn't ever remember; however, I'm hopeful if I keep them up they will become an integral part of her upbringing.  For instance, I'm trying to read Scripture with Stella every day - we are currently in the book of Acts.  At nine months old, she mostly tries to tear the pages out of the Bible while I read to her; I usually occupy her attention with a toy that's more appropriate for her age.  I'm hopeful someday she will look back on this example as something which marked the very beginning of her love for God.  On a more practical level, we are also going to be more intentional about eating dinner together as a family...this routine is tricky because Stella currently has the same dinner-time as the local retirement community, but I think it's worth adjusting our schedule so this pattern is set early in her life.  There's a lot to be said about living intentionally, especially when how I am living on a daily basis directly affects someone else's life in such a powerful way.

Our routine is paying off already - she chose Make Me Like Jesus from the bookshelf!

=0]=

The following is a contribution to my blog courtesy of Stella; she has been DYING to type on the keyboard and the first thing she typed looked an awful lot like the word "sex"...so, I deleted that, and this is what remains - be enlightened:

stqbyfvbgyhtggvfgbnhggyiyiikl m dcfny ht v nb bfdmnb  cbvn v  vmhbnv

"Yea, I'm brilliant."

Back From The Dead...

Over the past few days, the Carpenter Family has been away in Maine.  We gathered with  a bunch of friends, several of whom are missionaries, to reconnect as families.  Most of us met in college when we were single, and this was the first time we were all together with our spouses and children!  While the majority of the time was fun, the ending of our little vacation was MISERABLE.  There were sixteen people (including kids ranging in age from four months to five years old) and, to date, fourteen of us got a horrible virus that spread like wildfire throughout the house!  I got sick the night of my birthday (isn't there some sort of rule against bad things happening on your birthday...?) which meant Tim and I were unable to attend the concert for which he'd bought me tickets; I can't really put into words how disappointed I feel about missing the concert, because it's something we were looking forward to so much.  This morning, finally at home, we got up and our heat wasn't working - by the way, it is COLD in New Hampshire in January.  Thankfully, we were able to get someone out to our house for service and $200 later we have a new ignitor for our furnace.  Man, when it rains, it pours, right? 

On a more positive note, I have lived through one of my worst nightmares - that Tim, Stella, and I would all get sick at the same time - and I survived.  [Random Fact About My Husband:  Before this vacation, the last time Tim threw up he was seven years old...sadly, he broke his 27 year streak on January 5, 2011.]  The only good thing about being violently ill, living with fifteen other people, away from home, on your birthday is that all of us weren't sick at the same time.  Our friends were able to watch Stella for a while in between times when Tim and I were both out of commission.  Also, when Stella threw up for the first time in her life we had other parents around (one of whom was a nurse) to coach us through the experience and let us know everything was going to be alright.  There isn't much in this world that is worse than seeing your child suffer - especially when they are too young to find the words to tell you what they are really feeling.  Stella was a champ; she held up 1,000 times better than either Tim or I did.  Plus, if you ever want to see something hilarious, give a baby some Pedialyte (oops, my bad...) and watch the fun begin - it's the equivalent of a shot of "Five Hour Energy" for a nine month old.  As the old adage goes, breastmilk is best - even when they are sick!

Here are some "pre-bug" highlights from our trip:

Stella in her doggy-PJ's

This one speaks for itself...

The Bennett's:  Jay, Reese, and Tami.

The Getbeheads:  Jon and Kristin

Dena Getbehead's CRAZY face!

Our little snow angel after her first sledding experience with daddy.

The Diems:  Becky, Steve, and their kids, Gianna, Elliot, and Josiah.

Tim and Ox (AKA: Tony and Rinaldo) on their sledding excursion.

The Ochsner's (Nathan and Bridgitte) and the scary house baby...

2011...is this the future or something?

Happy New Year from me and the bird!

New Year's Resolution #1:  Teach Stella to kiss with her mouth closed.

I received an e-mail from my friend, Laurel, a few days ago; she was watching an old episode of "Mad About You" in which they were celebrating "Welcome to 1990" on New Year's Eve 1989.  I graduated high school in the year 2000 and, throughout my childhood, my teachers often talked about how great it was that we were the first class of the new millenium.  It's now 2011:  I've been married for five and a half years, I am about to turn 29, and I have a baby...but part of me still feels like I'm in high school - or even younger!  

Here are some of my hopes for the new year:

• Family:  I'd like to refine our goals for the future of our family.  Will we have more children?  Adopt?  Foster?  I am pretty sure we will welcome more children into our life, but we haven't decided how or when that may take shape...ultimately, we need to seek some direction from God on this area of our life together.
• Spiritual:  I'm reading through the Bible again this year.  Stella and I made it through the Gospels and will start on the rest of the New Testament tomorrow.  My friend, Heather, and I will read the Old Testament.  The last time I read through the whole Bible in a year I was in college, so this should be a good refresher.
• Home:  I'm hopeful that we'll have a clear sense of what we're doing when it comes to our house and the future of where we'll live.  We hope to sell in 2010 - God only knows the plans are for our future, but I look forward to someday living in a place with sidewalks, access to a downtown, somewhere much closer to our church, and a place where we can grow our family without having to move again.  
• Physical:  I'd like to Zumba my heart out in 2011!
• Marriage:  Tim and I want to pray more together (three times a week is our goal) and we are already looking forward to this year's Marriage Retreat at the Wolfeboro Inn.

I'm hopeful God has great things in store for 2011!  Maybe one of those great things is a minivan...just saying...

A Late Christmas Celebration with Dad and Starr.

There aren't many good things about having divorced parents but one positive is that we have the opportunity to celebrate holidays more frequently (hey, give me credit for looking for the silver lining...)!  Tim, Stella, and I took the trip down to Rockport, Massachusetts to have Christmas, round three; my dad and step-mother still live in the house in which I spent the first several years of my life.  Stella enjoyed visiting with her Grandpa and Noni, playing with some great new-used toys (YAY for awesome swap-shop finds!!), and seeing a cat close-up for the first time.  Tim and I were thankful for the visit as well as humbled by the generosity of our family at the holidays.