Gigglefest

Nick found Stella's funny bone!

If you're viewing this post on facebook, you can see the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVTRc20cAWQ

You are 18 months old!

You are such a sweet little baby.

There are so many wonderful things to tell you. You have grown and changed so much in the last few weeks.

As of 18 months old, you have 9 teeth. 4 on bottom/center, 4 on top/center and one molar on your right side.

You have just recently switched to taking 1 nap a day instead of 2. I don't mind this change because it makes my life a lot easier to not be running home to put you down for a nap.

You LOVE your stuffed sheep that your Auntie Jess gave you. You sleep with the sheep every night and sometimes insist that we put clothes on it. And you also love your two stuffed Eyores that your Grandma Tostenrude gave you.

You say over 100 words! Here is a list of words that you say and/or sign:
Ding-dong
Bell
Bird
Dog
Cat
More
please
up
down
help
cookie
water
drink
foot/feet
eye
eyebrow
cheek
chin
teeth
brush
hair
dora
car
vroom
play
backpack
sleep
bath
night night
medicine
ball
book
sock
draw
camel
elephant
mouse
milk
chair
bee
girl
tchuss (german for bye)
apple
bear
flower
cup
duck
baby
shoes
goat
truck
spoon
banana
orange
tree
butterfly
frog
grass
hat
sheep
tiger
pig
yes
no
clean
boots
poopa (german for doll)
diaper
go
bike
cook
door
monkey
open
thank you
hurt/pain
lion
fox
ear
rabbit
knee
treat
three
hot
cold
dip
chip
pek-pek (name we use for the vagina)
butt
Names:
Mama
Daddy/Dadda/Dad
Oma
Papa
Abuelo
Archer
Bess
Ellie Claire
Laura
Tenzing
Jess
Say-Say (Seren)

Your favorite book right now is the ABC book by Dr. Seuss

Some of your favorite foods are: soy yogurt parfaits with diced fruit and chopped nut/coconut topping; breastmilk (still your favorite thing by far!); chips; bananas, apples, blueberries...

We sure love you, Stella. Every morning we wake up to the sound of you playing in your crib in the next room. You always have a smile on your face and start your day by playing and sweetly nursing only to take a quick break between gulps to look up at us and say, "Hi Mama! Hi Dadda!"

You're almost one!

I can't believe it. I swear you're not old enough to be one. I'm writing a blog post for all our friends and family to read. Everyone loves to read about you.

I'm going to cook the same dinner that I was cooking the night I went in to labor with you for your first birthday dinner. It was asian bbq grilled salmon, rice and salad. It's going to be delicious, but not as delicious as you!

Thanks for being such a perfect little girl. You are sleeping right now and I am sitting next to the baby monitor, kind of secretly hoping that I hear you stir so I can go cuddle with you. I love you so much :)

Your birth play list

I don't want to forget any little detail, so here is what I was listening to while I was in labor with you:

Eric Hutchinson "Sounds Like This"
Jack Johnson "In Between Dreams"
Jason Mraz "We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things"
Michael Franti
Nora Jones "Come Away With Me"
Pink Martini "Sympathique"
The Postal Service "Give Up"
Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals "Live from Mars"
Bob Marley & the Wailers "Legend"

When you were only 2 days old, I gave you the a bath by myself for the first time. I remember it so clearly. I was listening to Nora Jones "Don't know why I didn't come" cradling you in my arms and singing to you. I thought it was a very sweet moment in my life. Until you pooped in the bathtub! Haha! It was so funny. Needless to say, I had to give you another bath!

:)

A funny conversation that I was told to save....

9:59pmMe
How is Lucy????
I miss that little kitty sooooooo
9:59pmRosanna
Lucy is such a funny kitty
9:59pmMe
What's she up to lately?
10:00pmRosanna
She has been trying to attack out butterfly I hatched and she likes to hang out in our fireplace
She was needing my chest up a sotrm this morning.
We also recently learned she play fights.
10:00pmMe
Hah!
Yes....
When she kneads, I like to say that she's making muffins.
10:01pmRosanna

10:01pmMe
Unfortunately, she makes muffins on the fat part of my stomach... my "mufifn top"
10:01pmRosanna
ahhh, oh no!
10:01pmMe
Yeah, makes me feel fat!
10:01pmRosanna
SHe seems happy, except for Dodger pestering her.
10:01pmMe
She deserves to be pestered
And I think she secretely likes it
10:01pmRosanna
does she? She hisses and growls alot
Dodger is such a booger
10:02pmMe
Oh, she's just bitchy
I don't think she really means it
She's just very vocal
like me!
10:03pmRosanna
oh, she means it! Dodger is being a jerk, imo
you are never bitchy
10:03pmMe
Oh, well then they'll duke it out
i am bitchy... ask nick
10:03pmRosanna
surely they'll get over it someday
10:03pmMe
SOOOOooo how are YOU doing Mrs. Kneegery? sur
10:03pmRosanna
well, bitchy with your spouse is diff that with friends
10:03pmMe
er... knee surgery
10:04pmRosanna
I'm good. Crazy busy organizing end of school year stuff for both kids. My parents come Monday
10:04pmMe
are the parents coming a good thing?
10:04pmRosanna
it is, but I want everything to look nice and clean.
How is leigh?
Is he gone?
I can never keep track. He's always going somewhere.
10:07pmRosanna
he is working from home these days, going to summer school at night. We was out of town recently, but is now back
MN
I might get to go sometime, though
I work woith him now, and they want me to come out too
10:08pmMe
Woah! Big money!
You two are so rad.
I wish Nick and I could work together.
10:08pmRosanna
ha...in what way?
WE are so not rad
You are in Germany!
10:09pmMe
Yeah, but you have JOBS
Now that is cool
Gosh, I can't wait to have an income again
10:09pmRosanna
well, yeah, it helps pay the bills and all
10:09pmMe
Minor detail... those bills
10:10pmRosanna
I haven't had an income in 4 years.
10:10pmMe
4 years! Me neither, I'm sure....
10:10pmRosanna
surgery is expensive!
10:10pmMe
It's pretty unnerving.
10:10pmRosanna
what did you do before?
10:10pmMe
I was a Jr. Art Director - aka graphic designer
10:11pmRosanna
that sounds fun...I on;y did HR.
10:11pmMe
HR sounds not very fun
Graphic design is fun... in art school
10:11pmRosanna
I always wanted to go to art school, I might someday
10:11pmMe
and then you graduate and realize that you are NEVER going to get to work on anything remotely creative because everyone has their brand identity and it's so rigid that there's really no point to hiring a graphic designer...
10:12pmRosanna
no, i want to do it for fun.
10:12pmMe
I used to do creative for wells fargo, bank of america, etc.... always the same colors, fonts, photos
Sort of like groundhog's day!
only on a omac

10:12pmRosanna
I have a friend that is doing creative for the company that does printing for McD's.
10:12pmMe
FUN!
Mmmm Mcds
I could use a hashbrown or three
10:13pmRosanna
we call him a nuggest muncher
10:13pmMe
LMAO
10:13pmRosanna
ewwww
starting to get the food thing down there yet?
10:13pmMe
OMFG I LOVE MCDs hashbrowns...
YES, the food thing is better
we found the farmer's market.. it's friday mornings and we get most of our food there
it's much nicer
but expensive
do you think that the food quality in europe is better than the US?
10:14pmRosanna
well, that's good and bad.
10:14pmMe
Like, conventional meat in Europe is better than conventional meat in the USA?
10:14pmRosanna
I dunno. It was in France, but not in Sweden
10:14pmMe
Oh. I've heard that it is, but that is what GERMANS say
they are so egotistical
I don't believe them
10:14pmRosanna
I can beleive that.
the egotistical part
10:15pmMe
Yeah
Everything is germany, germany, germany
and white, white, white
even the parade musicians today were in all white
the houses are all white
10:15pmRosanna
THere is a german family that Sophia goes to school with. I don't like them at all, and I'm sure it's a cultural thing. I feel bad.
10:15pmMe
it's a little weird
They are just a different type of people.
10:15pmRosanna
America really is the melting pot, eh?
10:16pmMe
There are a ton of arabs here, though
they make it bearable
I love arabs
10:16pmRosanna
they have good food
10:16pmMe
And pretty men
and a lovely language
and they do good eyebrows
ahhh.... I wish I could do my own brows
I look like the freaking chupacabras over here
10:17pmRosanna
pretty men? Hmmm... I had a german exchange student boyfriend once
10:17pmMe
NO NO, pretty arabs
I like arabs
not germans
10:17pmRosanna
ahh, I was confused. thought my friend was cute
10:18pmMe
Germans are weird, smoke too much, are big like loggers
and they yell!
Why all the yelling?
10:18pmRosanna

you should write this shit down!
10:18pmMe
I suppose I'd be mad if I only had shnitzel to eat
Why should I write it down?
Nobody wants to hear what I have to .
say
I barely want to hear it!
10:19pmRosanna
I think it's funny!
10:19pmMe
HAH!
10:19pmRosanna
Are you lonely at all? I'd be lonely there
10:19pmMe
I'm kind of lonely
I miss my family... my sister and niece
10:19pmRosanna
do you know anyone in England?
10:19pmMe
we know 1 person but he's a d-bag
10:19pmRosanna
ewwww
10:19pmMe
i'm going to find a mom's group
10:20pmRosanna
I think you'll like the English better
10:20pmMe
there's a mom's group for women whose husbands are going to oxford. I hope they aren't a bunch of d-bag women, but we will see!
I hope they think I'm cool with my Maclaren stroller!
10:20pmRosanna
well, of course.
10:20pmMe
I feel really wealthy with my stroller.
10:20pmRosanna
They might call you a yank
10:20pmMe
Yank?
If they call me a yank, I'll call them something worse!
10:21pmRosanna
I used to fee that way. Now mine is all beat up
10:21pmMe
Mine is getting beat up quick.
carrying it up and down stairs at the train station... it's already been to 3 countries
10:21pmRosanna
call them a limey!
10:21pmMe
hah! Limey!
10:21pmRosanna
nie and light to carry, though
10:22pmMe
It is nice. It's pretty.
I can even nurse stella while she's in it!
hahahah
oh the joys of motherhood
10:22pmRosanna
how on earth do you do that?
don't tell me
see, this shit is funny
10:22pmMe
whipping the boob out and shoving it in her face while she's strapped in....
and I have to hover... similar to the public bathroom hover.
10:22pmRosanna
lol
10:23pmMe
my legs start to shake
10:23pmRosanna
hahahaha
10:23pmMe
but I think... what's worse? Crying baby?
10:23pmRosanna
I really am laughing
10:23pmMe
I even nursed her while she was in the car seat and we were going 100+ on the autobahn
good thing I've done a lot of yoga
10:23pmRosanna
sheeit
see, you knew it'd come in handy
10:23pmMe
i'm sure the other drivers thought I was crazy
It has come in handy!
Oh man
10:24pmRosanna
how could they even tell?
10:24pmMe
Well, I was on my knees, hovering over the carseat with my shirt pulled up and looking like I'm trying to smother the baby in the car seat
10:24pmRosanna
hahahah
these are the things you think you'll remember forever, but won't. Write it down.
10:25pmMe
I would tell nick to drive in the right lane but he wouldn't. He didn't care if the french saw my boobs.
Ok, ok
10:25pmRosanna
the french don't care
10:25pmMe
I'll write it down tomorrow
Nick broke my computer and I'm using his and it sucks
10:25pmRosanna
I have to go make some dough... I'll try to take some pics of Lucy and email them to you
have a good evening!

You do the cutest things!

Recently, you've started to sing, "Da-da!" but the last syllable is said in a much higher tone. Like you're singing it. It's the sweetest thing ever and you wouldn't believe how much your Dad melts when he hears it. He is so enamored with you!

You love to nurse, too. It's really a very wonderful thing. I love the closeness that breastfeeding has given us. In the bath lately, you've gone straight for the breast instead of playing in the water. I ask you, "Did you really come in to the bath just to eat?!" And you smile at me with your big brown eyes while having your bath time snack. You are such a sweet little girl.

Your Dad and I were talking last night

and we were sad to think that one day, you will be reading these exact words that I am writing, and we will be gone. I can't even begin to explain how much sadness overcomes me when I think of this. Your Dad and I love you more than anything in the world and I hope that you always know that.

I thought of this because I often miss my own Mother in the most terrible way. I can't bear to imagine you ever missing me as much as I miss her. So, I will continue to cuddle and love you relentlessly until you are sick and tired of me! You are the most prized and precious of all of our possessions. We love you more than anything else in this universe.

Love,
Mama & Dad