I blame the cold weather for the skin problems Stella and I have had (although I have doubts this is the case). Since I gave birth to her I've had very itchy skin that results in inflammation. My Aunt Judy diagnosed me a month later (when I gave up on the hormone excuse) with "dermographism" which literally means "skin writing" because you can see the lines immediately after you scratch. She suggested some Benedryl at night and Zyrtec or any other antihistemene during the day. Well before I get myself addicted to antihistemenes, I heard to try Noni juice, which is a natural juice from Hawaii. I started about two weeks ago, and plan on giving it a few months to work its magic.

Stella, on the other hand, has been dealing with baby eczema for about a week. Thanks to her Aunt Karyn, we had some Emily skin soother on hand and we've noticed a significant difference in just a few days. Our poor little itchy girl is looking and seems to be feeling much better. We're still applying it two to three times a day and also using the soap for her baths.

The difference one night made:

Before After

Stella's 2 months old!

I can't believe Stella is already 2 months old and how much she has changed. Last night she slept from 9pm-7:45am! When she woke up she tried out her new toy (in pictures below).



Talking and laughing at the animals



She couldn't stop smiling!


We are so tired of the cold and snow. I finally gave in to paying to get our driveway plowed today. Walking from the Explorer to the house is exhausting, especially carrying groceries. At one point I had snow up to my thigh. It was pretty for Christmas, but I'm definitely counting down until spring when I can take Stella outside instead of being cooped up all day. I went snowshoeing a few days ago and took some pictures of our winter wonderland up here.



Sunset over the golf course



The lake



Our home



My cool snowshoes



And Matt's sweet boots!





We have Stella's 2 month appointment tomorrow and I'm not looking forward to her shots but I am looking forward to seeing how much she's grown.

Huh?

Really, mom?

Stella has slept through the night (from 9pm- 5ish am) for three nights in a row! Then after her morning feeding she falls asleep until around 9am. We've been giving her a bath every night (every other night we use soap), feed her, put her down awake and she falls asleep within 15 minutes. It's been so nice to get some good sleep!

We came down to the Cities on Monday for Addison's 19th birthday. Here are some pictures:

Highlights of our Christmas vacation in the Twin Cities and Wisconsin:

1. Spending so much time with family
2. Stella meeting so many new people
3. Nights talking in the hot tub with my sister (who i haven't seen since September)
4. Matt got to try out his new boots and bindings snowboarding with Addison
5. Opening Stella's Christmas presents
6. Seeing Marley and Me
7. Date to Benjamin Button with Matt
8. Stella's smiling
9. Some good wine
10. Great food! (too much =)
11. Shopping with Anna
12. Spending New Years at home with our little family
13. Starting the Twilight series
14. Matt getting to smoke some good cigars
15. Watching Stella grow and change every day
16. Our first Christmas as a Mom and Dad

We are a little snowed in up here. I attempted a trip to sandstone lastnight and didn't make it very far. The explorer (yes the explorer) is semi-stuck about six feet from where it should be parked.

On Friday, some of my friends came up to visit and see Stella and on Saturday we went to Duluth for portraits and to get some Christmas shopping done. I was nervous that Stella would either be sleeping or crying for pictures but she was such a ham! She seemed like she was right in her element. Either that or it was just that she was enthralled with the lights. This shopping trip was so much easier than the last one. We have her figured out a little better and learned from our mistakes from last time. However, Wal-Mart on the way home was a different story. She had a little meltdown, but I don't blame her. The first time experiencing a Wal-Mart (or any experience of Wal-Mart for that matter) can be disturbing for anyone.

We have started to get our bedtime routine mastered. Last night she was up only once and then slept in until ten! We are really lucky to have such a good baby.

So today was the first day Stella and I were home alone all day (Matt is in the cities). I was a little nervous. Up until now I've known that if something goes wrong, at least Matt's in his office downstairs. Surprisingly, it's been a very easy day. Stella is so laid back unless her tummy hurts and makes my job easy. More and more every day it feels less and less like babysitting and more and more like she's mine. I've gone from "I can't believe she's mine" to "I can't imagine my life without her". This past month has been a lot of bonding and getting to know each other, and now I'm ready to take her with me everywhere. I'm so excited to see everyone over Christmas and have Stella meet so many new people. We got our Christmas tree up and Matt decorated it himself because I fell asleep. Stella loves staring at it and looking at all the lights. Her little personality is already coming through!