Giving Thanks

This is the third year we have been able to host Thanksgiving with the Sherwoods and it is always such a good time. Dustin's parents came up from Missouri as well as Dustin's brother Josh, his wife Amanda and their two cute kids from New Jersey.

We sure have so much to be thankful for this year. We are so grateful for a roof over our head, food on the table, Dustin's job, family, good health and of course our happy healthy little girl.

Stella snuggled up on Aunt Amanda Zach wanted to see uncle Dusty's truck, in exchange for a photo opt!

Our first Thanksgiving as a little family of three.

The eating begins

Such a good cousin

Finishing the night off with Amanda's yummy pies

The rest of the time was spent eating lunch outside in the unusually warm weather...

more snuggling...

taking some pictures with the talented Mr. Josh

doing crafts...

and laughing at our cute kids. Binky buddies! Emma was born this summer. It will be great having our baby girls so close in age.

Cousin love.

As always Sherwoods, thanks for coming to see us and meet Stella. She loved being held and loved on by all of you!

We also had Stella's blessing over the weekend as well some visits from my family. More on that to come.

One Month

We made to one month. And what a month it has been! Stella had her Doctors appointment today and is now 9lbs 3oz. She is getting so big! Although she still only fits in her newborn clothes for the most part. Here are a few pics from the last few days at her one month mark.

life at home

Stella with grandma before she headed home

In her belated Halloween outfit

Taking a nap on mom

Smiles

Posing for her little photo shoot

Swaddled on dad

Stella is just over two weeks old now. She has gained 10 ounces since her last doctor appointment and is now 7lbs11oz

She loves being swaddled

She hates getting her diaper changed, getting dressed and undressed and screams like crazy when we do either

She is a great eater and we are still working on the great sleeper part

She will give us few hour stretches of sleep at night here and there

She loves to pee when I change her diaper soaking everything around her

She smiles and makes funny faces

And we still really can't figure out who she looks like

We love her to pieces

She's Here!

Well, we have had our little girl in our lives for about a week now and we couldn't be happier!

Stella Grace Sherwood

7lbs 1oz 20 1/2 inches

Born 11-1-11 at 3:58 pm

Proud Daddy. First family photo. Ya, I look rough. Labor was a lot harder and painful then I had anticipated. Of coarse I knew it wasn't going to be a walk in the park, but it sure does give you so much more appreciation for all the moms in the world! But luckily I had Dustin through it all. I COULD NOT have done it without him. He kept me somewhat sane through the whole process and helped me so much. He was my rock! My baby girl It was so wonderful to have my mom here in Erie to be apart of this great experience. She was so helpful! She made us wonderful home cooked meals and freezer meals to last for a good while. She cleaned, did laundry, rubbed my feet during labor, and held and loved on Stella. And since child birth is no new thing to her with six kids of her own, she was there to answer all of my birth and mom questions. It was hard to say goodbye when she left!

Leaving the hospital.

I loved the hospital were we delivered. It is brand new, clean, the nurses are great, and we felt very well taken care of.

On our way home!

This has really been the most amazing experience of our lives. Stella truly is a blessing. We love her more than we ever thought we could.

Halloween

Well if this baby won't come I might as well have some fun at a Halloween Party.The cheeseball I brought to the party. Just a few of the girls. There were about 40 of us there, and I wish I would have taken more pictures of some of the great costumes. I wasn't really planning on going this party because I was hoping I would be having a baby. But since that wasn't the case, I threw this costume together at the very last minute.

Just call me XXL Cat in the Hat.

The Latest

Well I am 2 days shy of my due date and this little girl does not seem to want to come out anytime soon. We went to the Dr. yesterday and I have not progressed one tiny bit towards labor. So it will be interesting to see when she will eventually make her grand appearance.

I am large and in charge that's for sure. Puffy face, swollen hands and feet, the whole nine yards.

We are ready when you are little girl!

Little Pumpkin Baby Shower

Some of the girls here were kind enough to through a little pumpkin baby shower for me. It was so fun, the fall food was amazing and I got some great and needed items.

A few of the salon girls

And the Hostesses.

Such a fun night. Can't wait for our little pumpkin to get here!