Stella is special – I know all parents say this, but she is special to me.

Stella decided to arrive early – about 5-1/2 weeks early.  I guess my tummy was just too boring and she was ready to get out and experience the real world.  I am already an emotional person, I cry at everything and if there isn’t anything to worry about, I will find something to worry about.  But having my baby early and seeing her in the NICU was a whole new experience for me.  She was little, but still the biggest baby in the nursery.  I was more of a mess than the parents with the littlest babies – but was able to check myself when parents of a smaller baby (who had already had open heart surgery) offered me comfort and support.

Stella only stayed in the NICU a week and was sent home – we were a nervous wreck and like any smart baby, she took full advantage of us.  A perfect angel in the hospital, she quickly took herself off of any kind of schedule, cried often and decided being held at all times was the only way to go through life.  Before I knew it, she was sleeping in our bed (yes, I am one of those parents) and had me jumping at her every whimper.

I was blessed in that I was able to spend the first year and a half at home with Stella.  Unfortunately, it was due to the poor economy and finding a job was a tough task.  Before I knew it, my little babe-in-arms was a walking, talking machine.

I went back to work when Stella was almost 2 years old.  We then got to experience the joys of daycare.  Stella cried so much and so often at her first day care that the women couldn’t handle it (boo).  So, at the beginning of 2011, I moved Stella to her current daycare.  It was a six month, painful transition.  Lots of crying (both her and me) and crying to go home.  But her teachers were patient and now she is thriving.  And it turns out, I am the one who is breaking most of the rules.  I get “reminded” at least once a month of some rule or another that I am not following.  Oh well, they will survive.

Stella is your average 3-year-old – she loves the zoo, playing with her toys, playing with Mommy and Daddy, and running our lives.  She has recently discovered the iPad (thank you Steve Jobs for creating an addictive toy) and is obsessed with Disney Princesses (I am sure Disney did that one on purpose).

In a nutshell, that brings us to where we are today – trying to make it through each day with minimal tears, tantrums and getting to bed before 10pm.