THE DRITSAS FAMILY

6 Months

2008-03-16T20:53:00.004-04:00

It's hard to believe Stella is already 6 months old!!! She's sitting up well and loves to hear herself scream. We are loving this warm weather and being able to spend some time outside. This post is for my dear friend, Maria who lives in London. She sent this beautiful dress to Stella and wanted to see her wearing it. We miss you and hope to see you soon Sweet Maria!!!

Honest Opinions...

2008-02-12T21:20:00.001-05:00

Monkey Business His & Hers
Boy's romper and Baby Girl's dress

Berry Cute...Top w/ CrissCross Back & matching panties

Ok, so I'm enjoying sewing so much that I'm thinking about trying to sell some things. I've gotten a little side-tracked from the bibs but intend on making more. Anyway, I'm just wanting some HONEST opinions...do these look like anything you would buy? Besides the first photo of the gingham dress (I didn't mean to download that one and don't know how to delete it and I don't really like it).

Sewing Binge

2008-02-01T17:36:00.000-05:00

It all started with a bib...I thought there was no reason I couldn't make a few for Stella. I haven't done any sewing in about 15 years. Well, from bibs I've gone to dresses. I've made 3 so far and love it! I loved sewing so much that I thought I would try smocking too. I've enjoyed it to, but need more practice before I am brave enough to show any pictures of it. Here's two of the dresses I've made and a few bibs. I know I still need A LOT more practice, but I was pretty proud of the outcome. I'm open to any suggestions...

8 Things About Stella

2008-01-17T16:09:00.000-05:00

1. I LOVE to eat!!! Mommy can not even prepare a bottle in front of me unless she is going to let me have it(even if I just ate!)

2. Nothing makes me laugh more than singing songs to me in Greek...especially when YiaYia does it!

3. I am already a Daddy's girl. I sit in bed with Mommy in the mornings and watch every move he makes to get dressed for work.

4. I get very irritated if I am not able to do things MYSELF. I don't want help with things and don't understand why I can't do some of the things I want to do yet, such as sit up and crawl. Mommy says it will come with time but I want to do it now.

5. I love to watch Maggie, our lab. I think she is so funny.

6. My new favorite word is agoo. Papou and I can sit and talk about it for the longest time.

7. I do not like to take naps. I'm just too worried something exciting will happen while I'm sleeping.

8. I'm getting my first tooth. It's painful and makes me a little grumpy. Not to mention all the drool!

Our Happy Girl

2007-12-07T17:23:00.000-05:00

Well, not only has she been giving us this beautiful smile, but she's also laughing. I've been behind on blogging...I have my in-laws here from Greece. So, I'll have more photos to post soon.

Happy Halloween

2007-10-30T13:01:00.000-04:00

Anna and I took Will and Stella to the trunk or treats at the church in Bremen Sunday night. Stella went as a pumpkin and Will was a scarecrow. It was so good to see everyone and all their children dressed up. Stella slept through most of it and wasn't too thrilled about her costume once she woke up(as you can see in the photo). They were both so cute. To make the day even more special...Anna suprprised me by telling me she's expecting in June/July. Congratulations Anna, Gray, and Will!!

Sarantismos(40 Day Blessing)

2007-10-15T15:49:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a very special day. We went to church for Baby Stella's and my 40 day blessing. This is a very important custom in the Greek Orthodox religion for both the baby and the mother. It is a reenactment of Mary's bringing Baby Jesus to the temple on the 40th day after his birth. The mother brings her baby on the 40th day, or closest Sunday, for a service of purification and to formally bring the baby into the church. It is the first time that the new mother and baby are allowed to enter the church. The priest offers a prayer and carries the baby to the front of the church(where we are in the photos). New mothers are not allowed to enter the church because in the OT women were thought as unclean after childbirth. They had to wait the 4o days to be considered "clean." Being exposed to all these customs and traditions is one of the things I love so much about being married to my huband!

Will's New Favorite Thing

2007-10-13T21:38:00.000-04:00

Just a week ago Will would wake up in the mornings and name off everyone in the family. Well, now we've taken second place! The first things out of Will's mouth now are "dactor" and "mawnmore"! Anna takes him for rides on the lawnmower and Pops rides him on the tractor. It's the cutest thing. Pops will be exhausted at the end of the day but is never too tired to get the tractor out to take Will for a ride.

Henley's Visit

2007-10-13T21:22:00.000-04:00

Precious Little HenleyPoor Henley...she has a belly ache!Stella wasn't sure what to do...

Casey and Baby Henley drove all the way from Chattanooga to have dinner with us Tuesday night. It was so nice to meet Henley and spend time with Casey. I miss her so much. Henley, of course, is so adorable. It's amazing what a difference 3 weeks makes when they are so young. Henley's little tummy was bothering her so she was a little upset just before they left to go back home. Stella didn't know what to think when Henley would cry. She just wanted to console her little friend. Thank you so much for making time for us on your visit home Casey! We hope Henley is doing better.

Back in Business...

2007-10-01T14:51:00.001-04:00

milk mouth and trying to adjust to the bottle already trying to feed herself
just swingin'
napping with her lovie
tiny feet and long toes

Well, everyone has been wanting more recent photos of stella. We've been without internet for a few days. george finally got the new router installed last night, so now I should be able to post more often. It's hard to believe Stella will be 4 weeks Wednesday! She's had to make some big adjustments over the past week. For some weird reason i quit producing milk and had to start bottle feeding. I think she's finally getting used to it, but we both had a hard time with it at first. As you can see she wasn't used to not having to work for her food so half the bottle would end up streaming down her chin. Thank goodness Casey told me about some different bottles...she's doing so much better with those.(thanks Casey!) Hopefully this week will be easier for her.

Stella Beatrice Dritsas

2007-09-06T20:49:00.001-04:00

I never imagined life could be so beautiful. No words could express the amount of joy we have had with our new baby girl. She is so adorable and so content. Her arrival came as a bit of shock, considering when I went to the doctor Tuesday he told me I would probably go over my due date by a week and would have to be induced. She had not dropped and showed no signs that she was preparing for her escape. But then came Wednesday... Contractions started and by 1am they were coming at steady intervals. By 2am my water broke(which was not this gushing stream that you see in the movies)!! I phoned the doctor to be sure I should go to the hospital. I did NOT want to go and be sent back home. So, of course we came to the hospital and did not get sent home. She was born yesterday afternoon 4:24pm, weighing 6lbs4oz and 19.75in. long.

More Preggers Photos

2007-07-22T21:45:00.000-04:00

I'm sure everyone is getting tired of seeing preggo photos of me. I just don't have much else going on right now. I'm still working on the nursery so I don't want to post on that yet. I had a shower a couple of weeks ago and didn't get any photos besides these with my family. Will was too busy eating his carrot to smile. We had a such a great time. My sister got onesies for everyone to decorate for the baby. It was so much fun! We have been so blessed by such wonderful family and friends. We received all of our big items which was such a major help. So, all we need now is diapers!

Baby Stella 30 Weeks

2007-06-29T11:53:00.000-04:00

We went for our 3D ultrasound for the second time last night. We were able to get some good photos this time. She just loves to keep her little hands in front of her face. She even fell asleep half way through and the tech could not get her to move AT ALL. She's already stubborn just like her Mom and Dad! For those of you who don't know, we've chosen the name Stella Beatrice. Stella is a Greek name that we both like and Beatrice is for my Grandmother(on my Mom's side). My due date is September 6th and it feels like it's forever away. We're so excited!!!

100 Things...

2007-06-23T19:18:00.000-04:00

Well, Courtney tagged me to list 100 things about myself. I'll try my best...
1. I am so thrilled about becoming a mother...
2. but also very nervous.
3. I feel richly blessed to have such a wonderful husband.
4. I love that he is handy around the house.
5. but do get frustrated that it means some area of the house is usually a mess from his "projects."
6. I wish I were more creative like my Father.
7. I find the older I get the harder it is to make good friends.
8. I watch way too much tv(something tells me that's about to change).
9. It used to drive me crazy that my husband could rarely take no for an answer...
10. now, I admire his determination.
11. Most people that know me would say I'm extremely stubborn.
12. I would love to read more but fall asleep everytime I try.
13. I wish my in-laws lived closer...
14. but do realize I'm lucky to get to travel to Greece to see them.
15. I've never broken any bones .
16. I have the worst memory of anyone I've ever known.
17. I could live on Mexican food alone .
18. It drives me crazy to not know the time...
19. but don't wear a watch(makes no sense, huh?)
20. I pray for more patience...
21. and to be like my Mother.
22. My dream job would be to have my own boutique.
23. It drives me crazy when people chat on their cell phones in restaurants.
24. I am a total push over when it comes to anything for my family.
25. My grandparents are two of the people I adore most in this world.
26. I could sit and listen to either one of them tell stories of their childhood all day.
27. I love a clean house but don't love to be the one to clean it .
28. The older I get the more flying scares me.
29. I was voted MVP on my tennis team in high school my Jr and Sr years.
30. I wish I still played.
31. I've always wanted to go on a hot air balloon ride.
32. My road rage gets a little out of hand(I'm workin on it).
33. I was a vegetarian before I met my husband.
34. My husband and I dated for 4 months before he proposed.
35. We were married 4 months after that.
36. He proposed at the Parthenon(in Greece).
37. I've worn glasses since I was 10 years old.
38. I'm too chicken to have lasik surgery.
39. I used to color my hair all kinds of crazy colors.
40. I thank God I grew out of that.
41. I eat way too much candy.
42. There are very few movies that I've seen all the way through...I always fall asleep.
43. I like to shave my legs every day, can't stand any stubble.
44. I love my 3 dogs.
45. I miss seeing my Grandmother every day...
46. but don't miss working with her(talk about a slave driver!).
47. I would love to get my real estate license .
48. People told me marrying someone of a different culture would be trouble...I treasure the fact that my husband has opened my eyes to so many new things.
49. I've helped roof and hang siding on a house.
50. Using the nail gun was the best part...it made me feel tough!!!
51. You could say I was a bit of a tomboy when I was younger.
52. I'm scared of having a little prissy girl.
53. My favorite time of year is Christmas, especially putting up the tree.
54. I wish I had listened when I was younger and my Dad would try to teach me about gardening.
55. No matter how often I organize my closet, it always ends up a mess.
56. I like to go to bed early and wake up early.
57. Sleeping late makes me feel too lazy the rest of the day.
58. I love that I can wear heels and never have to worry about being taller than my husband.
59. I've always wanted to take ballet.
60. I wish I knew more about politics.
61. I love to buy things that are on sale.
62. I feel robbed when I pay full price.
63. I wish we had a SATCO in Atlanta.
64. Cooking helps me relieve stress.
65. I'm afraid of clowns.
66. It's hard to find good neighbors, I'm glad we did.
67. I can't sleep without a pillow between my knees.
68. I grind my teeth in my sleep and this grinds my husband nerves.
69. I miss seeing my childhood friends.
70. I find my husbands goofiness very endearing.
71. I love to cuddle up in front of the fire place in the winter.
72. It frustrates me that Americans couldn't just use the metric system, it just makes more sense.
73. I'm going to miss feeling the baby moving in my belly.
74. I love to see my sister as a mother.
75. I wish I could see my nephew every day(maybe soon!).
76. My hair was straight til I got pregnant, now it has waves.
77. I agree, Paris IS the city of love.
78. I shopped for a diaper bag before any of the real necessities(terrible, I know).
79. I'm learning to speek Greek. If I were fluent it would make my father-in-law so happy.
80. I get very impatient...it takes much longer to learn than I expected.
81. Eating fresh veggies out of my Pops' garden in the summer puts a smile on my face.
82. I love that my husband has such a big heart. He loves to help people in bad situations.
83. I wish I could cook his favorite Greek dish like his Mother.
84. I could never have enough nutty coconut from Bruster's.
85. One of my childhood friends married a preacher and I wish we lived closer to his church. He is the probably the most powerful speaker I've ever heard.
86. I usually root for the underdog.
87. I love to snack.
88. I can't figure out where the socks go...when I put them in to wash they're all there, but somehow they come out of the dryer one short.
89. I feel my day is not complete until I've watched Guiding Light, sad but true.
90. I rarely watch anything live anymore. I use the DVR for everything.
91. Commercials drive me crazy.
92. I would much rather drive than sit in the passenger's seat.
93. Even though I don't ever do it, I love to cut the grass.
94. Wrinkled clothes grate my carrot.
95. I find my husband's accent very sexy.
96. One of my favorite things about going to South Africa with my husband was to see all the places from his childhood(his school, house he grew up in...)
97. I'm so excited about my in-laws coming this Christmas.
98. I can't remember September ever taking this long to get here. Then again, I've never been expecting a baby in September either!
99. I wish everyone could see a sunset in Santorini. It looks like the sun literally falls into the sea.
100. My husband has taught me that you can get away with almost anything...as long as you look like you know what you're doing.

I'm glad Courtney tagged me to do this. I feel better and more appreciative than I did when I started. So, thanks Courtney.

26 Weeks and Nelly Furtado

2007-06-03T18:38:00.000-04:00

So, here I am at 26 weeks. I had to hold my shirt down to get a good picture of my belly.

George surprised me with tickets to Nelly Furtado at the Fox. We went with our good friends Rick and Angela and had such a good time. I felt like everyone was looking at me funny for being pregnant out at a concert. Maybe it was just me?

Test Run...

2007-05-30T18:52:00.000-04:00

So, I'm finally attempting the blogging thing. Maybe it gets easier with time. This is my adorable nephew, Will. He's a week away from 14 months. He is the joy of our lives!