Annabella's First Birthday!

http://debstover.blogspot.com/

She's toddling around the house, talking to Grandma and her "Dada" on the telephone, even if that telephone is a ball or any other pretend item. On those occasions when she does get her hands on her Mom's Blackberry, she has somehow managed to put me on speed dial and knows just how to call me because I always answer. The one time I didn't, she left me a voice mail expressing her displeasure.

My dad drove out from Kansas for her first birthday party, held Saturday May 22nd, 2010 at my house in Palmer Lake. Annabella's parents brought in the goodies, and one of Bella's playmates came for the fun. Family and friends gathered, presents were opened, we gorged ourselves on good food, two yummy cakes, and a cherry pie. Most of all, we let Annabella provide the entertainment. It's amazing how much fun it is to watch a one-year-old explore the world we take for granted every single day.

I swear, every time she looks at my standard poodle, Maggie Mae, she doesn't see a dog. She sees a pony....

Happy birthday, sweet Annabella. Many, many, many more!

Love,
Grandma

My Valentine

My daughter, Barbi, took this photo with her phone while playing with 8-month-old Bella. Now, seriously--has there ever been a cuter baby? Of course I'm not biased! :)



Happy reading, all. I will be at the Louisville Library on February 6th for "Love in the Afternoon"--a panel of Romance Authors reading from our books and chatting with readers. Information is here: http://www.debstover.com/news.html

Stop and say hi if you're in the area.

~Deb

Bella Update

This kid has beauty, charm, & character. :)

Marty snapped these with his iPhone while Bella was bouncing on my knee today during a visit at her house.

She's starting to teethe and is only 3 1/2 months old!!!

Bella's Growing

And more beautiful every day. :)

Proud Grandma,
Deb Stover

Baby Bella Update

My new granddaughter is six weeks old now, and weighs over 10 pounds. She's a champion nurser, and her mother is following in her mother's footsteps with attachment style parenting and full-time nursing. I'm a major breastfeeding advocate, and even nursed my two adopted newborns, so I'm particularly proud of my daughter for getting Bella off to the best possible start in life. Her mother-in-law--the other proud Grandma!--is a lactation consultant, so she has lots of help. :) Neither of us are meddlers, though. At least I hope I'm not.... Ahem.

Latest photo, which was taken around July 1st, 2009 at age six weeks. She's a beauty, and her eyes are getting lighter. Mom's are blue like mine, and her dad's are gold--officially hazel, I suppose. Maybe we'll mix blue and gold and go green. :)

Here's Grandma's Little Doll:



Happy reading and writing!

~Deb

Precious Baby Girl

Annabella sweet 16 days old. Grandma isn't a bit biased. :-)

Baby Bella has Arrived!

I am a grandmother for the first time as of May 22nd, 2009 at 1:03 PM. My daughter, Barbi, gave birth at home. She had a very long, difficult labor, but she was a real trouper. All those years of ballet really paid off, I'm sure.

Please welcome Annabella Debra Carr. She's perfect, of course. :)

I know her Grandpa is watching over her, and that she'll grow up with his gift for mischief. :) I'll see to it.... ;-)

Love,
Proud Granny

Impending Granny-dom

So many of you are such prolific bloggers, and I've discovered I am not. While I used to write four 100,000 + books a year, now I struggle to write one, but I am a very stubborn woman and I will finish The Gift.

My oldest daughter, Barbi, married her Prince Charming, Nathan, on December 2nd, 2006. It was a bittersweet day for our family, as her father--my Prince Charming--died from cancer in May 2005. He was definitely there in spirit, though. We were so fortunate to have both her grandfathers there to walk her down the aisle--one on each arm. Of course, a Colorado Rocky Mountain December wedding is never complete without a blizzard, so Mother Nature accommodated us there, too. :)

And now my little Barbi--okay, so she'll be 27 on Christmas Eve--is going to be a mommy in May. That means I'll become a grandma for the first time. I'm very excited about this prospect, and--as you can imagine--pretty emotional as well. She and I both first thought of her father, and what a wonderful grandpa he would have made. He would have been so well suited to this role in life. I'm sure, wherever his spirit is, he's looking down on his oldest child with his infectious grin and a thumbs-up. :)

Happy reading, all. And I really am trying to finish this long delayed book. Meanwhile, I have a story in the new anthology, Enchantment Place, released by DAW in August 2008.

Love,
Deb