A few things...

1) Lilly's now 7 months old. Ah!


2) Here's an update on the teeth. It's crazy! All those teeth in limbo up there and the ONE tooth that is bothering her is on the bottom and can't even be seen. She chewed on my finger while laying in bed for 10 minutes tonight until my back could no longer take it and I felt the Motrin may have kicked in enough to scoot out.



3) Books read on vacation:

"It Sucked and then I Cried", by Heather Armstron (*****)

"Babyproofing Your Marriage: How to Laugh More, Argue Less, and Communicate Better as Your Family Grows", by Stacie Cockrell, Cathy O'Neill, and Julia Stone (****, only because nothing can score as high as Book #1)

"Life After Birth", by Kate Figes (**, some good info, but pretty dry)

"How Doctors Think", by Jerome Groopman (****, VERY interesting to know what goes on inside those heads)

"The 7 Stages of Motherhood", by Ann Pleshette Murphey (haven't read enough to rate it yet)

Don't worry though, it wasn't all mom and marriage business. I found a copy of Jane Green's "The Other Woman" in the hotel's library and re-read it. I read it for the first time when we were there a couple years ago and it was just as good the second time around!

4) Having a D&C and Hysteroscope next Thursday. And then maybe I'll be normal again. Seven months later. Doctor thinks a polyp is the culprit. I am really looking forward to the drug-induced nap, even if it's only 30 minutes long!

7.27.09

Today was our first full day back home and it's been so nice! Matt is still on vacation for another week or so, which means we get to be a family of 3 for a little longer! We took Lilly to the doctor this morning to make sure her ear is OK and it was so nice to have him with us. We also went to the library and the grocery store, took a walk, cleaned the house... and I dug out my stack of Cooking Light magazines with more motivation than I've had in years. Yeah, YEARS.

I feel re-energized and collected. Before vacation I was a mess and now I feel like I might be able to do this after all. And having Matt home for a month has been a HUGE help. April, May and June may have been awful, but having this concentrated time together as a family is priceless. I can't even remember the last arguement we had about who's doing more, who should be doing what, who deserves the award for most over-worked and under-appreciated (sounding familiar?!). I'm thankful that our jobs have allowed for this time.

I read some great parenting and marriage books on vacation. When I have a few minutes I'll post them. The best, hands down, was "It Sucked and Then I Cried" by the author of the blog dooce.com. SO FUNNY! Matt was so embarrassed by my random laughing out loud on the airplane, at the pool, at the airport. I would just burst out with a chuckle and sometimes laugh so hard I cried! That's a good book.

We're back from sunny Jamaica!! We had a fabulous time, just the 2 of us, doing nothing for a week. And by nothing, I mean laying by the pool, sipping pina coladas, working on our tans, eating strange foods, listening to Bob Marley, people watching, discussing by whisper who should and should not be going topless that day (I've never seen so many different shapes and sizes, but for the record, these girls stayed under wraps.)

We saw Gallagher in the airport, met a crazy couple from Dayton, broke down on the side of a mountain on our way to the resort, won a bottle of rum after a wild game of Bingo, still didn't find any hundred dollar bills or gold nuggets left behind in First Class (gosh darn, will this ever happen?), and had insomnia like never before, which allowed me to witness at least 4 Jamaican sunrises.

Not too shabby.

And since I know you really just want to see what my fat butt looks like in a bathing suit, here go.

7.17.09

And for the record, you ate a sweet potato fry and a pickle at dinner tonight.

A pickle! And you loved it!

Grandma's new nickname for you is Pickelilly:)

7.17.09

My dear sweet Lilly Babe,

I've just gotten you into your jammies, given you a long goodnight kiss, breathed in your sweet baby hair and handed you off to your daddy for your bedtime bottle. Tonight Daddy and I are sharing a room with you at Grandma and Grandpa's. At 5:00 tomorrow morning he and I will wake up, pack our bags and leave you for an entire week.

My kiss goodnight was bittersweet, baby girl. Your dad and I are very excited to be spending a week in Jamaica, somewhere he and I went two years ago when we decided we would start trying for a baby within the next year. We figured it would be our last big trip before YOU! We had so much fun and have laughed, ooh'ed and ahh'ed over the memories of that trip ever since we returned home.

So much has changed in two years! The most important and life changing of them all, of course, is having you, Lilly pie. While I would love to make this vacation a trip for all three of us, I know how very important it is for Mommy and Daddy to do this for "us". You are our world. And in order to be the very best parents to you, we have to be the very best husband and wife to each other. That means doing special things that help us focus on who we are as a couple.

We will be celebrating our fifth year of marriage (a week early) while we're away. Five years ago, we had no idea what was in store for us this year. God has blessed us with a chubby-cheeked, toothy, smiley, bouncing bundle of a beautiful baby girl who will turn 7 months old while we are gone. Although we have had some struggles as parents, you are worth it, darling. You have taught us more about life, love and loss than I could have expected.

So enjoy your time with Grandma and Grandpa. They love you very much, sweet pea. Giggle your heart out, suck your toes til you're blue in the face, and nuzzle deep into Grandma's neck when you need that extra snuggle. She has all the snuggles in the world ready for you.

We will miss you very much. When I kiss you goodbye while you sleep in the morning, dream on and know that even though we are far apart you will be with us in our hearts every second of the day.

Love,
Mommy

Such astute blog readers! Y'all figured her out. She is sitting pretty as of about a week ago! It has opened up the doors to a whole new world now that she can play with her toys in an upright position vs. lying down or plunked in the Jumperoo or Exercauser. It must feel so liberating! Now she can reach all her favorite toys, like the TV remote, my sunglasses, the camera and the Wii remotes. Teething rings are for sissies.

And in order to keep plowing through babyhood while I sit back fighting tears, I bring you a sneak peak into what appears to be lying not far ahead.





I.Can't.Handle.It!

"My penguin!"


"My penguin, my penguin, my penguin!"


"Enough of the penguin."


"What next?"


"That camera looks fun, Mommy."


"I'm coming to get you."


"I'm almost there."


"Got it!"


"If I can't have the camera, these sunglasses look tasty."


"Mommy takes away all my fun toys."


"That's OK, though. I still love you!"


Did you notice anything different about these pictures???

7.12.09

Despite what you are about to see, Lilly has been an absolute angel over the last couple weeks. We've been traveling a lot and she just goes with the flow, smiling at everyone she sees, giggling at the mere sight of her daddy, napping like a champ (1.5-2 hour naps!) and barely makes a fuss. We were in Lakeside, OH for the weekend for Matt's sister's wedding shower and people kept asking "Has she cried since she's been here?" She was sooo happy! She definitely thrives around lots of people-- especially other children. The other kids adored her! Our cousin's daughter is 3 and Matt overheard her tell Lilly "Lilly? Together? We could be the best ballerinas ever." HAHA!

So back to why our darling angel COULD be making our lives a living h-e-double-hockey sticks...




(Sorry about the boog. Lilly's #1 teething symptom is a constant runny nose.) It may be hard to tell, but every space is occupied by a tooth upstairs. I can't believe it. Downstairs we have 2 full teeth and the beginnings of 2 more.

I need another baby. I can't stand it!

7.9.09

Gosh, July?? How is time going so fast?

Today Lilly and I went shopping while Matt stayed home to get more homework done. Some days we go out and have such a fun time together, others??? Well, outings are NOT always fun-filled, googly eyed, look-how-cute-my-baby-is adventures.

Today, for instance.

A quick stop at the UPS store, followed by a swing through the mall to return a dress at Gymboree and then pick out something very unsecretive from Victoria's Secret for my friend's bachelorette party and a couple new bras for myself. Of course the regular old Plain Jane Body By Victoria bras are so outdated, which shows how long it's been since I've been bra shopping, that they are housed in a tiny little half-corner of the store that should be labeled "Frumpy Women Who Don't Even Know Their Bra Size". Since this sign didn't exist I had to ask the salesgirl where I could find them, which led to her asking when the last I was fitted was. Well, that would be never, Sapphire. (Yes, her name was Sapphire.) As I pushed Lilly's stroller back and forth, back and forth, Sapphire whipped the tape measure around the girls and declared I was an ungodly size. I thought to myself "Oh God, I'm one of those women on Oprah who *think* they're one size only to be secretly filmed and then bum rushed on the street to be told she's 4 sizes off and wearing the wrong style socks with her heels.

Heh, that was a joke.

I would never wear socks with heels. All one pair that I own.

So one thing led to another and Sapphire has me in the handicapped fitting room with a Bra Box containing 10 different bras in my gigundo size. I lifted Lilly out of the stroller to squelch the fuss bombs that were about to erupt and as Sapphire explained the technology behind the E42 Fort Ticondoroga Demi Plie Bra I caught a familiar whiff of poo seeping from my daughters southern side.

Great.

Somewhere between the Boring Old Body By Victoria and the most popular something-or-other, I blurted out "Those things are huge." She looked at me and realized she'd made a bustly mistake. I continued to bounce Lilly on my knee praying I wouldn't waft the stench of last night's prunes and apples with each squishy bounce. Sapphire never seemed to notice.

But I realized this is what motherhood is. No longer can I take a leisurely stroll through the mall, pop into Victoria's Secret on a whim to browse their newest panty selections and walk out with a coordinated bra and panty set... or two... feeling sexy, put together, and confident. Nope, motherhood is rejoicing in the fact that I tackled the UPS store, Target AND the mall WITH a poopy diaper, a bottle on a bench next to the Wireless kiosk, and even picked a booger all without any measurable meltdowns from myself or the Lil.

7.5.09

We've been away a lot lately, which means blog updating takes a backseat. We're back at my parents' house for a few days and while Matt and my parents are out on the boat enjoying the fireworks, I stayed home with my sleeping Lil. Which means I had lots of time to upload photos and update the blog! I had lots of videos to upload too and got lots of laughs out of watching them, especially all the ones of Lilly's giggling fits! There's nothing better than the sound of a baby's belly laughs. Hopefully I can eventually edit them down so they're short enough to share on here.

Matt and I are going away for a night tomorrow... about 10 minutes down the road:) I'm really looking forward to being alone for a little bit. Sometimes I forget how much fun we used to have when it was just the 2 of us. Less than 2 weeks until we leave for Jamaica!!

Enjoy the pics!


My darling little flower child:)


Look, my two front teeth!


Conked out with Marissa after a hard day of playing at school


Hanging out in my mom's office before school. Do you think anyone would notice if I stayed here all day? (Please ignore the unfinished paint job in the background!)


Kickin' back with a good read, y'all


My first sippy cup trial. (Midas stays close by at feeding time!)


Peek-A-Boo!


Tickling the ivories



Uncle Mike tossing me up high


Hurry up and take the picture. We want to play!


Catching some rays in the baby pool


Isn't my cousin cute?!!!


We love each other


What'dya mean, no margaritas in the baby pool?


"Hold up, your birthday is December 19th too?"