K-Tell

5x7 Folded Card

2011-06-05T18:53:00.001-07:00

We Heart Grandpa Father's Day 5x7 folded card

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12.4.10

2010-12-04T17:26:00.001-08:00

We couldn't decide on just one card, so Matt picked his favorite and I picked mine!

Stripes Peppermint Christmas

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Peppermint Palms Christmas

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11.1.10

2010-11-01T18:18:00.000-07:00

And now for the latest news...

We found out tonight that Lilly is going to have a little sister!!!!!!!!!! All along I planned on not finding out the gender of this baby, but something happened when I was lying there, knowing that Matt wanted to know so badly and being so close to the big answer, I caved and told Everett I wanted to know.

Little Poppy was so cooperative, unlike Lilly at her ultrasounds, and was just like "Hey! Here ya go, Mama, I'm a girl... SEE!"

She weighs approximately 1lb 3oz and has the most beautiful spine! I know, not the most usual comment to hear about a baby, but it's so fascinating to me to see all the vertebrae and ribs all lined up like the perfect jigsaw puzzle.

Lilly was acting like a wild woman in the waiting room and I was a little nervous about taking her in. Thankfully it was after hours, but still, the office policy is no kids so even though we were told it was OK to bring her, I thought "oh dear." As soon as the lights went out in the ultrasound room, she sat on Daddy's lap so still and nuzzled her face into his arm. By the end she was saying "Maggie! Maggie!" and pointing to my belly asking "wet?" from all the goop!

We're so happy and I'm beyond excited to dig out all of Lilly's baby clothes to use again! Actually, they'll be used for a 3rd time since Lilly's cousin Ella gave many of them to her when she grew out of them:)

And also in exciting news, Lisa found out she's having a daughter today too! Our girlies will be just a couple weeks apart!

10.31.10

2010-11-01T18:01:00.000-07:00

Trick-or-Treating was so fun! Lilly dressed up as her favorite character, Elmo, aka "Melmo." When she tried on her costume a few weeks ago she cried and pulled it off, so I was relieved that she asked for Elmo as soon as she woke up from her nap yesterday afternoon. She hopped into her costume with a great big smile! We spent about 45 minutes walking through our friends' neighborhood (our neighborhood doesn't really T or T) and while the candy was great, Lilly was most excited about the dogs and cats she saw along the way. If a house didn't have an animal, she wasn't too interested!

This little clown was the cutest thing around! She talked to Lilly with such a gentle voice and encouraged her to say "Thank you" then tilted her head and cooed "You're welcome!"
The best surprise of all was running into her school friend, Josh!
After we'd had enough T or T'ing, we headed to our friends' house for a bonfire and small group get-together. There were so many kids! It was great!!

10.23.10

2010-11-01T17:12:00.000-07:00

Playing catch up! We had lots of fun at Matt's family get-together a couple weeks ago. Lilly had a blast running around outside with her older cousins and seeing apple butter being made in the big fireplace for the first time.

Disclaimer about the picture with me near the end: My hair dresser has been on maternity leave for the last 25 years. I do not typically CHOOSE to look this way:) Just want to clear that up. Thank heavens she returns to work in 18 days;)

10.29.10

2010-10-29T04:12:00.000-07:00

Last week was Lilly's Parent/Teacher conference. Yes, it's funny that we do these, but even the infants have conferences twice a year:) It's fun knowing what your kiddo is doing and learning why they may be doing certain things at home-- it all comes together and makes sense when the teachers explain what goes on at school:)

So here are Lilly's updates!

Using lots of words

Recognizes all her classmates and their parents

Cleans up well

Loves music and story time

Working on “more, please”, “thank you”, “yes, please”, and “help, please.”

Loves dress up

She just loves going to school, her teacher "Na-Na" (Tina-- still working on Kim), friends "Li La" (Olivia), "Iley" (Reilly), and "Dosh" (Josh). She named her Little People and all the bunnies in a little figurine set at home Li La, Iley and Dosh. The bunnies even have a teacher she named Na Na! Her playground has a real-life boat filled with balls and a horsey tire swing that she really loves. I think lunch and snack are also favorites! Nap time-- well, she has some really great days and then she has days when she comes home with packing tape around her shoes because she was more interested in taking them off than sleeping. But yesterday she napped for 2 hours, which I believe is an all-time record for school!

We're very proud of our Lilly Boo and just love this awesome age of discovery. She makes us laugh, sometimes hysterically, and loves making us laugh! She's a little comedian, just like her daddy. My favorite is when she purses her lips and looks out the corner of her eyes in anticipation of our laughter. Those Lilly faces... ah!

10.2.10

2010-10-02T03:25:00.000-07:00

A little update on the pottying. I don't even want to call it potty training because I'm not doing anything to train her... she's kind of just doing her own thing.

The update is that she's doing really great! At least 2 or 3 times a day she's telling her teachers or me that she has to go. Some of the time it's too late (usually pee pee), but most of the time if she's saying she has to go #2, she's waiting to go on the potty.

Friday morning I went into her room to get her up for school and she told me "aah pooped". She looked pretty saggy, so I figured she'd already done her business*. But I asked if she wanted to sit on the potty and she happily ran her droopy bottom over to the toilet. I was surprised to find just a wet diaper and even more surprised when she managed to poo right then and there on the pot!

I'm not going to make any goals in my mind or even hope that she's fully there by a certain time, but I'm really proud of her for doing this all by herself and progressing at her own pace. And very thankful too. I think anytime your child does something without a struggle, it makes you so happy and relieved you can't help but beam with pride.

*A funny story from school last week. Lilly's classroom shares a bathroom with the 2 & 3 year olds next door. There's potty training going on in both rooms, so it's very much an open-door policy, which means basically no privacy. This particular day one of Lilly's girlie classmates was sitting on the potty and a little boy from next door walked into the bathroom looking puzzled. He finally declared, "She can't do that, she has no business."

9.28.10

2010-09-28T15:44:00.001-07:00

Lilly has been very interested in using the potty for the last few months. It all started with pooping in the bathtub and me needing to whip her out of the tub at the first sign of bubbles in order to avoid the toy-bleaching-and-tub-scrubbing routine. Before long she was wanting to sit on the potty to listen to stories and to hear herself toot with an echo. It is good entertainment.

Everyone tells me "She's ready, get that girl potty trained" but I've been hesitant and mostly for selfish reasons. I'm nervous to give up the freedom of sticking her in a diaper and flying out the door, without having to give a thought about potty breaks in the middle of the grocery store. And then there's the ick factor. It's one thing to put my own rear on a public toilet seat, but my little angel's hiney? And while I balance precariously in a squat in front of her? Blech. Diapers suddenly seem so... sanitary.

But Sunday evening at our small group study, among 10 wild children running throughout the house, she stood at the top of the steps and yelled "aaa poo!" Believing she was saying "apple" I ignored it and tried to focus on the adult conversation. Until Jen, the hostess, looked at me and snickered "She's taking her diaper off-- it's almost all the way off." Sure enough, "aaa poo" meant "I poop" not "apple." I took her into the bathroom, stripped off her pants and diaper and there she sat... and pooped.

And then she did it again Monday night.

And then she did it again at school today.

And then she did it again tonight.

I called my mom with the exciting news, knowing she would crack up, and she ordered me to get to the store for some M&Ms immediately. "Trust me, one M&M will go a long way."

So tonight when I had no M&M's to reward this awesomely consistent pottying, I turned to the gold-foil-wrapped Godiva chocolate bar I've been nibbling on. I sat her on my bed, held it in front of her and told her "This is a very special treat, Lilly!" Peeling back the foil, she could barely sit still! She nibbled off a corner and proclaimed "MMMMmmmmmMMMM!"

And then, "mo?"

I love this girl.

9.24.10

2010-09-24T17:15:00.000-07:00

I was doing dinner dishes and had the dishwasher door open. Lilly would not leave the silverware alone, especially the knives. I asked her repeatedly to please not touch, moved her into the living room to play with Daddy, flat out told her no (repeat, repeat).

I finally squatted down, looked her in the eye and asked her, "Lilly, does Mommy need to spank you?"

"Thank you."

She thought I was telling her to say thank you! Good grief! How can I ever discipline this child when she makes me laugh so hard I pee my pants????

Another spanking attempt foiled. I'm 0 for 3.

9.22.10

2010-09-22T16:21:00.001-07:00

Life

GRAND!

9.21.10

2010-09-21T17:31:00.000-07:00

How can ya not love this kid?

9.20.10

2010-09-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

This is such a great age. The funniest things come out of Lilly's mouth... and with such seriousness. I've entered the "Lilly, say ____." phase myself because I just can't resist hearing her interpretation of certain words. And the faces that accompany them... ohhh goodness.

Tonight at dinner we tried out several different names for the new baby. Our boy name is solid, but I'm getting wishy washy on our girl name. I thought whatever name she can say the best (and cutest) would just have to be it for a sister!

Except every name she said came out clear as day and was matched with a smile that screamed, "You guys are so silly! Keep going."

At this point, we're going to have to have at 7 more sisters for Lilly.

9.18.10

2010-09-18T16:43:00.000-07:00

Today was extra special, one of a kind, and for girls (and doggies) only! While Daddy went to the Buckeyes game, Mommy and Lilly pulled out all the stops and had themselves a GIRLY day!

We rolled out the air mattress in the living room...

Sipped on... water...

Kicked up our feet...

Turned on a chick flick...

And dug into the snacks!

We picked out all the good pieces...

And dipped our toes into uncharted territory...

Every once in a while stumbling upon a mysteriously soggy piece. Hmmm...

Know anything about that, Lilly?

Even Midas got in on the fun!

It's important to let it all hang out every now and then...

A perfect afternoon...

Just what Mommy needed.

9.17.10

2010-09-17T16:16:00.000-07:00

Meet Little Poppy! I had a special ultrasound yesterday to check on the cervical length as my doctor was a little concerned when I first met with her, but all looks great! It's measuring 4.1 cm, which is perfectly normal. The ultrasound technician offered to let us see the baby since he wasn't in a rush for his next patient, and this is the the little miracle who greeted us! Any guesses??!?!

We are not planning on finding out the gender, although Matt really wants to. It seems to drive other people bonkers too! But I'm standing firm-- don't want to know until the birthday! How exciting to hear, "It's a ____!"

We have the big ultrasound on November 1st, where we'll get a really good look at everything. Praying that Little Poppy continues growing strong and healthy:)

9.9.10 part 2

2010-09-09T16:37:00.000-07:00

15weeks. Oh dear.

9.9.10

2010-09-09T16:13:00.000-07:00

Tonight after putting on Lil's jammies and getting her all set for a night night story with Matt, I curled up on the floor and said "night night." Matt was sitting in the rocking chair waiting for her to come over to him, but instead she pulled out both of her blankies ("bink"), handed me the small one (just like we do for her) and covered me up with the big one (just like we do for her)! She was taking care of her mommy, just like she has learned to do from us!! She flopped over me and laid there for a minute, and then it must have occurred there was one more thing she could do-- she stood up, walked over to her nightstand and grabbed her nighttime sippy of water. Handed it right to me.

She is going to make the greatest big sister. But for now, I'll enjoy being taken care of by my mini mommy!

8.30.10

2010-08-30T16:21:00.000-07:00

After tinkling on the potty, Lilly tip-toe jogged over to her toys, dumped out her bucket of shapes, took a seat and...

tinkled again.

Oy. At least it was in the bucket?

8.29.10

2010-08-29T16:11:00.000-07:00

Tonight while waiting for dinner to finish up, Lilly and I went outside to ride her bike. At school the kids have a great little playground with a sidewalk "track" going around the perimeter so they can ride "bikes" (tricycles, Cozy Coupes, ride-on toys, etc.) so apparently this is where Lilly learned the word "bike" because she sure says it a lot at home! "Bike? Side?" (which means "Hey, Mom, I know I've been whining incessantly, but pretttty please can we go outside in the 90 degree heat and ride this blessed bike that my dear Grandparents gave me for Christmas?"

She's just so darn cute, it's hard to resist.

Lilly and Midas know all the hot spots in the neighborhood... who gives out cookies and who doesn't! It didn't matter that dinner was ready, Betty said "It's just a little chocolate chip cookie, Mommy. She's not going to leave without one. Let Grandma go getcha cookie." How can I argue?

8.25.10

2010-08-25T16:06:00.000-07:00

13weeks

Suddenly I look... pregnant:) I got my first belly rub yesterday. It was one of our cafeteria ladies. Last time she rubbed my belly I was NOT pregnant. Woops;)

8.24.10

2010-08-24T16:16:00.000-07:00

I love watching Lilly sit and focus on something she's doing, whether it's figuring out how the stereo works, attempting to put on her own shoes or putting a button in a small ziploc bag--everyday, normal activities. It amazes me that she's gone from a floppy-handed infant with very little coordination, jerky movements and minimal patience to a toddler who can sit and pop open a tiny ziploc pouch and drop a small button inside. She curls her lip under runs her tongue over it, thinking so carefully. Her delicate pinkies curl up and her thumb and finger grasp whatever object she's into with such precision. It's like I can see the wheels turning in her head.

8.23.10

2010-08-23T17:17:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend we got a glimpse into this "terrible twos" business. I took Lilly to a jewelry party where there was supposed to be another little girl for her to play with. Unfortunately that friend and her daughter weren't able to make it at the last minute, so Lil was left to the display of shiny jewelry to occupy herself with. Ay ya ya. Every parent has those public moments when they are torn between allowing their child to explore and keeping them on too short of a leash. A little exploration is a good thing-- that's how they learn. But I also worry about her bothering people-- in this instance, I didn't want her distracting the lady from her demonstration, what with all the yanking of the hangers that held pretty blouses donned with multiple necklaces, front and back! By the time she yanked one off and checked it out, the shirt, hanger and necklaces were in a big tangle and I had no idea what went where.

So I'd shorten the leash. Have her come sit back on my lap. Ask her a couple distracting, engaging questions. Until she wopped me in the face with the two pens she snatched up along the way. With everyone watching, I quietly told her that wasn't nice and she needed to be gentle with mommy. She leaned in for a hug... and bit my arm. Big ol' bruise. I wanted to cry, it hurt so bad! I was embarrassed and MAD at the same time. I blew it off and kept her at a distance until the end of the demo. No hugs necessary!!! Thankfully once we were free to mingle, she made lots of friends in the kitchen and was back to her normal self.

But this is becoming a problem-- daily. She only hits and bites me. I'm glad she's not hurting anyone else, but why me? And I'm still figuring out what works as far as punishment, but in the proccess I'm not being consistent. If I redirect, I'm ignoring the real issue, which I feel needs acknowledgement. If I react sternly and tell her "No!" she laughs and tries it again. I'm somewhere in between showing her that she's hurt mommy and that it's "Not OK" and... time outs.

Ohh, time outs. How do you even effectively time out a toddler? You spend more time getting them to sit back down that they completely forget what they're even there for. And Lilly thinks it's fun! So tonight I stuck her in her crib, which I always said I wouldn't do-- I do NOT want to ruin our great sleeper by punishing her in bed. But how else do you contain a 1.5 year old? She fake cried for about 10 seconds and then went to town draping all of her blankies over the rail. I went back in, asked her "Do we hit Mommy?" Bam. She got me again. Out I went, closed the door, fake crying ensued for 10 seconds and then back to play.

I have no idea what I'm doing or if I'm doing it right. I feel like I'm all over the place with her discipline, but does anyone really get it right on the first try? And once I figure out what works for her, will it stay that way? Probably not. So I just take a lot of deep breaths, mutter under my breath, silently beg God to give me strength and hope that the next day is better!

How do you handle this stuff???

8.21.10

2010-08-21T17:31:00.000-07:00

Hello, there! It's been 4 months since my last post, but feels like much longer. Having a toddler, full-time job, holidays, summer vacations, and life in general just got in the way of keeping up with this, but Matt has asked me a couple times if I'll ever get back to it (he likes reading!) and I think it's time. It's nice to know he enjoys reading about our lives:) I must make it sound a lot more exciting than it really is.

There's also another reason I've had a nagging feeling in my heart to pick back up with the chronicling our lives.

We're having another baby! This little guy or girl is due at the end of Feburary/beginning of March, which makes me about 13 weeks along. It has already been a much smoother pregnancy than Lilly's. My morning sickness was shorter-lived, which makes a world of difference. But, man am I pooped! It's a lot harder to get through a work day knowing that when I get in the car to go home, it's not over yet!

But that Lilly. Oh, that Lilly. From the early months of her life, til now... what a difference. She is a sweet, easy-going, comical, charming, full-of-personality, chatterbox of a little girl. We couldn't ask for a better toddler! She makes us laugh every day, many times a day! Sometimes Matt and I lay in bed after she's been asleep for hours, laughing at the way she says or does things (like the way she points or the cute way she says "thank you" to everything-- even tonight, when I gave her medicine, she thanked me!) My heart is so full of love for this little girl. I feel like the most fortunate mom in the world. But don't we all?! (OK, no, I did not feel that way for the first 6 months!)

God has been good to our family. He always is, but sometimes it's harder to see than others! But right now we are enjoying each day and still silently (and not-so-silently) cheering as each day passes successfully! Parenting is hard stuff, but it's the most rewarding and meaningful job we could have.

4.19.10

2010-04-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

This morning on our way to school I was reminded of the fact that little ears are always-- always-- listening. And repeating. And while this can be funny, like the time that I beeped at a friend who was walking into the library (something I never do!) and my little backseat parrot proceeded to chirp "beep!" I have to remember that the outside influences of her little world have an impact on her, even at such a young age.

My usual morning routine is keep the radio on a country station for the first 10 minutes until the Christian station comes in, unless I have a CD playing-- in which case, it's probably been playing for a week and I don't even realize it anymore I'm so used to it.

So this morning I was singing along to Sugarland's "Baby Girl" and as I belted out "Iiiiii'm on my way," I heard an miniature echo from the backseat. "Iiiiiiiiiiii" it went. I stopped singing and giggled. "Iiiiiiiiii'm on my way," I repeated back. A smile stretched across her face. "Iiiiiiiii!" she sang back, kicking her feet against the seat with excitement.

I tell her a hundred times a day, "Lilly! I love you!" And while this story is cute and funny, it's a good reminder that she is always listening (well, perhaps not always-- she's learning the art of selective hearing already) and she's got a lot to say. I want her hearing words of love, encouragement, and truth from her parents. And hopefully someday those will be the words she chooses to repeat.

4.17.10

2010-04-17T18:13:00.000-07:00

Breakfast: 2 eggs, 7/8 of a pear

2 hour nap

Lunch: 1 sloppy Joe, 1 yogurt, roasted red potatoes

1 hour nap

Dinner: Large dish of Mac 'n Cheese (every last noodle) and sliced strawberries

Sleeping over 12 hours a night, asking to go "night night," missing story time week after week so she can sleep, I don't know, do you think she's growing?

4.14.10

2010-04-14T07:29:00.000-07:00

This morning I tried a new thing. I let Lilly play by herself in our bathroom and bedroom while I took a shower. I left her in just a diaper and had a towel ready in case she decided she wanted to get in the shower to play, but I think she enjoyed her freedom! I heard lots of giggling and squeeling... pitter pattering in and out of the bathroom. At one point I heard a loud thud and looked out to find a heavy duty flashlight planted on the bath mat for me!

My favorite moment was hearing a couple giggles and a long squeel only to find Midas laying down, cornered by the toilet, with Lilly laying on top of him hugging him with her face snuggled on his rump. She loves her Bubba:)

4.11.10

2010-04-11T17:29:00.000-07:00

Every mom has her books of preference when it comes to parenting. We also have books we absolutely detest! I won't say which book that is for me, but I'm sure there are lots of you out there who can guess which popular "first year" book given to many mothers as a shower gift also doubles as an anxiety-inducing slap in the face when, at 3 months, you learn that your child should be walking backwards and juggling Playtex Drop-Ins liners blindfolded.

My favorite book right now is "What to Expect: The Toddler Years." I like it because each month it tells you what your child should be able to do, will probably be able to do, may possibly be able to do, and may even be able to do. That way I have a very wide range of what is "normal" and as long as Lilly is doing everything she should be able to do, the rest is just bonus!

So last week I read that by the end of her 16th month (so when she turns 17 months) she should be able to use 2 words, but may also be able to combine words. I wasn't sure what that meant, as they kind of seemed like the same thing to me. Either way, she wasn't doing it, so I felt that little panicky feeling, but figured she isn't even 16 months old yet so no sense in worrying about it. The kid talks-- she'll figure it out.

Fast forward to today...

She now says "good job" and "you're welcome." I had forgotten about "thank you." And, um, does "ta da!" count?!?!

No need to worry. Not that I was worried or anything;)

4.9.10

2010-04-09T18:01:00.000-07:00

Grandma gives a whole new meaning to bubble bath

(and for once the bubbles weren't Lilly's fault!)

4.4.10

2010-04-04T16:18:00.000-07:00

My mom is still here visiting and she and I just looked at pictures from last Easter. Check these out! What a difference a year makes! And, for the record, Lilly no longer attends service with us-- she has too much fun in the nursery. Matt and I enjoy having that time together:) After Sunday School and Worship Service, we go home and have lunch and she is pooped! We all enjoy a nice little nap around that time:)

Happy Easter!!

3.31.10

2010-03-31T06:23:00.001-07:00

A few months may have gone by,

but she hasn't lost her love for swingin'!

Only this year Lillers is on the move!

(Anyone recognize that skinny guy in the last picture???)

3.27.10

2010-03-27T17:46:00.001-07:00

This past Wednesday, my dear friend Lisa and her little guy Nicholas met Lilly and me at the Columbus Zoo for a day of fun and catching up! It was a gorgeous day-- the kids were happy to be outside riding in their strollers and people watching, while the mommies were gloriously happy to be out and about socializing and not couped up in the house! We really didn't even care if we saw any animals, but we lucked out and saw plenty, including lots of babies!

I'm so fortunate to have my friendship with Lisa and to be able to experience mommyhood together. She teaches me to see things in ways I wouldn't always figure out on my own. Most importantly, she's always there when I need her and when we're together we laugh like crazy.

3.25.10

2010-03-25T17:42:00.000-07:00

Words Lilly can say:

Hi
Bye
Mama
Dada/Daddy
Snack
Ba ba (bottle)
Bubba (animals, mostly Midas)
Diaper
Banana
More
Done/All done
Baby
Night night
Book
Ball
Block
Thank you
Blanket

I think my favorite is "thank you" because she knows the appropriate time to say it and she is SO proud of herself for saying it! She crinkles up her nose and claps for herself! Certainly no self-esteem issues here!

Also cute is that the first thing she says every morning when we get her up is "Bubba!" (for Midas) She is so excited to see him. Before I've even had a chance to turn off her sound machine, she's standing at the side of her crib, pointing for "Bubba." And the very last thing she says when Daddy puts her to bed at night? You guessed it. "Bubba." She loves her Bubba.

3.22.10

2010-03-22T16:32:00.000-07:00

Lilly and I went to work for just a half day today and were surprised to find just four other friends playing in her classroom when we got there. By mid-afternoon, her friend "O" went home with a fever and a little while later, "J" woke up inconsolable and feeling out of sorts, so she also went home. Her teacher told me that while waiting for J's mommy to arrive, Lilly kept patting J on the back to comfort her. I hope this is a glimpse at a future of many tender Lilly moments. For such an intense, eh hmm, hard core child, perhaps God has gifted her with a gentle and compassionate heart that we'll see as she grows older???

We'll see.

Afterall, she was seen hitting her teacher on the head to the beat of "Stayin' Alive"today. Ms. Crystal promises they were "love taps." Let's hope.

3.21.10

2010-03-21T09:54:00.000-07:00

Do you remember "Where's Waldo?"

Where's Lilly?

3.15.10

2010-03-15T17:46:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how well Lilly takes direction now, at 15 months.

I can ask her to hold her lunch box while we walk in to school in the mornings and she'll hang on to it while carry her in with me, which is extremely helpful when I'm juggling a zillion different things! I can also ask her "What happened to your other sock?" and she'll disappear for a minute, then reappear with the mystery sock. And at the end of the night if I ask "Are you ready to brush your teeth?" she will drop whatever she's doing and race to the bathroom, giggling, and reach for her toothbrush on her tippy toes. Talk about cute!!!

Every morning before school, I say "It's time to go to school!" or "Let's get your socks and shoes." and she knows to go to her shoe/coat/hat/glove basket and find her shoes. She takes them to the back door and waits, VERY impatiently, for me to pop her up onto the washing machine to put her socks and shoes on and then I let her walk herself out to the car. She looks like such a big girl walking out on her own:)

Tonight Matt noticed she needed a new diaper and said "Lilly, go get a diaper!" After a little more prodding, she disappeared and returned from her bedroom with 2 diapers. He was amazed and declared her the smartest girl he's ever known.

This is fun, guys. Really, really fun!

3.11.10

2010-03-11T18:28:00.001-08:00

So my friend Christyn texted me today that she was still trying to figure out how to fart a lullaby! I realized that I might not have been clear about my entertainment tactics in this post. When I said that I farted "If You're Happy and You Know It" I meant with my mouth. Farting sounds. Pretend ones.

We leave the real stuff to Daddy.

3.10.10

2010-03-10T16:58:00.000-08:00

Lilly's poor daddy has left early for work and gotten home late a lot this week, which meant tonight was the first time she had seen him since Sunday evening. When we saw his truck pull into the driveway, all three of us (Midas included) raced to the back door to meet him. Lilly was laughing her cute hyperventilating laugh the whole way! She followed him into the closet where he took off his dress shoes... and then she had a little fashion show!

3.9.10

2010-03-09T16:46:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I run out of things to do with Lilly. I'll be laying on the floor, trying with all my might to stay awake while she toddles around me, whining for me to pick her up and then when I do, to put her down (how dare I?). And then to help her open the wipes container and then to NOT help her open the wipes container (how dare I?). Sometimes this is followed by more whining because I looked at her too long, so I will look away, and then DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?!?! I bet you figured it out!

Last night while in the 20 minute home stretch before bedtime, without Daddy here to help entertain, I was fresh out of ideas. So I sang "If You're Happy & You Know It" in farting noises. Lilly thought it was great, which therefore made me feel like Genious Mommy...

until she figured out how to make the fart noises back at me.

Genious Mommy.

3.1.10

2010-03-01T17:20:00.000-08:00

My friend Trisha asked me how I am potty training Lilly and I realized I better clarify-- I am not! This all started as a way of keeping the poo out of the bathtub and has become a hoot and a half. Tonight I put her on the potty after dinner to see what she would do, outside of the bath time environment, and she actually tinkled!

So while she knows she can put her belongings inside the potty, she is by no means saving them for the potty and I have no expectations for that for several months.

I am, however, happy that she isn't afraid of the the potty! And we'll continue doing putting her belongings inside of it whenever we can until she's ready to take the next step!

2.26.10

2010-02-26T11:18:00.000-08:00

Without naming any names

I believe someone is looking for

The right words to describe

The excitement that ensued

When this happened!!!

But since the mystery gal has a limited vocabulary, I'll speak on her behalf... WAHHHOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

And the mystery gal will leave us with this adorable grin.

2.23.10

2010-02-23T06:09:00.001-08:00

This morning Lilly wandered off into the Laundry Room, which is a place that is borderline forbidden. The dog bowls are kept in there, and she passes the kitchen trash can on her way, which sometimes becomes a dumping spot for her shoes, blankie, magazines, socks, etc. My mom even witnessed a cell phone go in recently. We try to keep the gate closed, but that blocks the dog from getting to his water... but let's be honest, the truth is we usually just forget to close it.

Today I saw Lilly round the corner into the kitchen as I was watching the news and I didn't think much of it. As the pitter patters became silent and the familiar clip clip of the plastic dishes in "her drawer" were nowhere to be heard, I stood up to check things out. You know those huge buckets of paint that professionals use for exterior painting? They have a picture on the outside of a baby head first in the bucket with a big line through it, warning you not to let your baby play near the bucket. I'm always terrified I'm going to find Lilly head first in Midas' water bowl, just like that picture. Granted, it's a glass mixing bowl and she would tip the thing over the second she fell on top of it, but that's what goes through my mind when I think "Ohh, I'm so comfortable on the couch. I don't want to get up to check on her. She's probably fine. ...Baby on the bucket!"

So anyway (this story is actually a funny one!) I walk into to the laundry room and find Lilly staring at the garage door. The same one she's standing in front of in her Valentine's Day pictures. The lights are off, but the kitchen lights are on, casting an exact shadow of herself on the door. She says to her shadow "Hi" and smiles. But the shadow doesn't respond back. She says "Hi" again. No response again. I'm watching from a couple steps back and can tell that she is confused, but she doesn't know I'm there, so I whisper, "Mommy's here" so I don't startle her. She doesn't move. "Lilly, Mommy's here." This time she looks back, and her chin starts to wrinkle. Her bottom lip comes out and she looks back at the shadow. I walk over to pick her up, sad for her. But instead of waiting for me to walk to her, she comes to me, looking over her shoulder at the shadow. I realize she is scared now! "Who the heck is this dark monster and why won't it talk to me??!"

We got out of that dark laundry room and snuggled up on the couch. Hopefully the Laundry Room Monster will be enough to keep her out of there for a little while!

Thank you, Laundry Room Monster;)

2.21.10

2010-02-21T12:04:00.000-08:00

I think when God creates kidlings, he must sit back and chuckle to himself every now and then. My dad thinks it's funny when he calls and hears Lilly whining in the background because I'm not giving her all the attention she wants. He says he remembers a little girl who used to do the same thing about 27 years ago. When our phone calls get cut short because I need to tend to The Queen, he gets a kick out of it and snorts something about something coming full circle.

I, myself, find humor in much less insulting similarities, like the fact that Matt and I just discovered that Lilly's pointer finger points the exact same way Matt's does. It dips down wear the meaty part of her finger is. I find it cute. Matt thinks that's wierd.

I also think she got his Mom's rear end, which Matt also thinks is wierd. Not that she got her Grandma's backside, but that I feel the need to bring it up. But she didn't get mine and she didn't get his, and when that happens, it's a little scary! It's almost like you have to figure out where the mismatched body part came from! I was relieved to know it didn't come from the neighbor. Or worse.

But what is really funny is that it seems Lilly got my inability to stay focused at athelitc events! Like me, she started out well at last night's basketball game. She had good intentions of snuggling up to Matt and proving to him that she had it in her, that she was worthy of tagging along. She'd watch the game, not ask (too many) dumb questions, clap at the right times (ok, she's 1-- we were impressed at the fact that she clapped whenever anyone clapped. Alright, did I say impressed? I took a video, for Pete's sake. I was PROUD.)

But. Then things got a little... boring? The novelty wore off. They stopped playing music (She shook her rump to "It's the Final Countdown" and "The Eye of Tiger") and started shouting out numbers. People were yelling. Shoes were screeching. No one smiled at me in admiration. Heck, no one paid a lick of attention to me.

I was left to create my own entertainment. Enter The Sippy Cup:

So perhaps my dad and Matt have more in common than they realize. I would imagine if I hadn't been the third child (and therefore had more than 25 childhood photgraphs of me in existence, cough cough) there would be one of my dad and me similar to this one. Doesn't Matt look thrilled?!?!

2.17.10

2010-02-17T06:38:00.000-08:00

As I sit here letting Lilly experiment with eating a banana peel (they have to learn some things themselves, right?), I thought I'd share what her sweet daddy did for her last night. He had a late meeting and wasn't going to be able to put her to bed, like he normally does. Instead of being able to read her a bedtime story, he left her a bedtime letter for me to read. We came home to a dark house, but her bedroom nightstand was lit up with her jammies laid out and this letter ready for her to snuggle up to:

It says:

"Lillers,

I am sorry that I cannot be with you tonight for our daily story time. I will miss this time together and I hope you do as well for Mommy as you do for me! See you tomorrow.

Love, Daddy"

2.15.10

2010-02-15T17:04:00.000-08:00

"Happy Valentine's Day!!"

Turn to the left

Turn to the right

Sit down

Stand up, fight fight fight?

2.10.10

2010-02-10T16:43:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Lilly gave me the all-too familiar "I'm going to poop" face while in the bath tub, so in a panic I whipped her dripping little bottom out of the tub, flipped open the toilet lid with my foot and stuck her on the potty. She did her business, I (giggling) called Matt in to take care of clean-up duty (and gawk) then stuck her back in the tub.

Tonight, she did her business right before her bath, which I always love becuase I can relax not havng to worry if it's going to be a floaty night. However, a couple minutes into her bath, she stood up to play with something and before I had a chance to ask her to sit down I heard a frightening sound from below the border. I looked at her face and knew there wasn't much time!

Up went the toilet lid and out of the tub came Lilly. She grunted and her cheeks got red... but nothing. Darn. Back into the tub.

Lather, rinse, repeat. Bubbles. Back to the pot!

Nothing.

Sigh.

"Lilly, are you playing tricks on Mommy?"

As Lilly unplugged the drain, her new favorite bathtime activity and my new way of signifiying the end of bathtime, I grabbed her towel and lifted her from the tub. More silent grunting. This time I was sure we were in for something big! I called Matt in for the big occasion. The rest is history...

A whole lotta nothin'! You didn't think I would actually post a picture of actual her poopy in the actual potty, now did you? You did? Well, it seems you know me well then.

2.8.10

2010-02-08T17:59:00.000-08:00

I can't say much, but just know that Lilly is probably going to become kind of a big deal here in the next few weeks. I mean, I really wish I could tell you more, but I just can't because it's such exclusive information and, well, her contract doesn't allow me to reveal the details of her celebrity.

But rest assured that when she makes her big debut, the blog will not be spared any last detail.

(Lilly's going to be on a billboard!!!)

2.7.10

2010-02-07T16:39:00.000-08:00

Lilly hugged me tonight. First time:)

Yep, first time my kiddo has ever hugged me. 14 months. She's not a snuggler so I usually have to trick her into cuddling with me, but tonight she toddled right up to where I was sitting on the floor, opened her arms with a smile on her face and fell into my chest. On purpose! It was wonderful.

But it gets better!

When I put her in Matt's lap for her bedtime story, I walked away and blew her a kiss at the door and... she blew one back!!! I've been blowing her kisses when I drop her off at school for a whole year and this is the first kiss I've been blown back. My stomach dropped and my heart stopped! When she did it I gasped a huge gasp with my mouth wide open and Matt said "That counted! It counted!"

I walked into the bathroom to wash my hands and looked in the mirror to see the smile on my face. So many tough times we've been through this year. There've been lots of frustrating evenings and countless long late afternoon stretches. We've only just begun the temper tantrum phase, and yet we've already experienced many, many! But seeing Lilly look over her shoulder as her daddy read "Lady and the Tramp" as she looked only at me and held her chubby little hand to her mouth made me feel like the most-loved mommy in the whole wide world.

I'm a happy mama tonight:)

2.6.10

2010-02-06T13:56:00.000-08:00

We woke up to a gorgeous winter wonderland this morning! After Lilly woke up from a 2.5 hour nap this afternoon, we bundled her up and headed out for some fun in the snow. She liked it, except when Midas ran past and knocked her over and she landed face first in the snow! I can't blame her, but it wasn't anything Mommy's dry glove couldn't take care of. We didn't stay out too long-- I think we spent more time getting ready to go outside than we did actually being outside, but it was worth it!

`` (Those two apostrophes are Lilly's contribution to today's blog entry. She says they mean "fya ya".)

"Hey buddy! Woah, you're comin' at me kind of fast!"

"Slow down! UNCLLLE!!!"

"Mom! Help! That! Was! So! Mean! And he's laughing!"

How did I get stuck in a time out?

OK, back to playing!

Back inside for some hot cocoa. (Maybe in a couple years!)

2.3.10

2010-02-03T06:02:00.000-08:00

Lilly,

I give you credit.

You pull off

A bad hair day

a whole lot cuter

and much more scrumptiously

than your mother

ever could!

You must have inherited that from your daddy!

2.1.10

2010-02-01T18:03:00.000-08:00

Ya know, she has 2 great loves in her life right now, besides her daddy and food.

Climbing the steps and being naked.

1.30.10

2010-01-30T16:34:00.000-08:00

I am so happy that I still have readers! Thank you for not giving up on me during me twoish month leave of absence.

One thing that has changed over the last couple months is the level of difficulty we've reached in trying to get a good picture of Lilly. Man, oh, man, is that girl quick! Not only is she fast, but she still loves to play with the camera, so I usually try to sneak in pictures when she's not looking, but then I have a bunch of pictures of her... not looking. Which isn't always so bad, but unless you're a professional, they don't have that artsy phartsy, emotional appeal to them that you're hoping for when you're snapping away. And once Lilly catches me sneaking pictures, the race is on to get her mits on that elusive lens that mommy always manages to zoom shut JUST in the nick of time!

Lilly's Aunt Katie asked for a "good" close-up shot for a small frame, which has its challenges in December (snot, boogers and chapped cheeks, for example!), but determined to make Aunt Katie's day, I spent the afternoon crawling around, following behind Lilly trying to make her laugh by saying things like "No, No, Lilly!" and "Danger!!" I admit I even let her play with an electrical cord for a few minutes because it held her attention and it actually made sense for me to keep shouting "No! Danger! Achtung!" which, in turn, produced the following cute faces.

1.27.10

2010-01-28T17:42:00.000-08:00

Hello? Is anybody out there?

I hope this post will pop up on a few "follow" lists and catch the attention of an old reader or two:) It's been a lonnnnnng time! With Christmas, Lilly's birthday, the new year and a few rounds of illness, my blogging took a toll and I had very little motivation to keep it going. At one point I told Matt I might just give it up since Lilly had "successfully" made it to 1 and he reminded me that this is her baby book and baby books don't end at 1.

So, here I am!

Lilly had a wonderful birthday party with a Winter Onederland theme. She had friends and family pack the living room with love and hubbub. Despite still being a picky eater at the time, she dug into her giant chocolate birthday cupcake and made a great big mess! It was great and I was so happy she wasn't afraid to get her fingers messy.

She is now walking, eating everything in sight, taking just a bedtime bottle, and saying "Mama", "Dada", "BuBa" (that's the dog", and "Dog". She puts her socks on her foot (and by on, I mean on top, not actually ON her foot), points to things, mimics her daddy sticking out her tongue, signs when she's all done and says "Aaa daah" (all done), and today for the very first time ordered a school lunch! She also pooped in the potty a few nights ago! It was a total fluke and my way of preventing a floaty in the bathtub, but hey, the girl did not freak out and continued right along with her business when her tushy hit the porcelain!

Here are a couple pictures from a few weeks ago when Lilly entertained herself with toilet paper while I got ready for work. It was better than anything made by Fisher Price and when she was finished, we just rolled in back up and it was good to go for the next user! (Actually, we left it for Matt to see when he got home for work!)

12.13.09

2009-12-13T15:25:00.001-08:00

11 months, 3 weeks and 3 days old...

just in the nick of time for 1 year molars.

But 3 at once! What a surprise!

Sure explains a lot.

Please return to your happy little self now, Lilly.

P.S. Where did my chubby baby go? She dropped 2 pounds (which came in handy when we needed an extra carseat-- welcome back, infant carrier!). But I need chubby thighs and roly poly arms to gobble. I'd prefer if they weren't my own.

12.7.09

2009-12-07T17:06:00.000-08:00

Bronchitis. Ear infection. Asthma.

And the formula-feeding guilt returns.

We have one sick little girly on our hands:(

12.6.09

2009-12-06T18:26:00.000-08:00

We could do this all day long:)

12.5.09

2009-12-05T17:36:00.000-08:00

I was all set to post our Christmas-tree shopping pictures (and some really cute ones of Lilly with her daddy tonight) but decided first things first... Thanksgiving!

We had a really nice holiday with my parents in Indiana. We decided against going to the Outer Banks with the rest of our family and stayed close to home instead. It was so nice not having to drive 11 hours each way!

Lilly had fun playing with Mom's little dog, Max. He is just the right size for her! Now she pats all the dogs. It's cute that she has watched us enough to know what to do.

She adores her Uncle Mike and will laugh at absolutely anything he does. We were sad when he left to go home the day before us because he was so into playing with her and she loved it! Any parent will tell you how priceless it is to have someone who loves your child as much as your child loves them. Such a good feeling.

Lilly tried turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and her favorite-- pumpkin pie! She was a pumpkin pie eating machine. She ate so much she threw it all up on her brand new shirt. Thank goodness for "Jumping Beans" from Kohls-- everything's 5 bucks! (Bringing the number of outfits worn that day to 4.)

Only grandmas have miniature wicker furniture sized just right for a 1 year old. Lilly would get in it and bob her head back and forth trying to get it to rock.

The legendary Uncle Mike-Mo

Nuts about pickles! (How 'bout that high chair? Totally meets all safety standards.)

Most of her meal ended up not in her tummy.

"Where'd ya go to reffing school? Are ya blind??!"

She cooks and cleans without a fuss! She must get that from her Mama."

What a day! All clean and snuggly in Grandma's arms.

12.4.09

2009-12-04T07:57:00.000-08:00

Hey Albuterol! Nowhere on your label does it say "Side effects may include roaring, growling, kicking, throwing head back, jaw clenching or angry drooling."

You also didn't warn me that these side effects may kick in after several side-effect-free treatments.

11.29.09

2009-11-29T17:03:00.000-08:00

It's a good thing Lilly didn't get her Mama's weak stomach!

11.28.09

2009-11-28T17:24:00.000-08:00

I can't post much tonight as the migraine/nausea cocktail are getting the best of me, but I wanted to share this funny picture of Lilly. We normally travel at night so she can sleep through the drive, but we decided to try the 3-hour drive home during the day this afternoon. She did fairly well, but got pretty antsy during the last hour. Not able to help her much without feeling sick and making my head hurt, Matt and I kept handing her pretzels and banana cookies to keep her occupied. We couldn't actually see what was going on in her carseat until we got home and I pulled this little goober out of the backseat.

Needless to say, tonight was a bath night!

11.22.09

2009-11-22T17:39:00.000-08:00

Lilly boo is 11 months old! Today I ran into our 2 favorite nurses from the Birth Center while shopping. And how cute that they were shopping together?! I can't believe that it was almost 1 year ago that I was in the hospital with this little munchkin!

11.22.09

2009-11-22T17:08:00.001-08:00

Lots of pictures to share!

Last weekend, my sister-in-law and nephew drove 6 hours to visit. Owen and Lilly are birthday twin cuzzies. Owen is a walking man, so it was fun to see what we have to look forward to, plus he is SOOOO cute! When he smiles, every inch of his face smiles. My mom also came down so she was able to spend time with both of her grandchildren at the same time! We all live far apart, so that's not easy. We took the kids to Cosi and met my brother for the afternoon. We also had their pictures taken together by Lori. And Suzanne and I got to go shopping and out to lunch ALONE!!!

All packed up and ready to go! Lilly's not so sure about her backseat companion.

Uncle Mike-Mo came!

Lilly's drivin' the helicopter. Uncle Mike looks scared.

Grandma showed up with cars for the kiddos. What a cool Grandma!

"And then she was like 'no way' and then he was all 'way'."

Move over little lady, cars are for men.

Let us out of here!!

It's probably best that we didn't have twins:)

11.21.09

2009-11-21T17:17:00.000-08:00

Last night Matt and I had the privalege of spending the night at an indoor waterpark about an hour away. His mom and dad wanted to spend a little time with Lilly and I really think they have more fun with her when I'm not around making "suggestions" or stealing their time!

The water park is definitely more for kids and families, but it does have some pretty high water slides that scared even the mightiest of men (cough, cough, Matt). I am terrified of water slides, especially the enclosed ones and ESPECIALLY the the DARK, enclosed ones. But I figured I could float along the lazy river all evening if anything.

The hotel is very nice and, truth be told, I could have slept in the parking lot in my car if it meant waking up on my own terms!

We had SO much fun. We played like little kids (creepy, pale little kids who had to huff and puff up the steps to the big water slides while the REAL little kids scurried past like it was nothing). We climbed the nets, stood in the sprayers, got water up our noses, pushed each other into the cold water spouts... and then plopped ourselves in the adults-only hot tub when we needed a break from real kiddos.

After warming up on the little water slides (they were so little that I had to ask if we were allowed on them! Lucky for us, the place was pretty empty, and once it got more crowded I left that for the kids.) we headed to the big slides. I could not stop laughing going down the first one. I felt like Lilly in a giggling fit. After the first, I loved it.

I will confess though, the biggest slide requires a tube, so Matt and I went together on a double tube. It was SO scary that about half way down I came very close to saying a very bad word! Thankfully my "holy" was followed by a "moly". Those tubes tend to... echo.

I slept in until 8, took a long shower without playing peek-a-boo from behind the curtain or singing "My Lilly lies over the ocean, My Lilly lies over the sea" louder and louder and LOUDER each time, and without having to worry if my daughter finally discovered the toilet bowl brush that I've been meaning to put away for the last month.

It was splendid! We planned to stop for breakfast at IHOP on our way home, but a migraine got the best of me and after putting our name on the waiting list, all I wanted to do was pick up some Excedrin and head home.

Lilly was waiting for us in the living room, dressed in a pink Buckeyes sweatsuit when we got home. She had the biggest smile and waved to us, as if to say "Hey, come on in guys!" I can't believe she is days away from turning one year old.

11.19.09

2009-11-19T17:06:00.000-08:00

Note to self:

Don't open Lilly's meds with your teeth if you don't want a mouthful of steroids.

11/18/09

2009-11-18T17:45:00.000-08:00

Tonight I have a sinky feeling in my stomach. I've had several people close to me find themselves in need of prayer and not-so-minor help in the last week, from my co-worker who had surgery after falling off her back porch and crushing her arm to my mother-in-law who passed out twice this morning while walking down the hall in her house. Sprinkled in are an unexpected comment from my doctor today, a little boy at my school who is fighting for his life (this is major, but I don't know him personally), and an addition to Lilly's breathing treatments just when I thought we were on the right track. My co-director's son hasn't been well all week, along with several of our teachers' children.

I think sometimes working within a ministry, especially with children, can be difficult because so many people around you are in need. Financially, physically, emotionally. I love being able to reach out and be the one bright spot that may make a difference in someone's day, but I have to be honest that often it weighs heavily, especially in the middle of the night (or when I need to be focused, like on my drive to work, eh hmm!).

I'm sure a good night's rest and some bedtime prayer will help the heavy, sinky feeling.

11.18.09

2009-11-18T04:35:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite projects that our preschool teachers do each year is the "We are thankful for..." bulletin board. Each child fills in their own feather to share what they are thankful for. The answers are always a hoot!

These girlies' mommies will melt when they see their responses:)

What were you thankful for when you were 4 years old?

11.6.09

2009-11-06T16:38:00.000-08:00

My precious, delicate-as-a-flower, feminine girly girl daughter created this masterpiece for her mommy tonight:

The pride in those eyes is unbelievable.

11.5.09

2009-11-05T17:20:00.001-08:00

Breathing treatments are going great! Contrary to what we were told about the steroids making her jittery and wired, Lilly gets super snuggly and relaxed during and after her treatments.

Did you hear that? SNUGGLY! My daughter, the anti-snuggler, cuddles up to her mama and hangs out in my lap with no struggle for the 10 or so minutes it takes for the meds to vaporize.

When she's done I let her play with the mask and I make it talk to her. Tonight she put the mask up to my face:)

Her babysitter has asthma and told me that when she does a breathing treatment after a particularly tough struggle with breathing, she becomes relaxed and calm because it is so much easier to breathe. I had no idea Lilly was having such a hard time.

I'm thankful the medicine is working (I only heard a couple coughs all night!) and for the snuggle time these treatments are giving me. A couple nights ago I thought this would be a dreadful experience-- instead I look forward to our time together.

11.3.09

2009-11-03T16:38:00.001-08:00

Lilly is 10 months old! And a half! And her mom is really behind!

She waves hello and goodbye, bounces to music, says Mom-A (or variations, such as A-Mom, A-Mom-A-Mom, Mum-Mum), Da (Da Da, Dadadadada, ada), pulls up, cruises along furniture, opens cabinets and drawers, walks with her push toy, "sings" along with me in the bathtub, and climbs on EVERYthing (especially us!). In a nutshell, she is really cool! We are having SO much fun with this little monkey. It amazes me how much effort it takes for a baby to do all these things, and yet somehow she can make it during the week on one 20 minute nap a day.

Today I took her to the doctor for more coughing and weezing and we finally think we know what's going on. It's called Reactive Airway Disease, which is basically baby asthma. She's on a nebulizer twice a day for a week and then once a day through the winter. We did her first breathing treatment tonight and it will definitely take some practice. Hopefully as she gets used to it, it won't be such a struggle, but I can't blame her for not wanting a mask on her face with a loud machine buzzing next to us.

I suspected this was coming as every cold turns into a never-ending cough and weezing. We don't have asthma in our families (Matt had it as a baby, but he was a preemie, so there may not be a connection), no smokers, etc. So while I had a gut feeling we were headed in this direction, I'm still a little surprised.

NP said she should grow out of it by age 5. I hope so:(

Here's Miss Personality playing with the itty bitty mask.

Lilly's grandma is very sad about this. As much as I would rather Lilly be 100% healthy, I know she is extremely happy and am thankful that she doesn't have something more serious wrong with her. I'm thankful that our insurance covers almost all of the equipment rental (which is rent-to-own, which I find funny) and the medication, and we are able to do it at home. God does not give us anything we can't handle-- this we can handle:)

10.28.09

2009-10-28T17:28:00.000-07:00

We had our neighborhood Fall party on Sunday and despite Lilly having a cold, I think she enjoyed herself! The neighbors passed her around and kept her happy while her hungry parents were treated to a quick munch with both hands free! She spent most of the time crawling around on a blanket in the grass and taking her socks off. That might be the last warm Sunday afternoon for a while!

Am I the only mom whose pictures always end with something like this?!

10.26.09

2009-10-26T17:01:00.000-07:00

Somebody got a little taste of whipped cream tonight.

And somebody found it so delightful, she giggled her way through that bite of sweet goodness!

Somebody has no idea what is in store for her in 7 weeks!

10.23.09

2009-10-23T04:39:00.001-07:00

Guess who overreacted??? Although I'd like to think it was your prayers that turned this babycakes around.

So Lilly seems to be a-ok. Her temp never went over 100 yesterday and the doctor's office said, "We are telling people to wait a couple days and if the fever returns call us back." I was a tad irked in case she had strep, but I love the staff there, so I just let it go, knowing darn well that I'd be calling back the same day if the fever returned. But no fever! Yucky snotty nose, cough and general crankiness, but no fever.

So thank you for your prayers!!

And for fun, Lilly made a new friend this morning. I think she was attracted to this little girl's good looks.

10.22.09

2009-10-22T03:33:00.001-07:00

A quick prayer request for Lilly-

She was up last night with a fever, runny nose, painful cough, and her whole body was burning up. Her little hands felt like they came right out of the oven. She was weak, irritable and could not get comfy.

She's sleeping now and thankfully Matt's parents haven't left since bringing her back last night, so they are staying with her until Matt can leave work later this morning.

Please pray that the doctor's office will have an opening for her and this passes quickly. One of her classmates has H1N1 and her favorite teacher has strep.

10.19.09

2009-10-19T17:25:00.000-07:00

Last week Lilly had her 9 month pictures taken by the one and only Lori! Unfortunately, she did not take a nap at school AT ALL that day (first time ever, of course) and we scheduled the pictures for right after school. Talk about a Mommy Oops!

Lots of crying and pouty bottom lips were captured, but the good news is, Matt and I love the pouty-face pictures because even though this girl is full of funny faces, she has her fair share of tantrums too. And we'll need proof of these tantrums in about 13 years.

And when Nicholas or Antero or Leo come a knockin' I'll have a great stash of embarrassing photos to whip out while Matt spit shines his gun and grunts.

Lori was so patient with both of us and has kindly offerred a re-do session for a Christmas picture. I certainly am thankful for this year-long gift of memories that she has given us! It truly is a gift that keeps on giving:).

So, have yourself a little sneak peek, why don't ya!

10.15.09

2009-10-15T16:53:00.001-07:00

Cleaning out my camera...

Lilly got her first pair of real shoes last week. Well, first pair that fits. She has 2 pair of Stride Rites-- a size 3 and a 4, but neither fit. I took her to the Stride Rite store to be properly measured and that girlie is a 4.5 wide!! No wonder the first two did not fit. We went on my lunch break and here's what the nursery girls put on the board while we were gone:

(Do you see the "12:50-1:15" written to the right of the shoe? Yeah, that's her nap time. The entire nap. For the entire day.)

And, of course, the shoes! Her teachers put them up because her friends were trying to eat them.

Party pics from Antero's 1st Birthday

Lil's new sleeping position

Having fun at school

10.12.09

2009-10-12T16:25:00.000-07:00

Today was a MUCH better day. After a day of playing at school (where Lilly snubbed me and reached out for her favorite teacher & babysitter when I visted after lunch) Matt met us in Lancaster for the fair. We figured since Lilly loved our fair so much, she'd love another fair too! We were a little wrong. It started out well... giant pumpkins, wild hairstlyes (which the Elephant Ear vendor referred to as "fairstlyes"), flashing lights, lively music...

And then came the live animals. Live, moving, mooing and clucking animals. The kind that have twitchy ears and dig in the ground. And look at small children, whispering so only the children can hear "You look tasty!"

And all the joys of an Ohio county fair (eh hmm) quickly go thunking to the ground as the stroller takes a U-turn and we hightail it to the Exit.

But not before taking a video of these adorable piggies dining on their Mama! I love how she just lays there like "Have at it kids."

10.11.09

2009-10-11T16:06:00.000-07:00

My posts are usually geared towards celebrating all the fun, cute, exciting and proud moments of Lilly's baby days. Pictures of toothy grins, whispy blonde hair clipped to the side in a bow, dimple aglow...

but that is not our every day. Let me just tell you.

This morning started early at 4:30am when baby girl decided she was tired of sleeping. In this house, no one gets out of bed before 6 on the weekends, which means sometimes Lilly has to play cheerfully (HA!) in her bed until 6:00 rolls around. I will even lay in bed for 20 minutes sometimes, watching the clock, but refusing to go in before 6 (Where does she get her stubbornness from?). Well, I think I gave in at 5:45 this morning and I walked into her room to be greeted with a scowl that said "Don't even try to be cheerful, Woman." A treturous diaper change ensued, followed by fussy play time and a quick pre-church nap.

When we picked baby girl up from the church nursery, she was handed off to us with a look of relief as we were told "Sheee's a little fussy." Gulp. Great.

Home for a nap, then off to the grocery store where she cried the whole time until the cashier, who probably heard the wails all the way from the dairy aisle, gave us a sympathetic tilt of the head and asked "Cutting teeth?" WELL YOU WOULD THINK, the way she carried on like a crazed child lunatic, but she has a zillion of those already, so no dice there.

She basically ate nothing today, scoffed in the face of trying a sippy cup of formula (in fact, she clocked me in the face with it as I tried to cuddle her and help her become one with the sippy cup), and kicked every clean diaper out of my hand.

I know I uttered the following at some point during the day:

"Please pick her up and get her out of here."
"Something is biting me."
"Baby for sale!"
"Oh Lilly, why did you give Midas your pickle?"
"It is not OK to slap Mommy."

Today was so unpleasant that once Matt took her off to bed, I retreated to our bathroom and proceeded to scrub the shower. For the record, I HATE scrubbing our shower. But tonight it was quiet, productive, theraputic and that shower did NOT cry, whine or slap.

Praise God.

10.10.09

2009-10-10T17:46:00.000-07:00

Lilly,

I hope you know how much I love you. I never knew a love like this existed-- I never imagined I could love someone so much that the thought of them sleeping 10 feet away, yet on the opposite side of a wall, felt like too, too far.

In your lifetime, I hope to give you more than enough hugs, doubly enough kisses and tripley enough "I love you's" so you never doubt, for a single second, how very much you are loved.

Love,
Mama

10.9.09

2009-10-09T05:22:00.000-07:00

Here's how I found Lil this morning... proud as ever!

10.8.09

2009-10-08T17:39:00.001-07:00

Lilly spent the day with her Grandma and Grandpa C. They took her to Clear Creek Metro Park, Mingo Park and then to dinner at the golf course. She took over 3 hours worth of naps and ate like a champ. She was a happy little girl.

And when I came home, she pulled herself up by the rocker footstool! Grandma and Grandpa acted like it was a first, so I'll just go with that and pretend like it was the first time, even if it wasn't;) She looked so proud of herself!

10.6.09

2009-10-06T17:41:00.000-07:00

Just a little note to remember that today was the due date of the little one we lost. We've come a long, long way and feel blessed and fulfilled with our Lilly. While I sometimes wonder what that child would have looked like, whether it was a son or daughter, what could have been, etc., I have to remind myself that God's plan was for this little one to come and bless us for a short physical time, but to teach us, challenge us and prepare us for a lifetime of deep, unconditional, and whole-hearted love. We are better parents for the path we have walked... and better people in general. We love you, dear babe.

For you will lighten my lamp, The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. Psalm 18:28

10.5.09

2009-10-05T15:49:00.000-07:00

Some babies get cowlicks. Lilly gets dog licks.

10.4.09

2009-10-04T14:17:00.000-07:00

What a great afternoon we had with our little squirt! She giggled her way through the pumpkin patch, smiled ear to ear during the hayride and best of all, enjoyed people watching. Enjoy the slideshow!!!

10.3.09

2009-10-03T08:56:00.001-07:00

We had our photo shoot in the sunflower field this morning. It was GORGEOUS!!! Lilly was very much into the bright yellow flowers everywhere, so many of the pictures are of the back of her head, but even those are cute:)

The inspiration for this location came from Lori, whose kiddos gave her a run for her money! Check out her pics... same little corner of the same big field! Thank you for the idea, Lori.

10.2.09

2009-10-02T19:05:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow Lilly and I will be spending lots of quality time together while Daddy participates in a golf outing for school and takes care of the hooligans at the Homecoming dance. I have found that the best way to get through long days alone is to keep busy. My stand-by's are the grocery store and the park, but with the cold and chilly weather, the park days may be limited.

My friend and faaabbulous photographer, Lori, clued me in on an awesome little field of sunflowers nearby. I drove by yesterday to be sure the frost hadn't nipped them and was happy to see they are still standing strong! They are not the gigantic sunflowers-- maybe hip-heigth-- and so cute! So as long as the rain holds out tomorrow, I'm hoping to take Lilly for some pictures.

Sunday we are taking the babe to the pumpkin patch after church. Now those will be some GREAT pictures!! Her Treanse Grandma bought her the cutest pumpkin outfit last year, before she was born, and it looked so big at the time! I can't believe pumpkin season is here and the outfit fits perfectly:)

9.29.09

2009-09-29T17:33:00.000-07:00

I've been back to work full-time for 3 weeks now and although I am very fulfilled and at ease with having a normal routine again, it is so tough to find time for extras. I suppose if Lilly wasn't so darn much fun and so unbelievably sweet and cute it would be easier to not spend every waking minute of her time at home with her. But alas, I can't help it! She makes us laugh constantly... and even does it to avoid going to sleep sometimes because she knows we can't resist laughing back, thus stalling sleepy time. What a trip.

She is on a big "uh ohhhh" kick right now. We think she picked it up at school because we didn't start saying it at home until she started. Now we say it all the time so she'll repeat it! Tonight I stacked up her caterpillar cups to make a tower and before she knocked it down she grinned and said "uh ohhhhhh". Sly little devil;).

Oh!! And we think she's getting her molars. Ayy papee. It hasn't been bad, but she chews on her thumbs in the back parts of her mouth, drools a little bit (she's not normally a thumb sucker or a drooler), has a runny nose and just seems a little off. In the meantime, she's rockin' this fabulous grill!

2009-09-20T16:56:00.000-07:00

9 Months Old!

9.18.09

2009-09-18T15:48:00.000-07:00

Lilly turns 9 months old tomorrow. Here are some of the things she's up to:

Tonight we went out for pizza and salad and she tasted diced ham, shredded cheese, hard boiled egg yolk, crackers and veggie Mum Mums. She didn't appear to dislike anything.

When someone opens the door to her classroom, no matter where she is she cranes her neck to see who's there. Everyone tells me she's looking for me, but today as I was rocking her someone opened the door and Miss Inquisitive shot up from my lap to check it out. Where's the loyalty, kiddo?

My visits at school are fewer and farther between lately as she has major separation anxiety when I leave. I'm afraid of creating more chaos for her teachers, so I do a lot of peeking from the doorway and waving hello from behind the counter. Her teachers are awesome and never make me feel bad, but I remember being in their shoes and it is a little irritating, whether they admit it or not!

Her teeth seem to have slowed down a little. She's holding steady at 8-- 4 on top, 4 on bottom. And boy can she bite!

She's says "fa fa fa", "va va va", "ckkkkkk", "ba ba" and "muuuuuum!"

She's about 50% proficient at waving hello and good bye. I don't know if this means the 50% of the time that she does it are a fluke or if she actually knows what she's doing, but only feels like playing along half the time. Either way, it's adorable and makes me laugh every time.

Climbing, climbing, climbing. Not cruising-- her climbing doesn't involve furniture or window sills. She loves to climb on me, which I love because every few minutes she takes a breather and for the first time in her life she'll lay on me, flopped over... and CONTENT! No fussing, whining, grunting, growling or crying. And it's fun to see her stand while holding on to my shoulders!

And the biggest of all...

She crawls! She took 3 crawls last night and I was so bummed that I had to waste the rest of the evening with her at a meeting and then come home and put her straight to bed. I wanted to take her out of her bed and watch her crawl some more! Tonight after dinner as I was getting her bottle ready I put her on a blanket of the kitchen floor. Before I knew it she had crawled off the blanket and onto the linoleum and was crawling all over the place! It must be a lot easier than the carpet!

9.15.09

2009-09-15T17:26:00.001-07:00

Lilly had her first fair experience today. I am fairly certain she tagged along in the belly last year for an elephant ear, but this time she got to witness all of Hocking County's finest with her own two eyes! She. Was. Fascinated. I don't think she blinked the entire time. It may have been a little yucky and the animals a little stinky, but it was well worth the $7 apiece to get these snapshots (and an elephant ear for the road).

This horse had just nibbled on Lilly's hairbow. Seriously! He nibbled it!

"Did you see that, Mom?"

"You have more teeth than I do!"

She never batted an eyelash.

She loved seeing all the animals. I wasn't sure she'd "get it" but she definitely checked each one out. Here she is with the rabbits.

Her favorite was the pig barn. Ewww! (They were pretty funny though.)

Watching a goat show. She was glued! I think she was into their cute goat noises.

Huge pumpkins!

Munching on a Mum Mum while Mommy and Daddy ate Elephant Ears. Maybe next year, babe.

9.6.09

2009-09-06T18:16:00.000-07:00

Lilly, you may not remember this, but way back last fall, just before you first attempted to enter the world at 31 weeks, your Great Aunt Pam, Great Aunt Bonnie and Treanse Grandma threw us a Baby Buckette baby shower. It was the greatest party ever and goes down in AP and UD's book as THE best party ever thrown at their house. That's saying a lot, little Beansie, because it was all for you! We had Mommy's favorite almond cake, tailgate food, fake money for parking, an auction of Buckeye's gear, stadium seating in the garage and Molly even came to take pictures. Our closest friends and family were there to shower you with love galore.

Well, this year you are HERE! On the outside! Because you slept through the entire game, it was only fitting that when you woke up I dressed you in an outfit given to you at this very shower and took you outside for a photo shoot. I learned one very important thing yesterday, Lilly.

You do not like grass.

9.6.09

2009-09-06T18:01:00.000-07:00

Today was a big day for Lilly. Matt and I took her to Babies R Us to try out carseats and shop for an umbrella stroller. The stroller was easy, but the carseat has been bugging me for weeks. It's such a big purchase and marks the end of conveniently carrying Lilly around in the carseat. Granted that's an extra 20 lbs I won't have digging into the crook of my arm, but it still makes me a little sad to think of my baby girl chillin' out in a big girl carseat.

So after plopping her into each seat at BRU and not liking any of the seats, we took a lap around the store just to get away from the carseat aisle. Well, guess what we happened upon? A CLEARANCE SECTION! Woo hoo!

Everyone seems to love the Britax Marathon and even though I fought it tooth and nail, I can't deny a good deal when we practically run it over with our shopping cart. Evidently this was ordered online and returned the store, making someone else's trash our treasure! And Lilly's first gender specific piece of baby gear! (And as an added bonus, Britax sells carseat covers in charcoal grey-- perfect for a future baby boy;))

You can't deny the girl looks pretty darn content. And Mommy and Daddy's wallets were happy at the end of the day. (And as a little PSA, Babies R Us accepts those lovely 20% off Buy Buy Baby coupons, although some, like the Dayton BRU, do not so maybe call ahead to be sure.)

So it's good-bye to the happy little green infant carrier and the stroller frame and hello to the big girl gear.

9.4.09

2009-09-04T08:22:00.000-07:00

Little Lilly Boo has bronchitis:( This poor girl seems to be sick more often than not. Seems she inherited my horrible immune system. I had to go into work last night to close the center, so I took her with me and kept her in my office. It was only 2 hours, but those were a LONG 2 hours! It's one thing to keep an 8 month old entertained at home, but quite another in a baby-unfriendly office. I packed all of her favorites (cell phone, camera, comb, paper) as well as the baby-friendly toys I like to push on her (pretend cell phone, pretend camera, etc.) but no dice there.

Thankfully she loves the Praise Baby DVD, so I brought it along and set her up to watch on my co-director's desk. Here she is in the "Praise Baby Zone". (If you haven't seen these DVDs, I highly recommend getting your hands on one or go to the website and watch samples. Matt and I even fall into the trance and, after about 4 months of watching the same "Born to Worship" DVD every.single.day, we still aren't sick of it! Lilly whips her head around within the first couple notes of the Intro and it's smooth sailing for a solid 30 minutes.)

And yes, she is doing something very un-lady-like. Mom's timing is impecable!

2009-08-31T17:21:00.002-07:00

It took Lilly 3 months to learn that the Fisher Price swing wasn't so bad. Even then, she was very particular about when she would let us put her in it and she made it known if we made a mistake in our timing. Therefore, I have only 1 picture of her in the swing. She seemed gigantic to me at the time.

Little did I know my 8 month old would discover the swing stored away in the loft 5 months later and find it more fun than barrel of monkeys! Perhaps she was not so gigantic at 3 months old after all!

Signs that your infant is too big for the swing:

1. The entire frame sinks a good half inch into the carpet when you place her in the seat. (But mom giggles in delight at how excited she is to have reunited with her long lost friend.)

2. She reaches out and grabs the frame, pulls herself to a complete stop and hangs suspended in mid-air laughing. (And mom laughs in amazement, encouraging the monkey business.)

3. She finally notices and is interested in the non-moving, non-singing, non-flashing, and previously worthless mobile and attempts standing in the swing to reach it. (I am not kidding.)

4. Her head extends above the back of the seat. And her feet are larger than every other child's feet in the entire nursery, but she's able to use those feet to kick frantically, coming in handy for #'s 5 and 6.

5. The swing stops... swinging, while the motor keeps grinding away, trying its best to move.

6. The batteries eventually give out, leaving her, at first, embarrassed

and then impatient

and, in the end, a little let down.

After the swing pooped out on us, we practiced standing

Is this not Matt's child?!?!?

And, as an added bonus, she laughed so hard I was finally able to snap not one, but TWO pictures of her EIGHT pearly whites!

8.29.09

2009-08-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

Lilly's grandparents (Matt's Mom and Dad) took Lilly home with them Friday morning. I worked late Thursday night, so minus about 15 minutes on Friday morning, I haven't had any quality time with my baby since Wednesday.

I miss her so much! I looked through the pictures on my blog and got a little choked up. I can't wait munch on those cheeks and listen to her giggle tomorrow. I hope she is having fun with Grandma and Grandpa, but I hope she hasn't forgotten who her mama is!

8.25.09

2009-08-25T08:37:00.000-07:00

Lilly and I spent the morning at the park today. We had lots of fun swinging together (until Mommy's stomach couldn't take it any longer), swinging solo, playing on the blanket, exploring all the big kid equipment, and watching the other children play. If it was up to Lilly, she would have 10 big brothers and sisters to keep her entertained 24/7:)

Mom, I don't think this is meant for babies. But I'll chew on it until you figure it out.

Now this is more like it!

Where has this been all my life?

No seriously, where?

"I can't be funny all the time."

"OK, I'm ready again."

"I'm flyyying!"

"I told you not so high, Mama."

"Dear Jesus, please bring me lots of brothers and sisters like THOSE GUYS!"

"I'm spent."

8.23.09

2009-08-23T09:08:00.000-07:00

Guess what I discovered last night?

Another tooth.

They've all come in pairs, so even though I didn't see the match poking through yet, I'm certain it's right around the corner. This will make #7 and #8! I think it's true what they say about the first couple teeth being the worst and then babies kind of get used to the pain because she's been acting perfectly fine. I think I recall a day where she had a red cheek and her nose has been runny, but I think she had a cold, so who knows?!

And since my video files are always too large to upload, here are some action shots of Lilly's attempts at crawling. She eventually got stuck under the chair and Daddy had to rescue her, bringing the fun to a screeching (and I do mean screeching) hault!

8.22.09

2009-08-22T09:37:00.000-07:00

This morning we continued our new Saturday morning tradition of going out to breakfast and drove to Laurelville, about 25 minutes away, to a cute little restaurant with a wrap-around deck. It was a cool morning and the sun was shining... perfect weather! It feels like football season already!

Lilly was so much fun. She took turns sitting on our laps, grabbing everything off the table and even plunked her hand into my coffee. I about died, but she acted like nothing ever happened! When breakfast came, she played happily in the high chair, munching on Mum Mums, toast and potatoes. It's funny how at home I'm so worried about her choking and I overanalyze everything I give her to eat. But when we're out and about I'll give her anything. And she does fine!

We just got around to her 8 month pics today. Here are some cuties!

8.21.09

2009-08-21T05:11:00.000-07:00

It's been a while! After a string of bad luck (my D&C, all 3 of us getting the stomach flu, Lilly re-getting the stomach flu), travelling all over Ohio (Lisa's baby shower, Lilly's Pediatric Ophthamologist appt. at Children's), shopping for (and purchasing!) Matt's new truck, and having visitors (Lisa who thankfully did not get the flu, my Mom who did get the flu, Matt's mom who did not get the flu, and my mom again who ate a bad tuna sub from Subway (ah!), there has been ZERO time for blogging.

But that means I have so much to update! The most exciting (in my opinion) is that the other night I had Lilly in the bath tub and she reached up to me and said "Mom". Yes, I melted. She's been saying "Mama" when she cries (er, screams) but I wasn't sure if it was intentional or she was just really mad and making noises, but this sealed the deal:) It's not like I've been repeating "mom" in the mirror in slow, exaggerated movements for the last 8 months. That would be a little much. Yes, indeed. I would never do that. She's purely genious, really.

Her eyes are good! No strabismus. But the squirt will probably need glasses around Kindergarten. Totally unrelated. Strange, too, considering Matt and I both have good eyes in our families. Proof again that Lilly is quite the individual!

Her hair is getting thick, long and blonde! It can hold hairbows like a champ and thankfully she doesn't realize they're there yet so she doesn't pull them out. Yet. Unfortunately the older babies in the nursery do so they often end up in her cubby within 10 minutes of arriving to school. But they're too darn cute to leave in her drawer at home!

Her teeth are... huge... and there are still 6 of them. She likes to bite her grandmother and me as she nuzzles into our necks and nap time. I always forget and get sappy thinking she wants to cuddle and then, YOWZA!

She still doesn't enjoy eating all that much. She's come to like pears and now prunes (after a long 6 days of not pooping properly), but not prune juice and not Gerber cheetohs.

We had our first successful high chair meal in a restaurant. She had a great time munching on straws, Mum Mums, Gerber wheels, and paper. That same day she let us haul her around to the hospital, Kohls, the mall and 3 car dealerships. It was a rare day that we all enjoyed very much!

She can recite the alphabet. Backwards. In Spanish!

Alright, enough bragging about my prodigy offspring. She really is a delight and Matt and I are really enjoying these older months. Matt especially loves this age because he can finally throw her in the air, tip her upside down, wrestle and tickle and all that other fun Daddy stuff. Lilly loves it-- the rougher the better when it's play time with Dad!

8.8.09

2009-08-08T04:29:00.000-07:00

Lilly's special Aunt Katie sent her a package yesterday! Even though she was fighting through a nasty stomach bug, she had lots of fun tearing into the package and playing with the adorable contents. Aunt Katie sure is loved in our house:)

Are those not the most scrumptious roly poly arms you've ever seen or what???

And if you feel so inclined to support Katie as she and her hubby participate in Race for the Family, go here to do so. You can also make a $25 donation and win her a free IVF cycle! How cool would that be?

I've told you this before on my blog, but just for kicks and because we love Katie in our house (have I mentioned we love Katie?) you should know that she is one amazing woman with a superb talent for knitting adorable hats, socks, blankets and the like for babies and mommies who haven't had the easiest ride. Remember the adorable sweet pea hat? All Katie!

8.7.09

2009-08-07T18:00:00.000-07:00

Lilly had a rough night last night-- lots of vomiting, heaving, choking and just all-together unpleasantness. She was the perfect patient though. She would start to do her thing, I'd grab her out of her crib (or eventually her Pack-n-Play in our room so I could sleep without worrying about her choking), tip her forward and rub her back until she was calm and then she'd flop her head on my shoulder until I put her back down in her bed.

I only slept from about 3-5am, but around 11am she woke up, took a small, diluted bottle, closed her eyes and went to sleep in my arms. Watching her sleep peacefully for the first time was what it was all about. She rested her hand on my chest and slept with her mouth open, only moving or making the tiniest noises now and then. I was able to see her sleeping face, which I don't really ever see. The blood vessels in her eyelids were broken and she had red patches around her eyes, but she looked so innocent and beautiful!

It's no fun when Lilly is sick, but I always have a moment when I feel like this is how bonds are created and this is how my child comes to know me as her mother, the person who will protect her and take care of her forever.

8.4.09

2009-08-04T17:07:00.000-07:00

Where to start?

Lilly is scooting backwards, apparently across the floor. I say apparently because I've been working a lot and Matt has been home to witness the phenomenon, so I get the play-by-play at the end of the day of all the cool things Lilly is doing. I've seen the scoot in small increments, but when I'm in her line of sight, she won't stay down there long enough to get anywhere.

She gets up on all fours and just today started rocking back and forth. It's not for long, maybe just a few seconds, and it's accompanied by much whining and crying, but I'm so proud of her! She likes when I give her a little help by lifting her hips just slightly for a couple seconds. It's all the fun with no work for her!

She reaches out for us now... or anyone she sees who is capable of holding her. It's very cute. However if she doesn't get picked up within a sufficient amount of time (determined by none other, of course) it gets ugly. That's not to say we give in, ohhhh no, we certainly don't. It just means we've got a lot of screaching going on at our house right now!

In the land of food, she's eating all kinds of new stuff. Soy yogurt, mac & cheese (baby food), crackers, Gerber finger snacks, yogurt melts... we just bought a whole bunch of baby food and I think when it's gone, we'll pretty much be done buying it, other than apple sauce and oatmeal. Over the next few weeks we're going to try mashed potatoes, noodles, cheese (although my father-in-law told me he gave her some string cheese last weekend, ha!), canned peas... porterhouse steak (ohh, the teeth). She's getting good at knowing to put food pieces in her mouth, which is definitely not something they figure out right away. She used to just let food get stuck to her lips and cry like she'd turned into an alien and DID NOT LIKE IT.

I had my first appointment with Lilly's doctor today. Matt goes next week. Dr. NotWorthADarn is officially history. I asked to go back on Paxil and after discussing my options he felt that Dr. NWAD should have tested my thyroid at some point post-partum. Post-partum Hypothyroidism can create all the same issues as depression, only it can lead to infertility, miscarriages and Pre-ecclampsia. I've already dealt with 2 out of the 3, so if that's the problem, I'd like to stop the buck here, please! I'll have the results tomorrow. Have I mentioned how much I love this guy? He is just an amazing doctor.

Tomorrow night Lisa is coming AND bringing her 34 week old baby... via belly... to stay for a couple days. I'm so excited!! I haven't seen her since this picture was taken... around 24 weeks I believe?

Isn't she so cute? We won't even get into the fact that the woman's only put on 15 pounds. No, we certainly will not;).

Thursday can't come soon enough. Things are not pretty. I'll leave it at that.

OHHH and I went to my college friend/sorority sister Lauren's wedding on Saturday. It was so much fun seeing friends who I haven't seen in so long. My great-grand-little was there with her husband and the four of us mostly talked about our daughters all night. That's what parents do when they get a night out! In fact as Matt and I were slow dancing I made a noise (it might have been a purring noise) and Matt was like "I hate when you do that. It's so creepy." When I justified it by saying that Lilly liked it, his response was "Lilly also poops in her pants and likes that." Gosh, I married a smart man!

And on top of all that goodness, I'm trying to figure out a way to meet up with one of my oldest and best friends who lives in DC (or is it VA?) but will be in Ohio over the next few days. Danielle, I'm not ignoring you, just trying to figure it out!

2009-07-28T17:40:00.000-07:00

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!