back from vacation....

After really REALLY rocky start we ended up having a great vacation.

here are some photos that captured the moments...Lily Anne's first Beach trip to Amelia Island, FL

toys...


Who me... (yes, I put out a blanket for her play ... she would rather be crawling and digging in the sand


Ocean...++ a second before a wave knocked us down and she laughed....


Pool..OMG...she could not get enough of it..


I love her more than ever...


Yup...I am terror to any room or place you take me...


She started standing by herself and walking behind everything..walks along the rim of anything!!


breakfeast with Daddy before going to the beach..


Sandcastles with Daddy....only to destory!!!



Hey that was my ice cream DAD!!!


one of my fav's (I have a million favs...but) from our nightly walks on the beach


Seriously...I am going to eat the bucket if someone does not take me to the beach...


Daddy you are awesome for taking me back to the ocean...


Just before dinner...


our 2010 beach family photo..


last morning at the beach before heading home...


Happy Memorial Day!


Squatting all on my own...no holding!!!


oh...just because I never share.... Lily Anne's breakdowns...


wait...6:59


7:00 - because I would not let her have the camera

Do you ever wonder?

As I sit her on my lunch break at work....I really wonder

- what my child thinks about?
- what does she really see?
- does she really understand how much we love her?
- can she really hear what I am saying?
- will I disappoint her oneday?
- Am I really a mom?

the list goes on... I look into her big blue eyes and melt. It really hard to look at her and not wonder about the future and all it holds. She lights up our household when endless love, laughter, squeals, and screams. I am still completely amazed and stunned that Mich and I created her...my brain is still saying her parents are coming one day.

This morning was chaos. Lily Anne woke up early 5am! After a quick change, I brought her down stair to join Mich and I in the last hour of sleep. She was trying with all her might to get up with laughter and pokes. Finally, she gave in .... HEAVEN again. Only to over sleep! 6:45am, CRAP!!!. So, in the mad rush to get showered, ready, baby feed, dressed, pack the bags, and wisk out the door. I realized that I forgot my breakfast on the counter. Seriouly...so avoid listening to my belly, I reverted to singing (yes with my horrible singing abilities), Lily Anne lets me know that she is back there and I sounded horrible...that started talking to me (blabbing...and squeals and dada.), looks in the mirror in front of her, looks out the window, and plays with her feet. Thanks dear! ( guess that answered the does she hear question.)

What is going on????

Lily Anne is rejecting her morning bottle....no matter how or when (before or after solids)

I thought okay maybe she is weaning off the bottle. She loves the sippy cup of water or a hint of juice with water. So, I thought lets put formula in it for the morning...

okay so I tried the sippy cup thinking that would help. NEGATIVE!!!

She takes all the other bottles fine during the day and bedtime...

So, help me out...
**I have tried to give her bottle first thing then wait on breakfast solids .... still wants NO part of it.

Here is my schedule:
7:30 - Wake up - get dressed, brush teeth, go down stairs
7:45 - Breakfast - Fruit (with cereal) 4oz all together.Bottle (5oz) - REJECTING
8:30 - Out the door and off to daycare

**she is at daycare from 9am - 5pm M-F**
her general schedule at daycare:
9:00 - Plays and Learns
10:30 - 12 - Nap
12(there about) - Lunch - Veggie (3oz), Fruit (3oz), Bottle (6oz) - drinks all
12:30 - Plays and Learns (may go outside)
2/3 - 4 - NAP4(there about) - Bottle (6oz) - drinks all Few puffs(Gerber Graduates -sweet potato)
5:15 - I pick her up

6:30 - Dinner - Some type of Meal (4oz), Fruit (3-4oz). I give her a sippy cup of water or juice/water mix - 4oz.)
plays til bath time or lately we have been going on walks
7:45 - Bath
8:00 - Bottle (8ozs)
8:30 - Passed out in the crib for the night!

Time? Who stole my clock

Seriously!!! Time is going so fast now. As, Lily Anne picks up the pace on growing and learning, I am wanting things to slow down a bit.

She has been doing so wonderful since the tubes. We go for run/walk in the evening and she laughs and loves it. The faster I go the more enjoys. The feeling of wind rushing around her.

We are enjoying our new found life...dinner withe friends, shopping and just being out and about. Although, she does have some seperation issues...she does well in the mornings, but the evenings are bad. She is all good as long as I am around...but I leave and she melts.

She is letting my friends and neighbors touch and play with her. (FINALLY) There for a while I thought lord have mercy on me. Someone other than me or Mich would look at her ... she would have a ALL OUT SCREAM FEST! Now she will smile at a waitress and people in the grocery store. Such a personality change.

All Done!!!

Friday morning around 7:45am Lily Anne went for surgery on her ears. THANK GOD!!!

Wednesday we got the all care from her pediatrician, went to pre-op and got our scheduled time of arrival. Then the notice of nothing after midnight, which is fine during the night but in the morning I was going to be dealing with a hungry baby.....or so I thought.

Nah, Lily Anne woke up around 7;15am...happy as ever. So off to car we go and to the ENT surgerical center. (which I rave around) get in and all ready to go. Lily Anne is laughing and giving everyone smiles. I think she knew we were bringing her relieve to her pain.

here is the photos pre-op


And exactly 24 minutes later she was back in my arms. She was a little fussy from being knocked out on drugs...but she was not HORRIBLE but what I had been told was going to happen. Then we were release to go home....

BTW: Wednesday night was the last of the meds from the ear infection last week...Thursday no meds, Friday surgery.... Dr. Holms was not happy to tell us when he went in to do the surgery BOTH her ears were infected again. Thank you Thank you for doing the srugery adn may this bring relieve to our household.

Here is my new baby...Miss Happy. Crawling and getting into everything.

Even happy and well enough to play peek a boo with the camera and show her skills on walking with the walker.



So, this weekend was packed with as much as she could handle.
satuday morning nap...


Shopping with mom and dad...but had to stop and ride a toy...



tried to get some cute photos of her outside with the dog. Neither one wanted anything to do with photos...


I got some magnetic letters for Easter. She loves them...



Sunday ... Lindsay brought Tucker over to play and have dinner...Lily Anne is paci stealer!!!

Almost Wordless Wednesday...

Lily Anne is getting tubes in her ears on Friday! I am so ready it is not funny.

We went to her pre-op with her pedi this morning. She is good to go. Tomorrow it is the real pre-op with the ENT center. Then Friday AM is the big moment. I am hoping for the best.

Highlights...she is starting to babble .... DADADA it is so sweet and comoletely makes me melt.

Little facts.. Lily Anne weighed in at 17lbs, 9oz this morning (with a wet diaper and fully dressed). She is a little peanut!

Photos....so hard not share

After my very long wait...I picked up her photos on Friday afternoon. I was so excited...we previewed and order prints about 2 weeks ago.

We were 1 month delayed due to ear infections, then we were a week late on previewing...so after a ton of rescheduling...Here we are..

Sorry gang…took a momentary break…

We got 12 days of NO medicine and/or ear infection baby, then we got to pay yet again another on Sunday.... Copay of $25 and another round of drugs for a double ear infection…which was a one-way ticket to the ENT. Poor Lily Anne, those ears are going to be the death of us.

On the other news front, things are going good with the home front. Lily Anne has really taken to the eating solids nows. She loves her new highchair! Since our original one has been recalled…it was free so I did not have a huge fit.

Even as much as to say…Hey Mom …FEED ME!!!


First day of Spring…bare knees. She was so cute and learned how to pull up on my leg..



We have finally put in her new big girl carseat...I think she liked it.


Daddy has taught her how to make a popping noise with your cheek..which I got some really good photos in the process. CHEESE?!?



So, along with all the first … why not add..pulling up in the crib. Oh Lily Anne, please put on the breaks.


And we turned 8 months...it has gone so fast! Me and Mich are amazed each day we have with her and to be able to say she is all ours. She has grown so much...and the tings she has learned how to do, wow. Here are photos of her big day.



Zoe wanted to part take in the photos...and what Lily Anne was doing with the grass.


New jammies are always followed by a new do! She is finally getting some hair. Even enough for us to play with…do you like the spike look?


And one last for everyone…How old does she look?