Santa

{I meant to post these with the Christmas recap, but it was long enough on its own}

Lilly paid her first visit to Santa a couple weeks before Christmas. We took her and her cousin Lexi to Bass Pro one evening, to see the jolly old guy.

It was all smiles and hugs at first...

Until we plopped her on santa's lap.  Looking back, we didn't really think the situation through.  We just handed her off, and ran to the side to take pictures.  She gave the big bearded guy one look, and was totally freaked out.  It made for a pretty awesome picture, though, I must say. :)

We tried to take one with all 3 of us, and me holding her, and it did turn out a little better, but she still has a look of terror on her face. Poor kid.  Since I was in that photo I didn't get it on my camera, but really the first one is the keeper.  Priceless. :)

Luckily she didn't seem to be too traumatized, as not even 5 minutes later we were able to take some pictures of her and Lexi and she was all smiles...

Maybe next year she'll be a little less terrified of the jolly old guy. :)

Lilly's first Christmas!

I've always heard people say how Christmas, and the holidays in general, are so much more fun once you have kids.  I never really doubted that, but I don't think I fully understood it either.  Now that we've been through our first holiday season with a little one I can say everyone was right!  It is all so much more special and fun when you get to see it through the eyes of a child.  Even though Lilly was only 9 months old this year, and really didn't understand much of what was going on, you could still see her excitement and it was contagious!

{sidenote: all of the photos in this post are a mix between phone snapshots and actual photos with the real camera.  I am lazy, however, and didn't edit any of the real photos, so just ignore that.}



We started the celebrations on Christmas Eve.  Our first stop was Grandma & Grandpa Henry's house.  We spent the afternoon watching Lilly open her presents (and opening a few of our own while we were at it...).  She had a blast, really I think the wrapping paper and bows were her favorite, but she enjoyed the toys she got too!


{you could probably make a drinking game out of the number of different Christmas outfits this kid had...I may have gotten a little excited when shopping for her...}







This drum was one of her favorites, and she immediately knew exactly what to do with it.  She plays with this thing pretty much daily, and still loves beating the crap out of it!







After the first round of presents, we all headed over to Mama T's house, for round 2.  Lilly once again showed off her present-opening skills, and although she didn't take the afternoon nap she needed and got a little cranky towards the end of the night, she still had a blast.  Christmas makes it easy to deal with a cranky baby, there are toys and presents {i.e. distractions} everywhere!





Eventually, all the excitement of the day got the best of her, and she was out for the count.


{outfit #2 for anyone counting...}

Lilly got some much needed sleep that night, while Matt and I stayed up late in "Santa's Workshop".  Here you can see our little Christmas Morning spread - the giant purple thing with her name on it is a growth chart handmade by Daddy (with a little help from Mommy too!) I'm hoping to start a tradition of a handmade gift each year, at least for the first few years...we'll see how that goes. :) Other than that, she just had one gift under the tree (clothes) and her stocking to open - I tried to reign it in, knowing that the rest of the family would spoil her rotten!



We got up on Christmas morning, had our coffee, and sat by the tree together to snap a few pictures.  Then we got to the fun part!









Our new stockings, filled up and ready to go (the snowflake one is for the pets)!  I took a picture of the contents of Lilly's before I filled it up...mostly just for my own memory :)  She got new sippy cups (that so far she isn't a fan of...), a hat, a book, a kids music CD, a rattle maraca thing, and a "Baby's 1st Christmas" ornament.  Another tradition I'm starting is putting an ornament in her stocking each year - Matt and I already do this for each other as well.

I took a video of Lilly (& Daddy) opening her one present under the tree...probably not very exciting but I just wanted a video to remember the day by. (and really, I'm glad I took this one because I didn't end up taking any others!)  Again, it's not the most exciting video, but I do find it quite hilarious that she had to check the tag and make sure it was for her. :)  Also - ignore the dorky narrator...

Once all of our presents were open, Lilly just crawled around enjoying the mess :)

The aftermath...

The next tradition beginning this year (if you can't tell I have a thing for traditions...) is Christmas breakfast.  I would like to have time to put a little more effort into it in the coming years, but this year it was cinnamon rolls.  I put them in the pan in the shape of a tree (sort of), so it felt festive enough.  Lilly had yogurt. :)

We got her into Christmas outfit #3, and snapped a quick picture before heading out for our day of family time.

We started out by going back to Grandma & Grandpa Henry's house where Lilly got to see her Great Grandma and her Great Aunt, Uncles & Cousin.  She of course opened more presents there, but I figure you've probably seen enough pictures of a baby playing with wrapping paper by this point. :)

We enjoyed a delicious Christmas lunch with the family (which Lilly loved every minute of)...

{outfit #4, covered by a bib - it's just another "first Christmas" shirt}

After our wonderful meal, we packed up and headed down to Grandma & Papa German's house for the last celebration of the day. {we changed back into outfit #3 for the occasion}

Lexi & Lilly spent some quality time together, and even let us take a few pictures.  I know the next few years are going to be so much fun to watch these girls play together.  Lexi is such a great big cousin, she just loves "baby Lills" to pieces.  They both got showered with toys, and spent most of the evening opening and playing with everything.

{back to outfit #2 again}

Lilly finally wore herself out and conked out for the night, after yet another delicious meal.  It's definitely hectic going to so many holiday celebrations each year, but getting to eat a big meal at each one makes it totally worth it!  Oh, and getting to see all of the family is great too. :)

All in all, we had a great Christmas, and I think Lilly did too!  I can only imagine what the next few Christmases hold for us...it's going to be so fun!  

{10 months}

10 months?? TEN?? When did that happen?? I can't believe our baby girl is getting close to her first birthday.  Everyone tells you how fast the first year goes, but I really didn't expect it to go this fast.  I'm glad I've taken a lot of pictures, because I feel like it's gone by in the blink of an eye!

This is by far my favorite age so far (and yes, I will probably continue to say that every month - get used to it).  She is so much fun right now...so interactive, so smart, and just so stinking cute!  I think she has really developed a lot over the past month, and I have a feeling this next month is going to be a big one too.  She isn't quite walking yet, but I know it's right around the corner.  She got several push-toys for Christmas, and she LOVES walking behind them, just strolling around the house.  Speaking of Christmas, it was her first Christmas this month!  Oh how fun Christmas becomes when you have a kid.  I cannot even wait for next year, when she understands more of what's going on.  She had a blast this year though, despite not really understanding why we saw so many people in the course of a couple of days, and wondering why she kept getting to rip paper off of things and then play with a new toy.  (more to come on her first Christmas...someday I'll get the pictures edited and a post written...)

Unfortunately, right after Christmas we both ended up sick, and she had her first real fever.  Luckily it only lasted for about 24 hours, but it was so sad to see her like that, she was not herself at all.  I will admit I did enjoy spending an entire day with her on the couch where we did nothing but snuggle and sleep, but it would have been nicer without the matching 101* fevers.  She was back to her happy self the next day thank goodness, and luckily I was feeling better by then too (when I first realized I had a fever I was having panic attacks thinking about how I was going to take care of both of us.)

Anyway, on a happier note, like I said this girl is just a ball of fun lately.  And getting to be so smart!  I'm sure every mom thinks their kid is a genius, but I will say I am constantly impressed with the things she picks up on.  She has finally gotten the hang of baby sign language, and pretty much just does the sign for milk all day long now.  We're working on that. :)  She also gives kisses on command - cutest. thing. ever.  I could seriously sit around all day getting kisses.  I don't even care that half the time she opens her mouth and sticks her tongue out so you get a slobbery mess of a kiss.  Still adorable!

I still haven't made the call on her first word just yet.  She says "hiiiiiiiii" all the time, and usually in the right context, so I guess I should probably just go ahead and say that's it.  Other than that she just points at anything and everything and says "duh".  I know there are some words in there trying to get out, so I'm sure it won't be long before she's talking our ears off.  I'm patiently waiting for "mama" to come back, too...

Anyway, enough blabbing, on to the official update!

Stats ~ no doctor's appointment this month, but weighed 20.8 lbs on our home scale.

Size ~ mostly wearing 9 months, still fits in 6 month onesies, but not pants.  It's about time for another round of closet cleaning (and subsequently, shopping!)

Sleeping ~ sleep is really up and down.  Some nights are great and she'll go down just after 7, and sleep until she wakes up to eat around 5.  Other nights she wakes up at 10, 1, 3, or some combination of those and either Matt can go in and rock her back to sleep, or she just comes to our bed for the rest of the night and snuggles with me, or occasionally wants to eat in the middle of the night.  I think there is just so much going on developmentally right now, that her little body doesn't have time for sleep.  At least that's what I'm telling myself. :)

Eating ~  she loves food, and loves nursing just as much.  I haven't seen any decrease in the amount of breastmilk she wants, but she's eating more and more solid food every day. She's tried tons of new things, and still loves pretty much everything she tries.  She also has a funny new habit of "talking" the entire time she eats.  Basically just making random noises while she shovels in food, but it's quite entertaining (until you are out in public in a quiet place eating...) Also, we are officially THOSE PEOPLE that go to a restaurant and leave it looking like a food-tornado went through.  Always tipping a little extra these days... :)

Likes ~ the remote (she got a Fisher Price one for Christmas that she does like to play with, but it seems there is no substitute for the real thing), reading books (both with Daddy and on her own), pulling every toy out of the various baskets around the house and in her room, pointing at anything and everything, giving kisses, stuffed animals - particularly a KU sock monkey, a KU teddy bear at grandma's house, and her first baby doll.

Dislikes ~ nothing new here: diaper changes or changing clothes, the carseat, laying down on her back in general, not getting a bite if you are eating in front of her

Current Nicknames ~ boog, boogie, Moe, Lilly bean, Lilly pie, Lills

{42 + 43 + 44 weeks}

{to see all of Lilly's weekly photos, click here}

Merry Christmas!

{39 + 40 + 41 weeks}

Can I take a minute to complain about how difficult these pictures are getting to take??  Don't get me wrong, I love this project, and already love looking  back to see her change from week to week, however it's a real pain in the arse to get the picture these days.  For one, our weekends seem to fly by and I am constantly forgetting to take the picture on Sundays.  So then Monday rolls around and I realize I have to try and squeeze it in after work - well it gets dark at like 2 in the afternoon these days so I don't have a chance of using natural light when I get home at 5:30, and I HATE using a flash. But I do, and just deal with shadows and harsh light.  But worst of all, this kid does not like being on her back, and REALLY does not like staying still.  So getting her to lay down, look at me, and not roll over and crawl away in 2.5 seconds is pretty much a miracle.  This was so much easier when she was a tiny blob of a newborn and just laid there for me to take endless pictures.  SIGH.

It may be a giant pain in my butt, but it will all be worth it I know.  :)

{to see all of Lilly's weekly pictures, click here}

{9 months}

9 months!  Holy cow!  She's officially been on the outside as long as she was in the inside.  CRAZY.  This girl is busy these days, let me tell you.  She is officially on-the-go, all the time.  She is so much fun right now!  And she's starting to look so grown up...FINALLY her bottom 2 teeth have cut through.  I was starting to wonder if she was ever going to get teeth.  They've just barely popped through the gums, so you can't see them much yet, but they're coming in!  We had a few rough days/nights because of it, but she is definitely on the upswing and {almost} back to her happy self!

This month included 2 celebrations ~ Mama's birthday, and Lilly's first Thanksgiving!  My birthday was pretty low-key this year {I'm officially old.}, but it was fun to spend the day with my girl.  Thanksgiving was a hit, probably her favorite holiday to date since it all centered around eating, and that's one of her favorite things to do these days. She eats just about anything and everything, and loves it!  In fact, she gets quite upset if you eat in front of her and don't offer her any. :)

Her little personality is really starting to come out, and she's interacting SO much now, I love it.  She plays peek-a-boo, does "touchdown" anytime the word is spoken, crawls everywhere, may or may not have said her first word {she says "hiiiiiiii" all the time, and at least half of the time says it to someone, but we haven't officially counted it as her first word yet...}, she's just an all around good time. I'm sure I'm just a typical mom here, but I feel like she is SO smart.  She is really starting to understand things, repeat things we do, and it just amazes me.  I love watching her learn. :)

Stats ~ 19lbs 3 oz (65th percentile)

             28 1/4" tall (75th percentile)

             17 1/2" head circumference {75th percentile)

I don't know if she's actually lighter than she was a month ago, or if it's just the difference in my scale at home and the scale at the doctor's office.  I wasn't sure they read it right when they said 19lbs 3oz, Matt and I both were expecting her to weigh more.  The doctor even said she looks chunkier than that (in the nicest way).  She is crazy active all day now, though, so she very well could be getting leaner.  Looks like she may be tall and skinny. :)

Size ~ mostly wearing 9 months, a few 6 month things still fit

Sleeping ~ we seem to have finally turned a corner in the sleep department, once we got past the teething nightmare.  That caused us several nights of a million wake ups, and a lot of snuggles.  I don't mind the snuggles, but I hate seeing my baby in pain. Luckily that only lasted a few nights, and since then we have slowly been getting better nights of sleep.  I hope this trend continues. :)

Eating ~  she still eats breastmilk 5-6 times a day, eats dinner with us every night, and has a snack usually at Grandma's house.  I stopped keeping track of the new foods she tries, because at this point it's almost something new every day.  She eats what we eat for the most part, and I usually add in a fruit or veggie for her.  She loves veggie sticks for a snack, and I don't think she's tried a food she hasn't liked yet.  Some things she definitely favors over others (cheese, yogurt, bread, bacon, avocado), but she's tried everything we've given her and never turned anything away.  Atta girl!

Likes ~ waving, saying "hiiiiii" (in the sweetest little high pitched voice), the remote, watching Daisy play ball, hearing various animal sounds (for some reason the monkey and dog really crack her up), reading books (Daddy reads to her every night before bed, and I often catch her when she's playing by herself "reading" - turning the pages and babbling to herself, pointing at the pictures), food, standing, socks (but not on her feet, she just likes to carry them around...), pointing, banging toys together, I could go on...

Dislikes ~ diaper changes or changing clothes, the carseat, laying down on her back in general, not getting a bite if you are eating in front of her

Current Nicknames ~ boog, boogie, Moe

Lilly's first Thanksgiving

Gobble Gobble!

Let me just say, that this holiday could not have come at a better time in this kid's life.  She is finally getting the hang of eating solid food, and LOVES TO EAT, so this holiday had her name all over it.  And her shirt - gobble gobble gobble - very fitting, as that's just what she did.

We started our day off at Mama T's for Thanksgiving lunch with the family.  Lilly enjoyed turkey, mashed potatoes & green beans.  She happily ate alongside everyone else, and just all around enjoyed herself.  I'm telling you, put food in front of this girl - she's a happy camper.

We came home from our first Thanksgiving celebration and started preparing for the next.  Not only was it Lilly's first Thanksgiving, it was our first time hosting Thanksgiving dinner.  We had Matt's side of the family over for dinner, and it was so much fun. :)  Before the table was full of food I thought it was only fitting to sit the baby on it for a photo op....

Or 3. :)

Anyway, as I said this was our first time hosting - aka my first time cooking - Thanksgiving dinner. I had lots of help from my wonderful Mother in Law and Sister in Law, so it really wasn't bad at all.  My biggest fear was messing up the turkey, but I think we did ok!  Matt even looked like a pro carving it up...

And, once again, Lilly gobbled her food right up.  I think she tried a bit of everything at this meal, and holy cow did we have tons of food.  She had more turkey, ham, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, stuffing, bread...and I don't even remember what else.  As you can see, she was one happy turkey. :)

All in all, I think everything turned out great!  It was so fun to have our house full of family, and I certainly wouldn't mind hosting again.  

And I think Lilly will agree with me that Thanksgiving is one of the best holidays out there.  Any holiday that centers around eating is a winner in our book.  :)