first birthday

so, I have managed to get myself a bit behind in blogging.  amazing how quickly that happens....

my baby turned one!  I can't believe it, but it happened.  Now that I think about it, her first birthday was kind of an emotional one for me.  I took a minute to write down my thoughts that day {and posted them here}, and I'm really glad I did.  even now, only a month later, I had almost forgotten how I was feeling. I was so happy to get to celebrate my baby's birthday for the first time, but also sad to see my tiny little girl growing up before my eyes. it was a day I had thought about for a long time, and it was just surreal that it actually came.  not to mention she has changed so much in just the past few weeks! I'm just trying to do my best to document all of these changes so I can look back at them one day. but back to the topic at hand...she turned one.  and oh, did she!

I took the day of her actual birthday off work. I actually had planned for Matt to be able to take off as well so we could spend the day as a family, but unfortunately that didn't work out.  so we had a mama & me day, which turned out to be just perfect.  we met Grandma Henry for lunch at Panera, we did some shopping for her party, and we hung out at home together. I broke out my camera, because I just wanted to remember her, as she was, on that day. :)

this picture is a perfect representation of Daisy & Lilly's relationship - I just love it.

and although she looks so serious here, I like this image because I think she looks a lot like me when I was a baby. :)

Matt did end up getting off work early, and when he got home we went up to Monkey Bizness with Aunt Sarah & Lexi for some birthday playtime.  The girls had a blast, and it was fun watching Lilly interact with other kids.  She's very quiet, but also very intrigued. :)  

After we were all played out, we grabbed some dinner on our way home and got the birthday girl a special cupcake.  I was planning a smash cake for her party, so didn't want her to spoil all the fun with a cupcake, but we gave her a bite and let her try it.  It was a hit {and she was subsequently impossible to put down that night.  I still can't decide if it was just coincidence or not, especially considering the mass quantities of cake she ate at her party didn't seem to even affect her}.

after the cupcake we let her open her first present...nothing exciting just a cute skip hop hippo lunch box and plate/bowl set.  I actually meant to get her something else, and am still planning to.  We wanted to get her a little table & chairs set for the kitchen, I just haven't found one I like yet. But this is probably the only year I can get away with being months late on her gift without her even noticing, so I'll take it.

by then it was way past bedtime and we had to call it a day.

we had a such a fun day celebrating her birthday...and whether or not she realized what was going on, she seemed to enjoy herself so I'm good with that. :)

I'll be back with a bazillion pictures from her party - we had even more fun that day!  

{12 months}

It's official.  My baby's not a baby anymore! {yes she is!}  As the doctor said at our 12 month check-up: You kept her alive for a whole year!  Yes, yes we did. :)  It has gone by SO incredibly fast, I just can't believe it.  But the past year has been so much fun! I may have gone a little overboard with the amount of photo projects for her first year, but when I sat down to put them all together for her party, I was so happy that I took the time to do them.  I now have a set of 12 monthly photos with the chalkboard like the one above {which hang in the frame that I used for my pregnancy weekly pictures in her room}, I have a set of 12 monthly photos with stats on them like the one below {which hung along with each of the monthly onesies as decoration at her party}, I have a photo book with each of her weekly photos {and a corresponding craft project with the fabric}, and I have a baby book that I've done a pretty darn good job of keeping up on if I may say so myself.  

Clearly I'm a sucker for memories, and as I was printing off all the pictures, and looking through it all, I was feeling quite proud of myself for one, that I managed to stick with all these projects for a full year, but more than that I was feeling so thankful that I have all of these memories to look back on.  I have my own mother to thank for this inherent need to document things...she can tell you exactly when I took my first steps, said my first words, she has books upon books full of photos and mementos, tons of wonderful memories for me to look back on.  And now we look back and compare them to Lilly, which is a whole new level of fun. :)  I hope I can keep up the trend and document her childhood for her as well as my mom did for me.  If nothing else, I know I'll have a bazillion photos to show her. That's what you get for being a photographer's child. :)

Stats ~ 21lbs 2oz (50th percentile)

            29 3/4" tall (70th percentile)

            She is slimming down...looks like she will be tall and slender. :)

Size ~ 9-12 month onesies and jammies still fit, otherwise wearing 12 or 12-18 months.  Pants have to be 12 months or they turn into capris - she has long legs like her mommy. :)

Sleeping ~ about the same here...bedtime between 7 & 8, and she usually sleeps solid until around 5am.  Teething and a few sick days have thrown that off a bit, but otherwise that's the norm.  After she eats at 5ish, she goes back to sleep usually until 7ish, sometimes 8 if we're lucky on the weekends.  She is just not much of a napper, on average she takes 2 naps a day for around 30 minutes each.  On the weekends we can sometimes get longer naps out of her, but that's because Daddy often naps with her.  Tough job, but somebody's gotta do it. :)

Eating ~  she is still a great eater, and still loves her milk.  We're working on moving to 3 full meals a day of real food, and I'm letting her dictate when she's ready to wean from breastfeeding - which by my guess isn't going to be any time soon.  We are going to work on ditching the bottles during the day, but will probably just switch to milk in a sippy cup to start, and when she's ready we'll ditch them all together (meaning I will get to ditch pumping at work - oh happy day!).  Honestly when I was pregnant and we first started breastfeeding I thought we would be lucky to make it a full year.  I had no intentions of breastfeeding longer than a year, but hoped we could make it that long.  Now, I'm thrilled that we've made it this far, and would be happy for her to nurse for another year if she wants!  The more I've learned about breastfeeding and about the benefits of breastmilk, the more thankful I am that she loves it so much. :)  Plus, as she gets older and is less interested in snuggles, that is one time I still get to cuddle her.  It's a win win!

Likes ~ books, giving kisses "dancing" (aka bouncing up and down, shaking her booty), pushing buttons of any kind (remotes, cell phones, toys, if it has a button she wants to push it!), standing on her own and cruising (she has taken steps, but isn't fully walking just yet), eating, shaking her finger at dogs, trying to pet the cats, blowing raspberries (every time she hears a sneeze or a noise that sounds like someone blowing a raspberry, she has to imitate - it is the cutest thing ever.)

Dislikes ~ laying on her back, especially on the changing table, the carseat (but only in the evening hours - I don't get it)

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

We had her birthday party this weekend...oh what fun it was.  I am totally THAT MOM, and planned a big party and put way too much effort into it, but it was a great time, and I loved all the little details so I have no regrets.  She was an ANGEL during the party, I couldn't believe it.  She had a tiny morning nap in the car that day, and nothing else, plus she has a tooth (maybe 2) coming in, so I was just sure she would be a monster the whole time.  I was so wrong!  She was a total ham, and seemed to love all the attention she got.  I kept reading about how babies often get freaked out at first birthday parties because of all the people and attention, but not this girl.  She ate it up.  She had a blast opening presents, and she tore up the smash cake I made her like it was her job.  It was her first time having that much sugar so I figured she'd be bouncing off the walls until at least 3am, but she actually went to bed perfectly and slept all night.  This kid, she amazes me!  Here are a couple pictures from my phone from her party...I will share a bunch more when I have them back. (yep, I had a photographer friend come take pictures for us - what, did you expect anything less?!?)

one.

I can hardly believe it, but our girl is officially ONE.  Right about this time, actually, one year ago today, we brought our beautiful daughter earthside.  I spent the toughest 2 days of my life getting her here, and have been rewarded with the most wonderful year of my life in return.  I can't even put into words how much I love this girl; watching her grow for the past year has been pure joy. She is the happiest little baby, with a smile that lights up the room.  She is friendly to just about everyone she sees, always saying "hi" and waving even to strangers.  She has an infectious laugh, an instant cure to the worst of days.  She could probably walk all the way down the street if she wanted to, but just hasn't yet realized her ability, so still stays safely tucked next to a wall, or holding a hand.  She has a lot to say to just about everyone, but most of it still comes out in her own language. I am constantly amazed at how smart she is, and my favorite thing in the world is to watch her mind at work. She absolutely loves books, especially when Daddy reads to her.  She broke the mold and has always been one of the happiest, most easy going babies.  She is perfect in every way, and I couldn't be more blessed to call her my own!

I still remember taking this picture one year ago...wide awake in the middle of the night in our hospital room, watching this little person sleep, trying to wrap my head around the fact that she was mine.  She was so tiny, so precious, and so perfect, and I just couldn't believe that she came from me.

Now, she's grown into this beautiful, happy little girl, and I couldn't be more proud to be her mama. 

 We had a fun day celebrating her birthday today, and I can't wait for this weekend when the real celebration happens!  

Happy Birthday to my beautiful little Lilly!  The first year has been wonderful, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us. You are one special girl, and we are lucky to have you in our lives!

{49 + 50 + 51 + 52 weeks}

aaaaannd, that's it!  a full year of weekly photos, in the books. HOLY COW.  

1) I can't believe I managed to keep up with this and do it every week for a full year.  

2) I can't believe it's already been a YEAR! 

3) look how much my baby has grown!  

It is truly amazing how much they grow in the first year.  I'm so glad I took the time to document it.  {even if it was a pain in the ass most weeks}  Now, off to make a photo book!

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

{11 months}

I will try to keep the rambling to a minimum, since I already wrote a whole post about how insane it is that our girl is ELEVEN MONTHS OLD already.  I will just say that this age has been so much fun!  Lilly is developing so much, and we can see her learning new things every day.  That has to be my favorite thing right now, watching her open up a book and look at the pages, or playing with one of her toys and trying to figure out how it works, just seeing her little mind in action.  That, and kisses.  I can never get enough kisses.  I don't care how wet and slobbery they are!  

We still haven't officially taken first steps, and although we're calling "hi" her first word, we haven't gotten any more since then.  I really think she's just on the verge of both, though, and I bet by her first birthday she will have done one or the other!  I'm in no hurry for her to walk though, that's for sure.  She's already hard enough to keep up with as it is!  As for talking, she makes a lot of sounds, but no real words still (other than HI!).  I've been trying to coax "mama" out of her for a while, but she's not interested.  She's great at using signs to communicate with us, though, and we're even working on new ones (she knows milk, more & all done, and now we're working on eat, drink & help).  She gets confused every now and then, and it's pretty adorable to watch her run through all of the signs trying to figure out which one she really means to use. :)

I can't believe it but we're just around the corner from the big FIRST BIRTHDAY!  I have been planning away, and it should be a fun little party for her.  I'm trying not to go too overboard, but I love me a good party planning adventure so I'm definitely having fun with it.  It should be a fun day for her, and at least I'll take a million photos to show her since she won't actually remember it. :)

Stats ~ no doctor's appointment this month, but weighed 22.2 lbs on our home scale.

Size ~ several. :)  In onesies she can still fit it a few 6-9 months, 9 months and 12 months are a little big.  In pants we are in mostly 9-12 or 12 months for length.  Jammies are still 9 months or 9-12.  Of course it also varies by brand.  I still can't figure out kids clothes sizing...with all of the spring consignment sales coming up I plan to stock up on spring/summer clothes, and as usual will probably buy a variety of sizes since I can never seem to predict what size she'll be in for the next season.

Sleeping ~ this is finally getting somewhat consistent!  For the most part, she goes down between 7-8 (usually falls asleep nursing still, but sometimes just snuggles and rocking put her to sleep after she eats), and sleeps in her room until around 5-530am when she wakes up to nurse again, and comes into our room. We go back to sleep for an hour or so on work days, a little longer on the weekends.  There are still some nights where she's up earlier, and she just comes into our bed those nights and goes back to sleep until she's ready to eat.  And of course there are some nights where she just wants to nurse all night long, that's usually when I know she's either not feeling great or hitting a growth spurt.  She's down to 2 naps a day, somewhere between 30 minutes to an hour each.  Definitely not the best napper, but that's nothing new.

Eating ~  not much of a change here, she is still nursing and taking bottles during the day, and eating at least 2 meals of solids a day.  She eats whatever we/Grandma eats, and seems to love just about everything she tries still.  Some favorites are blueberries, cheese, oranges, avocado & banana. A lot of people make big changes at a year with regards to milk & solids, but I don't think we're going to do much.  We will probably work on eventually dropping the daytime bottles, but I'm in no rush and I don't think she is either. :)

Likes ~ stuffed animals, books (especially pulling them ALL off her shelves), standing/walking around every piece of furniture in the house, giving kisses, playing ball with Daisy, bath time

Dislikes ~ laying on the changing table, being in the kitchen and not getting food, the carseat (sometimes), being tired

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

ramblings from the mom of an almost-one-year-old

So, apparently I'm feeling a little sappy tonight.  I planned to post a few pictures that we took last weekend for the first birthday invite - I started to write a little post about how she's already 11 months old, and well, yeah.  I guess I had a lot to say. :)  Feel free to skip the babble, and just look at the pictures if you'd like, I won't tell.

My girl is 11 months old today.  ELEVEN MONTHS.  I am in major denial that I almost have a one-year-old, but as I am knee deep in first birthday party plans, and putting together so many things to document the memories of her first year, I’m feeling very reflective.  I can’t help but remember back to about 4 years ago, when we had just gotten married, and were just starting what turned out to be quite a journey of trying to start our family.  I was so naïve then, I had no idea what it would actually take to finally see that positive pregnancy test, and to finally hold my baby in my arms.  I’m a big believer that everything happens for a reason, so I know that there was a bigger reason that it took 3 years before that positive test came up.  I spent so much of those 3 years imagining what it would be like to be pregnant, to give birth, to actually be a mother, to hold a baby, MY baby in my arms, to watch my baby grow in front of my eyes, all of these things that I’ve now done.  I honestly wasn’t sure I’d ever be in this place, reflecting back on my first year as a mama, so I must say it comes with a great deal of emotions.  The past year has been so crazy, so fun, so tiring, so AMAZING.  About this time last year I was starting to get pretty uncomfortable in my pregnancy, but was scared to death of what I would do with this baby once she was on the outside and was perfectly fine with the idea of her staying inside forever.  I had this love for her that I could not describe, I felt so bonded to her already and I hadn’t even met her.  We were in the midst of a move, life was crazy in every aspect and I just tried to focus on preparing for getting through labor and delivery, and bringing a healthy baby girl home.   Looking back, as prepared as I thought I was for going through labor, I had absolutely no idea what I was up against.  I think in my case that turned out to be a good thing, though. :)  The two days I was in labor with this girl were easily the most difficult two days of my life, and at the same time the most rewarding.  If ever I doubted my own strength, getting through labor and bringing that beautiful baby into this world with the help of my unbelievably supportive husband proved that I can do anything.  It also opened my eyes to how amazing a woman’s body is, and how it is built to be a mother.  There was a long time where I doubted if it was even possible for me, but I now know that I was made to be a mother, and I feel so blessed and so proud to be given that role.  I have never known a love like the love I have for my daughter, and I can’t imagine my life without her.  This past year, watching her go from inside my body to this tiny little person with her own personality, has been absolutely incredible.

  When we first brought her home I was terrified that I was not fit to take care of her, that I couldn't possibly be responsible for another person’s life, I felt so much pressure that this little person relied entirely upon me to survive.  Once the first week or so went by (and the hormones settled down), I realized how amazing it actually was that not only did I give birth to this little person, but that I could provide everything she needed all by myself. I was so blessed that we had (and still have!) a great breastfeeding relationship, and it was just another way that I realized how amazing my body can be.  The first 3 months that I spent at home with her were a bit of a whirlwind, just trying to figure out how to live life with a baby – everything was so different.  I spent so many days just sitting on the couch with her, nursing her, watching her sleep, sleeping with her, just soaking it all in.  Going back to work was incredibly hard, but it was so much easier knowing she is with someone who loves her more than she will ever know.  She is surrounded by love all day, every day, and I couldn't be more thankful for that.  Every month she grows and changes so much, and especially lately is learning something new just about every day.  I am constantly amazed at her little mind, how smart she is, how much she soaks in everything she sees.  She has a personality like her mama, laid back and a free spirit, always watching the world around her.  She looks just like her daddy, and has him wrapped around her finger already.  In the past 11 months, we have had the joy of watching her go from a tiny little baby, dependent on us for everything, to a little girl who has a mind of her own.

  She’s one of the happiest babies I've ever known, and she puts a smile on my face every single day.  When I think about how quickly her first year has gone, I’m sad that it’s flown by so fast, but excited for what the next year will bring.  I can’t wait to watch her continue to grow, and to see her personality continue to develop.  I know my journey as a mama is only just beginning, and although it’s been a wonderful ride already, I know it will only get better.  

{45 + 46 + 47 + 48 weeks}

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

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!