Dear Lily,

Dear Lily,

Today you are nine months old. I can't believe it! I remember the day we brought you home from the hospital. It was the happiest day of my life. You are a complete joy and the light of my life. You have accomplished so many things already as such a small person. You are definitely Daddy's little girl, but I know that you think Mommy is pretty special too. My favorite thing is your toothy little smiles in the morning when I first pick you up out of your crib or when you see me after I have been gone at work all night. Those nights are the hardest for Mommy. I don't like to be away from you. I think that is evidenced by the fact that I have only been out one time with friends since the day you were born! I know that sounds crazy, but I am even crazier when I am away from my baby girl.

Your milestones thus far include: crawling everywhere and very quickly, pulling yourself up (in your crib, on the stairs, and onto the couch, you have 5 teeth that are all the way in and some more on the way, you eat 3 plus meals a day with snacks in between, you drink 4 bottles a day averaging 26 ounces a day, you don't care for juice, you love when Pa Mike gives you water from a cup, your favorite snacks are Gerber Cheeto Puffs, you do eat some table food but not a lot yet, you are able to tell us how big you are, you can show us your tummy when asked, you give kisses only sometimes, you can wave hi and bye-bye, you know what "no" means but you do it anyways, you can say "mama, Mom, baba and dada", you usually take 2 naps a day and sometimes 3 and you prefer to take them with Mommy than alone in your crib (which is A-okay with mommy!), you love to be outside, you like to spend time with your cousins and Maddie is pretty special to you because you laugh and smile when you see her, you don't care for regular TV cartoons or shows, but you do still like your Baby Einstein movies, you love to swim and you love baths and playing in the bathtub, you are getting better in church, and today you crawled up some stairs all by yourself.

Lily, these are just a few of the many things you can do so far in your short little life. I can't wait for you to experience so much more and to see you grow up and be able to learn and do so much more. I have already picked out the cake for your first birthday party because I know if I don't do it now it will sneak up on me just like the last nine months have! Sweet, sweet baby girl, I hope you know how very much I love you. I hope you don't get too mad at me for picking you up out of your crib at night when you are sound asleep so I can hold you and cuddle with you. Sometimes those are the only chances I get...you don't like to cuddle very much these days. You are always on the go! Please know that you have changed my life in ways that I could have never dreamed possible. I wear a constant smile on my face and in my heart because of you.

Love,

Mommy

Just Like Mommy???

Will Lily be a nurse just like her Mommy??? We'll see! I saw these cute little scrubs in the gift shop at the hospital and I had to have them! Pa Mike wasn't so sure about them though...oh well...I thought she looked super cute in them!
My little RN.

Summer Fun

Lily swinging at the park.
In the Old Market with Maddie and Ma

Lily's stinky face with Pa Mike at Jahrran's baseball game

Who knows?!

Playing in the grass.

Lily has had a fun summer so far. She gets to play with her cousin, Madison, Mondays-Wednesdays because Jason and I are watching her this summer. Lily grins from ear to ear when Maddie walks in the door in the morning! So far Lily has been to Okoboji, to the park, downtown to the Old Market and to lots and lots of her cousins baseball and softball games. Lily was a little trooper today. She woke up at 6:30 and only had an hour nap from 10-11, and then we spent the day with Ma and Maddie downtown. We had lunch and enjoyed strolling through some of the little shops. After that we went to see my sister at work. She works at the Med Center, so of course we had to stop up on my floor to show Maddie and my mom around. After that we went to Jahrran's baseball game and then to dinner with daddy. We finally made it home a little after 8pm with one crabby baby girl. After a bottle and a bath she is tucked into her crib and sound asleep for the night!

Lily has her 9 month checkup on the 16th. I am anxious to see how much she weighs and even more anxious to see how tall she is! So far she has 5 teeth with some more coming in on top. She has been off and on fussy with this. She is crawling everywhere and into everything! What am I going to do when she starts to walk?! Lately she has become very squirmy...she rolls all over the place when I change her diaper. And it is pretty cute to see her little naked butt roll over and take off crawling...she thinks it is pretty funny, but Mom doesn't! We hope everyone is doing well and enjoying summer...I will update again after her checkup.

Crawling

Well...it's official...it is time for Mom to run! Lily is up and crawling! She has been so close for about 6 weeks now and just before I left for work last night she took off! We used Jason's cell phone for bait...Jason kept tossing his phone out in front of her and she'd get up and crawl right after it. It is pretty cute to see, but I know we are in trouble from here on out! These first moments are so fun and neat to experience as a mom and dad, but sad at the same time because it is proof of just how fast our babies grow up. Don't get me wrong...I was thrilled to see her up and crawling, but it also brought tears (a lot of them) to my eyes. Jason took some video of her, and as soon as we upload it to the computer I will post it on here.

Okoboji

Lily with Daddy down by the Lake.
The family at Arnold's Park

A tired little girl after a long day.

Family pic after the wedding.

Swimming with Mommy

Playing with her cousins.

Beautiful sunset.

Jason, Lily and I travelled up to Lake Okoboji this past week and weekend for a friend's wedding. We were able to enjoy 5 days and 4 nights of pure beauty and time away from home. On the way up we made a pit stop in Sioux City to Jason's sister's house to surprise Lily's cousins. It was so fun to see them run off of the school bus and run into the house and say..."Is Lily here!?"

The weather in Okoboji was cool and rainy most of our stay, but none the less we still had a great time. We stayed at the Inn of Okoboji and our room was right on the lake. There was a nice outdoor pool, but because of the weather we were only able to swim in the indoor pool. We made a few trips to Arnold's Park, but the first day we went it wasn't open yet. Apparently, the town doesn't really open up until Memorial Day weekend. We went back the next day and all of the shops were open so we spent some time just wandering through them. We never did get a chance to actually get out on the lake, but we will for sure be visiting again! We got home on Sunday afternoon so I could work on Sunday night. On Monday we enjoyed the company of my family for a nice BBQ at our house.

Lily has been...not too bad...but a little crabby lately because she is teething...like CRAZY! A week and a half ago she had one and a half teeth (the second hadn't completely come through yet). Today, she has 5 teeth! I swear each time she goes to bed and wakes up she has a new tooth! She now has 3 on the bottom and 2 on the top. Poor baby...it must hurt like heck!

Lots Going On!

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all you Mommy's out there! I got to spend the day exactly how I wanted to...I got to sleep all day! To any of you who knew me before I had Lily you know that I really, really, really miss those days! Jason got up with Lily and got her ready for church. The two of them went to church and then came home and continued to let Mommy sleep. I had to work that night so it wasn't like I was just plain being a bum...but even if I didn't have to work...I would have still wanted to SLEEP! My mom and Maddie came over and brought me a plant for our front porch...very pretty. I was sad to have to go to work, but at 9:00pm Lily and Jason showed up at work! They brought me my mother's day cards and my gift. They got me Aqua Globes...so I don't kill the plant my mom bought me! They left at 10:00pm and then shortly after I got throwing up sick at work, so I ended up having to come home, but all in all it was a great Mother's Day!

Tuesday, Lily and Jason and I got to meet a new addition to the Kneifl family. We drove to Des Moines just for the day to meet Miles Nicholas Kneifl. He is the son of Jason's brother Matt and his wife Sabina. Miles decided to join this world 3 1/2 weeks early, but he is doing well...and so darn cute! I'm not sure Lily even realized there was a tiny baby there...she was more into the cat roaming around. She wouldn't take her eyes off of the cat.

Lily turned 8 months old on Tuesday. She is so close to crawling...she just needs to figure out to move her arms. Jason and I look awfully silly on the floor trying to teach her this. She is more verbal these days, which also means she is louder than ever! She has nothing quiet about her. She says ba-ba, and ma-ma mostly. Her new trick...which is also my favorite...is that she can hold her own bottle! This is so nice because I can now put her at my feet in the mornings, give her a bottle, and then I can get ready without 20 different interruptions attending to a baby throwing a fit! Lily almost has 2 teeth...the second one hasn't popped all the way through yet, but it is close. Lastly, Lily is starting to mimick us. It is cute, but we also have to be more and more careful of what we say and do!

Egg Hunt and Puppet Show

Ma, Lily, Mommy and Maddie

Lily watching the Puppets.

Lily and Uncle Justin...and actually NOT crying!

Pa Mike, Lily and Ma

Our little family

She found an egg!

Lily and her cousins...Jahrran and Madison

Playing before bed.

Last night was the annual Easter Egg Hunt at church. It was postponed earlier in April due to bad weather. Jason and I took Lily and her cousins were there too. She wasn't shy about getting eggs and putting them into her basket! She picked them up all by herself and then they went instantly into her mouth and then we had to pry them loose from her little hands and put them into her basket. After the hunt the church youth groups put on a puppet show. It was really neat and Lily really like it! She was good the entire night (a rare thing these days) except for an occassional outburst, and then we had a nice dinner at La Mesa with my mom and dad...and we were lucky enough to get a seat by the big fountain which kept Lily entertained throughout the meal! I have been looking back at pictures of her and I can't believe how much she is changing...she is getting so much more hair and she is babbling all the time. She is our blessing and we love her more and more everyday!

Crawling Soon?

Jason and I are wondering if Lily will soon be crawling...if that is the case I'm running for the hills! Just kidding...she is into everything now and she is just rolling...what will it be like the more mobile she becomes?! Since Lily has been about 6-6 1/2 months old she has preferred to sleep on her stomach, knees tucked, and butt in the air, and she has occassionally gotten herself up onto her knees while playing. Nothing more than that...until today. Lily spent the night with Ma and Pa Mike last night and I went to pick her up this morning after I got off work. Jason met me there because he was going to be gone all day and wouldn't have seen her otherwise. To our surprise our Little Miss Sassy Pants (I'll get into that in another post) props herself right up into the crawling position and starts rocking herself back and forth. She did this a few times and we were all shocked! She hasn't been able to really get herself anywhere yet, but I'm certain she will very SOON be off and crawling! She has been doing this ALL day. I just think to myself...rolling then crawling and then walking...where does this time go?!

Hoppy Easter and Happy 7 Months!

Our sleeping beauty with her new shades...she will only leave them on if she is asleep!
Lily and the Easter Bunny...she wasn't sure what to think!

Swinging at Grandma Romaine's on the farm in Newcastle.

Such a big girl riding on the tractor with Daddy!

Cousin Justin thought this was funny...so did everyone else!

Lily in her bunny jammies...Madison wore these 11 years ago!

All pretty and ready for Church.

Lily's easter present from Ma and Pa Mike.

Daddy got to join us for Easter Dinner on his lunch break.

Happy Easter everyone! We had a fun filled weekend with lots of family and good food. On Saturday we hopped in the car and drove up to Newcastle to see Jason's family. Lily's cousins (Justin, Rachel and Mitchell) were all there so Lily enjoyed playing ALL day with them! We had a nice lunch and then went to the Newcastle Fire Hall for an Easter Egg Hunt, and Lily got to see the Easter Bunny for the first time...we still aren't sure what she thought of him. After the hunt we came back to Grandma Romaine's and played outside for awhile. Lily got to see the kitty cats and the cows. She loves the cows on her Baby Einstein DVD's, but she didn't really think much of the real thing. After a nice dinner we drove back home because Jason had to work today. It was a quick trip, but lots of fun!

This morning I took Lily to church and then we went to Ma and Pa Mike's for Easter Dinner. Today is also Lily's 7 month birthday and she had to make it egggstra special by getting her first tooth! I knew it was coming because for the last couple of months she has been constantly drooling and putting EVERYTHING in her mouth. She was chewing on her finger today at my parent's and my Aunt asked me if she had any teeth yet...I said as of last night no she didn't. I put my finger in her mouth and VOILA...there it was!

Jason keeps telling Lily to please stop growing up. She is such a DADDY'S GIRL and I think it makes him a little sad at how much she is changing and how fast she is growing up. It is so neat to watch my husband with my little girl. He is the WORLD'S BEST DADDY, and he would do anything for her. It is amazing to watch her little eyes light up when he walks in the door from work. He is a total goof with her and she loves it! I love them both to pieces!