And the Winner Is...

MOMMY!!!

Lily had her 9 month check-up today. All is good. She continues to grow, grow, grow! If you read my previous post you can see that we had a little bet going on to see who could guess the closest to what Lily would measure in at. I won! Lily weighed in at 20 pounds 6 ounces (75th percentile) and she is 30 inches long (97th percentile). I am amazed at how many people can't believe how big she is for 9 months. We were at Village Inn the other morning and our waitress asked me how old she when I said 9 months she replied "WHOA...a big 9 months." By no means is she chubby, she is just tall. Well, duh...look at her Daddy. He is 6'5". So, obviously she gets it from him and not from my 5'2" stature.

I don't know if they told me this at her 6 month visit, but she didn't get any shots today. Dr. Russell said since she had been getting the Penticil (sp? the 5 in one shot) that she was up to date and didn't need any until her one year appointment. I didn't complain and neither did Lily. Is this normal? I don't know. It's odd how many people, including my family, say "You're a nurse, don't you know?" It is so different when it is your OWN child. I don't want to be her nurse. I want to be her Mommy. Plus, I don't take care of children on an everyday regular basis at the hospital, and our kids aren't getting immunizations anyhow. So there...NO...I DON'T know. :) It is so hard to believe that I made her one year appointment today. I say this all the time, but SERIOUSLY...where does the time go?!

Painted Piggies

Lily first had her piggies painted while over at Ma's house. Ma used to always paint Maddie's toenails, and she just HAD to paint Lily's. It, of course, has to be done while Lily is sound asleep or she would NEVER sit still long enough for anyone to do it and even if she did there would be a trail of polish around the house immediately following. The polish had worn off from when my Mom had done it so when Lily fell asleep the other night I took advantage of the opportunity and I painted her little piggies all pretty and pink!
Checking something out???

Smiles after her bath.

She says "Hurry up guys, I'm cold!"

So serious in the tub. I'm off to BabiesRUs today to replace her Ducky bathtub that somehow got a hole in it...I LOVE that thing! It is a must to replace!

I absolutely love this pic! All wild and crazy...her hair fits her personality!

What Was in the Oatmeal?

She likes to tell us how big she is, but when she does her breakfast ends up all over in her hair and a bath is almost always a must!
Lily has learned how to clap...all you have to do is say the word "clap" and she knows what to do. We were at my nephew's baseball game the other night and when other parents were clapping and cheering, Lily joined in with them!

Just a silly shot at the breakfast table.

Yelling with Maddie...look at all of those teeth! Jason calls her snaggletooth because her teeth aren't exactly straight and all in an even row. We are hoping when she loses her baby teeth that her permanent ones will grow in a little straighter.

Sticking her tongue out at all of us (as her breakfast goes shooting across the room!)

Another toothy, cheesy grin! I love them!

I will post again later today after her 9 month check-up. Madison, Jason and I all have bets on her height and weight. Here are our guesses:

Jason: 21 pounds and 29.5 inches

Madison: 21 pounds 28.5 inches

Mommy: 20 pounds 12 ounces and 30 inches (she is a long baby!)

Who will the winner be...results to be announced!

What Have I Done?

This is what nap time has become at the Kneifl house, and I have a pretty good feeling that it is MY fault. Lily used to lay right down in her crib and play for a while and then she would drift off to sleep on her own. When I am home from work I like to cuddle with her in my arms and we nap together. When I put her in her crib and she knows that Mom is home she cries and cries until Mommy comes to her rescue. This is a snapshot of today's naptime. She was like "Hey, Mommy is home. Why did she put me in here?!" I have some things I would like to get done around the house today so I can't take a nap with her even though I would love too! The poor thing is in her room shaking the crib rails as we speak with big tears and snot bubbles pouring down her face. I feel horrible, but I know she will soon cry herself to sleep, and that this is her mother's fault. I hate it now that she can pull herself up and that she grabs a hold of her crib and shakes the rails. She just sits in there on her little knees waiting for Mommy. It tears at my heart, but I think it is time to break the bad habit we have created.

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!