Happy Anniversary!

Today Jason and I celebrate 3 years of marriage together and my mom and dad celebrate 38 years.  I can say that we have had one year of happiness and two years of pregnancy...LOL!  On a serious note...I love my husband very much and I could not have asked for a better daddy to our little girl.  I can't wait for the years to come with him and our family. 

 My mom and dad have been an inspiration to us having been together for 38 years and for having raised a wonderful family.  They are always there for their children and grandchildren.  They would give us the shirts off of their backs and I can say that they have bailed each of us kids out of trouble a number of times.  They have been there for us during our most trying times in our lives and they have been there for us during our most glorious times in our lives.  They are the best grandparents our kids could ever hope for.  The only mistake Jason and I made was choosing to get married on their anniversary...now we never have a babysitter!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad and Jason!

Hot, Hot, Hot!

I wish I would have taken a picture of the first outift Lily had chosen to wear last night.  We were outside playing on the driveway waiting for Jason to get home from work.  When he got home and saw Lily he said, "What in the heck does she have on?!"  I told him that she picked it out and I was fine with it.  She made quite the fashion statement.  She had on a tank top with her hot pink shorts...fine.  Over that she had on her tutu from her birthday last year and then she had on her Moo Cow rain boots...hilarious!  I told her she looked like a beautiful princess.  She kept running through the neighbors sprinkler in the tutu and I didn't want to ruin it so we put her in her swimming suit and then she ran through the sprinklers while Jason watered the yard.  At least the two of them got some relief from the heat!

Countdown

29 Weeks

Me (29 weeks) Kylie (35 weeks)

Me, my mom and my sister

When I was pregnant with Lily I started my countdown to her birth at 30 weeks.  I don't know why, but at 30 weeks I could see the end in sight.  So...I am officially on my countdown to my countdown!  I will be 30 weeks on Friday and then only 10 more weeks to go...hopefully!  These past few weeks I have gone back and forth with my decision to do a VBAC versus a repeat C-section.  If anyone has any advice or can help reassure me that a VBAC really is safer please send me a little note...I am needing some reassurance right now. 

We have our 3D ultrasound on Thursday so I can't wait to see the little guy/gal again!  Lily will be with us too, and I think it will be good for her.  She is understanding that there is a baby in mommy's tummy.  Everyday she lifts up my shirt and talks to the baby and kisses and hugs the baby.  I'm just still not sure how it will go when she realizes once the baby is here we can't give it back! 

My sister is really on her countdown!  She is due on Lily's birthday, September 12th.  She knows the baby will be here sooner than that because our Dr. will be out of town September 11-15th and if she hasn't had the baby by then she will be induced.  I think that the both of us being pregnant has Lily a little confused...she sometimes thinks there is a baby in everybody's tummy...even in her daddy's!  She lifted her shirt up the other day and I asked her what her tummy was and she said, "BABY"!  Uh oh. 

I still feel pretty good and my only real complaint is this ridiculous heat and humidity!  I am really looking forward to the fall and yes even the winter!

Toy Story 3

I have been wanting to take Lily to Toy Story 3 ever since it came out, but Jason and I have been a little bit leary on how she would behave.  Wednesday evening after I got home from some meetings I said what the heck!  Let's go!  Maddie babysat Lily ALL DAY...a first for a babysitter...and she did great!  I got home around 4:10pm and the movie started at 4:30 so Maddie, Lily and I hurried up and packed into the car and headed to the movies!  We got there just as the previews were ending and the movie was starting...couldn't have timed it better.  Lily brought her baby and her blankie in with her and she sat in a booster seat that the theater provide.  She sat in between Maddie and myself and she did awesome!  I was so proud of her.  She sat there with her baby and a large bucket of popcorn in her lap and just watched the movie.  She sat still for a good hour and then she wanted to get up.  We were the only people in the last two rows of the theater and the theater really had very little people in it anyways at that time so I was fine letting her walk across the back row where we were sitting.  She still paid attention and watched the movie, but I guess she just wanted to walk around a bit.  This was her first movie and I still wouldn't take her to a packed theater or at a busy time, but I am very, very proud of her! 

The Search is Over

Lily says, "Don't send me Mommy!"

I have been on the search again for a daycare for Lily and the baby.  While it has made me nearly ill to even think about it, it is something we have to do.  I just have horrible thoughts about it since what has already  happened to her.  I wish that Jason or I could just stay home with our babies, but that isn't an option for us right now.  Anyway, I am happy to say that I think we really did find a great place for our kids this time.  Lily will start one-two days a week in September.  The baby will start in January once I go back to work from my maternity leave.  It is in the same neighborhood that she briefly went before...right up the street from us, and it is the same in home daycare that our neighbor's two boys go to.  At least Lily will have two familiar faces there with her!  The biggest PLUS about this daycare is that it is run by TWO sisters...yes...TWO of them!  There is always TWO people there at ALL times.  This is huge to me.  I don't know how one person can keep track of 8+ kids?!  I have a hard time with my one sometimes!  Each sister watches four kids.  Usually three older kids and one baby under 12 months.  They have a baby starting in December and then ours will start in January.  They are really fun and upbeat and wonderful gals...I think Lily will learn to like it there.  I say "learn" because she had quite an adjustment period last time.  I will post more about the daycare thing once she starts!  Please pray for us and for my SANITY in this situation...it hasn't been easy!

Is This My Kid?

Saturday night Jason and I took Lily to a couples shower in North Bend.  It was for a college friend of Jason's who is getting married this Labor Day weekend in Wisconsin.  Lily had only had one nap during the day so I was a little worried about how she may handle the evening.  No worries needed!  I couldn't believe it!  Lily played with some other kids...all older than her and she only came teary eyed looking for Momma once.  She played with the dogs, she danced, she laughed, she smiled, she ate and NO meltdowns, no fits, no nothing!  She had a great time which allowed for Jason and I to have a good time too!  Thanks Silly Lily!

22 Months Old

Dear Lily,

Today you are 22 months old...yes...almost 2 years old!  I cannot believe my baby girl will be two years old in just 2 short months.  I love you more and more everyday.  You put a smile on my face and in my heart.  You are my pride and joy and you make my life worth living.  You are my reason for being.  I can't even begin to imagine or even remember how our life once was before you came a long.  You are ornery as ever, but what can I expect...you are MY child!  You are as curious as ever and into EVERYTHING.  You 100% know what "NO" means, but you do it anyways and then you look at mommy and daddy with those big brown eyes so how could we possibly ever get mad at you?!  Those big brown eyes get us everytime.  You are beautiful with your hair that gets redder and redder everyday and you soft little curls that hang down your back.  You probably need a haircut soon, but mommy doesn't want to do it...she doesn't want to lose those curls.  You change so much everyday and so I continue to take a million pictures of you everyday because I don't want to miss anything.  You are growing up right in front of daddy and I.  You are looking at me right now with a strange look on your face as if asking me, "Mommy, why are you crying?"  I tell you "because I love you more than anything in this entire world." 

About a month ago you gave your daddy and I the biggest scare of our lives.  I will not write about it in your blog, but I promise to tell you about it one day.  I do not take any single day for granted with you and I do not want to have any regrets in the way your daddy and I have raised you.  You are the best and most important thing that has ever happened to us...please never forget that Lily Rose. 

You continue to be your daddy's little girl and it shows that you love him so very much.  You wake up every morning and the first thing you usually say is, "Where's dada?"  You continue to ask for him throughout the day until he comes home from work.  I love nighttime because you are usually pretty cuddly and you love to rock in your new rocking chair.  You love to read books and you I think mommy and daddy have The Princess and the Frog and Finding Nemo memorized.  You have really enjoyed the summertime.  You love to color with your chalk on the driveway and go to the parks and on walks.  Once you are outside it is awful hard to get you back inside.  Each night we find our big bright shining star off to the west of our house and you tell it goodnight...we call her Evangeline just like in The Princess and the Frog. 

Some of your new words and sayings are: No I not!, No you didn't!, I don't know. Hiiiiiiieeeeee.  Your vocabulary continues to grow everyday and you chatter more and more, but we are still working hard to always figure out what you are trying to tell us. Daddy has even taught you some sign language that you have been using.  You can sign please, more and thank you. You love to swim and you still love to play with your cousins and your grandmas and grandpas.  You have a new love for babies.  Mommy has some friends with new babies and you love to hug them, hold them, and kiss them...you even sat on baby Rylee when you and mommy babysat her!  You know that there is a baby in mommy's tummy and you give the baby kisses everyday and you hug it and pat it, but mommy and daddy aren't sure you really understand that there will be a real baby that we can't give back coming to live with us in October.  We are working hard to try and teach you about our new baby.  

You still remain a picky eater, and it often frustrates mommy and daddy, but I think you do the best you can.  Breakfast is always your best meal of the day and dinner is always your worst.  You are growing so we aren't too worried.  Your biggest news is that you have started sleeping in your new room and in your big girl bed!  You have done so well and really impressed mommy and daddy!  I could write an entire book to you Lily.  I just want you to know how very blessed your daddy and I feel to have you as our daughter.  We are so proud of you and we love you to the moon and back little girl.

Love,
Mommy

Lily and her Big Girl Bed

I wasn't going to put Lily in her new room until at least August...at the earliest.  I wanted to give her about a month to adjust to it.  This happened a little earlier than planned, but it is going AWESOME!  On Tuesday night Lily kept waking up crying and whining.  Jason rocked her and we brought her into our bed but she kept whining and would not fully go back to sleep.  Finally, I decided to lay in her new bed with her to see how it went.  I laid with her until she fell asleep and we did not hear a peep out of her for the rest of the night.  The next day I laid her down for her nap in her new bed too, and I was amazed!  She laid right down, said night, night to me and slept for nearly 3 hours.  She even called for me when she woke up and did not get out on her own.  She has slept in her new room ever since and has done fabulous!  Last night around 5:30am she did wander into our room and into our bed but I am pretty sure the thunderstorms scared her and woke her up.  I had been shutting her door at night, but it gets to warm in her room so now I put the baby gate at the top of the stairs and close the other door upstairs (ours stays open) and we have a night light in her room and in the hallway...so far so good!  I will post pictures of her new room soon...I have just a few more tiny details to do in there.

Bump Watch

My sister (31 weeks) and me (25 weeks and 2 days)

Good news is that I passed (nearly skimmed by) my 3 hour glucose test so I do NOT have gestational diabetes...YAY!  Since I barely passed the test and failed one of the hours horribly I do have to watch what I eat and cut at as much sugars and carbs (yeah right) as I can, but I don't have to check my blood sugars.  Bad news is that I do have a bladder infection and have to take an oral antibiotic for 5 days...I can handle 5 days.  I had horrible almost doubling over lower abdominal cramps on Thursday and some bloody urine so I gave a little urine sample and sure enough it was a bladder infection.  Otherwise...all continues to go well and I feel pretty darn good!

4th of July and Uncle Randy's Wedding

The wedding party

Dancing at the reception

Last weekend of course we celebrated July 4th.  I was thrilled because this was my first one off in 5 years!  Most importantly on July 3rd we celebrated the marriage of Lily's Uncle Randy and her new Aunt Jeanne.  Randy is Jason's oldest brother.  Lily and Jason headed up to Newcastle on Thursday night and I met them up there on Friday after work.  Friday night was the rehearsal dinner and the big wedding celebration was on Saturday the 3rd.  I know Jason had a good time and I know Lily did as well, but I'm not going to lie...being 6 months pregnant in the middle of summer and having to chase a toddler around for 2 days by myself made more work than fun at times for me.  Don't get me wrong...I had a good time too but it was a lot of work and made for one tired mommy!  We are thankful that we were able to be there for them on their special day! 

In the lake with cousins

Lily with Aunt Trina and Uncle John

Lighting fireworks with Dad

On Sunday July 4th we slept in and took a nap at Grandma Romaine's house, and then we packed up and headed up to McCook Lake, SD to Jason's step-sisters lake house.  Lily swam in the lake with her daddy and her cousins and she loved it!  We enjoyed good food, fun with family and a little bit of fireworks before we made the trip back to Omaha.  Lily was a tired little girl and slept the whole way home.  We got home around 9:30pm and I woke her up when we pulled into the driveway so she could see some of the "big" fireworks in the neighborhood...she loved them and didn't want to come back inside!