Coco Keys

We have all been getting a little tired of the cold weather and have been really looking forward to Spring and Summer, so we decided to go swimming. Jason and I got a hotel room at the Holiday Inn and we got passes to Coco Keys Indoor Water Park. We took my niece and nephew with us...oh...and Lily too of course! Lily got to wear her new swimming suit and get into the pool for the first time! She LOVED it. No tears at all! She has always really liked her baths, so I wasn't too worried. It was nice to get away from home and our daily routines for a night and Maddie and Jahrran had a blast too. It was something fun for all! Even I went down the waterslides!

A Double Baptism

Today was a special day for both Lily and myself. We were baptized today...together. It was a day I will never forget and it is a memory that I will forever hold with my daughter. We were blessed with many friends and family at the service. Last night, Jason's parents came into town and we took both of our parents out to dinner. It was nice to be able to get together again and to just sit and talk. It isn't often enough that we can all get together...I think the last time was when Lily was born. Today at church we were joined by of course our parents, my brother, my sister, her boyfriend, my niece, my best friend Jessica and her husband Kevin, my Aunt and Uncle, my Grandma, Jason's sister, her husband and their three children. It meant a lot to us to have our family and close friends there with us to share this special occasion. Afterward we enjoyed a nice breakfast together. Lily had a great time this afternoon playing with her cousins...Justin, Rachel and Mitchell. She doesn't get to see them enough! After a long day she is past exhausted and sound asleep in her crib.

A little story about the gown that Lily wore today...the baptismal gown that Lily wore today has been in Jason's family for 82 years. Jason wore it for his baptism as did all of his brothers and sister and their children. Jason's mom was also baptized in this gown and it was handmade from her mother's (I think...or her grandmother's) wedding dress. It is a family tradition that will has carried on for many years and will continue to carry on.

Lily and Pastor Scott
Our family at the Baptismal Fountain

Lily's Baptism ...she loved the sound of the fountain!

Quick family photo before leaving for church

Lily and her Daddy

Again...Daddy's little girl!

6 Month Check Up

Jason and I took Lily in on Thursday for her 6 month check-up. All is good. Lily weighs 17lbs 13 ounces...so not quite double her birth weight but eating and growing fine. She is 27 1/4 inches long (95th percentile). I asked about how much I should be feeding her baby foods and when I should move her up to level 2 foods. I have been giving her oatmeal in the mornings, a fruit at lunchtime, and a vegetable around dinner time and keeping her bottle feedings the same. Dr. Russell said this was fine and that I could actually start giving her level 2 foods now. Lily LOVES her food! If it is something she really likes, such as sweet potatoes, she keeps her mouth open waiting for us to give her the next bite. Once again, Lily did great with her shots...just a few tears initially but then she had quickly forgotten them. On Friday she had ran a temperature of 100.5 most of the day. I gave her 2 doses of Tylenol and she broke her fever each time, but then it would creep right back up. She didn't act any differently and she continued to eat well. I'm sure it was a delayed reaction from her shots. A few weeks ago when I was getting her dressed one day I noticed a hard pea sized lump under her left nipple. I asked Dr. Russell about this and she said it was normal breast tissue and nothing to worry about. We are all enjoying the nice weather and can't wait to get outside even more. Lily and I are being baptized together this Sunday. Jason's parents are coming into town today. I will update with some pictures again on Sunday. We hope this finds everyone doing well! Thanks for checking in!

Just some Pics

Just woke up and wanting to play.
Playing with her little basketball hoop from her Daddy.

Just Lily...

Another one of her and her basketball hoop.

Naked smiley baby.

Just hangin out on the floor in her diaper.

Her new Nike hat.

One of my favorites! This is Lily sound asleep after a long day at the Zoo.

The Zoo

Rosey red cheeks after a long day at the zoo.
Lily finally woke up long enough to see the elephants.

Lily and Maddie in the aquarium.

My sleepy little monkey!

We went to visit Lily's Great Grandma Paces before we went to the Zoo. She was suprised and so happy to see us!

Lily with her Great Grandma.

She thinks she's big stuff in her grandma's chair.

Grandma Paces, Maddie and Lily

Maddie and Lily at the Zoo.

Maddie didn't have school today so she was over at our house bright and early at 5:45am. We thought what a perfect day for the zoo! Daddy had to work, so we wanted to get out and enjoy this BEAUTIFUL weather. Maddie and I had lunch together, and then we went to visit her mommy, my sister, at work. Next, we decided that Great Grandma Paces was on the way to the Zoo and we hadn't seen her in a while, so we stopped by to see her. She was so suprised to see us, and it was fun to see her smile when she saw her grandchild, and two great grandchildren. We walked all over to meet her friends so she could show us all off! I'm glad we went to visit because it really made her day. Next on our agenda was the ZOO! This was Lily's first trip (Daddy was a littl sad he missed it, but we got lots of pictures and video for him!). The weather was perfect and we had a good time. Lily slept most of the time in her stroller, but I woke her up and took her out so she could see the elephants. She has a couple of stuffed elephants, so she COULDN"T miss them! It was a long day for all and now little Miss Lily Rose in sound asleep in her crib.

6 Months

I'm typing this from work, so I don't have any pictures to post...I will SOON! My Silly Lily, my sweet baby girl, turned 6 months old on Thursday. It seems like just yesterday that Jason and I brought her home from the hospital. I remember being a little scared and unsure of myself on that day, but I can honestly say that being a mommy is the absolute BEST thing in this world! She is my love and my life and each day only gets better and better. She is kind of funny lately and actually kind of ornery...I'd say a little like her mommy! Her little personality is really shining through. Lily got a birthday present from her daddy...can you guess what that may have been??? If you know my husband he is quite TALL and a rather good basketball player, so Lily got a mini basketball hoop from him. Very cute! He had it all wrapped for her in Happy Birthday paper...I was holding her in my arms as she unwrapped it and the tears were flowing down my face. I can't put into words how much I love this little person! We go to the Dr. this Thursday for her 6 month well baby check and shots. I'll post again with her length and weight, etc. Lily is doing well with her foods. She likes most everything EXCEPT for peas. She gags and spits and just doesn't care for them...I never did either. I feed her solids twice a day. I usually mix a fruit with rice cereal for her in the morning and then we give her a vegetable at night. She still takes the same amount of formula throughout the day as well. She can sit up on her own for a little bit longer everyday before she topples over. She continues to constantly roll over from side to side and she is still scooting around like crazy on her back. She is even starting to pull her legs up under her while on her tummy as if she is thinking about wanting to crawl...we'll see! Still no teeth, but everything goes into her mouth! She will start "Shrimp" swimming lessons next month at the YMCA...and I think that is all I have for now! Thanks for checking in!

Silly Lily

This is proof that a parent will do ANYTHING to get those sweet little giggles out of their precious baby! Those giggles are the light of our life...it is worth making a fool out of myself!

Baby High Jumper

Jason claims he has already taught Lily the basics of highjumping (Daddy was a college highjumper)...watch in the video below!

This is Lily's way of getting about. She doesn't care much to be on her tummy so she scoots her way around. She's pretty quick, but I don't think this will help the bald spot in the back of her head much! She just makes me laugh and smile more and more everyday!

To the Doctor We Went

Starting about 2 weeks ago Lily had a runny nose. I didn't think anything of it because it is winter...and big deal...a runny nose. Well it continued and then she developped a pretty bad loose cough. She never ran a temperature so I still thought I'd wait it out. Then last Wednesday she only ate 14 ounces when she usually eats 30 ounces, and the poor eating habits continued on into Thursday. Still never ran a temperature, but I decided to bring her in the the Doctor on Friday because I couldn't stop worrying about her and I couldn't stand to hear her cough like that anymore. Turns out it is just a cold that needs to run its course....like I knew it was but I felt better that she had been seen by someone. By Friday she was already back to her normal eating habits, but she still has the cough...getting better but still there. At that appointment she weighed in at 17lbs and 13 ounces. She goes back in on the 19th of this month for her 6 month check...she needs to be at 18lbs 6 ounces to have doubled her birth weight...think she can make it??? I do! I won't be suprised if she is off the charts with her length. The poor kid is in 9 month clothes and some of those are too short on her! Daddy will have her dunking in no time...as you can see in the picture below! All continues to go well in our household. In 9 more days my baby girl will be 6 months old...where did the time go?!

Dunking with Daddy
Goofball

Lily and Brynn at their Daddy's basketball game

Wake up Dad!

Chillin in her Bumbo Chair

Valentines Day and Such

She fell over after I tried propping her up on the couch!
Too big for her own britches! Standing up like a big girl.

Sitting up playing with her rattles.

With Grandma and Grandpa Moran at cousin Nathan's B-Ball Games.

I love these little hats...Lily...not so much!

Chubby baby all tuckered out from the Valentine Fun.

Valentine Jammies from Ma Paces

Taking a bath at Grandma Romaine's

Lily and family with all of her Valentine's.

Lily and Rosie...her pink tiger from Daddy.

Jason and I took Lily back to Newcastle for Valentine's Day weekend. We left Omaha just as the snow hit and had a scary drive up there, but all that matters is that we arrived safely. Lily was ready to play with Grandma Romaine when she got there! Grandma Romaine had a Jason and Uncle Matt's old rattle (30 years old) for Lily to play with...she LOVED it! Lily opened up her Valentine's on Friday night and then we headed to Sioux City on Saturday. We got to watch Lily's cousin Nathan play in 2 basketball games, and then we headed off to Aunt Terri's 40th SUPRISE Birthday Party...and she was SUPRISED! We all had a great time. It is always nice to spend time with family. I am spoiled because my mom and dad are a mile down Q Street and my sister is a mile the other way and my brother is also very close, so it is nice to be able to go visit the farm once in a while.

Lily has started standing up quite a bit these days. Of course you have to hold her hands, but she will stand FOREVER. She will also hold on to the couch in front of her and stand there by herself. I'm not sure if she will ever crawl. She HATES her tummy. I try and try to keep her on her tummy but she just instantly rolls right back to her back. Oh well. She is sitting up on her own for longer periods of time. Her mommy tells her to just slow down and stay a baby! She is growing up way to fast! I had her in her pink bouncer last night and just realized that she stands in that too and that I need to readjust the height on it. When I first bought it for her she was way too little for it and was no where close to spinning the seat around or standing and bouncing in it...I guess time flies when you are having FUN! The journey of watching my daughter grow up has been the best journey of my life. I love her...she is awesome!