11 Months!

Dear Avery,

You are 11 months old(September 17th)...just one month away from your first birthday!  We just picked up your invitations for your birthday party today.  I can't believe it!  You have changed so much in the past month...these past few weeks really.  You used to be my sweet, laid back baby girl.  That has changed a bit.  You are still as sweet as ever, but you have suddenly gotten an ornery streak in you.  You want everything that your big sister has and if you don't get it you SCREAM and throw a fit! You don't like it when mommy or daddy leave the room and you like to whine or cry until you see them again.  What a little stinker you have become!  You had your first of two flu shots last week and you will get your second one next month at your one year check up.  You did so good and only cried for a second. 

What you are doing at 11 months:

~you have 2 teeth

~you have transitioned into your toddler car seat (still rear facing)

~you eat a lot of table foods

~you nurse 4 times a day (you like to bite so you sometimes get pumped milk/some formula in a bottle during the day and nurse in the morning and at night)

~you eat 3 meals a day and you will even eat some veggies now(mostly the yellow/orange ones)

~your favorite food is yogurt and that is what you usually eat for breakfast

~you can pull yourself up onto furniture

~you can crawl UP the stairs

~you started standing up in your crib

~new foods you tried this month: pizza, grilled cheese, cheese, a reuben, chicken, quesadilla, noodles, mac and cheese

~are in size 12month or 12-18 month clothes

~you say mama...a lot

~you can sign "more" and "milk"

~you are getting better about sleeping longer at night, but you still usually get up once

~you use a sippy cup and a straw with water during the day

When I write to you next month you will be a year old...a toddler.  What am I going to do?!  I'm sure I will cry my eyes out just like I did when I wrote your sister's one year letter to her.  You girlies are just growing up way to fast for your mommy.  Could you please slow down?  I love you to the moon and back baby girl...

Love,

Mommy

3 Year Check-Up

I took Lily in this morning for her 3 year well check.  All is well and let's just say Lily is my BIG girl!  They checked her vision, blood pressure, heart rate and a few milestones today.  Everything checked out just fine.  Dr. Russell hugged and kissed Lily and said that if I didn't want her she would take her home with her.  I think I would miss her though! 

Lily's 3 Year Stats:

Weight~ 36.9 pounds (92nd percentile)

Height~ 40 1/4 inches (98th percentile)

Blood Pressure~ 88/58

Heart Rate~ 109 bpm

Avery came with us too because she needed to get her first of two flu shots today.  She will get her second one next month at her ONE YEAR check up.  I thought that I was going to have two screaming kids after getting shots, but I forgot that Lily was old enough for the Flu Mist this year.  The office didn't have the mist in today so Lily will get that at Avery's one year visit.  So...no shots for Lily today!  Avery did great.  She only cried for a second and then it was over.  I put Avery on the scale just to see and at almost 11 months old she weighs 19 pounds 9 ounces!  YAY...she may not be as big as her sissy but she is still growing! 

Three Years Old!

Dear Lily,

Happy 3rd birthday sweet baby girl!  You woke up this morning and I said "Happy Birthday Lily!"  You replied, "Who me?  I'm 3, I can't believe it!"  There is never a dull moment with you around.  You have really changed in this past year.  You are so smart and mommy and daddy can't believe what comes out of your mouth most of the time.  You amaze us day in and day out.  So far today we went to the park, you got your first pedicure and you had lunch with mommy and Avery.  On the way to your pedicure you told me that the Chinese lady was going to paint your toes pretty...I think I almost rear ended the car in front of us! 

You are beautiful inside and out.  You have the most beautiful auburn hair and the biggest brownest eyes I have ever seen! As usual, we got the "she is only 3!" comment again today.  So what, you are a little tall for your age...what can I say...you take after your daddy!  You are a daddy's girl...BIG TIME!  All mommy hears from you is "I want Daddy!".  You are such a wonderful big sister to Avery.  I think she is giving you payback now for the torment you gave her when she was a tiny baby.  Avery likes to crawl all over you, smack you in the face, and pull your hair.  She has to have whatever you have.  I think this is because she looks up to you and she loves her big sister so very much.  You love to help feed Avery her food, hold her and play with her.  I can't wait for the two of you to grow up and be the bestest of friends. 

Tomorrow you will go to Dr. Russell's office for your 3 year check up.  Mommy will post again tomorrow with your stats.  You told me that you can't wait to go and get shots...Silly Lily!  Last time you went with mommy to take Avery to see Dr. Russell you were sad because you wanted shots too.  I think you might change your mind after tomorrow!  We celebrated your birthday on Saturday with lots of family and friends.  You are loved by so many people little Lily Rose.  You are the light up our lives and you put so much love in our hearts.  Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you and of the little girl you have become in your 3 short years.

What Lily does at age 3:

~goes to "school" (daycare) twice a week

~goes to bed around 9:30pm and sleeps until 9-9:30am

~takes a nap at 1:00pm for around 2-3 hours (mommy loves this!)

~wears size 3T-4T clothes

~have been fully potty trained since March with NO accidents (maybe one at nap time)

~you are mommy's nap buddy

~LOVES milk...drinks 3-4 cups a day (we are trying to get you to drink more water)

~favorite restaurants are Chili's, Applebee's, and Romeos

~you are becoming a pretty good little eater and you are becoming more daring on what you will eat

~your favorite shows are Barney, Elmo, Olivia, Kailan

~your favorite color is pink and purple

~will hopefully play soccer this next season and swimming lessons

~you always tell me your best friend is Ella from daycare

~you like to read with mommy and daddy

~you love to paint and color

~you LOVE to take pictures with mommy's camera (you haven't opened it yet, but you got your OWN camera for your birthday!)

I can't tell you enough how much I love you.  I hope that one day you will go back and read these letters and understand how much you mean to your daddy and I.  We love you higher than the sky and deeper than the sea.  Happy Birthday Silly Lily Rosebud!

Love,

Mommy

Lily's Luau!

We celebrated Lily's third birthday yesterday at our house Luau style!  We thought what better way to end the summer than with a Lily's Luau.  Lily has been asking for weeks now, "Mom, is it Lily's Luau today?"  She was telling people in HyVee yesterday that today was Lily's Luau.  She was pretty excited!  Thank you to everyone who was able to make it out to help us celebrate with our little girl.  It means so much to us to know that she is loved by so many.  Tomorrow is her actual birthday and then she goes to the doctor on Tuesday for her 3 year check up...any guesses on how TALL she will be?!  People still find it hard to believe that she is only 3...she may be big for her age, but to me she will always be my little girl.



Reception Pictures~July 22nd, 2011

I think I have previously posted some pics of my sister's wedding reception, but I am posting these professional ones that were taken that day.  I want to have them in their book.

PaPa is 62!

Yesterday was my dad's 62nd birthday.  My dad is one of the kindest people I know.  His heart is bigger than the sky.  He is kind, generous, supportive and everything else you can think of!  He may not say "I love you" in words, but his actions let us know loud and clear that he loves all of us more than anything.  He would do anything for his grandkids, kids, coworkers and probably a total stranger.  He is humble and he works hard to provide for his family.  I am so proud to call MY dad MY dad!  Lily and Avery are so very blessed to have a grandpa as wonderful as him.  He still stops by around lunchtime just to see them.  He may have seen them everyday for two weeks and maybe even just the night before, but he still comes.  They love him so much.  Lily is always saying "I want to go to Papa's house."  We celebrated his 62 years last night with dinner at LoneStar.  Maddie even told the waitress that it was his birthday (if he would have known this he would have probably left!).  The waitstaff came over and sang him their happy birthday song and he got a free yummy dessert that he shared with all of his grandgirls!  Happy Birthday to the BEST dad in the world!

A Tooth and a Cat Scan

On Tuesday (August 23rd for baby book purposes) both of the girls experienced a first.  Avery finally got her first tooth.  It is on the bottom right side.  She is 10 months old and I knew it HAD to be coming soon.  She had been cranky most of the day which is not like her and she had more poopy diapers than usual.  When Jason got home she was REALLY cranky.  I checked her mouth and sure enough it was in there! 

Lily's first was not as exciting as Avery's, and actually quite scary.  Lily was totally fine when I left for work around 6:00pm.  When I got to work Jason had texted me saying that she had thrown up twice.  I thought this was odd.  I called him around 7:30 and he said Lily was sound asleep.  I had him wake her up so I could talk  to her.  She didn't want to wake up.  This is not her norm at all...she goes to bed around 9:30-10:00pm and is up and playing until then.  She had taken her usual nap so she shouldn't have been tired.  He called me later and said she got up for a little while, but fell asleep on him while playing on the computer.  I was worried now as I pieced some things together.  Around 5:30 Lily was messing around in the kitchen with Avery.  Lily hit her head on the island in the kitchen and was crying.  I didn't see her do it but I came down  and Jason was holding her.  She didn't cry for very long and started playing again.  I called Jason back again to check her pupils and to wake her up.  She was asleep in our bed at this point and didn't want to wake up.  Jason called the Nurse Line and they of course had him bring her to be checked out.  Jason loaded up both girls at 10:00pm and headed up to the Pediatric Express Clinic at Bergan.  I am at work a little panicked at this point.  He said it wasn't necessary for me to come up there right now.  Lily threw up a third time on the way there.  He kept getting cut of from me at the hospital and he wasn't getting my text messages.  I texted him saying if they want to do anything to her to let me know and wait until I could get there.  Ten minutes later I received a text from him saying "the cat scan was fine."  WHAT!?  My little girl had a cat scan and her mommy wasn't there!  I felt awful, but he said she did great.  I talked to her on the phone and I told her that I was sorry that I wasn't there and I asked her if she was scared.  She replied to me "No, they took a picture of my head."  It was very matter of fact.  What a big girl.  The doctor said she must be catching some kind of stomach bug.  She didn't have a fever and she didn't throw up anymore...thank goodness!  I still think she may have had a little bit of a concussion...I don't know how else to explain the out of the blue pukies and lethargy.  Whatever it was she was fine and back to herself the next morning...thank goodness!  I attached the text picture that Jason sent me of her on the CT table.  I can't get it turned the right way, but it broke my heart seeing her little body up there.  I see people get CT's all the time and they really are no big deal, but it is different when it is your little girl up there on that big ole table!  She probably thought she was going on a ride or something!  Many kuddos to Jason for handling both girls so well late at night.  It couldn't have been easy with a tired Avery and a not feeling so well Lily!

Daddy and Me

Does she look like her Daddy or what?!  I swear she is his mini me...same laid back personality too!



A Haircut and a Feather

 I took Lily in last week for her second haircut ever.  We went to Family Fun Cutz...we had never been there before, but I think I will take her back.  It is a fun little place for little kids to get their hairs cut, and they have a TON of bows and other things for little girls!  I did leave with a new bow for her hair too!

 Lily got to sit in this cool pink princess car during her haircut and she got to pick out a movie to watch during it.  This kept her plenty entertained.  I wasn't ever worried that she wouldn't do okay since she had been asking to go to the salon to get a haircut.  She was super excited!

 I only had them very BARELY trim her hair so we only got charged for a bang trim...very reasonable prices.  Her hair doesn't grow very fast so I just wanted to get the dead ends off.  The REAL reason she wanted to get a haircut is because she wanted to get a PINK feather like her cousin Maddie's!  See below...

 I guess feathers are the new thing to do.  They are cute and harmless and easy to put in, so why not?!  It took 2 seconds to put it in her hair.  They have all different lengths, widths and colors and it only cost $7.95.  You can wash them, dry them, comb them, and even curl them, and they stay in for quite a while.

The finished product...feather and all!