May 15- 21 Seventeen Weeks Old!

     This week started off with a bang! We had a little baby shower lunch for the Falgouts! It was so nice. We all cooked, hung out, gave them Aubrey's gifts, and enjoyed the day together. Lily, Eric, Tara, Katie, Lindsay, Leah, Rory, Rene, and I had a great time! The only sad thing was that Lily was a little extra fussy today. She is really beginning to teethe now and is having some discomfort. She is drooling like a maniac and wanting to put everything she can get her fingers around in her mouth. Including just her fingers sometimes! We held her, rocked her, took turns trying to entertain her. I tried feeding her to out her down for a nap. She took a tiny catnap, but was back up pretty fast. She just does not like to sleep during the day! Rory and Rene were wonderful with her. I am so excited for them to be parents! This evening she was crying pretty hard. A swim in her bathtub made her happy for a little while. Everyone came up and watched her "swim"! She is a rockstar in there! She kicks so furiously and gets a really serious look on her little face. Hilarious! The respite from the crying was short-lived. As soon as she was out, the crying started back up with fervor. A little baby Tylenol and mommy cuddle time helped. Everyone went home and Lily and I hung out in the nursery for a little over an hour nursing, rocking, and reading. It was wonderful. There is no place in the world I'd rather be than cuddling with my baby in her nursery where I can look down at her beautiful little face and feel her soft skin pressed up against mine.
     Later, I asked Eric what advise he would give new parents or parents-to-be if he could. After much thought, he said not to sweat the small stuff. Good advice. I thought, just be there for the baby. Sometimes they cry and cry. There is nothing you can do. Just resign yourself to that fact and be there for them. Also - you will get your partner back. For the first few weeks, it seemed like I would never get Eric back and get ourselves on track. Now, four months later. . . we are good! Great, actually!
     Monday and Tuesday after work I had meetings. It stunk! All I wanted was to be home with Lily! It is amazing how priorities change! I remember a time when I would leave in the morning and it wouldn't bother me if I didn't get home before bedtime. Now every minute I am out of the house - away from Lily - is too many! Just Monday and Tuesday, Lily learned how to move the rattle wheel on her exer-saucer! We showed her and showed her, took her little hands and "helped" her move it. Now she can do it herself! It's a shaky, new skill of course, but getting better and better! I love watching her learn!
     Also this week, she is rocking out the eye contact! It's amazing! She will look at you, so intently, in the eyes! It seems like she's trying to communicate with her eyes so serious she looks at times. It's another amazing skills to watch her hone.
     She is reacting more quickly to stimuli. If she hears a noise or something catches her eye, she will look toward it and study that thing. Her brain is making new connections all the time!

     This week she is really starting to teethe in earnest. Her favorite things to bite on are fingers (her own and Mommy's), cold wet wash towels, and her nook. She doesn't seem to be the absolute biggest fan of teething rings. Really, though, they don't look that appealing to me either!
     Wednesday when Tara and I got home, Pappy said that she'd had a beautiful morning, but a very rough afternoon. His shirt shoulders were soaked through and I assumed that she'd vomited on him. False. It was drool! Her poor baby mouth had been running drool lke a faucet and she's been chewing and sucking on him and his clothes all afternoon. I took her for some tummy time and Tara, Lily, and I played in the tummy-time aquarium mat that Nana got her. Soon, Tara left for the store and Lily began to suck my finger. She finally settled down to the sucking and the music I had on and she fell asleep! When I tried to extract my pruney finger, she startled and grabbed on tight! She soon fell asleep, so I got into the aquarium mat with her and we laid down and had some sweet baby quiet time. I just watched her dream. What a beautiful moment. Priceless.

     Also on Wednesday we had another go at cereal with a spoon. Mess! Mimi had tried Tuesday night as well. Mess! HAHAHA, maybe she'll get the hang of it one day, but for now spoon feeding and bath time go hand in hand! (or hand in mouth, if you're Lily)
  Oh! Also this week, Lily was chosen as a finalist for the Parent's magazine Baby of the Week Photo contest. The winner wins a cash prize and goes to the finals. The editors of the magazine chose the following photo from three that I submitted and now people are voting for her each day. I have the link posted to my facebook and have been emailing friends to remind them to vote! It's silly and exciting. Who knows what will happen, but it's fun. The contest and voting round ends on Sunday.
     Saturday was a very full day. We began the day at the scholastic book sale. We put Lily in her baby backpack and took her to see all the great books! She was attentive for the longest time. She is so interested in looking at everything! We also saw Clifford the Big Red Dog!

      Saturday night was the couple's shower for Collin and Jenna! We just love them to bits! We brought Lily to the shower. As Eric and I are in the wedding, Tara and Lindsay agreed to take Lily home early. Of course, since she has a strict self-imposed bedtime, they were needed to leave earlier than Eric and I. Unfortunately, they didn't leave in time and Lily began to scream on the way home. As soon as she got into her bed, she was happy. That girl loves her bed and come 8 o'clock that is where she'd better be! If not . . . too bad for you! Anyway, Lily was a hit at the shower! Collin's parents were just taken by her and Collin's dad held her for the longest time! They need grandkids!

Lily has the most beautiful, clear skin! No more milea, and no baby acne! Yay!!!!

May 8-14 Sixteen Weeks Old!

     Sunday - Mother's Day! My very first one! "My" day started off perfectly! Lily slept for over 9 hours Saturday night, then went right back to sleep for almost two hours longer. Then, she wanted to get up. I carried her downstairs and we cuddled on the recliner until ten! Eric, amazing man, went and picked up breakfast and we snuggled and snoozed all morning! It was so restful and wonderful! I am so looking forward to this kind of snuggling this summer.
     Lily gifted me a new iPhone and a beautiful necklace for Mother's Day. She's such a generous shopper! ;) We went to Mawmaw's house for the day and Lily was a sleepy and cranky girl most of the day. Everyone took turns loving on her and rocking her, but all she really wanted was to eat and sleep. Then sleep and eat. I guess her very exciting fun day Saturday REALLY wore her out! We made her a palate on the floor and she slept for awhile. When we came home, it was really tough to keep her up until 7:30. She wanted to sleep so bad! Sweet baby!
     Monday was Granny day! Gran bought her a new outfit today! It had a cute little dolphin on it. It was so big that the little skirt dropped down and looked like a hula skirt! Today they read, went for a walk, and napped. Gran said that she wasn't nearly as chatty as she usually is. She seems to be having a couple of "recovery" days. She does this now and then, sleeps and rests nearly all day for a couple of days. It's like she wears her little self out one day and has to rest it off afterward.
     This afternoon we took her walking and she slept nearly the whole time! Then we went to meet the group for dinner gang. This week we met at Five Guys, a hamburger joint. Lily was superb! She happily went from arms to arms, standing on the table, cuddling, and making bubbles!

     She is certainly not upset by going to other people. I somewhat attribute this to the fact that she is with different people all week. I hope that her amiability with others continues! Of course, at 7:45 she let us know that it was time to go because bedtime was coming! Home we went! And to eat and bed! Nighty night, Lily!
    Tuesday was a filed trip to Lindsay's school.  It was the Spring Showcase and she'd asked us to come. Jessica, Tara, Lily, and I hung out for a little while after work  and then headed over. We'd all had pretty rough days, but Lindsay's school was amazing! There was so much wonderful stuff going on there and so very many parents involved with the school. It made me think of when Lily will be in school. I cannot imagine her any older than she is now. Not to mention that by then she will have siblings. Wow. I can't believe that I am a mom and sometimes that realization catches me off guard. What a feeling!
     Anyway, Lily was great at the Showcase. Jessica held her for the entirety of it as she was feeling down and wanted the cuddles. Lily loved the music and dancing and was so interested in watching the children. Then, as soon as the talking began, off to sleep she went. Everyone commented on how cute and sweet she was. I can't even be modest about her - she IS sweet and beautiful!!! LOL.

     Wednesday morning was wonderful. I went into her room, although I hadn't heard her stirring yet, and she was awake. She was eating her hand and just looking around very contently. I leaned over her crib and said, "Good morning my sweet Lily bug!!!" At that, she began to squeal, smile, wave her tiny hands, and kick her feet furiously! She was so happy! It was such an amazing moment in our relationship. I know for a certainty that she recognizes me and loves me!!!
     Wednesday was also a special day in history. Lily began her Olympic training in earnest! She was bathing in her little tub when Tara and Katie played the Olympic overture and videoed her kicking like crazy in her bath. It is hilarious! She is such a happy little bather!

     Thursday was a Mimi day. I love Mimi days because Mimi sends me pictures on her phone of Lily's day! She had a good day and when we got home, Tara and I brought her shopping for a little while. There was a mix up with dinner. Tara thought I'd gotten the ingredients and I thought that she had. Turns out . . . we went for pizza! Eric's friend Robert met us and met Lily for the first time. As he works crazy hours and is just finishing his MPA, he doens't have a lot of free time. I've been tauting him for weeks, saying that he is scared of babies. Turns out, he isn't. He was actually pretty great with her. He will be Lily's sarcasm coach. :)

     Friday was definitely a TGIF kind of day. This was an exceptionally rough week for Mommy! Friday morning began in a very unique way! Eric brought Lily up to Devall to meet everyone! She rode with Tara and I to school so that there would be two people available to her, and Eric followed. When we got there, I had duty so Eric came with me into the cafeteria and the kids came in and were so excited to see her! (Interestingly, Lily would watch the kids come into the cafeteria and watch them all the way through the line and into the food line room. She is becoming exceptional tracker.) Then, she met the kids in my room, we walked around campus so that she could meet others, and ended in the office. That was the funniest part! Our sweet school secretary, Mrs. Dawn, was so super excited to meet her! Mrs. Dawn follows Lily's blog (Hi, Mrs. Dawn!) and so already feels like she knows Lil. She was so excited to meet her in person and had a fit of joy when I offered for her to hold Lily. It was great! Mrs. Dawn apologized to me, but said that Lily looks just like Tara. I know! Luckily, I love Tara like a blood sister, so having Lily look like her is wonderful to me. I think that it's nice. I love both of those ladies! A special treat for me, instead of pumping, I was able to feed Lily instead! It was wonderful. I tell you, although the pumping is a pain, I wouldn't trade nursing Lily for anything! I LOVE that special bond that we have.
     Lily spent the day with Daddy, although Mrs. Dawn had offered to keep her all day long! He brought her downtown to Mimi's work. Of course, all the people there are kept constantly updated on Lily's growth by Mimi and feel like they know her, too! Mimi likes showing her off, so Eric brought her up. They all had lunch together and then came home.
     When Tara and I got home from work, I did something I've never done. I laid on the couch with Lily and nursed her laying down. Then we cuddled while she napped. My mom, Nana, came right after work to hang out with us. We hung about for a little while and Nana took Lily with her. Nana wanted some Lily time, so we arranged for Lily to spend the evening with her while we went out to dinner for Katie's 31st birthday. (We went to Roberto's and it was fab-u-lous! Highly recommended!)
     Nana brought Lily back to the house after they went to dinner. Mom called me at the restaurant, which really freaked me out, to say that although she'd fed Lily, Lily was still hungry - eating her hand and crying. I suggested feeding her the half-bottle in the fridge. When we got home, Mom said that it did the trick. Lily is wanting more and more food lately, so we will be bumping her up to five ounces now. My Little Pea is getting so big!

     Friday night, Lily slept so well! She slept until 5:30, ate, and went back to sleep until about 8. She is amazing! Saturday, Lindsay came over to hang out with Lily so that I could clean the house. It was great. Linds and Lily came around with me for awhile while I cleaned. Then they went for a walk, cuddled, and played. It was great because I got to hang out with Lily and my friend, feed Lily, and get the house clean! What a great day!

     We took her to Target and she stank it up! Monster poop right in the middle of the store! Up her back and down her legs. It was impressive!
    Saturday night, we went out to dinner with Mimi and Pappy. Lily slept for most of the meal. She is so good. Such a good baby! She was tired, tired, tired when we got home! Since we are bumping up her ounces, we fed her the last four ounce bottle (with rice), and then I nursed her. She ate voraciously! Now she is sleeping and I am blogging. I hope I can keep this up. It makes me pause and reflect on how amazing she is. I think that times flies so fast and I really want to appreciate every day with her. She is already 16 weeks old! I can't believe it! I looked back at photos of her this week and could not believe how much bigger she is. She was so, so, so tiny and now she is getting bigger! At about eleven pounds, she is growing out of things and getting to wear things that are new.
     I read to Lily the things that four month old babies should be able to do. She is a rock star!!! She can do almost everything on the list really well, and has been doing most of the things for weeks. The only things she needs to still develop are sitting independently and grabbing things that are placed near her hands. She is trying these things, but they are still weak skills. However, she is a rockstar at standing and supporting her own weight, tracking objects 180 degrees, smiling, laughing, holding her head to 90 degrees when on her tummy, and putting fingers/hands in or to her mouth. She is learning so much each day and it is such an honor to be able to watch every minute!

May 1-7 Fifteen Weeks Old!

     On Sunday Lily did something she's never done before! She slept until 8:30! I awoke at 8, and thought that Eric had her. He woke up (he'd moved to the guest room because of his snoring) and thought that I had her. He came in looking for her and we realized that she was still sleeping! Amazing! She woke at 8:30 so happy. She was laughing and smiling. What a precious moment!
     I fed her, bathed her, and we headed to Mawmaw's where we visited for a few hours before Mimi kept her while we went to a crawfish boil. Mimi and Great-Nanny played with Lily while Tara, Eric, and I went to the Torrance residence for crawfish. We ate, laughed, and had a great time and then Tara went and picked up Lily a little later. They came back to the house and hung out for a little while before we left and came home. While we were there I laid her on the table on a blanket and we were playing with her. She is so funny! She was kicking like crazy! She was talking up a storm, cooing, gooing, and ahhing. Such amazing little baby noises. It is such a blessing to get to watch her grow and learn new things all the time. I was a bit nervous about breast feeding her after eating the crawfish, but she did GREAT! After feeding her, she had another bath (just because she LOVES it SO much!), and went to bed. I will have to post a video of her bathing soon. She thrashes about like nothing I've ever seen! She is so hilarious! It is the best time she's ever had every time!

     On Monday, Lily had her three month doctor's appointment. My boss was kind enough to let me go in to work a little late so that I could go. I really really did not want to miss it because it is always a wealth of information and only comes once a month. Luckily, she did not have to get a shot this time, just an oral suspension, which she sucked it down humorously! Anyway, the doctor said that she is looking perfect! I agree! LOL. She is 10 pounds 13 ounces, which is the 10th percentile. She's 24 inches long, the 75th percentile! Her head is 15 inches, 30th percentile. We were also told that we can mix a very wet, soupy rice cereal and begin teaching her about eating with a spoon. More on that later! Also, she must have known that I was going straight to work, because she gifted me with an eruption of vomit. It was all over the floor! Good thing she's cute!
     Work went very quickly and before I knew it, I was home! Lily and Granny were hanging out on the porch. I joined them and we hung out for a little while. Granny was so sweet and told me how lucky she felt she was to get to hang out with Lily so often. How amazing. I feel so blessed that she wants to be here with her!
     We went for our walk and when we got home, rice cereal on a spoon time! Holy mess! It was ALL over her face!
BEFORE:

DURING:

AFTER:

At the beginning, she was totally at a loss about what to do with the spoon and the cereal-soup. The longer we went on, the better she got at it. She got her tongue going and her mouth moving. It was messy and kind of gross, but totally adorable! She got a bit frustrated about 20 minutes in, so we quit. We'll try again later in the week!
     At 7:20 she began to squawk pretty loudly. I fed her and put her to bed. When she is ready for bed, she is ready!  
     Tuesday I got up a little early and fed Lily. I love feeding her so much. Usually she is a very sweet eater. She grabs my shirt with her tiny fist, or holds my hand. However, occasionally she eats like a piranha. She jerks her head, bangs me with her forehead, and twists and kicks her little body. Ouch. Makes me a little sore. Anyway, this morning was sweet and it was so nice to have this quiet time with her to start my day. I love her so much!
     Tuesday afternoon I came home to Granny giving Lily a private concert with an instrument called a psaltery. It is an ancient instrument that dates back to the biblical times. Lily was pretty happy to listen to music. She was ready to eat, so I fed her and we visited with Gran for a little while. A bit after that, Tara arrived and we went to shop for a bathing suit for Mommy. Eric and I are going to his company's family day on Saturday and my breastfeeding body will not fit into my usual suits. After trying on about a million, Lily and I chose one and we all headed back home. We had a nice evening at home. We cooked and ate dinner, hung out with Lily, watched Glee with her (she LOVES the music!), and went to bed early. It was wonderful!
     Wednesday was Pappy day! Lily loves Pappy day. She smiled at the crack of dawn when she saw him! I LOVE that she loves all of her caretakers.When I came home, they were hanging out on the front porch. It was unseasonably cool today and the porch felt amazing! We went for a walk/run and Lily slept for most of the trip around the neighborhood. When we got home, I tried once more with the spoon feeding. She got frustrated much more quickly today than the other day. Our feeding ended with a bit of screaming! To quell the crying, Lily got her favorite treat . . . a bath! After her bath, she hung out with Mimi for a while and then I fed her and put her to sleep. We are extremely fortunate that she loves her bed and is so easy to put down to sleep. I pray that this remains the case with her.

     Wednesday night, Mimi did Lily's 3:30am feeding, which let me keep resting. I miss feeding Lily on Wednesday nights, but relish the sleep! Also, Wednesday night, I received my first ever Mother's Day gift! My amazingly sweet and generous husband used his work bonus to purchase me a new iPhone 4. It is amazing. My old phone was on its last leg, so this new one is such a wonderful treat!
     I got up for work this morning and Lily was still sleeping. She was still asleep when I left for work, too! It was lovely so see her so soundly sleeping. She is beautiful when she sleeps! Mimi days are also great as I get picture texts of my Little Pea! When I got home from work, Lily was asleep. When she awoke, I got to feed her. Breastfeeding can be stressful (will I make enough milk??), painful (obvious reasons), and tiring (missed sleep and lost nutrients), but the bond and precious moments spent feeding Lily make up for it all! I really hope to be able to continue until she is a year!
     Friday was a Grampy day! It hadn't been Grampy Day in over a month, so I was a little nervous, but I left my phone numbers on the fridge and trudged to work. Work was actually great. We had a wonderful field trip and it was time to come home! Lily was amazing! She was sleeping when I got home, but not for long. She woke up and I had the pleasure of feeding her. I love feeding her. We had a little while before we needed to leave for Dinner Gang, so Lily and Tara took a sweet little nap first!

     We went to Izzo's for Dinner Gang this week and had the best time. We were there for a while when Lily decided for all of us that it was time to go! It was a little before 8:00, and she knew it! She is so funny. She had a baby internal clock for 8 o'clock at night. At that point, she. wants. bed! She does not want to wait, be distracted, or anything of the sort. She wants BED!!!!!!

      We brought her home and put her straight to bed. That's all she wanted! She slept well Friday night and woke up to hang out with daddy Saturday morning.
     We couldn't sleep in much Saturday morning as it was Eric's company's family day. BASF rented out a water park and we went to have a day of mommy and daddy fun. Mimi and Nanny came to play with Lily and Eric and I went to have grown up fun!
     We did have a great time, and Lily did too! They did so many things! They went to lunch, shopping, bought Lily a baby pool, she swam, they went for a walk to the lakes, and she was so happy all day long! While we were gone, they sent us a video clip of her "swimming"! She was so darned cute! They put her bath chair in the baby pool and had left it in the sun for a while to warm. Before she got in, they dragged it to the shade. She reclined in her little chair and kicked and cooed! She is such a little gem!
     Mimi and Nanny must have really worn her out! We put her to bed at 8 and she slept until 5:30!  What a great little sleeper! I fed her at 5:30 and she went back to sleep until after 7. Then, she and I had cuddle time in the recliner. It was amazing!
  
    

April 24-30 Fourteen Weeks Old!

     This week, Lily celebrated her first Easter! On Sunday we went to Mawmaw's house for her first Easter lunch. We dressed her in the Easter dress that Mimi bought her, which was still too big, but totally cute! She went out for her first Easter Egg Hunt! She "found" her egg in a flower pot. She became a little fussy in the afternoon, so I tried to put her down for a nap. I brought her to the back and nursed her and laid down with her for over an hour, but she never went to sleep! She is like that. Some days all she wants to do is sleep, and other days she refuses to sleep! She is becoming a much better night time sleeper. She doesn't sleep through the night every night, but does a great job of eating and going right back to sleep.

     After refusing to sleep we went back to the front and Lily had many Easter presents to open! Eric and I bought her a couple of books, some sun glasses, and a glow worm that is actually a sea horse. We've read the books several times. I have to admit, I get a little emotional when I read "Are You My Mother". That poor little baby bird! Laurie, Mark & Katie, Mary, Nanny, Mimi and Pappy also bought her gifts. She received several beautiful books (which we've been reading all week), some clothes, and a wonderful exer-saucer! We immediately put together the exer-saucer and put Lily in it! It's made so that the baby's feet are on the ground and they can jump and spin the seat around and around to play with things all around the set. Petite Lily is so small that we had to stack books under her feet!

     After playing for quite a while in her new saucer, she finally crashed out. For about ten minutes!

     Monday was a very busy day! I wanted to paint the accent wall in mine and Eric's bedroom, so Tara and Katie took Lily shopping and to Mimi's work for lunch. Apparently she was really good and slept a good bit. I guess she was making up for Sunday! That evening we had a small bbq with friends. Midway through the BBQ, Lily began to scream bloody murder. Katie walked around with her. Tara had a turn. Then, I took her upstairs and fed her. Quiet. Asleep. It was weird. She'd just eaten about two hours prior, but as soon as I fed her, she was out like a light! It was like she was furious that we hadn't put her to bed yet! (It was only 7:30)
     Tuesday was Spring Cleaning day! In the morning I put Lily in her baby backpack, which I wear on the front, and began tidying up. She was a great helper! We went around and around the house cleaning. When I stopped, she would fuss and whine. When I moved around she would quiet. When Granny arrived at ten, she was completely asleep! Gran sat with her for most of the day while I cleaned every surface in the house! I took breaks each time Lily wanted to eat and fed her. She had several moments of really fussiness. Each time, Granny was amazing with her. She made up songs to sing, read to her, told her nursery rhymes, and just spent great quality time with her. Lily is so lucky to have so many grandparents and great-grandparents who love her so much! They went for a walk in the afternoon. They went to the lake and spoke with some of the neighbors. Granny played the dulcimer and some other (I don't know what it is) instrument for Lily. Gran left around 5:30 to go to music lessons and I was done for the day with the cleaning! Exhausting, but productive day!
     Wednesday Tara and I wanted to do some shopping. We met Nana for lunch where Lily elicited so many positive remarks! Everywhere we go, people comment about how cute, small, and precious she is. I know!!! Of course, I am totally biased! Anyway, we continued on to shopping, but Lily was not having fun. We decided to abort the shopping mission and brought her home. I nursed her and we cuddled in the recliner. She slept on my chest for over two hours! It was amazing! I simply love the quiet, simple, cuddly times with her. There is nothing in the world like your child sleeping on your chest. I can't take my eyes off of her. Her little nose is the cutest thing I've ever seen. Her eyelashes. Her tiny hands that caress my skin when I feed her. Her itty bitty toes. Her baby noises. The way she grunts appreciatively when she eats. How she rubs her eyes and holds her ear when she is tired. I love everything about her!
     Thursday was a big day for me and for Lily's future. Today I went to tour some daycares that I had made appointments with a few weeks ago. I saw three daycares. One was horrible! I saw it first and was completely distraught that a baby would go here. I'm sure that it wasn't that bad, but it was NOT Lily worthy. The second one I saw was terrific. The third was ok. I put her on the list for the second and third places. We'll see. I think for now it is certainly better that she is home with family. I think though, that when she starts walking, it will be good to have her in a daycare setting with peers. At the place I really liked today, the babies were so happy! They were engaged with the kids and the kids were doing such fun things like painting, puzzles, and outdoor play.
     Thursday afternoon we went to the photo studio with Mimi and Nanny. It was great! This was our best session yet. Lily was pretty happy for the duration of the shoot and only got a little fussy at the very end. She was great! We were hoping that she would smile more, but maybe next month! Tara had created some beautiful scenarios for Lily and she got to be a surfer, an astronaut, on a clothesline, and others. She is such a cutie!
     When we got home, we went for our walk and hung out at home. Eric was late getting home, but Tara and I hung out with Lily. She was so cute. Felix even came and hung out!

     Thursday night, Lily pulled the same thing as earlier in the week. She began scream-crying around 7:30. I took her upstairs, fed her (again, I just had recently), and put her to bed. That's what she wanted! She continued to be a bit fussy for about an hour, but bed was what she wanted. I think the fussy was because she was overtired.
     Friday Daddy was off. He and Nanny wanted to work on moving the garden, so Lily hung out with Mommy all day. First we all went to Lowes to choose a material for the raised garden, then Lily and I went to meet Nana for lunch. About midway through lunch, Lily began to cry. Loudly. We finished up and left thinking that she would quiet in the car. She and I got into the car and began to drive. The more I drove, the louder she got. It was maddening because there was nothing I could do. I would try to put her nook into her mouth at the red lights, but that only lasted a moment. I thought hard about just driving home, but really wanted to deal with this being out. If I go home with her every time she cries, we will never go anywhere! I went to the mall, which was the original plan. I parked, got into the back seat with her, and fed her. Although she'd just eaten about two hours previous, she gulped down milk! When she was done, I placed her into her stroller and she was asleep before I got into the building! She stayed sleeping for two hours while I strolled us around and took care of all the things I needed to do, as well as some gratuitous walking just to keep her quiet and happy!
     On the way home, we swung by Target to pick up my new glasses. Turns out that was overkill. Lily began to cry on the way home from there and screamed until we got home and I fed her again. That little girl has NO patience when she is hungry! She is also eating in weird patterns. Sometimes she goes 4+ hours before being hungry. Sometimes only 2! It's hard to guess that she is hungry when it seems like I just fed her.
     Friday evening we BBQed again, but before we did, Lily, Lindsay and I had some fun in the backyard!

     Saturday Lily and I took Nana for our annual Mother's Day Outing! Each year we choose a different plantation home to visit and have lunch somewhere near the home. This year, we chose Laura Plantation. Lily "talked" to mom most of the way to the plantation. When we arrived, we had time to take a couple of pictures before the tour began. The tour was amazing! The guide really knew her stuff and this home has really well-documented history. It was wonderful. Lily was a tiny bit fussy at the beginning of the tour, but I'd brought a bottle so we walked and fed her. As soon as her tummy was full, she fell completely asleep in my arms. She is so precious! She was so soundly asleep that her legs were flopping as we walked! Beautiful baby! We ate on the way home and Lily fell asleep on the ride.   
     That evening, Mimi and Pappy met us out at dinner with memory sticks with her photo shoot pictures!!!!! SO EXCITING! Lily is so amazing that I could look at her and pictures of her all day and night! I KNOW I'm biased, but I don't care!! Lol! Dinner was a little rough as Lily cried through most of it. Fortunately, the restaurant is loud so she didn't bother other diners. It's so frustrating when she cries like that because its hard to know how to help her. After a little while, I snuggled her close and she fell asleep in my arms. There is nothing like the feeling of your babe asleep in your arms!
     When we got home, she fussed for a little while and fell asleep. Other than waking at 5 to eat, she slept until 8:30!! Miracle!

     A continuing development this week is the love of the duck! Lily will sit for quite a while and "talk" to the duck. We are calling it her best friend! It's so funny. Its been there her whole life, but is only now becoming a real part of her life.
     Another development recently is no more monsters! She used to throw up her tiny hands each time she was startled. Now, she deals with being startled in a much more mature way. Its almost sad because throwing up her monsters was so completely cute, but good too because it means that she is developing and maturing. It's the first thing, other than an ease of tummy troubles, that she has really grown out of. Again, it's a little bittersweet.
     I feel like I've been learning her better, too. I feel like we are learning each other better. She still has absolutely NO patience when it comes to being hungry, but I can totally appreciate that! Friends of mine know that I have a 1 through 4 hunger scale. When I get to 3, its time to make a plan. If I get to 4, watch out because I might cannibalize you! Lily, true to form, has created a level 5. Watch out!
     This week, Lily really seems to be coming into her own. She is holding eye contact, reacting to stimuli, tracking objects as they move across a room, and smiling more and more. If you're lucky, you can even be rewarded with her beautiful laugh!