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!!!!