Lilah vs. The Sippy Cup

We have a battle going on at our house 

between....

Ms. Lilah Belle

and....

The Sippy Cup

Sure,  my little girl looks all sweet and innocent...but, looks can be very deceiving! :)

She certainly has her moments when she is far from the sweet little girl that I know she can be.

 This girl can be STUB-BORN! I blame her Papa for passing down this trait. She gets her sense of independence and do-what she wants, when she wants attitude from her father. If you force or nag her to do something, she does the opposite...just like Jep! J/k...kinda...haha!

We have been battling the sippy cup for the past two months. Never did I think, she would be SO attached to the bottle because we struggled getting her to take that at 8 weeks old.

Now at 13 months, she wants nothing to do with a sippy cup. I've tried about 5 different brands/styles and she will have none of it. I'm looking for any advice from moms who've been in my shoes!!!  The type we've had the best luck with are the cups with a straw...she'll do okay one day but just when it seems like we are making progress, she goes back to refusing it all together.  

Lilah and one of her teachers had an all out war yesterday...apparently, they are working hard at school to get her take the cup over the bottle. Whenever they pull out the cup, Lilah throws an all out fit. She wants nothing to do with it. Her teacher tried taking off the lid so Lilah could just sip out of it like a regular cup, and Lilah flailed her arms and dumped the entire cup all over herself and her teacher. Sorry, Miss Katie!!! 

So, starting Thursday, I think we'll be trying a new strategy.  If I can get the willpower --I am going to pack up the bottles and start Sippy Cup Boot Camp.  No more of this trying to wean...because it is obviously not working.  

Wish us luck!! I think this is going to be just as hard on me as it is on Lilah.  And, please send me suggestions if you have any!!! I'm willing to try anything!

The Rainbow Bridge

I had to do just one more post on Dread because of a very special moment yesterday...........

***************

As I mentioned in my previous post, Dread's passing was extremely difficult for our family. But, I would definitely say that the circumstances in which it occurred made things a million times harder. Dread passed away while I was in New Orleans for a work conference leaving Jep to deal with everything at home alone.  After burying him, Jep had to leave for a 2 week training with the National Guard.  So, for two weeks we had to grieve separately and apart from one another.

Yesterday, after almost three weeks of not seeing each other, Jep returned home! After Lilah went to sleep for the night, we were finally able to really speak in depth about what happened. When we went out to visit his resting place in our yard, we looked up into the sky and saw this....

If you look closely, it is actually a double rainbow! The one on top is a little harder to see, but it was definitely there.

It was so emotional seeing these two rainbows as we stood over Dread's burial site. I instantly thought back to the sweet poem my grandma shared with us.

The Rainbow Bridge

There is a bridge connecting Heaven and Earth. It is called the Rainbow Bridge because of its many colors. Just this side of the Rainbow Bridge there is a land of meadows, hills and valleys with lush green grass.

When a beloved pet dies, the pet goes to this place. There is always food and water and warm spring weather. The old and rail animals are young again. Those who are maimed are made whole again. They play all day with each other.

There is only one thing missing. They are not with their special person who loved them on Earth. So each day they run and play until the day comes when one suddenly stops playing and looks up! Their nose twitches! Their ears are up! Their eyes are staring! And this one suddenly runs from the group.

You have been seen, and when you and your special friend meet, you take him or her in your arms and embrace. Your face is kissed again and again an again and you look once more into the eyes of your trusting pet.

Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together, never again to be separated.

Miss Priss & The Ladybug Purse

The other day, Lilah was running around the house carrying her purse just so. It was cracking us up! What was even better, was that she always made sure the polka dots faced out.  

What a little diva! 

Are we in trouble or what?!

 A girl on a mission. 

 

That's all folks!
Now, Papa...I'm ready for my first Coach handbag! :)

Chicago 2012

I'm going to attempt to do a little bit of catching up. This month has been abnormally hectic and I've been in a blogging slump.  But...I'm back, for now.

Earlier this month, Jep, Lilah and I boarded a plane and headed to Chicago. Yes, that's right. Lilah had her first plane ride at the age of 1.  After this trip, I don't think we'll be flying again anytime soon! :)  Okay, I will admit Lilah did pretty well. But, oh my, is it exhausting to travel with a mobile, little girl who can't sit still for the life of her! We had a few meltdowns, especially during take-offs and landings. Thankfully, everyone (for the most part) on board was very sympathetic and understanding. Things got especially difficult on our flight from Chicago to Atlanta when we ran into some bad weather. We circled the airport for about a half hour trying to land with no luck. We were re-routed to the Chattanooga airport where we had to stay ON the plane on the runway for a little over an hour. Talk about stressful!! Thankfully, we had a computer and Lilah's favorite Singing Babies DVD. Despite the circumstances, she did so well and even kept our neighbors entertained with games of peek-a-boo. 

Now, onto our trip. We started our get-a-way in the suburbs. On Friday evening, we made a visit to meet Baby Stella. 

Me & Kristen with Stella and Lilah

Kristen and I first met on the playground in kindergarten and became instant best friends! Although we now live in different parts of the country, we've maintained our friendship. Kristen is one of my greatest friends and I'm so incredibly happy for her and Steve on the latest addition to their family!!  Side note: Lilah was having a come about while I was holding Baby Stella. Hope this isn't a sign of things to come if she ever gets a sibling.

On Saturday, we headed to my cousin's wedding. Believe it or not, this was the first time this side of the family met Jep!!!! So, they now believe that he does exist! :)  Lilah also got to meet everyone for the first time. 

Lilah with Great Grandma and Great Grandpa

After the wedding, Jep and I headed to Chicago for a night downtown by ourselves. We had a very relaxing night free of interruptions, diaper changes, running after a little one, and most importantly... we savored a full night's sleep! Yay! It was heavenly.

Our sweet girl joined us downtown on Saturday afternoon and she was ready to go!

YAY for the Windy City!

We put in more than a few miles strolling along the Magnificent Mile, Lake Michigan, the Chicago River and Navy Pier.

Along the Chicago River

By the time we made it to Navy Pier...this girl was out cold!

Navy Pier

 Later that afternoon we came back to the hotel for a quick dip in the rooftop pool.

Lilah with her Papa

Lilah is fearless! All she wanted to do was jump in the pool off of the side.  She had a very hard time with Jep holding her in the pool. She wanted to take off on her own. She was even putting her face in the water. I think we have a future swimmer on our hands.

Of course, we did a lot of eating on this trip. 

Lilah and I share a love for pizza and we made sure we got our fair share of it--Chicago-style! Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!

Gino's East

Stuffing her face with a slice

Another day of pizza...this time at Giordano's.

Another one of my great friends, Megan, also happened to be in Chicago. We got to catch up over breakfast. It was so great to see her!

Here Lilah is vising the American Girl store for the first time. We just browsed during this visit. Definitely when she gets a tad bit older, we'll be walking out with a new doll! :)

On Monday we did the ultimate touristy thing by taking the double decker bus tour. It was so hot and we really couldn't enjoy the ride too much because we had to worry about containing our "squirmy-worm." 

She did fall asleep during the ride so we were able to sit back and relax for a little bit.

Our next stop...the Shedd Aquarium!! I couldn't wait to take Lilah to the aquarium. This is the aquarium I grew up going to when I was little. She was so amazed by the beluga whales. We spent the majority of our time at this exhibit. 

Touching Starfish

I just love, love, love this city!!!!!! Cannot wait for our next visit!

Our Dread

It's been awhile since I've updated our blog. A large part of my absence is due to the fact that I've been avoiding having to write this very difficult post.

Our sweet boy, Dread, passed away on July 10th. Our little family has felt a huge void since his passing.

Dread was the perfect dog. He brought so much happiness to our lives--as well as to those who knew him. He was the type of dog that even non-dog lovers grew to love. He also made those who doubted him (since he was a pit bull) fall in love with him.   He was just that sweet of a dog. He loved being around people and although he weighed over 80 lbs,  he thought he was a little lap-dog.  He was a big snuggler.

Looking back on pictures, I realized that our "fur-baby" sure did live a great life. He travelled everywhere with us. He actually was quite worldly. :) He made many visits to the Emerald Coast with the family. He loved the beach.

He's also been to Jacksonville and was brave enough to tackle the waves.

Of course, he'd go back with us to Auburn for game days.

Dread rolling Toomer's Corner



War Eagle!

Tailgating at the 2007 Iron Bowl

He was a big Auburn fan!

We celebrated many holidays with him and he would cooperate so well when I'd dress him up!

Mardi-Gras Puppy

Happy New Year. 2009

He loved water! It didn't matter if it was a pool, a lake, or the ocean. Swimming was one of his favorite things to do.

 

 

In 2010, he was diagnosed with a very aggressive cancer but he defied all odds and pulled through an extremely invasive surgery and several rounds of chemotherapy. He surprised all of his doctors. He was our little fighter.

 

He grew up to be such a great big brother.

He would let curious Lilah climb all over him, pull his ears or tail, sometimes even poke him in the eye. In turn, she would love to feed him Puffs (or whatever she was eating) out of the palm of her hand. It was so cute watching them interact with each other. They were great friends.

Dread was was the sweetest, most loyal, playful dog I've ever known. 

Dread, you are so very much loved and missed!! We know you're having a great time running, swimming, and playing up in heaven.