From the Ground Up...

The Jacket with the Fur

2012-02-15T17:38:00.003-08:00

Lilah has been voted by her teachers as "best dressed" in the class. I've been feeling the pressure to keep up this title. :) I realize I am probably creating a monster because it's only going to get more and more expensive to dress this cute the older she gets!

Here is our little fashionista all pretty in pink!

2012-02-13T17:59:00.000-08:00

The past few days have been freezing!! So, we had to bundle up before going to school this morning.

My sweet little snuggly lamb

Hope everyone is staying warm!

Sure, baby girl looks super cute all cozy and bundled up but we are so ready for the spring and warmer temps!!

Baby Lilah: 33 Weeks

2012-02-12T17:38:00.000-08:00

Sunday Funday

2012-02-12T17:14:00.000-08:00

Sweet girl is a mess...Literally! :)

Highlight of My Day

2012-02-07T14:31:00.000-08:00

Today has just been "one of the days" at work . It has been non-stop since I got in the office. I'm tired and ready to get home to see my baby, hubby, and puppy. With that being said, it was such a sweet surprise to see this sweet picture of my baby girl pop up in my email in-box!!

Looks like Lilah is having a big time on the Bye-Bye Buggy with her friends.

Thank you Allison for sending me this picture and making my day! :)

Yummy Yogurt!

2012-02-06T18:12:00.000-08:00

We tried yogurt for the first time this weekend and it seems to be by far Lilah's favorite food!

You'll see how little Miss Independent just has to feed herself.

Feeding times are quite messy with this one!

Baby Lilah: 32 Weeks

2012-02-06T17:50:00.000-08:00

It is getting harder and harder to take our weekly photos. This girl will just not sit still!! So, here is the best I could get this week.

She sure is a cutie!

My happy girl!

Weekend Update

2012-02-06T14:12:00.001-08:00

Lilah and I started our weekend with a nice lunch on Friday with the ladies from work!

Later that afternoon, Grammy arrived in town for a visit.

As always, we had the best time with our Grammy doing lots of shopping and eating.

My Little Valentine

2012-02-01T05:57:00.000-08:00

Happy February, everyone!!

Baby Love

2012-01-31T17:52:00.000-08:00

Hanging out with brother

Ready to take off...I have a feeling that little miss will be crawling before we know it!

Close up!

Putting in some work on my computer!

Lilah:31 Weeks

2012-01-31T17:42:00.001-08:00

If you're keeping track...you'll probably notice we went from 29 weeks to 31...momma got a little busy and didn't get a chance to take a picture last week.

28

2012-01-28T17:55:00.000-08:00

Thursday we celebrated my 28th birthday! Despite the crappy weather (it poured down rain the entire day!), it was a great day! After work, I came home to celebrate with my sweet husband, precious baby girl, and little ole Dread (who was also celebrating a birthday). Jep surprised me with a gorgeous diamond bracelet. I was shocked!! He did so good and I am one lucky girl to have such a sweet hubby.

Me and Lilah on my birthday

We continued the celebration onto Friday night. Jep and I were able to get away for a few hours to enjoy a nice dinner out at Flemings. Thank you Nana Beth for watching Lilah!!

And, a big thank you to all of my family and friends for the phone calls, text messages, emails, and facebook messages!!! I'm so incredibly blessed to have you all in my life!

Little Sis

2012-01-28T17:51:00.000-08:00

Splish Splash...

2012-01-28T17:44:00.000-08:00

...baby girl loves sitting up in her bath!

A Girls Weekend

2012-01-17T08:29:00.000-08:00

Jep was out of town for drill this past weekend so it was just us girls (and Dread!) After Lilah and I did a little shopping on Papa's dime, we stopped over at the Solomon's for a visit.

Lilah, Madeline & Mary

Allison, Mary, Lilah, and me

I can't stop laughing at this picture. Lilah looks gigantic compared to baby Mary.

Lilah and Madeline in their little matching outfits. How cute!

And...here is my little pianist. Lilah just loved the piano.

Banging on the keys

Below is a little taste of the beautiful music of the talented Miss Lilah... (you may need ear plugs for this piece!)

Lilah: 29 Weeks

2012-01-16T17:18:00.001-08:00

Baby girl is 29 weeks old!

We introduced the sippy cup tonight--she just like chewing on it. She hasn't gotten the hang of drinking out of it yet.

And, just a cute picture of some tummy time

Lilah: 28 Weeks

2012-01-08T17:05:00.001-08:00

I had a hard time getting this little one to look at the camera this week. She was too preoccupied with checking out the fabric she was on.

Lilah: 27 weeks

2012-01-07T19:31:00.001-08:00

Lilah: 26 Weeks

2012-01-07T18:04:00.001-08:00

My little 26 weeker prefers her fingers over a paci.

Lilah: 6 Months

2012-01-03T10:52:00.000-08:00

My Sweet Girl,

Happy Half Birthday! We celebrated your six month birthday on Christmas Eve. I can easily say that this year was the best Christmas by far!! You made this year so much fun and I just know each year is only going to get better!!

You continue to amaze us every single day with all the little things you do. Your sweet, little personality is really starting to show more and more! It is apparent already that you are going to be a daddy's little girl. You just love your "Papa." He'll walk in the room and your sweet face just lights up as soon as you see him! You also love your big brother, Dread. You've just really started to notice him and love watching him. He'll come up to you and give you a big kiss on your little chunky cheeks which makes you laugh.

You are just growing and developing right before our eyes. At your six month well-visit you weighed 17 lbs, 4 ozs (75th percentile) and were 27 inches long (90th percentile). Dr. A said you're going to grow up to be a super-model if you keep growing at this rate! :)

Shortly after your 6 month birthday, you began sitting up on your own. You just love sitting up by yourself with all of your toys around you. Your favorite toy right now is the musical kitchen set you got from Santa. We are starting to wonder if we've got a little dancer on our hands because each time you make the music come on you start to dance! :) Papa likes to say you get your dancing skills from him...bless your heart! No, really though...Daddy is a good dancer so this is a good thing. :)

You are doing so good with eating solids. So far you've tried green beans, sweet potatoes, bananas, avocados, squash and apples. You've loved them all except you weren't too crazy about sweet potatoes.

You are rolling around like crazy. I'm sure it won't be too much longer before you're crawling.

You are discovering your voice and use it often! :) You've recently started squealing and screaming because you can! We'll yell back at you and then you yell back at us. It's become a fun a little game for you.

You are teething like crazy right now. You've got three big teeth on the bottom. Those frozen teethers have become you new favorite thing along with our fingers and momma's necklaces.

Oh baby girl, you are our world and we just love you so very much! Happy 6 months!

Christmas Celebration # 3,4,5,6

2012-01-03T08:21:00.000-08:00

Christmas lasted for weeks around our house. We wrapped up our final Christmas celebrations this past weekend in south Alabama. We made the trip down to Elba on Friday afternoon to get ready for a Saturday jam-packed with Christmas festivities. It's always hectic (but a blast!) when the family gets together in Elba. Nana's house bursts at the seams with 13 adults, 8 kids running around, plus a big ole Pit Bull. We have to get pretty creative with the sleeping arrangements!

Saturday morning Lilah got to stroll around Nana's house with her cousins Beth Ann and Drew while everyone got ready to head to Papa Jim and Mama Jackie's house (Christmas Celebration #3) for breakfast and Christmas presents!

After filling our bellies full of breakfast casserole, scrambled eggs, grits, biscuits, monkey bread, bacon and fruit it was time to open presents

Lilah with Papa Jim and Mama Jackie

After our trip to Enterprise we headed on to Opp, AL for Christmas #4 with Granny and Paw Paw DuBose. Sadly, I left my camera in the car for this celebration so I have no pictures from our visit. We had fun nonetheless!

After Granny and Paw Paw's we turned back around to Elba for Christmas #5 with Granny Farris.

And, then it was onto our last and final celebration (#6) at Nana's for more presents! This is where it gets very chaotic! :) Wrapping paper, toys, and boxes everywhere! So much fun though!

Whew! I'm exhausted all over again thinking about all of our partying. I think it is safe to say that Lilah had a great (and busy!) first Christmas!! As long as Christmas was spread out this year, I have to admit that it was very satisfying putting up my Christmas decorations this year! I'm ready for a break from all of the hustle and bustle.

Side note: With all of the Christmas craziness, I've been a little off track and am behind on posting Lilah's weekly photos. I've got two weeks worth of photos and her 6 month post in the works. So, stay tuned!

Christmas Celebration #2

2011-12-28T14:36:00.000-08:00

On the eve of Christmas Eve, we loaded up to make the 8 hour trip up to Indy for our second round of Christmas festivities. This was Lilah's first trip to Carmel and first long road trip. She did great!! We only had to make three stops (one right outside of Nashville, one in Kentucky, and one in Indiana). She slept a good bit of the trip. While awake, I sat in the back and kept her entertained and she was as content as could be.

We continued our Christmas Eve tradition with our newest little addition to the family by going to church followed by a nice dinner. This year we went to Cooper's Hawk Winery and Restaurant. Dinner was delicious!! Lilah got a little bored at dinner which led to rotating shifts of walking her around the restaurant for a change of scenery once and while. Despite the interruptions, we all had a blast!

{Here is Lilah with her Grammy just before leaving for church.}

{A Silent Night just before church}

{Family Photo}

We woke up early on Christmas Day to open presents! Sweet baby girl sure did get spoiled!! Santa wrapped all of Lilah's gifts in cute pink penguin paper. Here she is trying to tear into someone else's gift!

Opening up her present from Uncle Donnie. (I got a new video camera from my wonderful mother-in-law so I've been doing a lot of playing with my new toy. With that being said, here is another video of Lilah opening her presents.)

One of the gifts from my dad to the adults was a packet of pull-tabs. Pull-tabs are similar to lotto tickets. Basically you just pull the tabs to see if your ticket is a winner. Simple concept, huh!?

Lilah loved playing with the losing tickets and mother of the year over here let her go to town.

Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner!

In case you were wondering if anyone of us walked away a winner...in total, we won about $18. My dad went and turned in the winners and bought $10 worth of new tickets and ended up coming away with a $250 winning ticket! Score!!

{Lilah sporting her new Chicago Bears attire from her Uncle Donnie. GO BEARS!}

{Uncle Donnie and Lilah Belle}

The morning that we were heading out of town, it SNOWED!!! Before we headed back to Birmingham, we had to do a little playing. Lilah is wearing a snowsuit that was mine when I was a baby. It was a little snug on her but she looked oh-so-precious in it!

December 27, 2011: Lilah's first encounter with snow.

All bundled up!

Trying to catch the flakes

Papa and Baby

We hope everyone had a very, Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Celebration #1

2011-12-25T11:41:00.000-08:00

Santa visited our house early since we wouldn't be in town Christmas day. This year, Lilah was more interested in eating the wrapping paper and gift bags than the presents themselves.

She did get some fun stuff though...including her first play kitchen, books, an Auburn dress, teddy bear, and her very own laptop (Fisher Price, of course!). Santa was very good to my sweet girl!

And...a little video of baby girl opening her very first present!

Welcome Mary Morgan!

2011-12-21T14:34:00.000-08:00

My very sweet boss and friend welcomed her second baby girl yesterday afternoon.

Welcome to the world Baby Mary Morgan!!
I just know you and Lilah will be the best of friends one day! :)

Here she is in the little bloomers we got her.
Precious little Christmas Baby!!

Festive Baby!

2011-12-21T14:23:00.001-08:00

I think it is pretty obvious that I am obsessed with dressing up my baby girl in holiday attire!

I'm also crazy about taking daily pictures of our sweet angel in her little outfits. Her clothes are just so darn cute and I feel the need to document every little outfit she wears! I swear the girl dresses 1,000,000 times better than I do!

We are just *SO* excited about celebrating Christmas this year with our little one! She obviously has been a very good girl judging by the amount of presents under the tree with her name on it!

Lilah: 25 Weeks

2011-12-19T18:53:00.000-08:00

Lilah: 24 Weeks

2011-12-19T18:43:00.000-08:00

My little Roly Poly.

Little Miss will not stay on her back for very long these days. We'll set her down on her back and before we know it she's flipped over to her tummy.

Lilah: 23 Weeks

2011-12-10T16:33:00.000-08:00

Christmas Baby!

Celebration of the Nativity

2011-12-10T15:16:00.000-08:00

Last week was Celebration of the Nativity--Lilah's first school performance. Her class kicked off the program by being strolled down the aisles to "All I Want for Christmas."

{Ms. Marjory and Ms. Brenda leading the Infant 1 class} {Laid back in the front row}

{After the performance the parents were invited to enjoy brunch}

{And after brunch, we had to check on our little shining star}

Lilah: 22 Weeks

2011-12-04T14:02:00.000-08:00

I'm a little behind! This was taken last week. Will post this week's picture very soon!

A Post of Firsts!

2011-11-27T13:52:00.000-08:00

The past few days have been full of "firsts" for Miss Lilah Belle...

::First trip to Nana's in Elba::

::First Thanksgiving::

::First Ride on the Gator::

::First Christmas Tree Picking::

::First Iron Bowl::

{Sadly, Auburn lost this year.}

::First time in the Jumper::

::Momma's first attempt at making homemade baby food::

::First taste of something other than milk!::

My little green bean face!

Lilah Video

2011-11-21T16:39:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I posted a video of baby girl!

Here she is batting at her toys on her Baby Einstein. This is her new favorite activity. Along with batting, she is also grabbing. The grabbing is not so cute though--she's gotten in some good hair pulls with those tiny little hands.

Tiny Picasso: Thanksgiving Style

2011-11-21T16:03:00.000-08:00

My heart just melts whenever I walk through the hallways of Lilah's school and see these masterpieces!

How cute are these little handprint turkey chicks?!

Close-up of Lilah's artwork.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Lilah: 21 Weeks

2011-11-21T16:02:00.001-08:00

Lilah: 20 Weeks

2011-11-13T17:29:00.001-08:00

I love eating my hands!

Lilah: 19 Weeks

2011-11-13T17:25:00.000-08:00

New Friends

2011-11-08T14:28:00.000-08:00

A sweet photo of "Bright Eyes" and "Angel Face" with Ms. Nancy.

Ms. Nancy calls Lilah "Bright Eyes" and Maren "Angel Face."

Too sweet!

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas!

2011-11-08T13:44:00.000-08:00

We are already getting into the Christmas spirit around our house! I know, I know.... Thanksgiving hasn't even arrived yet and I just got done writing about our Halloween. But, this past weekend my mom and I made our annual trip to Christmas Village (arts and crafts show) with Lilah and it really got me into the Christmas mood. Since we had sweet baby girl in tow this year, mom and I decided to break up the shopping into two days. The first day we got Lilah an adorable Christmas outfit so she could get her picture taken with Santa the following day.

I went a little crazy with the pictures before we headed out for Day 2 of Christmas Village.

Lilah's first meeting with Santa went very well. She's definitely trying to work the big guy over so she'll be on his "Nice List."

Halloween 2011

2011-11-08T13:24:00.000-08:00

Lilah's 1st Halloween was a hit!

Here's a mommy-daughter photo the morning of Halloween. We already are sharing accessories...if you look closely you'll notice I borrowed her pumpkin bow for the day. :)

Later that afternoon was her school Halloween parade.

Let's just say that it was organized chaos!

My little "Lilah-bug" leading her class in the Bye-Bye Buggy

The Day Before Halloween

2011-10-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

It's Lilah's 1st Halloween!! Tomorrow will be a big day for us. We are looking forward to a Halloween parade at school and a Trick-or-Treat stop by our neighbor's house. With the big day being tomorrow, I figured it would be a good idea to do a trial run in the costume and to take a few cute pictures. I'm so proud of my Little Ladybug--she loves her costume! Maybe this is a sign that she'll love the holiday as much as her mama!!

After playing dress up, we played in pumpkins. I don't think Lilah enjoyed this as much as being in her nice warm Ladybug costume.

And....she's had enough of this silliness!

Lilah: 18 Weeks

2011-10-29T18:17:00.000-07:00

And the photo shoot continues...

Happy Halloween!!

Lilah: 17 Weeks

2011-10-29T18:15:00.000-07:00

This photo shoot is dedicated to my Uncle Donnie!

Go BEARS!

Best Buds

2011-10-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

I just thought this was so cute of the two of my little ones. Dread has been such a sweet boy and he loves laying on blankets with his little sis.

The Many Outfits of Halloween

2011-10-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

Say Cheese!

2011-10-26T06:47:00.001-07:00

Lilah's very first school picture!

Lilah: 4 Months

2011-10-24T09:39:00.001-07:00

October 24, 2011

My Sweet Baby Girl:

You are 4 months old today! You are becoming more and more fun each and every day. And, you continue to amaze me and your Daddy with all the little things you do. We can just sit and watch you for hours.

So much has changed since the last time I wrote to you!

You are just loving school and are doing so well! Just the other day I was talking to one of your teachers and she said that you seem to really know each of the teachers now--you are all smiles in the morning when we drop you off which makes me so happy. One of your teachers shared with me that you are doing so well that sometimes she and the other teachers say to the kids, "why can't you be more like Lilah." :) Hearing this just made me so proud!!

***

You are now sleeping in your crib at night! This is a big accomplishment and you did so well with the transition. You started sleeping in your crib at 10 weeks and for the first few weeks you continued to sleep through the night. However, after about a couple weeks in the crib, you've gone back to waking up about once or twice a night. You wake up for a little snack and then you are right back asleep as soon as I lay you back down.

***

You are such a happy, little thing. You are very smiley and have really started to laugh. You have the cutest laugh. We just recently introduced you to Nick Jr. and some Baby Einstein videos and you just love it! You smile, coo, and kick your feet like crazy when you watch these shows.

***

Everything we give you goes straight to your mouth! You want to eat everything...blankets, toys, wash clothes, your fingers, our hands.... you name it! I even splurged and spent $25 on a small, plastic giraffe that squeaks named Sophie because I heard it was great for teething. You are not a fan! But, Dread on the other hand loves it! He thinks Sophie is one of his toys so we have to keep her on the fireplace mantel out of Dread's reach. Maybe one day you'll come around and want to chew on Sophie. The paci is still hit or miss.

***

You are so close to rolling over. I know you are going to roll over on your own any day now.

We love you little punkin!! Happy 4 months!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-24T09:25:00.001-07:00

This past Friday, Lilah and I loaded up along with Allison and Ms. Madeline in what we like to affectionately refer to as the "Swagger Wagon" (a.k.a. Allison's van) to head to the PUMPKIN PATCH!

Now, I know anyone who knows me, is very aware that Halloween is my favorite holiday and that I just love the Fall. So, this was very exciting for me. I couldn't wait to start Fall/Halloween traditions with Lilah and this past week we had our very first visit to pick out our pumpkin.

The girls loaded up and ready to ride on out.

Before we left the house

All snuggled up. It was a little chilly in the morning.

Madeline and Lilah. I love that Madeline is holding Lilah's hand. So precious!

Then, Madeline wanted to hold Lilah. :) She is going to be such a good big sister!!

Riding the wagon out to the pumpkin patch

And...she's done! Lilah did so good the entire day but after we picked out our pumpkin she was not a happy camper on the wagon ride back. She cried the whole ride back. Sorry to all the other passengers trying to enjoy a nice ride back from pumpkin picking.

AU/UF Weekend

2011-10-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Jep and I were able to make a quick trip to Auburn to watch our Tigers take on the Florida Gators.

This trip marked my first night away from Lilah. It was hard leaving her but I think I handled it pretty well. :) I got a little teary on our way out the door but it really helped knowing that she was in good hands with her Grammy.

Thank you , mom for watching baby girl and Dread!

On our way to our tailgate spot we decided to make a quick stop to check on Jep's old Auburn homestead. Oh, the memories from Ridgewood 462!

Love these girls!! My college roomies!

Me and my sweet hubby

Tiger vs Gator!

What a fun weekend with friends!!

Oh, and if you were wondering...Auburn did come out with WIN over those Gators! :)

WAR EAGLE!

Tiny Picasso

2011-10-17T07:14:00.000-07:00

Lilah's very first work of art.

Her masterpiece is the hat directly under Firefighter. You can tell she is a dainty little thing because she doesn't have nearly as much paint on her hat as the other kids. She must be like her mama...she doesn't like getting her hands dirty. :)

Lilah: Week 16

2011-10-16T14:27:00.000-07:00

Lilah:Week 15

2011-10-16T14:25:00.001-07:00

We are still cheering for the COLTS in our house even though it's been a rough season without Peyton Manning

2011-10-10T13:45:00.000-07:00

With cooler weather approaching, it was time to break out the leg warmers!

First Football Game

2011-10-10T13:01:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to watch cousin Jayce's football game.

And, there's the star football player--#9!

Lilah had a good time hanging out with everyone

Lilah: 14 Weeks

2011-10-04T18:44:00.000-07:00

Happy October!!

Jep the Builder

2011-09-28T10:56:00.001-07:00

This week's theme is "In the Community" at Lilah's school. One of the activities for the week included parents speaking about different jobs that are community-related. The speakers included a police officer, pastor, veterinarian, pediatrician, librarian, architect, etc. Jep was recruited to speak about his job in construction. :)

It was so cute seeing the kids so excited to hear all about Jep's job. As he was bringing in his presentation materials they were already asking a million questions. At one point during the presentation, Jep was talking about safety and the importance of safety when working on a job-site. He asked the kids if they know why construction workers have to wear a bright vest. One of the kids yelled out so matter-of-factly, "so, you don't get dirty!" Haha!

{Here is Mr. Jep being introduced}

{The teachers even bring the infants to the presentations. Here's Lilah watching her daddy.}

Fall Family Dinner

2011-09-26T11:26:00.000-07:00

Last week we attended our very first Family Dinner at Lilah's school.

Here's my (not-so) Tiny Tulip.

Allison, Madeline, me and Lilah

And, here we all are with Angela and Julia.
Julia is in Lilah's class.

Tiny Tiger

2011-09-25T14:49:00.000-07:00

WAR EAGLE!

We've been loving football season around here. It's been an especially fun year because of this little one. She and I love playing dress up on gamedays! :)

Here's my little Auburn Tiger in the new outfit her Daddy bought her.

Big Brother Dread just loves his little sis

Lilah: 13 Weeks

2011-09-25T14:48:00.001-07:00

Lilah: 12 Weeks

2011-09-23T19:12:00.001-07:00

School Days

2011-09-16T18:57:00.000-07:00

Here are some of our morning pictures before heading off to school!

Lilah has been doing great and we couldn't be happier with our choice of school for her. She's going to be one smart little girl! :)

Are You Ready For Some Football?

2011-09-16T18:54:00.000-07:00

...Lilah is!

Too bad the COLTS lost big time in their opening game without Peyton. :(

Lilah: 11 Weeks

2011-09-16T18:52:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to play catch up...here is baby girl last week!

Labor Day Beach Trip 2011

2011-09-10T18:28:00.000-07:00

The week before Labor Day Jep, Lilah, Dread and I headed down to the beach for our first vacation as a family of four.

{Beach Bound!}

It was a great way to spend some quality time together before I headed back to work and Lilah started school. And, I love that we were able to be there for an entire week! We started the week off just the four of us and by mid-week Jep's family and my mom joined us.

The weather was BEAUTIFUL for the first two days! And, the water was crystal clear and calm. We took Lilah down to the water one morning and while walking along the beach we saw dolphins, a small shark and huge stingray. Lilah is definitely a beach baby! She slept for most of the time we were down there (a large part of that could be that we set her sound machine to the ocean when she sleeps) and when she was awake we put her feet in the water and she just loved it.

{Beach Beauty in her bathing suit}

Day 2 was another beautiful day so we headed back down to the beach to spend a little more time with or feet in the sand. Lilah couldn't wait for round 2 of fun in the sun! Well, fun in the shade in her case. :)

The rest of our crew started trickling in on Tuesday...

{Cousin Ollie}

{Lilah and Nana}

{Lilah and Grammy}

{Sweet boy Dread}

Lilah was christened on Friday down at the beach. See my post below for lots of pictures!

College Football kicked off on Saturday! WAR EAGLE!!

{Uncle Jep with Kylie and Beth Ann}

{War Eagle Family}

On Monday we did a little swimming. The weather was pretty rainy all day thanks to Tropical Storm Lee so the ocean was really wavy and we didn't want to have to bring ALL of our beach gear down only to pack it all back up in a sudden down pour . So, we decided to make it a pool day. I just knew Lilah would love it since she is such a water baby. The pool water was freezing so I only stayed in long enough to take this picture. Daddy stayed in with Lilah and she loved it so much she fell asleep! So precious! :)

Tiny Tulip

2011-09-07T18:58:00.000-07:00

Today was my first day back at work and Lilah's very first day of school! She is the newest addition to the Tiny Tulip class!

Lilah's Christening

2011-09-06T11:44:00.000-07:00

On Friday, September 2nd, Lilah was christened on the beach in Santa Rosa Beach in front of a small gathering of family and friends. We decided to have Lilah baptized on the very same beach where Jep and I were married. Mart Gray, who performed our marriage ceremony, graciously agreed to preside over yet another precious event in our lives and we are so very thankful for that. The service was so personal and just perfect. We were blessed with a beautiful day as well--we were a little worried with Tropical Storm Lee on its way but the rain stayed away.

Here is sweet Lilah on her Christening Day in the same dress my mom and I wore when we were baptized

Big thank you to all who celebrated with us! And, to Mart for a beautiful and memorable ceremony!

Lilah: 10 Weeks

2011-09-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

In honor of college football season--WAR EAGLE, y'all!

Lilah hit the double digits!

Lilah: 9 Weeks

2011-08-26T17:42:00.001-07:00

Sweet Dread...poor guy has taken a back seat on the blog.

He's still our precious little furbaby!

Lilah: 2 Months

2011-08-25T18:55:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Dear Lilah,

I know I keep saying this but-- where has the time gone?! I cannot believe you are two months old already. It seems like just yesterday we were bringing you home from the hospital. In these two short months you've made me and Daddy just the happiest and proudest people on earth! You are such a sweet little, happy girl! My favorite time of the day is waking up to your smiling face. You are such a morning baby! And, it might be because you sleep so well at night! :)

You have been consistently sleeping 7, 8 sometimes 9 hours a night!! You usually go down pretty easily but some nights you need a little more rocking or listening to Dave Matthews than others. And, occasionally you just want to sit outside with Daddy on the patio and watch the Military Channel or HGTV before going to sleep. Daddy loves this because you put up with his shows more than I do! :) You're still sleeping in our room in the Pack-n-Play and we're going to try to start transitioning you to your big girl crib very soon. I think this is going to be tougher on Daddy than you--he's not ready to move you to your own room.

A couple weeks ago you finally took a bottle. We struggled with this for a few weeks. You did not like the bottle one bit! But, you've been doing well once we found one that you like. You much rather prefer your fist than a paci. We've tried several different pacifiers and you just don't seem to like them and we are just fine with that.

You make the sweetest most cutest little noises! I love our little conversations. You repeat different sounds that I make and I think you are the smartest little girl when you do this!

You love trips outside of the house! You are so good and content when we make trips to the store or go out to eat. Last weekend you, me, and Daddy went out to dinner for mexican. You were wide awake when we first got there and were fast asleep within 2 minutes of walking through the door. Even our waiter was impressed at how fast you fell asleep! :) Daddy said he wished we could get a recording of the mexican music that was playing for your sound machine.

You continue to amaze us each day with all your new discoveries and with the little things you do each day. We love you so much baby girl! Happy 2 months!!

Tiny Angel

2011-08-25T18:48:00.000-07:00

This sweet little shirt was the very first thing I bought when we found out we were having a baby girl! She just looks so angelic while getting in a little tummy time.

Lilah: 8 Weeks

2011-08-21T19:14:00.001-07:00

Morning Wake Ups

2011-08-17T05:42:00.000-07:00

I love waking up every morning to this smiley face!

Little Princess

2011-08-16T15:58:00.000-07:00

Lilah attended her very first birthday party this past weekend. Madeline turned 4 years old and celebrated with a Princesses and Pirates themed birthday party complete with a magician. Lilah slept through the entire thing but I'm pretty sure she had a good time! :)

This was before we left...she was a little mad at me for putting her in her princess outfit

With the birthday girl! Happy Birthday Madeline!

Lilah: 7 Weeks

2011-08-14T13:48:00.000-07:00

Lilah is 7 weeks old and is just changing by the day!

and one more picture...silly girl sticking her tongue out!

Lilah: 6 Weeks

2011-08-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

Our little 6 week "wild" child!

4 Generations

2011-08-07T12:42:00.000-07:00

This weekend Grammy and Great-Grandma CC came to visit! The weekend was full of shopping and both Lilah and her mommy were both very spoiled! Lilah was just a little show-off all weekend--she did so good while we carted her around from store to store, she slept for 8 hours Saturday night so we could all get a full night's sleep, she smiled and entertained us each day, and she FINALLY took a bottle! She has been battling the bottle for several weeks so last week we started bottle-bootcamp. I'm so happy to report that she is now taking a bottle! Yay for her!!!

Our first 4 Generations photo

Thank you Grammy and GG CC for EVERYTHING! We can't wait for another visit! We LOVE you!!

It's a Girl!!

2011-08-07T12:25:00.000-07:00

Lilah will be gaining a new little friend this December. Allison just found out that she will be expecting a sweet baby girl!! We are so excited!! For the big reveal Lilah and I made a trip to the office. We found out the sex of the baby by breaking open a pinata--Dave was kind (and brave)enough to be the pinata holder!

2011-08-02T13:28:00.000-07:00

...Just a few recent pictures of Miss Lilah...

my little senorita ready for her first dinner out with mommy and daddy to habeneros

pictures with me are very scarce since i'm usually the photographer

Playtime

2011-08-02T13:24:00.000-07:00

{a little playtime before a bath}

Lilah: 5 Weeks

2011-07-30T15:07:00.000-07:00

Friday, July 29, 2011

Our little Chunky Monkey is 5 weeks old! At her one month well visit she weighed 10 lbs, 3 oz! (80th percentile-up from 50th from her last visit) And was 21 1/2 inches long. Dr. Amason said she could win the award for fastest growing baby! :) Other exciting news, Lilah gave us a wonderful gift on her 5 week birthday. She slept 8 hours straight last night! What a big girl!!

Lilah's First Video

2011-07-30T10:16:00.000-07:00

Lilah: 1 Month

2011-07-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

Sunday, July 24, 2011

First Shopping Spree

2011-07-23T16:10:00.000-07:00

My mom came to visit for a few days and as usual her visit consisted of many shopping trips! These shopping sprees were especially memorable because they were Lilah's first big outings. How fitting is it that her first outing with Grammy involved lots of shopping!? :) In a three day period we were able to hit Target, Kohls, Hobby Lobby, Buy Buy Baby (twice!), and a full day at the mall.

Day 1: This looks like it would be an "after shopping" picture but it was actually before we left the house. She didn't seem to excited for the excursion.

Still at home before we left...at least she looks a little more excited!

Day 2: Sleeping through all the shops.

After her first restuarant visit at Firebirds. Thank you baby girl for sleeping through our entire lunch so we could enjoy our salads without interruption! :)

2011-07-23T15:56:00.000-07:00

Visit from Memaw and Nana Beth

Lilah: 4 Weeks

2011-07-23T13:21:00.000-07:00

{This week's theme: Hello Kitty...picked out by Grammy}

At 4 weeks...

*You are growing so big- you now weigh 9 lbs, 6 oz and are 20 inches in length. You've moved up to size 1 diapers and I'm slowing packing away some of your newborn outfits. *Tear*

*You are a great night time sleeper! You go down for bed around 9pm and wake up around 2 or 3am and then again at 6am.

*You are finding your voice and make the cutest little noises!

*You are now smiling!! You're first smile was at about 3 1/2 weeks.

*You are tracking and following toys when we move them from side to side.

*You've had your first shopping trip with Mommy and Grammy! You did so good except for a minor meltdown in Kohls and Macy's. But once you got some food in your belly you were ready to be back at it. :)

Here are some bloopers from our photo shoot...

Bath Time Fun!

2011-07-16T11:58:00.000-07:00

I think we are going to have a water baby on our hands. Lilah loves bath time!

Little Fashonista

2011-07-16T11:42:00.001-07:00

Lilah has a closet and dresser full of clothes! It has been so much fun dressing her in all the cute little outfits. Here are some of pictures of her from the past week.

Dread as a Big Brother

2011-07-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

Many people have been asking how Dread has adjusted to Lilah's arrival. When we first brought her home he really didn't want much to do with her. As the days have gone on, he has really grown to love his little sister.

He likes watching over her while she sleeps...

...and watching her play.

He also enjoys listening to Daddy read Lady and the Tramp to Lilah.

And, he loves sharing her blankets and play gym!

Lilah: 3 Weeks

2011-07-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

Friday, July 15, 2011

Look who turned 3 weeks old yesterday!

Newborn Photos

2011-07-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

At just 5 days old, Lilah had her very first photo shoot! The very talented Deidre of Deidre Ruth Photography came to our house and worked her magic. Here are just a few of my favorites!

Lilah: 2 Weeks

2011-07-08T13:31:00.000-07:00

Friday, July 8, 2011

Lilah,

You are two weeks old today!! You are just growing right before our eyes! In these two short weeks you have changed so much. You are such a good baby and have made the adjustment very easy for me and Daddy. At two weeks:

*You had your very first "real" bath (no more sponge baths!). And, thankfully you actually enjoy bath time!

*You sleep very good through the night. You wake up every three to four hours. And, you don't wake up crying--I usually find you laying in your pack-n-play awake just smacking your lips and making your cute little sounds.

*You are very alert! You love to be held over our shoulders and just look around and take in all the sights.

*You also like your tummy time and we are just amazed at your head control--you've got a strong little neck already!

*You love listening to Pandora (internet radio) on Daddy's iPhone. The Dave Matthews station is one of your favorites! :)

*You celebrated your first 4th of July. We took it easy this year and just watched the fireworks on TV.

Happy two weeks sweet baby girl!

Happy 4th!

2011-07-05T08:22:00.001-07:00

We hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend!

*Thank you Aunt Lynsey for my festive onesie!! :)

Daddy's Little Girl

2011-07-01T18:33:00.003-07:00

Lilah: 1 Week

2011-07-01T16:54:00.000-07:00

Friday, July 1, 2011
I cannot believe my baby girl is already 1 week old! We had our first visit to the pediatrician today and she did GREAT and is growing so fast! Today, she weighed 7 lbs. 9 oz (up 6 oz. from her birth weight) and was 20 1/2 inches long (up 1 inch from her birth length).

I am going to attempt to take a picture of her each week for an entire year so we can watch how much she changes. I searched different ways to document this and came across this website and decided to "borrow" this idea. I'm so excited for this little project and I'm still learning to use my camera so hopefully the picture quality and my skills will improve over the next year! :)

Lilah is Here!!

2011-06-29T08:42:00.000-07:00

Lilah Belle made her appearance on Friday, June 24th at 12:23 p.m.! She weighed 7 lbs 3 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long! And, is just precious! We couldn't be more in love with our sweet baby girl!

Lilah's Birth Story:

I want to start off by saying that I had been told to prepare for the unexpected when it comes to the delivery. My pregnancy had been so smooth and I had no problems throughout the entire 9 months. In fact, my doctor had said at one point that my pregnancy had been a textbook case. Because everything had been going so perfectly, I had prepared myself that things may not go as planned when it came to the delivery--in fact, I had this strong feeling that it wouldn't...and it turned out I was right!!

Jep and I checked into the hospital on Thursday, June 23rd at 8pm for a scheduled induction. They started the process by giving me an IV, Cytotec, and took some blood. I woke up a little bit before 5 am to news that my bloodwork showed that my platelet count was low-so low that I most likely wouldn't be able to get an epidural. They took my blood again that morning to check if the platelet count had gone up. Unfortunately, it had dropped even lower which left me with the option to deliver without an epidural or have a C-section under general anesthesia. I was terrified of both options but opted for delivering without the epidural since it didn't pose as much of a risk as the C-section. They started the pitocin at 5 am and when my contractions got stronger I was able to get some pain meds through my IV which didn't help much at all but I guess it was better than nothing! When I was 10 cm I was able to get a saddle block. Finally, after a few LONG hours, Lilah was born at 12:23pm!! She was perfect and I quickly realized that the entire experience was all worth it!! I will admit that there was a time I was thinking that Lilah may be our only child!! :) Jep was amazing through it all and so, so supportive!

39 Weeks!

2011-06-14T13:23:00.000-07:00

How Far Along: 39 weeks!! Can't believe it!
Size of Baby: Watermelon Baby!
Total Weight Gained/Lost: 27 lbs
Maternity Clothes: Yes
Movement: Baby girl is still squirming a lot!
Sleep: Sleep has becoming more difficult. I guess it's about time for me to accept that this will be the new normal.
What I miss: Being able to be outside!! It has been so incredibly hot here and even if I'm outside for the slightest amount of time, I begin to feel sick. I'm so thankful I don't have to go through the ENTIRE summer pregnant. I can't wait to be able to soak up some sun again.
Cravings: None, really
Aversions: None
Symptoms: Contractions and some nausea--not a great combo

Highlights from this week: Getting our new family vehicle AND listening to Jep telling his little girl all the fun things he's going to do with her when she arrives! She's already stolen his heart and it is just the sweetest thing! :)

Lilah's Nursery

2011-06-12T10:18:00.001-07:00

With my due date only 10 days away, I can finally say that Lilah's nursery is all ready for her! Now, we just need baby girl to make her appearance and it will be 100% complete!!

And, here's big brother snuggled up with the Pack 'N Play.

Mama's New Ride

2011-06-09T17:13:00.000-07:00

With Lilah's impending arrival, we decided it was time for me to upgrade to a bigger vehicle. So, the time has come to turn in good old Roxy the RSX...

(So long Roxy!! It's been a great 8 years!)

...and replace her with a more family friendly vehicle.

After much research, we decided on the Chevy Equinox. I absolutely LOVE it and am still working on a name. :)

38 Weeks!

2011-06-08T17:06:00.000-07:00

How Far Along: 38 weeks
Size of Baby: Watermelon Baby! According to BabyCenter.com she should weigh approx. 6.8 lbs and is approx. 19 1/2 inches

Total Weight Gained/Lost: Still hanging on at 26 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: Yes and I'm so ready to get my old wardrobe back!

Movement: Lots and lots of rolling around and shifting from one side of my belly to the other--especially when her daddy messes with her! :)

Sleep: Sleep is not bad but not great.

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach!

Cravings: Frozen Snickers, Phish Food Icecream, DQ Dilly Bars

Aversions: None
Symptoms: I've been exhausted the past week!! I don't think the heat has been helping either!

Highlights from this week: Deciding on the new family vehicle!! We've been researching new cars for awhile because my little 2-door sports car is not going to cut it. We're hopefully going to pick up the new ride tomorrow!!

37 Weeks!

2011-06-01T16:28:00.000-07:00

How Far Along: 37 weeks

Size of Baby: Watermelon Baby! According to BabyCenter.com she should weigh approx. 6 1/3 lbs--this may be helpful info for all of you in the birthdate/weight pool! :)
Total Weight Gained/Lost: Still up 26 lbs. --Same as 2 weeks ago

Maternity Clothes: Yep
Movement: She's still rolling and squirming around a lot!

Sleep: Sleep is still good-waking up a couple times during the night but able to fall right back to sleep.
What I miss: Adult Beverages!!

Cravings: Nothing in particular.

Aversions: None

Symptoms: It's becoming more and more difficult to sit comfortably for long periods of time.

Highlights from this week: Reaching full term! Only 22 more days!!

A Child's Angel

2011-05-31T16:29:00.000-07:00

The story below was passed onto me from my Grandma (Lilah's Great-Grandma Cwik). Since I will eventually be turning our blog into a book, I wanted to make sure I had this precious keepsake down.

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

A Child's Angel

Once upon a time there was a child ready to be born. So one day she asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"

God replied, "Among the many angels, I chose one for you. She will be waiting for you and will take care of you."

But the child wasn't sure she really wanted to go. "But tell me, here in Heaven, I don't do anything else but sing and smile, that's enough for me to be happy."

God smiled. "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you every day. And you will feel your angel's love and be happy."

"And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me," the child continued, "if I don't know the language that men talk?"

God patted her on the head and said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak."

The child was sad. "And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"

But God had an answer for that question too. "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray."

The baby then turned to God and asked, "I've heard that on earth there are some bad people, who will protect me?"

"Your angel will defend you even if it means risking her life."

"But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore," the child continued warily.

God smiled on the young one. "Your angel will always talk to you about me and will teach you the way for you to come back to me, even though I will always be next to you."

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from earth could already be heard. The child knew she had to start on her journey very soon. She asked God one more question, softly, "Oh God, if I am about to leave now, please tell me my angel's name."

God touched the child on the shoulder just before she departed and answered, "You will simply call her Mommy."