Status quo

At our OB appointment last Friday my body had not changed from the previous visit. Still 2cm and 60% effaced and the OB said baby boy is in Longmont. Meaning he is pretty high in my pelvis. We did talk about induction and actually set a date to be induced just in case baby boy decides to take his sweet time. Our official due date is Friday and the induction date is scheduled for the following Tuesday, August 21. I'm hoping, hoping, hoping he comes on his own so everyone keep your fingers crossed. But...at the same time I have stopped wondering if today will be the day or if this set of contractions will lead to the real thing. Now I am pretty focused on August 21 and if he comes earlier that would be great.

Because we can sort of plan a bit, my last day of work will be Thursday. I only have 3 more days and then I'm off for 8 weeks! I'm rather excited about that! Because family will likely be arriving on Sunday I plan to take Monday off to spend with them and Lily but I also wanted a "me" day. So Friday is my tentatively planned "me" day. Not sure what I will do. Maybe a pregnancy massage with a belly cushion so I could lay on my stomach. Maybe a pedicure. Maybe shopping. Maybe all of the above. In the event my "me" day doesn't happen it means baby boy is in my arms and that is what I really want. I'll get a massage another day.

This past weekend was spent cleaning and preparing the house. I think I have washed everything possible in the house...from the curtains to the couch slip cover. Actually I would like to wash the family room couch cushions but we'll see about that. Randy is much better at that than I am. :) I also decided to wash some blinds, vacuum the entire downstairs (including doors-it's amazing how dog hair attaches to everything), make 2 entrees for our weekly meals, bake muffins, grocery shop, etc. Lily also helped me bake dog treats, which the dogs loved.

Last night I woke up to pee an hour after falling asleep. Lately I have been using the bathroom about 2-3 times a night but using it so quickly after just using it was annoying. After I laid back down baby boy woke up and kicked and kicked and kicked. He was having a ball in there. I love to feel those kicks so I really couldn't go to sleep, knowing he was wide awake. Finally my mind began running off a list of things I still had left to do and before I knew it I got up. I ironed the curtains, Randy's pants, and material that I planned to make a baby sling out of. After ironing (and eating pop tarts) I decided to make my baby sling. It was really easy and that comes from someone who is a very beginner sewer. Even though I've had my sewing machine for approximately 4 years and even took a class I still consider myself a newbie. And...because I sewed the main seam on the wrong side (told ya I was a newbie) I had to make another sling with the left over fabric. They are both use-able but the 2nd one looks better. This morning when I told Randy about my middle of the night chores he was surprised and said I must have dreamt it. Unless some little elves came and ironed and sewed, I didn't dream it.

This morning we had a brief photo session. Check us out...

No baby yet--getting sick of that title??

The nesting has begun. It started slowly and slightly forcefully with having to clean out our master closet and linen closet. It wasn't by choice but it felt good having it done. Last week I kept thinking of all the things I wanted to do around the house. The house felt very dirty and needed a basic cleaning. Randy helped take care of that on his day off last Monday. Tuesday I cleaned out the kitchen pantry, threw old stuff away and re-organized. It wasn't on my list but it felt so good to have finished. Other places that tend to get cluttered are currently uncluttered like the laundry room, kitchen table, etc. Not only is our laundry done but it's also put away! The spare bedroom has fresh sheets, waiting for family members that are waiting for the phone call. I laughed last week after hearing my father in law has his bag all packed and ready to go. I don't even have my bag all ready to go!

Last night I put the infant car seat into the van. I put up the mirror so we can watch him while driving. Yeah, that doesn't sound safe, a better way to put it would be that we can peek at him while at stop lights. His bassinet is ready, his changing table has a new fuzzy pad, and his clothes are organized and waiting. The waiting game is in full effect.

I am feeling good. Nothing to complain about. Okay, maybe something. But I've frequently complained throughout my pregnancy...it's the comments. They don't stop. Just once can't someone be surprised that I'm pregnant or say "wow, you only have a week left? I would have thought you were only 6 months along." Nope, my big baby belly is an open invitation for all (strangers, co workers, friends, HUSBAND) to comment about how I could pop at any time. If only it was that easy...pop...out comes a baby.

I still enjoy my baby belly, his kicks on my upper right side, his little nudges on my lower left side, his full body movements that send a ripple across my belly, his hiccups. I love it all. Last night Randy had his hand on my belly, just waiting for another kick, when he felt a braxton hicks contraction. To go from feeling a baby kicking to the feeling of a contraction shocked him. Many times before I would grab his hand to get an idea of how hard my stomach can get with each (light) contraction but last night he was able to feel it happen from start to finish. Men aren't made to have babies for a reason (or 15 million good reasons) but it's also sad that they can't experience feeling a baby move from the inside. Randy feels movement all of the time but it's not the same. I am very lucky.

We think Lily is starting to understand a little more about having a baby around. We talk to her frequently about the new baby who will be coming home with us. She loves it when I tell her a baby says "WAAAAAA" and laughs every time. During story time one night I was snuggling with her while Randy was reading and I put her little hand on my belly cuz baby boy was kicking. She kept her hand there so I kept my hand on top of hers softly. After a couple minutes I moved my hand and she grabbed it and put it back on top of hers. Recently she started sharing food with my tummy. She might not always share with me or her poppa but she'll share with baby boy. I think she knows she gets to eat it that way.

No baby yet! Part IV

Where to start? So much to say but I guess that is what happens when I don't blog for almost a week. Sorry!

Last weekend...I can't remember what we did on Saturday. Oh yeah, we went to Lily's swim lesson in the morning. That afternoon after her nap she helped me make a fruit smoothie and we shared it on the front porch. That is one of our summer rituals...a fruit smoothie outside. Not only do we get to enjoy being outdoors but when she spills (if she does, which has a 95% chance of happening) the clean up involves a hose. Lily also designed her big sister t-shirt. Besides helping her put her hand and foot prints on the shirt she had complete artistic say over the rest of it. She seemed to really enjoy it and it was a good way to practice our colors. Sunday was our 7th wedding anniversary! After watching my sister-in-law kick butt in her triathlon Randy and I went out to eat and to see the Bourne Ultimatum. Great movie. I loved the first 2 so it's not surprising I would love this one.

This week our daycare lady is on vacation. On Monday Randy stayed home with Lily and not only did they get some great bonding time in but my house was spotless when I came home from work. I immediately asked him if he was interested in being a stay at home dad. It was lovely! Clean house, happy family waiting for me at home. I doubt 13 years of post-high school education means a future in staying at home but if he changes his mind I'm all for it! The money issue...well, that is a problem but we could figure something out.

On Tuesday I stayed home with Lily. I figured this is one of our last full days alone, especially in the middle of the week. We started by making chocolate chip cookies with a plan to bring some to Randy at work. Well...Lily loved helping and she was a great assistant but...she did end up with a lot of flour coating her body and the floor around her chair. So much that I think it affected the cookies cuz the first baked batch wasn't too good. She didn't mind and after cleaning off all the flour I had to clean off all the smeared chocolate. After a nice, long nap we visited Randy at his work. Lily enjoyed playing with the horribly scented dry erase markers and board. She also acted the most shy she has ever acted. Of course she had approximately 4 people staring at her the whole time. She managed a few shy smiles but otherwise dug her face into my neck or leg. I didn't mind though.

After visiting Randy, we journeyed to the mall. Our journey included a trip to Build-A-Bear. Lily helped pick out a bear for baby boy and she picked out a puppy for herself. She was a bit scared but interested in the stuffing machine but really wanted to play on the computer where you can input the bear's data...birth date, name, etc.

I know my blog has been lacking photos. Randy's computer is where we upload our digital camera and the thesis has taken full control over it. Anyhow, soon...I will get more pictures up.

13 Years Baby!

Today is our 13 year dating anniversary. While we slept through the start of our dating anniversary, 13 years ago, at 2AM, Randy asked me to go out with him. Yep, I said he asked me to go out. We were young, that's what we did.

It's amazing that after 13 years of solely being with one person without any lapse in time I still absolutely adore him. He makes me smile. He makes me laugh. He loves me.

I am very thankful for you, Randy. I love you baby.

No baby yet! Part III

What is up with the massive recall of Elmo/Sesame Street toys? You would think something as well known as the amount of lead in paint would be discovered a bit sooner. Of course Lily is surronded by Elmo, thankfully most are plush Elmo dolls but she does own 3 recalled toys. And one of the toys she loved so much I bought for a friend's little boy. That's just wonderful!

I have recently determined that I haven't shared our boy name on my blog. Not sure why not since we decided to forgo the secret name route and openly tell anyone who cares. But...since I haven't shared his name on my blog up till now I probably should wait until say...his birth announcement. That will be fun, right? And if you don't know it then you probably haven't called or seen us in the past 3 months.

Speaking of our boy name, I have been seeing his name a lot recently. Not necessarily as other people's names but in a book and on a street sign, etc. Random places. I have also been noticing dates. My cell phone crashed (that is what happens when you spill water ALL over it) and I got out my old cell phone. The date that the old phone shut off with was August 16, the day before our due date. Make me wonder if that was a sign. :)

Last night Lily and I went to the pool. Joy joined us but we only stayed in the pool for about 5 minutes before the wind picked up. It came from no where, it was 92 degrees when we arrived and suddenly the sun went behind a huge dark cloud and the wind started blowing over pool chairs and creating pretty good waves in the pool. Lily wasn't a fan and clung to me until I got her dryed off in a towel. We cut the pool outing short and went home to a nice warm bath.

Lily started commanding us and the dogs to "MOVE" when we are in her way. We always stay put until she can ask us to move nicely by saying "excuse me." Even the dogs know not to move upon her first disrespectful command but will move easily when she asks nicely. She has been more into her bedtime routine. She will push the step stool up to the recliner in her room, crawl into the recliner and sit back and enjoy story time. She is getting familiar with a couple books and will say a word before we say the word. I would say her favorite books right now are I'm a Big Sister, Barnyard Dance, Little Miss Spider and Little Miss Spider at Sunny Patch School, and Where the Wild Things Are.

I have confirmed my maternity leave with my company. I am very thankful they have a paid maternity leave since my last company allowed us to use our vacation or sick time. Yeah, that was nice of them. I plan to be on maternity leave for 8 full weeks and will return to working full time FROM HOME! from weeks 9-12. I plan to start baby boy in day care after 8 weeks so I will actually work but at least I'll only be 5 minutes from him and Lily. I am so excited to be able to work at home! This means saving 45 minutes getting ready in the morning and 40 minute total commute time. I envision being able to throw laundry in during the day, throwing something in the crock pot in the morning to be ready for dinner, etc. I won't be able to work at home forever but I'm happy my company is flexible at this time. Maybe they will enjoy not having me in the office and request that I work at home. One can only dream.

My recent pregnancy food kicks have been sunflower seeds and Wendy's chocolate frostys. Yum. My mom started me on the sunflower seed kick after she last visited. She left a 1/2 bag and since then I have craved them frequently. I'm trying to talk myself out of them cuz they are kind of gross. They leave my hands and fingernails all dirty and no matter how good I think I am I still find sunflower shells where I was sitting. I did under go craving issue a week or two ago. Randy was running some errands at night but forgot to stop by a gas station to purchase my requested seeds. He was going to go back out and get them but I told him not to. I didn't want to be high maintenance. But I couldn't stop thinking about my lack of seeds. I waited until he made himself a bowl of cereal and then told him I was running out to get some. There was nothing he could do about it at that point. He wasn't happy about it but it was something I had to do. The store clerk gave me a strange look when I was buying 2 bags of sunflower seeds at 9PM on a Saturday night, being hugely pregnant and all, but I didn't care. I had my seeds and was happy.

No baby yet! Part II

Our weekend was spent hanging with our friend, Ted. Ted is a big nerd and feels he needs to thank us constantly for our help/friendship. Because I have a blog and he doesn't I can tell him, via the world, that he's a dork for thinking this. We love you Ted and enjoy your company. Now, get a job and move back to CO. K?

On Sunday, Randy went to work and Lily and I joined my sis/bro-in-law and another friend at the Cherry Creek reservoir. My sis-in-law and her friend are training for a sprint triathlon and they needed to get experience swimming in open water. Lily had a blast playing in the sand. She spent the first hour filling up a pail with sand and finally ventured to see what the water was about. I tried really hard to make a sand castle but every time I got a standing tower it was destroyed by a laughing toddler. Lily took my hand and we walked around in the water for a bit. She didn't mind the waves until one splashed her face, probably giving her a nasty taste of the water. Then she just moved back a bit and started playing with the wet sand, flinging it everywhere. We ended our time with a nice picnic while watching other swimmers and boaters.

While I was giving myself a manicure Lily found a pale pink nail polish and handed it to me, asking to paint her nails. Reluctantly (knowing Randy wasn't completely down with this) I painted her big toes. When she wanted all of them painted I told her we'd have to see what papa thought first. Ya know...lure him in a little at a time. Immediately when Randy walked in the door Lily was trying to get her feet out from under the table (she was supposed to be eating dinner). It was pretty funny that she knew to show him but even more funny that she had to do it the minute he walked in the door. No one, not even her papa, can resist the cuteness of pink toe nails.

No Baby Yet!

I have to remind myself to answer the phone and probably title all my blog posts with this message---NO BABY YET. When we were pregnant with Lily the final weeks were filled with frequent phone calls and they all started out with someone asking if we had the baby yet. Like we wouldn't tell ya.

Had a OB appointment yesterday that was routine. Baby boy continues to measure 1-2 weeks ahead and his heart rate was good. My first internal check revealed I am 1 cm dilated and 60% effaced. Nothing to get too excited about but at least it's something.

I continue to have 5-10 braxton hicks contractions daily. Again, nothing to get too excited about since it's only a very light tightening. But occasionally I have regular light contractions, every 3-5 minutes for a few hours straight. I do think my body is preparing and getting ready. I did get camera batteries, pjs, diapers and wipes last night. My lovely sister in law is washing some baby clothes for me. It's all coming together nicely.

Tonight is my work party. My work has impressed me in many ways, from their wonderful benefit package to multiple ways they help out the community. Instead of the usual summer work picnic or baseball game my company is taking all of their employees to Corteo, a Cirque du Soleil performance. Randy and I have never been to a Cirque performance and I'm very excited! Plus it's a date night without a toddler. Thankfully the toddler will tucked nicely into her bed, dreaming of toddler things and won't notice her parents away, enjoying their time together.

Red head kills Harry over Hermaine love triangle

Of course I'm joking, I have no clue. I just had to respond to the Harry Potter craziness that surrounds me and seems to follow me every where I go. From my darling husband who has been taking his precious time to savor every bit of information to my boss who finished it the same weekend she received it to my friend Staci who mentioned it on her blog. It's everywhere. I didn't even mention my sister in law and her friend who couldn't stop talking about it while swimming last Sunday. In case you can't tell I'm not into Harry Potter. The last movie I saw in the theater, maybe the 2nd one, I fell asleep. I don't know how many movies have been released, maybe 4?? I know the 7th and final (hallelujah!!!) book was just released, leading to the recent HP madness. I'm not annoyed but rather amazed by the excitement. People don't sleep until they finish reading it. Others dress up and have parties to celebrate the book release at midnight. It's great people have such deep love for something, but I can still giggle at the thought of all the muggles dressing up with lightening bolts on their foreheads with capes and wands.

In other news...Lily is crazy. I have to keep with the crazy theme that I started this post with. She will seriously run from room to room screaming at the top of her lungs. It's funny cuz she knows how goofy she is so when she stops screaming to take a breath and notices Randy and I staring at her in disbelief she will start laughing. She loves to hide. She will hide from us and the dogs. Usually she will hide under the covers but occasionally she will hide under a hand towel that covers about 1/2 of her face. Did I mention she's goofy? The past weekend she started to say "come on" with this super cute look on her face like she's serious and has our best interests in mind. She will hold out her hand and repeat her instructions in an innocent voice, never commanding. Usually she leads us into the closet to show us the random household items she collected...a rain poncho, binkie, mama's shoes, rocks, etc.

Lily's first swim lesson was last weekend. It's a parent/toddler class so I got my big, prego belly in the pool with her. At first, the big group of kids/parents seemed to overwhelm her but after 5 minutes she became more comfortable. I was happily surprised with the swim class. It gave me some suggestions to try at our community pool. I was most impressed when Lily grabbed a kickboard and kicked away for a while, with my help to stay afloat of course.

Due to some recent house renovations I haven't been able to prepare much for baby boy. Finally, last night I found the energy and set up shop in our bedroom. Since he will reside in our room for a while I set up the changing table and organizer unit. I got the car seat out of storage. I have about 2 loads of laundry to clean and organize then I should feel more ready. I started to pack my hospital bag but mostly have my list of necessities in my head. Need batteries for camera, comfy pajamas, pillow, ipod, toiletries, etc. For the past 9 months I have expected him to arrive later like his sister but there has been a substantial increase in daily reminders that I won't make it to my due date. Even though I'm ready to hold him and introduce him to Lily I still need about a week. Hang in there baby boy.

Will eat dirt for crocs

Hopefully she won't eat dirt but we can ask Lily to do just about anything before putting on her new, pink, fake crocs. Randy was trying to dress her and was having a hard time. Lily asked for her shoes and Randy told her to dress first then he would get her shoes. She was dressed in a flash, without whining.

The last 2 days when I picked up Lily from daycare she was wearing her pink shoes, of course, but also a pink hat. We bought the hat a long time ago and used it on walks to keep the sun out of her face. It was common practice for her to take off the hat, mostly she didn't like that it snapped under her chin. For whatever reason she re-discovered this hat and pretty much won't take it off. Our daycare lady said she wore the hate for at least 3 hours and wore the crocs all day besides during her nap. She kept the hat on throughout dinner last night. And the crocs? They came off in time for bed.

Lily is starting to put multiple words together. About 1-2 months ago we would prompt her to say "Please mama" but her version would be "Please"......"Mama." Now she is really good at putting 2 words together and is starting on 3 words.

Last weekend I took Lily to the library. My intention was to explore the kid area, read some books and check some out to read at home. I didn't expect my 21 month old to do this...



I couldn't get her away from the computer. She loved having the head phones on and clicked on the mouse a few times. She occasionally made the computer game work but didn't really connect using the mouse to the computer game. Nonetheless it was a sight to see.

I'm here I swear. Just haven't found time to write in the past week.

Lily is doing great, although Randy declared today as the start of the terrible twos. I think it's coming in waves, a few rough moments mixed with happy toddler times.

Baby boy is doing great, kicking like a soccer champ. He's been getting the hiccups at least once a day. Instead of "dropping" I think he is moving up. Breathing and eating have been interesting lately. I'm very thankful for air conditioning during the day and the crisp Colorado nights. I'm also thankful that my husband hasn't objected to the 3 fans I use every night. Nor has he objected to the body pillow wedged between us that props up my belly. Nor has he objected to the grunts and moans every time I roll over in bed. And...he always massages my feet when I ask, even after he put in a long work day and likely needs a massage himself. Thanks baby.

Creativity strikes

Lily was playing with phone books recently. It's really true you don't need to spend a lot of money on toys, just let them have access to your phone book collection. It's fun to see how Lily is becoming creative. First she took the phone books and was stacking them while sitting on the couch. Next time we looked at her she was lining them up and walking on them. Not sure where she got that idea but it was fun to see her doing something new and very random.

Spraygrounds, doggie glamour, & family

This post will be a mixture of just about everything. Last weekend Lily and I spent time with Joy, Bobby and the kids. We cooled off at a sprayground and even though Payton and Sydney refused at first because well, they were too old and cool, they decided to partake after sitting around in the hot sun. Kelsey jumped right in and showed Lily how much fun it was to run through the fountain.

Sydney getting a mouth full of water.











Joy and Sydney











Payton unexpectedly getting a cold stream of water.











Payton reaching that age where mama kisses are embarrassing.











Who is taller?















Kelsey showing off her climbing skills.













Kelsey and Lily playing in the water






Max letting Lily make him pretty.











Lily's new favorite fun...piggy back rides.















Sydney bought this baby stroller for Lily with her own money. The intention was to fit a baby doll, not a real live toddler.













Lily naming her McG. family.

A bunch of croc

Lily loves hot pink croc-like shoes. A girl at daycare has some and every morning for the past few months she immediately discards her shoes and puts on the hot pink crocs upon arriving at daycare. It's taken a while for Randy and I to warm up to the idea of buying croc-like shoes because they are invading the earth at warp speed. Lily has outgrown her current sandals and needs a new pair. So I have given up my croc restriction in order to find hot pink crocs in toddler size 4/5. Sounds easy enough, right? I mean, they are EVERYWHERE. From Walmart to the real croc kiosk in the mall. But once you set limits (color and size) the discovery of this specific shoe turns from shopping to hunting.

Last weekend Lily and I set out for the mall to buy hot pink crocs. Payless was out, even the croc store was out. Finally we found some in her size at Dillards. They were the Mary Jane style with wild colors. At first my eyes burned from all the colors and when the saleslady said they were great cuz they would match every outfit I shivered. But when I saw those shoes on my toddler's feet they weren't so bad, actually pretty cute. Because Lily had thrown a fit at the 2 previous stores when we left without any shoes and I was beyond fryed I decided to buy them. $32 later that is. I knew this was silly, the last 2 pairs of shoes I bought for myself totaled $6.50. Those were some great sales but still, how can I spend that much on something she will outgrow very soon? I couldn't even use the excuse that we can pass them down to baby boy cuz, well, the colors were a bit girlie, very girlie, and as already mentioned---wild.

After checking out other Walmarts, Payless stores and then calling approximately 12 stores I found them, hot pink fake crocs in Lily's size. Yay! What was even better than finally finding a store in the Denver metro area that had these shoes was getting ready to pay the $13 but find out they only cost $5.



That's my croc story. Long and annoying, but ended well.

3rd post today

My husband is currently watching Thundercats and since I'm not a big fan of cartoons (exceptions include the Smurfs and Jem and the Holograms) I decided to keep on posting. Here are some photos of Lily over the past few days.



The girl loves her corn on the cob.



Wearing the outfit I made (yes, I actually sewed it myself!)





Just being silly Lily





Helping Poppa crack some hard boiled eggs (her breakfast favorite as of lately)

Korean Tradition

A tradition in the McE. family is to dress each child in a Korean outfit. I was a little scared to put it on her because the material is delicate and I didn't want her throwing a fit and ripping it. Today we tried it on Lily and she liked it long enough to snap some pictures.

We've had a busy few days. Last Thursday our friends, Zach and Jeanette, brought their 19 month old son, Jack, to visit. We had a blast and Lily and Jack interacted much more this time than last time. Last March when we visited them in IL Jack and Lily looked at each other a handful of times but otherwise played separately. This time they seemed a lot more interested in each other and even shared a rice krispie treat. We explored a local park for playtime and a picnic, the guys went white water rafting and the pregos took the kids to the Butterfly Pavilion. It was our first time there and I was quite impressed, especially with the bug room. The butterfly part was really humid and I wasn't a huge fan of the warmth. A butterfly did land on my hat and another guy had a butterfly enjoy his beard.

Nettie being brave.
















I put aside my fears and held Rosie, the tarantula, to show Lily I can be a big girl.
















Jeanette trying to get the kiddos to see a butterfly up close.
















Lily and Jack
















One night the adults enjoyed a nice, relaxing dinner with CA Dave and Sara who live in South Denver. We enjoyed tapas at a fun resturant/bar that had some really loud music. Baby boy was practicing for the circus cuz he never stopped moving the entire dinner. The next day I actually felt bruised on the inside. I hope he enjoyed the music rather than was completely annoyed with it.

Saturday my mom arrived for a visit. We haven't seen her since Christmas so it was nice for Lily to be around her. The first couple days Lily was nice and sweet but she definitely showed her approaching-terrible-two stage. My mom watched Lily while we worked one day and the next day we journeyed to the zoo. It was hard to get Lily away from the elephants.

No grandparent visit goes without spoiling Lily and this visit was no different. Lily loved her new pajamas and of course a new baby doll is always a hit.

She just keeps growing

Our girl is so big she can get up on the couch without assistance. It's a recent achievement and still takes some effort as this clip reveals.

Very pregnant

Here is my latest belly shot. This was taken last week at 32 weeks pregnant. Currently we are 33 weeks, only 7 weeks remaining. Holy crap. Scary and exciting.
PICTURE REMOVED!!!!!


Overall I'm feeling good. I have little complaints like heart burn, restless legs, difficulty turning over and getting out of bed, etc. Nothing too major at this point. Some days this kiddo makes a very good effort at escaping, by clawing at my cervix or hoping if he bunches his knees up good enough and pushes with his butt somehow he'll get out. Other days he's quiet and only moves enough to reassure me he's okay. Soon enough we'll meet this little guy and we are very excited about that. I can't wait to see what he will look like. Lily looks so much like Randy with his skin color (thank goodness!), darker hair color, eyes, etc. In quite a few recent photos and in some on her facial expressions she is starting to resemble our niece, Sydney. So now that we know what our girl looks like I can't stop wondering what our boy will look like.

Lily signing

One of Lily's favorite books is a basic sign language book. It has approximately 8 signs and each page shows a infant/toddler signing. She used to sign apple all the time but now she is signing all of them. Check her out...







To note...most weekends are spent in just a diaper with a onesie. Today it was just a diaper and shoes. Per request of toddler of course.

The Grandparent Fix

I was talking to my mom-in-law and she said how grateful she was for the Lily pictures I put on my blog. I could tell by the tone in her voice she was more than grateful because they don't live close and this is their connection to Lily. Photos are the only way to convey Lily growing up. That is the main reason I started my blog, to communicate frequently with family and friends and get them as many pictures of Lily as I could. My side of the family also tells me how much they like seeing and hearing about our lives. We aren't that interesting to the general public but it's special to me that my family can check in on us 612 miles away.

Randy was just telling me how much space (20 gigs out of 60) was being used for Lily photos. I believe photographs are of extreme importance. Randy has also taught me that not everyone moment can be photographed and the importance of the moment is more meaningful than missing that precious moment to grab the camera. Based on my taking many photos and trying to also live in the moment you can tell we have quite a few moments. I have recently looked back to a year ago or longer and am reminded of a place we visited or a silly face Lily used to make but doesn't anymore. It saddens me that I will not remember every single minute of Lily's life. Photos are my way of keeping these moments precious and alive in my memory.

To provide the grandparents with their Lily fix for the week here are some recent photos...

20 Months Old!

Our little girl is 20 months old today. It's so crazy to think back to 20 months ago and how much our lives have changed. In a good way. As she gets older she becomes more and more entertaining. Her little personality is emerging more everyday. When she says "mama" or "poppa" we melt. Her little voice is so sweet. She will repeat anything we ask her to. Last night she told Grandma McG. "luv uw" a few times. She also tried saying happy birthday but it didn't come out as clear. She still loves playing with her baby dolls. Yesterday she wanted to open one of her boxed cabbage patch dolls that have sat on her floor since she was born. Not sure what made yesterday the day to add to her doll collection. Last weekend we spent some time with my friend, Kris, and her girls, Syd, Taryn, and Brooke. While I was giving Brooke a bottle Lily helped by putting her hand on the bottle and smiling. It was nice she didn't get jealous that I was holding another baby. I'm hoping her mama instincts will help once her brother arrives. In the meantime we are enjoying our time together as much as possible. This time is so special and is limited. I know she won't remember it but each time she hugs me and kisses me I am reminded she loves me. After we read our bedtime books and I sing to Lily she will reach her little arms around my neck and hug me. That is the best feeling in the world. I love you Lily.

We have one sensitive little girl. Lily is starting to show her sensitivity a lot more these days. For example, the daycare lady asked Lily to come out from under the table because she didn't want the little boy sitting at the table to kick Lily in the head. Lily replied with sticking her bottom lip out as far as possible and with huge tears in her eyes as if she had done something horribly wrong. Yesterday at the mall playground a girl (approximately 4 or 5 years old) dropped a toy right next to Lily. When Lily reached to pick it up the girl loudly shouted "NO!" and grabbed her toy away from Lily's hand. Lily looked to Randy and I with her lip starting to shake and huge tears welting up in her eyes. This reaction, of course, breaks my heart. These are 2 completely different situations and if she is in the line of getting hurt I can handle seeing her lip extend and some tears. But when a mean, little girl is rude and causes this reaction I don't like it. It still breaks my heart when I am reminded of her reaction.

Father's Day was fun but similar to many other days. I wanted to prepare a nice, hot breakfast for Randy but he insisted on doing the cooking. Then he proceeded to mow the lawn and fix his boat motor. Not the relaxing type of day I envisioned for him. He did get two Father's Day gifts...





I'm not big into video games but I have to say Guitar Hero II is very addictive. I'd also like to say I jammed out really hard but Randy would would dismiss this notion rather abruptly. I tried, that's about all I can say. Our first encounter with Guitar Hero II occured a few months ago during our date day. (Date day=skipping work and leaving child at daycare). Anyhow, while in Best Buy I decided to try this guitar game and I was pretty bad. There might have been some booing (from the game of course and not other customers) and the screen might have flashed the word FAILED across it. Randy picked it up and went through an entire song as if he played this game many, many, many times before. I was a bit shocked and had to capture the moment...

Lily Video

Sorry this video is sideways. I forget to keep it upright when taking video sometimes. I thought this was cute to share. Lily enjoys singing in the car. You can't really hear her much but she usually repeats the last word or two. This was taken on the way home from Joy's last Sunday so she was getting pretty sleepy.

Weekend Recap

We had a great weekend. I especially enjoyed the weekend because Randy was with us all weekend! Saturday morning we watched our niece, Sydney, play a game in her soccer tournament. They lost that game but Syd played excellent like always! Afterwards, Randy hung out with Lily while I ran some errands and got home in time to put both of them down for their afternoon nap. Randy won for being the easiest to put down but Lily didn't put up much of a fight either. I decided to soak up some rays (with sunblock of course!) and started a new book. Both Randy and I have been reading nightly thanks to getting rid of our cable. Lily and Randy were both sleeping when I had to leave for my hair appointment. While I was gone Randy and Lily went to the community pool to meet Joy and the kids. Afterwards they ate dinner with everyone while waiting for me to get home. My hair appointment (full highlights) took 4 hours! My stylist keep telling me I had a lot of hair but 4 hours later I was done! My uncle Larry should be happy that I returned to blonde.

On Sunday Lily and I turned into cheerleader mode at Randy's ultimate frisbee tournament. Here is Lily watching while sitting in someone else's chair. It was the perfect size for her!
















Lily wanted in on the action so she tried to join Randy when possible...




















After Lily's afternoon nap (we snuck in a movie--Dejavu--it was good) we all went to the community pool for a dip. Lily remained on Randy's lap most of the time but she did walk around the pool with assistance. Once she decided to walk on her own but lost balance and dunked her head. She was a little shocked but wasn't too upset. Lily is a people watcher and liked to climb into her stroller and watch everyone else.






















To end our fun weekend we hung out at Joy and Bobby's house. We jumped (I took pictures!) on the trampoline, picked strawberries, and ate burgers. We had a great time with our nieces, nephew, and Joy and Bobby.

Internet is B-A-D

As if I didn't have enough distractions, I am now addicted to this site...

A quick hello

Sorry I have been neglegent with posting lately. We changed our internet service and were without access until yesterday. I typically post at work anyhow but I left early yesterday for a doctor appointment and I'm leaving any minute now!!! I'm off to spend the day with my little girl.

My doctor appointment was great. Normal. Quick. I waited about 35 minutes to be seen by my actual doctor for approximately 2.5 minutes. I don't mind, I get caught up on reading magazines.

Maybe I'll post more tonight. We also cancelled our cable so I have more free time in the evenings. I actually organized my greeting cards last night. Randy commented he thought only grandmas had a collection of greeting cards. It's nice I can still surprise him almost 13 years later.