Mama in Training: Lilly Rae

Day 57 – August 5, 2012

Can my baby girl really be 8 weeks old today??? I cannot believe how much she is growing and changing. I was too scared to try on her “little black dress” onesie for this picture. If it didn’t fit then I would know she is officially out of her newborn clothes. If I never try it on, then I can live in denial J

We watched some of the Olympics today and spent a lot of time with Daddy. It’s hard that Darren goes to work during the week because I know he misses Lilly (and me too, but mostly Lilly…hehe). At least he can spend a lot of time with her on the weekends.

Lilly is not a huge fan of “tummy time” which I think is pretty typical. Carissa suggested that I try using the boppy to prop her up and that seems to help a little. She also likes it a lot better on her changing table, so we are doing that at least once a day. I can’t wait for her to have more neck control.

Lilly loves her fists right now!

8 weeks old!

"Tummy Time" on the Boppy

Day 58 – August 6, 2012

I used to not be a morning person before I became a teacher, but I have slowly adjusted. Now that I have Lilly, mornings are one of my favorite times of day. As soon as I go to her crib to get her in the morning, I lean over and say “Good morning, peanut!” and she gives me a huge smile. It melts my heart every time.

I am still shocked by how much she moves in the night; I never know how I am going to find her in the mornings! This morning I was a little nervous because her head was right next to the crib slats, but she seemed ok. Crib bumpers might be a hazard, but banging her head against the crib seems a little hazardous as well. Luckily she isn't strong enough to really hurt herself, but I don’t like it just the same.

She still loves sticking her tongue out and "singing"

Someone's in a good mood this morning!

Lilly loves playing on her mat. She is just so happy!

Almost got it...

there!

Day 59 – August 7, 2012

Lilly and I went to Raleigh today for a La Leche League Meeting at Smart Momma on Glenwood. I was so impressed by the number of women who came! There must have been 20-25 moms there with their children ages 4 weeks and up. Everyone was so open and helpful and I really felt a sense of community in the hour long meeting. The only thing I did not like was that some of the toddlers were running and playing in the middle of the floor and they were not very careful around the babies. I wish the moms would have been a little more diligent because I wasn’t able to lay Lilly down for more than 30 seconds before I picked her up, afraid she might get bumped.

After the meeting I met a friend from our birthing class and her son for lunch at Panera. It was just the two of us this time, but we had a nice lunch and got to know each other a little better. It’s just great to connect with other moms.

Lilly has started chewing her fist whenever she can, and drooling more. I have started putting a bib on her much more frequently to help catch all of her drool. She isn’t used to it yet though so sometimes when she is trying to get her fist, she lifts the bib and covers her face with it. Luckily this makes for an easy game of peek-a-boo so she doesn’t get upset J

Lilly laid on her blanket on a mat at the meeting

She loves looking at her toys that hang above her play mat

We always say that she loves to "kick and punch" when she is laying down. I caught her in the act.

Day 60 – August 8, 2012 (there is a short video below)

I had a voice lesson this morning and Lilly did a great job. She was an angel for the first 50 minutes and then just wanted to be held for the last 10. Luckily, I can teach voice with one hand so it was not a big deal. It’s great that I can earn a little extra money while I am home, especially since I have to go unpaid for almost two weeks…boo!

Lilly went through two outfits today because of some spitting up, but it gave us more reason to do a little extra tummy time on her changing table. The pacifier that we keep on her changing table is called a wubba-nub, which basically means it’s a pacifier attached to a small stuffed animal. I absolutely LOVE this paci! She doesn’t sleep with it, or any paci for that matter, but I love how cute she looks when she has it!

I know she doesn’t understand exactly, but I love reading to Lilly. She looks at the pictures and sometimes swats at the pages, so I like to think she is getting something out of it. I am sure she will be a reader with me as a mom, but better to start early just in case ;o)

Lilly practiced her singing before my voice student arrived (check out the video below)

After a spit up incident, we needed to change

Outfit #2 for the day

Lilly loves her Wubba-Nub

Reading stories with Mommy and Maggie Moo

Day 61 – August 9, 2012 (there is a short video clip below)

Funny story: If you have read previous entries, you know that Darren and I call Lilly’s toes her “monkey toes” because she splays them out and also tries to grip things with them. I absolutely love her feet and I am somewhat strangely obsessed with them. When I went to put Lilly’s pajamas on last night, I found a pair in the drawer that I hadn’t used since she was born because they were a little big. When I put them on, I immediately brought her down to Darren and asked him to look at her. We both laughed because the feet of the pajamas were monkeys! Lilly literally had “monkey toes”!

Lilly and I had a great day at home. She was SO good today that I was able to get two loads of laundry done, clean the house a little and even run some errands during her naps. I also took a quick nap with her in the afternoon.

I love how vocal she is! It is amazing that she seems to be trying so hard to tell me what is on her mind. She gets excited when I talk to her and every day I feel like she is getting more and more vocal. I could literally sit and listen to her and talk with her all day.

The now infamous PJs

Monkey Toes!

She's so happy in the mornings! How can you not love this baby???

VIDEO of Lilly "talking" to Mommy:

You can see her dimples in this picture!

Daddy is great at giving Lilly her bottle

Day 62 – August 10, 2012

Last night marked a huge milestone for all of us! Lilly slept for 8 hours straight! The crazy part is that Darren and I slept for 8 hours as well! We all went to sleep at 10 and didn’t wake up until Lilly started stirring at about 6. Darren and I looked at each other like we were in the Twilight Zone. I could not believe it! She is such an amazing baby! Don’t worry, we are not expecting her to sleep 8 hours every night, but she is a rock star for doing it!

Maybe she was marking her two month birthday with a special present to us? Can you believe she is 2 months old? I know I keep saying it, but time is just going by too fast! I am so amazed by her every day and how she is growing and changing. I am trying so hard to take in every moment and not let any of them pass me by.

We met Chad, Michelle, Allie, Ryan and Michelle’s parents, John and Marcy, at Sweet Creations Frozen Yogurt in Fuquay this evening. It was great because John and Marcy had never met Lilly before, so they were so excited to get a chance to get some cuddle time.

My little ballerina loves "dancing" on her changing table

This is her "one eyebrow up" face...you have to admit she looks like me here ;o)

Showing off her "monkey toes"

Lilly and I went for a walk around the neighborhood.

After Daddy came home from work, he played with Lilly on her mat

She looks so tiny when she is in my arms!

I sat her on the couch in her Boppy to try to work on her core muscles a little

Allie, Ryan, Marcy and Lilly at Sweet Creations.

Day 63 – August 11, 2012

We spent most of today in Cary doing some shopping. We went to an amazing baby store called Sweet Bottoms on Jones Franklin in Cary/Raleigh. I had never been before, but I heard great things about it from some other moms, so I wanted to check it out. The woman working there helped me with Lilly’s carrier and we bought Lilly a Baltic Amber teething necklace. This necklace helps with the symptoms of teething naturally without giving pain killers all the time. Hopefully it will work when we hit this stage.

We went to Babies R Us and Target as well, then grabbed some lunch at Dickey’s BBQ. We had a coupon of course, and we really like the food there. I was able to feed Lilly in the booth while we waited for our food and then she was an angel and sat quietly in her seat while we ate.