Sunday, October 7
We had a quiet day in Hamilton today. The weather was nicer than Saturday (when it pretty much rained the whole day). Darren and I went to the local coffee shop (The Barge) for some hot chocolate and a cupcake. I no longer have coffee or caffeine of any kind because I think that it doesn't sit well with Lilly. On Friday when I had a cup of decaf with breakfast her stomach was upset all day. This had happened previously when I had a pumpkin latte as well, so I am thinking caffeine plays a role, but just coffee in general is too acidic for her. Oh well. I was never a coffee drinker anyway and it's a small price to pay for the amazing experience of breastfeeding.
We enjoyed hanging out with my mom and brothers and spending time with Lilly at my mom's house. She is 17 weeks old today and although I couldn't take an "official" picture with her boppy because it was at home, we still managed to get a shot ;o)
Lilly loves hanging out with her Daddy
I love how she is so aware of people around her now. Look how she stares at Grandma!
Lilly loves her Grandma!
My baby is growing up so fast!
Monday, October 8
Lilly was in a much better mood today, so when Susan and the kids came over, I immediately wrangled them all into the living room so they could all hold Lilly and we could get pictures. The kids were a little sad that they didn't get a chance to hold her before because she was fussy and they didn't want to ask to hold her when she was upset. Lilly seemed perfectly content to be passed around to all of her cousins and then to Uncle Dan and Aunt Susan as well. I am so happy she was able to spend time with all of her family during this trip! I know we live far away so she won't see them as often as I would like, so this time was very precious.
My (almost) 10 year old nephew, Nick, and Lilly. Nick was "brave" because he volunteered to hold her first. Nick was probably the most at ease holding her and was very calm even when she would squirm.
My 12 year old niece, Brianna, and Lilly. Brianna is very natural with Lilly, like she's been doing this for years :o) I know she is only 12, but I can already see her being a great older cousin for Lilly and someone Lilly will look up to a lot.
My 6 year old nephew, Anthony, and Lilly. Anthony was a little shy at first, but Lilly took to him right away. We also discovered that Lilly and Anthony have something in common: monkey toes!
Aunt Susan and Lilly. Susan held Lilly the first two days they visited, but this is the first time I snagged a picture.
Uncle Dan and Lilly. Dan has always had a way with babies. They always love him!
See!
Tuesday, October 9
Darren, Lilly and I borrowed my mom's car and drove to Long Island today. We left at about 10 and arrive at the hotel at about 3:30 after stopping a few times for gas and food. Lilly was a rock star and slept almost the entire time in the car save the hour I squeezed into the back with her (between her stroller and her carseat!) to try to keep her awake and play with her. I was worried that if she slept too long she wouldn't sleep at all at night (I was right!)
The drive was completely worth it though because Lilly was able to meet her Great Grandfather and her Great Aunt Mare! Grandpa and Aunt Mare took us out to eat at their favorite restaurant, which was delicious! Lilly was pretty fussy though, so I ate my meal one handed while nursing her ;o) I also had my first experience changing her in a bathroom with no changing station...not fun, especially since the bathroom was about 2 square feet!
Lilly was anxious to get out of the hotel and go and meet Great Grandpa and Great Aunt Mare
Great Grandpa and Lilly
Wednesday, October 10
Today was a pretty crazy day full of fun and family. We went back to Aunt Mare's house and had a nice lunch out (thanks Aunt Mare!) Lilly took a nice nap during lunch, so she was in an overall good mood. After spending some time at the playground and taking a nice walk, the rest of the family started to arrive. Lilly met her Great Uncle Lou, Great Aunt Robin, Great Aunt Lauren, Great Uncle Phil and Aunt Dana. I was so glad that she had a few good naps during the day because I think everyone had a chance to hold her and visit with her before we left. It was a lot of people to meet in 2 days, but Lilly was an amazing baby (as always) and charmed everyone with her beautiful, gummy smile that melts my heart every time. I am just so thankful that we were able to see everyone and introduce Lilly to so many family members that love her so much. It was very special and actually brings tears to my eyes right now as I write this.
Lilly took a mid morning nap at the hotel to gear up for a full day of family
We were able to celebrate Nick's 10th birthday with the whole family!!!!
Great Grandpa and his great grandchildren
I will love this picture forever. Lilly is so entranced by Great Grandpa!
Darren, Susan and I took Lilly and the boys to the playground.
Anthony and Darren had a pull up contest...Anthony won! ;o)
Lilly definitely enjoyed her visit!
Aunt Mare, Aunt Lauren or anyone else - if you have other pictures from the day please send them to me! I don't have any of Lilly with anyone else :o(
Thursday, October 11
We headed home today. It was so hard to say goodbye to Susan and the kids because we miss them so much and it's hard for us to see them as often as we'd like. My mom was nice enough to drive us to JFK airport and it was so hard to say goodbye to her too. My mom is just incredible and if I can be half as amazing a mom as she is, I will count myself lucky.
It was interesting that the security process was not quite as easy at JFK as it was at RDU. We had to wait in the line and maneuver all of our stuff through the regular line and then when we got to the xray machine, no one so much as blinked an eye as I held Lilly and tried to grab things with one hand while Darren was getting through security. The only person who offered me any help was a female passenger who was behind me. She took the stroller down off of the xray machine and opened it up for me.
Lilly did an amazing job on the plane, even though it was smaller and a LOT louder. She didn't sleep much because of the noise, but she didn't cry or fuss. I was extremely impressed considering the noise and also the crazy trip we had just dragged her on ;o)
Shout out to Matt for coming to the airport to pick us up! And a HUGE shout out to Michelle and Chad for watching Maggie for us the entire time we were gone. I know that was not an easy task (Maggie is...how do I say this...spirited? Especially around children). You guys are the best!
Lilly is exhausted from the trip and ready to go home...I think Daddy is,too ;o)
Yay! We're flying home!
Lilly was very excited to be home :o)
Friday, October 12
We went to the zoo today with Matt, Jess, Ana, Emma, Lizzie, Jacob and Ray. We were quite a crew with our 3 strollers and 5 kids in tow! I was beyond excited to go to the zoo because I am just a kid at heart when it comes to animals. I LOVE zoos and had yet to visit the NC Zoo.
Although we were only just getting back from our trip, I did not want to miss out on going to the zoo with great friends and getting to bring Lilly there for the first time. Sure, she probably won't remember it and she won't know what she is looking at, but I will remember it and I will show her pictures so she knows she was there :o) Thank you to Matt and Jess for inviting us and to Lynn for the tickets!
Our first stop was to see the giraffes (my favorite!) including baby Juma (on the right)
Look at the Chimpanzees kissing!!! So cute!
The baby chimp was running back and forth in front of the glass and banging his hands on the glass to entertain the kids. They were screaming and laughing; it was the cutest thing! The baby's mom then scooped him up and was trying to hold him. He didn't like that!
While the toddlers played on the playground, we let the babies play on their blankets on the rubber mulch. It was so cute to see them together! They are only 10 days apart :o)
My second favorite animal at the zoo - the elephants!
Lilly might not have known what she was looking at, but she seemed interested!
The black bear was very sweet looking...except for those claws!
All the walking really tired Lilly out ;o)
Someone had a great time at the zoo!!!
Saturday, October 13
Lilly is really growing up. She reaches for objects in front of her and grabs them (with quite a grip!) She has really found her voice and loves to sing and babble constantly. It is not unusual for us to hear her singing to herself in the morning to let us know she is awake. She rarely (if ever) cries in the morning, but just plays by herself in her crib and sings until we come in to get her, then we get the biggest smile in the world and our day starts off perfectly.
Lilly has also started reaching for Maggie. She likes to hold her hands out and let Maggie kiss her hands, then she gets a huge grin on her face. :o) Maggie loves Lilly more now and has learned how to be around her calmly and watch over her. It's very cute.
Every time I look at Lilly I can't help but smile. I just love her so much!
Lilly holds herself up beautifully now and so we tried to put her in an exersauser, but she's still too short to touch the bottom, so she didn't like it just yet ;o)
This is my new favorite picture of Lilly!
I feel so lucky every time she smiles
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