Always Amazing

Lily amazes me everyday. I cannot believe how much her little mind is soaking up. A couple of days ago, she brought her "Words" book over to me. Typically when we go through books like this, she will point to a picture and say "that?" so I can tell her what something is. Every once in awhile I will ask her what something is if I think she knows it (typically an animal). Well, we started to look at this book and she pointed out and said the name of every single thing in there. Granted, some words were easier to understand than others, but she was totally saying them! I couldn't believe it! I was really shocked when we got to the food page and she said: Nana (for banana), apple, yog (for yogurt) and then...bocli (for broccoli). This floored me because Ryan and I really don't like broccoli and I know for a fact that I have never prepared it for her to eat! Now, she is doing this with so many of her books. She loves her lift-the-flap books. She has started telling us what is under the flap before she picks it up. I love "reading" like this with her which is a good thing because we probably spend an hour or more everyday with her books!

She has also started pointing out more things around the house and in the world and telling me what they are. We'll be in the car on the way to school, and from the back I hear "tree, lake, ney-ney, more?" (as we pass the horses and she wants to see more of them). The grocery store is pretty fun too as I hear "cheese, cracker, baby, milk, chick, berry, nana." Of course, "yum-yum!" is my favorite when we pick up Goldfish or Cheerios! Her favorite words at home right now seems to be "pate" (for plate because she loves the Zoo Animal plates she uses) or "crepes" (for grapes). She talks up a storm when we're at home (put her around others though and she clams right up); I wish I could remember everything she was saying but there are just too many. I now totally understand why people say that kids' minds are like little sponges!

Doctor's Appointment

I had my monthly doctor's appointment today, at 26 weeks and 4 days. I had another ultrasound done to get a better reading on Amelia's heart and legs. At the last ultrasound, the way she was laying prevented the ultrasound tech from getting a great reading which is why I got to have another one today. Thankfully, everything looks just right. All the measurements are right in line for this stage of pregnancy, and the midwife said things seemed to be moving along "like a textbook." Also, the ultrasound tech did a quick once over and confirmed "this is a girl; there are definitely no boy parts here." Always nice to get a little more assurance! Thank you all for your continued prayers for a healthy baby and pregnancy; Ryan and I greatly appreciate them.

Another Moment

I was having a rough afternoon today. At one point though, Lily was standing a few feet away from me playing, and I said "Lily, can I have a hug? Mommy really needs a hug." She immediately stopped what she was doing and gave me a big hug. It almost made me cry at how sweet she was. Little moments like this absolutely make the rest of the world disappear.

Sweet Moment

Ryan, Lily and I went to Chick-fil-a for breakfast this morning. Lily was enjoying her milk, chicken minis and hash browns and was quite happy (maybe because she slept in until 9:30).
About half-way through the meal, she reached over, took Ryan's finger and put it on the table; she sat there, holding his hand for about 20 minutes while we finished up breakfast. She wasn't paying attention to it or anything, but she would not let go! She just used her other hand to do everything. At one point, she let go to pick up a crumb, but then she immediately grabbed his finger again after she put the crumb on the table. It was so sweet to watch her so happy and just holding on to Daddy!

Cute Pictures

These are just a few recent pictures of Lily that I think are cute.

She loves to get in her toy basket and bring lots of toys in with her.

How cute is this? Discovering pockets! Still enjoying her inflatable bouncy. Just a cute close-up.

First Day of School

Yesterday was Lily's first day of "school." Okay, so it's the Parent Morning Out program at a local church but it is a little bit like school. Of course, Lily started to cry as I left; we knew she would as she gets very nervous around strangers. When I picked her up four hours later, she was sniffling as if she had been crying recently. I asked one of the teachers how she had been during the day, and she said that Lily had been cheerful and happy most of the day, but every so often, she would realize I wasn't there and start crying. When Lily and I left, I asked her if she had fun and if she wanted to go back and she nodded yes to both. Several times today, she would say "chool!" and get very excited when I said she would go tomorrow. I think it will take her a few tries to get completely comfortable and settled in, but I think this will be a good experience for her.

Unfortunately, there was a small incident with one of the teachers (not the nice teacher that we met last Thursday) at drop-off in the morning so I spent the whole morning worrying instead of assuming Lily was having fun. Thankfully Ryan spoke to one of the preschool ministers at the church about the issue, and we feel like things will be fine. Here's hoping everything is a little easier on all of us tomorrow!

Below are a couple of pictures of Lily just before we left for school.

Chool

Ryan and I decided a couple of months ago that we would enroll Lily in a "Parent Morning Out" program this fall. We thought it would be really good for her to be around other kids her own age a little more, and we wanted me to have a little bit of alone time with Amelia (when the time comes) like I did with Lily. We decided on Bethany United Methodist Church's program which is close to our home, and we know a couple of people who already have kids there and enjoy it. So on Monday morning, Lily will start going on Monday and Wednesdays from 9 to 1.

This morning was their open house where you go and meet the teacher and see their room, so when Lily woke up I told her we needed to eat and get dressed because we were going to see her new school (we have told her before she would get to go to school). She was so excited and kept saying "chool...chool" over and over again. We met her teacher, Crystal, who seems so sweet, and we saw her room; she had a great time playing with the kitchen, little house, and miscellaneous other toys...she didn't want to leave. It took promising that we would be back soon to get her to leave. I wouldn't be surprised if after naptime she asked me about "chool."

I can't believe my little angel is about to start a school-like program! I know that it is mostly playtime and it's shorter hours, but I still can't believe it. Where have the last 22 months gone? Amelia better not grow up this quickly!

Favorite new toy

We bought Lily a new inflatable bouncer for the house. She loves jumping in these things! We figured it would be nice to have in the colder months (and hotter months) because it will fit nicely in our basement; actually we learned today that it can be set up in our living room without problem which is kind of nice! Also, we thought with two kids and all their future playdates and birthday parties, it would be worthwhile to have one here at the house instead of renting one every so often. She seems to love it so right now, we think it will be great! Here are a few pictures of her playing with it this weekend.

The new bouncy!

Ready to start jumping!

Coming down the slide.
Having such a great time jumping, going down the slide and jumping again!
Look Bama, it goes in our living room too!

Miscellaneous Pictures from late July

Here are few pictures of Lily over the last couple of weeks that I thought you might like to see. She is so much fun to be around; what a sweetheart!

I see you over there Mommy!

Smiling for the camera!

She loves to climb inside baskets and boxes; usually she surrounds herself with her toys and books which is pretty cute to see.

She loves her new Minnie Mouse cup.

What a cutie! She has learned to say "cheese" when I turn the camera towards her. She loves her new puzzle. She has gotten pretty good at figuring out how to get them to fit in the right spots too. By the way, I love her little feet!

Lily loves Meme (and her food!)

We had KFC for dinner on Friday evening (I was craving fried chicken and it was close by). Our meals came with delicious biscuits, and I gave Lily some of mine. She took a bite and said "toast?" We have toast (thank you, Great Harvest Bread!) most mornings so I guess that was the closest thing she could think of to call it. Anyway, I said "no, it's a biscuit." She got a big smile on her face and said "Meme!" which made me laugh, and I replied "No, Meme didn't make these biscuits, but she makes good biscuits, doesn't she?" Lily's reply..."yum-yum!" It cracks me up that she often associates Meme with foods (see an earlier post her desire for Meme's cornbread).

Also, every time we drive by Meme's building (she lives in a retirement apartment home about 3 minutes from our house so we pass it often), she yells out "Meme!" Sometimes, she will get upset if we drive by without stopping (she will say "Meme?" probably 10 times in a row); I wonder if she's hungry on those times. When we do visit Meme (about once a week), she tells Meme "hi" and then immediately asks for a cracker because Meme always has graham crackers in stock. I guess the girl knows who to go to for food, and really, I can't say that I blame her!