Surprise! Well, not really!

So just when I think the birthday celebrations are over...up pops another one. I had a sneaking suspicion that Eric was planning something since he was obsessed with this certain date in August and kept getting "secret" texts.  I will admit, I made it a little difficult for him to get me out of the house but it was all in good fun.  When we got to my mom and dad's for the big surprise, I found out it was actually supposed to be in a pavilion near my house but the weather had other ideas.  So, VERY last minute my mom and dad had to move everything to their house and host a party for a bunch of people.  It ended up being a great time, even though it wasn't exactly what they had planned.

Everyone waiting in the garage for the big surprise!

Not so surprised.

The G'rents and B.

Nice crown.

We were waiting for her to freak out when everyone sang, but she was a trooper.

Coty, Tony, Em, Joe and Steph.

Molly, Dave, Ben and Aunt Lori.

Tami and Joe...my only friends that showed!

30.  Dang.

Lyla's First Trip to the Zoo

I've been talking for years about going to the zoo and no one was into it.  Now that Lyla is here, I finally have an excuse to do all those fun things again.

Catherine and I decided to take the kids one Friday in August.  It turned out the be the hottest day of the month.  Of course it did.   The chaos began before we even made it to the gates.  When I grabbed Lyla out of the car to get  her in the stroller, I discovered a massive poop, not only in her pants, but all over.  Once we got that all cleaned up, it was time for sunscreen.  Let me tell ya, the new mom in me really came out.  The entire walk up to the entrance, I kept asking Catherine if Lyla had enough sunscreen on and if she was going to overheat (something Catherine still makes fun of me for :). 

It ended up being a short visit, but an interesting one.  With the heat and the fact that Lyla was not really having it that day, I vowed I wouldn't go back until the fall.

Heading in!

 

Isabella, Jake, Noah, Me, and Ly

I could tell she wasn't into before we even left the food court (which was our first stop).

Even in their matching dresses, Lyla just couldn't handle the heat.

1/2 a Year Old

How did this happen? How could my little girl possibly be six months old already? I've tried my hardest to be in the moment and not look ahead too far at anything because I knew time would fly and it has. Here's some info about my six month old.

-She's a roly poly. She's mastered the art of flipping from her back to her belly and back again.

-Rolling made for a temporary break in sleeping through the night. First she would roll and not know how to get back. Then she'd roll and get a leg or arm caught in the railing of the crib. After two weeks of misery and no sleep, she finally has the hang of it and can roll into all sort of new positions, including with her little legs tucked under her and her even littler butt sticking up in the air!

-She's extremely interested in her hands. She'll hold them out in front of her and just twist and turn them back and forth.

-She's a pro and grabbing things (mostly with her left hand) and shoving them in her mouth.

-Prefers to hold her own bottle.

-No teeth yet, but she's a drooler and has learned to chew on everything.

-Loves her daddy. He can just walk in the room and she lights up.

-Has moments where she can sit up on her own. She's still really wobbly and hunched over, but it's a start.

-Unless she's hungry or tired, she is constantly smiling and talking away to her toys. She's even prone to yelling, almost screaming when she has something important to say.

-Weighed in at 13 pounds, 8 ounces and 25 & 1/4 inches long!

Everything goes in the mouth!

Sitting up and talking to dad.

Big girl!

All smiles for daddy!

GloGlo is her bedtime buddy.

So proud of herself for rolling over in her crib.

She chews the pacifiers, not sucks on them!

 

Lyla Gets a Pony...ride.

Last week, at cousin Nathan's 1st birthday party, a few friendly animals came to join the party.  Two of them being little ponies.  All of the bigger kids got to ride them, but LL just got to sit on one for some pictures.   She was clueless as to what was going on.  All she knew was that all the adults were yelling her name, jumping up and down and clapping trying to get her attention. 

Starting Solids



Learning to "chomp" from daddy.



And the milestones just keep on coming!

After the weight check, we stocked up on our very first baby foods.  Doctors orders were to start with the greens, move to oranges, and then start fruits.  We decided this adventure required us to break out the high chair and do away with the Bumbo.  So far, LL has been doing really well with this new taste sensation.  She seems to be pretty indifferent to anything we've given her.  In just two short weeks, she's learned to grunt if we aren't shoveling it in fast enough and has mastered the art of saying, "aaaaahhhh" and then chomping down on the spoon! 

So little in her big chair!





High chair also doubles as an entertainment center!



I think I have found it most difficult to add this new stage.  I still can't seem to get a good schedule down for the solids.  I try to give them to her in between bottles, otherwise she just spits up terribly.  Sometimes naps get in the way of that and if you don't get her fed in time, she wants nothing to do with the solids.  She only wants the bottle.  It will be a learning experience and I know we'll figure it out.  I just never imagined how this would rock our world like it has.  I liked my routine that we established, but I guess that will be ever-changing from now on. 

Not paying any attention to her dad.

The Dirty Thirty

Yep, I never thought it would happen, but it finally got me.  The Dirty Thirty.   It came and went like any other day.  Work.  Home.  Bed. 

The day before the big day we went to dinner with my parents and had cupcakes back at our house.  We didn't really plan much else because we had so many other obligations.  A few weeks later we called a few friends and family and headed to the Music in the Park in Tinley to watch an 80's band.  Of course, we didn't pay much attention to the band, but it was nice to just sit outside with a couple cocktails and good friends. From there we headed to Bailey's down the street.  We walked in and were the youngest people there by about 30 years.  We decided one drink and we were gone, but once the band started we had a change of heart.  We danced the night away and the band even sang Happy Birthday to me!  Mortifying...but fun.








Weight Check

At five months, when we would normally skip a doctor visit, we had to go anyways for our weight check.  With fingers crossed, I set her on the scale hoping for big numbers.  I found myself thinking "BIG NUMBERS, BIG NUMBERS", much like a contestant on Wheel of Fortune.  The final number would be 12lbs, 3 oz.  This is up from 11lbs, 7 oz.  I was happy with that.  I mean, it was almost a pound in less than a month.  The doctor was pleased, but still wanted more.  And so begins the solid foods...