Baby or Giant

To me, Lily is a tiny precious little baby...but after recent visits with two newborn babies, the insanity of her growth over 6 mos is amazing! This seems to be a common theme of blog entries, but I am in complete awe!

Our recent visits were to two of the worlds newest babies :) Last Friday, we visited with Allison and Kenley. Kenley was a doll! She was nice enough to let Lily squirm around on her play mat and get a good swing in. And in true Lauren/Allison fashion, the baby girls tagged along for a shopping trip to Fair Oaks Mall. Kenley

Today, we visited with Cousin Savannah and Cousin Connor. Savannah, 1 year older than Lily enjoyed pouring water over Lily's face. Lily is a big fan of the pool/water/bath so she didn't mind at all. Connor, merely 3 days old, laid in the sun while the girls splashed around. He had doctors orders to get some sunlight due to being a bit jaundice.

These photos exemplify the largeness of Lily in comparison to newborns :)

Here, Kenely, is 3 weeks old, weighing in about 10-11 lbs. For such a young baby she fills out the car seat quite well....

Here, Lily, 6 months old 17 lbs, also fills the car seat out quite well!

Side-by-side in the same car seat, only 5 mos apart, Lily is a Giant.

It gets even better.......

Connor is 3 days old, weighing the same Lily did when she was born...Lily is a monster, a pale white monster, but most importantly, my baby monster!

Pampers or Huggies

Yup, I went there...I am now comparing diapers! Who do I chose? The winner is Huggies! How did I make such a big decision?

• cheaper
• I receive TONS of coupons for HUGGIES which is why they are made cheaper
• hold 'it' all in

Really, anything that helps lower my monthy expenses is going to be better in my book!

Enjoyable article....

I must say that I have enjoyed the resources Huggies has provided me with. Not only have I become a big fan of the diapers themselves, their website is very informative! And just like facebook, I could spend quite sometime surfing their site.

Now I know there are Pampers snobs out there and I will support Pampers and their wonderful wipes, but for now Huggies Diapers takes the cake! I encourage those who think Pampers is the best to explore the world of Huggies and they may come to an aggreement with me :)

Am I a real blogger?

Since creating this blog, my intention was to journal about Lily. Instead I realize I have become a 'regular blogger'...not only do I mention Lily's progression in life, but I have begun to spout about personal things in my life and my personal feelings...this is what I call a 'regular blogger.' Maybe I didn't realize some of the relief there is to typing excessively about nothing. On top of it all, I spend the majority of the day by myself. What else am I suppose to do?? take care of my baby or something? :)

I promised myself I wouldn't complain about my working situation/staying home situation, BUT there is something to be said about having adult stimulation all day. A typical day includes....AND this is all on top of me possibly working that night or the night before...

• vacuuming



• making our bed (b/c Mike doesn't know how)



• breastfeeding



• cleaning the kitchen
  


• unloading the dishwasher
  


• laundry
  


• breastfeeding
  


• cleaning the kitchen again



• talking like a baby



• breastfeeding



• watching reruns of 90210 and One Tree Hill!

Really, I am OH SO GRATEFUL for the things in my life and everything about it, but this is me just 'blogging' :) In all honesty, these are the things in life that are now glamorous, and it's simple....i love it! Because I get to watch a baby grow and learn how to sit up on her own, see her smile and giggle when I get her from her nap, play with her, sing to her, and THEN it all becomes so rewarding, and I know I have a purpose! Sometimes my purpose is to buy the cutest clothes and the next best dress for the next event, look for cute shoes, do my make-up, buy new make-up, wish I had latest Coach purse, etc, etc my materialism could onnnnnnn, BUT in reality I will always revert back to Mikey and my Lil!

Right now, Lily has had dinner, bathed, been read to and now asleep, Mike is still not home and I have begun making our adult dinner. Until Mike walks through the door what else is there to do but facebook, blog, stalk other peoples blogs then blog some more. After proofreading the past paragraphs, I am DEF a blogger..I'm ok with it!

Back to Lily....She is 5 mos 2 weeks old. Where has the time gone? Tonight, she ate broccoli for the fourth time and she has yet to give me grief about it. I fully expect grief from a toddler who I force to eat broccoli for it's nutritional value. Until then, Lily seems to enjoy it! Tonight, I also introduced Mango for dessert.
(side note...i make all Lily's food and it is super rewarding!) She, also, loved the Mango! I am very proud of this broad rage food eater I have on my hands, but I know things could change! Research actually says that babies have to eat things up to 13 times before they decide they even like it or not.

Broccoli....YUMMMM

Today, Lily also went to 'My Gym'. There Lily gets to explore colors, activities, and interact with other babies. It is amazing to see how she has developed over the weeks, and even the other Mothers mentioned it to me today. Lily is sitting up on her own (not yet rolling over still), reaching for things and slowing beginning to walk on her feet (obviously with me hold her arms). I look forward to the many more things Lily will surprise me with!!!

Kara's Bachelorette Party!~

I can't even begin to explain the debauchery of Saturday night! or maybe it was my own debauchery!

~The Bachelorette!~

Cheers to Kara for celebrating her Bachelorette years and moving in the next direction of marriage! I couldn't be happier for her and Mike, I only wish I had experience it in full with her. Instead, my night ended early...apparently my deciding factor! The night started out fabulous, we were in great company, had amazing food from Maggiano's, Kara received super cute lingerie, BUT I drank a bit too much Champagne. When will I learn that just because you step foot into a limo does it mean that you must drink Champagne? It's like I was forced to drink it...but clearly I wasn't. Jaime even said to me, "Lauren, you just said you didn't want to drink Champagne, are you sure?" I respond with "of course, we're in a limo!" The rest is not worth getting into, but this is when I thank my husband for being so wonderful and, of course, Christie for guiding me home. Thank goodness I decided it wouldn't be a good idea to bring along my Nikon in the limo, otherwise I may not have any pictures to show!

~The Bridesmaids!~

~All the girls!~

Mike, it was my second Bachelorette party of the year since Lily was born, and still you were not annoyed! I must say, you are a better person than me!

Dear Lily, STOP GROWING!

My epiphany today.....
I am beginning to realize how short my time with Lily (as a baby) really is! The past few days I can't help but stare and gaze with adoration at this little creature. How in the world does a human being grow inside my belly, enter the world and then grow to be something like an adult? Another thing...it is pretty crazy that up until a few weeks ago, I have been the sole provider for her nutrition. I feel so blessed to be a part of such an amazing journey.

After becoming a Mother and then looking at my own, I have a whole new outlook on the things that she has done for me throughout my life. It is crazy to think, that just 26 years ago my Mom was thinking the same things as she was holding me in her arms, and she tells me she remembers it so clearly! My point here is that I am soaking every second, every moment, every bit of Lily's tiny body that I can. I encourage other Mothers to do the same!

One of those things I am just in awe of...this was the night we brought her home. How, just HOW did she get so big?

Tummy time is now fun! I have been diligently spending time with her on her stomach in hopes she will roll over. I have even given descriptive lessons on how to do it. Something tells me she isn't listening to me because she STILL has no desire to go from back to stomach or stomach to back.

Something new....Lily LOVES glass! Whether it a drinking glass, a beer bottle, or a mug, she loves to suck them. I question if it is merely the feeling against her gums that she likes, or if she is truly interested in drinking out of a cup. I am not encouraging drinking on her own, my baby is still a baby and I'm not ready for such a thing! In the meantime, she can suck away for comfort :)

TINY(1 week)..................................BIG(5 months) Soon Lily will retire her bouncy chair! It will be a sad day when I can no longer contain her in this, but yet it will be such a milestone to know she is on to bigger and better things. It has been a good stretch and I will forever be thankful to the person responsible for this creation!

Such a sweet face!