Funny girl!

A thunderstorm in our area kept Lily from sleeping soundly tonight so I didn't have time to work on a fancy video. Still, I wanted to share a few clips from our day. If you look closely in the first video, there is a crumb in her hair--when I handed her the Saltine she started rubbing in on her head! She's so funny!

In the second video, she's playing drums while I was working in the kitchen. I gave her the little spatula as a drum stick, but she decided it was more fun to chew on instead. It seems like she is developing so quickly these days--videos give a more intimate view of our lives than pictures do, so I will do my best to post more.

Good night!

My little shopper!

Our 8-months-old-celebration shopping trip lasted nearly six hours yesterday, but Lily was a great sport! She enjoys being out in public, meeting people and seeing new things. I am so happy that she is comfortable in social situations because I feel like I can take her anywhere with me!

Currently, if I want her opinion on something I want to purchase for her, I hold two options in front of her and the item that she grabs is the one she "picked". I repeat the process, but switch the position of the items to see if she picks the same one. I know its silly, but it is very important to me that Lily learns how to make decisions for herself. This is just my small way of helping her build that skill.

But I must say, I do look forward to shopping together when she is older and can voice her opinion. Its going to be so much fun!

8 months old!

Lily is eight months old today and already has her first job! This week we are testing diapers (Pampers brand) and after completing a survey, she gets $10! I am excited to see her little Nest Egg grow and we look forward to teaching her about using money responsibly as she gets older!

As I write this entry, Lily is next to me eating a Saltine cracker and "dancing". She has crumbs in her hair, on her face, and all over the carpet...but she looks more beautiful than ever! I never imagined feeling so much love in my life for someone I am still getting to know. But here I am, teary eyed at how much she's grown. She is a perpetual mess...a whirlwind of excitement and curiosity...with the world at her feet.

I wonder what God has planned for her life. Although I dream of many things for her, I know He has a future for her, greater than I can imagine. I am so grateful we get to be part of it!

Lily's current hobbies include "cruising" (side-stepping around our furniture, holding on the the edge), dancing, giggling, and typing. I used to open a Microsoft Word document and hold her on my lap so she could use the keyboard, but now (thanks to her friend Alexa) she has a little toy laptop of her own.

Another recent development of hers is the Tantrum! Who could have known our sweet little angel was capable of such dramatic behavior? It turns out she is...and she's pretty good at it too!

Well, we are off to celebrate by shopping for new jammies! We hope you have a beautiful day! Hugs & Kisses!

Updated "Comment" function

I know a few people have had trouble leaving comments on the blog so I updated the Comment format. Hopefully this will be easier for everyone to use.

Just playing around

After posting the previous video I decided to play around with the Movie Maker feature on this video. The whole process was actually very relaxing for me! I always enjoyed creating Power Point presentations and I love love love music, so this was a lot of fun! Maybe I found my new hobby?!

This is a longer video comprised of two clips. The first clip was from a few days ago when Lily was in a silly mood. The second was from April 9th, when Lily first started "dancing" and was actually repeating the movement (with some prompting). I added a Jack Johnson song, but wanted to maintain the audio quality of the clips because Lily's laugh is the best part!!

I realize the text passes too quickly, especially because the font is small...the video screen is also much smaller on the blog than when I view it in Movie Maker! I will keep that in mind next time and try to avoid the same mistake. After a few more of these short projects, I am going to tackle a bigger and better one--Making a video for Lily's first birthday!

Movie time

And now for your viewing pleasure...more HOME MOVIES!!

The first clip is of Lily in the morning--hair all cute & crazy and still in her jammies! The second clip is her "dancing"--Maybe KC and the Sunshine Band is playing in her head, "Shake, shake, shake..."

Bits and pieces

Every day Lily does something amazing and I think to myself, "This event has to go on the blog," but by the end of the day, I find myself so exhausted--I have just enough energy to remember that amazing something as a I drift off to sleep! But before I do fall asleep, here are a few thoughts that come to mind...

If given the choice between her colorful books or one of our books/newspapers/magazines, Lily always goes for the latter! Maybe its the noise the pages make as they turn? Maybe its because the pages actually crinkle in her hands? Or maybe she is going to become an editor when she grows up?

Lily is already sharpening her emotional intelligence. If she and Eric are together without me, she is a lot more independent and content. She easily smiles, plays, and takes more risks with her mobility. If its her meal time, Eric actually has to leave the room because he is such a distraction for her--Lily always has to know where he is in the room!

As soon as I join them, Lily gets more vocal and intently watches my face for reactions to her. When I'm around she is less willing to "travel" on her own and definitely plays up the "baby" role! And when we explain something to her in a stern tone, she only waits a second or two before giving us this big, sweet smile in return. Its the kind that even makes her eyes sparkle!

Just this week I noticed Lily has stopped "humming" every time we rock her to sleep. Now its only some times, although she does still make a few other noises. Like the hiccups, I guess this is just another quirk she will outgrow. It makes me sad (surprise, surprise!). I love her little hum and will miss hearing it! Thankfully that is something I do have recorded!

Not surprisingly, Lily is very interested in music. When I was pregnant, I would listen to my iPod at work and secure one of the earbuds to my belly so she could hear the music too. It made me feel closer to her, sharing a part of myself with this little stranger. Recently James Taylor was on TV and Lily stopped playing to watch him perform. Eric and I had to laugh because she doesn't usually watch TV and she was entranced!

I understand most babies like music...but in a small way it felt great to think maybe our prenatal jam sessions meant as much to her as they did to me.

I love this song!

At the top of our page I added something I wanted to share with you all:

Darius Rucker's* song, It won't be like this for long.

The first time I heard this song I was rocking Lily to sleep for her afternoon nap and it made me cry! And not just cry, as in a few silent tears while I pondered the lyrics, I mean cry-cry--as in runny mascara and runny nose weeping as I held her tightly!

Although its written from a father's perspective, it simply captured the mindset that I have with Lily! Every day I try to soak her in, knowing I won't ever get to relive these precious moments with her. She is growing up so quickly, I wish there was a way I could extend her infant-hood! But of course, I will always thank God for the time I am allowed with her!

I hope you enjoy the song and recognize the gift of each day with your own children! Be blessed!

*Yes, the same Darius Rucker from Hootie & the Blowfish...he's gone country!

Easter blessings!

Easter Blessings!

Our home life...

Birthday wishes!

Happy Birthday Auntie Kristen!

Cherub...

It is impossible to communicate the exact feelings and emotions that Lily brings out of Eric and me, but they are so vivid and intense! There is nothing like holding her close and listening to her gentle hum as she gives into sleep. Her precious face loses the usual excited expression, her cheeks and mouth fall into a little pout, her upturned eyelashes flutter a bit...she looks like an angel!

"Blessed" is the only way I can describe my life, because I know I haven't done anything to deserve all the joy, love, and happiness I experience!

Crawling!

After weeks of moving in reverse, Lily started crawling forward for long distances this morning! She's been bunny hopping around the house but today it all finally came together for her as she crawled from one end of the living room to the kitchen!