8 Months!!!

OHMIGOSH!!! Lila Jane! You are EIGHT months old! That's 3/4 of a YEAR! How did this happen???
You are about 19 lbs and 29 inches. You are really not a chunky baby at all. As much as you eat, I keep thinking you'll chunk up, but you never have. You have skinny little arms and legs, but an average sized torso. You seem REALLY long to me, but that's because I still like to think of you as that tiny newborn.
You're still an AWESOME eater! We have yet to find ANYthing you won't eat. Except baby food, of course. You KNOW you are too grown for that mushy stuff. You still get a bottle of thawed breastmilk every morning, and take a full bottle of formula every night. You're not really interested in drinking much throughout the day, though. You usually graze on about 6-8 ounces of formula the whole rest of the day.

You are the HAPPIEST baby! You very rarely cry, and that's typically only if you're really hurt or have a reason to be upset. You "fuss" some, and let us know what you want, but it's typically very easy to make you smile and laugh, even when you're very tired or hungry. On your Birthday, we went to dinner at Rich O's with Doug and Michelle, and Mike, Sarah, and Joanna. I was nervous about going knowing how long it takes to get a table and get food there, but you did AWESOME! We finished dinner right at your bedtime, but Daddy and Mike decided they needed to make a stop at Bass Pro Shop on the way home. (More on that in another blog entry!) I was CERTAIN you'd fall apart at some point, but once again, you proved me wrong! We were just starting to get really sleepy in the car when we arrived at Bass Pro, and I lugged you out of the car. We put you in the seat in a shopping cart, and you perked right up and started giggling!! You laughed and talked the whole time we were there!! You are seriously the BEST BABY EVER!

You're hitting some huge milestones right now! You spent your first vacation away from mommy and daddy this month. We went to Chicago for a few nights, and you stayed with Mim and Pop in Mayfield. We were gone for FIVE nights, and you did awesome! Mommy was a little sad, but we all had a great time! While you were there, you popped a new tooth! You got a great big front tooth on top! The day after you came home, you got TWO more teeth on top! You are up to a grand total of SIX teeth.

You're REALLY trying to crawl now. You get all ready up on your hands and knees, then you forget what to do. Sometimes your arms work, and sometimes your legs work, but if they ever both work together, you only go backward. I think you're just days away from putting it all together and shooting off. I find myself torn between cheering for you and pushing you to do more, while all the same wanting to slow you down and keep you from becoming more and more independent.

Your best time of day is first thing in the morning. You usually wake up and cry out once or twice around 7:00, but then you get quiet again. That's when I get up and get ready for work. I'll often start hearing you talking in your room around 7:45 or 8ish. One morning this week you still weren't making any noise around 8:10, so I went in to wake you up. There you sat, bright eyed and busy tailed in the middle of your bed, playing with a baby doll! I have no idea how long you had been awake. I'm starting to wonder if you're actually waking up for the day that first time and laying in there playing! Either way, no matter what time I come in, you look at me and smile like your whole world just walked in the door. My heart swells and pounds every. single. time. I always sing the Good Morning song to you, and we both just stare at each other for a minute before I can put you down again to change your diaper. I am the luckiest mommy in the whole wide world to get to be a part of your life, Lila Jane!!
We took to our friends' house for some pool time this weekend. It was your first time in a real pool! You were a little hesistant at first, but ended up LOVING the water! We took you a few little toys, and you were just as content as could be. Thanks SO much to Sage and Jim for inviting us over! Our friends Karen and Jeremiah came as well and brought their little man, Phineas. He's such a cutie! The babies had such a good time splashing around, then playing together for a little while. The grown-ups had a great time as well! Jim's daughter Erika did a great job of playing and entertaining the babies for us so we could chat for a while.

I think this next picture totally sums up how you feel about eating. I feel the same way, honey. Check out that destroyed hair!
The Birthday Girl! I still love dressing you up, but your bows never last long anymore. You are a master at picking them out! You often reach up to pull them out even when you don't have one on! I'm SO sad because you've finally reached the point that you're getting frustrated with dresses. When you start trying to scoot around and crawl, they get all tangled up. I'm trying to be good and only put you in things you can move in, but I figure you can still wear dresses when we go to dinner and things like that.
I had you in your pretty little dress for your Birthday, but you were getting frustrated, so I came in and started changing you into a simple little play outfit. I had you just about changed when your teachers told me you were about to go on a buggy ride through the hospital. OH NO! I couldn't let you go over and see everyone at the hospital in your PLAY clothes! I quickly changed you back into your pretty dress and anchored your bow tightly under your pony tail in hopes it would last through the hospital. Melissa and Cherry told me it lasted most of the trip, but it was definitely gone by the time you got back to school. As soon as you got back, I took your tiny pony tail out and put your play clothes back on you. BUT...we were going out to dinner with friends, so I put your dress back on you before we left school! HA! I know my days are numbered that I'll get to play dress up with you, so I'll make the most of it while I can.
I know this is getting long, but honestly I could talk about you all day. I could tell about how you've been really starting to say Dadada and Maaamaaa like you know what you're talking about. I could talk about how you now give us ZRBT's and big wet open mouthed kisses and bury your face in our necks. I could talk about your independence and determination as you're learning all of your new tricks. You are the absolute light of my life, Lila, and your daddy just happens to feel the same way about you. We love you more than we ever knew possible, and we can't wait to see what kind of little lady you become. But, just remember....take your time.

A Few Things

1. Six is not a few. Six is many. Six is the number of teeth in my daughter's mouth as of today, we think.

2. I went to the grocery tonight to get some ingredients for Lila's (gulp) EIGHT month Birthday treat for school. While there, I found a life-changing product. I know you guys are going to have to read this twice because you'll be in just as much disbelief as I. Puffs Vick's scented tissues are back, ya'll. And I am not even kidding. I've waited for this day for years, and never really thought it would come.

3. Our vacation was fantastic. Apparently Lila's was, too. THANK YOU to Mim and Pop for keeping LJ, and also a HUGE thank you to all of the aunts, uncles, grandparents, and friends who helped watch her, transport her, entertain her, and most of all....love her! We couldn't have done it without you all!!!

4. I apologize for no pictures on this post. My evening was taken up by great calamity in the kitchen resulting in stickiness and full trash cans and dishwashers. Pictures this weekend. Promise.

5. Facebook is broken on my iPhone. I can read fine, and I can send photos, but not status updates. Knowing that I can't fill you in on my life one short paragraph at a time makes me suddenly be able to think about nothing but what I would say if I could say it. I know this makes no sense. I'm ok with it.

6. I have to stop here. Because the title is a FEW things, and as mentioned in item #1, six is definitely MORE than a FEW things.

Vacation!

A few weeks ago Amy came to Louisville for a visit. She and Lila have a lot in common, what with enjoying meals around Louisville and all.
We went to lunch at The Cafe', and our friend Melissa came along as well. I'm horrible about getting pics of fun times like this, so I was really glad I thought to take these!
Somebody (erm...probably me) decided it was a good idea to give Miss Lila a chocolate chip cookie after her lunch. It took three people to clean her up after the melty chocolate mess was done!!

Jump forward to THIS week. Mom and Dad came to town to pick up Lila for a visit in Mayfield. Clay and I are on vacation and were heading to Chicago. We decided Lila Jane would probably have more fun with Mim and Pop, so they came and got her so she could stay with them a few days. Since they were just coming up for the night, Grandmama and Grandaddie decided to come along for the ride! It was perfect timing, as it allowed us all to gather for a meal to celebrate Grandad's 80th Birthday! Happy Birthday, Grandaddie!!
It was SO difficult to find anyone to love on poor Lila, but we managed to pass her around the table enough that it wasn't TOO much of a burden on anyone. HA!!


I got a good pic of her with Andy, but missed getting one with Aunt Carrie Beth! We'll have to do that soon!When we arrived, Lila was wearing her big brown bow that made her look like Minnie Mouse. It didn't last long, though. They rarely do. As soon as she realizes they are there, she yanks them out and starts chewing on them. I really think she thinks I just put them there as a toy for her!!

Clay and I are in Chicago now, staying with Amy. THANK YOU Amy, for putting up with us! She even gave up her bed for us! Now THAT's a friend!

This pic is of us before we went to dinner last night. Chicago has good food, ya'll. And lots of it. And I think we've already managed to make a good dent in it all!
We were driving around today looking for something to get into because our yardsaling plans got rained out. Stacy happened to text message me saying she had seen on tv that they were shooting a movie in downtown Chicago, and that we should check it out. Well...due to this little movie issue, streets were closed and traffic was a MESS. We didn't stay downtown long, but we did get close enough to the action for me to lean out the window and get this shot as we drove through the intersection. In the far distance, they have one of the big bridges pulled up with a couple vehicles sitting on it. Not so exciting, but at least we can say we were a "part" of the next Transformers movie!

Tomorrow we'll be heading out for MORE food and the Museum of Natural History. We hope to meet Sue, the t-rex fossil that has lived there for ten years!

While we've been gone, Miss Lila has been up to her usual antics.
Eating...
Sleeping...
And keeping Mim and Pop thoroughly entertained!!!

What's the Elephant Say?

Ch-ch-ch-CHANGES

Miss Lila has been hard at work this week. I was in her room at school Friday and I happened to see her trying to PULL UP!! I'm SO not ready for this new phase! She was just sitting there looking all innocent when she grabbed the top of the toy and pulled her bum all the way off the floor.

Another child stepped in the way, but I almost caught her here.
And then she saw me with the camera, and started trying to come toward me. She doesn't know that she doesn't know how to crawl, so she just leans on over and tries to take off. I know that it's just a matter of time until she's crawling AND pulling up!!

So this weekend, I started changing out all of her toys. It's time to put the little baby toys and rattles and bouncy seats away and pull out the BIG guns. I've picked up some good toys at yardsales this summer, so Saturday afternoon I started getting them all cleaned up and ready for her. She was in heaven! I plopped her down in the middle of the living room floor and just kept cleaning new toys and putting them down for her. It was SO fun to watch her!

Clay was out and about, so I was home alone with Lila. She took a good nap, and when she woke up, I went in to get her. I picked her up, and started straightening up some things in her bedroom. After a couple minutes, I noticed that she was wet, and had peed out of her clothes in the bed. Of course, by the time I noticed it, my shirt was wet with pee, too. So I sat her in her crib to finish cleaning up so that I could get her changed. I looked over, and this is what I saw.
That stinker had pulled up onto her knees in the crib!! I panicked and did the only logical thing a mother could do in such a dangerous situation- I snapped a pic with my cell phone, and then grabbed the camera! Ha!!

I shot Clay a text message with the picture, and a note that said we MUST lower the crib mattress NOW! My phone went dead after that, so I ran in the bedroom and put it on the charger while I went back and started stripping Lila down to give her a bath. Of course, as soon as she was completely naked, the phone started ringing in the other room. So I scooped her up and ran to the bedroom and talked to Clay about what his mischievous daughter had done. While I was standing there, Lila PEED all the way down my shirt and pants, and soaked MY bed! OH MY!! All I could do was laugh at this point. I went back to her room and got her naked wet booty sat down on the changing table, and leaned down to get a washcloth from under the changing table. I stood back up, and she had leaned herself all the way over, and her head was peering off the side of the table at me! About one more inch and she would have toppled off the table! I almost died! I've worked in child care for almost 20 years, and have warned uncountable people to NEVER leave a child on the table because you just never know, but I just didn't expect her to do that! Lesson learned!!!!!!!

Then TODAY.... (no, I'm really not done yet!) Lila was playing with all of her new toys in the living room when she toppled over forward reaching for a toy. It still surprises her a bit when she does that, but all I could do was laugh. She calmed down quickly, and then....She sat herself back up!! I couldn't believe it! Clay saw it too, or I might not have believed she did it! What in the world is going on with all of this development???

So..... Let's recap. As of this week, Lila is
- leaning forward trying to crawl
- pulling up to her knees
- going from laying on her belly to sitting up
- scooting all over the place
- taking big girl baths
Yup, we finally retired our beloved bath bucket. She still fit in it, but it was getting REALLY hard to reach behind and under her to wash the bum, so I finally gave up. As you can tell from these photos, she HATED having the whole tub to splash and play in. Yeah, RIGHT!
I am seriously overwhelmed by all of this!! Clay and I worked our TAILS off today. We went to Babies R Us and got a baby gate. Now that Lila is on the cusp of mobility, it's time to batten down the hatches and babyproof the house. Clay got the gate installed at the top of the steps to the basement. We also started a major overhaul in the basement. We want to make a fun little play area for Lila in the basement so she'll have a good place for all of her antics. We're trying to clear out a big area that was previously storage for her new playset I got off Craigslist. Uncle Andy and Aunt B are very generously giving us one of their retired couches to put down there, and Clay has big plans to get the cable run down so we can have some tv as well. Hopefully by the time we're cooped up for the winter, we'll have a decent play area down there.

I'm going to stop typing now, because I'm exhausted from just THINKING about all we did today!!

Who's That Girl??

Who IS that cute girl with the GREAT BIG ponytail on top of her head?
You know, that girl with THREE teeth if you count the one that's mostly through on the bottom right??
That girl who makes the silly faces and leans over like she's about to crawl?
Who's that girl who jabbers constantly about her "Dadadaaadadididi"?
That girl with the super-cool mommy who stitched her up a new shirt to match a pair of yard sale pants?
Who is that girl with painted toenails and sparkly barrettes every day?
Who is that girl who lights up the room and makes Mommy and Daddy the proudest parents in the world?

I think you might have a guess...