Lauren and Lily

Lily put off meeting my dear friend Lauren 9 months ago when she refused to make her debut while Lauren was in town from New Jersey, but she couldn't put it off any longer. Lauren and I went to Pantego together and were the best of friends. We were bridesmaids in each others weddings and we try to get together every time she is town (which isn't often enough.) Lauren's sister Abby is the same age as my sister Victoria, and she was around to meet Lily too. Lauren's daughter Annie is 8 months older than Lily, which is the same age difference between Lauren and myself. Funny coincidence! Annie was napping the entire time I was over, but Andrew, her 3 year old brother was around to keep his mama busy. We're looking forward to our next visit with Lauren. It is crazy to think that Lily will be walking and talking by the next time we get together.

9 Months

I realize I rarely update the blog anymore, but I want to remember where Lily is and what she's been doing at this point in her life, so here we go! We went to the doctor for a check up and to catch up on shots. Little bugger is 21.5 pounds and 28 inches long (I think...28 or 29?) She is in the 90th percentile for weight and off the charts again for her height. Her head was around the 70th percentile or so. She is a social creature, always looking at people and waiting for them to notice her, and then smiling really big at them when they do. She loves to laugh and giggle, and dada can really get her going. She loves to play peek a boo, and will use her towel, bib, etc. I don't even use a bib most of the time when I feed her because she just plays peek a boo with it and gets food in her hair. She has been crawling for close to two months and is really fast now. She's starting to act like she wants to push up to a stand without pulling up on something, but isn't quite there yet. At home she wants to pull up on anything that she can. She is finally sleeping through the night again, and she is pretty good about taking two naps a day as well. She has also decided that food is good for the most part. She is eating a much wider variety of foods. At first the only things I could get her to eat were avocado and sweet potato. Now she likes blueberries, raspberries, yogurt, avocado, cooked diced carrots, squash, zucchini, bananas, cooked pears, peaches, puffs, mum mums and various purees. We tried eggplant, broccoli, cottage cheese and strawberries recently and she would eat a little but didn't seem too fond of any of them. It is fun to see her personality emerge more and more each day. She is a handful but we love her so much!

Busybody

That is what Lily's daddy has dubbed her. I know I have been way behind on the blogging front, but Phil has been really busy at work combined with studying for the CFA, and Lily is absolutely everywhere. She is a crawling fool, attracted to all things dangerous, and her favorite trick is pulling up on any and all sharp and unstable objects. She is a little ham, and loves to look at people until they look at her and then she'll flash a huge smile. She is also a vocal little creature, and the past month has become a much better eater, and thus a much bett

er sleeper. Which makes me a much nicer wife. Right Phil? We have been up to lots and lots. We went to the zoo with our playgroup, we took pictures in the bluebonnets. We went to Campbell's and Reid's birthday parties. We take Thimba to the preserve, go on walks with Emily and Campbell, and take advantage of the weather at the Arboretum. We celebrated the big 2-8 and my first Mother's Day with a baby on the outside. I think we are all looking forward to Phil's test being over in June and a return to normalcy. While Lily is such a blessing and I love her so much, the past 9 months have been draining with Phil's Ironman followed by the CFA studying. Phil is a big help when he has the time, but I'm looking forward to doing fun things as a family on the weekend instead of single parenting it so much of the time! Pictures to come soon. I'm having problems linking to facebook and don't have time to upload them right now.

New Sheriff in Town

Phil tells me it is time to stop "hiding" Thimba. So here he is. He fell into our laps after we had to say goodbye to Dodger. He is a very sweet boy, good with Lily, friendly and calm. We are just dog people and it is so nice to have another furry friend around. He is absolutely obsessed with Phil, and I know that Phil not so secretly loves it! So we'd like to introduce you to Thimba!

Yucking it up

Reid and Lily, having a ball at the Arboretum today. They don't have a clue about what to do in front of a camera do they??

Loves Dogs, Bunnies...Undecided

Yesterday I waited and waited for Lily to wake up from her nap, then buckled her in her car seat and dashed to the Arboretum to get her picture taken with the bunny. We can't miss out on this right? She was sitting there looking around, totally oblivious to her furry friend next to her. Then she accidentally touched him, and the look on her face was so funny. She immediately pulled her hand back and lost her smile. Caught on camera of course!

The Story of Dodger

There was a girl. And the girl loved dogs. One day while in college, the girl came across a pair of the most beautiful dogs she had ever seen. They were majestic and alert, calm but reserved. She knew she would have one of these lovely animals one day. She searched and searched, and found the perfect breeder. A veterinarian in Oklahoma who had an upcoming litter. She was the lucky recipient of the only pet quality ridged male in the litter. Imperfect in the eyes of some, with his wily ridge, but perfect to her. His brothers went on to achieve championship titles in the ring, he was busy winning over hearts. A plump puppy, giant paws, too big for his body. Shy and cautious at first, he would grow to love you and forever remember you after a few encounters. Stubborn but submissive, he had a hearty appetite and was very easily taught a full repertoire of tricks that entertained and brought smiles to many. A wedding and a move to Dallas. A good running buddy he made. Miles and miles logged. A bit of a straggler, but he would make it through. Time passed. A few gray hairs appeared. Hours spent sunbathing. The dog loved the warmth of the sun on his red fur. Predictable. He would come running when he heard the last of the yogurt container being scraped. He knew it was his to lick. A gentle giant he was, some of his best friends being creatures much smaller than him. A Westie, Phoebe. A Scottie, Sophie. He loved enticing them into a friendly game of chase. Brother to an ornery boxer. He kept him in check while always letting him think he was in control. More years passed. A single white whisker appeared. Long walks in the neighborhood. A baby girl joined his family. He wasn't sure what to think at first. But he soon grew to love her and enjoyed lavishing her with the occasional lick on the face. The baby grew to love the dog. Happy shrieks and smiles would pour forth when she happened to gaze upon the dog. This made the girl very happy. Months passed. Something changed. The big red dog who loved his food suddenly wasn't finishing his meals. He no longer greeted his beloved owners at the door, tail wagging, ears pulled slightly back in a show of affection. The girl and boy were worried. Off to the vet the big dog went. Tests run. Something wrong. Liver enzymes and white blood cells and platelet counts off. Specialists seen. Scary words thrown around. An outing to the preserve. Time passing quickly. The majestic dog getting sicker. The boy and the girl were ever more worried. One awful night. Many tears cried. Pain seen in the eyes of their faithful friend. A teary phone call to the vet. A decision was made to let go. Sweet friends cried with the boy and girl. One dog, full of heart, he gave all that he had, but he was ready to go. Arms around him whispering sweet words of love. He left them, no longer in pain. Tears tumbled forth, they cried for the loss of their wonderful friend. A quiet house. No more footfalls from the big dog are heard. Memories all around. Tears spring forth. We loved him so. Always in our hearts. The story of Dodger.