First Gear

Hey there blogger faithfuls!! How are things going? Things here have been super fun & busy but have also been keeping us away from an internet connection. It seems like every weekend, when Daddy and me would normally have time to sit down and reach out to you all, we have something planned that requires us to drive all over God's creation. Not that I don't like being busy and being the center of attention at all the functions that we visit, but I do like keeping all my friends and loved ones in the loop because we do some pretty cool stuff. Like the picnic for instance. It was the most INCREDIBLE time!! You would not believe all the people that came by to spend time with us. I got to see Dr. Lambers (she delivered me), a few of Mommy's nurses, a couple of my NICU nurses and a TON of family and friends. Daddy thinks there were probably over 100 people there. Can you believe it?!?! My rumpus never touched the ground. When I stop to think about that number and then think about the fact that they are there because they love and care for me, well....it leaves me speechless. Neither Daddy or I have the words to describe how much it meant to us to have so many loving people in our lives. Daddy was saying on the ride home from the picnic that it is because of the people at the picnic and countless others across the country that have given their support that he is doing so well and is able to be such a good dad. I think the good dad part just comes naturally though. We've gotten to see the very best in people over the past 8 months since I have been around and for that we thank you.

People weren't supposed to bring gifts to the picnic but some did anyway. I was given some cool toys and an awesome pair of shoes (gonna have to grow into those). I even got an autographed print of the Heart Mini-Marathon Daddy and the family ran in for Mommy back in March to hang on the wall. But the one that takes the cake, hands-down, is what my Uncle John and Aunt Pitter brought for me and Daddy. You see, Uncle John is quite the artist and sculptor and he has been working on a plackard (sp?) for us to hang in the house. He gave us the finished product at the picnic and Daddy just about broke down. The plackard is of me an Mommy and was inspired by a photo of the two of us Kangarooing in the NICU. It is abosolutely beautiful and Daddy is gonna find the perfect place in the house to display it. Thanks soo much Uncle John, from the bottom of my heart. It is a very special gift.

Now that the women in the audience are probably reaching for the nearest box of tissues, let's chat about some of the cool new skills I have developed. I am becoming quite the yoga expert and I just discovered the coolest things ever...my feet! That's right, I am a HUGE fan of what all the yogies call the "Happy Baby" pose. Basically, I just grab my little footsies and rock back and forth. It's a blast! And to top off my skills, I roll over and do the "Cobra"(Daddy thinks that's what it is called) which is like a pushup and when I get tired of that I go right into "Child's Pose". That yoga business is tough work but is making me one strong girl. I even found my first gear. Only problem is that my first gear is reverse and I can't tell where in the world I am going. You see, I start with my pushups and Cobra pose and before I know it the toy that was right in front of my face is now out of reach. I sure hope that the other gears come in soon because I would really like to see where I a headed. Daddy on the other hand is not as excited about my new found mobility. I mean, he is excited and super-dper proud of how well I am doing but he also knows that that means he is on the clock and has to Lily-proof the house ASAP. Good luck with that Daddy. No matter how well you do, I think I will still be able to find something you missed.

So this weekend rocked big time!! Daddy was off three whole days from work because of Labor Day and he chose to spend most of that time with yours truly. We even did our very first 5k race ever and it was at the Zoo. So, how well did I do you may be wondering. Well the race got off to a rough start for us because the gun went off before I was even in position in my running stroller. Then Daddy found out that the harness was too tight and had to adjust it before he felt safe running with me. We lost about 5 minutes from the start and then got caught behind a slew of eeh-hemm "slow people". Daddy calls them walkers but I say "move out of my way, flying baby coming through!!". It took another 3-4 minutes to break free of the, shall we say, leisurely participants and make a run for it. Boy were we flying once we did break free. We clocked a total time of 30minutes with delays and Daddy seems to think had we not gotten delayed we would have run somewhere in the neighborhood of 20-21 minutes. Not too shabby for our first team effort. What a great course and to top of the race, we got to walk around and look at all the animals. The first one we saw was the new baby Zebra. It was soooo cute and you know what its name is? Marty!!! (just like Mommy). After seeing the cute baby Zebra, we went to check out the Gorillas. Man are they humungous!! Daddy said I probably weigh less than just one of their butt cheeks. Nice Dad! Anyway, after the Gorillas we went to check out the Cheetah exhibit and even got to see them run. Good golly Miss Molly are they fast!!! Well, I am told that they are fast anyway. I fell asleep waiting for the show to start.

After the show we came home because Mommy's friend, Kelli, was in town from Chicago and was coming over to meet me. We had the greatest time ever snuggling on eachother and she even fed me. I don't know what her experience is with babies but she sure is a natural. I can't wait to see her again and meet some of Mommy and Daddy's other friends when we are up in Chicago at the end of the month. It's gonna be AWESOME!!!

Well, after such a long weekend I think I need to get some rest and so does Daddy. He was trying to get this blog out for me on Monday night but fell asleep at the keyboard. Hahaha!! Well, goodnight y'all. Don't forget to let us know if you have nay questions about specific stuff we are up to. We want to be sure to keep this site fresh and interesting as we move forward. You all are amazing. I love you so....

Love, Lily