Monday, January 11, 2010

I AM A 1 YEAR OLD!!!!







Hold the presses!! No, no...fire them up. It's my birthday!! Man, how a year flies by when you are having fun. To think that a year ago today, I entered the world at just 2lbs 6oz and 14 1/2 inches long! I now weigh 8 times that and have grown over a foot!! Daddy showed me some video of my first day in the NICU, man was amazed to see Daddy stick his hand in my isolette to rub my back. I mean, geez, his hand was the size of my entire body. Just incredible. A big shout out and thanks to all the FANTASTIC nurses that made my success possible. I was sooo glad to see some of you at my party and hope to see you again soon!! You all totally rock!

So, let's cut to the chase because we have much to catch up on. The last time we blogged, it was right before Christmas and right after my meeting with the big man in red. We'll start with Christmas and all that Daddy and I did for that special holiday. Well, I'll tell you what we did. We drove ALL over this city of ours....and it was totally worth it. It all started on Christmas Eve when we went to Mimi's and Papaw's to celebrate Christmas early. I guess Santa has a pretty busy schedule Christmas night so he swung by Mimi's early and dropped all sorts of nice things off. I am not much into the whole unwrapping of the gifts. You give me a box and I am as pleased as punch. But my cousins on the other hand, they tore through those gifts like they were possessed. You should have seen the carnage!! We are talking paper shreads every which-way and perfectly good boxes just thrown aside as if they were worthless. Daddy tells me that I may someday tear through gifts with the same excitement and an identical disregard for wonderful cardboard. But he also was quick to tell me that there are going to be some rules for the Christmas holidays to come. That is, we are going to focus on what the holiday is really about. After all, it's Jesus' birthday! I mean, how many birthday parties have you gone to that were not your own, and you were the one to get a ton of gifts? So, when it comes to Christmas at home, I get 3 gifts (same amount as JC). That's not too bad, I don't think. After all, Daddy says he has a sneaking suspicion that I am gonna have plenty of gift opening opportunities.

For instance, we spent Christmas Eve night and Christmas morning at Grandma and Poppy's house. Christmas Eve was spent with the entire Demmerle/Wilmers clan. They had all sorts of food and games and of course, I get handed about from lap to lap. Daddy loves it because he gets to just chill out knowing that I am in loving hands. The morning is much more low key and we were able to give Grandma and Poppy a special gift that we had made for them from Mommy's clothes. I also have a few things that were made from Mommy's favorite T-shirts and jeans. Daddy says sometimes memories just aren't enough and it helps to have a piece to hold onto. So, whenever I miss my Mommy, I can just roll up in my blanky made of her shirts and imagine her arms wrapped around me. It's a pretty special gift that I am gonna treasure for a really long time.

OK, so that was Christmas. Now on to the next holiday.....my BIRTHDAY!!! OK, so it isn't a national holiday or anything but we sure treated it like one. Grandma and Poppy threw a party for me and Aunt Katie on New Year's Day since they were leaving on vacation and would be gone for the month of January. Tough life, right? Anyway, we had a fabulous time hanging out and stuff. In fact, I had soo much fun that by the time the cake came around, I was fast asleep. So, that was my first party. My second party was yesterday (Jan. 10) at Daddy and my house. We had all sorts of family and friends over. Some of my NICU nurses came, Mimi2 from Arkansas is in town, all of Daddy's buddies, and even some friends from out of town. Thank you to everyone that came to my party, I really loved seeing you all. I even received all kinds of packages in the mail. How cool and exciting is it to get stuff in the mail?!?! I love it. But there was one package that was super special and it came from one of Mommy's friends, Michele. Not only is she a friend of Mommy's but she is a blog follower too! She sent me this super-duper cute stuffed doggy that I love but my favorite thing about the package was the note inside. You see, Michele's daughter is headed to South Africa (a place near and dear to Mommy and Daddy's hearts) to work at a place called the Red Hill Children's Project. It is in Cape Town, SA and helps children in need. So, for my first birthday and in honor of Mommy, they are creating "Lily's Corner" at the school. It's going to be full of educational toys and books for the kids to play with and learn from. I mean, can you think of a more perfect and thoughtful gift?! I sure can't!!! Michele, you and your daughter are I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E, incredible!!

Lastly, let's talk about maybe the coolest aspect of birthdays. The cake!! Holy-moly is that some good stuff. I wasn't sure what to think when Daddy put the cake with one flaming candle in front of me and a whole chorus of people sang "Happy Birthday" to me. But once the candle was out and Daddy showed me that the cupcake was edible, bye-bye cupcake. I crushed it! Well, I wore most of it and enjoyed the sweetness of the icing on my fingers. Check out the video, it's some good stuff.

We had the meeting with my GI doc this week and received the greenlight for cow's milk. We are transitioning off of the Donor Milk and all seems to be going well. I also get to drink juice!! Not sure what to think of it just yet, but I am getting the hang of it.

Well, I am pooped after a looonnggg and crazy weekend. Must get my beauty sleep. Love to you all and thank you for all your support and prayers over the last year. Stay tuned for more blog entries. I am on the cusp of some pretty cool stuff. Who knows, I may be walking in a soon to come video.
Love you!! Keep on rockin'

Lily


3 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday Lily! You continue to inspire! You are an amazing girl! We hope you had an awesome day...it sure does look like it!

    Love,
    Sandy, Clyde, Jessica and Austin

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  2. Lily, I'm tired just reading about your birthday. Those cupcakes look good!

    Can Sean or someone tell my the brand of Lily's piano in the first picture? If you know what the toy is called, that would be even better. My niece turns 1 in a few weeks and I'd love to buy it for her. Thanks!

    Jenn

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  3. Happy Birthday beautiful Lily... you are doing so well. I just can't believe you are already a year old! Would love to see you sometime, please tell Daddy not to forget the Carr side of the family, there are an awful lot of us that love you and think of you and would love to see you sometime soon.

    Mary Lou and Chuck Keller

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