Goodtimes!

Hey Everybody!!! Where has August gone?! I can't believe how fast the summer has gone by. Daddy better get me to that pool he's been telling me about before it gets too cold. I guess with all the other cool stuff we have been doing it is kinda hard to find the time to go swimming. I might be the busiest little 7 month old in the Tri-State. So....I have some pretty cool updates since the last we chatted.

I had my first real physical therapy session with Mary and I totally impressed her with all my skills. She was blown away at how attentive I was and how well I could pass objects from one hand to the other. Some things that I get to start working on are reaching for my toes. So Mimi went out and bought these things that tie to my feet and make noises. So when I move my feet I hear the noise and then try to grab the animals strapped to my footsies. It's a pretty cool exercise and is supposed to help me develop muscles used in crawling. Well, you can bet I will be working on that a LOT because there is soo much I want to scoot around and see. Getting carried everywhere kinda gets old after awhile. Daddy better watch out because I can now do pushups and not too long after that comes rocking on my hands and knees and then we're moving!!

Last weekend rocked my socks off. You would not believe the weather. It was like 75 degrees with no humidity. Do you know what that means? Daddy and I spent like the ENTIRE weekend outside. We had a picnic Friday night and watched planes come in and out of the local airport. That was really cool because there were planes of all different types. There were big ones with very powerful engines and then there were itty bitty ones that just had a tiny engine. I really liked watching them take off and can't wait to ride in a plane myself. Daddy says it won't be too long (next Spring) and he is gonna take me on a plane to see Mimi Cameron and the rest of the family in Arkansas. We haven't planned the trip yet but I can NOT wait to ride in a real plane. So exciting!!! Then on Sunday, we went to a party for one of my friends, Lydia. Part of her family is Korean and in that culture they celebrate a baby's 100th day. Well, they really know how to throw a party. I think Daddy ate at least 3 of everything and I got to hang out with all of Lydia's aunts. They are some pretty sweet ladies, I tell you what!! Then after the party we drove clear across town to Mimi's house for dinner. Yes, Daddy ate again!! I think he might have a hollow leg or something where he stores all this food. And what amazes me the most, he doesn't spit up or birp or anything after he's done. Well....sometimes he lets out a little burp but nobody has to pat his back, it just comes natural I guess. Lucky guy. Anyway, back to Mimi's. So, while we were there I was looking at the pictures on the fridge and Daddy showed me one of my cousin, Haley, who lives in Florida. It turns out that we share something in common. You see, Haley's Daddy is in Heaven too and most probably having a great time with Mommy looking down on all of us. My Daddy was telling me that Haley's Daddy was a great man and that Haley is a spittin' image of him. Daddy said something about the apple not falling far from the tree but I have no idea what he was talking about. I think he meant that the all the things that made Meff (Haley's daddy) great got passed down to her just like many of the things that made my Mommy great got passed down to me. Anyway, Haley, if you are reading this, I can not wait to meet you the next time we take family vacation to Florida. I think we are gonna be good buddies. Keep on rockin'!

So, you know how I was eating that rice cereal stuff that really had no taste. Well, I graduated from that and am now on to Oatmeal. I LOVE oatmeal!! As you will see in the video below, I just can't get enough of the stuff. Just a little warning, Tucker goes crazy there at the end and scares the bejeezus out of me. Somebody knocked on the front door to drop off dinner for Daddy and Tuck went into protection mode. I don't think we have to worry about any unwelcomed guests coming around. When Daddy feeds me he sits me in this awesome chair called a "Bumbo". The thing rocks hardcore! Its molded just perfect for my little rumpus (butt) and has a tray that goes with it. I sit in it just like a big girl and get to look around. It too is supposed to help me develop special muscles.

Last but not least, this weekend is gonna be cuurrrraaazzzyy! We are having a picnic on Sunday for close friends who have been helping me and Daddy out. Some of my and Mommy's nurses are coming. All my babysitters are coming. Some of Mommy's coworkers I hope. And then the family. It's gonna be a rock solid good time. So, if you are coming, can't wait to see you. I am gonna go get some sleep and rest up

Love you tons!!!!

Lily

Rubba Dub Dub, Pass Me The Grub

Que pasa everybody!! It's been a while and you are probably wondering if Daddy and I fell off the face of the planet. The answer to that is "No" but we sure have been going all over this sweet city of ours. And this works out really well for me because the car is like my most favorite place to take a nap. Sometimes I fall asleep before we ever even get out of the driveway and people, we have a very short driveway. It's great!! So, we've got some catchin' up to do since we last blogged.

Last we chatted, we left you with the cliffhanger of what the Dr. would say I could eat, if anything. Well, the answer is......drumroll please........Rice Cereal. As you can see in the video, I wasn't quite sure what to think of the stuff at first. I mean, it tastes a little different from my milk even though it is mixed in with the cereal. Then there is the whole texture thing that I had to get used to. Kinda makes you smack your lips a bit. But after a week on the stuff, I am getting the hang of it. Sadly, I can't say the same about Daddy's delivery technique. He's trying but the stuff gets everywhere. I don't mind at all though. Just give me the grub and if I end up wearing some on my forehead, so be it. OK, so Daddy's aim isn't that bad but he's got some practicing to do. Which works good for me because I get to help!! Yay!! So the deal is that I eat the rice cereal for a few weeks to see how my belly does (so far so good) and then we will move to something with wheat in it (something about gluten allergies and starting wheat at a young age, I dunno). We do the wheat thing for a couple of weeks and then it's on to the real deal Holyfield....baby food!!! Oh man, I can not wait for that stuff. I hear it's sweet, yummy and makes kids grow big and strong. Not to mention, twice the mess!!!

I start my physical therapy on Thursday. I am really excited about it because I get to work with a really nice lady on getting strong and dooing all the things babies get to do. Basically, she comes and plays on the floor with me to see how I am progressing physically. Daddy says I am doing great and that he wouldn't be surprised one bit if I am crawling soon. You see, I now know how to roll over from back to front AND from front to back!!! This makes "belly time" much more tolerable because if I am on my tummy and don't want to be, I can fix it with a quick roll. Daddy says that I am getting much stronger and that it's awesome to see me develop. I am reaching for everything I see, bottles, wubbanubs, cell phones, you name it. But you better be careful putting me on my belly right after I eat because when I roll over...well, let's just say it isn't pretty.
This past weekend was one of firsts. I had my first sleepover away from home!!! Daddy went out with his buddies and dropped me off at Mimi and Papau's for the night. It was sooo much fun. We played, cuddled and watched Tucker and Lex wrestle eachother. Those dogs are NUTS!! Daddy was worried that I wouldn't sleep well in a new environment but I slept like a log and woke up around 7:30am. I love sleepovers and look forward to doing it again sometime.

Daddy picked me up on Sunday and we went home and laid around the house all day. It was super hot outside and Daddy said some days are best spent "veggin out". We had a great time and left around 4 to go to our family dinner at Uncle Ben and Angela's new condo. They have a great place. Only one problem....their dog, Lady, is not very lady like and kept stealing my toys. They got all slobbery and when Grandma would hide them in my diaper bag, Lady would wait until no one was watching and swipe a few toys out of the bag. Silly dog!! We had a great time at the dinner and headed home very tired. We went to bed right when we got home and slept all night. It was great!!

So I have to give a HUGE shoutout to Mommy's childhood babysitter, Mary. When Daddy and I came home on Sunday, we saw that we had a care package that must have come Saturday after Daddy and I had left for the day. This was the best gift I have ever been given. Inside, there was this great photo album of Mommy as a little girl and all the adventures she and Uncle Cam went on with Mary. She even inserted all these sweet notes about Mommy. I love it soo much. Actually, I am not too sure who likes it more, me or Daddy. And if that weren't enough, Mary sent me a book with me as the main character. That's right!! She had a personalized book made for me. That's incredible!! So, Mary, thank you soo much for everything. For loving my Mommy and for loving me. Daddy and I really hope to meet you sometime. Poppy says you were like the sweetest person ever. I believe it!

Well, I need to get to bed. It's late and you don't get this cute without getting your beauty sleep. I hope to hear from you all soon and maybe see you around. Stay tuned!
Much Love,
Lily

Cheerleading is Tough Work

Hello out there!! Just wanted to chime in and see how things are goin'! Daddy and I have been having a great time over the past week. You probably won't be surprised one bit to hear that we have been keeping ourselves super busy. There is soo much to report that I don't know where to start. So, we'll just go in the order of the events because I think that will be the easiest. So buckle up, here we go!!

Saturday was packed from beginning to end with activity. In the morning, some of Daddy and Mommy's friends (Steve and Liz) came over to meet me. They live out of town and were just in for the weekend. They came bearing gifts -not a prerequisite for visiting me- and I totally LOVE them. They brought me soft stacking blocks and a book titled "My Daddy and I". Daddy has already read the book to me a few times. It's really fun and talks about all the adventures daddies go on with their kids. This is sooo gonna be Daddy and me. You can count on that!
After Steve and Liz left, Daddy and I took Tucker to the park where we had a play date with Avery and Melanie. They were a couple of my nurses at the Good Sam NICU and have kept in touch with Daddy. We had an awesome time visiting even though Tucker was a big whiner because he was tethered to the table and couldn't go play with the walker-bys. It started to look like rain and Daddy and I had to get going because he had to pick up his race packet for Saturday. We'll get to that in a bit. It rained like crazy all afternoon but cleared up just in time for Daddy and I to go over to some friend's house for dinner. After such a full day, I was pooped and ready for bed so Daddy took me home.

Daddy woke up at the crack of dawn Sunday because he had a triathlon that he was doing at a nearby state park. Luckily Mimi came over and stayed the night Saturday so I didn't have to get up with Daddy but it started at 8am so we still had to get up pretty early to get there in time. My goodness, these triathlons are crazy!! There are all kinds of people there and they all are wearing spandex. Who knew that spandex could come in so many colors?! Well, we got there a bit late and missed Daddy's swim portion but he must have done well because as we walked in there were people sprinting up the hill on their bikes. Daddy was among the first few to pass us and he gave us a big "thumbs-up". Daddy says that I make the best cheerleader ever and that he thought of me the entire race. The quicker he finished, the quicker he got to give me a hug and kiss. Well, I guess you can say that I am a pretty good motivator and that Daddy didn't do too bad. He finished 4th in his division and even timed well enough to place 4th amongst the "elite" men. Woohoo Daddy!! I can't wait to see how well you do on your next race. The rest of the day Sunday was kinda lazy. I was tired from just watching all the action and cheering for Daddy! Daddy and I relaxed around the house and had a friend over to hang out. It was soo nice.
OK, fast forward to Wednesday night. It was Gramma's birthday and Poppy arranged for the family to have dinner at this restaurant by our house. Since Poppy had me all day and Daddy had to work late, I just went home with Poppy and then to the restaurant with he and Gramma. We had a great time at dinner. My Gramma is soo great and I think she had a great birthday. She deserves it, totally!!

Tomorrow (Friday) is a HUGE day. I have my GI appointment and my tummy doctor is gonna tell me what kind of food I get to start eating. I can NOT wait. I wonder what food tastes like. Does it taste as good as the "juice"? Does it taste better? Well, all I can say is that I am super-duper excited. I bet once I start chowing down on that stuff that I am gonna grow even faster. Watch out Daddy!! This is gonna be grrreeat!

I am SOOOOOOOOO excited for this weekend!!! My Mimi Cameron is coming to town and I am gonna get to spend a whole bunch of time with her. I haven't seen her in soo long and I mis her soo much. Daddy says she'll probably fall over when she sees how I have grown. Well, I just look forward to chattin with her and listening to her sing and hearing stories about my Mommy when she was a little baby.

Well, I gotta get going. I need to stock up on the rest if I am gonna be partyin all weekend. Keep on rockin'!! We will!

Love you all,
Lily

Big Girl Stuff

Hey everybody!!! Is this weather crazy or what? I don't know about where you live, but here in Cincinnati, it's been great because we haven't had too much super hot and muggy weather. Daddy says that this isn't usually the case but that it works out great for us because we go outside all the time. I am particularly fond of our walks with Tucker through our neighborhood. My favorite is when Daddy puts me in the Baby Bjorn (it's like a backpack that goes in the front, I guess you could call it a front pack). Anyway, this thing is FANTASTIC because I am now big enough to face forward and its like I am flying down the street. I love being able to see everything that there is to see and say "Hi" to all the nice people we pass. It's really funny when Tuck has a BM. I know, you are like "What's a BM?" Well, it's a nice way of saying when he drops a stinky. Anyway, Daddy has to pick it up but it is a little more difficult to do when we are using the Bjorn because he doesn't want to get me near it. So, Daddy has figured out a way to stay as far away from the nastiness as possible, pick it up and tie the nasty bag to Tuck's leash so that neither he nor Tuck have to smell or carry it. Daddy has got some skills!!

So this past week has been super cool. Not only have Daddy and I been having a blast together but I finally got to go hang with Alison and Gwyn again. They were on vacation the last couple of weeks and I missed them sooo very much. Gwyn gives me the sweetest kisses ever and Alison just rocks my socks off. I think Mommy would be super happy and thankful for the relationship I am developing with her best friend. Gwyn and I have a blast together. We are totally BFF(s). That's Best Friends Forever for all you laypers. I look forward to seeing them again next week and going on adventures together.

This week also saw Daddy, Mimi and I go to Doctor Fix's office for my 6 month old checkup. Daddy about fell out of his chair when the nurse told us I weigh 13lbs and am 2 feet tall. When I was a new baby, I was way below the growth curve but now I am right at it. They are super-duper pleased with my development and have even given us the green light for me to start practicing taking my drinks from a sippy cup. Can you believe it?!?! This is some seriously big girl news. Right now we are just drinking purified baby water but once I get my practice in (see video below) I will be able to have milk from it. I also get to start eating soon but Dr. Fix wants my GI doc to make the decision on what kind of food I should eat first. So, next Friday we meet with him and I plan on eating real food by next weekend. I can not wait. I hear eating is all kinds of messy and a ton of fun. Stay tuned for some great pics and videos.

Sunday was the picnic for Poppy's law firm. My goodness does he work with some really great people. One lady told us that she has all kinds of clothes for me. I don't think Daddy is gonna have to buy me gear anytime soon. So awesome. This was quite the picnic. There were people of all ages there. There were people throwing frisbee and there was also a softball game going on. Everybody had a blast!! I look forward to next year's get together when I can run all over the place. Not to mention, you would not believe all the food. I think Daddy ate more than his fair share of dessert. He said that all that sugar helps to make him sweet. I am not sure about that. I think he just has a sweettooth. How about you?

I can't wait for the weekend. I am gonna spend a ton of time with Daddy and I also have a couple of play dates. Saturday AM I get to go hang with some of my NICU nurses. It's gonna be awesome. And then Daddy has a Triathlon on Sunday. I hope he does well.

OK, off to get my beauty sleep. I hope that your week is going stupindous!

Love you TONS,

Lily

Puppy Dog Eyes

Well, in case you all wondered how I have Daddy wrapped around my itsy-bitsy finger, check out my puppy eyes. One flash of these baby blues and Daddy melts like butter. It's great!! I am sure we'll be keeping that in mind as I grow up and find things that I want to do and Daddy says "no". I hope my puppy eyes will help my cause but am sure Daddy will develop a little resistance.
So the video was a big hit!! We will be sure to post more of those as we take them. Problem is, Mimi can't figure out Daddy's camera. Not to worry, Daddy has worked with her a little bit so that she can figure it out. Pretty soon we should have some good vids. Let's just hope Mimi remembers the lesson.
The doctor appointment with my neonatologist went great last week. Dr. Haberman couldn't believe how big I have gotten since the last time we saw eachother. I weighed in at 12lbs 6oz and am doing great developmentally. The doc says I need to really focus on bellytime and reaching out for things. This is supposed to help me learn to crawl. Crawl?! That's crazy! I am gonna get to work on that because being able to scoot about the house on my own sounds like a blast. Oh!! Dr. Haberman also said that I can start eating either rice cereal or baby food really soon. Like in the next couple of weeks, soon. That's awesome!! Watch out Daddy, I hear that when I get to eat that stuff that my "product" takes on a whole new form. The baby food is gonna be delish!!
This past weekend, Daddy went to the wedding of one of Mommy's good childhood friends so I got to spend the day with Aunt Juli. Guess what we did! We went to the "tall people reunion"!! Well, Poppy calls it the Tall People Reunion partly because his side of the family is not as vertically blessed as Gramma's. Holy Moly!! I met a ton of new people and we all had a blast. There were contests and games. The weather was spectacular! And by the end of the day I was pooped. I slept so well that night when I got home with Daddy.
All-in-all, things are going really good for me and Daddy. We continue to take Tuck to the dog park on the weekends. We have date night every Friday. We also work on my skills a bunch. Daddy continues to read me all kinds of books. I love storytime soo much and Daddy is getting soo much better at making funny voices for the different characters.
Hey Conner!! You asked me a while back if I have some of those jumpy things to play in. The answer is no I don't. Not because I wouldn't love to bounce and scoot around but because the docs say that they really aren't good for babies like me who were born really early. So, Daddy isn't taking any chances and said I can't have one. Not even my puppy eyes would work on this one.
Well, I am off to get my beauty sleep. You all are incredible and Daddy and I love you soo much. Keep on rockin and we'll keep on bloggin.
Love Always,
Lily

The Gift of Gab

Hey friends!! How do you like the video?! Daddy says that I am quite the talker and that he's never been more happy to wake up as when he hears me talking through the monitor. He calls it the "Gift of Gab" and says that Mommy was very gifted. You see, when I wake up in the morning I typically don't make much of a fuss, I just lay there and look at my mobile. Sometimes I just sing some songs or talk to the animals hanging from my mobile and I guess this is what wakes Daddy up. I get soo excited when I see him come in my room and I flash him my gigantic smile. He loves it!!

Since the last time we blogged, I have had some pretty cool stuff happen. Like yesterday (Monday) I was hanging out with Poppy and doing my tummy time when all of a sudden instead of looking at the floor I was on my back looking at the ceiling. Yup, that's right! I rolled over and even better, I have an eyewitness in Poppy. I thought it was soo cool that I decided to do it once more. Poppy was soo excited that he called Daddy at work to tell him the news. Daddy was really happy about the rolls but later that night when he asked me to do it again, I just wasn;t in the mood. I mean, you don't want to cheapen the moment by doing it upon request. Besides, I am not a dog for crying out loud (no offense Tuck). I am sure I will do it again soon and Daddy will be around to see it.

This past weekend Daddy and I both had colds. Daddy got it worse than me but still, these things are no fun. I mean, this slimy gunk is all up in my nose making it hard to breathe. The doctors gave me nasal drips and Daddy used the "boogie sucker" to make things better. It didn't take long for me to shake the cold and am feeling all better now. The humidifier sure helped. It's really cool and is shaped like a frog. Too cute.

This week has been a little different than most weeks because Mimi is on vacation in Florida and Aunt Alison is working at a reading clinic for kids. That means that I get some different folks that watch me. Like today, Jenni watched me. Jenni is Daddy's best-friend MJ's little sister. She really isn't little anymore but Daddy says once you're a little sister, you are always a little sister. Anyway, Jenni and I had a great time today and she is watching me tomorrow too. Can't wait!! Thursday I get to hang with Aunt Katie for half the day and then Daddy is coming home to take me to the Dr.'s. This appointment is my follow-up at Children's with the neonatology group. I can't wait to see Dr. Haberman. She's soo nice and is gonna just go crazy when she sees how big I have gotten. I am over 12lbs 4 oz if you can believe it.

Well, I am gonna go get my beauty sleep so that Jenni and I can play a lot tomorrow. I hope everyone is doing well. Mimi/Alison, I miss you guys tons!!! Hope you are having a great week. Please give Gwyn a hug and kiss for me, will you Alison? OK, sleepy time.

Love you all!! Keep on Rockin',

Lily

Ka'Boom

Hey friends!!! Boy do Daddy and I run around a lot in the summer. I was just looking at the last time we posted stuff and can't believe it's been soo long. Time sure does fly when you're having a blast with your daddy. All the running around makes a little girl very tired (see pic above) and pretty soon she forgets to touch base with her buddies. Sorry about that. On the plus side, I have plenty of stuff to share with you. So, without further ado....

You know how those ladies came over to the house from the "Help Me Grow" program? Well, they finally got around to writing up their report/assessment and met with Daddy today at his office. So, the bottom line is.....I rock! Daddy wasn't the least bit surprised but was still really happy to hear the good news. Basically, I am ahead of where they would expect me in the area of cognitive ability. Meaning, I am really responsive to noises (especially Daddy's voice), I interact well with people, I am super aware of my surroundings, and I can focus in on objects really good. Oh yea, and I am talking like crazy!! You grown ups call it "cooing" but to us babies, we're telling you all kinds of great stories about our day. You need to learn the lingo. The only area that they think that I need work on is my motor skills. We expected this to be the case and so the next step is scheduling for the therapists to come out to the house and help me "workout". I can't wait!! These sessions are going to help me a ton and before you know it, I'll be crawling all over the place. I think Daddy just fainted. Heehee....

This past weekend was so cool!! Daddy got off work early on Thursday and was off all day Friday!! You know what that means; we got to spend all kinds of quality time together. We went and met with Uncle Cam for coffee for a few hours. That was awesome! Then we just went home and hung out for a while. Aunt Cyndi and Uncle Grady came over and hung out in the afternoon while Daddy went out for a quick bike ride. And then to top off the day, Daddy took me to this restaurant where some of the Carr side of the family were eating. You see, we don't see that side of the family that often and one of Daddy's cousins was in town from Phoenix and wanted to visit. The only time we had available all weekend was dinner Friday night. Gosh, that restaurant was loud and cold. I was not a fan. I mean, it may be warm outside but geez, even Daddy was cold. Anyway, I am not complaining. I loved meeting that side of the family and am sure I will see them in the future.

Saturday was the 4th of July and Daddy had a swim meet nearby. He did really good against the competition but said he wished there were some better swimmers there that could have challenged him a bit more. But since it was a holiday, there weren't too many participants. The best part of the meet was the 92 year old man who was swimming. Don't get me wrong, watching him swim was a bit like watching grass grow but Daddy says he has probably lived as long as he has due to the healthy decisions he has made. If that's true, Daddy and me plan on being just as active so that we have long lives together. Pretty cool stuff.

Grandma and Poppy came and picked me up at the meet to take me to a 4th of July parade. HOLY MOLY!! This parade was like nothing I have ever seen. There was people everywhere. All dressed in red, white and blue. Some old guys in the parade were wearing really goofy hats. There were sirens and bells going off everywhere. A bunch of patriotic music being played. Candy being thrown to the kids on the sidewalks. Well, this is what Daddy tells me happened. I was asleep through the entire thing. Can you blame me? Daddy put me in the Baby Bjorn and once I nestle down in his chest, goodnight. I even slept through the guy who was dressed up as Gen. Patton and was firing blanks from a really loud machine gun on top of a Jeep. Daddy says he still doesn't know how I slept through that but was awoken by the car horn of a Ford Model-T. Well, I couldn't tell you but it was a great nap!

After the parade, Daddy took me to Mimi and Papau's house to hang. They watched me while Daddy went to a concert with Uncle Ian and some friends. Apparently, they had a great time and even found some place where they could ride a mechanical bull. I have no idea what a mechanical bull is but Daddy said that he, Uncle Ian and Maddie had a great time trying to ride it. None of them have any hope of making the mechanical rodeo circuit anytime soon but they have a great story to tell. They're crazy!

Sunday was just like the rest of the weekend. We spent it running around all of God's creation. After church, Daddy came home to get me and we went to my friend Keira's 1st birthday party. It was a lot of fun and I can't wait for my birthday! You get to smear stuff like cupcakes all over your face and people sing a funny song to you. Only 6 more months to go till I am 1. Crazy!! Daddy keeps telling me to slow down because he doesn't want to miss a thing but I can't help it. It's not like I can just stop time and besides, getting big is really cool and exciting. Everyday it's like I learn something new. And the more I grow, the more I get to eat. And we all know how much I love eating. The only problem, I don't like to stop and sometimes I throw tantrums when Daddy takes my bottle. Daddy just laughs, but I got him good this past week. Daddy pulled away my bottle and I was all kinds of mad when he was burping me. And as Daddy was laughing I decided to spit up.....right in his face. Haha!! You should have seen the look on his face. It was part shock, part eeewww, and part relief that I missed his mouth by less the a half inch. I'll get you next time, Dad.

Well, that's what is new in the world of Lily and Daddy. We just continue to have a great time with eachother and are loving the summer months. For those who are wondering how big I am, we'll find out for sure Thursday but Daddy guesses I am around 12 lbs and 23 inches long. But we'll see and will keep you posted. Keep on rockin'. We love you all more than words can say.

Love,

Lily