MERRY CHRISTMAS

Hey Folks!!! I know, I know...you all are asking "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, YOUNG LADY?!?!?!" Well, our lack of posting isn't for lack of wanting to. You see, Daddy and I have been swapping illnesses over the last couple of weeks and haven't had much energy to do anything. It seems that when I am not feeling well, no matter the ailment, I always get a case of the "Hold-Me-Fever". Do yo ever get that? It never fails, if I am feeling a bit down all I want is to cuddle and there is NO putting me down. If you do make the mistake of putting me down, I will let the whole world know my disapproval until you pick me up again. After all, a little bit of lovin' is the best medicine in the world. So, if you want to know what I have been doing the last couple of weeks, I've been doing a WHOLE lot of cuddlin. Daddy and I have even gotten in a few good naps together. I want to tell ya, there is no place better to take a nap than on Daddy's chest!!! It's the best!! One more thing that added to our posting delay is the fact that our internet at the house has been giving Daddy the fits. Apparently, something is wrong with the router and it boots us off the internet like every 10 minutes. It totally stinks and is really frustrating!! Daddy says we will be switching providers soon so hopefully the problems will resolve then. So, sorry for the delay

Anyhow, Christmas season seems to be zoomin right past us at an alarming rate. I met a new friend a couple weeks ago. He's a jolly old fella and smells of candy canes. That's right!!! I met Santa Claus!!! The one and only, Santa Claus!!! Daddy was worried that I would not like him because I have this weird thing about beards. They give me the heeby jeebies and I just don't like them. In fact, my Uncle John has a big beard and I would cry like crazy if he came within 3 feet of me. I have since warmed up to him a bit. I am not sure I want to go snuggling with him just yet, but at least I don't yell for security when I am next to him. Daddy tells me that when I get a little older, Uncle John is gonna be one of my favorites because he is soo goofy. I hope so!!

OK, back to my encounter with greatness. So the Ft. Mitchell Country Club was having a holiday breakfast and they thought they would send an invite to Santa at the North Pole to see if he wanted to join us. And he obliged!!! We got to the club, had a fantastic breakfast and then they had a magic show for the kids....and, to be honest, some of the adults too. We even ran into Mommy's OB. You know, the lady who took care of Mommy this time last year when I was still in her belly. It was soo great to see Dr. Coppage. And then it was time for the main event. You would not believe the line and the excitement amongst the kids. These kids came ready to unload their list of desires on this poor fella. Daddy and I decided to hang back and let the crazies go first. And then it happened. My turn came up and Daddy plopped me down into the lap of a complete stranger. Can you believe that?!?! Just handed me over to some plumpy old guy with a really white beard knowing that I am terrified of men with beards. But check out the pics! I did great. I took right to Santa and Daddy took the opportunity to get a few shots. Santa asked me what I wanted for Christmas but I guess I was so awwstruck by his greatness that I didn't have anything to say. Well, I am not too worried about it. I have a loving family, a doting Daddy and good health. Who could ask for more? I just want to have a great Christmas spending time with family.

Do you want to know my latest and greatest skills? As you know, I can climb up on furniture and now I can shake my head "No" when Daddy tells me to get down. Daddy thinks it's funny because I shake my head at even the things I want. Like, "Lily, do you want something to eat?" I shake my head even though the answer is "Duhhhh!!! Of corse I want something to eat." He plays hard to get at first, not giving me my snack, but he always gives in. Check ot the video, I do a little head shakin in it. Other skills include my new found love for making raspberries. Not the fruit, but the sound you can make by pursing your lips together and blowing air through them. I love how it makes my lips vibrate and how I can make spit bubbles. Daddy and I have raspberry making contests that are tons of fun. He is pretty good at it bt doesn't generate half the spit that I do. He needs some practice and tells me that I sound like a beebopper when I do it. Yo DJ!! Can I get a beat? ;-) Oh yea, that reminds me. I also enjoy singing along with the radio. Music is great and a TON of fun. I am hoping that my singing voice is as good as my mommy's. So does my Dad. He says he sure hopes I don't sound like him. Haha, for everybody's sake.

Other than that, not much is new over here. I continue to do awesome and I really amaze my docs and therapists. A few more weeks on the boob juice and I am switching over to whole milk from cows. Let's pray for a smooth transition. Well, we wish you all the merriest of Christmas holidays and for all our jewish friends, we hope you had a great Hankkah!!

Love you all TONS,

Lily

Gobble Gobble

Hello Everybody!! I hope you all had an AWESOME Thanksgiving and are enjoying the start of the Christmas season. Things here are going stupendous!!! Since Daddy has to use his vacation time at work before the end of the year or else he loses it, we have been spending a whole bunch of time together. He has been taking a day here and a day there. Just this week, Daddy took off Tuesday-Friday. Good golly Miss Molly have we had a good time. We've run all over town doing errands and visiting friends.
So, I think Thanksgiving is the greatest day EVER!! We spent the whole day with family and friends discussing all the great things for which we are thankful. We have fantastic family, wonderful friends and a God who, with my Mommy, seems to be smiling down on us. I loved the whole day and even got to eat mashed potatoes. Now that is some goooood stuff! I ate a few spoonfuls and loved it. And Daddy had a LOT more than just a few spoonfuls, he said he ate soo much his belly ached. He thought that just because he ran in the Turkey Day race that his belly would have extra room. Apparently, that was not the case. He didn't have any room for dessert! One thing Daddy and I had in common was that when we got home, it was lights out. We were super-pooped!
Another thing I love about the holidays.....visitors!! Mommy and Daddy's friend Kelli was in town this weekend and we got to hang out on Friday. It was sooo great to see her and she kept saying how great I look and how much I have grown since we last visited. She was loving my new skills. You see, I am now waving and giving high fives. Check the video out! Kelli and I had soo much fn Friday night that she came back on Saturday to hang out while Daddy went for a swim. We had the greatest time together.
And to top the weekend off, Daddy took me today to visit with one of our most favorite NICU nurses, Brooke. It's been a real long time since we saw her and I was sooo stoked to be able to spend an afternoon lovin on and being loved by her. She was the greatest nurse whole wide world and now lives near the mountains so we only get to see her when she is in town. It was soo nice to catch up and she just about fainted when she saw how big I have gotten. We had the greatest time together. Can't wait to see her again!
Other happenings here at the ranch include Daddy going into high-gear baby proofing. He's replace the power outlets with babyproof ones. He's put rubber cushions around the fireplace. We no longer have a coffee table. Tuckers toys are always just out of reach. The living room is my playground and I have the entire area to roam. So cool! Also, as I mentioned above, my newest skills include waving "Hello" and "Bye", giving high-fives to Daddy and friends, and I am also learning to say my "rahs". Sometimes I say "Dadda", sometimes I say "Gagah" and other times I sing "Rahrahrah". Mimi is pushing hard for the next thing I say to be "Mimi" but those 'mmmm' sounds are tough.
The doctors are all soo very happy with my progress. So much so that I only have one more month on the donor "boob-juice" and then I will be moving to whole milk. The physical therapist thinks I will be walking really soon; perhaps even before my first birthday. I am really excited about that. Daddy was saying the other day that he is excited to see it and that he might laugh because he just can't picture such a small baby walking around. Just wait, I'll show 'em!!
Well, I hope you all are doing great and recovering from all that Turkey and treats. Stay tuned, the next blog may have me walking.
Love you all,
Lily

And we're climbing!!

Happy Fall everybody!!! These leaves and the brisk mornings are something else. Daddy has to bundle me all up before we leave the house and it's been a learning experience for both of us trying to figure out what I can where that won't make me overheat when we are in the car. We haven't mastered it yet bt we are getting there. He tells me that even though I think it is cold now, that even colder weather is yet to come. Daddy also said that the cold can bring snow and that snow is SUPER fun to play in. I can't wait!! We'll be making snow angels together before you know it! But for now I am just gonna enjoy rolling in the leaves and listening to them crackle and crunch under my weight.

Things with Daddy and I are going well and he tells me that I need not be in such a hurry to grow up because he is trying to soak it all in and not miss a thing. But I am a girl on the move, you know. There is soo much I want to see and explore around the house. I am getting a hang of this crawling thing and now I can even pull myself up on things. I like to pull myself up on the couch and stand next to it. Tucker is a lot of fun to crawl all over too and he doesn't even mind that sometimes I use him as my standing support. He has been great with me and Daddy could not be more proud of how he watches out for me. Only one problem, he doesn't like to share his toys!! As you will see in the video, he has these plastic bottles that he loves to play with but he hates to share. But I love bottles too and wouldn't mind playing with one every once in a while. But he won't let me play with his toys so I guess I will just have to get my own bottle.

There really isn't too much to report beyond my getting much faster at crawling and the teeth that keep growing inside my mouth. Daddy says that some baby's are just the biggest whiners when new teeth come in and that he is sooo happy that I haven't fussed much at all. That's because I am a tough chick. Daddy also said that some babies drool like Pavlovian dogs when they are getting new teeth but again, I am not most babies and haven't had any problems with spit drenched clothing. I just try to stick anything and everything in my mouth; that's all.

We are really looking forward to this weekend. It's Mimi's and Uncle Ian's birthdays so we get to go celebrate with them. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Mimi and Ian!!! It's gonna be a blast! Other than that we have a super relaxing weekend ahead of us. We hope yours is equally as relaxing.

Well, since we don't have much to report, have a great weekend and stay tuned for more video and commentary!!

Love you all,

Lily

Happy Halloween everybody!!! This season is soo much fun and Daddy and I have been having a blast!! There are soo many things to see and do. Many of our neighbors have decorated their houses with all sorts of cool and spooky things like ghosts and skeletons and witches and stuff!! And what's better is all the cool pumpkins that are on people's porches. There are big ones, small ones, round ones and tall ones. They come in all shapes and sizes and Daddy tells me that people actually decorate them for Halloween. They carve all kinds of interesting things into them and the kids get to pull all of the icky slimy insides out. I am told that I can do that next year but for now Daddy and I just have two pumpkins on the bench outside. One big one for Daddy and one small one for me.

So in honor of our love of the season and my new found holiday, I have chosen to be a pumpkin for Halloween. It's pretty fitting really. I mean, just think about it. Pumpkins are kinda short and I wasn't exactly handed the tall gene. The good pumpkins are kind of plump and Daddy keeps telling me how really excited Mommy would be because she always wanted a chunky baby and I seem to be aiming to please. While I definitely am not the chubbiest baby in the world, I am not missing any meals. Ask anyone who tries to take my bottle to burp me (not a pretty site). And to top it all off, Daddy even calls me his little pumpkin. We took some pre-Halloween photos to share with you. Daddy isn't dressed up but he told me that if I wanted him to that he would go as a farmer. I think it's a pretty good idea. Don't you?

I am sure you all have been wondering how we have been doing and what new tricks I have up my sleeve. Since the last post, I have been working non-stop on figuring out how to get to where I want to go with out having to barrel roll. And I finally did it!! Check out the video that we've attached. I can finally crawl!! It's the coolest thing EVER!! Daddy says that the gates are getting put up, the bumper pads have been attached to the corners of the fireplace, coffee table has been moved out and now the TV/Living room is my territory to explore. I am not super fast at it yet but I think I am getting faster everyday. I can even support my own weight and stand up if I have something to hold onto. It's crazy how you can develop new skills in such a short time. Daddy tells me that he loves to watch me because I am not afraid of trying new things and even when I fall down, I don't get discouraged and keep trying until I get it. He says that a lot of people could take a lesson from that.

Oh, how could I forget?! Something came for me over the last couple of weeks. Can you guess what it is?......TEETH!!! That's right, I, Lily Ann Carr, have my first set of teeth that have come through. They are still small and kinda hard to see unless you move my bottom lip down, but they are there. My first teeth are the two on in the very front of my bottom set. Daddy calls them my "chompers" and that he knew something was up because everything I pick up goes right into my mouth. Hey, cutting teeth is no fun and if trying to eat the remote control makes it feel better, that is what I intend to do. Luckily, Daddy keeps a close watch on me and as soon as I make a move to chew on something I shouldn't, he is quick to replace it with either a teething toy or a wubbanub. I can't wait to see what teeth come next!!

Tonight (Wednesday) was a big night for Daddy. He has been harping on me for weeks to just call him "Dadda" but I just wasn't ready to give him the satisfaction. But one thing I admire about Daddy is that he doesn't know how to quit. So I finally relented and let it out. That's right, I said "Dadda". Well, actually I kept saying "Dadda". As it turns out, it is a very fun word to say so I just kept saying it all night. You should have seen the smile on Daddy's face. You would have thought he won the lottery. So, now that I can say Dadda I need to think of what my next word might be. Hmmm....I'll keep you posted.

Well, that's really all that's going on here at Casa de Carr. We are loving the fall weather and the trees in the back yard are ablaze. The colors are spectacular. Bright yellows, oranges and reds like I have never seen. Daddy says the leaves aren't nearly as pretty when they are in the back yard and need to be raked. But lucky for Daddy, we have the most incredible neighbors in the world who pitch in and do the yard work. They are soo awesome that Daddy can't even put it into words how much he appreciates it. We are soo lucky.

I hope all is well with you rock stars!! Have a great weekend and a fantastic Halloween!!!

Love you tons,

Lily

Hello friends!! It's been a crazy exciting time in Cincinnati lately. The weather is changing fast and the leaves on the trees are all changing into bright and beautiful colors. I like green leaves but I LOVE the bright orange and yellow ones that we can see out of our sliding glass door. There are only a few now but Daddy tells me that in another few days/weeks, it will be so bright and beautiful looking out our backdoor that it will look like the woods in our backyard are on fire! But the leaves aren't the only things changing here in the Queen City. It seems that the luck for the Bengals is changing too. Who Dey!!! They have started off the season 4-1, actually look pretty tough and are in first place in their division. Daddy says its been a real long time since they were in this kind of a position. I don't really follow the sport all that close, but I have a super-duper cute Ben-Gals Cheerleader outfit!! I think I might just be the good luck those boys have been missing. I also think I love the color orange. Since my entire wardrobe consists of light pink, bright pink, dark pink and any other variation of pink you could think of, it's kinda nice to mix things up a bit. Besides, orange is a great fall color and goes great with the crazy sweet Baby Uggs my Aunt Cyndi got me! I think I am gonna get Daddy to go out and score me some new outfits and diversify my gear a bit.
Speaking of orange things. I've begun eating carrots and they are sooo much better than that silly squash stuff. I am sure you'll enjoy the video attached to this blog. Daddy and I were having a good ol' time with our first carrot experience. Daddy took his eye off the bowl for one split second and WHAMM!! I tip it over and managed to spill some of the carrot puree on my table top. That stff is sooo much fun to smear around!! You can make all sorts of cool designs with it. It even turns your shirt sleeves interesting colors. Daddy learned quick that he has to guard the bowl or else I am going to make a play for it. It's pretty fun keeping him on his toes and between you and me, I think he is really enjoying it too. Even if he does have to do all the clean-up.
Other exciting news in Casa de la Carr is that I am about as close as a little girl can get to crawling without actually being able to crawl. What I mean is that I can support all my weight on my hands and knees, I can rock back and forth like I am revving up to fly off to some distant land and I can even use my legs to move me forward. Trouble is figuring out what to do with my arms. I do all the things I listed above and then the next thing I know I am faceplanting the floor. It doesn't hurt and I don't get too discouraged but I am really working hard on figuring this thing our because I want to explore and chase Tucker around!! Stay tuned because the next post may have video with me motoring about.
Speaking of Tuck, he is really starting to warm up to me and has become a good playmate. He likes to lay on the floor with me when I am rolling around and loves it when I roll up against him. I love his soft hair and the way his floppy ears fold up in my hands. Sometimes he rolls over on his back for me and Daddy to rub his belly. Boy, he sure does love it when you scratch his belly but he really doesn't like when you grab at things; you know, boy things. Ooops.... Daddy is usually right there so Tucker is never in too much danger. Besides, Tucker is an understanding boy and just gets up and walks away whenever I get too close or he feels he needs his space.
This past week has been a little different because Daddy was a little under the weather. He went to the Dr. and they gave him some meds which are working but for a couple days there, he was pretty tired. He says he is soo thankful for family because they have been soo helpful. For instance, since Daddy stayed home from work on Wednesday, I went to Alison's for the day and then Mimi picked me up to take me home. She stayed the night and then in the morning we went over to her house where I spent the day and night so that Daddy could get some much needed rest. And boy did it work, Daddy was like a new person on Friday. Maybe a little rest is all he needed.
To close out the week, my cousin Connor had his first birthday party and boy was it a good time. I got to see my cousins, my Uncle Cam and Aunt Jess, Poppy and my Mimi Cameron is in town too!!! It's been sometime since we last saw her and she was blown away at how much I have grown. I have soo many more skills now than I did when she was last here and I have a lot more hair too! Mimi C is in town for a few more days and we plan on hanging out a bit more before she hops back on a plane to go home to Arkansas. I can't wait (to spend time with her, not for her to go home).
I hope you all are doing spectacular!! I find out my weight and size this week when I go back to the doctors so I will keep you posted. I hope you enjoy the video and pics. Gwyn and I make really good BFFs (Best Friends Forever) and she is always soo nice to me. What a great friend to have!! Well, a girl has got to get her beauty sleep and rest. I have got a fun filled day with Poppy planned for tomorrow (Monday).

Lotsa Love,Lily

Lily Takes On the 'Windy City'

Hey everybody!! Word on the street is that my audience has been clammering for a new entry and, if at all possible, some video. Well, I aim to please so I thought I might give you both. The video is a little short but it does showcase one of my newer moves. Daddy calls it the "downward dog" because it looks just like Tucker when he stretches. That and there is a yoga move that closely resembles what I can do. Also on the video you can check me rolling around. Rolling has become my new favorite form of transportation and I have gotten quite good at it. In fact, put me down on one end of the room, walk away for two seconds and I will no longer be where you left me. Daddy is learning quick about all the things he needs to move or, more importantly, remove from the areas I will be roaming. He calls it Lily-proofing the house and says it is important because he doesn't want me to get hurt just because he forgot to put something away. Anyway, here's some video and I promise to post more as I start to do more fun things.

If you are reading this blog, you probably read the title and thought to yourself "Windy City? Hey! Lily went to Chicago!?!" That's right! Daddy has been wanting so badly to take me up to Chicago to visit some of his and Mommy's close friends but a busy summer schedule kept us from leaving Cincinnati. Well, an open weekend finally popped up and Daddy jumped all over it. He booked us a sssweeeetttt hotel room that overlooked the Chicago River and invited Mimi and Papaw to come with us. We had a little delay getting out of town but once we were on the road......I was out for the count. Seriously, I slept pretty much from door to door and only woke up as we were driving into the city. And what a crazy city it is!! First off, you would have thought Daddy had accidentally driven into the middle of a NASCAR race with the way that the people drive in that town. In fact, Mimi and Papaw were so flustered by the craziness that they opted to bury their faces in their books until Daddy got off the highway. But Daddy did great behind the wheel and we got to the hotel in good time and a nice gentleman even parked our car for us. Talk about service. Then we went to our room, got settled in and Daddy let all his and Mommy's friends know that we were in.

Luckily, Mommy's friends Kelli and Erin work right by where we were staying so they cut out of work and came right over. They even brought me a stuffed froggy as a present. I totally love my froggy and he is now snuggled up with Ribbit (Mommy's stuffed frog) in my crib. We hung out in the hotel room for a few hours playing and catching up. I got so excited I accidently spit-up on my outfit and required a changing. When Mimi changed me, she put some pants on me that were so big that they fell down to my ankles when Daddy picked me up. Daddy said that's how they wear their pants on the Southside of Chicago and that it isn't the best look for a young lady. Kinda silly really. After putting on some fitting pants, Daddy's friend Ellen stopped by and we headed out to dinner at this nice restaurant around the corner. Actually, I think this was a restaurant for the hearing impaired because they really had the music cranked up loud. You almost had to yell just so the person across the table could hear you. Loudness aside, the restaurant was fun and trendy and the food was really good too; or so I am told. I fell asleep kinda early as I guess the drive up to Chicago took all my energy. Haha!

We woke up the next morning and after Daddy took a nice run, we were off to explore all the things Chicago has to offer. We walked all over town. We checked out Millenium Park with the giant chrome bean (I mean, who thinks of this stuff), we went to Buckingham Fountain (that thing is hugemungous!!) and we walked down the lake trail. Man were there a lot of people out and about. We even saw an activist march with people advocating world peace. I think it was a high school doing it and the kids were required to walk because Daddy and I saw to flag carriers using their flags as swords and were fighting. It's pretty funny to hear a group chanting "What do we want?""Peace""When do we want it?""Now" and then see two kids using the flags they are carrying as weapons.

Soon after our walking tour, we hopped on the L train and took it out of downtown and into Lincoln Park where a lot of Mommy and Daddy's friends live. We went to this festival that was advertised as Oktoberfest in hopes that Mimi, Papaw and Daddy could score some good german food and refreshments. Instead, we found that there was only one booth that sold brats or sourkraut. Has anybody ever bought Pad Thai at an Oktoberfest? Or, how about tacos? I wish I were kidding you but we have officially found the only Oktoberfest, that is billed as a German festival, that serves virtually no German food. How funny is that!?! Needless to say, we didn't stay long and opted to go sit on a restaurant patio where we met Daddy and Mommy' s friends again. They are such great people and I am so happy that I got to meet and spend soo much time with them. I sure hope they come to visit Daddy and me in Cincinnati really soon. I miss them already.

Sunday we woke up, got breakfast and headed back home so that we could catch the Bengals game (Who-Dey). And again, I bagged one of the greatest naps ever. I slept almost all the way home and woke up only for lunch. Daddy says that I am one heck of a traveler but that he wonders if I will always be this way. He says he suspects that when I get a little older, I will be harder to keep entertained and that I won't be napping as much. Who knows? But for now, plop my rumpus in a car seat, turn the ignition and I am asleep before you get out of the driveway.

Other than an awesome trip to Chi-town, there really isn't too much to report. I have moved from oatmeal to yellow veggies. And let me just tell you, I hate squash. Yiicckkk!!!! Daddy has to fight just to get me to swallow one spoonful's worth. Not sure what it is about the stuff but I just don't like it. I think we might be trying Acorn Squash or sweet potato next. Daddy is hoping that I like those a little better.

Everything else is going great. As you can see from the video, it is only a matter of time until I am off to the races and crawling. I am sure that the videos are going to get much more fun as I develop my skills. Please stay tuned. And if there is anything you want to know about me or Daddy, please post a comment so that we know what you want to learn about. OK, I need to get to bed. Good bloggin with you. Keep it cool!!

Love you all, LILY :-)