Green olives!

I have been a terrible "blogger" lately! :( Here is a video of Lillian eating one of her favorite "foods!" :)

Waving Hi

to my (Zoe's) grand-parents!

Hi Grandma and Pap! :D Happy Thanksgiving... wish we could be with everyone!

Lillian saying the dinner prayer.

Two years......today!

What an amazing Blessing Lillian has been in our lives! She has enriched our family beyond words. We have grown by leaps in bounds in all areas but especially OUR Faith! Today, marks the two year anniversary of "learning that she would be born with hydrocephalus.." The day that our lives would change forever! For a recap, click here. We are SO grateful to be on the other side of diagnosis and to be where we are. Lillian is an amazing little girl and we are BLESSED! Never for a moment do we take that for granted. I take pleasure in watching her grow... that includes the tantrums that happen to come more often these days. I welcome it all! It simply means that she is progressing normally.

Here are some recent developments that I have observed lately:

• Lily is OBSESSED with the Moon! 
• She played with her toys this am like she never has before. Like she was able to see them in a new light. 
• She has really noticed the TV and will ask to watch "Olivia the Pig." 
• She can sing "Twinkle, Twinkle little star." 
• She is working on singing "A-B-C" song
• She can count to three (3) with meaning but can keep going to 10 sometimes. 
• She is beginning to grasp the concept of colors... mostly everything is yellow... but. sometimes she will say the correct colors. 
• She is cuter today than yesterday if that is even possible! ;) 
• I can't believe that she will be TWO in 33 days! 

Clears throat.......

Oops! We are all alive and well. I know it's been a month since my last update. :/ We have just been doing our "normal" day to day stuff. Or should I say I am adjusting well to having a VERY ACTIVE and Inquisitive Toddler! :D

Lillian just started her second set of swimming lessons. Originally we signed up for an evening class. It is something that dada and her enjoy doing together. I like to sit on the side lines, watch them and snap cell phone pics. I do it well. lol So, due to the lack of participation during that time we were asked if we'd be able to attend the Tue/Thurs 10am class. We can, however it's just her and I. So, yesterday we went to class and I think she is beginning to grasp the concept of fear.... she clung onto me for most of the class. Usually she looks at ease with Ken. I wondered if it was because she was with me and wasn't used to it. I talked to Ken and he said that he noticed that the last time they were in the pool too.

Lil has really started to interact more and more with her baby doll... she will pretend that she "the baby" is crying and she will pick her up and comfort her by patting her back or "shhhhh" "shhing" her. It's VERY cute!

I have been trying to sew as often as I can. I recently made Lillian a reversible fleece hoodie. I debated on making the hood larger, I should have. It.. "just" fits. :/ I also made her a pair of "jeggings" jean leggings. I am working on a second pair for her... I used an old pair of stretch jeans that I had around here. I was trying to be resourceful and not make a trip to the fabric store... however, Lily and I still have to make a trip there tomorrow. We need to buy the correct thread. I tried to make do with what I have and well, I got to practice with my seam ripper. :D

Here are a couple of cell pics...

Growth.......

We are home.... we decided to come home on Friday... one day early... not b/c we were not having a wonderful time but b/c reality was knocking on the door. When we left, it was raining and it had rained for almost a full week before vacation... when you plant seed in the "fall" the grass must be cut. LOL Among other things. We had an amazing time while away... we were able to witness my MIL and FIL renew their wedding vows for their 50th Wedding Anniversary! The ceremony was preformed in a little white Church that was built in the 40's. It was wonderful to be able to share in their very special day! :)

This was also a fantastic opportunity for our family. We were put to the test and so was Lillian. Ken and I had a lot of anxiety about being away from our comfort zone, and our home, and Lily's crib. I know it sounds a little absurd. Lily did wonderfully. The first night was a bit stressful but she adjusted and slept perfectly in her pack and play. She LOVED every minute of the beach going in the ocean and collecting sea shells. She grew enormously over the week. Actually, I have seen HUGE changes in her this month! Her speech is growing by leaps and bounds. She picks up new words daily. She is climbing onto and over everything.

My best friends has been kidding with me for the last couple of months b/c I was still nursing Lily. Usually before bed.... I had talked to her pediatrician about it at her 18 month check up and she said that usually around 16-18 months "babies" tend to loose interest and sort of wean themselves. When Lily began walking at 15.5 months she began nursing more! So, I thought I had missed that little window... until this week. She is not interested at all.. and has not nursed in a full week. So, I am saying that she is finally weaned. She is now 21.5 months.... Maybe since she didn't walk until 15.5 months it pushed that little window back???  Just a thought.

While on vacation....

the cleaning still must be done! :)

Finally Made it.........

On our way, we stopped at a Rest Stop....

Took a ride on the ferry... where it was VERY windy and quite cool......

and took a trip to the beach... Lily's VERY first beach trip.... even though we live about 30 minutes from the beach...

She LOVED it and we LOVED being able to share it with her!  Thank you for the Birthday Wishes! 

Happy Birthday tooooooooooo

Me! :) Wow.... hard to believe that I turn ....... gulp....... 38 today! :) I am so grateful to be blessed with my wonderful family.......... vacation is still delayed. We find out later today if the ferry will run.

That little snooker-wooker!

Lillian has been a little "pistol" lately! Today, she climbed up onto the dining room chair and then ONTO the table! TWICE!!! Yesterday, she threw a tantrum so bad that I had to pick her up and place her in her crib to ensure her safety. She insisted on vacuuming several rooms in the house and it took about 45 minutes. EVERY TIME I tried to help her by adjusting the vacuum she'd throw herself to the floor and begin to scream and cry. That is why she vacuumed for 45 minutes. At one point, she had crawled under the dining room table and was sitting on the ledge moving the vacuum back and forth. Whew..... I think that she is going through a "growth spurt or developmental change" again. She tends to get irritable and cranky.

We are to leave for vacation Sunday for one week. We are headed to Ocracoke Island, NC. We learned today that the ferry that we would be taking to get to the Island is not running. We had some severe weather yesterday and there is too much sand in the channel and it needs to be dredged before they are able to run the ferry. This is our first family vacation since Lillian's birth. She is not and has never been the type of child that fall asleep in the car. EVER! I can count on one hand the amount of times she has slept in the car... yes, even when she was weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee little. There is an alternate route however the ferry ride alone is close to 3 hours. So, we are going to hang tight  and wait it out.... the weather is supposed to be poor through Wednesday anyway....