Our Backyard- a WIP

The trees have been cut, roots dug out, and dead grass has been removed. Construction on our outdoor space is well underway. It seems like this project has been in the planning phase FORERVER!!!! Probably another two more before we have an outdoor space that we can actually enjoy. For now, though, we have a lot of dirt and big trenches dug out for the drainage lines. I'm getting so excited, and even made a trip to the nursery today so I could begin planning for what I'll be planting in the planter boxes.

Give us a call....we'd love to have any of our friends (or family) over to share the new and improved space. And even better: we still have 3 months of amazingly comfortable "Pt. Loma weather" ahead of us. YAY!!!!

Giggly Goo

We're having fun this Memorial Day weekend. Lilly and I kicked the weekend off by being outside and catching some rays. She thinks it's fun to find dirt clots (aka dirt rocks) and throw them on the driveway then step on them so they crumble. I just sat and watched this happen for about 20 minutes. My driveway looks like a dirt drop zone, but all is well.......Lilly had fun. Then we went inside and had lunch. After she was done, she let out a big burp and the giggle fest began. (see video) She was so amused by herself. I just can't ever get enough of that smile and laugh. I LOVE HER SO MUCH!!!!

Pre-Summer Preparation

As summer fast approaches, we've been spending a lot of time in our garden making it ready for fun-in-the-sun. With that, comes the labor intensive work that is required after 4 months of tax season neglect. ;-)

We replanted the front, and in doing so, realized our irrigation needed a makeover. So....in typical Lilly fashion, she needed to be right in the middle of EVERYTHING. Here she is helping Oma (my mom) with installing the new PVC. She had so much fun playing in the garden and "helping" dirt rocks find their new home.

Spring is here!!!!!

Love the yellow flowers in bloom all around the county. Even driving on the freeway is pretty with all the yellow wildflowers in bloom. My little Lilly is in full bloom, too. So full of life and really growing as fast as the weeds in my front yard. We recently bought her size 5 sneakers, and now she's outgrown them. I love my sweet little flower so much. She's so pretty and makes my days so happy and bright.

Jacqueline's 1st Communion

Rarely do I ever blog about other people in my life besides Lilly, but there are two other people that rank almost as high: my two nieces, Nicole & Jacqueline. Today was Jacqueline's first Communion. I am her Godmother (pictured here with her Godfather & Cousin, Christopher), so this was quite a special event today. All her closest family members were there: mom, dad, aunts, uncles, and even a select few cousins. I must say, I was amazingly proud of her big accomplishment, as I know this was quite a big day for her. I love you, sweet Jacq.....may God Bless you Always. XO

Busy Busy Busy

It's that time of year again: the season of no sleep, little time with my family, and poor food choices as I madly dash out the door to make it to my office for my first appointment. It's been a rough season- a lot of financial turmoil for people but I find some satisfaction in knowing I can help provide guidance in a time of stress.

Lilly's handling it "okay". She's so excited when I come home in the evening, and runs to greet me at the door. When I leave in the morning, though, her "ByeBye mommy" makes my heart melt. She's talking up a storm and constantly amazing me and Mehdi with her vocabulary skills.

All in all, things are good in life.....just feeling as though I'm spread thin- but the spread is rich with love and support at home which makes it all bearable. THANK GOD FOR LOVING FAMILY & FRIENDS.

Christmas Break 2010

Well the presents were opened and our stomachs are still recovering, but Christmas has passed and I'm so happy to have some time off and just be home with Lilly. I've never been so thankful to be away from work for a few days- I guess with a little one, we realize just how important "family time" is. I'm happy to just be around the house and reflect on the past year and look ahead to our plans for the new year.

I'm posting a photo my friend Monique took this year for our annual family Christmas photos. She's my little sweetheart, I love her sooo much, and I think this picture gives a sense of just how much fun we have together.

Looking forward to a very happy year in 2011. So many fun things are ahead of us.

Our little Christmas Angel

I have to say, this holiday season has been so much fun. Lilly is so in tune with her surroundings and all the holiday decorations. She automatically recognizes Frosty on the television and says "sss sss" for Santa Claus. Probably going to be one of the best years ever!!!!

Black Friday Shopper

It has been a month since my last post. Lilly has been VERY busy, walking and talking all over the house- so much that I haven't had an opportunity to post anything to the blog in a while. Last night, Mehdi and I were working on making dinner in the kitchen. Next thing we know, Lilly walks in the kitchen with her handbag and was ready to go shopping. I guess she thought it was a good time to go do some Black Friday shopping.......at 7:00 at night.

She's saying so many words and phrases now, too. Or at least, we think she's saying phrases. To date, the most clearly spoken words include the standard mommy, momma, dada, daddy, doggy, ChiChi. But more amusing as sweet are things like: "Thank You!" "Guys" and "What is that?"

I can't believe a year has already passed. Our little sweet baby is almost a toddler. My next video post will likely be one of Lilly "walking ChiChi" on the leash- her favorite activity with Daddy.

Step by Step...Oooh, girl!!!

Yes, that's right, we have a walker! Lilly's gaining confidence with each step and in no time she'll be running laps around the dining room table. But for now, her walking resembles that of Frankenstein- appropriate for this time of year, I must say.

All the fun is over now and we're having to safeguard EVERYTHING in our house. Such a fun time of year.....so many changes happening at the big "1-year old" mark.

Age 1....and some Halloween Fun

The invitations are out, and we're getting ready for Lilly's big birthday event. Let's be honest, though, this party is really a celebration for Mehdi and me. We'll be celebrating that we Lilly's still alive, and that we made it through the first year still in love with each other.

I'm so excited for Halloween this year- Lilly gets squeely about the festive decorations at our house. Witnessing the joy she has over ghosts, jack-o-lanterns, and sparkling skulls makes this time of year so much fun! I feel so blessed to have so much excitement and joy in my life right now.

Baby's Best Friend

Lilly and ChiChi have had a love-hate relationship: Lilly loves ChiChi, while ChiChi has resented Lilly. However, ChiChi is beginning to really like having Lilly around the house and is beginning to play and grow really protective of her.

Mehdi caught this video today (two days after her 10-month birthday) when ChiChi wanted to play with Lilly's giraffe toy rattle.

Oh, and that little red spot on her right cheek is Lilly's first shiner! She earned her battle wound when she fell face first into the magazine rack while attempting to walk. My prediction of her walking in the 10th month may be true after all.

I promise not to wait this long again before my next post!

It's official: Lilly is crawling

It looks a little funny, but she gets where she wants to go now. Time for some childproofing.

Also, please don't judge me for not having pants on Lilly. We had just changed her in preparation for bed, and hadn't put her jammies on yet. ;-)

Happy Baby, Happy Mommy

We've been busy doing "new" things this week. Lilly had her first Gymboree class last week. We did a trial class to see if she liked it. No doubt, it was right up her alley....so many colors, songs, and things to do. She was all smiles for the entire class.

Also, Lilly is officially sleeping entirely through the night. We put her down at 8:00pm and she doesn't wake up until nearly 7:00am. Ahhhhhh.....what a relief! It took some time, but we eased her into this schedule and it worked well. Thank goodness for this book I've been reading and applying since she was 6 weeks old. It has truly saved my life. (thanks to my coworker/friend Sarah for the recomendation)

Lastly, we're changing up her eating a little bit to include MORE food and less formula. I've been reading about ways to have her weaned off the bottle by 1 year. Understanably, including more regular food in the day is the best way to do that. This means more cooking and prepping for me, but I think its worth it. (see attached photo of Lilly and I cooking in the kitchen) The biggest benefit of this will be not having the bottles in my cabinet or dishwasher anymore. WHEW!

Lilly's going to be getting a few special visitors in the next 8 days. This week, her Grreat Auntie, Ann, will spend time with her. Then Mehdi took a day off to be with her on Thursday. Next week, Great Auntie & Uncle Mary and Jerald are coming to stay and watch her. I'm so thankful for my family and their willingness to help. My parents are out of town so the Aunties and Uncles are stepping up to fill-in during their absence. My family is AWESOME!!! I'll make sure to upload pictures of their visit.....I know they're all really looking forward to spending some one-on-one time with her.

Until next post......Cheers!

8-month Update

Even though we don't see the Doctor again until she's 9 months, I did my own measurements here at the house so I'd have it for her baby book

Todays weight: 20 pounds
Today's Length: 28.5 inches
That puts her in the 95th percentile for both height and weight......she's a healthy growing girl!!!

Today, for the first time, she did a deliberate crawl on the living room floor. She slammed her hands down then the knees followed. She did 3 crawls.....I was so sorry that I couldn't get the video camera in time. I'm sure it will happen again very soon so I'll update with a video post then.

For now, though, I wanted to post a picture of Lilly that I took this morning. She never wakes up "cranky." She's always so happy and excited when I pick her up in the morning. It took almost 30 minutes to get her to her normal self today....maybe she was mad at me because she was having a bad hair day. Either way, here's a picture- it made me laugh.