Lillian's 45th week

I made the mistake and looked up how many days until Lillian turns ONE. T minus 49 days!! People always say they grow up so fast and I did not believe them until all of the sudden after Christmas it hit me. She is not a tiny little newborn anymore.

45 Weeks old!

Sticking out that tongue already

Eat: I still breastfeed her at 7 am 11 am and 7 pm but I weaned Lillian off of her 3:00 pm nursing feeding this week. Instead I give her about 4 oz of cow's milk and blueberries, yogurt (whole milk yogurt. I could only find this in the baby aisle), or some other snack. She doesn't drink all 4 oz of cow's milk so I save whatever is left and she drinks that at dinner. We eat dinner whenever Daddy gets home from work so usually about 5:30 pm. That gives her enough time to eat more solids but not fill her up too much before her 7 pm feeding.

Sleep: This week was awesome. I think we are out of the developmental leap and according to the chart we have about 4 weeks before she goes through another one. Hopefully no teeth come in at that time. Lillian slept from 7:30 until 7am almost every night without me having to get up and find her paci or put her in the swing. There were two mornings where she woke up at 6 but fell back asleep in bed with me. She has 3 nap scenarios. She will take a great 2hr+ nap in the morning then 1hr - 11/2 in the afternoon, or vise versa short morning long afternoon, or will only sleep 45min to an hour for morning,afternoon, and early evening. I tried to get her to not want that 3rd nap but on the days she doesn't sleep long for the first two she needs that third one.

Teeth: We are still at just two teeth.

Other Happenings:
-I have been planning Lillian's birthday for the last 6 months via Pinterest and yet I have no clue what I want to do anymore. I know I shouldn't make it a big deal but that's the fun yet stressful part to me. I have gone back and forth with themes and other details and nothing has actually been done. Good thing I still have 7 weeks.
- I was asking Lillian what certain animals say and when I did cow and made a "moo" sound she looked at me then did this.

Apparently it upset her and she does not like the way Mommy moos. Look at that bottom lip sticking out. :(

- One night we were all 3 playing in the floor and Lillian was climbing on Daddy. She stood up without holding on to anything for a few seconds. Not long enough to say she can stand on her own but getting closer I imagine. She isn't walking yet either (and we aren't rushing it) but she will hold onto our hands or the couch and take steps. She generally steps with her left foot first then brings her right foot next to it and leads with left again. I think it's some dance move of "step together step together."
-TMI** She has been pooping more this week, like 2-4 times a day. It's not a lot but we have had to change her diaper about every 2 hours because her diaper rash (went away for a few days) came back.
-After church Sunday we took some pictures of Lillian in her coat someone gifted to us when she was first born. I wasn't sure how the hat was suppose to go on but she looked super cute.

Queen Lillian has got the royal wave down. Hey Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, look no further I've got Prince George's wifey right here. 

Daddy wanted some pictures as well and she is so sweet when taking pictures with Daddy

Lillian's 44th Week

I realize I may have gone overboard with similar pictures here but she kept making difference faces

44 weeks old!

We started off so happy and smiling

started to get sleepy eyes

This is her frustrated face, she tightens up and shakes because she is not getting what she wants

Then she was over it and ready for a nap. But look how cute she is when she is upset. And you can see her two little teeth.

Eating: We did well this week. I was out of town from Thursday until Monday of this week so she ate really well at Nana and Papa's house. When she nurses she'll only eat about 5 oz but with a bottle sometimes she do more so she gets more throughout the day and slept way better for them. We did try whole milk twice this week. Once before I left for Texas and she liked it but had a hard time with the sippy cup. So I didn't want my parents to have to worry about it and we tried again Monday and Tuesday when I got back and she great with it. We ended up getting a couple different sippy cups and so far she does the best with the take and toss. She sucks and sucks and then her mouth is full so then she swallows but instead of just stopping her suck on it she pulls away so she sometimes dribbles some milk out of her mouth. Tuesday Jan. 21st was the first time we actually skipped her 3:00 nursing feeding and only did whole milk (4oz but she only drank about 2oz) and blueberries and a cheese stick. She LOVED the blueberries and did well biting on the cheese stick but never chewed or swallowed it. She ended up spitting all the cheese back out. 

Sleeping: Like I said she slept great at my parent's house. She would go down between 7:30-8pm and wake up at 7am. I think they said she woke up once at 5 but by the time my mom got in to get her she was already back asleep. I'm not sure how her naps went there but must have been good enough because they said she was happy most of the time. She did get fussy whenever I facetimed her because I think she was confused she could see and hear me but not touch me. I also dropped her 3rd nap this week. She never really needs it except on Sundays because with church she never gets her morning nap and we have small groups at night so we let her get a quick catnap in before then. 

Other Happenings:

- So I decided I'm not going out of town again because I came back to Lillian saying "dadadada". She says it all the time so I'm not positive she is actually saying Dada but Kevin sure loves hearing it. If I try to get her to say Momma she just smiles up at me then snuggles into my chest. 

- Before I left she was standing up holding on to things great and when I got back she was walking along the couch. She would barely takes steps before unless we held her hands and leaned her forward. I was only gone 4 days and she grew up!

-Her clothing size varies. She is wearing 12 month sleepers and some shirts/outfits but her little legs are still to short for 12 month pants so she is in 9 months. In the pictures above she is wearing a 12-18 month shirt and 3-6 month pants. And the pants fit her great. And her feet are about a 2 and smaller 3's.

- Lillian loves to help buckle her car seat, she'll pull out the bottom lock for me to put the side clips in, she also wants to hold her spoon herself. 

- Speaking of car seat she has also started pulling the chest bar down. I always make sure I have it tight and pulled up to her armpits and when I got to get her out she has slid it down a good inch or so. 

- Kevin noticed Lillian understands when we get on to her for doing something she shouldn't. He said if he was holding her and she would grab for something on the table he would say "eh eh" (like no no) and she stopped and would just lay her head on his shoulder like she knew she wasn't suppose to do that and be all sweet to Daddy. I tested it and she wasn't doing anything but I was holding her and say eh eh and she laid her head on my shoulder too. lol. (I know that's bad because she wasn't doing anything wrong but I just had to test it out)

- When we are at someone else's house she finds the outlets and loves to touch them. We say no no and she crawls away super fast because she knows not to touch. We don't have that problem at our house because its so small and we only have like two outlets per room and they are usually behind some piece of furniture with something plugged in.

- I mentioned on Facebook she has a diaper rash, still does but it is not nearly as bad. I got lots of advice on what to use but was overwhelmed because there were like 20 different products suggested. I ended up just doing what a dermatologist friend recommended which was warm paper towels instead of wipes and Vaseline. It is looking way better (doesn't seem to hurt her anymore either) and I try to change it more often if I notice she has pooped.

Texas "Tripp"

On Thursday January 16th I took my first vacation without Lillian and Kevin. I was worried about flying (leaving Lillian) and really the whole process of going through the airport and switching planes and having a layover stressed me out. I had pump every four hours to keep my supply up while I was gone so two times I pumped in the DFW airport bathroom. Not a big deal but not a fun experience. On the way back I went through to security points and I was worried they would make me throw out the expressed milk. At the Amarillo airport they were very kind and discrete about checking it for me, not that I cared and then at the Dallas airport they didn't even check for. I did however get stopped on the way out of town at the Nashville airport because there was a pair of large scissors in the side of my book bag. Obviously I had no clue they were there and was liked "you can throw them away" and the guy said they weren't a problem just to put them down in my bad instead of the side pocket. I thought that was crazy you can have scissors but not more than 3 oz of shampoo but I'm sure those rules are in place for good reasons. I was also concerned about how to keep the milk frozen but I took a thermal lunch bag and packed all my frozen milk inside and once I got home it was still frozen. I did have one or two that seemed to be melting almost to a slush but I think that's okay they stayed pretty cold. It was out of the freezer maybe a total of 6 hours.

I headed to Amarillo Texas to visit my best friend Kinsey Morgan and finally meet her sweet baby Tripp. Tripp is Lillian's future boyfriend even though he is 8 months younger. But that's okay, Lillian will take after her momma and date younger men. I debated whether or not to take Lillian with me but decided against it glad I did. It was less stressful for me through the airport and I was able to give more attention to Tripp and stay up  late and talk with my bestie.

I had been to Texas before but not Amarillo. It's not real small but a lot like Huntsville. I really liked it but my skin did not do well with the dryness. I felt like I had wind burn the first day. Oh and a funny thing I did not like was two different times I was outside and I could smell the cattle. I never saw any but for sure knew they were around. I mean hello it's Texas of course. We didn't do much (not much you can do with a nursing 11 week old but it was exactly what I wanted to do). I don't get to see/talk with Kinsey but maybe once or twice a year so it was great to just spend the days on the couch holding sweet Tripp and talking mommy stuff.

We did  go eat a couple places that weren't typical franchises. One was a great burger place called Blue Sky and a doughnut place called Donut Stop. They were legit good and apparently put the Krispy Kreme in town out of business. We may have gone to eat doughnuts two days in a row. :) Amarillo is a great little town with its own little character. Kinz took me on a tour one afternoon and they have this place called cadillac ranch. Long story short a really rich old cattle rancher Stanley Marsh gave money to the city and loved art so there are a couple things around the city to commemorate him, one being the cadillac ranch. It is exactly what it looks like in this picture

Its like 8 old Cadillacs that are all sticking out of the ground at the same angle and people can go and tag it with spray paint. Two other "art" pieces around the city are these quarter horses in front of businesses painted 

and then these random signs.

 If I remember correctly the rich cattle rancher started paying people in lower income parts of town to put them in their yard and if they didn't remove them he would pay them a couple hundred dollars each year. They are so random but totally cool at the same time. As Kinz puts it "Amarillo is a little quirky". lol

Besides eating out and "sightseeing" I got to snuggle with this cutie all weekend.

I know you're jealous. His smile is so adorable.

I had a layover in Dallas and my college roomie Lacey lives there so she was sweet enough to meet up with me at the airport to kill some time. I finally got to meet her handsome little man Charley and he is ADORABLE too. I'd be okay if Charley and Lillian dated too but not until they are 25 ;) 

 He is only about a month younger than Lillian so they are doing very similar things right now as far as development goes so it made me miss Lillian even more. It was so good to catch up with Lacey too even if for just a short visit. Unfortunately Charley wouldn't take a picture of me and his momma so i'm referencing a REALLY old college picture.

I really enjoyed my mini vacation by myself but I was very happy when I got home to my amazing husband and happy baby girl. I got so many snuggles from Lillian I don't think I'll be able to leave her again any time soon. 

Lillians 43rd Week

I am way late on posting this. she turned 43 weeks old on tuesday January 14th.

Sleep: Its been hit or miss this week with how long she would sleep for naps and if she would sleep through the night or not. But we do know that she sleeps great if she has lots of food.

Eating: we are still nursing even though she will only nurse for 6-8minutes total. I know she is not getting as much as she use to because she doesn't nurse as long so my body is adjusting to that. When I pump I may only get 5-6oz instead of 7-8. I did try and give her whole milk for her 3 oclock feeding one day but she doesn't drink from the sippy cup as well yet so she didnt drink much of it. Luckily though she does like the taste.  I knew I would be going out of town this month so I decided to not wean her from the 3:00 feeding just yet. Kevin is a big milk drinker but unless its chocolate milk I only use it with my cereal and I never drink the "leftover milk" from the bowl so I'm happy she likes it. As for solids Kevin has been great about making different foods for Lillian and she eats way better with him sitting there than with me. I think i'm just too impatient. He made her some avocado and banana mush and sweet potato (which are huge and we have never eaten before) and she loved every bite of both.

Teething: We had a much less fussy week this week, so I think her teeth arent bothering her as much but nothing has popped through yet so we are still at just two teeth.

Other Happenings:
- We had a fairly nice day over the weekend so we took Lillian outside to get some vitamin D while Kevin and I washed our cars. It was a little cold in the shade and some wind so I made sure to bundle her up well and she loved being outside. We are ready for warmer weather again.

- I can't remember if I have mentioned this yet or not but Lillian gives kisses now. not always on demand but usuallly and she also loves it when we kiss or blow raspberry on her neck and then she will do it to us on our cheek. Here is a video of Lillian Getting Daddy
- She is crawling around like crazy and getting more stable and balanced when she stands up against the couch.
- We have a dear friend here in Huntsville that found out this week she has a mass on her brain. She is only in her 30's and  married and has an almost 4 year old son. Please be praying for them and the doctors as they do a biopsy and testing this coming week to see what they are dealing with find a solution and get her healing quickly.

Lillian's 42nd Week

42 WEEKS OLD!

Sleep: Lillian woke up from naps a couple times this week and would wake in the night a few times as well, I assume from teething. If I gave her Motrin before bed she usually did okay. I think it also has to do with her not getting enough calories in the day because her naps are only an 1-1.5hrs instead of closer to 2 or more.

Eating: Lillian is eating well but I don't think she is eating as much. I had to pump twice this week and both times I could only get out about 5-6 ounces. I have been researching weaning her from nursing but I'm not ready yet but I guess she is since she isn't requiring as much. I'm hoping to make it 2 more months to get out of flu season. I have to note she has never bitten me while nursing but this month she has started pinching me. And trust me it hurts.

Teething: We are in a wonder week and teething period for sure. Lillian was very fussy this week. She'd cry if I wasn't holding her then squirm around if I was. Here are the signs they have for this wonder week, the 7th "leap" as they call it:

"In general, your baby will show the same characteristics with this leap as he did while making former leaps. However, the way in which he does that will differ from before. For instance, he will show more attachment behavior, but not in the literal way he used at an earlier age. Now, he will keep an eye on you more, stay close to you, and will regularly come to you to sit on your lap; as if to "refuel mommy or daddy." On the other hand, it might be he starts screaming if you leave the room. However, some babies like the old-fashioned way and literally cling on to you. No matter which form your child chooses to manifest this behavior, give him what he asks for. This way you help him by making the leap easier for him and also for you!

Other signs and symptoms of this leap:

• Your baby is angry when you put him down;
• Plays with emotions, such as naughty or nice, to get your attention (does that "not knowingly!")
• Sits quietly, daydreaming;
• Often sucks the thumb;
• Cries more often, is cranky, grumpy or moody;
• 'Chats' less;
• Is whining more often."

Yeah I'd say that is dead on. Unfortunately this leap lasts for a few weeks but at least we know there will be a calm before the next storm.

Other Happenings:
- We stayed inside a lot this week. Monday it was the coldest weather I remember ever being in. The high was like 15 degrees and at one point I think my phone said it was 5 degrees outside. That is pretty cold for us southerners.
- New Years happened this last week. Lillian stayed up until 8pm so she did not get to watch the ball drop. It was my first time being in the central time zone so we didn't get to watch the ball drop live. I was thinking we would watch it at 11pm cst and again at midnight but the tv stations black it out until midnight. We did have a fun night ringing in the new year with our friends Jordan and Erin and I finally got to meet Erin's family. They are as wonderful as Erin is and make you feel like you have known them your whole life.
- We are always trying to capture memorable moments of Lillian via a camera or video camera. Daddy took this video http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=1xx1M9ry_-8&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D1xx1M9ry_-8%26feature%3Dyoutu.be so you could see how happy she is when he walks in the door from work. As soon as she hears the door open she bolts off through the kitchen.

Kanzelmeyer Christimas

Friday Dec. 27th we left Tennessee and headed for Atlanta for our third and final Christmas with Kevin's family.

Precious little Bryson

Silly Brody

Sweet Oliver

This girl loves her some make-up

All of the grandkids got a pair of boots.

And Nena knitted everyone a gift as well. The boys all got wool caps. 

Little boys

Big Boys

And the baby girls got the cutest little hats. 

And the daughter/Daughter in laws all got boot toppers. A.K.A "muffin tops." We didn't get a picture of ours though but if you still don't know what I'm talking about they are basically boot socks that only go down into your boot a few inches. 

Christmas dinner here was awesome as well (at least to me) it was more of an appetizer meal and my favorite part 

Chikfila chicken nuggets. I am pretty sure I ate about 15 of these and that is no exaggeration. We also had fruit, chips and cheese dip, brownies, veggie tray,  and cookies. LOTS of cookies as per usual with Kevin's family. (His Gammy makes the best chocolate chip cookies)

As part of our Christmas present the girls were treated to a mani/pedi from Nena. Brody, my nephew, wanted to tag along and he picked out everyone's toe nail polish color. I was a little worried at first when he picked mine, dark purple. I would have never chosen it but it turned out better than I thought and I may just pick something similar in the future.

Lillian got to play with lots of toys and spend some time on the floor with Poppa!

We stayed in Atlanta through Monday. We were happy to see all of our Snellville church friends. Sunday Morning Nena made biscuits and sausage gravy (Kevin's favorite, and I just eat a jelly biscuit) so on Monday on our way out of town we stopped to get my favorite donuts at Donut King.

They are much less busy on Mondays than Sundays however if you are local to Snellville just know that they had a sign on their door that said they will no longer be open on Mondays. Guess they make plenty of money Sunday mornings to take a day off once a week. I am thankful we live close enough to both our families to travel and spend time together.