Consider the Lilies

DIY

2011-11-07T18:39:00.007-06:00

So, DIY=Do It Yourself

I have always been one to say, "Oh, I could totally make that myself!" Well, now with my newfound obsession with Pinterest, I have devoted myself to the cause of creativity. I have learned it is not always what it seems...

Here is a pic of what I would love my bedroom to look like, my "inspiration".

This is an old ottoman I had received for free that I had already re-upholstered once, but it needed re-doing.

Before:
After:

Looks good from a distance, right? I love the print, but if you look closely you can see where I hot-glued it on the bottom, the wood needs to be painted black, and the side has a huge seem I had to hot glue because the fabric didn't stretch wide enough. I hope no one actually takes a good look at it in my house, b/c they would probably laugh...

Here is just one example of countless yarn wreaths that look oh-so-cute on Pinterest.

Here's my pathetic attempt...It would've been better if the foam hadn't warped on me and lost it's round wreath shape! Also, the burlap and flower are there to cover up where I ran out of yarn...I guess it's clever but oh so frustrating!

So, I saw this beautiful crafty thing, thought it would look cute in Lily's room. I had leftover crepe paper from Lily's birthday, so here goes a free cute project!

Not so much. First of all, foam balls are ridiculously expensive! Even with a coupon, I only bought one, but it's a good thing I guess. This is how far I got with my rolls of crepe paper. Needless to say it took almost 2 hours and killed my back bending over on the floor to roll and glue the rosettes.

Yes, now you can go ahead and laugh...or feel sorry for me, either one :)

Here is a side table from my in-laws' garage, I spray painted white and painted the hardware black. Simple enough, and I actually really like it now. I didn't take a pic of it before, and I really wish I had, because I think it is a great improvement!
Cost: Free!

Off I go on more creative pursuits, however, I tread with much more caution this time.
I think should be DIY= Go Buy It Somewhere

Lily's Birthday

2011-10-18T15:04:00.005-05:00

At last I upload pictures from Lily's 2nd birthday! Ever since I was pregnant, every time I drove to my friend's house I would drive by a small side street named Lily Lane. How perfect, I knew this would make a perfect photo op!

Two years later....I finally did it! However, it was worth the wait, the timing and her age made for the best pictures, and it was a nice way to celebrate her 2nd birthday.

I am very happy with how the pictures turned out, especially since it took ten minutes, my parent's camera, and the magic of (free) Picasa.

In turn, I got the best birthday present from her, pictures to last a lifetime.

Playground

2011-08-18T20:08:00.002-05:00

Lily's 2nd birthday present came early this year. We found a great play set on craigslist (more about how awesome craigslist is later) and Lily is enjoying getting to play on it. This also works great for me, because now I can just walk out in the backyard in my pj's still and watch her entertain herself for a while. No more having to get in the car and drive to some dirty park where other kids swarm.
Let me tell you about my epiphany.
Recently, Lily and I were at a McDonalds for a playgroup. She loves to get into everything and thinks she is about five years older than she is, but she really can run with the best of them. Well, I started to notice one of these "older boys" trying to play with her. They're all grabby and try to get her to go do something. I'm not a big fan of this. It's in a mother's instinct to protect your child, and I realized I have to protect her from these pesky little boys. Of course, in this instant, my strong willed girl fought her own battle and lost the poor boy all on her own, so I didn't even have to get up from my seat. But I started to realize we try to protect them from different things at different times of life.
In the newborn phase, we bring them home from the hospital swaddled up, sheltered from the cold. Our number one priority is to keep germs at bay, warning all those who dare go near to wash up or shove sanitizer into people's hands. We cover their car seats up with blankets to protect from invisible dangers swirling in the air. We keep them inside where it's safe, and evict all those who dare to sneeze within a mile of our child from the home. Yes, we protect from the evil world of germs, and for good reason, a sick baby is a serious matter.
But as they grow, they build up their "immunity". To germs at least. We find ourselves no longer layering onesies with mittens, hats and blankets, or shielding loved ones from coming by to visit. They start to explore their world on their own, crawling and walking around. Now we must protect them from themselves. The practice of being human comes with so many bumps, bruises, falls, etc. We have to now "baby proof" the house, keeping all potential dangers locked away, and every corner padded. We remove dangerous furniture, and plug up every outlet. We install gates, and enough protection on our kitchen cabinets to keep ourselves out.
Then we think as they're walking skills are in full force, it's smooth sailing from here. That is until you see all the pesky little boys trying to mess with your little girl. Now it's time to protect them from everyone else. I guess this is one of the longest phases, since we spend the rest of our lives trying to protect ourselves from others. Not just bad playmates, but mean girls, bad boys, peer pressuring friends and the like.
Our kids enter a scary world, where we're not always there to watch them on the playground. I'm not sure I'm looking forward to the grade school days of bullies and best friends, but I'm sure my little angel will be able to escape unscathed. (If anything, she may end up the bully)!

Lily and her cousin playing princesses in the castle. Dobby was the dragon.

Food Critic for a Day

2011-07-21T16:02:00.005-05:00

My ultimate dream job (other than mommy) would be to be a food critic. Just imagine, someone paying me to eat yummy food for free and then write about it?! I mean, does it get better than that? No, it does not. Anyway, since no accredited paper, magazine, or establishment is about to pay me to go out to eat, I thought I'd attempt my own little food critic version for free (actually, technically I had to pay) and have a little go round at this for when I land my dream job! (I'm currently accepting donations, however, for this review)
On mine and Justin's 7th anniversary, we went back to our yearly tradition of Old Hickory Steakhouse at the Gaylord Hotel. We do this because, it's just so good, and why mess with a good thing?
Old Hickory is not just your typical fine dining steakhouse style restaurant. It has a wine bar on top, artisanal cheese collections, and large private rooms. As you enter the restaurant on the top floor, you're greeted with the evening sun's rays bursting through large windows casting a golden tone on the spiral staircase leading you downward to the restaurant. At the bottom, you see traditional decor with dark woods, heavy fabrics, dim light, and best of all, the white tablecloths.

Your hostess seems to magically know your name before you even speak it, and she walks you over to your table. I prefer the tables by the windows in the back. There's much more light and it's quieter away from the hustle and bustle of the waitstaff and kitchen on the opposite end. When you make your reservation (recommended), you can request where you'd like to sit, I highly suggest this. (Once, I had the unfortunate experience of sitting near the cheese tray in a booth near the middle of the restaurant, and while I am a cheese lover myself, the stinch of mold and formage permeated my boundaries leaving an unpleasant experience).
The menu at Old Hickory offers popular choices such as crab cakes, lobster bisque, and featuring farmers markets salads as starters. They also have a wonderful salmon, chicken and other seafood dishes in addition to, of course, a great selection of beef.
Above you will see my starter for the night (Justin's too), the Maryland Blue Crab Cakes with roasted pepper sauce. I accidentally poked my fork at it when I realized I hadn't taken a picture yet, so excuse the slight mess on the side. These crab cakes are so delicious, they are light and fluffy, melting in your mouth like butter. I could eat these all day.
And here you will find a patron of the steakhouse who was slightly embarassed by my taking pictures of my food, as if we were amateurs. Actually, I firmly believe if I am paying this much for food, I can do whatever I like! They should be so lucky!
For our entree, Justin and I split a 16 oz. ribeye, and the sorrell potatoes au gratin to share. Most everything on the menu is a la carte, and made for 2. I like my steak medium, just seasoned as it is with no fuss. This is the best steak I've had, it is so juicy and tender, and fills you up to the brim. The au gratin potatoes are creamy and cheesy, an excellent complement to the rich beef. This is our favorite meal and we look forward to it every year.

One of the other reasons we love this place so much, is we always receive a complimentary (yay, free!) dessert. We usually get the vanilla bean creme brulee, which is silky sweet and to die for. Unfortunately, since it is free (complimentary), you don't always get to choose your dessert and some servers will bring out a specialty instead of asking for your choice. This year the pastry chef is doing seasonal creme brulee's, and this was a peanut butter one. Justin loved it, however, it was not my favorite. It was too rich for me, and if I'm going to eat peanut butter, I prefer it with chocolate. The texture was velvety smooth with a raspberry reduction underneath which helped cut through the sweetness. They do a good job, and I think it's sweet they always write on the plate and melt a candle on your plate to blow out. They used to even melt the wax on the plate in the shape of a heart with the candle on top, but I guess the guys that did that aren't there anymore :(

If you choose to come dine here, bring a back up credit card just in case the first gets maxed out. (This has actually been a fear of mine) I mean, I spent on one small glass of wine what I normally buy at the store for 3 bottles. Yes, I said bottles! (of course I'm cheap though) It is expensive, but this is a case where it is well worth it. If I ever start to feel guilty about spending extravagantly in this case, I remind myself no matter what your station in life, it is always good to pretend to be rich for a night. Actually, I tell Justin not to even show me the bill, because I refuse to know the amount, and I don't even let myself add it all up in my head either! Ignorance is bliss :)
All in all, Old Hickory Steakhouse always fulfills my expectations or exceeds them, and I can't ask for more.

Afterward I was looking forward to watching the sunset and having drinks at the Glass Cactus on the lake, but they're closed Sundays. So, instead, we found a spot on the lake ourselves and watched the ducks swim in front of us as we watched the sunset. It was a great anniversary.

Lesson learned

2011-07-15T13:54:00.002-05:00

I'm the type of person that can stress over the little things. Especially when it comes to bills, phone calls, insurance, etc. Well, over the past several months I have been trying to "adjust" this bill from Lily's old doctor's office, for $68.
The insurance company wouldn't pay it (this is from a year and a half ago), because it was considered a "pre-existing condition" which is a crock. Anyway, I knew that her old doctor was to blame because the first time we dealt with this specific issue, she forgot to write me the prescription in the first place! I swear she forgot or something, because I remember leaving that office over issues like that, and her general indifference towards me and my child.
Anyway, I'm not the type of person to just let things go very easily. Especially when it comes to money. My blood boiled over the fact that it would not be fair for me to pay for something that was a mistake on the doctor's part, really. Well, after several months of speaking to numerous people in the insurance company and the doctor's office, they would not relent or dismiss the bill, which is what I really wanted. I think I just got desperate because I pretty much was pleading with the office staff my case, but all seemed lost. Of course, once I threw in "who else can I write to or speak to about this", I dunno, but she said she'd talk to the doctor again and call me back.
By this point my heart was pounding and I was so angry! It may seem dumb, or like an insignificant amount to fuss over, but that really is a lot of money to me, and I felt so strongly that I should not have to pay for it. It was the principle of the matter! I knew I was right, and at this point it was my word against the doctor's.
It didn't look good for me so I envisioned every possible way I could make this office and doctor pay for their injustice! I guess I feel like if I'm going down, it will be kicking and screaming and I wanted to make someone PAY! (pardon the pun)
I sat down contemplating what I would say and how I could ruin the reputation of this doctor and what sob stories I could come up with to at least make the lady on the phone feel guilty. I wanted her to stay up late at night envisioning my poor child with no food to eat because she wouldn't discount the bill for me. (Which wouldn't be necessarily true..)
As I sat there fuming, my convictions started to pick at my head. I could feel my heart softening as I thought about how God would want me to respond in this situation. I remembered my "verse", about how he will take care of us no matter what, and thought about how I should trust him. How making someone pay for their mistake was not what God wants, he wants us to forgive others, even when they've wronged us. That we truly show love and Christ when we let things go, and it's not up to us to punish someone or be angry. It's truly a sin when we are angry and distrustful of our situations, since we are supposed to trust him to take care of us.
Well, at this point at least I started to feel better. I knew I shouldn't be angry and I had to let this go one way or another, and God would provide everything so I shouldn't worry about the money either.
Then, no joke, the phone rings. I'm talkin' like a minute after my revelation! With my heart pounding I said "hello" with a shaky voice. The lady informs me that she spoke with the doctor and she said to not worry about the bill, it's been taken care of! What?! After all that stress and arguing (and I mean, there was a lot of that on the phone), it's just gone. I didn't owe anything! Of course, I pretty much started balling on the spot and I said thank you so much and we hung up the phone. It was hard to control my emotions, they were a roller coaster at this point. I mean, from blood pressure sky rocketing and being so angry, to now sobbing on the couch, I was so thankful! It was so funny (ironic funny, not really haha funny) how just after it seemed that I finally learned my lesson from God, (which I am in a constant state of still learning), that I see how he truly provides all our needs and works for the good for those who love Him.

What moms go through for their kids

2011-07-06T15:43:00.003-05:00

So we're spending the 4th at my parents house, and I am sleeping in my brother's bed (who wasn't home). She's been a little sick so after hardly any sleep and a fussy toddler, I bring her into his full size bed with me (which is tiny compared to our king). Pillow barrier in place, now let's get some rest.

Sleep is elusive, especially with the tossing and turning of a little one, but I close my eyes hoping for some. It must've been longer than I thought because the next thing I hear...thud! I hear Lily cry out and in the dark I realize I am now alone in my bed. I reach down between the odd crack between the bed and wall that doesn't make any sense and feel the pillow I put down as protection. So much for that barrier. I grab a leg (I'm still blind at this point from the pitch black) and eventually feel for the body and pull it up. Hoping the pillow broke her fall somehow (even though I heard a thud), I realize her feet were protected but nothing else. Great. I pull her up and she falls right back to sleep, if she ever even woke up at all except for the small cry I heard.

I bring her up on the bed feeling terrible, but she is fast asleep. I lay down next to her, wide awake. Did that really just happen? I hold my hand over her chest, check her breathing, her heart rate. How bad did she hit her head? Did she hit her head? I scan her face and head, checking for knots, bumps or bruises. I turn on the hall light for back up, I see nothing. No blood. No bump, red mark, nothing. Is that good? Isn't it bad when they hit themselves and you see nothing? What if there's internal bleeding? The traumatic stories of those kids who bumped their heads and never woke up start to creep in.

Panic. Fear. Her heart rate is really fast at this point, but aren't all children's heart rates super fast when they're young? Yes, but, what if it's too fast? What if somethings happening and I have no idea? I keep my hand on her chest, feel the breathing and pulse. I'll just stay awake all night and make sure she's okay. Surely I would notice if something went wrong. What goes first, the heart rate or the breathing? That's dumb, of course the breathing, right? Maybe I should call someone and just make sure. It's 5:35 am. Who can I call? Justin should be waking up soon, I should call him. What's he going to do? What's he going to say? I don't wanna tell him I just let his daughter go head first off the bed...
My friend who's kid bumped his head a few times? His tumble was way worse. He was okay. Should I just get some reassurance from her? No...she's probably sleeping.. Maybe I should go get my mom, she'll know what to do. No, I'll let her sleep until morning, then she can take over. But, maybe I should just have her watch her, she could do a better job, I mean, I'm the one who let her fall out of the bed.
What is it they say, a fall is only bad if its from higher than their height? This bed is way taller, it's too tall. Why is this bed so high up? Ugh...I knew I should've pushed the bed farther to the wall earlier!

Doubt. Insecurity.
How do people do this? How do they keep their kids alive? How can I possibly be responsible for someone's life...how could I ever have another kid? I can't even keep this one safe, how do people with multiple children do it? How do the Duggars do it? Well, by that point I'm sure the collective group is considered one entity instead of individuals and all the siblings raise the other ones so maybe they don't count.

Ok, maybe if I just woke her for a bit, and made sure she wakes up and is ok, then I can stop worrying. If she knows how to drink water, brain functionality must be normal then. But if I wake her, what if she takes forever to go back to sleep? It's already been a long night, what if it just makes her mad? What if I can't get her up? What if she's stuck in a perpetual dream like state, a coma? Okay, wake her up. I sit up in the bed making her sit up with me. She's like putty. I grab her water/juice cup and give it to her to drink.

I see eyes. Thank God. I give her her drink and she starts downing the water. She's probably thirsty. Okay, this is good. Now I know she's functional. She coughs a bit from her cold or whatever has overtaken her the last few hours and I decide I'd have a better hold on her in the living room chair for some odd reason. She curls up on me and falls right back to sleep. Well at least I didn't have to deal with getting her back down, that was easy. She must be tired.
Well, this is pointless. Why am I in the living room?

I walk back and head toward Lily's room. We'll sit in here for a bit. The pale blue light peaks through the cracks in the blinds. I look over, 5:51 am. It's only been less than 20 minutes!? Feels more like a lifetime has gone by. I keep rocking, she's breathing heavy and steady, snuggled up on my chest. I think she'll be fine. I should just go lay her down in her crib and go to bed.
I hear actual roosters crowing. That's a first. They must be pretty far away, but I can hear them. It's probably that horse farm behind my parents house. The birds start chirping. It's almost morning. I think I'll just stay here and hold her just a little longer...

Pictures of Lily

2011-07-02T13:57:00.002-05:00

That grin says all you need to know about Lily :)

Here's a couple of the pics that Robin Combs took during Mark's senior photo session. This was the little monkey playing up and down the stairs and making us chase her around so she wouldn't go in the street. What a cutie...

Living the Matt. 6:25-34 Life

2011-06-30T10:17:00.003-05:00

If any of you are wondering (and I mean all two of you) why I changed the name of my blog or what the verse says, well, look it up. I'm trying something new here.
I have given myself this challenge, to believe this passage and live it out to the best of my ability. In the meantime, I may chronicle from time to time how I can live this out practically, daily. I've never much liked talking about myself or my actual life, and I don't promise much, but maybe if it amuses one of you or helps anyone, it may be worth it.

And we're back...

2011-06-30T10:14:00.002-05:00

Lily has been singing along to any song you sing nowadays, even if she doesn't completely know the lyrics. She learns them, and catches on pretty quick. It's quite cute actually. The other day I was blasting and singing at the top of my lungs in the car to Flyleaf's "Arise". She caught on quick and was singing with me pretty well in fact, especially the end since it's easy. Flyleaf's music almost always has a way of piercing my heart and pulling me into a place I really want to be. This was a pretty special moment for me, Lily singing the song with me, because if there's one thing I hope for her, it's she would live her life to even more than this song plays.

The end part is most of what Lily sang with me, "Arise and be all that you dreamed". I hope she dreams bigger than she could think possible, and she will be more than she could ever even hope for. That is my ultimate dream.

Some pretty pics

2011-01-18T14:16:00.003-06:00

Here are a few pics we had made by my friend Amy, who is a photographer. They are just adorable!

I know I haven't posted in a while, but these should get me a few more months, right? :)

This one is by Justin's cousin, Robin, who is also a photographer. It was at his family's Christmas party.

I have to say, sometimes when I look at her and she smiles, I am still surprised at how cute she is, it never gets old!

More Pics

2010-10-14T19:54:00.005-05:00

We took Lily to the Nash Farm Fall Roundup. It was lots of fun, beautiful weather, farm animals, pumpkins and other stuff Lily's just a little bit too little for still.

Just a couple more sweet 1st Birthday pics! Thanks to Brad for taking so many pics of Lily :)

The kitchen was a big hit with all the kids!

Lily's 1!!

2010-10-03T10:13:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday to Lily! On September 28th, Lily turned 1! I can't believe a whole year has gone by, she is a big girl now. They grow so fast I can hardly believe she was just a little baby!

She surprisingly didn't actually eat that much of her cake.

I got her a bundt cake for her birthday! (Mommy ate most of it)

Here she is on her birthday in Southlake Town square having a girls lunch with her cousin Alina, and friend Zoe. It was a beautiful day!
Later, we went to the doctor for her 1 year check-up. We love our new pediatrician, Dr. Shori. Lily weighs 18 lbs, 7oz (11%), 28'' tall (18%). She is healthy and doing great!

At the Park again

2010-09-11T11:45:00.002-05:00

Lily got together with her cousins, Avery, Hayden, and Drew for a grandkids picture at the park!

Too bad she wasn't in a smiling mood at the time. You can imagine how hard it is to get 4 kids to smile at the same time!

Later, she got in the swing, and loved it.

It was so hot this day, but we are read for Fall and nice weather to go out and play!

Lily at the Park

2010-08-05T16:12:00.004-05:00

Justin and I took Lily to Grapevine Botanical Gardens, which is also Justin's great grandmother's, Bessie Mitchell, old house and land. We love this place, it's even where Justin proposed to me, and it was fun to see Lily there now. She loved the fountain the best, she just loves to splash in the water!

Lily loves the tutus I make for her, but they are a little hard to crawl around in, especially since this one was so big!

July 17th!

2010-07-17T22:30:00.004-05:00

We welcome to the world our 3rd nephew, Drew Ryan Mitchell. He came to us on a special day, mine and Justin's 6th wedding anniversary. He was born at 1:56 pm, weighed 6 lbs. 15 oz. and 20'' long. The delivery went very fast, and my sister-in-law and nephew are doing great.

Biggest big brother, Avery. What is Lily gonna do with all these boys?!
Her future boyfriends better watch out.

Later that evening, Justin and I went to celebrate our anniversary at the Old Hickory Steakhouse at the Gaylord hotel, like we do every year. It was yummy!

9 months and crawling!

2010-07-03T13:59:00.003-05:00

Lily is growing more and more everyday, and it is so amazing. She is now crawling all over the place, which is cute but creates more of a challenge for mom :) At her well check, she was 16 lb. 13oz. and 26'' long. She's still under the 20th percentile, but she is proportionate and growing great. She's a great eater and seems to learn something new everyday.

Unfortunately, the videos are not working which is so annoying, but I'll upload as soon as I can.

This week my sister and niece came to visit us, and Lily and Alina have had so much fun together. They entertain each other so well and it is cute to watch Alina try to take care of the "baby". I think she'd make a great older sister! We will miss them!

On the farm

2010-07-02T16:04:00.003-05:00

Lily and I, along with some friends, visited a peach orchard near our house. It was a cute little farm called Henrietta Orchards (i think), run by an older couple who also have apples and pumpkins in the fall. We had fun picking our own peaches, and they're cheaper than the store. The only downside was it was soo hot!

Vacation!!

2010-06-22T23:51:00.005-05:00

matching cousins

We went to Seabrook Island, near Charleston, South Carolina for vacation this year. It was Lily's first vacation, and we had a great time. We also went because it my sister's 30th birthday, so our whole family was there to celebrate. Here's a few pics of our time there.

Lily puts everything in her mouth. It was quite funny, she tried eating all the sand, salt water, mud, just whatever. Then she smacks and licks her lips because it's got a funny taste. Don't worry, she saved some sand on the beach for the other people.

This was the Angel Oak tree. It was huge, and all its branches twisted out and spanned over 17,000 square feet. It's named Angel for a few different reasons, but it's neat that most of the pictures turned out oddly glowing, and I think that's why it's named that.

First airplane ride.

Fun Stuff

2010-06-11T16:03:00.004-05:00

Lily loves her Easter basket, she puts it on her head like a hat but then sometimes gets worried when she can't see.

I've already got her doing her own laundry :)

playtime

Lily loves to laugh, it's the cutest laugh ever!

Summer is Here!

2010-05-28T19:08:00.002-05:00

Swimsuit: Check
Hat: Check
SPF 50: Double check
Swimming pool: Check
90 degree + weather: Check
Summer: :)

Lily not only loves the bath, but LOVES the pool! She went swimming for the first time this week, and loves the water. She doesn't even mind when she splashes herself in the face.

She's my cherry pie

Lily loves drinking from the big cups. No baby sippy cups needed here... But it's especially cute when she dumps it all over herself :)

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T16:59:00.004-05:00

It was a special Mother's Day for me, not only because it was my first, but because Lily was dedicated at our church. Our families and friends came and supported us and it meant a lot to us! I am so thankful for my adorable baby girl, my great friends, sweet mother in-law, encouraging sister and caring sister-in-law, and most of all my wonderful mom who has sacrificed and given so much for her family. She has shown me such a great example of what a good mom should be and I hope to be at least some of what she was to me. I love you mom!

I know you can barely see us, none of the pics from church turned out great, oh well.

Spring

2010-04-24T12:10:00.001-05:00

Here we are on a beautiful spring day. Lily loves going outside for walks and posing for pics.

Cousin Alina and Bluebonnets

2010-04-07T17:30:00.002-05:00

There are just no words...

Lily and cousin Alina had fun in the Bluebonnets!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-07T17:27:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter everyone!

Daddy's Girl

Happy Half Birthday!

2010-04-01T13:59:00.003-05:00

Lily turned 6 months on Sunday! Wow, can't believe she's getting to be so big already. She
weighs 14 lbs. 4 oz. and is 24'' long (2 feet tall!)

Lily is starting to eat her solid foods, beginning with homemade sweet potato. She only drinks formula now :( but she likes it just the same! She also likes apple juice, but not prune juice. Also, she wants anything you eat or drink, and tries to take it from you. She is a very happy baby and we are all so in love with her.

BeforeAfter

At the Stockyards

Here she is eating like a big girl (Oh, what a mess!)
She just goes straight for the bowl :)

Good to the Last Drop (she's trying to suck off the remainder off her lips)

5 Months

2010-03-15T14:51:00.001-05:00

I'm 5 months old, yay! That's all I have to say...

A Day in the Life

2010-02-26T23:01:00.004-06:00

A late Happy Valentines Day to you!
From my heart...

to yours.

This looks yummy..

I think I'll try it.

If you've been wondering what's new with Lily, she'd like you to know that her life is very busy at the moment. She typically (cross our fingers) gets a full nights rest and starts her day at 8 am (which is still too early for mommy). Anyway, after breakfast, Lily naps with mommy in the big bed until the Price is Right. Then she gets in some play time on her mat, tummy time, exercise consisting of flailing arms and kicking feet, swinging, and bouncing in her bouncer.
She can roll over, and chooses to do so a lot these days, but inevitably cries when she can't turn herself back over. (Even though she did at first turn over from belly to back a couple times). She has lunch with rice cereal, which she still loves but is a total mess! Mommy's milk supply is dwindling, so now she is on half mommy milk and half formula, but to her it's all the same. (I'm sure she'll be a picky eater later). Nap time follows all her activities, but she always wakes up 45 minutes in, cries and plays around for a while, then falls back asleep to finish it out (on good days). By evening, she's pretty worn out and ready for a bottle and in bed by 8pm. It's a good life!

Snow Angel

2010-02-12T15:32:00.004-06:00

I was tired of everyone else having fun in the snow, and seeing as this may be the last day with this pretty powder, I thought I'd risk bundling up the baby and seeing what she thought of it.(Don't worry, mom, she had layers and layers of clothing on and we were only outside for a minute)

First Haircut and cute things

2010-02-10T14:45:00.005-06:00

Before

After

We gave Lily her first haircut yesterday. Yes, she was growing kind of a mullett in the back, so I went ahead and gave her a little trim to even things out. It's a little uneven, but I never knew it would be so hard to use scissors around a baby who is moving around all over the place. (Note to self: Duh..)

She loves her rice cereal, she likes to suck the spoon dry!

Valentines Day Cookies we made. Well, actually I made them :)

Yes, she is a cutie, even in cold weather.

4 Months!

2010-01-30T14:56:00.002-06:00

And she's almost as big as her lamb now! We had Lily's 4 month checkup at the doctor yesterday, and it went really well. She is 11 lb. 7 oz. 23'' long. Shots were not so fun, but she did really good with them. She doesn't seem to have an allergy to Soy, so at least I can eat that now. We'll see about the dairy soon...(I accidently had cheese today, which actually gave me a stomach ache!)

She's a Big Girl Now

2010-01-24T22:06:00.003-06:00

Since Lily is just about 4 months old now, we decided to try a little bit of the rice cereal. She loved it! She did a good job eating it, although most she would later spit out, but kept eating it like it was going out of style. Then she tried sucking it off her fingers too. It's still a work in progress, but at least we have somewhat good experiences so far. We are putting her on a 4-hour feeding schedule now too, and that has been so good. Lily is so much better with her reflux, it's hard to even know it's there anymore. She is just a happy and wonderful baby. Good times here we come!

*Note: That is an orchid on our table, it is not a flower shooting out of her head or a hairpiece, I notice this picture looked funny, but now it's too late. Oh well.

We love bath time!

So Uncle Mark decided it was time she start gambling...and with Lily's help, he won! Can't you see how she's already contemplating her bet?

So I was singing Lily "rock a bye baby" the other day, (is that even the words?) and I thought it was a little strange, it started getting morbid. It starts out innocent, but "when the bow breaks the cradle will fall, and down will come baby, cradle and all"? What? I don't want my baby to fall out of a tree top. I had to change up the words as to not scare Lily, I mean, do I have this song wrong, or what?

Cousins

2010-01-04T12:14:00.005-06:00

We celebrated Alina's 1st birthday at our house before they had to leave for South Carolina. Her real birthday is January 7th, but I'm sure she was fine opening up her presents and eating cake a little early.

Lily got Alina a baby doll stroller, and she got to ride in it, which they both loved!

Alina is such a good girl, she even shares her toys with her little cousin.

Here is another type of cousin, Dobby with Major. I don't know what I'm going to do with that dog...

This is Lily's first time in the bumbo, or is it bumpo? Anyway, she loved it!
Here are some other things Lily loves: she loves to sit up like a big girl, hates being held like a baby. She loves her cat, Bella, not so sure about Dobby yet, (who by the way, likes to chew up her burp cloths and bibs, he has an obsession with her spit up for some reason).
She loves to play with toys now, and look at lights and even the t.v. (don't worry, she's not really "watching t.v." yet). She does not like tummy time.

She loves to "talk" and smile, laugh and "coo". We've already had some pretty intelligent conversations :)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T11:51:00.004-06:00

It was a wonderful Christmas this year, the best ever. Not only were we blessed with 2 new baby girls in our family, it was a white Christmas too!

Sleeping through the presents at Justin's family's house on Christmas eve.

Lily slept through the gift opening at my family's house too on Christmas Day. It was all just too much for her.

Christmas in freezing cold at Southlake Town Square, Santa was gone :(Christmas Day, we had a big snowball fight, I got Dobby pretty good!

Lily's Nina, (my mom) likes to spoil her indeed.

Here is Aunt Raluca with her daughter Alina, who is helping burp Lily.

This was our only attempt this year to take a nice Christmas pic, it was ok. Lily's spitting up :)

Lily with cousins Avery and Hayden.

After Christmas we visited the GI specialist for Lily and her reflux. The doctor thought she was probably fine, but had a possible milk and soy allergy, and therefore I have to strictly avoid all forms of those foods for at least a month, and we should see a vast improvement. All the doctors have encouraged me to keep breastfeeding, however, because it is still the best thing for her. I think we have already seen an improvement in her though, she really is a good girl! Lily is now over 3 months old, and weighs 11.2 pounds. She's growing so fast and changing so much it's hard to keep up with her!

Christmas Pics

2009-12-15T11:44:00.003-06:00

Look what we found under the tree!

Lily is growing fast. She is 11 weeks old, and now weighs over 10 pounds and is over 22 inches long. Recently she has been better about the reflux, so we hope it lasts. It's amazing to think how much she's changed in such a short period of time.

Cute pics

2009-11-30T17:23:00.003-06:00

Justin playing old school mario on nintendo. Lily was mesmerized by it.

Big girl in her weiner dog shirt, just like Dobby.

This is our Purple Turtle. Lily loves to stick her tongue out a lot, reminding us of a turtle. Well, add this outfit to the mix, and you have miss purple turtle. Justin even made up a song to go with it!

The best present of all

2009-11-10T23:20:00.003-06:00

It was my 25th birthday today, and we celebrated by taking Lily on her first outing to Southlake Town Square. We had lunch and walked around outside, she loved it.

Lily is my favorite gift!

Nina feeding Lily outside. She eats very well with her. Isn't she so cute?

Also, we hope Lily will start doing better soon. A couple weeks ago, she had came down with a rash, thrush, and with reflux. Everything cleared up except the reflux, which we are still trying to figure out. She is on her 3rd medicine now, and this needs to work this week and she needs to gain the appropriate amount of weight by her next doctor's visit in a week, or we need to do a reflux sonogram to see if there is anything else going on. We pray we don't need to do anymore, mommy's tired of doctor's offices, pharmacies, medicines, bad insurance and big bills. But we just really want Lily's tummy to feel better :)

Trick or Treat

2009-11-01T17:30:00.004-06:00

It was Lily's first holiday, (unless you count Columbus Day, which I don't) Halloween! Unfortunately, I couldn't find a costume for this little one, so we just made her look "festive". Little witch tights and her I love my mummy shirt. It was also a big day because it was Lily's first outing that wasn't to the doctor's office.

Grandude hasn't been to the dentist in a while...

Lily's reaction...

We went to Nana and Grandude's house, and even went to a few houses for trick or treating with cousins Shaggy and Scooby! Justin and I had fun eating the candy in her honor :)

First Walk

2009-10-28T16:31:00.003-05:00

Well, it was a beautiful fall day yesterday, and Lily's first walk around the neighborhood with mommy and Nana. She enjoyed it very much, sleeping most of the time. It was so cute!

Bathtime!

2009-10-23T21:44:00.002-05:00

Lily's umbilical cord has finally come off. Well the main part did a couple weeks ago, but she had a little piece hanging on, which prevented a full bath until now. Unfortunately, Lily did not love the bath so much.

Doctor's Visit

2009-10-13T23:14:00.003-05:00

Lily hates the pediatrician! She screamed bloody murder today at her 2 week visit, but who wouldn't if they asked you to strip down to your undies in a cold waiting room and poked and prodded at you? Especially during nap time. But, good news is Lily is thriving and doing very well, she now weighs a whopping 6 lbs. 11 oz., which means she is gaining a lot very fast! She is a very efficient feeder :) It's amazing to see the changes in her already, it goes by so quickly...

Week 2

2009-10-13T23:04:00.003-05:00

Last week, Aunt Raluca, Uncle Justin (not daddy Justin), and Alina came to visit us. It was a huge help to have my sister here and all her help around the house and support with a newborn. It was fun to see my niece Alina and how much she's growing, and it was cute to see her reaction to Lily. Raluca got the girls matching "I love my mummy" shirts, and the pictures are of us trying to get them together, but Alina thought Lily was like a doll, and Lily wouldn't wake up for a pic :)

Week 1

2009-10-11T18:04:00.002-05:00

Time flies and things are going well. I have recovered well from the c-section, of course it was very hard in the beginning, but each day gets a little easier. Lily has done very well, she is gaining weight and a good baby. When she was born it was realized that the c-section was necessary, as the cord was wrapped around her arm and shoulder, preventing her descent into the birth canal. So, the decision was a good one and we are thankful for modern medicine and technology!
Lily's first pediatrician's appointment was interesting :) She did great in the car, but just did not like it when the doctor had to check her, it was very cold in the exam room. She did great though, weighing in already at 6 lbs. 2 oz. The doctor said that was excellent, and she is doing well in all areas. All in all, we survived her first outing!
Lily's sleeping very well, we have to wake her up most of the time to feed her, and she eats pretty good too, but sometimes we have to try keep her up to get most of the meal in. That is typical of newborns, so I hear.
The neatest thing is just to watch how she changes everyday just a little bit :)

It's a Girl!

2009-10-04T21:14:00.004-05:00

We welcome to the world Lily Faith Mitchell. Born September 28, 2009 at 2:07 a.m. She weighed 5 lb. 15 oz. and was 19 in. long. We are so thrilled and blessed that she is finally here.

Lily came early as a surprise to all of us. At approximately 4 pm, my water broke at Justin's grandparents house in Joshua. It was exciting as our family made the rush back up home, and then to the hospital. Labor progressed quickly for me, checking in at 7 pm to the hospital, with contractions 2-3 minutes apart and dilated to 3 cm. By 9 pm I had advanced to 5 cm and already had my epidural. However, things slowed down and I was given pitocin to speed up contractions and oxygen to keep her active, but it was not working. After this, things slowed down significantly enough that by 1 in the morning, the doctor's were concerned about her heart rate and my lack of progress, especially when it had started so quickly in the first place. The doctor decided it would be best to go ahead and have a c-section and have a "birthday" as he said.
Lily Faith was born 8 days early to Taylor's Swift's "You Belong to Me" while I laid on a table feeling no pain :) Justin was the first to see her and brought her to me, and she was perfect!
We are thankful that mommy and baby are doing well. She is a precious gift from God and we are in awe of her beauty and just how good she is!

The Nursery

2009-09-21T10:55:00.006-05:00

Here are a few pics of Lily's Nursery. We are so blessed and thankful to everyone who has been so generous and giving with us. Literally everything you see was given to us or was bought by money/gift cards received from friends and family. We are truly in awe of God's provision and can't thank everyone enough for blessing us so much.

Update

2009-08-29T12:40:00.002-05:00

So, Monday we had another doctor's visit. He did a sonogram and everything looked great. It was cute, we could see her face and even her hair on her head! She was 4lb. 9oz. and her heart rate was 145bpm. By now, she's probably tipping the scales at about 5 lbs., since babies will gain about half a pound a week until delivery time. The countdown is on!

Fun things

2009-08-19T23:08:00.006-05:00

Me and Brachele at her beautiful wedding. But I think she is even more pretty than her wedding was. Don't you love her dress? Congratulations Matt and Brachele!

Us hanging out at the wedding reception. So, I discovered, you can't really dance when you're 8 months pregnant. We just watched everyone which really was fun. Plus, Justin doesn't like to dance, so he was happy I wasn't dragging him to the dance floor :)

This is what your friends and everyone does when they know you're pregnant. Unfortunately, Lily is a little shy, so while she kicks vigorously with me, as soon as someone else puts their hands on her, she stops. Shy like her mama?

Here is one way to pass the time. Watch the belly grow, and grow...and grow..wait... I think I can actually see it growing..

Baby Showers

2009-08-19T22:55:00.004-05:00

The grandma's!
Nana and Nina

Me and the amazing chicks who threw the shin-dig.

Yes, it looks like dirty diapers, that's the point. It was the candy bar game! Also, what kind of baby food is that? Of course, I got everything wrong :(

Showers and updates

2009-08-12T15:46:00.003-05:00

Doctor's visits going well. In 2 weeks we'll get to have another sonogram just to check on everything. The only new symptoms now are swelling, and it's bad. It hurts to close my hands into fists because of it :( I look like the Pillsbury dough boy!

Doctor's Update

2009-08-06T21:38:00.003-05:00

Well, the appointments are closer now. 2 week intervals, yay! It's good to know I get to see the doctor again so soon, and get that reassurance that everything is fine. Lily is now around 16-17 inches long, and a little over 3 pounds. Trust me, I can tell she's getting bigger, she takes up a lot more room now.
The only hard part is the doctor said I needed physical therapy because of my fractured tail bone which is now causing A LOT of pain, and sciatica and things. Unfortunately, I won't be able to do the physical therapy for insurance and cost reasons, so please pray it gets better and magically heals! So far only sitting and standing hurt though, hah! The good news is delivery will bring sweet relief!
Only 2 months max to go!

7 1/2 Months

2009-07-29T21:31:00.004-05:00

Brachele's Bachelorette Party. It was iced tea and going home before midnight for this ol' lady.

This is at our friend Brachele and Matt's Wedding Shower. Justin wasn't wearing his lei.

Third Trimester Blues

2009-07-27T16:01:00.002-05:00

7 and a half months, here is what that looks like:

I can't eat, drink, or do "certain things".
I can't sleep, walk, bend,
or wear my rings.
My clothes are too tight,
I look like a fright...
I swell, sweat, hurt and cry.
I complain and sometimes
I don't even know why.

But the best part about it, is just around the corner;
when I get to see her, love her,
and just plain adore her!

That was a month ago!

2009-07-10T19:00:00.003-05:00

I am bigger now...Isn't daddy cute?

Progress

2009-07-04T10:18:00.003-05:00

Slowly, but surely, here we have the makings of a nursery. Justin worked really hard to paint it all and I helped him put the crib together.
Also, just to update, results from the blood work all came back good.

Doctor's Update

2009-07-01T21:06:00.002-05:00

Just a quick update from the doctor's visit today; everything seems good. I'm at 26 weeks, so I had my glucose screening, which is where they check for gestational diabetes. I was worried about the drink since I have heard bad things, but honestly, at first, I thought it was pretty good. Of course about halfway through my throat started hurting because it was so sweet, but overall, not a bad experience. We listened to the heartbeat which was also still good, and this is the last long month between doctor's visits. The only thing he wants me to do is keep track everyday of my dizzy spells, and breathing/high pulse issues. I'll find out the results next week from the blood work, but I'm not expecting anything bad.
And now, just for fun, for all those non-pregnant people to feel better about themselves, since my 1st appointment, I have gained a whopping 10 pounds! Of course, I hadn't eaten that morning :) It sure does catch up with you pretty quick :)

Getting bigger and bigger...

2009-06-25T09:46:00.003-05:00

And this is about the size Ms. Lily is turning into in my belly. At the end of this month she'll be nearing 2 pounds. Ironically, I have been eating eggplant dip the last couple days; fitting or gross?

Don't try this pregnant in 100 degrees

2009-06-15T22:31:00.002-05:00

Ok, so trying to go to Target to buy ONE THING, when I know exactly where it is, and leaving real quick on Saturday in this heat, is not a good idea! I nearly passed out... this summer is going to be fun!
Note: They need pregnancy parking everywhere.

Meanwhile...

2009-06-13T12:12:00.003-05:00

Not many updates, except now Lily is kicking so hard we can see my belly moving through my shirt. You don't even have to feel it!
So, since we don't have the cute baby pics yet, I thought I'd post some of the only children we have now that we can photograph. Dobby and Bella. This is what they like to do most, Dobby sprawls out on the floor and just looks around, while Bella is obsessed with an open window and just looking outside. It's her favorite thing! We had a family hug last night with all 5 of us, but Bella wasn't too thrilled about Dobby joining in...oh well :)

It's a girl! Again!

2009-06-02T22:50:00.002-05:00

Just so there's no more what if's....the doctor confirmed yesterday that it is indeed a baby girl! No sprouts!
Justin also got to hear the heartbeat for the first time, so that was nice for him. Lily is now 22 weeks, and almost a full pound. All seems to be doing quite well. (Except for all those pregnancy aches, no one ever warned me!)

Announcing the birth of our baby!

2009-05-31T10:40:00.003-05:00

Oh...wait, that's just Dobby.
Apparently he found one of Alina's pacifiers she left here a couple months ago. But finders, keepers, right? Unless you really want that one back, Alina :)

5 months and counting

2009-05-27T11:03:00.004-05:00

Ok, this is not the best picture of me, but it definitely shows that bump I've been sporting for a while now. I have now (finally!) gotten over the sickest part of the pregnancy, but that has only left room for the other aches and annoyances. At least it's officially swimming season!

2009-05-22T10:54:00.002-05:00

Well, it has been an exciting week. The baby, Lily (we'll know for sure in a week), started doing some major kicks and jabs this week. Although I have felt a few little things here and there, Tuesday marked the day I thought she would bust a hole through my stomach and go ahead and come on out into this world. OK, maybe that's a little dramatic, but still. But apparently, at this point, kicks, punches, rolls, and somersaults are common. But the other truly neat development is Justin could feel the baby himself as well. What a precious moment :) Actually, it freaked him out a bit, haha! Also, Robin came over last night and the baby put on a show for her as well, so now Aunt Robin has felt the baby move also!

P.S. I believe the only reason she moved so much for Robin was because she decided to finally move back up here where she belongs. Note: you know who you are, if you were here, you'd get to feel the baby too!

2009-05-12T10:16:00.004-05:00

So, supposedly this is the size of our baby now. A mango. It's interesting all the different foods they come up with that is the size of your baby at that point, and somehow, I crave that food each time I see what our baby is. Freaky, huh?
That's actually not the scary part, next week the baby is supposed to be the size of a cantaloupe! I don't know where it'll go, but that is truly scary. Seems like a big jump from mango to cantaloupe.

2009-05-05T10:43:00.003-05:00

This is the spinal cord and part of the head. I know you can't see much, but it's something.

Lily Faith

2009-05-04T20:05:00.002-05:00

We are so excited and happy to announce we're having a baby girl! At least for now, we hope. The doctor tried real hard to get a look, but he said he's fairly certain, but I guess there's a small chance he could be wrong. She (if in fact that's what she is) did not move her little legs too much, but girl's what we're going with! The name we have had picked out forever is Lily Faith :) Which is great, because I've been stressing about a boys name anyway. Lily is my favorite flower, and a name we have liked since we've met. Faith is what it's taken to get here, and what I've had to learn to have in God.
The doc says everything else looks good, so praise God! I can calm down a little more now.
Also, I definitely felt her little feet kicking me today, which is doubly exciting! I think the coke kicked in a little later :)

If she sprouts a penis at next month's visit, we'll update!

PANDEMIC

2009-04-30T19:16:00.002-05:00

Ok, so today at work, my co-worker freaked me out over the whole swine flu thing. She told me how especially I need to be careful because I'm pregnant. Now I'm scared to go out, and for my husband to even come home, because I'm afraid he's going to give it to me. Crazy, huh? I'm just ready for this whole thing to be over with.
Oh well, off I go to sanitize and clean my whole house...not fun.

2009-04-30T19:11:00.001-05:00

This is the first and only pic we've taken so far. This is around 6 weeks I think, but I already thought I was getting a bump. See that? Yeah, I think it's really just my non-flat stomach, but I was getting excited, ya know? Notice my face is not in the picture...

First Entry

2009-04-23T22:03:00.000-05:00

So, I finally decided to make a blog. I'm not much for these things, but in discussions with my friends, it's been decided that I should at least chronicle my pregnancy, that way I won't forget it. (Even though I forget everything nowadays, I don't see how I could forget this pregnancy).
So, this is just to catch people up to speed, and to scare potential preggers out there.
I'm 16 weeks, in my fourth month, but don't try to do too much math with pregnancy, because it absolutely makes no sense whatsoever! It's probably a good thing I'm starting now though, because, it's not been so good so far. I felt great until about week 8, then the nausea started. Then the vomiting. Then the headaches, bloating, sickness, weakness, dizziness, round ligament pain, back pain, crazy emotions and many other symptoms I won't bother mentioning :) So, yeah. And by the way, it doesn't get that much better the fourth month like they say, I am proud to say that I even threw up just this morning!
In spite of all that, I am so thrilled, excited, nervous and just plain giddy about the arrival of our baby, my prayers have finally come true.
Real quick, I just want to thank all those out there, you know who you are, (probably the only ones actually reading this) THANK YOU for putting up with me and helping me out so far!