8 month photos!

Lily is 8 months old!! I can hardly believe it. Her first year is flying by! 'Lily Sister' (Bobby's nickname for her) is such a joy to our family. She is always content and smiling.

Lily's 8 month achievements:

*Scooting around everywhere!

*Working on sitting up...she is getting more steady every day!

*Trying new foods. She currently is a fan of: carrots, bananas, cantaloupe, pears and squash.

I thought it would be a cute idea to do the same photo shoot for Lily that I did for Bobby when he was 8 months old. I even still had the polka dot rubber duckies that I used for Bobby!

Perfect.

This photo shoot seriously only took about 15 minutes. She is so easy to photograph! She loved the water and playing with the ducks. Here are some of my favorites, but if you want to see the rest, you can take a look here.

First Food!

Sorry for my lack of posting, friends! I totally missed her 5 month pictures, and now she is already 6 months! Time is going by too fast!

We fed Lily her first food the other day, avocado. She was interested, but not crazy about it. She's wasn't really sure what to do with the food once it was in her mouth. I think she only ate about 2 spoonfuls total.

Hmmm...interesting...

Grabbing the spoon.

Bobby wanted to help, too. I love how his mouth is open, like he is showing her how to do it. He is such a good big brother!!

Happy girl!

Big girl!

Trying out her new seat....she's getting so big!

4 months old!

I can't believe Lily is 4 months old! Time really does fly by. Lily is such a happy baby. I am loving watching her grow and learn. All with a smile on her face!

4 month accomplishments:

* Rolling over from tummy to back, in both directions. She only does this in her bed, though, all the time! Never in public, where anyone can see. :)

*Doing really well in her car seat!

*Remember this issue? She has started to go to bed much easier. Something about turning 4 months old. She's a big girl now and doesn't need me to nurse her twice before bed time! Thanks for all your mommy advice!

*She sleeps about 10 hours straight at night. She gets up about 5-6:30 or so, and I nurse her, then she falls back to sleep until 8 or 9am.

*Learning to lift her head up real high during tummy time!

*She is tough! She took a shoe to the face (compliments of her big brother) and didn't even cry. I was the one freaking out. :)

She's starting to get nice and pudgy. That double chin reminds me of my baby pictures!

Seriously. So. Happy.

Pretty girl.

Checking out her colorful outfit. Thanks Aunt Casey!

Mama advice needed!!

Moms, experienced and new, I need your advice.

Here is the situation: Lily is 3 mos old, almost 3.5 mos. She is a great sleeper for her naps and does great at night also (11-12 hours!). I semi-sleep trained her to stay asleep once I put her in her bed, and then I semi-trained her again to put herself to sleep when I put her in her bed drowsy. She does great with her naps, it is very rare that I need to go into her room to soothe her during nap time.

Bed time is another story. For some reason, Lily doesn't like going to bed! Once she is asleep, she does great, but getting her to stay asleep is difficult. I usually nurse her to sleep (only for bed time), then put her into bed. Five-ten minutes later, she is crying. I then try to soothe her back to sleep, but end up nursing her again, then she is fine.

You may say: have you tried...? Or what about....? Yes, friends, I've tried it.

I've tried:

*Not nursing her to sleep. I nurse her 30 min before I put her in bed. She still woke up.

*Early bed time/Later bed time...doesn't seem to matter, she still wakes up.

*Prayer-I pray over her while I am nursing her, she still wakes up!

*Letting her cry. I actually let her cry for 30 minutes tonight, then went in and ended up nursing her.

*I thought she wasn't eating enough because she was falling asleep, so one night I kept waking her up to finish nursing, but that didn't work either!!

Should I even be stressing about this? Is it even that big of a deal? Is she still too young and I should just stop worrying about it? I just get frustrated because this wasn't a problem with Bobby, and I know she can do it. She does it just fine during the day. I know I shouldn't really complain. She sleeps through the night and sometimes sleeps until 9-9:30. It could be so much worse!

I just thought I would ask if y'all had any tips for me. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

3 months...already?!?

It's hard to believe it has been 3 mos. already! Lily is such a good baby, smiling at anyone who will talk to her. As you can see, her hair is getting longer, and I can now put little pigtails in it! So. Adorable. My mom has gone a little bow crazy...let's just say I don't think I'll ever have to actually buy her a bow! One for every outfit. :)

Lily's 3 month accomplishments:

*She finally took a bottle! Just in time for Mommy and Daddy's anniversary, now we can go out on a child-less date!

*Rolling over! Lily can roll from tummy to back.

*She is doing much better in the car seat, thank the Lord! No more screaming!

*Burp cloths are her friend...she loves to chew on them!

Here she is once again posing for our monthly photo shoot!

Thanks Granny for the flowers! They look so cute in her hair!!

This face was so funny, I had to share!

Isn't this the most beautiful face you've ever seen? {I'm a little biased... :)}

2 mos.!

This is her expression, most of the time...

Time flies! My little girl is 2 mos. old today!! Hard to believe, yet at the same time, it seemslike she's been around a lot longer! If you notice, I took a picture of her today in the same outfitandsame spot that I did for her one month photo. We can really see how much she has changed! Her hair is so much longer! And still outa control! 2 barrettes in it and it still won't stay down!

2 month accomplishments:

~Working on sleeping consistently through the night. She does anywhere between 5-9 hours between feedings at night.

~Attempting to learn to like the bottle. So far no success. I've tried 3 different kinds. She'll do one suck, then just play with it, or just get really mad. I am praying she will eventually get it! Mama needs this!

~She takes 2-3 short naps, and one really long nap (usually at Bobby's nap time...which is heaven!).

~She loves to smile when you talk to her, and she is starting to coo. She has laughed 2 times, but hasn't done it in awhile.

I must say, those first couple weeks, I was thinking we were crazy to have our kids so close together. I definitely had some baby blues. But now that she is napping well, things are going so much better! It helps that Bobby is talking more and can communicate what he wants. That has cut down on tantrums, tremendously! He is such a good big brother. He talks real sweet to Lily, and gives her besos all the time. Yesterday he was trying to 'fix' her bouncy seat for her, and tipped it on it's side...with her in it! Thankfully I had buckled her in, which sometimes I don't, otherwise she would have fallen onto the tile floor!

I got brave last night and bathed both of them together. It went ok, but I don't think I'll be doing that again until she is a little older! Bobby accidentally pored water in her mouth, he's a little crazy in the bathtub!

I can't wait for Christmas this year, we have a lot to celebrate and be thankful for! We will be traveling home to Sugar Land, I can't wait!

One Month!

I can't believe Lily is one month old! Well, 5 weeks, to be exact. It has flown by, which I am actually thankful for, because it is getting a little easier. Bobby is getting used to having her around, and I am getting used to splitting my time between the two.

Lily's one month achievements:

*She can hold her head up pretty well when I am carrying her.

*She has slept for 5 hours straight now, a couple of times. She slept all night,2 nights ago...7 hours! She's only done that once, so far.

*Trying to learn to like her swing. It's touch and go, sometimes she does, sometimes she doesn't.

*Trying to learn how to like her bed during the day. Mama gets tired of holding her!!

*Smiling!! :)

Lily has curly hair!! It gets super curly when it is wet, even after I brush it. But it dries straight. Hmmm...I hope she has ringlets when she gets longer hair!! People love her hair. Strangers are always touching it. Sometimes I don't mind, but sometimes it drives me crazy! Keep your hands to yourself people!! A girl tried to take a picture of her today! I had to tell her 'no' twice!

Ok, off to put her to bed! More pics later!

Family visit

Aunt Casey, Aunt Michelle, Uncle Jay Jay and Noah came to visit this weekend! Good thing to, because Rob and his parents are out of town, so I would've been all alone with 2 kids all weekend! Ahhh! Not ready for that quite yet. Having 2 kids it so much harder than I anticipated. Bobby is getting more adjusted everyday. We all cry on some days. I feel bad for neglecting him, but I hold Lily so much right now...but I'm beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel! This is just temporary, we will all adjust and be just fine! (giving myself a pep talk!)

We only had 2 things on our 'must do' list this weekend: visit a pumpkin patch and take Lily's newborn pictures. Check!!

I wasn't sure if Laredo had any pumpkin patches, but thanks to my sister in law, Vero, we found one! It was really cute! Bobby had a blast running from pumpkin to pumpkin. Here are some of the cutest shots from our day!

Yee-Haw!

Newborn Photo Shoot:

So sweet!

Thanks Erin W. for the hat! It fits perfectly, and is so adorable!!

This one is one of my absolute favorites. She was so alert! You can really see how much hair she has!

Lily's Birth Story

Thanks for being patient, friends!! Lily had her best night yet and Bobby is at MDO today, so I finally have some time on my hands to tell y'all about Lily's birth!!

With my first Ultrasound around 6 weeks, my estimated due date was Oct. 5. Then when I had the big 20 week U/S, I was told she may be due on Oct. 11. But we went ahead and planned for Oct. 5, since the first U/S is more accurate. Well...Oct. 5...6...7...8...came and went. I was feeling frustrated, because I wasn't very dilated and I was anxious to get the show on the road!! I walked, 'worked out' at G7 (squats and the rowing machine), ate pineapple and spicy foods, drank some 'pregnancy' tea, pumped... you name it. Finally, Lily decided to come on Sat., Oct. 9!!

On the early morning of Oct. 9, when I woke to go to the bathroom around 1ish and 3ish, I thought I felt some contractions, but then I fell back asleep. When I woke around 5:30ish, I felt some more. They felt different then the braxton hicks, and I vaguely thought they felt similar to how Bobby's labor was. So I decided to make myself stay awake to monitor the contractions. They were coming pretty steady, about 15 minutes apart. I let Rob sleep, but around 6ish, I texted Casey to tell her I thought I might be in labor. Around 7 am, I woke Rob up and I called my midwife, Sally. She said it sounded like labor, and to call her in an hour. I did, and Sally told me that she and the other 3 midwives were getting their things together and would be on their way soon. (They were coming from San Antonio, 2-2.5 hours away)

Meanwhile, I took a shower, dried my hair, and started straightening up the room we would labor in. (Don't worry, it was clean and ready to go, I just was picking up the clutter! :) ) I am so thankful for my in-laws, as they were able to be with Bobby. I think Bobby knew something was up, because he was being so sweet to me, saying 'Hi Mama', and giving me big hugs. :)

All the while I was still having contractions, and they were getting closer together and more intense. The midwives were finally on their way around 9:30ish. We had a birthing tub in the room that needed to be filled with water, so Rob was busy trying to figure out the hose attachment that we had bought....long story short, it didn't work with our faucet, so he had to fill the tub using his muscles and a bucket!!

Again, I am so thankful for my inlaws! My mother-in-law, Aida, helped Rob fill the last half of the tub up. So, I'm watching this, putting water on the stove to boil in case we ran out of hot water, making sure Bobby was ok, checking my Facebook, texting with Casey and chatting with friends on G-chat. Crazy...I know! But I had to do something to take my mind off of the labor part!!

Finally, I knew we were getting close, because while the tub was still being filled up, the contractions were getting more and more intense, ranging from 4-6 minutes apart, and I thought I felt the urge to push. My biggest fear was that the midwives would come, and I would only be 4 cm dilated or something. So when I felt like pushing, I was actually relieved...it was almost over! I called Sally, who said they were 5-10 minutes away. Phew!

Once the tub was full, it was just me and Rob in the room. Now, about the tub...I had no intentions of doing a water birth what-so-ever. Never wanted to. It made me nervous, the baby being born in water. But I agreed to have the tub b/c I remembered how much the water relaxed me with Bobby. So, I climbed in had maybe one contraction, then the midwives came. As they were setting up, I said " I think she is coming soon". They agreed, and continued to set up. I had one or 2 more tough contractions, which were now coming as back labor. Sally checked me, and said I was fully dilated. My water still hadn't broken yet. Because of my back labor, it helped to have some pressure on my lower back during a contraction, which was difficult to accomplish while I was sitting down in a tub. To make it easier, I sort of knelt down on my knees to allow easier access to my back. I told them I felt like I needed to push. I was told to push if I felt like I needed to. I am foggy on the time, but Rob said I pushed for maybe 15-20 minutes. During one push, my water finally broke, and even though I was in water, it was still a weird feeling! I think it was one or 2 more pushes after that and out Lilliana came!! It was the craziest thing. She came rushing out, and they said "Grab her!".

Holding his daughter for the first time!

I grabbed my daughter, and brought her out of the water and held her close. She was purple, and not crying. I remembered I kept saying "she's not crying!", but hey assured me that water babies are calm right after birth, and not even 20 seconds later, she started crying. Sigh...it was over! I was so relieved! The midwives hadn't even been at the house for an hour, that's how fast she came!!

Weighing little Lily...8lbs even!

Over all, I think the home birth was a great experience. I was able to be relaxed at home and not worry about rushing to the hospital. Rob liked it 100% better than last time. The labor part wasn't as long or intense as it was with Bobby, but for some reason, the pushing part was harder for me. I didn't remember any of my breathing until the very end, so I think that may have been why.

Well, that's the story! While Rob and I were on the bed enjoying our new bundle, the midwives cleaned everything up, did some laundry, and chatted with us. Then they weighed and measured Lily, and we got her dressed. She was doing perfectly, and I wasn't doing so bad either!

Lily is doing great. She is 5 days old now, eating nonstop, and spends her days sleeping and being cute! Bobby is doing good too. He loves his new baby! The first words he said to his sister were (in the sweetest voice ever): "Hi, Baby..." So adorable.

I am so bummed that we don't have a family picture to share. We did get a lot, but they are on our new camera, which is not compatible with iphoto right now. We will be able to eventually get them off the camera, but we need to wait for an Apple update...ugh! I'm so sad about this!! :(

Ok, ok...thanks for reading this extremely LONG post!! I hope it wasn't too long, but I wanted to get in all the details, even though I know I left a lot off!!

Little feet!

P.S. I forgot to mention: NO HIVES!! Thank you God!!

She's here!!

Lilliana Michelle Garza

Oct. 9, 2010, 1:26 pm

8lbs,19 1/4" long

More on the birth later, but I wanted to post a couple pictures!!

You can't see much, but she has a FULL head of hair!!

Why bless you!!

Waiting...

Yep...still pregnant!

My due date is tomorrow, and honestly, I thought I would have had her by now! I've eaten pineapple and spicy foods, gone on long walks, pumped like crazy, even exercised!! So far, nothing has worked!! I am going on about 3.5 hours of sleep, since I was wide awake until about 3:30am!! I think God is preparing me for the sleepless nights to come!

I have a midwife appointment on Wednesday, so hopefully there has been some developments!!

Project: Lily's Room- Reveal!!

We are done with Lily's room! I really liked how it turned out. I think I may add some more wall decor later, but I can't really decide what I want to do, so I'll wait.

Since this room doesn't have any windows, I used a soft pink. I didn't want to use anything too bold or dark, which would make the room look smaller. Our room connects directly to this room, so she will be nice and close (just steps away!) without actually having her in our room. This idea makes me happy, because I remember being so overly cautious those first couple of weeks when Bobby was in our room. I was so paranoid about waking him!

Since we didn't have a lot of money to spend on her nursery, I was resourceful when thinking about furniture. Lily's dresser is my old dresser (my very first piece of furniture I ever bought new! ), the chair is a hand me down from Bobby, and while we were on our last storage unit run, I saw the yellow table and thought: 'Perfect'! I bought it on one of my Round Top trips. I think it looks so cute in her room! Her crib I got from Target online, and it was a gift from Lily's grandparents. (Thank you!)

The blanket, bed skirt and pillows were my own patterns. I am excited about how the bolster pillow turned out! I may sell them in my shop in the future...

I got the fabric for Lily's room from this Etsy shop, and I used an Amy Butler pattern from her book, Little Stitches for little ones, for the bumper pads. The pattern was so easy! I wish I had done that for Bobby's bumper...which I did on my own, and it didn't turn out quite so perfect! It's amazing what I learn with each new pattern I sew. Did you know they actually make bumper pads? Specifically designed to make crib bumpers? I had no clue! Such a novel idea!!

I've been working on Bobby's room too, so I will post pictures probably next week. :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

So I'm doing a home birth...

All the home birthing goodies...

...Which I'm sure most of you already know. I had a friend tell me that I need to stop apologizing for doing a home birth. She is so right. I get nervous whenever I talk about it...not because I am worried about doing it at home, but I worry about what others will think. But...not anymore!! I am proud to say that I will be delivering (Lord willing) Lilliana in the home that Rob grew up in! I think that is so special! I am using Certified Nurse Midwives, who will make the trip with more than just a pan to boil water and some towels. {A little home birth humor... ;) } They are prepared to take on anything that may come up, which I am not really expecting. I practically did a home birth with Bobby, and I am hoping and praying that this time around it goes just as smoothly.

We made the trek to San Antonio again today for my 35 week check up. Everything looks great! I gained 7 pounds! Yikes! I guess I am making up for the last time when I actually lost weight. I am not really dilated yet, but that's ok, I still have 5 weeks. I have to make it at least to 36 weeks before I go into labor, otherwise I will need to go to the hospital. I brought home my birthing kit (I forgot it at the Birth Center last time), and I also got a list of things to pick up from the store. It's kinda exciting! She's coming soon! Everything is ready as can be for little Lily to arrive. We just need to make one more trip to storage to pick up some baby things ( bouncy seat, play mat, boppy...) and then I think we are all set! I am waiting to hang up Lily's wall decor, then I will post pictures of her room. I promise!

(Cool story: while I was checking out at the Birth Center, a new mom was there for her 6 week postpartum check up. She had her new son with her and the midwives were bragging about his birth. He was 11 lbs. when he was born!! Holy cow! That is one big baby!! And, amazingly, the new mom didn't tear at all! Way to go for her! )

Car Seat Cover

I knew right from the start of this pregnancy that if I was having a girl, I would make a car seat cover instead of buying a whole new car seat. I found this pattern on Etsy, and I couldn't wait to start! I was a little nervous, because it looked a little tedious and time consuming. I was pleasantly surprised because it actually was fairly easy. The floral fabric is called Lindy Leaf from Heather Bailey.

Now all it needs is a baby to put in it! Only 5 more weeks left!

Ta Da! The finished product.

I think the canopy is my favorite part!

I also made some strap covers. I got this pattern here. They are super easy to make. Probably 30 minutes from start to finish! I used a pretty 'vine' looking stitch on the bias tape to make it extra special. Only the best for my little girl! :)

34 weeks and counting!

I am 34 weeks today! Time has seem to fly by while at the same time standing still. I have been pregnant all year!! I am very ready to meet our little girl. I can't wait to see who she looks like. Will she have curls (I hope so!)? Rob's dimple (I hope so!)?

I am now seeing the midwives in San Antonio every 2 weeks. Last week the check up went great. Lilliana is head down (yea!), I didn't gain any weight (yea!) and her heartbeat was perfect (yea!). I was given my 'birthing kit', which makes the fact that I am doing a home birth all the more real. It had all kinds of stuff in it that will probably make most of you nervous, so I'll spare you the details. :)

I now have Braxton Hicks contractions daily (having one right now!), and I am starting to get PUPPS (Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy). Oh joy. Both my sister and I have had the pleasure of getting this rash toward the end of our first pregnancies. We also both got some LOVELY hives to go with. (note the sarcasm!!) My hives came after I gave birth and lasted for 6 weeks! I'm talkin' full body hives...even on the palms of my hands and balls of my feet. I was so miserable. I am praying that this doesn't happen again! Supposedly the rash is more common in first pregnancies and when you are having a boy. So hopefully I don't get it too bad.

Only 6 week left to go! I have a feeling she is coming early...maybe in 4-5 weeks. I don't know why, just a feeling. Lily's room is almost ready! We are waiting on the mattress that should be here tomorrow, then I'll post pictures of her room! It is so fun and girly. Very different from the bold colors in Bobby's room.

Can't wait to hold our little girl!

I &hearts Handmade!

So many of my friends are crafty!! Handmade gifts are so special, and everyone did not disappoint! My mother-in-law was so impressed when I told her that most of my friends sew, and that we used to have sewing parties. Those were so fun!! I need to find some crafty Laredo friends to have craft parties with...or just teach Bobby and Lily to craft with me!! I can't wait to teach Lily to sew one day. Check out all the handmade goodies!

One of two blankets my mom made for Lilliana. This one is my favorite! Cupcakes on the front and polka dots on the back. So colorful!!

Burp cloths from Sarah! These are the best. Very absorbent. Love the birdie!

Knitted hat from Erin. I love her hats! She made 2 of them and they are so cute! The flower is actually a hair clip, so when the hats are too small, Lily can still wear the flower in her hair! Genius!

I am so impressed with Courtney's new sewing skills. She is new to sewing and she does a great job! She also appliqued some onesies and pants. So cute! The other side of this blanket is a super soft 'minky' fabric.

My sister, Casey, made these veggies for Lily. Two of them are little rattles! She also made a little market bag to go with. So creative. I am already hiding these from Bobby, who right now thinks everything in Lily's room is for him!

This one is extra special. My grandma made it for her first great-granddaughter. She has 4 great-grandsons so she is extra excited to finally have a little girl to make things for! Everyone (especially the grandkids) knows my grandma's scent. If I pass someone in a store wearing my grandma's perfume, I have to stop and take a long breath. The blanket smelled so much like her, that I had to indulge in a big whiff! :) My grandparents live in a small town, Kermit, TX, so I don't get to see them very often.

Thank you everyone! I loved everything, and I am slowly getting everything organized and put away. Right now I am doing a big load in the washing machine. It is so different to see pink and purple twirling around in the wash! It used to be just reds, blues and greens! I could get used to this... :)