Such a dainty little girl at 9 months!

Lilly went for her 9 months checkup on Monday and she is doing well! No shots this time which was a welcomed surprise for all. She grew 3 inches and is now 27 inches. She weighs right above 16 lbs still, such a dainty little girl! She eats really well and has not developed any picky habits which we feel lucky about. Now that she is on the move, Dr. Green said that her weight gain might taper off from month to month as she gets close to a year old. And by on the move...I mean she is anywhere and everywhere these days! It's so fun watching her explore but it can be exhausting as well chasing after her. She has also mastered standing herself up in her crib. Even though we moved the mattress to it's lowest setting... It's so amazing how quickly things are changing now. She says all sorts of things...da-da, ma-ma, ya-ya, la-la, etc. And she loves to click her tongue and make lots of noise. If we do it, she does it back to us. She also loves to wave and has even started saying bye-bye with it! She waves forward and backwards :)

Her favorite toys seem to be things that are not really toys. Like door stoppers, air vents, rugs, Annie's dog toys, Mommy's glasses, Daddy's cell phone and watch, and anything that makes a crinkling noise. She has discovered the Christmas tree and presents but doesn't seem too terribly interested at this point. She likes the wrapping paper on the presents but hasn't went after the tree yet. Knock on wood!

We are so excited to celebrate her first Christmas this year. We feel very fortunate to have her in our lives to make this season even more beautiful. Happy Holidays to all!

With Love,

The Browns

Jarod and I had a date night to an IU Basketball Game.

Cousins at Thanksgiving

Surprise, Mommy!

Lilly went down for a nap this afternoon, at least that's what Mommy thought. I went into check on her after I heard her start squealing and giggling to find her like this....I can't believe it! She started attempting to pull up over the last few days but I didn't expect her to master standing in her crib so soon. She never stops amazing us! Such a bundle of joy.

Louisville Trip

Jarod and I needed a break after a long and stressful couple of weeks. Our good friends Amy and Michael helped plan a spontaneous trip to Louisville, KY! We had a blast. They surprised us with a suite at the Galt House overlooking the river and we went out to dinner and met a few of my girlfriends from IU afterwards. Lilly stayed with Nonna and Grandpa and was spoiled as usual! Aunt Cas and Uncle Joey also helped babysit and I hear that Lilly gave Aunt Cas a run for her money during dinner!

Lilly is crawling very well now. It is throwing our dog, Annie, off. She isn't sure what to think of Lilly crawling right up to her. We are amazed and just stare at her in disbelief that our little girl is now on the move. It seems like yesterday that she was welcomed into this world. She loves reading books and that is her favorite thing to do at anytime of the day. She is a pro at waving now as well. If you're lucky, she'll wave at you with both hands. It's too cute! She hasn't cut a single tooth yet but the poor thing is ever so close. The teething episodes are becoming more and more painful for her and are keeping her awake at night. We feel so bad for her and hope that she will have some relief soon.

She goes for her 9 months check up in a few weeks and then before we know it, we will be celebrating her 1st Christmas. Mommy has already ordered her stocking and has been trying to find the perfect Christmas dress! The Holidays will have a new meaning for our family this year.

Out to dinner at Ditto's Restaurant

Sara, Melissa, and Alison

Amy and Michael


Until next time, love to all!
Jarod, Melissa, & Lilly

Lilly's First Halloween

We are going to attempt to blog to keep our family and friends updated. Hope you have fun reading about our crazy but fun life!

We enjoyed Lilly's first Halloween last weekend. She was an Angel Baby and was so adorable. She absolutely loves the pumpkin that her Nonna gave her to trick or treat with. This was very fitting for her first Halloween costume since we always referred to her as our angel baby when Melissa was pregnant due to her complications. She has been a blessing in so many ways to our life. She weighs 16 lbs 7 oz and is well on her way to crawling everywhere. Mommy is not sure what she is in for!

On a sad note, our dog Vino passed away on Monday afternoon. He started having seizures and was put on medication over a month ago. On Friday after we were through with the trick or treaters, he had 2 seizures back to back that left him disoriented and hurt his motor skills severely. We learned that it was very likely that he had a brain tumor and would not live much longer. It was a very hard decision but we chose to let him go in peace. We are devastated and feel a void in our lives but we know he will always be in our hearts to love and protect us.

Until next time...love to all!

I love my pumpkin!

We miss our little guy so much.