We're Back!

I haven't been the best at keeping up with our blog lately!

We've had a busy but fun Summer all at the same time. It flew by but we love the Fall so we're anxious for it to arrive. We're also very excited to take Lilly to the pumpkin patch. Lilly is now 18 months and our busy little girl! She went to see Dr. Green for her check-up and she is doing great. Some of her favorite things to do right now are: Coloring, Eating Raisins, watching Elmo, making and playing in Forts with Daddy, pizza, Saying "Thank You", giving kisses with a big smooch noise, construction equipment, horses, and brushing her teeth. Things she dislikes currently are: diaper changes, eating, vacuum cleaners, and the sound of the trash truck. She is going through a major "Miss Independent" phase so we have our challenges but for the most part, she is free comedy!

We recently found out we will be proud parents again in early April 2010. Melissa has been blessed with bad morning and all day sickness so it's been a rough start but otherwise, we are very excited to be adding to our family. Lilly will turn 2 in February and we're hoping for a smooth transition with her becoming a big sister.

We will be vacationing in Los Angeles and Catalina Island later in September with Melissa's parents and brothers so we are looking forward to a relaxing getaway. And hoping for the best on a 4 hour flight with Lilly!!!

Enjoy the pictures!
Tea time with her bunnyAt Brendy and Anne's wedding in Cincinnati.
Lilly loves Annie and they often look out the front window together.
My little chef!

Her first trip to Indiana Beach. Loved the rides!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!

We had a fun and relaxing day. We went to 10am Mass which was lovely and then went to Melissa's parents for a casual brunch. We hope you had a wonderful day as well!

Enjoy the pictures :)

Lilly turns One!

We had a very memorable 1st birthday celebration for Lilly. She enjoyed every minute of it! A few highlights for her included playing with some of her friends and cousins, her balloons, eating cake, and all of the goodies that everyone was so kind to give her. As first time parents, it was a bittersweet day for us. It is understood that time will go by too fast with little ones but we found ourselves reminiscing quite often. Lilly is in such a fun phase and we wouldn't trade all of the joy that she gives us for anything.

Lilly had her one year appointment at the doctor's office yesterday. Things were a little rough for her this time around. She lost weight so the doctor was concerned and also wanted to check her for anemia. Mommy was not expecting this at all!!! Although I should not have been surprised with all that we have been through since day 1. We had to see a different doctor because our Pediatrician, Dr. Green, has been very ill and on medical leave unfortunately. We ended the visit with the doctor realizing that we are doing everything and more right and so the only suggestion was to add breakfast carnation to her milk and fix higher fat foods for her. She eats more than most two and three year olds do and you would never believe it with how petite she is. She gets it honestly from Mommy and Daddy. She had 3 shots and was not a happy camper! Her height is now 28 inches, weight 16 lbs 8 oz.

Here is a rundown of what she has been up to:

• Speed crawling and is very close to walking!
  
• Likes to say, da-da, ma-ma, ga-ga for her doggie Annie, bu-bu for bubbles in her bath, bye-bye, yeah, etc
• Some of her favorite foods right now are bananas, strawberries, carrots, peas, grilled cheese, beef & noodles, yogurt, ravioli, etc. She is not a picky eater and we're lucky for that. The only food she dislikes are scrambled eggs -- for now.
• Crawls up stairs
  
• Plays catch with balls
• Holds her hand and cell phones up to her ear like she is talking to someone.
• Is a very social little girl and waves to everyone.
• Cut her first tooth a week before her birthday, finally!!! And her 2nd bottom tooth is starting to poke through as well.
• Loves her stuffed Curious George monkey.

Enjoy the pictures!

Playing at the Park

We took full advantage of the Spring-like temperatures in February and made a trip to the neighborhood park. Lilly tried out the baby swing, teeter totter and even took a try down the slide. We had a blast! Hearing her giggle makes me giggle tears.

Lilly is on the move more than ever right now. In the last week, she has climbed the stairs, started saying Night-Night, waves at anyone and everyone when we are out and about, is cutting one of her bottom teeth (finally at 11 1/2 months!), and is walking with support from Mommy or Daddy. Now that she has pieced together saying Night-night means that she lays down in her crib makes this less than appealing to say.

We will be celebrating her 1st Birthday on February 20th and will be having a small party for her on February 21st. We can't believe our little girl is almost one!

In other news...Jarod resigned from Coleman Stevenson Montel Law Firm a few weeks ago and has joined Leo Brown Group to work as their General Counsel. He has also started his own company, Brown & Company. He will focus on general corporate legal work as well as seeking financing for business deals. It is an exciting time for our family because he enjoys his new career path so much more. He feels less stressed and is more available to Lilly which she absolutely loves. I am very proud of him for all that he has accomplished for the young age of 26 going on 27!

Happy Valentine's Day to all!

Lots of Love,

Melissa, Jarod, & Lilly

I'm a big girl now!

I'm happy to report that Lilly is now drinking exclusively from a sippy cup and has moved into her new big girl carseat! She loves trying new finger foods too. She has tried turkey bites, grilled cheese bites, pasta, beef and noodles, and has loved it all. We feel lucky that she isn't too picky of an eater -- yet. Her favorite toy right now is her Curious George stuffed monkey. She gets so excited when she sees him and picks him up, squeezes him, and then lays on him like a pillow with a big smile. It's too precious. Jarod and I both fell very ill to the flu this past weekend at the exact same time. It was miserable and we are still recovering. Also hoping that Lilly stays clear from it, I can't imagine what this bug could do to her little body.

Lilly is 11 months old now and we find ourselves saying "this is surreal" very frequently. We expected time to go quick but not this quick! She is our little bundle of joy and we are very excited to celebrate her first birthday next month. Enjoy the pictures!

Yes, the bow is very cute but it usually only lasts for about 5 minutes in her hair.

Testing out her new ride!

She is close to walking and stands up with no support frequently now!

Fun Holiday Season and A New Year!

We had a wonderful First Christmas with Lilly. She loved every minute of it and so did we as first time parents. She enjoyed standing on top of her presents and pulling off the bows more than anything. We had a busy "on the go" holiday season as usual. Lilly was sick during the week leading up to Christmas Day so that was a challenge but we got through it. Then, the New Year came and we found ourselves reflecting on how big of a year 2008 was for us. A lot of moments of joy and a lot of moments of challenge but we are blessed to have a healthy beautiful girl who lights up our lives every day. We are excited to see what 2009 has in store for us.

Lilly is now over 17 lbs and has started eating finger foods. She does not have one single tooth yet but she has 4-6 teeth which could pop through at any moment. She loves cheerios, peach puffs, bananas, pears, kiwi, carrots, and we're slowly working in other foods for her to try. She especially loves sneaking Annie (our dog) a treat and then giggles about it. She is not a fan of the sippy cup yet but she'll eventually get the hang of it. She walks along all of our furniture and has even "accidentally" found herself standing and holding a toy with no hands. She loves to play hide and go seek with Daddy, it's the cutest thing to watch. We will celebrate her first birthday on February 20th and will have a party for her on the 21st. Time flies!

Enjoy the pictures!