I took some pictures of Lillian on her quilt that she received in the hospital last night because I wanted to thank the people that made them for her. It's called Project Linus and the wonderful ladies who volunteer for it across the country make handmade quits and afghans that they give to children in need. Every single baby in the NICU received a quilt and I thought it was necessary to let them know what the quilt meant to us.

www.projectlinus.org

Just scrappin' some of our older pics. I tried scanning the first picture taken of me and Dan together but it's stuck to the glass in the frame so I can't take it out :o( I just thought that I would give poor Lilly a break for a day!

This is how I digiscrapped some of the pictures that are below.

Lillian's first boo boo

Look at those dimples!

Lilly has been really active this week and has been making lots of new sounds! I've been repeating everything she says and it seems to make her more talkative so I'll keep on doing it (I read somewhere that you should repeat what they say to enhance their early verbal skills.) She's been eating between 5-6 ounces each feeding and has only been getting up once at night (knock on wood!) We're home alone for the weekend since Dan is going home for a fishing trip so I think that maybe I'll make some cards one day and go to the park the next depending on the weather. We'll go grocery shopping on Sunday and hopefully we won't get too many stares when she's in her Maya!

My new journey.....

is about to begin! Starting Sunday I go back on Weight Watchers. Since Lillian arrived, I intially lost all of the weight that I had put on. Since then, my numbers have creeped back up and I'm not happy with what I see in the mirror. I don't like having my picture taken with Lilly because of the way I look and that's not something that I want for her or me. So.....my new jouney begin. Unfortunately veggies won't be at the top of my menu since I hate most of them (especially if they're green!) I know it won't be easy but I have to at least try. I'd like to lose 80 pounds but I know for now I need a more realistic goal so we'll go with 30 to start off with. I just want to be more comfortable with myself and I know losing the weight is the way to achieve it! So we'll see how it goes......wish me luck!

I know, I know! More pictures of the same thing.....Lillian sleeping! I just can't help myself though. This is Lillian's lullaby that I sing to her by the Beatles......

Now it's time to say goodnight

Good night sleep tight

Now the sun turns out his light

Good night sleep tight

Dream sweet dreams for me

Dream sweet dreams for you

Close your eyes and I'll close mine

Good night sleep tight

Now the moon begins to shine

Good night sleep tight

Dream sweet dreams for me

Dream sweet dreams for you

Close your eyes and I'll close mine

Good night sleep tight

Now the sun turns out his light

Good night sleep tight

Dream sweet dreams for me

Dream sweet dreams for you

Sadly we won't be able to take Lillian to the beach, but she still had to wear her outfit! The bottoms are really big on her, but the cloth diapers helped to fill some of the empty space! She was awake a lot longer today which I have to get used too! I'm just so happy to see her blossom into such an adorable little girl!

Lillian checking herself out in the mirror!

The only frustrating part of parenthood....

Is the advice complete strangers feel compelled to tell you! If I have questions about my parenting skills....believe me.....I'll be the first person to ask. Luckily, being a mom has come naturally to me. I know when she's hungry, I know when she doesn't feel well and I know when she has gas (which is rarely.) Basically I know my own child. I may make a few mistakes along the way, but they're my mistakes to make! Can you tell I'm frustrated?!

I've told a few people this story already but it's a prime example as to why you shouldn't give advice to people you don't know. When we went to the antique fest on Saturday Dan had Lillian in her carrier which carries her in the front. We had a burp cloth under her chin so her head wouldn't be buried into Dan's chest. A man walks up to Dan and says.....is your baby breathing.....you really shouldn't be wearing that?!!! First off, yes she's breathing, like we would be walking around with her if she wasn't.....and secondly, tons of people use baby carriers and if they weren't safe they wouldn't be sold!

I wear my maya wrap (which Lilly is in the picture above) to do the grocery shopping. I prefer wearing her like this rather than putting her in the carts that have the seats that are covered with germs and who knows what else. She falls asleep as soon as I put her into it and if she wasn't comfortable she would let me know. She's actually in it as I type right now fast asleep. All I get are stares when I wear her and when I say stare I mean a hard stare......the type that I find rude and unneccesary. As you can tell it upsets me and I guess it's going to have to be something that I get used too because as long as Lilly is happy, so am I. I feel better now getting that off my chest!

Okay....last but certainly not least, we went to the doctor today to have more blood drawn for Lilly's iron levels. She now weighs............drumroll please...............9 1/2 pounds!!! I was going to take pictures of her at the doctors office but forgot my camera (something I tend to do a lot of lately!) but it was probably for the best since she had to be pricked 4 times......she does however have a Barbie band-aid on her cute little foot which I'll have to take a picture of when she wakes up!

We went to the Antique Festival today and had a great day! Although we weren't planning on buying anything, we like walking around and looking at everything. Lillian did absolutely wonderful and didn't make a peep the whole time (almost 5 hours total!) I ended up getting what I wanted to get last time I was there.....some wooden baby shoe molds from the early 1900's and Dan bought a birdhouse made out of license plates from New England states. All in all it was a really nice family outing!

It worked! Look at that smile!

I have an adorable pic that I took of Lilly today that I can't upload because Blogger is having issues since they switched formats. I went to the doctor today for a blood pressure check and it's still a little high so she wants me to come back in another month. After my appointment, me and Lilly had to go to the store to get some more bottle brushes and I thought that I would try and find some shoes for her (since all of the ones that she has are way too big.) We found a pair and although they're a little big on her, they stay on her feet. I know some may think that it's pointless putting shoes on a baby, but I think that they're way too cute....and if she had fit in shoes when we brought her home from the hospital she would have been in them from day one! It may be awhile until I'm able to upload pics again but I'll keep trying.....I hope it get's fixed soon!

I know I take way too many pics of Lillian but I just can't help myself!! I took this pic right before it was time for her to eat. She was crying only moments before, but I caught her attention with a rattle! Isn't she the cutest?!!!

Our long weekend in Syracuse

We had a nice long weekend in Syracuse which was nice. We arrived Friday night and went straight to bed so that I could get up early the next morning. Saturday me and Betsy went to the Fair for 4 or so hours. It rained the whole time and we really didn't eat as much as we thought we would, but we still had fun! I got Dan his ribs from Dinosaur BBQ and he seemed to enjoy them even though they had some fat on them! After we dried up a bit we went to visit with Great Grandma Desimone. Even though I remembered my camera I forgot to bring it along with me. Sunday we had the clambake....although I can't stand clams! Me and Betsy ate a little later (I had my coney!) After that we went to visit with Aunt Gina.

Every time that we travel the weekend goes by so fast! I never know how to spread myself out enough so that I get to see everyone.....and now that Lilly is here I know that people want to see her. It almost seems like we spend more time in the car!

Other than that not much else is going on. I'm going to be starting Weight Watchers again once I find my points calculator.....now that I need the darn thing I can't find it!!! I know that it isn't going to be easy for me, especially since I don't like veggies.....but I know that it's something that I need to do for Lilly and Dan.....and maybe myself too! I'm going to take pictures of myself so I can see my progress.