Another Week of Firsts...

For both Lily and I! Last week was the first week I worked in about 4 months (I think a little longer than that actually) and the first time I had to arrange my schedule at work around one single (semi) permanent daily task. It was the first time I left Lily with anyone for more than a few hours at a time. It was the first time Lily went to work with her daddy and the first time she stayed with her babysitter for a whole day. What a week! 

Going back to work went really well for me on Monday and I have to say a big thank you to everyone who said a prayer for us that day - they were definitely felt! Although Lily was a little fussy for her first day at her daddy's office, I think it was enjoyable (for the most part) for both Lily and daddy. Tuesday went even better! On Wednesday, I dropped Lily off at her sitter's house for her first all day stay away from both her dad and I. She was a little fussy that day, but didn't do too badly. Thursday and Friday both just kept getting better and I think she's now pretty used to staying with her babysitter and I think she'll do really well there. Both Richard and Erica (Lily's sitter) sent me pictures and updates throughout each day and Erica now expects, and encourages, a daily call from me - although that first day, there was definitely more than one!

Lily hanging out at her daddy's office:

Busy girl at Miss Erica's:

My first day back was so busy, with discovering new projects and catching up with everyone I had missed while on leave. Everyone was so welcoming and had lots of questions about Lily and how we were doing - it was really nice to see everybody. It was especially nice to catch up with two of my co-workers who are now expecting their first little ones within the next year. It's so much fun to talk baby stuff with them! I can't wait to hear how things are going as they progress and I really can't wait to see these new little ones when they arrive next year! Both of them are going to make the most wonderful parents and I'm so super excited for both families!!

One big change for me was making time in my work schedule for pumping. I'm going to continue to nurse and feed Lily expressed milk as long as possible and am very lucky in that my workplace is so supportive of nursing mothers. They've provided us with a Mother's Room, which gives us the privacy and comfort needed to pump and with a separate refrigerator in which to store the milk throughout the day, all of which enables me to have food for Lily when I'm not there to nurse her. I'm so grateful to have this resource at work and to have an employer that recognizes and supports my needs. So far, it's been going really well and I hope it continues that way!

Lily is officially 16 weeks old - how did that happen?? She will be 4 months old next Saturday, the 4th and I feel as though she was just born yesterday (ok, not really yesterday, but you know what I mean!) She's such an active, happy little baby and she entertains us daily. She found her voice this week and I love to sit and chat with her every evening. She's constantly moving and is rolling from side to side now; I expect one day she's going to just flip right over and surprise both us and herself. She doesn't do much rolling from her stomach to her back now and actually, she's tolerating tummy time pretty well. She's now figured out that she can turn her head from side to side to see what's going on and that helps a lot with how much time she'll stay on her stomach. Her head control just gets better every single day and she can hold her head upright for at least a few minutes when she's sitting propped up on a pillow. Still, though, her favorite thing to do is stand and she has such strong legs! I was able to catch her chatting and squeals on video yesterday evening and this afternoon, so I had to share them with everyone, as well as a few cute pictures. Enjoy them and I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the week!

Sweet smiles in the morning

Happy Girl

Yummy burpcloth (everything goes in our mouth these days)

Rolling side to side

 

 

Thoughts on Motherhood...

... or things I've learned since becoming a mom:

• My parents were right - you really do understand once you have children.
• It is amazing how much time one little person can occupy.
• Good communication between spouses is so very important.
• Sleep is not as important as I thought it was at one time - but it sure is nice to have on a consistent basis!
• It is possible to be completely frustrated one minute and completely thrilled the next  - just because you've gotten a smile out of your little girl.
• Loving someone more than your own life is not just a saying.
• Although they are just as much a part of our family and will always be so, my puppies are not my children - they are my companions, comic relief, best friends and cuddle buddies and I love them dearly.
• Watching someone sleep can be a great way to spend your time.
• My heart is capable of unconditional love in a way I didn't believe was possible. 

On Monday, I go back to work for the first time since before Lily was born. Just as a sidenote - I do find it a little ironic say "going back to work". Motherhood, albeit the best job I've ever had, is a lot of hard work! 

Although I am looking forward to getting back into a routine and to diving into work, I am going to miss her more than I ever thought I would. Before I had her, going back to work full-time was a no-brainer for me. I was positive that I would never want to be a stay at home mom. Now, although I still don't think the stay at home full-time path is for me, my thoughts have definitely changed in regards to working and staying with Lily. Going back to work full-time is definitely what needs to be done right now, for me and for our family and for those at my workplace that are depending on me to come back. However, if the opportunity presents itself in the future for me to spend more time at home with Lily, I would seriously consider doing so until she is old enough for school full-time. I don't think I will ever want to stop working outside of the home completely - at least until I'm ready to retire! I enjoy it, find it motivating and rewarding and it helps me to maintain structure in daily life.

We are lucky in that we have found a great person to care for Lily while we are working. Although she will be going with Richard to work for 2-3 days a week, as long as that is feasible for both of them, we needed someone to care for her during the days she will not be working with her daddy. We found someone with an extensive background in preschool and in-home daycare, with wonderful references, whose daughter was born only a month after Lily! She will be keeping only Lily and her daughter and perhaps one other toddler very part-time and we are so excited about that. We wanted Lily to be in a situation that allowed her to learn to share, get along with others, etc, but that would also allow her to have the personal attention she needs to learn, grow and develop at her own pace. I am so thankful and happy that we've found that for her! 

So, although I am sure next week will be very very difficult for me, I am grateful that Lily will be in good hands all around, when she's not in mine. And, as her daddy keeps reminding me, because I will be away from her during the day, the time we'll have together at home will be even more special.

Girl's Lunch and Cousin Tyler's Birthday Party

Last Monday, Lily and I drove down to Asheboro to spend the night with Lily's Nana and Grandpa. We got to eat lunch with both of them, her Aunt Katie and her cousins Tyler and Caleb. Katie, Tyler and Caleb were all heading back to Virginia that day, so we were lucky to catch them before they headed out and enjoy a delicious lunch at Old Town Deli in Asheboro.

On Tuesday morning, Lily, my mom and I headed up to Greensboro to meet Lily's Grandma Libby, her Aunt Margaret, her Great-Aunts Sylvia and Margaret, her Great-Grandmother Burton and a few of her Grandma Libby's good friends. We had a great time at lunch and I was so glad Lily was able to hang out with everyone. I was especially happy that Lily was able to meet her Great-Grandmother Burton. After lunch, we were able to get a few pictures of Lily with the Burton girls  - a multi-generational picture, which is something we are going to hang on to forever. 

On Saturday, Lily, Richard and I headed up to Virginia Beach to celebrate Tyler-man's 4th birthday - he's getting so big! He wanted a Toy Story birthday and his mommy did a fantastic job making that wish come true. We had yummy barbeque - not the typical NC barbeque of pulled pork, but delicious smoked brisket, ribs and sausage, as well as Toy Story mac n cheese and a fabulous Toy Story cake, made by Cara. The kids all got to play on the slip n slide and in the kidding pools and all around the backyard. Lily hung out on a towel with the grownups, sleeping and checking out the grass and her outdoor surroundings. I think Tyler had a fabulous birthday - he seemed to really enjoy the day. Here are some fun pictures from the day:

Lily's 3 month Update (a little late...)

Lily is 3 months (and almost a week) old! Although it's hard to believe she's already 3 months old, it almost seems like she's been here forever - it's hard to imagine what life would be like without her now.

Lily at 3 months is so much fun! She's smiling all the time, she's starting to recognize when we say her name (and almost always gives you a grin when you say "Lily" or "Lilypie!) and she's giggling - so cute! She's also does a shriek now and then, which I can tell is going to be a favorite of hers in the future (thank you to Richard for teaching her that early.) She loves to chat with us (and we LOVE hearing her ), her mobile, the baby in the mirror and her toys and will also try to sing along when I sing to her at times. 

She now enjoys riding in the car almost all the time and really loves checking out the toys on her playmat. She's still not a tummy time fan, but is getting great control over her head and neck. She's a big fan of her Bumbo seat, but is not quite as fond of her bouncy seat now - I think because it makes it a little more difficult for her to see her surroundings. Lily in her Bumbo:

She has a great time outside and we're trying to make sure she gets outside time at least once a day, if not more. We've started walking at night and I can tell this is going to be a big hit with her.She also loves to have someone hold her up so that she can stand on their legs - this really gives her the best view, I think. She's a pretty independent little girl, - when she's done with being held, she lets you know it and wants to be put in her chair or on her blanket on the floor to stretch out and play with her toys or mirror.

Lily is eating breastmilk exclusively, either nursing or in a bottle, and is eating at least 4 oz at every feeding - which means our feedings can now stretch to almost 4 hours during the day! At night, Lily is going 7-10 hours without needing to eat - woohoo! We weighed her yesterday and she seems to be right around 11.5 lbs, according to our scale - I'm interested to see what her actual weight will be at the doctor's office next month. It's really hard to get her height measurement, as she never wants to sit still when I try and measure her with the tape measure, but I think she's somewhere around 22.5", give or take a little. Here's Lily's comparison picture for the month:

Lily in her Bouncy seat when we brought her home:

Lily in her bouncy seat a couple days ago:

Lily's big first this month, which happened last night, was her first night spent in her own room! We did her usual bedtime routine, except that this time, we did everything in her room. After her bath, she got her lotion, new diaper and jammies and then played for just a minute on her playmat. I swaddled her and then nursed her in the glider (the most comfortable chair ever!). My plan was to read her some bedtime stories during her 30 minute sit up time after eating, but she was so sleepy, she drifted off after just a minute of rocking in the glider. So instead, I got to hold her and watch her sleep during that time. After her sit up time was finished (at about 9pm), I laid her in her crib, turned on her nightlight and monitor and shut the door.... and we didn't hear a peep until 7am! We took some pictures to commemorate her first night in her crib and room:

Here are some "Lily is such a cutie" pictures for you to enjoy! Most of them are self-explanatory, but the first three are pictures from the other night when Lily was being fussy - apparently, grabbing her daddy's nose was all she really wanted to do - it calmed her enough to where she was ready to eat and go to sleep: