Wait, Wait...Don't Grow so fast!

Anyone who is a fan of the NPR news quiz, will get the pun in the title. :)

Since Lillian has been sticking with a somewhat smooth sleep routine, I have been able to get some me time in. It basically involves eating and cleaning and possibly showering, but I also like to update the blog as often as I can so I will be able to look back at all the moments. Thanks goes to my sis, Lauren for that one.

Now, on to the good stuff:

Lily sporting her homemade hat by Amanda and Daniel right before Institute

By the way, this gal is SOCIAL. She loves people and looking at everything. 

This was one of our random picture sessions. Such precious moments.

Lily loves to be with Dad when we go snowshoeing. She falls asleep very quickly.

...But you can't sit down. Nope, Nope, Nope!

My cuddle bug

Yep, I know I'm half naked, but look! I can grab my feet!

Never a dull moment

Wait Upon the Lord

This little handsome boy is my dear friends' baby, Ollie. He recently passed away from a tragic accident in the home. His mother and father and family members are in need of prayers, love and support. Please take the time to read this post and pray that this family will be comforted in their time of need.

I am so grateful that I was able to meet and interact with little Ollie. I know his parents well, and we have spent some wonderful moments together. They have supported me when I especially needed it, and they have always been willing to reach out a helping hand to those around them. Ollie carried that trait as well. He was a baby that was full of laughter and delight. You had to smile and laugh when you were around him, he was just that fun. One key thing I remember about Ollie is that he and his Mom almost ate all of the BBQ potato chips we had in the car as we drove through Big Cottonwood Canyon. I helped them out on that one ;) He was filled with light and everyone that met him was drawn to him. His dad had a bongo drum in which Ollie would play on all the time and he would have the greatest time with it. He loved natural foods like avacado and beans. He would get them all over him, but it would be worth it to see him enjoying himself. Of course there are more attributes of Ollie that I can list, but these are the ones I remember most. He is definitely loved. And he will be with his family forever!

Now that I am a mother, I feel only a small sliver of what is felt by them loosing their little baby. But, the rest is beyond me. I have been questioning what happened and asking Why, why did he have to go and why did they have to go through that. But the question I should be asking is how and what can I do to let this impact me for good. His parents have shown that to me. They are spiritual giants and they are following the will of the Lord and relying heavily upon the Atonement of Christ. Yes, hard times will come, but they will only last briefly, and then the sun will rise and shine out the darkness. Elder Hales said, "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." I believe that what Elder Hales said encompasses what we need to do to move forward. We must rely on Heavenly Father, keep the commandments, pray, and Wait Upon The Lord.

Being Grateful!

I must say, I have a lot to be thankful for. I have a wonderful, kind, loving husband who always puts his faith and family first, I have the opportunity to live in beautiful Alaska, one of my great loves in life, I live in a pretty sweet house, even if it's not mine...I get to "play" house for a little bit, and I have a beautiful, healthy daughter who is strong willed, attentive, happy, aware, and always loves a good cuddle. Lillian has brought so much joy to our lives and I am so grateful for her coming into our family! She turned 3 months this month (19th), and these past 3 months have definitely been a learning experience for all of us (more to come), but they have been the best.

We have been co-sleeping with Lily since she was born. We started it in the hospital. I think it is a situation that depends on the child and on the parents. In this case, we felt it necessary to stay close to her. In fact, right after she was born, the nurse checked Lily's temp. and told me since it was low, I needed to do a lot of skin to skin with her. That was a great incentive to get some wonderful cuddles. As time has progressed, we realised that we would need to start her sleeping on her own. Since we have a big bed, we started there, but I had to come to terms that we would need to start placing her in her own bed soon. I told Daniel we would start the transition on April 1st. I know...April fools; however, to everyone's surprise, Lily is the master of herself and she took control and decided when SHE wanted it. That time was last week. She just decided she wanted to sleep on her own, and BAM, she's been doing it since then. You may ask, how does a 3 month old decide that? I'll tell ya....by crying until you put them in their bassinet and they then fall asleep and stay asleep till 5 am! Now, that was just a transition and she starts off there, and most nights she ends up in our bed...mainly cause I'm lazy and tired after feeding her and I love the cuddles. By the way, she has this cute way of wiggling herself closer to the person is the closest to her and she will do that until her head is right under your face. I love it. See how I'm still advocating co-sleeping. :) But, the point is, Lily chose to do this her way and so far so good. It helps me to realise that she is more aware of things than I previously thought.

Another Lily choice is her daytime naps. They are few and far between. Sometimes 20-30 mins. about 2 times a day, but that's about it. Recently, she has also chosen to take longer naps. It's most likely a growth sprut, but I'm gonna say it's Lily's direct personality. She has been taking naps in her bassinet (also a first) for about 1-2 hours! Sometimes 2 times a day, but normally one big nap will occur in the morning and then she'll do the small naps in the afternoon. But, here's the kicker, she is now able to put herself back to sleep! Man, I love how she is progressing. She is certainly a wonderful daughter.

I am so grateful for my family!

I found my feet!

We love hanging out together

Lily got tired of looking in so we tried looking out.

Listening to Pandora

Choose your favorite...

...the toothpaste won

There are three bears carved into the posts here...a mamma and two cubs.

Alaskan goodness

Her polka-dot tights chew toy

hat from Aunt Sherry!

friendly morning visitor

image by destination360.com (Finland)

 

I know we don't live in Finland (we're basically at the same latitude) but this depicts what we saw last night! It was so breath-taking. We cuddled on the couch, watched the lights from the big windows and listened to an audio book.