Confessions

Well, here it is, Wednesday again! Today, we had a fun day. Lily had her first day of swim class. I wouldn't really call it "lessons" per se, because how much learning can a little baby do? Lily was dunked (she hated), we sang songs, we played little games, and we splashed. Lily still isn't sure how she feels about the water. I think she likes the water, but does not like having other loud kids around. I think that makes her scared (coupled with a foreign environment makes it harder).

Tomorrow, Lily has to have bloodwork done. I am a little nervous. The last bloodwork she had done was when she was 4 days old. She didn't even notice that the nurse did anything. She actually pooped herself. Adventures at the lab, for sure. I know she will be more aware of what is going on tomorrow. I am hoping it's just a little heel prick, which I don't think will be too bad. She has to have a CBC panel and a lead test. The lead test is because we live in an older house. I am not too concerned about the outcome of the tests, just how she (and I!) will handle it.

Ok, confession time:

I watched "Teen Mom" and cried. Yep, I am that lame.

I wish Lily liked the water a bit more. I mean, I think she doesn't hate it, but she definitely doesn't love it. I know with time she will like it so much more. I am hoping these classes will help her get accustomed to the water. I also think going to the shore will help her more and more.

I need to clean my house. Badly.

That's all for today. I should go vacuum or something. Should.

Bean's Second Big Party!

On June 23, Lily had her second big birthday party. This time we had a family party. It was "vintage school" themed, which is basically "Dick and Jane". Here are a few pictures of the event. Everyone had a great time!!

On Turning 1

Yesterday, my little Lily Bean turned 1. I wanted to write a post about her turning 1, but I couldn't figure out what to say or how to say it. How can you write a whole year in one little post? Particularly since it's been such an incredibly amazing year. What a beautiful little 1-year-old I have. She is funny, smart, curious, and fun. I could go on and on about how wonderfully amazing she is, but I won't. I will say that this year I have grown as a mom, wife, daughter, sister, and person.

I became a mom on June 20, 2011. What an experience. Learning to raise this little life into a productive human being. Watching this helpless newborn become a babbling, crawling toddler. Worrying, worrying, and worrying a little more. Listening to the baby monitor at night to make sure she's breathing...then creeping into her room to watch her sleep (that sounds a bit creepy). Waiting for her to hit a milestone, then getting to the milestone and feeling an overwhelming sense of pride and joy when it happens. Being a mom absolutely fulfills my life. It completes who I am. I am so lucky that Lily is my daughter. I am grateful everyday that she made me a mom.

I have grown as a wife. I have watched Tom become an amazing daddy to Lily. Watched him hug her and kiss her and love her. I feel in love even more with him when Lily was born. It is incredible to find the person you were meant to love for a lifetime. It is beautiful to create a family with that person. I am so very lucky.

I think the most surprising thing that happened, is my growth as a daughter. I mean, I pretty much got that down pat right? I have been living in that role for the longest amount of time. However, once you have your own child, you realize, instantly, the love your parent has for you. What an overwhelming experience! Realizing that someone loves you THAT much. I always knew (and know) that my parents loved me, but now I know just how deep that love is. It is something so strong, so solid, so unbreakable.

For the sister thing...I have watched my brother love my daughter. He makes faces at her, holds her like she's a bomb (well, I think he has finally gotten over that), and talks with her. He is also her godfather, which is a very special bond that they can share. I love my brother so much.

Finally, I have definitely grown as a person. I think it's all really covered above, but I have become a better person, I think, for everything that has happened this year. I think being a mother has made me better. I really do.

What an incredible year. What an amazing journey. I cannot wait to see what the next months and years bring. Here's to you my little Bean. I love you and can't wait to watch you grow!

One Year Old!

At ONE YEAR OLD! Bean loves...

1. ...her new farm toy

2. ...drinking milk from her sippy

3. ...talking herself to sleep

4. ...cruising all around the basement

5. ...blueberry pancakes

6. ...chicken nuggets

7. ...stealing mama's waterbottles to play with

8. ...tormenting Fred in every single way possible

9. ...dancing, dancing, dancing

10. ...and, of course, mama and dada!

Party! Party!

It occurred to me that I hadn't updated the blog in a while, so I thought I would pop in and write a few updates on Lily's parties! Yesterday, we had Lily's friends party at the shorehouse. It was a lot of fun and we got to play and hang out with some of our (and Lily's!) best friends. We had a beautiful day, and we even got a free show by the Blue Angels because they were in Baltimore for the Sailabration! All in all, I would say the party was a great success!

Today, we went back down the shore after breakfast with Tom's parents for Father's Day. It was my Uncle Carl's birthday yesterday, so we celebrated two birthdays today! Lily got to open more presents from my mom and dad, and even got to have another dessert-- a cupcake! By the end of the day she was exhausted!

Cupcake

Hmmm...

Sweet Summertime

Well, summer 2012 is officially here! To kick off summer, we hosted a fun little cookout this weekend. Actually, we had two cookouts. The first was at Tom's aunt's and uncle's house. They made some excellent food and we got to hang out with family, which is always nice. Yesterday, we hosted a cookout with friends and their kids. We had a really great time talking, eating, and playing. We played outside on the swing set, which was a lot of fun. I love getting together with friends, though, with the kids in tow, it makes me feel like a real grown-up (as opposed to a fake one, I guess).

This week should be a busy one. Tom is umpiring tonight, and then has a softball game on Thursday. I am hoping to get together with friends and get a few chores finished around the house. My one bigger house goal is to get the guest room cleaned out. It is something of a mess and really needs to be cleaned. Saturday is Lily's (first) 1st birthday party. I am SUPER excited. We are having it at the shore house, which will be a lot of fun. I am hoping for some warm, sunny weather. It is going to be a nautical theme, which will be cute for the shore, I think. Next week my little Bean turns 1! Where did the time go?

Lily with all of her toys in the tub. Averi was helping me give her a bath, and thought she needed a few toys.

The balloon wreath I made for Lily's birthday. Thank you Pinterest!

Lily riding her first gift for her first birthday-- a bike from the Peters family!!

Midweek Confessions

Well, again a bitty past midweek, but I wanted to get out my few confessions. It is a rather emotional week...the last week of school. I am so thrilled that it is summer vacation time. I get a whole (one week longer!) summer with Lily. What fun! We are already making plans with friends...swim lessons with Ben, playdates with Averi, Kenzi, and Jacob...library time. I am, however, sad to not see my wonderful co-workers everyday (ok, every weekday). This year went by so quickly! It is hard to believe that one year ago I was on maternity leave waiting for Lily's arrival. Now, here we are, looking forward to her first birthday. Crazy!

Ok...onto the confessions...

1. I think I already confessed one of my confessions. I am a little sad about the school year ending. Not because I will insanely miss the students over the summer, but because I will miss my co-workers and the fun we have!

2. I give my daughter juice. It's way watered down and maybe once or twice a week, but I give it to her. (Some might not see this as much of a confession, but there are a lot of people who think juice is the devil...)

That's all I got for now. I am way tired. Thank goodness Tom drove to and from work this week...cause I definitely "rested" my eyes on the way home!

Almost summer!

I have been a bit slow about updating lately, so I figured I would check in while I had a little down time. This weekend was crazy busy! On Saturday we had the carpet installed in the basement. Under normal circumstances this would be an easy task; however, under Blumenauer circumstances, it was not. You see, we had a tile basement. Carpet cannot be installed over tile, so it had to be torn up. This gave Tom a time frame of about 48 hours to tear up tile. Fun. Luckily, my dad and brother helped and things got picked up and hauled out. After the carpet was installed on Saturday, we got our furniture all assembled and put into place. The basement looks great! In fact, I am typing in the basement right now.

Sunday we got pictures on the walls. Tom umpired a last minute double header and I went to my parents for the day. It was nice to just relax and play with Lily. My brother is home from graduate school, so it is nice that he gets to have Lily time now, too.

This weekend I stopped pumping. It has been about a year, so I decided it was time. Lily is taking a few ounces of whole milk mixed with breastmilk or formula, so she is on the way to drinking solely cow's milk. I didn't realize how odd it was to not pump until this morning when I was getting ready for work. Usually, I pump while I eat breakfast, but I didn't have to do it this morning. It is such a bittersweet thing for me. I will not miss being attached to a machine, but it also marks the end of Lily being a little, tiny baby. Lily is eating adult food, for the most part, so she is getting more and more nutrients from veggies and fruit. She LOVES to feed herself. She doesn't want purees in spoons anymore because she cannot feed herself. Luckily, she is a great eater, so we can put down fruit pieces or veggie pieces and she gobbles them up.

This week marks the end of the school year. I am very excited about that. It doesn't really feel like the end right now, but I know, come Friday, it will. Then sweet summer time with my little Lily Bean.