First Cold

Well, Lily has her first cold. It's just a little one...stuffy nose, little cough...that's about it. She doesn't seem too phased by it, still smiley and giggly and babbly. Today, she tried chewing on her teether (the frozen kind) and she seemed to enjoy herself. I think Bean is going to be an early teether. I don't know if this is a good thing, or a bad thing!

I can't believe how quickly Bean is growing! It seems like she was just a teeny week old baby. I think this is one of the most amazing parts of being a parent- getting to watch your child develop her own personality and become her own person. It is also one of the hardest parts, I think, because you want your baby to slow down...not get older quite fast. If there was one thing I would tell new mommies and daddies it would be to live everyday in the moment. Don't wish away stages and phases. Savor every single moment you have while your baby is still a baby. I know that even though I am an adult I am still my mom and dad's baby girl. And I know that Lily will always be my baby, no matter how big she gets (or how tall...if she keeps at this rate she will definitely be taller than me!). I can't wait to see what the next days, and weeks, and months, and years will bring for us. I can't wait to see my Bean grow and grow and grow, but for now, I will enjoy every inch of her baby-ness and love every minute of her laughing, giggling, crying, babbling, and cooing.

Slacker...

I know, I know I have been slacking a bit on posting...with good reason though, things have been super busy! Lily started daycare and has been doing really well. She is all smiles when we get home and seems to have adjusted very well. My little Bean is growing like a weed (or, should I say, bean stalk). She started using her jumperoo this weekend and she LOVES it. She squeals and laughs and just has a great time. She is just so pleasant! We love talking to her and hearing her babbling. She loves to talk...just like her mommy and daddy. I have posted some videos of Lily talking and enjoying her jumperoo...

The yellow thing is her ducky/lovey. She loves to hold him and chew on him.  

Shit Happens

I need to preface this story by saying: My daughter has decided that she would like poop on me, and only me.

So yesterday, Lily pooped. Normal. The way the poop escaped and made its way all over my outfit...not as normal (though, not abnormal...). While poop was generally not one of the topics I used for everyday conversation in my pre-baby life, it is slowly becoming a dominating topic in my baby life. So Lily poops. I think nothing of it. Then I feel something on my leg...I lift the baby up and there is poop on my pants and my shirt...and then I discovered it was even on my underwear...what the heck! On my underwear! Gross. Very gross.

In other non-poop related news. Lily is sleeping through the night. She loves her crib! I was sad to move her into her own room- one of those "oh she is growing up so quickly things" but ultimately it is the best move we have made. She is sleeping SO much better. She is also figuring out that attached to her legs are her feet. Sometimes I wonder how much control she has over her crazy legs and if she would like them to stop moving. I can imagine her thinking in her head "STOP! HEY LEGS STOP MOVING!" See the video below for the leg action:

In the Crib

Well, we made it through an earthquake, and then a hurricane, and then the first night in the crib. Luckily, with the hurricane we never lost power. We did, however, get 2 extra days of summer break. We finally went back to school on Tuesday, which wasn't so bad. We got the first week out the way and it went fairly smoothly. It feels a little weird at school this year, I think partially because I miss Lily, but something else just feels odd. Maybe it's being in a new classroom, or having tenth graders who actually knew the difference between mood and tone without me telling them. Either way, it feels a little weird. Hopefully, getting into the school routine will solve this problem.

This week we moved Lily into her crib. She slept really, really well. Both nights she only woke up once and she slept much later. It was great! Apparently, our monitors work well, because it sounded like an aquarium in our room while her little toy ran. She really likes the lights and sounds on the little aquarium toy in her crib and it turns itself off after about 15 minutes, so it works really nicely. She also enjoys pitch black to sleep, so no nightlights for her...at least not yet. I am hoping her new room accommodations will help get us some more sleep, especially since school is in full swing.

This week we still don't have a full week of school because of Labor Day. Summer is over...what a sad thought. I had an excellent summer and wish it wouldn't end! I do love autumn, though. The cooler days, sweater weather, warm sun, the fun holidays. Lily will have a lot of "firsts" in the coming months! How exciting! I am already gearing up for her first Christmas...my favorite holiday! I love the Christmas season, and this year will be extra special as Lily celebrates for the first time. She already has some presents put away. I think her big gift will be a jumperoo seat thing because she is in constant motion. I realize she won't understand what is going on yet, but I want her very first holidays to be extra special!

One Week Down...

...too many to go! Well, the first week of school is done. This week was marked with meetings (not so much fun), classroom and lesson prep, and a new green screen (and some excellent anchoring by Mindi and Sarah). Leaving Lily the first day was really hard. I kept thinking about what I would be missing while I was at work, what she was doing, how cute she was looking ;-) As the week went on, it got a little easier, but not much. I am hoping that as weeks go on and a routine is established things will get easier. I do have to say, coming home from work to my little Bean is my favorite part of the day. She is babbling and cooing so much! She is also giving some excellent smiles.

This school year will definitely be hard. Each year presents its own challenges...planning a wedding, being pregnant, balancing teaching and coaching and being an advisor and having a life...so really, this year's challenge is learning how to be a mom and a teacher. I know I am going to need to adjust when I plan and grade because I will want my home time to be Lily time, not OM time. I think learning how to do that will be the biggest change for me because I am so used to grading at home and planning rather last minute. Not the most effective way to function as a teacher, but it always worked for me. Once I figure out this new balance, I think things will just kind of fall into place. Until then, I am working on a learning curve and taking things one day at a time.

2 Months!

Today, my little Lily Bean is 2 months old. I can't believe she is already 2 months, times flies when you are having fun (and when you are up at least once a night). We took the monthly picture of her cute little self this morning, though she really didn't want to smile (I did get one good smile, though). She is off at grandma and grandpa R's house today, so Tom and I could spend some time together before school begins. This also meant a mass cleaning of the house because Lord know when it will get a good cleaning again!

Earlier this month Lily met Ben, her future husband. Ben is Kara's son (Kara is my and Tom's co-worker and friend). Kara and I were pregnant together at school and always joked that Ben and Lily would be the product of an arranged marriage. We got some cute pics of the kids together. Lily (and I) look forward to future play dates!

3 nights of sleeping for 7 hours!

So for the past three nights Lily has successfully slept for 7 hours through the night! Two of those nights were 11p-6a and one was 10:30p-5:30a. Either way, that is some good sleeping. It has definitely been nice getting more sleep and having her on something of a sleeping schedule. I keep waiting for this schedule to change, though, so I try not to get too excited...

This week Lily joined us at school to get my room started and go over HSA materials. During the HSA meeting she was a perfect angel...mostly looking at Becky and making her laugh (which, is kind of humorous when Becky is saying "How can we focus on getting FARMS students' scores higher?...Hi Bean! Anyone have ideas?". She did a pretty good job for it being a longer day at school, she even felt comfortable enough to poop through her diaper, onesie, and pants. That was a fun diaper change for mommy.

I will miss my Bean terribly when school starts, but I know she is in capable hands at my parents' house and then at daycare. I have mixed feelings about going back to school; I am enjoying these days with my wonderful co-workers, but I know once school starts the stress will begin. I truly love what I do, but with high stakes testing the schoolhouse has become a kid factory, pumping out graduates. It makes me sad to see learning so focused on one test. I would rather freely do what I thought I was hired to do-- enrich students' lives through literature. I look at Lily and wonder what her education will be like. I feel grateful that she was born into a family who values education. I hope that she can develop the love for learning that I had, and still have. I want school to be a sanctuary for her, not a factory like it seems to be now.