With Love, Lyla : 9 month edition

Due to popular demand, I'm back! I know you missed me,  and you can blame momma. She has been so lazy busy lately that she forgot that you people care about me and didn't give me any screen time so I haven't been able to sneak onto the blog.  So lets get right to it!

I am awesome! I am nine months old, have been for a while now.  I am 17 pounds, up to the 16th percentile which makes momma and daddy happy, 27 1/4 inches tall, and am in 6-9 month clothes. For some reason mom was really excited about that. I think she said she was bored of my other clothes and wanted me to wear some new things. But I just told her its too hot to wear clothes anyway. She didn't believe me, so I figured a picture's worth 1000 words, so I just blow out of everything so she has to undress me and take my diaper off. She still hasn't grasped that the fact that I crawl away as quick as possible, which, if I may say so myself, is pretty lightening fast, means that I just want to be free & wild. She is determined to tame me and makes me wear clothes and diapers anyway. Don't worry though, I'll keep on putting up a good fight. 

I have two, very sharp teeth that I love to use! They are just the coolest! I get fabulous reactions when I try to use them on mom when nursing, or on other people's fingers - its great! Minus mom's reaction, because she's trying to stop nursing me cause apparently "I've become too wild of an eater to be allowed to nurse." I keep fighting her on that, too, but I do get pretty hungry since momma's body is messed up and gives me hardly any milk, anyways. So I've recently learned I really do like bottles. A lot. It took me quite a while to come around to the strange contraptions, but now I take 5 bottles a day. 

I pull myself up on everything and try to climb up things but somehow mom knows how to get things just beyond my reach. Kind of annoying to be honest, but I have perfected the attention scream so that she has to give me what I want. Right now my favorite tricks are standing all by myself, and walking around following momma with my push toy. I also really enjoy diving head first off the furniture but mom and dad always stop me, turn me around and make go down feet first. Not near as exciting. 

My parents decided to listen my doctor and try sleep training again. Momma was really nervous because how much of an epic fail it was time, so I thought If I resisted I could break her will. Turns out I'm usually too tired to fight much. I get put to bed at about 6:30 now. I wake up once or twice because I want my parents to remember me, but I fall back asleep pretty fast. So now I don't see them for 12 hours. Thats a long time! I am so excited to see them in the morning, and they're pretty obviously excited to see me, too;) I even heard mom and daddy talking one night when they thought I was asleep, and momma said that she kinda missed when I went to bed later, cause she didn't get to be with me as much now. Good. She better miss me. 

 Lately we've been going to the pool a lot. I like it. The water is super fun and I just love splashing and kicking my feet and having mom throw me up so high and then land back in the water. Mom wants me to a "fish" like her, but I didn't ask what that meant. 

Other random things I've loved doing the past few months: clapping, waving and giving high fives. I also take after momma and talk nonstop. I could talk to my toys all day. They're the best listeners. 

I hope I satisfied your curiosity about me for a little while. I'll whoop momma's bum into shape and make sure she gives me more computer time so that I can keep you all informed:)

I have a 3 month old

Seriously, already? I can't believe how fast she's growing up compared to how long pregnancy felt. She is one of the best things that ever happened to me. She gives me purpose and makes my life feel so rich. I can't believe how many hours I can sit and chat with her during her nonstop talk sessions and take video after video and it never gets old.

Last week we celebrated 3 months by finally taking family photos...and by that I mean we borrowed my friends tripod and headed to Wheeler Farm so that we at least have something to send out for Christmas.

At 3 months Lyla May:
is chatty as ever and we looooove that voice
can scream like nobody's business
has huge personality
almost giggles
can stare at things for hours, apparently everything in the world is so fascinating
always clasps her hands together -always!
is growing like crazy and has a ferocious appetite for how long and skinny she is. (At this rate I figure the waist on her 3 month jeans will fit her at 6 months but the length will be like shorts...)

We love you Missy May!

sentimental

I wore my mother's wedding dress on my wedding day. We changed some things, like the sleeves, to give it an updated feel with the beautiful vintage vibe. Well my mom is awesome and saved the lace from the old sleeves while the alterations were being done. This last week while I was home we made a lot of hair bows for the baby, and my mom made this. It has the old lace in it. And I died. I am so in love. I can't wait till she can wear it with her blessing dress!

Nursery Ideas

1. Crib 2. Dresser. 3 Rug : 4. Glider

I have been having such a fun time daydreaming about my little lady's nursery. I fell in love with Dutailer gliders but haven't decided on a model quite yet (and its going to take a lot of saving before I ever get one).  I like this one because it has sides that I can lead my head against in the middle of the night.

Her crib will be white, and I don't care so much about its shape or anything anymore.

For the dresser, I think I want to go with a two tone look, like this one. I love it. The wood frame, white drawers and big chunky pulls. We already have a dresser that I think I will redo for this look. That project coming this summer!

I love this tribal print rug, it adds a pop of color and I love the pattern. I don't want a lot of other little nick knacks or stuff in her room, as I am sure her room will be cramped enough as it, and trinkets just aren't my style.

I may hang her blessing dress up on display somehow, but I am undecided on that. I really just wish we were already in the home we are going to bring her home to (wherever that is) so I could start this process for real, but I guess this is helping me learn to be patient!

baby girls and blessing dresses

This was my blessing dress. 25 years ago I wore this dress while I was held by my dad, who blessed me. I am so thankful my little girl gets to wear it too while her dad and granddads hold and bless her.

I've never been much of a pink or frilly dresses person (ok, I was as a kid, but its been a while) but I love all the layers on this dress and little pink embellishments on the in the bows and lace. Its beyond perfect for my little lady.

My mom also gave me a couple other items of my clothing that she kept over the years. With a little bit of spot cleaning, all the items with be perfect. Better than new, with their memories worn into them and ready to be passed to down to her first little girl in another 25 years.

Last night Kelly actually went to bed at the same time as me (he's usually up all night studying) and we laid there in bed and just felt her roll around and kick and squirm and do her acrobatics just like she likes to. Her movements are getting so much stronger and so much more consistent. She moves around all the time now, sometimes surprising me in the middle of a class while I am at work. She's gonna be an active one, this little lady.

Bumpdate: 24 weeks

At 24 weeks, things are moving right along. I feel I have been pregnant for about 2 seconds, since I had no symptoms early on, and only just recently started looking pregnant.  But I have been feeling her do her acrobatics for over a month. I don't really take many bump pictures, but I am working on getting them in more frequently. Thanks to Kelly stepping in as photographer:)

Things are getting more real every day. The more I feel her the more I feel like I get to know her, and her personality. I already know we're gonna be little buddies, and I am so excited for that. Kelly is so cute with her already. I think I am more excited to see Kelly become a dad than anything else. My due date still seems like its a million years away, which I guess is good cause we still don't own anything for her except for a couple outfits. I am waiting for the school year to end so I can focus on baby preparations over the summer. She measured big early on, and they said they may change my due date to August, but I hope they don't. And I really hope she doesn't come then. We may be moving in August, and I really can't deal with it all at once.

Though we don't own anything for her, her nursery is in full on design mode. (Not that we have a room for her in our apt...our two bedroom apt is already way too full.) I want it to be bright, simple and happy. We'll see how it turns out.

Feeling: My little ninja warrior. She's gonna be buff...and maybe a gymnast?. And tall (ok that one's just a guess)
Eating: Greek yogurt (nothing new there, been going on all pregnancy) fruit (every type) and beans (nachos, burritos, anything with beans)
Hating: Lower right back pain. Honestly, I don't think its pregnancy related, but its realllllly annoying. And painful.
Loving: The warmer weather that allows me to not wear pants. And all the in-season fruit that comes along with it. (I may have eaten most of a 2 pound crate of strawberries in 2 days....)
Wearing: Dresses. Mostly normal, non maternity ones, but they are mixed in, too. I only own three maternity pieces, and they are all dresses. I can still wear a lot of my pants, but most are not comfortable. I do the rubber band trick with most and then I am fine.  I really love the belly sleeve from motherhood maternity. Its so comfortable and extends the life of pants and shirts that start getting too short.
Rings: On.
Weight gain: 8 pounds (this should go under the hating part....)