Lily's 9-Month Checkup

We took Lily to the pediatrician this week and she is growing well. She is 28 inches long and weighs 19 pounds 5 ounces, which puts her in the 75th percentile for height and head circumference and the 50th percentile for weight. She still isn't that interested in baby food so we will start trying soft table foods and finger foods and see if she prefers foods that she can feed to herself. We wish she would nap regularly during the day but are grateful that she sleeps well at night.

Lily has figured out how to sit up by herself from a laying down position (and how to get back down again). She has become mobile enough to get into everything in the house and is less interested in her toys than, say, electrical cords. She seems to be close to crawling when she gets on hands and knees and rocks back and forth, but for now she pulls herself along on her belly. It is funny to watch her maneuver around! She's looking more and more like her daddy, don't you think?

Eight Months Old

At eight months old, Lily is a very affectionate baby who gives lots of hugs and kisses. She says "dada" and "mama" and holds her arms out when she wants us to pick her up!

Hiking at a weekend in Brown County with Michelle's family

Lily dressed as a flower on her first Halloween

Lily's First Teeth

Check out the brand new teeth - the bottom two popped out this month!

Lily's eyes are still blue so we think they'll stay that way

Four generations: Lily with her Dad, Grandpa Saxton, and Great Grandma Carnes

Enjoying a piggyback ride with Grandpa Rottinghaus (she's using his hair to steer)

All bundled up for the cold in the hat Aunt Jessica knitted for her

Who Knew

Lily's Half Birthday

Lily turned six months old on September 13th and she has changed so much with each month! At her doctor's appointment yesterday she measured 26 1/4 inches long and weighed 18 pounds. Her little body is starting to balance out, as she has shot up in height. Her head, length, and weight are now all around the 75th percentile.

She is getting better at eating cereal and likes to grab the spoon and smear food on her face. She rolls all around to play with her toys and to try to grab the cat (her favorite toy). Lily is starting to learn a lot of different sound combinations, including "da", which she practices with the approval of daddy. She can sit up with some support and her new thing is throwing herself backwards because she wants us to hang her upside down where everything looks different!

Freshly Painted House

Over Labor Day weekend we had family over to help repaint the house. It was a huge job but we managed to get the entire house painted. It was well worth it...the finished product looks wonderful! Thank you to everyone who helped work!

Lily Playing Peek-a-boo

Lily recently started playing peek-a-boo. Here she is playing with Michael tonight. She tries faking me out once and tries being sly another time:

Our New Mazda(notaminivan)5

My dad and I (Michael) went to pick up our Mazda5 yesterday near Columbus, OH. It rode great on the way back and looks like it will have plenty of room for us for years to come. (Most importantly, Michelle likes it.) A couple of pictures are below:

5 Months Old

This month, Lily has been spending a lot of time practicing rolling over in her crib. Once she rolls onto her stomach though, she can't turn herself back over. She flails around and yells for us to help her time after time, so we are hoping she learns to roll from her belly to her back soon! She recently started waking up in the middle of the night to eat again after months of sleeping 10 or 11 hours at a stretch, so we are trying rice cereal. Eating with a spoon is very new to her and will take some time to get the hang of. She is a very active baby and is learning new things everyday.

Pajama Party

All dressed up

Playing in her new exersaucer

Lily's Tries Cereal

Lily "ate" some rice cereal yesterday!

Visit From Cousins

Lily's Aunt Christy came to visit Fort Wayne this week with her 2 year old Ella and 5 month old Madelyn. It was fun for the cousins to spend some time together!

Maddie and Lily together as newborns the first time they met

Maddie and Lily at 4 and 5 months old

Maddie, Ella, and Lily

Great Grandma Smerik with the girls

Lily Rolled Over for the First Time

Lily rolled over for the first time today and Michelle luckily caught it on video

Four Month Doctor's Appointment

Lily is four months old now and she has grown a lot in the last few months. At the doctor's today we found out she is 24 inches long and weighs 14 pounds, 2 ounces! Her weight and head are in the 75th percentile and her length is in the 50th percentile. She has been turning onto her side and trying to roll over, but is not quite ready yet. She coos, squeals, shouts, and tries to imitate sounds we make.

Lily is very aware of everything going on around her and doesn't want to miss a thing...which means she doesn't want to take naps. It has been very hard to get her to sleep this past month, but we are are working on establishing a routine. Babies have a basic rest and alertness cycle that is 90 minutes long. At the end of a 90-minute increment of awake time, they are primed to sleep. We have been keeping track of when Lily's windows for sleep will be and it's really helping.

Michael's New Job

Michael got a new job as a contractor at his old unit sitting about 20ft away from his old desk. He is employed by a company called Tybrin and will be providing mission planning support to the fighter squadron.

Lily's Third Month

Lily is getting used to life outside of the womb now, so she cries less and is happier a lot more often. She is a morning person and wakes up smiling and ready to play. Her personality is developing and she is very talkative! She babbles on and has long animated conversations with us (even when she is supposed to be eating). She is growing strong and is able to hold up her head pretty well now. Baby has finally won the cat over. They have become friends and they have tummy time together and share toys.

Two Months Old

Lily had her two month checkup today and is up to 11 pounds and 21 inches long. In other words, she's still short and chubby. (They also marked her in the 98th percentile in 'cuteness'.) While there she received five vaccination shots. Lily was not happy.

At six weeks she started smiling, which makes us forgive her for pooping on us. She has had a growth spurt in the past few weeks making her eat constantly. On the plus side, she sleeps through the night more often, sometimes for a full eight hours.