Where to begin...

Okay so it's been a while since we've posted an update on Miss Lily and A LOT has happened. The last weekend in April Ryan headed off for his annual trip to Beerfest while Lily and I took a trip to West Chester. We got to spend some time with Grammom and Grandpa before heading into Philly for a mini London reunion. We finally got to see Carrie's apartment and went out for a great lunch with the girls. It was so good to see you guys!! While we were there we noticed that Lily was "zoning out" every once in a while. I thought it was weird but really didn't think much of it at the time. So we came back home and got back into our normal routine. Back to work and Miss Betty's, visits from Aunt Meghan, Gymboree, and playdates. All the normal stuff. Lily had a few more zone outs, but I still didn't think much of them until Wednesday morning. Lily was sitting on the bed with Ryan (TV on of course) and I was in the bathroom getting ready for work. I noticed Lily was in the zone so I started calling her name. She didn't respond so I was banging on the wall and clapping, etc. Finally she came out of it, but it took way to long. This was the first time I actually thought the whole thing was weird.

Ryan called our pediatrician that morning and when we talked to him he suggested seeing a neurologist in order to rule out seizures. By this time the neurologists office was closed and I was a basket case! I called first thing Thursday morning to make an appointment and when they called back they said we needed to come in right away. Panic mode was on in full force. Ryan got Lily from Miss Betty's and we rushed over there. We explained what we had seen to the doc and he suggested immediately going to the hospital for testing because he was sure she was having seizures. I freaked out and couldn't hold a conversation with anyone, so Ryan took Lily to St. Clare's in Denville while I went home to get all of her things: food, bottles, pjs, toys, everything I could think of.

By the time I got back to the hospital they were hooking Lily up to 24 wires. They all had to be glued on her head and then covered with a gauze wrap. This was the most heartbreaking time because Lily was screaming and we couldn't do anything about it. The nurse kept reassuring us that she wasn't in pain, but it was definitely the worst thing Ryan and I have gone through in our lives. When we got out of the room Meghan was there waiting and mentioned that she head a baby screaming and was so glad it wasn't Lily because it was a horrible sound. When we told her it was Lily she broke down. That's how awful it was. Once we got back in our room Lily was an absolute angel. She was back to her normal smiling, happy self.

We spent Thursday and Friday night at the hospital and were discharged Saturday night. Getting the wires taken off was another heartwrenching experience, but it was all worth it to find out the Lily is OKAY! It turns out that she was not having seizures, she was just staring off into space. Lily was perfect the whole time we were in the hospital. She loved all of the visits from our families and seeing a million new toys was perfect. Ryan and I are so thankful that our families were able to come support us and spend so much time with us and for the support of our friends. I really don't know how we would have gotten through this without everyone.

The doctor will be thoroughly reading the brain scans this week and has said he will call with the results, but he doesn't expect to find anything abnormal. Thank God! When they said we could go home Saturday I don't think we could have run out of there any quicker. Going through this experience has definitely made both Ryan and I really appreciate what we have and our love for Lily is a 1,000 times stronger.

It was such a joy to wake up at home for my first Mother's Day. Lily must have been very excited to be home too because she woke up at 5am...The day started with Lily's first swim lesson. There are 3 other kids in her class and she loved it. We did kicking and floating on noodles and blowing bubbles. Lily thought I was telling her to drink the water instead of blowing bubbles, but we'll work on that. :) After swimming we spent the afternoon at Turtle Back Zoo. It was perfect! Lily loved the animals and really loved the train ride that we went on there. We had a lovely dinner out after the zoo and I am dying to go use my gift certificate Lily gave me to a spa I love. I couldn't have asked for a better Mother's Day!

Lily is working really hard on crawling and I think she'll be taking off any day now! She pulls herself up to a standing position now so we had to lower her crib mattress. She'll get on all fours and rock back and forth but then she only pushes herself backwards! One of these days she'll get it!

LOVE my new flower hat - thanks Grammom!

8 months old today!

first night in the hospital - such a trooper

loving the new toys

ready for swim lessons!

Oooh this is fun!

First trip to the zoo

peacock

train ride at the zoo

Denville 5K

On Saturday Ryan and I ran in the Denville 5K. Ryan has done countless races, but this was my first one and I was just praying I would finish it! Aunt Meghan and Tod came to help Lily cheer us on while we ran. The Andersens and Foxes were also there running with us. Everyone kept asking if Ryan and I were going to run together and for those of you who know Ryan, I don't even have to answer that question. I mean it was a race, what do you think? ;) Kellie and I ran, and ran the whole thing, which I was very proud of. We finished in 33 minutes - 1 minute over our goal and Ryan finished in 24 minutes. Brian and Dawn ran together - how nice for a husband and wife to do that - and they finished in 27 minutes. Jay and Nola came running in just after Kellie and I around 37 minutes. We all went out for a celebratory breakfast after the race. Kel - thanks for running with me. I wouldn't have run the whole thing without you. Meg and Tod - thank for coming to cheer us on. It was great to see you guys!

It was another beautiful day so we ran home to get Bails and spent the day at Lewis Morris Park with the Pohlmans. There was a little pond and beach there so Lily got to feel the sand in her toes for the first time! After the park we headed back to the Pohlmans for a BBQ and as much R&R as you can get with a 7 month old and a 1 1/2 year old. :)

Pre-race
Lily ready to cheer us on.

Tod and Meghan

The runners: Ryan, me, Lily, Kellie, Nola, Jay, Dawn, and Brian

Playdates!

Friday was absolutely gorgeous here so we filled the day with playdates! We met Kiley and Bella at the McGowan's for a breakfast playdate. Lily loved chewing on all of Bella's blocks and playing with Kiley's toys. We had a great time hanging out for the morning! Then we met Amy and Maddie at the Duck Pond for an afternoon playdate. It was so nice walking around the pond. I put Lily in a swing for the first time and she LOVED it. She was giggling the whole time she was swinging. I can't wait to get her in another one. Madelyn had a push car that she let Lily take a ride in and Lily was a huge fan, so we were excited to hear that her BFF Maddie is getting it for Lily for her birthday and delivering it in time for the summer! We can't wait!!

We got this ball pit to bring to Lily's birthday party in September, but couldn't resist setting it up for her a little early. She loves hanging out in the tent. :)

Lily's First Vacation

I had Spring Break the week after Easter so we decided to take Lily on her first vacation and spend a few days in Cape May. We left Monday morning from my parent's house and got to Cape May around lunch time. Monday was beautiful out. We walked around for hours going in and out of shops and looking at all of the old Victorian homes. Cape May is such a cute town. Unfortunately a lot of the shops and restaurants were closed but we still had great meals and managed to come home with a few shopping bags. ;) The plan was to stay until Wednesday, but we woke up Tuesday morning to a torrential downpour that was not supposed to let up until Wednesday afternoon. We decided to pack it up and head home a day early. It was still great to get away and Lily and I loved our week home together. Aunt Meghan was watching Bailey for us, so on Thursday we took a day trip to Hoboken to pick up Bails and have lunch with Aunt Meghan. It was great to see you Megs! Then we came home and had a great dinner with Poppy and GG. They brought over Easter leftovers and they were delish!

Lily's First Easter

We had a wonderful, but busy Easter with Lily. We started the day by going to the 7:30 mass at our church which was great because it wasn't too crowded and Lily was happy through the whole thing. When we got back she got to tear through her Easter basket. As soon as we showed it to her she dove in and started pulling the presents out by herself. She's a pro! We then headed to meet the Smiths for an Easter brunch at the Grand Chalet. Lily got to see the Easter Bunny there!! She liked pulling on his ears and grabbing his face, but he was very tolerant of her. :) After our delicious brunch we picked up Bailey and headed to West Chester for Easter dinner with the Allens. When we got there there was a visitor waiting to play with Bailey. Erin and Tom brought over their little morkie, Paxton, to run around with Bails. Lily had two more Easter baskets waiting for her there and pulled them apart as well. She was spoiled by all this Easter and she loved it!

Poppy, Grandma Gladie, and Lily

Uncle Jesse and Lily

Loving the Easter Bunny

Paxton and Bailey

7 Months Old!

I seriously cannot believe 7 months have already flown by! Lily had her 7 month check-up on Friday and the doctor said she looks great. She's weighing in at 18 lbs 7 oz and is 26 3/4 inches long. Her head has jumped to 17 1/2 inches. All around she's in the 75th percentile. Very consistent since the day she was born! She is doing a great job eating all of her fruits and veggies and the doctor said she can start meats in a few weeks. As a mid-afternoon snack I let Lily sit in her highchair and feed herself a teething cookie. She loves it!

It's unbelievable how much Lily has changed in the last few weeks. She is rolling over like crazy and rolls to get where she wants to be. Lily is sitting like a pro. We would put the boppy pillow behind her for support, but she would push it away so she could sit on her own! When she's on her stomach she is trying so hard to get moving that she ends up pushing herself backwards and sliding all over the family room. It's hysterical to watch. Lily absolutely loves Bailey. No matter what Bailey does, Lily laughs like crazy when she sees her. Everyday when we get home from work I put Lily's carseat on the ground and Bailey runs up to it and covers Lily in kisses and Lily giggles the whole time, smiling from ear to ear. It's adorable!

We're really having so much fun watching her go through all of these changes. This summer will be amazing to watch to her grow. On Easter we're heading to brunch with the Smiths and then off to West Chester for dinner with the Allen's followed by our first family vacation to Cape May for my spring break. We hope everyone enjoys their holiday!

Out to dinner with Aunt Meghan

So proud sitting in the highchair!

Easter Bunny Train Ride

On Sunday we took a train ride with the Easter bunny! We went the Pohlmans and the McGowans and had a great time. Lily wasn't feeling up to par because she had her shots on Friday, she's teething, and she had a cold, but she was a trooper and made it through the whole train ride. I have to say we were very disappointed with the Easter bunny. He came by very quickly and didn't give a great photo op, but Lily, Madelyn, and Kiley enjoyed the ride, so it was worth it. After the train ride we went to Macaroni Grille with the McGowans. Lily was getting tired so she didn't love sitting in the high chair, which I was very excited for because it was her first time sitting in one at a restaurant. She ended up on my lap for most of the meal, that is until she dumped my whole glass of red wine all over both of us! It made a huge mess, but luckily it completely came out of our clothes! We had a really nice time hanging out with our friends for the day, but I hope the Easter bunny at brunch on Sunday is better than this one!

Lily and Madelyn

Family pic

Terrible bunny kept pushing my head down...

Kiley and Lily