The Learning Curve

We have almost reached the month mark and Lily is learning more and more every day. So am I. The learning curve with a new baby is incredible. Here is a list of the latest lessons learned on the journey of motherhood:

1. No matter how many burp cloths you have in your arsenal, when you need one it is always on the other side of the room.

2. Baby farts are sooooo cute especially when you watch the effort each one takes.

3. Sleeping when your baby sleeps is a myth to be sure. When in the world do you get anything done if you sleep when they do?? Her nap time is the only time I can effectively pay the bills, make the bed, do the dishes, vacuum, shower, get dressed, feed the dog, feed the cats etc. etc. Doing these things one handed is just not easy.

4. No matter what they tell you, breastfeeding hurts. End of story.

5. I thought for sure that in the middle of the night all I would have to do is get up when the baby cried, change her, feed her and then go back to bed. Little did I know that "going back to bed" sometimes takes 2 hours if Lily decides she wants to chat. That being said once she does sleep again she is usually awake in less than an hour. Nuts to sleep lets watch a movie.

6. Going to the grocery store/doctor/bank/gas station is a whole day affair. Not just the going and shopping but then getting everything into the house. Don't forget the baby!

7. No matter how hard she cries, no matter how hard she screams I CAN outwit, outlast and outplay in the game of Mommy Survivor. As Bob says "stay high level," my patience should be able to outlast her screams, right??

8. Forgetting something when you leave the house is just a common occurrence. I don't think I have left with everything yet. Oh well, many moms have done this without the diaper bag. Thank heavens for stores that sell diapers.

9. When I finally get a shower and clean clothes on the baby automatically barfs on them. Oh well, just wipe it up and proceed. Changing takes much to much effort. A little baby drool stain might become my latest fashion statement.

10. Watching Lily in Bob's arms while he talks to her and calls her Lily Bear is about the best and most precious experience ever.


P.S Never, never, never leave diaper trash out where Rocky can get it. And I thought my vomitting days were behind me. HA!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bob and I have much to be thankful for this year! Our precious baby daughter, a great job, new friends, new adventures and my birthday. 2010 has been a great year and the Lord has blessed us richly. I am amazed at how beautiful life is. One year ago I remember being thankful for trials. From Armando's death to the infertility we were dealing with, it was a rough year. Now, the obstacles that we faced have lead us to the greatest joy we have ever experienced. Lily!

This year we headed down to Charlotte to have Thanksgiving with Bob's sister Darcie and her husband Brent. It was Lily's first road trip and she did wonderfully well. We piled her and Rocky in our car and headed down there. We missed being close to all of our parents, but it was wonderful to have family semi close.





Darci and Brent made a wonderful turkey with all the fixin's and we topped it off with apple pie. YUM. I also got to have my first glass of wine in 10 months! It was soooooo good.



I had to be careful not to have too much so that Lily didn't get a milk hangover. Bob wanted to give Lily her first taste of ice cream and I could only imagine how that would come out. I told him that if he did, he was going to get the 3AM shift!



Lily did awesome away from home, but I felt so bad because she had the worst vomiting episode in the middle of the night. I had just laid her down when I heard this massive gurgle sound. She had projectile vomited all over her blankets, carseat (makeshift bed), and onesie. Poor Baby! She cried and cried.

Bob and I are anti Black Friday people and so on Friday morning we headed home for a weekend of relaxation and quiet.




We all snuggled in (kitties included) and enjoyed our free time. Bob gave me my first IPOD for my birthday this year. I know I am about 10 years behind. I love it! How did I not get one sooner??

This Week's Activities

WOW, can you believe it? Lily is almost 2 weeks old. Time is already flying. She is so much fun and I am loving this stay at home mom thing. As you can see, sleeping is her favorite pastime right now!





It is so amazing to see how these little ones just blossom every day as they gain more movement and control. Look at those feet! We think that she is going to get up and walk any day now!. Bob and I were talking the other day about what life was like before Lily and the consensus was "Not as good as it is with her."




To be honest it is quite an adjustment to go from being free as a bird to being tied to a little one needing to eat every 3 hours (sometimes only 2). Surprisingly, I am getting a lot of sleep all things considered. I think that a 2 hour nap is awesome. My days and nights are just made up of several 2 hour bouts of sleep. My dear friend Anna described it best when she said that the first 3 months are like one big long day with little cat naps. It is wonderful because it just means that every 2 hours I get special Mom and Lily time. It is priceless.



Admittedly, I have had some baby blues. Let me tell you, hormones are nasty little things. I guess I never really thought about how hard it would be to have a little baby so far away from the family. Colorado, Illinois and Arizona feel so far away. Even though we are making friends and establishing ourselves here, it is so hard to not wish for things to be different. I know that this time with Lily is so precious and I just want everyone we know and love to be able to experience a small part of it. Bob is already back at work and he misses her like crazy.



He told me the other day that she has already "Stolen his heart." Uh oh! We are in trouble. He hates to leave her and he is so cute when he is home with her. She has started this cute thing where she buries her head in his elbow when he holds her. She just burrows in and doesn't move. He loves it. Even Rocky loves to get down on her level. They are all so adorable.





This morning Bob took the day off and we went to the lake (brought the camera to take pictures and left it in the car. Yep we officially have too much to remember everything). We walked the three mile loop and enjoyed having family time. I am doing really well and handled the walk with ease. A lady in the parking lot saw us and was like "13 days old, How are you walking?" Of course this was said with a good ole southern drawl and followed with a "Bless you heart.". I am blessed to be in good shape and ready to get back into exercising. Fortunately, Lily LOVES her carseat and movement so it is going to work perfectly! At a week old Bob took her for a 10.5 mile run. She slept the whole time. What a trooper. Her endurance is going to come in handy when we are training for the Disney marathon.


Lily got to meet The Willis' this week too. Caleb is 5 years old and absolutely loves her. He kept on asking to hold her and when he did he gave her kisses. Sooooo cute.


Enjoy the pictures. She is so fun.

Meeting Everyone and Going Home!

After the long labor, Lily, Bob and I caught up on some much needed sleep. For me it was new to have my little one beside me instead of inside and I kept on waking up to every little squeak that I would hear. I thought I was a light sleeper before. Whoa Nelly! I am fairly certain I can hear her breathing even 10 feet away from me.

The next morning, Bob and I got a shower (and washed the "Delivery" smell off of us). It felt wonderful even if it was tricky managing the large bathtub with very few muscles that actually worked. Once we were done, the Grandmas came over to meet and spend time with the little one. It is fun to watch our mom's take on the new role of Grandma. Let me tell you, it is a good thing that you can't spoil a kiddo with too much love because if there was a guage I would say the room was bursting with it. Look how proud they are.





Later that afternoon, Bob's sister Darcie and her husband Brent came up from Charlotte to meet their new little niece. She loved them.



Thankfully Grandpa Eckel was able to make his flight and came over in the evening to see Lily.


She looks so tiny snuggled up against him. He told her all about what they were going to do when she grew up a bit like play Boogeyman (my favorite game as a kid. It involves getting chased and tickled and giggling like mad...good memories).


The next day was Sunday and the three of us were getting anxious to get home. Lily had to have her hearing tested and a heart ultrasound. After all of those checked out we got the okay to go home and so we did. Dad and Bob got her in her going home outfit complete with bow!


Right before we went home we discovered that one of our newly made friends had also had her baby. Talitha and I met at the hospital tour about a month ago. She was due 2 days after me and so we joked that we would be neighbors. Wouldn't you know it not only were we neighbors, but our baby girls share the same birthday. How special! Brooke and Lily together.


So cute and then Bob and I put her in her carseat and said goodbye to the hospital. There is nothing like going home!





Once we got home, I got a shower (AHHHHHH)


and then our new friends Grace and Sebron brought Rocky back. Rocky was full of energy, but he was so cute. He came right up to her and sniffed her head. He even licked her ear. He is going to be a great babysitter and he already loves her so much.


Lily got more loves throughout the night from Grace and Sebron (who are expecting their baby in April) to Grandpa. She is just so snuggly!




A couple of days later, Great Grandma got to meet her for the first time. What a special thing to be able to see my Grandma with her first great grandbaby. What a treasure and a legacy. Here are the 4 generations together. So special.