Seven Snapshots "Sunday"

I plugged my camera into my computer today expecting to find 0 pictures and instead found 21! We forgot the camera over the weekend when we traveled to NKY, but it looks like taking pictures of our little girl throughout the week is a habit for both David and I these days.

 Sleeping with her bear :)

 Headbands finally fit!

 

 David's last day of class!!! Compare to his first day of class this semester...

 And here is another picture that we can compare to an old one. She is getting so big!

After a bath! She is very sleepy..

Cooking Lately

Something that David and I really love to do together is cook. Ever since we have been in grad school together our one time of day when we can spend a little bit of time with one another is dinner time. We have always tried to make it a priority, and so our routine for a long time was to come home from school around 5 and then cook and eat dinner together. We never made anything fancy, but we ate at home 95% of the time both to save money and try to eat healthy.

Since having a baby this routine has drastically changed. For the first 3 months dinner time was a bit hectic. Usually Lydia would need to eat right when we got home and at this time she was still taking 45 minutes to do so. That means David would be getting dinner ready by himself with my only my instructions as help. Some days things are still hectic, but in general we are starting to get a system these days. Lydia eats quickly and then she can lay on her play mat or sit in her Bumbo while I cook dinner. I really do love cooking... it is relaxing for me, and I love the outcome too.

So here is a good recipe that I have made lately, along with a couple easy ideas for breakfast and lunch:


1) Peanut butter oatmeal.
Anytime I tell someone that I had peanut butter oatmeal for breakfast they look at me funny. Someone made me this combination the summer that I spent at Cornell and ever since then it is easily my #1 choice for oatmeal. If you like peanut butter you should try it! Basically, just cook your oats on the stove with milk. While they are cooking put (about) 1 Tbs of brown sugar, and 1 heaping Tbs of peanut butter into a bowl. When the oats are done, just stir it up and enjoy!

2) Black bean quesadillas.
For the past 2 weeks I have cooked up a can of black beans with a little bit of chopped onion and red pepper, cumin and garlic salt in a skillet. Once the beans are a little soft smash them. I spread the black bean mixture onto a whole wheat tortilla and add some mexican cheese, and then put it on my panini maker. I have a delicious quesadilla within 10 minutes! You can garnish the quesadilla with salsa and/or sour cream, and obviously add whatever else you want to it. I refrigerate the leftover black beans and it makes for 2 more easy lunches throughout the week.

3) Spinach and Artichoke Dip.
My usual lunch of choice is Tricuits and cheese. So, sometimes I spice things up and incorporate some vegetables into this staple by making Spinach and Artichoke Dip. I use the recipe here, and just use sour cream instead of mayo (because I hate mayo...).

4) Homemade Meat Sauce
So this is the only "real" recipe in this post.

Last weekend David and I bought some fresh ground beef from the farmer's market (it was cheaper than what we buy at the store!). I decided that I needed to do something a little fancier with it, so I made homemade meat sauce. It was delicious if I may say so myself... and it made like 10 servings!

I adapted the recipe found here as follows:
1 lb of ground beef
Chop the onion and pepper very fine - this way you don't have to involve a blender
I used 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes and one large, fresh chopped tomato
I left out the mushrooms, balsalmic vinegar... and the bay leaves (b/c Kroger didn't have them)

From that point on I followed the recipe pretty closely. I browned my beef in a separate skillet while the oil and onion were cooking so that I could drain the fat and, like I said, I didn't wait to dirty the blender so I just chopped the onion and pepper small and it worked out fine.

It really was good, and even though it took a while to cook it was really easy! Definitely a recipe I will be repeating.

I know this post is a bit random, but I want to start getting back into cooking. And I wanted to share the yummy things that I have been eating since I am finally excited about food again!

Sick day.

Lydia Grace has caught her first cold :(

She has had consistent allergies most of her life, so when she was stuffy on Monday David and I didn't really think very much of it. She was also more fussy than usual, but that has been normal behavior lately because I am pretty sure she is starting to cut teeth. She slept for 14 hours (only waking up 3 times to eat) on Monday night, and yesterday she was in a pretty good mood until bedtime. At that point some serious fighting began. She was so stuffed up, and was coughing so she was refusing to nurse. She cried for 2 hours... and it was so hard. I felt so powerless and just cried with her for a while. David did everything that he could do while also preparing for his final.

Last night was pretty much sleepless. Lydia would fall asleep for 30-45 minute intervals, but would then wake up fussy and stuffed up. Around midnight we gave her some Tylenol thinking that maybe her ears were hurting. That helped her to sleep for maybe an hour and a half straight. Around 5 a.m. we all got up and I took her temperature. Sure enough, it was 100.2. A low grade temp., but still a fever. We tried Tylenol again and it only made her gag and then spit up the little bit of milk that she had eaten around 4.

At 7 I called the doctor and she assured me that it is probably just a cold. As long as Lydia eats well at her next meal we can just stay at home and rest together until she is feeling better. She recommended another form of Tylenol which would be easier to give to Lydia and said we could use it if we wanted, but we didn't have to since her fever wasn't too high. Lydia has been sleeping since 6:45 at this point, and she is still rocking peacefully in her swing. I hope that once she wakes up she will eat well and then all of my worries will be gone.

The timing of this cold is... less than ideal. David is currently taking a final and he has 1 more tomorrow. I have a take home exam that is due at the beginning of next week (!!) and I have 1 final to prepare for also. But today I know my priority is to take care of my baby, and my professors are, as usual, being so understanding. These past 16 hours have really made me thankful for the healthy baby that we have! I know that we will get through these last 2 weeks and that everything will work out, but if you could keep us and Lydia in your prayers it would be much appreciated!

Seven Snapshots "Sunday": Guest Edition

Man our weekend was so busy! But truly wonderful. It was our second to last weekend in Lexington (tear...), so we tried to see as many people as we could while also spending enough time focusing on finals and getting chores finished. I threw a baby shower on Saturday which was a ton of fun and David and I got to go on a double dinner date with a great couple Saturday night! All of the excitement and fun meant that Sunday after church was full or work and chores so I didn't have anytime to post pictures. However, I have a few minutes now, so here are some photos that one of my best friends Melissa took for my family last weekend. My side of our family hasn't had a photo taken together for almost 10 years! So it was about time, and they really turned out wonderfully. Also, I couldn't pick only 7... so there are 10, but I didn't think you would mind.

The Plan

If you know me, you know I am a big time planner. I like to know what is going to happen so that I can get excited about the future and start to anticipate change. I really like change, which may seem weird since I am pretty type A. But I love the feeling of starting fresh - of having the opportunity to create new habits and new memories. So it is a really big deal for me that our plan for the time after graduation is just now coming together since graduation is a mere 2 1/2 weeks away at this point!

Here is a run down of dates and big events that are coming up for us:
April 30th - David finishes finals
May 3rd - I finish finals and hopefully finish grading also.
May 4th - David graduates from Law School!! So proud :)
May ? - I officially graduate at some point, although I don't plan on walking..
May 5-11 - David and I pack up our tiny apartment in Lexington :(
May 12 - We make the move to Northern Kentucky!

That is right friends, we are moving back up to Northern Kentucky for sure, and it is happening in less than 4 weeks. As much as I like change, I really don't like to move... so much packing and unpacking... it gets a little overwhelming. But as you saw above, David and I will have a full week after school is finished to accomplish it together.

When we get to Northern Kentucky we will actually be moving in with David's dad and step mom. They are super generous and awesome, and they have a 2 bedroom apartment in the basement that will be our own space. We are so blessed! Since David doesn't even take the Bar exam until the end of July the earliest we are hoping that he will have a job is August, and until he has a job it doesn't make sense for us to sign a lease since we don't know where we will be living. We hope he can find a job in Cincinnati by September or October and then we can move into our own place in Northern Kentucky or Cincinnati. Until then, living with our family is a great option because we can save so much money.

Which brings me to the next part of the plan that makes my heart so happy. We decided that I don't need to work this summer... oh joy! I will have the wonderful opportunity to stay at home with my baby girl. No distractions or other worries; no more running around and leaving her with a different sitter each day of the week. I can just focus on her and on being the best mommy that I can be. I plan on teaching aerobics for the fun of it (and we get a free gym membership!), but this won't be anything above and beyond what I would already be doing since I want to work out everyday anyway.

This decision was really hard for me to make. I had been looking for part time jobs, praying a lot about it, and just hadn't felt anything that I wanted to do. David and I sat down and talked about things last weekend and then we looked at our budget and finances together. After praying about it, he strongly felt like I should stay home with Lydia. We have made good financial decisions for the past 3 years and now we have money saved for exactly this time in our lives. He knows how much I would love to stay home during this time in Lydia's life and he felt that that is exactly what I should do. Come August one of us will need to find a job, but for the summer months I can relax and be with my baby!

I can't describe to you how excited I am for May 4th to be here. As much as I have enjoyed the past 3 years and as thankful as I am to have had these opportunities, I can't wait to slow down - even if it is only for 3 months or so. When I leave Lydia these days it isn't as gut-wrench-ing-ly painful as it was when she was 3 weeks old and the semester had just started. In fact, in a lot of ways I enjoy getting out of the house each day and having some adult conversation. However, I always miss her. And more importantly when I am home with her I long to be able to focus solely on her and not have to worry about my next homework assignment or lesson plan. It will be wonderful to get to live each day with her. I plan on still getting out of the house everyday, but now she will come with me!

I feel so blessed to have all of the opportunities that we do and to have the amazing family that we have to support us. We will miss Lexington tons... but that is another post! We know that for right now this plan is God's plan for us and that makes us both really excited for the future. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers over the next few weeks as all of this change happens, and I will be sure to keep you updated. Happy Wednesday!

4 months old

Lydia Grace turned 4 months old on the 16th! The 4th month just flew by in my opinion and it has been amazing lately to see the changes in our little one. I know that I will just keep saying this, but this past month has been one of big changes and developments and while I am a little bit sad that I definitely do not have a newborn anymore, I am excited that she is starting to open up and interact with us more everyday.

Her stats: We don't go to the pediatrician again until April 27th, so no weight or length updates again - but she is growing for sure. Lately she has become so much more chubby! She has rolls on her arms and legs and has about 3 chins. It is so cute. She can still wear some 0-3 month stuff, but 3-6 month sleepers are a must. Her 3-6 months wardrobe is so cute and full of colors other than pink, so that makes me excited :)

Eating: Lydia has increased her number of feedings again. She eats 6-7 times a day and then 1-2 times at night. She added back in her early morning feeding, around 5:30 or 6:30, and she now wakes up hopefully just around 2 to eat at night. Sometimes we do 1 a.m., 3 a.m. and then the early morning feeding and this is no fun. However, her feeding sessions have become dramatically shorter. During the day she only nurses for 20ish minutes at a time, still eating on both sides. At night since she is sleepy she usually only stays awake for one side, which means I am only up for 5-10 minutes at a time.

Eating is her most favorite thing! She has clearly started to anticipate when she is about to eat, and when she is hungry she has started pressing her cheek up against mine or burying her head into my collarbones... or sucking like crazy on my shoulder. She has been refusing a bottle again as of late - this girl is just up and down about bottles and pacifiers. I mostly feel bad for babysitters who have to endure her fussiness when she won't take a bottle because I am a strong believer that if she is really hungry, she will take it.

Sleeping: Lydia has become less of a pro sleeper this month... which I knew would happen eventually. Her naps are very irregular these days. If we are at home I can usually count on at least 2 good naps in the swing that last anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half. Some days they are longer and she only needs 2, other days they are shorter and she will still take 4 or 5.

When we aren't home she is too interested in other things to take a nap! She will keep herself awake just so she can learn and interact with people and her surroundings. I am so thankful that in less than 4 weeks we will be moving and finished with school. I think that by then we will definitely be ready for a sleeping routine over haul and I know it will be so much easier to implement a routine and some sleep training stuff when I don't have to worry about being well rested for school and work, and when I don't have to leave her with different sitters every day.

For now I think that I am going to try to start getting up with her at night and waking her up a bit more to eat. Like I said above, she has started falling asleep during some of her night time feedings which just means she wakes up more. It is nice now because I literally never leave the bed, but getting up and moving to the rocking chair for 15 minutes may mean more sleep for mommy overall which would be good. I know I have been spoiled, so I don't want to complain, but getting at most 3 hour stretches of sleep is becoming difficult.

In general, I think we are in a big transition stage for sleeping. I hope that Lydia will begin to make it clear how many naps she needs and at what times she needs them. Then I can focus my attention and energy into making sure we are home at those times and making sure she sleeps well for them. Any mommy advice out there? How many naps did your 4 month old take? When did they usually occur? Did a sleep transition happen for you around this time?

What she loves: Eating, her swing, sitting up, being held facing out, her toys, her hands, bath time, Rooney!

What she hates: Her carseat... still!! Being taken on a walk with mommy in her stroller if she isn't in the mood. Bottles and pacifiers (depending on the day). Being sleepy.

Personality/Milestones: This month we got a laugh out of Lydia!! You can watch the video here. Since then she has laughed two more times... she really has to be in an interesting mood in order for her to do it. She has rolled over 2 more times also, but in general she is still laying pretty still when we put her on her tummy or back. She has definitely started to sit up well! She can sit up with the help of her Boppy pillow really well and sometimes she just wants to get up off of her back. We got a Bumbo from her cousin, and she kind of likes to sit up in there as well. A lot of times though she turns to her right and then gets stuck in it.

I think she may be starting to cut teeth... I am not sure. The past few days she has had consistent issues with being handed to someone while I am holding her. She screamed for my sister, mom, and her regular Monday babysitter, Rachel, as well. This is very unlike her. I thought that maybe some kind of separation anxiety stuff could be starting, but I thought it was a little early for that. So then, last night when I was trying to put her to sleep she was fussy which never happens. She didn't want to nurse, or take a paci, or be held close... nothing. I don't know what's up, but something has been making her unhappy and for some reason she needs to know I am around these past few days.

Heaven-sent baby items: I like the Bumbo a lot, but I wouldn't say it is a must have yet. If you do get one, this is an item which you could definitely get second hand and just wipe it off really well.

If you plan on exercising with your baby, a jogging stroller is a must! At first I didn't understand why you needed two different strollers, but now it is very clear. It is nice to have a lighter weight stroller that a car seat pops right into. We use ours when we are out shopping, and it will be awesome this summer for trips to the zoo and aquarium. However, when you want to walk fast, or jog, you need a stroller with some big wheels so that baby's head isn't jostling too much. Also, you definitely need a stroller. In my head I was going to strap Lydia to my chest to do my power walks until she was 6 months old... but this is a bad idea. She is so heavy already! I took a walk on Saturday and she was a bit fussy, so I tried our infant carrier and it was very difficult to walk quickly. Anyway, I would recommend this jogging stroller. My mom got it for me, and it is rated in the top 5 jogging strollers but is almost $250 cheaper than the others. I have a few small critiques, but in general it gets the job done.

Words from Daddy: Well friends, David is still sleeping. I think his words would be that he loves the time every morning that he has alone with Lydia cuddling in bed :)

Hope you enjoyed this update! I have been wanting to write about so many things lately but school is obviously eating up so much time. But in 2 1/2 weeks we will be finished!! And then hopefully I will be able to write more. Until then, thanks for hanging in there and reading only baby things...

Happy Birthday Uncle Josh!

Today Lydia's youngest uncle, Josh, is 10 years old! It is so hard to believe my little brother is 10 already... I remember the day he was born! Happy Birthday, buddy!

A year ago today.

*Note: I started writing this post April 15th.

A year ago today was the day we found out I was pregnant. You can read my reaction to this news here. Needless to say, I was really, really scared. This wasn't at all the emotion I thought I would feel when I found out I was pregnant... someday, far away in the future.

But,
when that day was 3 weeks before finals of my 2nd of 4 semesters of graduate school
when that week was more than a year before David would be finished with law school
when that day was who knows how long before we would have a real income

I was scared.

I felt like David and I, well particularly I, had messed up somehow. I felt irresponsible, nervous, embarrassed... so many negative things all at once. It was so bizarre and looking back at that reaction I see how much have grown in my faith and how much my perspective has changed. And I am now sure that everything happens for a reason, at its perfect time, even if we think it is the worst timing possible.

Just about everyday David and I turn to each other and ask, "What was our life like before her?" We honestly cannot remember the feeling of not having Lydia Grace in our world. As my pregnancy progressed one of the things that I was most nervous about was the weight of the fact that our child will be around for our whole lives. I was anxious about my relationship with my husband changing so deeply and I was afraid that I would somehow feel cramped by this new, always present companion in my life. But now, truly, I cannot imagine life without her. Every morning I anticipate the time when she will wake up and smile at me; I look forward to bath time when she kicks like a maniac; I dream about the vacations and memories that we will make together someday. My heart is so full when I think about my daughter that I don't understand how it didn't feel empty before she was with us.

I also see every single day how much becoming a mom has made me grow and mature as a person, and as a follower of Jesus. This is kind of a whole other post in and of itself, but in short, having a baby has challenged me to be completely selfless and it has also forced me to be complete vulnerable. Neither of these attributes come easily to me - especially the vulnerability. But over the past year I have learned to accept and ask for help from the people around me. I have learned that I am in no way in control of so many things and Lydia has opened up my heart to love more deeply than I ever thought possible. A few weeks ago one of my best friends wrote me a note where she commented that I seem so relaxed as a mommy; like it was what I was made to do. What a compliment! When I read that the tears welled up because it is exactly how I feel and I am so glad that this joy and peace that I feel shows on the outside too.

Most importantly, my faith in God has grown so much over the past year. I truly believe in His plan and timing now, and I have complete trust that He will always be there to provide for our family and to help David and I as we go through hard times. Only with the Lord have we overcome the obstacles of this past year - and we are all so very blessed because of those challenges.

A year ago today my life forever changed. I had no idea at the time all of the ways in which carrying a baby, birthing a baby, and caring for a baby would affect me. And I am so excited because I know that this journey has just begun!

Seven Snapshots Sunday

How is it Sunday already? This week just flew by... probably because it was insanely busy. I proctored an exam on Monday, which meant I graded all day Tuesday, which meant I didn't start on my Friday homework until Wednesday - you get the idea. But it all got finished and now we are on the brink of starting our second to last week of classes ever!

Here are some cute pictures of our girl - she is getting SO big lately! I thought that I would feel a big transition at 3 months, but it has definitely come now, right at 4 months old. She is not a newborn anymore in any way, but is instead a big, happy, chunky baby.

 Napping somewhere other than a person's arms or the swing! With her sleep sheep of course.

 Holding that head up big time... and of course slobbering.

 Kicking those legs. They haven't stopped moving since 16 weeks gestation :)

 Haha... sunglasses and a hat from Gigi and a Bumbo hand-me-down from her cousin Lincoln come together to make this a hilarious picture.

 Sitting up! Well, more leaning back. Look at that belly!

 And those cheeks!

As usual, I am totally in love.

Have a great and restful Sunday!

Post-partum Update: 4 months

It is hard to believe that I gave birth to Lydia almost 4 months ago. It is really bizarre, but the whole pregnancy and birth thing (that lasted for more than 9 months) seems so far away now. I was thinking today about how I don't remember what it felt like for her to move inside of me... and it wasn't that long ago! I also feel the details of birth getting fuzzy too - how much it hurt, the emotions that I had, etc.

If you read Lydia's 2 week update you will remember how amazed I was at how quickly I was recovering, and I truly continue to be amazed at how my body is bouncing back. I am within 2-3 pounts of my pre-pregnancy weight by now, and more importantly I am really starting to feel like my old self again. I have energy, an appetite,  and it feels great to sweat and get my heart rate up during exercises. Don't get me wrong, things are still a work in progress, but I am way closer than I thought I would be after 3 months.

Diet:
So I am not "dieting", as in restricting what I eat, in any way. However, I wanted to give you an idea of what I eat on a daily basis. I like to read other mommies' stories and ideas on how to stay healthy but also nourished after having a baby. When I had milk supply issues when Lydia was about 2 months old I really had to take a good look at my diet. Mostly, I had to greatly increase the amount I was eating in a day. When school started back up and I had a 3-week-old baby there was very little time for me to fix myself meals, let alone snacks, but I just decided that it would have to be a priority for me. So I added in quite a few good fats, and a lot of extra calories, and I know it sounds crazy, but doing so helped me to drop weight quickly again. As soon as I started eating more, my body began producing more milk, so Lydia ate more everyday, and therefore I burned a lot more calories. You probably hear it all the time, but if you are a nursing momma, take advantage of it! You will never be able to eat like you can when you are nursing.

Here is what I typically eat in a day:
I wake up with a cup of morning coffee and a bowl of cereal. I have switched to 2% milk to incorporate some more fat.

In between breakfast and lunch (usually around 10:30) I will eat a snack. Most of the time this is a granola or protein bar, a Carnation Instant Breakfast, a muffin or some toast with peanut butter. I try to have protein in this snack.

I eat lunch between 12 and 12:30. Lunch varies a lot - I will sometimes have leftovers from dinner or fix myself a baked potato and a salad. Either way, my old cheese, crackers and fruit staple is no longer enough for lunch. If I do just eat cheese, crackers and fruit I will eat a snack of yogurt and almonds an hour and a half later. No matter what I eat, I try to incorporate a fruit and a vegetable (or fruit and yogurt) into this meal.

Sometimes I will have an afternoon snack of yogurt, almonds, or another bowl of Special K. This just depends on how big my lunch was.

David and I eat dinner sometime between 5:30-6:30 most nights and we are always hungry! Dinner varies a bunch, but this is the meal where I have drastically increased my portions. I used to eat half as much as David and now I serve us equal portions. With all of our dinners we have some form of protein and I really try to always have a veggie.

After dinner is where I splurge a little bit - we have eaten ice cream 3 times this week! If it isn't ice cream, I will have some form of a snack around 8. Usually it is a glass of milk with some chocolate syrup.

I know... I eat a lot. But the key for me is to eat often and always have healthy things around to snack on. Some items I would highly recommend incorporating into your diet if you are a nursing mom are: yogurt, 2% milk, cheese, almonds, oatmeal. All of these things are easy to prepare and are really good for helping your body to make good milk!

Nursing:
One day last week I woke up and realized that it didn't hurt to breast feed anymore! It was glorious.

I don't think I realized how painful nursing still was for me. It legitimately hurt for a good 3 months and I think that I just kind of got used to it and decided that it was just supposed to feel that way. But just in the past week or so it has gotten so, so much better. I know a lot of people who had no trouble breastfeeding, and even though my journey has been a "successful" one it has definitely not been easy. So for anyone out there who is having troubles or pains, try to stick with it! It is normal (or at least it happened for me) if you are still hurting after 3 months. I really think that eventually the pain will subside and then it will become so much more enjoyable.

For a while breastfeeding presented me with so many other challenges beside the pain. What can I wear that makes nursing easy? How can I breastfeed in public while being modest? How do I plan my day around this almost full time job?

All of this issues have really become non-issues as of late. Again - breastfeeding is definitely a lifestyle adjustment, but you will get used to it if you stick with it.

Exercising:
 Hmm... do I have to write about this??

This is an area where I am definitely still struggling.. a lot. I simply have no free time. I have been writing this blog post for almost 2 weeks now - that is how little free time I have.

I am staying active but I am not doing well at reaching any new fitness goals. I walk every day (as long as it is not raining) for 30 minutes to an hour. My speed is definitely increasing and it feels great to break a sweat as I push Lydia in my awesome jogging stroller and pull my pup along too. I feel that cardiovascularly I am about where I was pre-pregnancy. The area where I am really struggling is strength training. I knew I wouldn't be making it to the gym this semester, but I told myself that I would do pilates, weights and abs at home. That just isn't happening. I know I have a ton going on and I shouldn't really feel guilty.. but I really miss working out in this way. Weights and abs were always my favorite thing to do because it always felt really satisfying to push my body in these ways. Plus, I think that for my body strength training makes the biggest difference in how it looks.

Starting today I plan on trying to do abs at least 4 times a week. They take like 10 minutes! I really should be able to fit in at least this exercise and since my tummy is the only thing I don't currently like about my body abs should take first priority. Once homeworks are over and finals are finished I will worry about the other stuff. In June I start to teach aerobics again (I am so excited!!), so if nothing else that will definitely whip me back into shape.

In general, I feel great about how things are going. I now fit into most of my pre-pregnancy jeans comfortably, although shirts are a different story. There are definitely days when I miss my flat stretch-mark-free stomach (when will they go away??), but anytime I even start to get down about it I look at my beautiful baby girl and her perfectly round belly and am immediately proud again of what my body did. Our bodies are truly amazing and are made to do much more than just look good. I love what having a baby has done for my body image and my appreciation for this gift I have been given.

Seven Snapshots Sunday - Easter Edition

Happy Easter! I hope that you had a wonderful day. Easter is my most favorite holiday... It is so full of hope, joy and anticipation. David and I decided to spend our Easter in Lexington with our small family of three and although we missed being at the big family gatherings in NKY we had a wonderful, relaxing day together.

Lydia's great grandparents in Florida mailed her an adorable dress last week but unfortunately it didn't fit our little peanut just yet. It will be a great summer dress! But in the meantime my mom bought her this precious outfit in Chicago last week. It is 0-3 months and luckily it fit great. After a great church service today we came back home and had a delicious lunch. Then it was time for a photo shoot!

I hope these pictures make you as happy as they make me :)

First Laugh!!

Seven Snapshots Sunday

This week I have too many photos to choose from! Lydia really started to sit up a bit this week, so I can get more than just one angle on her now :) Enjoy.

 Hands on her knees. 

 Big girl in her tutu!

 This cute hair bow is from her Great Grandma and Pop Pop in Florida.

 Love her more than anything.

 Cheering on the Cats on Saturday night! 

Look at this outfit from her great aunt Jo and cousins. It has shoes... too cute.

She is too big all of the sudden!