A Little Catch Up

I read somewhere that this period of family life is characterized by long days and short years. I know that it's true. Having a 3 year old and 18 month old is the biggest challenge of our lives, but when things are sweet, it's better than I ever imagined. Ever.

Yes, it's hard to find the opportunity to blog. Hell, it's hard to find the opportunity to hear myself think most of the time. But, yesterday when Cade started calling a "choo choo train" a "Whoo Whoo", I was reminded of the fleeting nature of this moment in time and the importance of capturing it somehow. So, here I am back on the blog, trying to figure out how to do this from a Mac - one of the biggest changes we've made in the last few months. 

A couple of small recent highlights - I turned 39 last week, and had a wonderful celebration thanks to Lance. Lyla insisted on buying Mommy a heart shaped necklace and pink sparkly earrings - Lance humored her, and they are my current prized possessions. I'm so proud of them, and she beams every time I wear them. 

For my birthday, Lance asked his family over and we shared egg-free, gluten-free cupcakes, made by our family. Here they are working on the cupcakes: 

I love the way that Cade loves his Daddy - he just thinks "Daddddy" hung the moon: 

It's a blessing to turn 39. 

I love my little family. 

Happy Birthday, Lyla!!

Today was officially Lyla’s birthday – it’s amazing to think that a year has passed since she entered our lives. I know it’s cliché, but I can’t imagine the world without her. She definitely makes it a brighter place. My day began with hearing her say, “Mommy” from her crib – I could hardly wait to see her!

We started the day with a Birthday Breakfast. Lyla enjoyed birthday pancakes, something she’s never had before. Her morning “Nana” (banana) was quickly pushed to the side (which is phenomenal – she LOVES bananas) in favor of her pancake with butter and syrup.

We also lit her Birthday Wreath for the first time, given to us by Martina. Lyla thought it was funny when I blew out the candle for her.

It’s been a year full of so many amazing things I can’t possibly relay them all here except to say that I have more love for our little girl than ever. She is the light of our days, and we look forward to nothing more than seeing what she’ll do next. She’s a wondrous little presence.

Our day was even more special because it was the Watts’ Family Thanksgiving in Elizabethtown at Aunt Nancy and Uncle Curtis’s house. We were so happy that Daddy was off work and got to go with us. Lyla always has a great time with all the girls – she loves spending time with them all. Here are some pics:

One of my favorites with Leah toward the end of the day – Aunt Nancy, so glad you captured this one. It’s a classic:

Our Family:

The Original Watts Girls – where would we be without them?

All in all, it was a great day .

Happy Birthday, Miss Q!!!!

Lyla’s First Birthday Party

Today was the big day – we had perfect weather and an amazing day. Lyla did a great job managing in spite of very little sleep this afternoon. She napped this morning and didn’t sleep again until she finally surrendered for the night around 6 p.m. It was a full day filled with family and friends, great cake and lots of presents. It couldn’t have been better.

First, pics of the cakes:

The Birthday Sign Martina & I made:

The favors:

And, most importantly, our Birthday Girl with her balloons:

We all had a great time at the party with family and friends. Here are a few pics:

The smash cake was definitely the hit of Lyla’s day. She was in love with her first experience with yellow cake and buttercream. It was a joy to watch:

The day was capped off with a beautiful slide show by Auntie Tevan which included all of Lyla Q’s first year highlights. We all loved it:

And, the Watts girls and family hung out all evening:

It was a perfect day for a perfect little Birthday Girl. Thanks to everyone who was able to celebrate with us, and a special thanks to Mom for documenting the day through wonderful pictures - I can’t possibly post all 300+ pictures she took.

Happy Birthday, Miss Q. We love you soooo much and are looking forward to many, many more birthdays to come!!!

First B-day Party Preparations

Shana, Tevan, Mom, Aunt Nancy and Aunt Donna came to Louisville today to begin preparing for tomorrow’s birthday celebration. We’re all very excited about the party.

Here, Shana is reading Lyla her birthday book from Nana in Lexington:

Lyla loves the new duck Nana sent as well:

Here, we’re working on the final touches of the slide show that Aunt Tevan has been working on for months for the big event:

She's Almost Here!

Yesterday we went in for an ultrasound as our little girl seems snug in her cocoon and is showing no definitive signs of arrival at almost 40 weeks.

According to the ultrasound, she is a very big girl, weighing in at almost 10 pounds. After consulting with our doctor, we've opted for a C-section, scheduled for Friday at 2:30. Of course, ultrasound weights tend to be a little off at this point in pregnancy, so she probably doesn't weigh that much in actuality. However, I'm not arguing the benefits of a C-section, and I just want her to enter the world as safely as possible.

Happy Thanksgiving. We are so blessed.

Still Waiting....

Photo is Lancina at 24 weeks engaged in her favorite in utero activity: playing with her toes. I think this is what's she's up to these days while we all bite our nails anticipating her arrival.

We're 10 days from our due date today, and Lancina seems to be quite settled in with no plans of an early entrance. I woke up this morning with a belly jutting out to the right, and I laughed to myself that she seems quite comfortable in there.

It's funny - every time Lance and I call our parents, they answer the phone with an element of happy alarm in their voices, and they respond with a little disappointment when we tell them there's no news. As everyone packs their bags and prepares for the big day (or night), little Lancina seems to be laughing at herself that she's just fine where she is for the moment. She's on her own schedule, and she doesn't seem terribly concerned with everyone else's excitement.

We started putting up the Christmas tree this weekend, and we plan to put the ornaments on tomorrow. That is, as long as Lancina doesn't decide to make her entry into the world tonight.

We'll see, but I'm not counting on it. I guess it kind of makes sense - perhaps she should just enjoy her worry free experience in utero. After all, there's plenty of time for the many "wonders of the world" awaiting her.

Bring on the Nesting Complex!

People who know me well would say that I've been "nesting" for the past 5 months. While that may be true, these last 24 hours have brought on a type of energy and motivation I didn't dream possible - if only I could hold onto it!

Evidence I'm nesting:

1. I can't stop thinking about uses for Clorox Bleach wipes.

2. I can't buy enough rolls of toilet paper and paper towels. There's nothing more comforting than a great big stack of both.

3. I was completely consumed with making pumpkin chocolate chip cookies last night just so I could freeze the dough to bake them during the Holidays. I absolutely couldn't rest until it was done. And, I really didn't rest then either.

4. I can't stop thinking about various household products we need before Lancina arrives. I'm preoccupied with everything from buying extra spices to cleaning products. It's kind of like that feeling that you get when a big snow storm is coming - like you need to buy a bunch of milk because you're not going to be able to leave the house for a very long time.

5. Today I decided that the car absolutely had to be cleaned out and completely dusted. I mean, we absolutely can't bring home little Lancina in a car with a speck of dust- even though she's been riding in it for the last 9 months!

6. It is impossible for the house to be clean enough. I am compelled to dust, sweep, do laundry and then do it all over again.

So, just wondering, does "nesting" affect Dads? So far, I haven't seen much of an indication of that.

Labor Progress - not a whole lot to tell. Lancina is moving around a lot. I woke up this morning with a belly jutting out to a cute little right angle. Lately, she also really likes kicking around on my left side. She's got to be running out of room in there.

No contractions. Doctor's appointment on Friday.

Lance keeps asking Lancina about the "little deal" he made with her to be born on the 11th - he says that it will be much appreciated if she can get him out of a couple of night shifts at the hospital.

We'll see about that one. 18 days and counting...

Awaiting Lancina: First Weekly Appt. Today!

Two more days until we're officially FULL TERM! It's hard to believe that we are finally almost here! Little Lancina will be here very soon, and we are so excited to welcome her to the world!

We are doing well - I am more tired now than I've been through the entire pregnancy, but I've managed to gather the energy to buy enough toilet paper and paper towels to last for the next few months. Ha!

My belly is growing and growing - I keep wondering if Lancina is going to run out of room in there. Here's our 35 week belly shot:


Lance is also very excited - he's "nesting" in his own way, paying close attention to my belly and Lancina's movements and hiccups. He wants to go look for a new Christmas tree today so that we'll have it for her first Christmas - (our current tree is too massive for our house!).

Today is our first weekly visit with the doctor - a real milestone. We are so excited to see if there's any progress toward the big day.

We have truly enjoyed every moment of our pregnancy, but we are really ready to meet our little girl.