20 Years

On Sunday we celebrated the Fertility Center's 20th anniversary.  Doctor Dodds and Young threw a huge party for all of the patients, past and present.  It was a very special occasion and was pretty cool to be surrounded by hundreds of families who have gone through the heartache of infertility and now have precious children.  I kept thinking how extremely rewarding it must have been for Dodds and Young as they greeted hundreds upon hundreds of couples.  I feel so blessed to be a part of a clinic that cares so deeply about each of its patients. 

We were able to write in a scrapbook for Dodds and Young.  No words could ever express how thankful we are to them and their dedicated staff.

Remember what Luci does when she encounters strangers?  Especially men?  I felt so bad!!  Not a very nice way to say thank you missy!  LOL.

We were cracking up....she needed time to check him out :)

I love how she was touching his face...so sweet :)

SuPeR WeS!

We traveled to Chicago on Saturday to celebrate a very special little boy.

Wesley is ONE!!

Bain and Laura threw their little man a very special super birthday because that's just what he is...SUPER WES!

It was so wonderful to be surrounded by all of their friends and family who were prayer warriors for Wes when he was born at 28 weeks. 

Wesley and Lulu reminisced about their fun times in Colorado.

Wes did a super job with his smash cake!  It was adorable!

Luciana loved hanging out with her buddy and had fun playing with all of his toys too!

We love you Wes and are so thankful that we were able to celebrate your special day with you!

weekends...

Weekends are made for going to the farmer's market...

and getting pretty flowers...

and getting serenaded by a street performer (who knew that he knew Lu's favorite song was wheels on the bus?!)

and helping dad tear down trees....

I love my father and I know he loves his chainsaw :)  Now let me explain...these trees were put up for my high school open house and they have gotten a little too big for my mom's pretty view.  So, down they must go.

Chadly gets called over for operations such as this.  Dad lassoed those trees, took his chain saw and C pulled and ran.  I know why my mom went to the gym.  Lu and I watched and I had my cell handy in case I needed to call 911.  My father scares me sometimes!

Dad, that ladder was not secure...just sayin'.

But, you did a great job and yes, they fell just like you said they would.

Weekends are also good for High School football.  It was Alumni night at HC so we made our way back to my old coaching stomping ground.  Luci could have watched the girls chant for hours. 

Big bows are made for nights like this.

An entire team just for your babe.  Maybe you will be walking these halls someday? Maybe you will be cheering!  ha!  Grandma Peggy...gonna coach Lulu's team?

Happy 7 Month, Luciana Elisabeth

Here we are again...giving another month update for Miss Luci Lu.  Luci has changed so much developmentally this month. Right before she turned six months she learned to sit up on her own and in four short weeks she is now crawling!  Chad and I are amazed by how quickly she is learning new things.  It is so much fun to watch her attempt and conquer each new skill.  She is a very persistent and feisty little thing and we love it.

Life has been busy and has seen some changes for our family of three this month.  I am back to work in the classroom full time and Chad has begun an eighteen month MBA program.  We are all on the go all day long and at at times I feel like I forget to breathe but, more than ever before, we are slowing down and cherishing every single second when we are together.  Evenings, weekends and the time between are that much more precious.

I have to give a shout out here to my amazing mom.  Seriously, she is the best.  She is with Lu the majority of the time I am at school and it has made our big transition extremely smooth.  I can already see a special relationship forming between Grammy and Grandaughter and it makes this Mama really happy.

So, sweet Luciana, you are an absolute doll and have had another fun filled month.  Here is your SEVEN month snapshot....

• You weigh 17 pounds
• You are wearing 6 month and 9 month clothes and size 2 or 3 shoes
• You are in size 3 diapers
• Your schedule is going really well with me back to work.  It looks like this....
• We wake you up at 6:30 (you pop up on all fours and give us a huge gummy grin) you nurse and we play.  Breakfast is around 8 and you are down for your morning nap by 8:30.  You eat again at 10 and 12 and typically take a 2 1/2 hour afternoon nap.  Once you are up from your nap you eat and are up for the rest of the day.  You are nursing every three hours in the afternoon evening.  We typically put you to bed by 8 and you are sleeping through the night.
• You love most food and all meals are a production as you "Mmm" with every bite.
• A day before you turned 6 months you were sitting up independently
• A day before you turned 7 months you were crawling
• You can stand unsupported for small amounts of time
• You get to anything and everything you want
• If we have all sorts of toys out for you to play with you always go for Peyton's bones...gross!
• You do not take a passy anymore.  We don't even attempt to give it to you.
• You sleep on your belly
• You take naps with your bunny blanket
• Your favorite toys this month are your Sophie, Leap Frog activity center, Elmo jiggle ball and any baby doll
• You still do not have any teeth and we don't feel any coming through
• When I nurse you you play with my face, hair and jewelery.  You also have become very distracted while nursing :)
• You are CONSTANTLY pulling out my hair....and it hurts, ha!
• You love being around other children
• You giggle when we tickle you and it is music to our ears
• You are afraid of strangers, especially men.  You will bawl if someone you don't know takes you from us
• You love tubby time and I love tubby time with you
• The baby bjorn was a favorite this month for any small outing
• You've been to the park almost every day and love to swing
• You can give kisses

Another amazing month with our daughter.  We love you Luci Elisabeth.