::alive::

Hello!  Everything is going great here.  We are all good.  Baby is going well.  I have just had some odd writers block.  But I think I feel it passing.  I will be back to blogging soon.

::a lily mommy adventure::

all pics off of my phone, sorry for the quality

Lily and I made a two night trip up to Chicago for my cousins wedding.  I didn't want to go.  I am still having some pretty major anxiety issues with face to face interaction (let's talk about that latter because I think its boring and weak).  But I just decided that I could use my pregnancy as an excuse and that it would be good for Lily.  I was lucky enough to get to stay with my mother which means I got to stay in a WAY fancier hotel than I would have otherwise.  We stayed right on Michigan Ave.  It was some serious luxury. 

We went up on Friday night and Saturday morning that Lily woke up at the crack of dawn and was ready to party.  I took her for an early morning walk up and down Michigan.  It was almost empty out there.  She was singing and skipping around "I LOVE CHICAGO!"  It was one of those classic Lily moments in time that made the whole gong show of a trip worth it. 

We walked by the Apple Store and they had a shrine to Steve Jobs set up.  She knew something was serious about it.  She stopped and asked me to read the post-its to her.  She was totally fascinated with the idea of people who never knew this man writing him notes and leaving him apples on the ground.  She needed me to explain why this man was important.  I told her, "He made it so that people like you and I could stay better connect to each other and be even more in love with each other."  She hugged me.  She got it.  With her little interpretation of the shrine, I got it too.

 Latter that day, once my sister and her family got up, we walked the two blocks to American Girl Doll Store and spent HOURS looking at everything.  Grandma did pick up a few things for Lily.  Of course.  I got many ideas to pass on to Santa.  I even got Lily her own catalog to cut up and make into a wish list.  Again, the cuteness was out of control.  That kid makes life so much more interesting.   

Lily made Max a few Lego's figures at the Lego store

I am glad we went, but I missed my boys.  I do not like being away from them.  It was good bonding for Lily and I, but I am really looking forward to the very quickly upcoming trip to DISNEY!

::happy birthday to me::

I am the grinch of my own birthday.
But I sure do like this present. 

::lily the great::

Lily is my soul mate.  We are lobsters.  She is the daughter that I was always meant to have.  She is mine.   I ALWAYS knew that I had to have a daughter.  The boys are amazing, but the daughter part of life was an essential fact.  And when I sit waiting for the bus every morning - in my jammies just like my grandma used to wait with me - I ponder this little girl.  I stare at her and make her sit on my lap.  I smell her hair and try to keep her warm, and I rejoice in her.  She is a better new and improved version of me, brought up in a totally different kind of house.

She is my tenacious points with out my ADD.  She has my loop hole finder of a brain, but her mean streak is much smaller.  She is no easy kid.  She doesn't do anything you tell her unless she see's the reason in your request.  She pushes every boundary and is amazingly talented at finding your weak spots and using them.  She can push too far and make me want to go crazy.  But then she reels it back is with her pure heart felt cuteness.   She loves to cook with me and she loves to have chances to be alone with me.  Her favorite food is sushi - tuna rolls.  She saves her money so she can take me on Mommy dates.  She is allergic to goats, but it doesn't seem t slow her down.  She sings in the shower.  LOUD.  And her song choice is often the newest song on the radio.  She is taking an after school baton class that she picked for herself and she loves it.  She gets Max up on the weekends and brings him into her bed to read books till they come wake us up.  She loves babies.    She will rip you apart if you pick her up late, and remind you of it for years.  If I try to sneak out to the barn by myself to feed she can sense it and comes flying out of the house.  She takes as many pictures as I do.  She creates at least one piece of art every day.  She hates socks and leggings.  She still will not wear pants.  She hates getting her hair touched in any way.  She flosses her teeth every day.  She wishes she could wear only crocs all day every day.  She would rather shiver all day than wear warm clothes.  She sleeps in bed with a nest of pillow pets and blankets.  She even calls it her nest.  Of all the places in this house the dog picks Lily to sleep with at night.  She makes lists in a way that makes me proud.  She will curl up in your space no matter were you sit.  So make room.  She is the daughter I always dreamed about.  Lucky me.