Lily 14 Months

I love the pictures of Lily this month as they capture so many of her smiles and silly faces.  Lily is a cute little bug who is growing up so fast.  I am amazed at her growth, especially as I glance through pictures of since we have moved here a few short 4 months ago.  She is spunky, silly, fun loving, energetic, and sweet as can be.  We love having her around.  Here are a few of this months highlights:

• Loves to play outside - with balls, bikes, and investigating life.  We have to watch that she doesn't eat any dirt, rocks, or bugs.  Yuck!
• Walks & runs everywhere  
• Becoming a climber, especially the stairs
• Loves cheese, frozen gogurts, applesauce, fruit, and bread
• Enjoys splashing and playing with cups in the tub
• Loves to open/shut doors and take things in and out of bags
• Loves to play with Emily, but also by herself
• Lily loves to play peek-a-boo while folding the clothes
• Hates to get dressed or have her diaper changed
• Says mama, dada, uh-uh, cheese, uh-oh, shoes
• Gets excited whenever she sees the diaper bag and shoes because she loves to go places
• Loves morning and evening walks with mom

Emily Turns 3 Years Old

We celebrated Emily's birthday by visiting Gardner Village's witches.  Emily absolutely loves things about fall, especially pumpkins.  She loves to read books about pumpkins & seeing Halloween decorations.  I love that she loves fall like me!

Just like that my Princess Emily is 3 years old!  Each time I reminisce through pictures I am amazed at how fast she grows, learns, and changes.  She is sweet, smart, beautiful, kindhearted, silly, energetic, fun-loving, and so much more.  I love watching her personality blossom.  

Emily is a lover of so many things, including books, princesses, fairies, puzzles, cousins, family, grapes, raisins, strawberries, chocolate milk, nursery, bedtime stories, stickers, and snuggles.  

I love her creative and silly sayings:

• "clean nose" - Kleenex
• "Sleeping booty" - Sleeping Beauty
• "Come sit on my lap" - to sit by her
• "Beans" - Mac & Cheese
• "Jellies" - Yogurt & chocolate raisins
• "Cinderella pumpkin" - candy corn pumpkin (potty treat)
• "Sixty-five" - a common amount of money something costs when she is pretending to buy something
• "Nelson" - she often calls her daddy by his name, which I believe to be a term of friendship
• "Bando" - band-aid 
• "Princess Hair" - a term for any way to do her hair and get it out of her face

Emily can put on her shoes and socks by herself.  She is an amazing puzzle master, doing 24-36 piece jigsaw puzzles.  Emily is a quick runner & a high jumper.  She can be a great helper, even at clearing the table lately.  My sweet singer knows many of the words to lots of princess melodies.  She has a beautiful voice that I just can't get enough of.

Being close to family, Emily has loved seeing cousins, aunts, and uncles lots.  She gets super excited to see everyone!  When visitors come she can be seen jumping, running, or singing with excitement.  I love watching her build relationships and friendships with dear people in our lives.

I just love my princess Emily and hope she knows how much I love her.  She is gifted in so many ways, especially music.  I am so very lucky to have this princess in my life & for her to have made me a mommy.  I will never forget the first time I held her!

Emily Sun Up to Sun Down

I love watching Emily's personality sparkle each day.  She shines in her special way!  I love her delight in princesses, books, puzzles, and snuggles.  I can't get enough of her sweet songs in the car, during play, and just for fun.  I love the way she names her clothes and shoes after princesses, even though they are not printed with the characters.  For example, she has named her yellow shirt to be "Snow White."  I think it is because Snow White has a yellow dress - smart girl!  I love the way Emily says, "Cheese" for me!  Most of all I love it when she notices me alone on the couch or chair and quickly finds a place in my arms.  I cannot get enough of this almost 3 year old.

Mischievous Mobile Lily

Lily is becoming more and more mobile everyday.  She is quite brave in her curiosity.  Lily has learned to push chairs and objects around to help her walk.  She is quick to find a way to crawl and climb into things, especially those we say no too!  Whenever Lily is about to try something wrong, she gets this mischievous grin on her face that is so cute!  I know sooner than later this sweet girl will be walking everywhere by herself!

Lily loves to play outside!  She loves to push the toys around, swing, explore the yard, and get into the dirt.  Yuck!  

 Lily has found her voice echoes in the farm silo!

Lily 13 Months

This months has brought big changes in Lily's gross motor development.  She is becoming quite the walker as she takes more and more steps each day.  After pulling herself up to things, Lily loves to explore the world with her two feet.  She has yet to figure out how to stand in the middle of the room by herself, but once she does she will be walking everywhere!!  I am excited and nervous at the same time as this little girl's middle name seems to be "mischievous!"  I love hearing her feet and hands patter against the floor, her chatter nonsense, and giggle endlessly.  Here are some other highlights of the month:

• Walks a few steps at a time
• "Dances" to songs on TV, especially Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
• Mimics brushing her teeth, combing her hair, and putting lotion on
• Chatters often
• Loves to play with babies and her monkey
• Climbs and crawls everywhere: in chairs, on the fireplace mantel, over people laying on the floor
• Loves mac n' cheese, blueberries, yogurt, and chocolate milk
• Sings "Clean up" and the actions of "Happy and You Know It"
• Loves to be outside - and eat dirt - YUCK
• Mommy's girl and loves to play with her sister

Thanksgiving Point Farm

 We enjoyed an afternoon at Thanksgiving Point Farm with Nana and Grandpa.  The girls loved seeing the animals, riding the wagon, taking a pony ride, and playing in the crop exhibit.  We tried to get Emily to pet the animals, but she was not so sure about that!  Yuck!  I was excited to see Emily ride the pony.  At first she was a little timid, but as the ride went on she seemed to relax.  I always enjoy seeing my girls explore new things and see their awe in the adventure.

Lily's Hospital Trip

Unfortunately Lily has been really sick the past few days.  On Friday, July 31, 2015 we took Lily for her year checkup.  A few days before we had noticed some unusual diaper rash that included little pustules (blisters).  One blister in particular was getting big and red.  We asked the doctor about it, but were told to keep treating it with diaper rash cream and watch if it got worse.  Over the weekend, Lily became increasingly more irritable, sleepy, and feverish all the while her bottom became sore.  

On Monday I called and went to the doctor again with Lily.  This time they told me it was an abscess and to treat it with antibiotics.  After a few days of treatment and things continually getting worse, I went to the doctor again on Wednesday.  They changed her medication to Clindamycin, which would treat the potential bacteria infection of MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureaus).  By Friday I was hoping someone could help us further.  We had now seen multiple doctors with little results which was frustrating to say the least.  It was challenging to see my baby sick.  I missed her giggles, mischievous ways, and smiles.  We met with Dr. Goodwin, who we hadn't seen before.  With great concern she told us to hurry up to Primary Children's Hospital where they would be able to help Lily by draining the abscess.  

In the ER, Lily was poked lots and even given a brief ultrasound.  The doctors recommended giving her an IV of Clindamycin to see if that could help; however, I felt she needed the abscess to be drained for the antibiotics to get to the infection properly.  After a restless night and Saturday morning, the doctors did a formal ultrasound.  Within minutes they found a 3 cm wide and 3 cm deep abscess.  The doctors would surgically drain the abscess that afternoon and place a plastic tubing in to allow the site to drain further.  The surgery took place around 4 pm.  After 5 hours of observation, the abscess looked remarkably better so we were able to go home to sleep.  Lily slept through the night until 10:15 am.  We were both tired!

Throughout the week I was grateful for good doctors and medical professionals who helped us.  I was especially grateful for those who were gentle and loving with my sweet baby.  It was challenging to see Lily in pain and fearful of so many strangers who were poking her all the time.  I wanted so desperately to take the pain away for her, but I couldn't.  This experience gave me a small glimpse into the Atonement and our Heavenly Father's love for us.  Through trials I often want the pain to go away and answers to come quickly, but more often than not there is a period of waiting.  I feel Heavenly Father and our Savior find it difficult to see us in pain, yet they know all things will be for the better with time.  Through the pain and suffering they are there to comfort and care always.