She's On the Move!

Well, its that time!  Time to put up the gates and move anything breakable, non-edible and all else not appropriate for 10 month olds to insert in their mouth to higher ground!  Lily has started crawling and boy, is she speedy!  One day she was up on all fours and moving backwards and the next day she moves like she's got a fire lit under her little butt!  How quickly I have forgotten what its like to have a crawling infant...but it is all coming back to me now.  What an exciting moment though!  The last time Keystone worked with Lily they were giving us tips on getting her to crawl, but like always, Lily did things in her own time.  As many of you also know, Lily was not rolling over just a few weeks ago, but again, Lily has her own timeline.  I guess she never felt she needed to roll over, but now that she can move I guess she felt she had reason to finally do it.  And I think we finally have her sleep problems figured out...she is just one spoiled little girl.  But then again, for all she has been through in her short little life, she deserves to be spoiled.  And if that means I have to give up a little of my sleep to cuddle up with her, I'm willing to do it!  She is only young once and before I know it she probably won't even acknowledge that I am her mother so for right now I am going to soak up the cuddle time with her and let her be a spoiled little girl!

In other news we have signed Ellie up for preschool in the fall.  After looking at many different places we feel the best place for Ellie will be ABC Learning.  Although it is a little out of the way, I think the benefits for Ellie will outweigh the 10 extra minutes of driving.  When we stopped in last week she hid behind me and wouldn't talk or look at anyone.  By the time we were ready to leave, she didn't want to.  In other Ellie news, she continues to enjoy gymnastics, especially now that her daycare provider's daughter is in her class.  They were so cute walking in holding hands the other day!  I can't wait until open house so I can see what she is learning.  Check out the short video at the end of the blog of Ellie doing her somersault...what do you think?  Future olympic gymnast?



Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week has come and gone.  I certainly enjoyed reading everyone's posts throughout the week about other families on the same journey we are on.  We were able to make the trip down to Iowa City this past Saturday for the CHD Party.  It was nice to be around other families who also have children with CHDs.  There were games and snacks that Ellie really enjoyed.  Lily enjoyed showing off her new crawling skills and playing with the whatever bowling pins her sister would let her hold on to.  It is amazing that when we went down there Lily's doctor and other cardiology staff knew all of us by name. In addition to the games and snacks Herky and some of the Iowa football players showed up to play with the kids and take pictures.  It really was a great time!

On Friday, I got the chance to be a presenter in our 8th grade wellness class.  The students were just finishing a lesson on pregnancy so I got the chance to talk to them about congenital heart defects.  The students truly seemed interested in learning about CHDs and had great questions.  They were so attentive and quiet during my presentation (hopefully they weren't sleeping!)

On the homefront, we have taken a little break from any home improvement projects for the last couple months but I am certainly getting the itch to begin again.  I thought I would start simple with our very outdated brass chandeliers hanging in our dining room and stairway.  They certainly need something to spruce them up so after reading Thrifty Decor Chick's blog http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/ on using spray paint, I am thinking that is the direction I am going to go.  Now I just have to get my husband to take them down!!  If you haven't gotten a chance to check out her blog, I highly suggest that you do so.  She has some great inexpensive decorating ideas and do-it-yourself projects.

I officially sent in my Baby Signs Acceptance forms and am now a Independent Certified Instructor for Baby Signs.  My first class that I will be teaching will begin in mid-April.  If you are interested or know someone who would be interested please let me know.  I look forward to getting out there and meeting other moms/babies and having a great time.  Again, if you have any suggestions for other types of infant/parents classes please send you ideas my way!