I Want To Do Something For Her...But What?

Lydia is sick. I have never experienced this long of an illness with her before. She had a bad ear infection last December, which was pretty rough, but she was still in good spirits. She had a stomach bug last September, but it was only 24 hours long. Now, she's had a temperature over 100 since Sunday evening! It's so hard to see her not feeling well, especially since she can't communicate how she feels. I also wish she would understand when I say "Just relax" when she gets upset about not feeling well.

Lydia is not a good patient, at least for me. She is fussy and wiggly and can't decide if she wants to sleep or play or just sit in my lap. But, with Brian, she is just snuggly and a bit fussy. They relaxed all day today - laying on the couch, laying in bed. I was surprised when Brian said he'd be willing to stay with her, again, all day tomorrow if she's still sick (instead of going to his teacher's training). I do not enjoy being with Lydia when she is not feeling well. But, she always acts better around Brian than she does around me.

I was so worried about her high temperature, that we took her to the doctor yesterday. Of course, there was nothing the doctor could do for her; we just have to wait this one out. He was very reassuring and didn't make me feel silly for bringing Lydia in. He told us to monitor her temperature constantly, and if it goes over 104, to bring her back to the doctor or the ER. Also, if her fever lasts more than five days (FIVE DAYS!), to bring her in again.

It's so hard seeing Lydia just laze around. And, when I was holding her, she puts her head on my shoulder and just moans. She is usually so active and alert; this is so not like her! It feels like she's been sick forever and that it's never going to go away. But, I know that in a day or two, she will be much better and I won't even remember how it was. I am thankful that this is happening during the summer only because Brian is home to care for her. I would hate to leave Leah alone with the kiddos (we only had 2 yesterday and 3 today), or have someone help out (we'll have all 5 again tomorrow). I am also thankful that he is willing to stay home with her and his only complaint is that "it's boring", instead of "Lydia's annoying".

Pray that my baby gets better!

Resting at the Center.

Sleeping on Daddy's lap.

Resting on the couch.

Because...I Love Her

We are trying to wean Lydia off the pacifier. I had not wanted to give her one, knowing that it can become addictive, cause problems with her teeth and mouth, and limit language development. I never liked seeing toddlers (especially 3 or 4 year olds) walking around with pacifiers in their mouths. I had a pacifier when I was little, but I don't remember when I stopped using it. My little brother, Thomas, used his until he was 4! My mom limited the use at 2 - the pacifier was only allowed at home, not out and about. At 3, he could only have it in his bed. And at 4, it was taken away. At the age of 4, Thomas understood when mom said "no more pacifier" and he didn't throw a fit - mainly because he didn't need it anymore.

I lasted about 21 days before I gave in and let Lydia have a pacifier. She was a fussy baby, constantly wanting to nurse - not to eat, but to comfort herself. She would nurse for about 20 minutes, and then fuss and fuss. My mom eventually convinced me to try a pacifier. And it worked! She was soothed by the pacifier and no longer fussed when she stopped nursing and could last longer in between nursing sessions. This also soothed me - I was no longer constantly holding Lydia, rocking her, soothing her myself. Unfortunately, this caused the problems I was worried about; Lydia became "addicted" to the pacifier. She always wanted it with her and would wake up at night, crying if it had fallen out of her mouth.

So, after her first birthday, we have started weaning Lydia from the pacifier. I wanted to go "cold turkey" - just take it away except for naps and bedtime - but Leah suggested that I gradually take it away. She claims that Lydia's personality would have a difficult time going cold turkey. Lydia has started specifically asking for the pacifier by saying "ma ma" or "me me". So, when she's playing and happy, there is no pacifier allowed. We also try to go at least one whole hour without the pacifier. When we're playing outside, there is no pacifier. During the week, at school, she is good at not having the pacifier. She usually wants it when she starts getting tired, which is about 10:30. I'll let her have it during Circle Time, but then it's lunch time and it's taken away and she forgets about it until about 12:00, when she gets tired. At home, Brian has been really good at keeping the pacifier away, as well. Lydia is starting to understand that she doesn't need it while she's playing and having fun. It is going a lot smoother than I thought it would!

A tiny Lydia with a pacifier! (She still has that pacifier!)

We are also weaning Lydia from formula. She has gone almost a week without her morning 2oz in a sippy cup. The first two days, she yelled at me when she received a sippy cup of whole milk instead of formula. But, she's over that now and downs the whole milk. Next is weaning her from the afternoon nap 2-4oz bottle. That one will be harder, since (1) it's in a bottle and (2) it's right before nap time. I may half and half it (1/2 formula, 1/2 whole milk) for a bit. Or I may start putting the formula in a sippy cup first. I will discuss this with Leah (the baby weaning expert).
Lydia has gotten so good at feeding herself food. She went from refusing to eat anything but baby food, to only wanting to feed herself! Part of it may be that she now sits at the "big kid" table at the center. She loves sitting there with her own plate and cup, in a big girl chair, with her friends. The other day, she ate every thing on her plate (even the fruit)! At home, I put her food on a plate and put that on her tray at her highchair. When she's eating something alone (we're not eating lunch/snack with her), I let her sit at the little picnic table the Pfeiffer's gave her. She does pretty well there, although she would prefer to take a bite, walk around, and then take another bite. We are trying to get rid of that habit.
In other news, we are closing the Center at the end of August. I have looked into and e-mailed the lady in charge of the Preschool at Oak Hills Church (where I go to church). I would absolutely love to teach preschool! That's what I originally set out to do when I graduated. Plus, it will only be three times a week from 8:45 to 12:45 - much shorter hours than I am working now! Hopefully they will have child care for Lydia...or I will have to look into a Mother's Day Out program for her. I am also planning on giving piano lessons, and I already have one potential student - hooray! I need to research and study up on teaching techniques this summer. I am excited about - sort of - being a stay at home mom, and not working 11.5 hours a day! Yippee!
Also, I decided to not go with the Nefertiti books and instead went with Tracy Chevalier's new book, Remarkable Creatures and two new books in a series, called Little Lady, Big Apple and The Little Lady Agency and the Prince by Hester Browne. We will see how these books are.

Well, Some People Use Their Imagination

We had our very first family vacation as a family of three...with just the three of us. Our "vacations" since we've been married:

• Fredericksburg, TX: We went here for our Honeymoon.
• Twinsburg, OH: August 2008, I went with my twin sister and mom for the Twins Festival
• Wisconsin: August 2008, we went with Brian's parents and two sisters to visit his grandparents.
• Orlando, FL: July 2009, we went with my parents and whole family to Disney World.
• Marble Falls, TX: February 2010, we went on our Babymoon.
• Dallas, GA: December 2010, Lydia, my mom and sister and I went to a friend's wedding.
• Port Aransas, TX: May 2011, Memorial Day/Start of Summer vacation.

It was awesome to be able to go to the beach and stay at a hotel with just the three of us. It took a lot of packing and planning on my part to figure out what Lydia needed, as well as what we needed. I knew Lydia's schedule would be interrupted, and I had to plan around that. I definitely over-packed on Lydia's clothes, but didn't pack enough diapers (I didn't realize how many more diaper changes there would be; getting in and out of the pool/beach). We should have packed frozen dinners, instead of going out to eat, since it was a 30 minute drive to the nearest place to eat from the hotel, so we had to go to HEB on the second day to stock up. We didn't need the beach chairs, since Lydia didn't want to stay very long down on the beach. Thankfully we remembered to pack Lydia's Wiggles DVD, but we should have also packed a CD of all their songs to listen to in the car.

What I hadn't planned for was how difficult it would be to get Lydia to sleep in the hotel-provided pack n' play....in the same room as us. She does not sleep well when she knows we're near by - she wants to play with us or have me hold her. Saturday night was the worse night. She went to sleep at 7:00, woke up at 8:00, then 9:00, then 1:00, then 2:00, then 4:00...oh it was horrible! Plus, she was in a bad mood Sunday morning because she hadn't gotten much sleep...and we were frustrated because we hadn't gotten much sleep, either! The other nights were better, although she always woke up between 4:30 and 5:30, ready to start her day. Tuesday night, our first night back home, she slept straight from 6:45pm to 6:30am; that's how exhausted she was!

We left at 1:00 on Saturday. I had spent the morning packing for the beach, and Brian had a meeting in New Braunfels. We were able to leave shortly after he came home and we had lunch. Lydia fell asleep after about 30 minutes in the car and slept for an hour. We listened to Harry Potter Book 7 on tape while she slept. She woke up and we stopped for gas. She was pretty cranky after sitting for so long. She ate a snack, and then fussed the rest of the way to Port A. The only thing that calmed her down was Brian and me singing Wiggles songs - which is why I wished we had brought a Wiggles CD!

After checking into the hotel, we changed into our swimsuits and headed down to the pool. Lydia loves swimming in the pool! She had a blast! She loves to watch people and try to get them to smile and talk to her; she knows she's a cutie! We had Subway for dinner, put Lydia to sleep at 7:00, and Brian and I sat out on the porch to chat and hang out until we were tired. Like I said, that night was rough.

Sunday morning we were up and eating breakfast by 7:00. We watched The Wiggles while getting everything ready for our first trip down to the beach. We lasted less than 10 minutes on the beach because Lydia was being fussy. We went back up to the room, changed and tried to put Lydia down for a nap, but that didn't work, so we went to the pool instead. After the pool, a nap, and lunch, we headed back to the beach and Lydia enjoyed herself this time. We went on a super long walk after dinner. Lydia rode in her backpack and enjoyed watching the birds, dogs, and people. I loved walking alongside Brian and just chatting and enjoying the view. Sunday night, we let Lydia fall asleep on our bed when she started getting fussy (she likes to play on our bed). She slept with us until we were ready to go to sleep, and was put in her pack n' play. She had a much better night, only waking once or twice, and was up in the morning by 5:30.

Monday morning we went on another beach walk (a shorter one) after breakfast. We snacked, napped, and then went to look at the tourist shops. Then we went to the pool and the beach again, and then another walk that evening. Tuesday we were up by 6:00, packed up everything, and were in the car heading home by 8:30.

Overall, it was a great experience for us. We learned what not to do, what to pack, and how to deal with a cranky baby. We also enjoyed watching Lydia explore her new environment (she loved playing out on the porch), and had fun playing with her at the pool and on the beach. Although it may not have been a very relaxing vacation (since we got very little sleep), it sure was fun and I would totally do it again! Watching Lydia and Brian spend time together is tear-jerking and I love it!

The pool: Lydia's favorite place!

Lydia and the waves!

Giving Mommy hugs...and wanting to get picked up!

Ready for our beach walk.

Walking on the beach!

Now, Dear, We Decided Pink Was Her Color!

I thought I would have had time on Friday night or Saturday morning to write about Lydia's birth story, but I definitely did not! Friday I did send out Lydia's 12 month e-mail update to the Pfeiffer family, plus I cleaned the house and Lydia and I went to the pool with my mom. On Saturday, I spent the whole morning packing and then we left for the beach! We had a blast, but I'll save that for another post.

Lydia's birth story is a pretty amazing and unique one. I am hoping for a COMPLETELY different birth experience for my future children. Lydia's story is all about God, miracles, family, and love. I have gotten a bit emotional leading up to Lydia's birthday, but I surprisingly was too happy for her to cry or think about the events that happened last year. I am glad we went on a vacation so I didn't spend my time thinking about last year's events. Anyway...on to the story!

Friday evening ended pretty normally. Brian got home early from school - his last day as a long-term substitute teacher at Canyon Middle School! He was excited to start his summer, but anxious about finding a teaching job for the following school year. Leah and Jessie left earlier that day for Port Aransas, so my mom came and helped me with the babies (as I was 38 weeks pregnant). My mom headed off once I was down to 2 babies, inviting Brian and me over to her house for make-your-own pizza night, and to visit with my cousins who were in town. The last baby left around 6:00. Brian and I did a quick clean of the center and I took a shower and changed to head over to my mom's house. We climbed into Grandy's mini van (that we were borrowing because Brian's car was in the shop - I had gotten into a minor accident a few weeks before when a truck backed into the front of the car!) and headed off to dinner! I called the house on our way, telling my little sister, Nellie, that we were on our way. I never got her text asking what we wanted on our pizzas.

I don't remember what we were talking about, but I knew I had been smiling and excited about the summer and my upcoming due date. We passed the Camp Bullis exit and were directly across from our church, Oak Hills, when it happened. I looked out the window and saw an SUV driving up the closed (due to construction) entry ramp and over the grass! I had time to say "Watch out!" to Brian and I closed my eyes, waiting for the impact. The SUV hit us on the rear passenger side of the minivan, causing Brian to drive off the road. We drove off the road and onto the grass, hitting a large pile of dirt (once again, due to construction), causing us to flip over a few times. We landed on the passenger side, facing the opposite direction we had been going on the access road. 

My windows were not broken, but Brian's were. I was hanging from the seat belt, so Brian had to undo his seat belt, then mine, and then hold me up so we could stick our heads out of the window and call for help. Lots of people had stopped on the side of the road to call 911 and to help. A man was able to get the back door open and practically carried me out of the van and brought me to a wonderfully helpful woman who supported me on the ground (I couldn't lay down - my chest hurt when I did). The ambulance arrived very quickly, as did several fire trucks (and I'm sure police cars). Brian was taken away to give a report on what happened, while I was trying to stay calm. Once I knew that Brian was fine (he was limping and said his ankle hurt), all I cared about was whether my baby was fine.
I was put in an ambulance and Brian followed. I was given an IV and they cut my pants (my only pair of maternity jeans) to check me out. I was given an oxygen mask and told to relax...yeah, right. I kept telling Brian to call mom, but he didn't have a cell phone (his was later found in the van by a firefighter). We went to University Hospital where I was rushed into an emergency room and Brian had to go to the waiting room to fill out paperwork (how I cried about that!). I was surrounded by doctors and nurses, all checking me out. I was given x-rays and an MRI. They gave me an ultrasound and I was reassured to hear the baby's heartbeat and was told she was doing great!
Brian finally rejoined me, and kept refusing medical care when the doctor's saw his ankle (it was very swollen). He wanted to make sure I was taken care of before he went to the emergency room. Even though it would have been better in the long run if he had seen a doctor right away and was admitted, he would have been taken from me right away, and I would have freaked to be by myself. Brian finally  managed to get a hold of his parents using a nurse's cell phone. They didn't have my mom's home number (I unfortunately don't have it memorized). My OB nurse googled/yellow-paged my mom and found her number. My mom and Nellie rushed over with a quickly packed bag for me. It was so reassuring to have my mom there!
I was put in a delivery room and had to be on a 24-hour watch. The doctor's were worried about the placenta detaching because of all the trauma. I found out that I had a broken right big toe, broken tail bone, bruised left ribs, a fractured sternum (that's why my chest hurt), a huge bump on my head, bruises from the seat belt across my chest and legs, bruises on my hands and legs. Brian had glass in his hair, but no bruises. He later found out his right ankle was broken (he had surgery three days after Lydia was born). It was getting late, after midnight, when things kind of calmed down and everyone had settled in - Brian in a chair, Nellie in a chair, and my mom on the floor. All of a sudden I had sudden pain in my abdomen that wouldn't go away. My mom paged the nurse and they decided to induce me, since they were worried about the placenta.
At 3:40 in the morning, I was given an epidural and pitocin and my water was broken. Then, we just waited. I was prepped for an emergency c-section in case anything went wrong. I was also told that a team of doctors had decided I was allowed to deliver vaginally, despite my broken tail bone (which could have caused problems). Only once did the baby's heart rate go down. The whole team of doctor's ran into the room, but they gave me oxygen and shook me a bit, and the heart rate went back up.
Brian's parents arrived on Saturday and we all played the waiting game. My epidural started wearing off on my left side, so I did get to feel some contraction pains, but they quickly fixed that...not enjoyable. Brian went down to the emergency room that day and got his leg x-rayed and wrapped. He told the doctor's they needed to be quick, since his wife was in labor!
Finally, at 9:00 Saturday night, the doctor came in saying that if I wasn't dilated to 10 cm, they would give me a c-section. She checked and I was at 10 cm! Yeah! I was prepped and started pushing. After about an hour, Lydia Patience Pfeiffer arrived, at 10:12pm, weighing 7lbs 3oz and was 21in long! Brian couldn't stop saying how perfect and beautiful she was. I loved holding her. I didn't care about the car accident or anything, just my baby!
We stayed the night, just Brian and me, with Lydia in the nursery coming to me every few hours to nurse. Sunday brought a few more x-rays for me, and visitors for Lydia. Sunday morning was the hardest. I woke up early with the baby and started crying. It had been a very emotional start to the summer! I was fitted for a hard walking shoe (for my broken toe), and we were finally able to leave on Monday afternoon! I was so ready to get out of there.
Despite the heartache of a car accident, and the pain and worry, we made it through! Lydia was unharmed, and Brian only has a small scar to remember his broken ankle. He was stuck in a cast and walking book most of the summer, but was still able to go for a job interview for New Braunfels Middle School - and was hired as a 6th grade math teacher!
God works in mysterious ways. Why did he let us get in a car accident when I was 38 weeks pregnant? But, if it had been earlier, Lydia would have been premature. If it would have been later, Lydia may have been hurt. We were given Grandy's minivan which protected us much better than Brian's small Hyundai would have. God showed us how much he can protect us; the firemen were surprised we had been able to walk out of the car! God showed us how much he loved us; he surrounded us with family in our time of need.
It's been a whole year since the accident. Lydia has grown and developed so much since then and we are constantly amazed!

Everything's So Wonderful!

Saturday morning Lydia slept in until 6:30 (an improvement from earlier this week when she was waking up at 5:30). I started cleaning the house and getting decorations organized. Leah came over around 8:40 to take Lydia to her gym class (Lydia didn't enjoy herself...maybe because I wasn't there, or because her teacher, Miss Jenny, wasn't there) so we could get things done without having to worry about Lydia. 

The morning started out really dreary and wet, so we didn't move anything outside. I was so worried it would stay that way and I'd have to have the party inside. Around 10:00 it started clearing up. Lydia came home and went down for a nap. I trimmed all the hedges (and did a pretty good job) and cleaned up the yard a bit. Brian was able to mow the lawn around 11:00. The sun was coming out and the weather website predicted no rain for Saturday!

Brian's parents arrived around 12:00, so I was able to take a shower and get myself presentable. We started cutting up the veggies and fruit and making the mini sandwiches. My mom, Thomas and Chris arrived and my mom started putting together Lydia's birthday cake. I had Thomas and Chris blow up balloons and hang them outside, as well as put ice in the cooler and put sodas and water in the cooler. Thomas made an awesome collage of Lydia's pictures on the table by the entrance to the yard.

Lydia wasn't allowing me to get anything done; she just wanted to be held. And my nephew, Abram, was starting to get fussy as well. So, Leah (the baby expert) put both babies down for a nap. They looked so cute laying on blankets on the floor of Lydia's bedroom! Lydia was able to take an hour nap before our first guests arrived. We quickly got her dressed in her homemade onesie and tutu. She also wore a tiara that Leah had purchased from Disney World two years ago. So cute!

Lydia was so excited when her friends arrived! I think she was surprised to see her friends from the center at her house! She rode around in the wagon with them, colored, and talked with them. The one thing I had forgotten was how hot Texas can be, even in May! The babies had red faces (Lydia gets hot really easily), and we were all sweating. But, the kiddos still had fun playing with the balls in the yard, going on wagon rides, and coloring princess pictures.

We sang Happy Birthday and Lydia got to try her cake - which she refused to do. She smashed it with her hand and smeared the cake in her hair (she wasn't eating much that day). Her friends thought the cake was tasty, at least. We headed inside shortly after cake in order to open presents (and cool off). Lydia loved opening all her presents and got quite a lot! She loves all the new toys and I love all the new clothes! She is set! So many cute outfits to wear next weekend at the beach!

All in all, her 1st birthday party (and my first party as a hostess at my house), went very smoothly! All of her friends showed up. I was so happy that Lydia was surrounded by people who loved her for her birthday!

Lydia ready for her party!

So pretty!

I love this picture!

Nellie got stuck pulling Lydia and Abram in the wagon.

Coloring princess pictures with friends.

Happy Birthday, Lydia!

She prefers crackers over cake.

Birthday girl!

Opening presents! Yeah, beach toys!

Lydia's "practice" cake made by my mom. The actual cake had no chocolate kisses and pink  cones. Love it!

Today we celebrated Brian's 25th birthday! Lydia definitely didn't let us sleep in this morning, but oh well. We went to the 10:00 service at church (Lydia did great in the nursery) so Brian could go to HEB afterwards to get hot dogs and hamburgers for his party. Everyone started showing up at 3:00 and we chowed down! My mom made home made ice cream as his "cake" - delicious! I am so glad Brian was surrounded by friends and family for his birthday! They helped make it a special day!

Now it's just one more week of teaching for Brian and he starts his summer vacation! And, I have a four day work week, and then it's time to head to the beach! I am excited for summer!

Oh, She'd Make a Lovely Flower

It's supposed to rain on Saturday! Of course, it was supposed to rain today, and it didn't. I know Lydia's party will work out just fine rain or shine, but I'd prefer shine.

Guess what?! Lydia is officially walking! Leah's definition of "walking" has always been that the baby chooses to walk more than crawl. And this week, Lydia did just that! She attempts to walk everywhere, and can do it really well. I need to get a video of her walking. I love how new walkers hold their arms up to keep their balance. Lydia also breathes really heavy when she walks. It's so exciting watching her grow up and learn and develop. It's amazing! 

Of course, watching her also makes me tear up. She has suddenly started loving her Uncle Jessie. She used to just watch him, but didn't want him to pick her up. But, now she toddles over to him to get picked up and thrown up in the air. Now she reaches for Leah a lot of the time and will walk over to her. Now she will play all on her own outside, exploring all over the porch and yard, without clinging to me. Now she has a mind of her own and makes her own decisions (like throwing her food on the floor instead of eating it). Now she goes where she wants to go, whether she has to climb over something or walk around something. It's amazing!

Every time I look back at pictures of her when she was teeny, I tear up. To imagine everything we went through before her birth, and to think that we're all safe and sound - it makes me want to cry, laugh, and praise God all at once! I know I'm going to cry and cry the day of her party and on her real birthday. To think that God brought us through so much pain and heartache and now we're happy with the most amazing little girl! God is so good!

My next two posts will be of (1) Lydia's birthday party and (2) Lydia's birth story.

The future pianist!

Good Gracious, Who Left the Mop Running?

Two weekends ago, I went to the public library and checked out three books: She Walks in Beauty, The Wives of Henry Oades, and Pilate's Wife. I have also been reading Jodi Picoult books at Leah's house, while working. I finished The Tenth Circle and am almost done with 19 Minutes. There have been tons of things that have kept me from reading - the one thing that I have always loved to do. But, now I make sure I read during nap time, and I always try to read right before bed. I have not had books that have kept my interest recently, which is why I decided to go to the public library. A friend's blog recommended a few books, and I love to research on amazon.com.

My favorite genre of books are historical fiction - I especially like books about the kings and queens of England. I used to only read books about Germany and the Holocaust (I loved Bodie Theone's two series). The book She Walks in Beauty, by Siri Mitchell, was about women in New York during the Gilded Age. I loved reading about a debutante learning everything she needed to know about high society - the corsets, how to eat and speak, how to catch a husband. Although I don't think I'll read another book by Siri Mitchell - her writing style was not my favorite - I enjoyed this read. The Wives of Henry Oades, by Johanna Moran, was extremely good! I couldn't put it down! I spent two nights reading this book for over two hours straight! I still can't decide what I would have done in Margaret's (or Nancy's) situation; to find that your husband had remarried, believing you had died. I loved Henry's love and adoration for his children, although I was a bit upset about how he treated Margaret on her return.

Leah has introduced me to the author Jodi Picoult. I, of course, first read My Sister's Keeper, which I loved! I was very disappointed in the movie's ending. The next one I read was Handle With Care, which was also very, very good. The poor little girl with brittle bone disease! What would I have done if I had been her mother? I always feel sorry for the siblings who are "forgotten". The brother in My Sister's Keeper, who was ignored because he had an ill sister and another sister who was suing her parents. In Handle With Care, the older daughter is forgotten because of her little sister's condition. In The Tenth Circle, I was amazed at teenager's behavior. I was never involved in the high school groups who partied, so I was shocked at what teenagers do! 19 Minutes is about a school shooting. I am having a hard time sympathizing with the main character, Josie, because I am sure she is hiding something; I just have to figure out what!

After I finish Pilate's Wife, which is about Pontius Pilate's wife (who had the dream about Jesus), I am going to get two books, one called Nefertiti and the other, the sequel, The Heretic Queen. The first is, of course, about Nefertiti, the famous wife of a Pharaoh. The second is about her daughter, who married Rameses, who is Moses' half brother. They seem like very interesting books. Plus, I'm also going to get Tracy Chevalier's new book, Remarkable Creatures. Chevalier has written one of my favorite books, Girl With a Pearl Earring. I have read all of her books and love this author!

Other than reading, piano playing has always been my passion. Lydia is starting to get more and more accepting of the fact that I enjoy playing the piano. She will usually sit and play on the floor while I play. Brian is good at knowing when I long to just sit and play for half and hour, so he'll take Lydia outside or into another room. Lydia loves to walk around underneath the piano and reach up and play the keys. She also likes to sit on my lap and bang on the piano. She won't let me play with her; she always pushes my hands away. Lorie Line's new book, Vogue, is so good! I love playing the song from TANGLED! Her second new book is Serendipity, which is full of solely her compositions. I don't usually listen to the way she plays songs; preferring to figure them out on my own and play them they way I feel they should be played. I truly hope to see her in concert again, soon! She is an amazing performer. My dream job is to play background music in a hotel, mall, store - anywhere - hours on end. How awesome would that be?!

Lydia spent the day with her grandparents and cousin Abram today. She left at 10:30 and didn't come back until 5:15 (fast asleep). She went putt-putting, to Chuck E. Cheese, and to Marble Slab (that girl loves her ice cream). She always has a blast when she hangs out with her grandparents, and loves her little cousin. This week she has started attempting to walk everywhere! She walked all the way across the room today! And, she can get up to standing without holding on to anything! I can't believe my baby is going to be one soon! It almost makes me cry! Tomorrow we are going birthday party supply shopping, leaving Lydia with Aunt Leah. I'm excited!

I'm Going to Make it 15 Layers with Pink and Blue Forget-Me-Nots

I can't believe it's already May! There is so much going on in May, including tons of birthdays! Five people in my family have birthdays in May. That would have been a lot of parties. Luckily, we celebrate all the May birthdays in one big party. Each birthday girl/boy gets to choose their own cake and we always do something super fun. One year, for the May birthdays, we had a Halo competition, with 4 TVs set up in the living room for the boys to play...plus a bounce house in the backyard! And one year, for the three July birthdays, we played relay games. Our family is pretty creative when it comes to birthdays, and this time was no exception!

We celebrated (in order of birthday) Rekeisha, Thomas, Brian and Lydia's May birthdays, plus dad and Grandy's June birthdays (since dad won't be here for his birthday). (The fifth May birthday is my sister-in-law, Sara, who is in Scotland). Sunday afternoon, everyone gathered at my house to open presents and have birthday cake. Rekeisha  had carrot cake cupcakes, Thomas had grasshopper pie (which he shared with Grandy), Brian had chocolate swirl cheesecake, Lydia had crown-shaped iced sugar cookies, and dad had Texas sheet cake. We sang the Happy Birthday song 6 separate times! Lydia loved her sugar cookies and had some ice cream, too. The good thing about having so many cakes is that there's lots of leftovers - yum!

We opened presents. It felt like Christmas since everyone took turns opening their presents. Lydia received bubbles and sunglasses, a new princess beach towel, an amazing wagon, star-shaped stackers, a drum, and a cute "I Love My Uncle" bib (from Thomas).

After presents, we all headed to downtown San Antonio to go on a riverboat dinner "cruise"! The restaurant, the Casa Rio, provided the dinner and the waitress, and we had a great boat "captain" who gave a funny tour around the river. Lydia had some of my enchilada, rice and beans, as well as her own sweet potatoes and crackers. She enjoyed the riverboat ride, but after about 40 minutes, she started getting tired and I had to hold her on my lap. She gets hot really easily, and it was quite warm that evening. The dinner cruise lasted one hour and was great! Brian and the captain shared several funny jokes, and Brian later found out that the captain was also a 2nd grade teacher!

Lydia didn't get to bed until 8:00 that night, but she slept until 6:40 the next morning! Now I have one more weekend to get ready for Lydia's big birthday bash.