Momma Mandy & Grandma Shannon Visit

We had a wonderful visit from Lilly's birthmom and her mom. It was the first time we'd seen them since we left California a week after Lilly was born. We were so worried that Lilly would be really scared when she saw them again. We prayed that she would just warm right up to them and she totally did! In fact, she wasn't scared at all, she went right over to them as if she sees them all the time. It was so wonderful to watch Lilly interacting with them. We absolutely love Mandy and her mom Shannon (and their whole family). We wouldn't be where we are today without them. And Mandy is just one of our heroes, she's has so much strength - even though she may not realize it, she is a beautiful person; inside & out.

1 Year Old!

I can't believe that our little girl is a year old! It's crazy to think that a year has passed by. We had a good month. Brandon's parents came to visit for a week and we had a little birthday party with them. Then we had another family party with my family. We have been so blessed this past year. Lilly is so much fun! She weighs 20 pounds and is 29 inches long. She is running all over the house and has started laughing at the most random things - it's actually quite surprising when all of the sudden she starts to laugh at something we do or something she sees. It's adorable! She is seriously into everything!!! I have childproofed as much as we can, but she's quick and knows we don't want her into things, and she'll start running her little legs away when she hears us coming.

We had her first Halloween and she was a cute little Bumble Bee. Our dog, Maggy, was a Lady Bug; unfortunately, we didn't get a pick of the two of them together, but it was cute. She had a very first sucker and went to town on it. I tried to take it out of her mouth once, but that didn't go over well!

Well, this has been the most amazing year of our lives. Having Lilly in it has made it feel so much more complete. The next year will be full of just as many changes in our lives, but as long as were together - that's all that matters. Brandon and I have been talking a lot about when to start the adoption process again (and a few people have been asking, actually), but right now we just haven't decided when/if we are going to go through an agency. We are nervous about the idea of not going through an agency and trying to "find" a baby. So many things to think about. The thing that I have realized is that this is the first year in our marriage that hasn't been full of tears and sadness from not having a child. We are lucky and blessed beyond our wildest dreams. Thank you again to everyone that has been there for us and given us their support. We can't wait to see what the next year brings.

11 Months Old

Here's our little character. I love seeing her personality growing and coming out more each day. She is a rough and tumble kind of girl. She falls, bonks her head and quickly jumps back up to keep going to her destination, she doesn't seem to let anything come in her way.She learned how to crawl in and out of the doggie-door and becomes quite upset when we block it so she can't play with the door anymore. She is starting to really tell us how she feels about everything. She finds most everything hilarious and loves playing with Maggy, our dog. The mornings are full of them playing tug-of-war, with Maggy playfully growling and Lilly laughing with everything she has.The best event of the month was that Lilly OFFICIALLY started walking on September 10th. We were in her room playing and she just pulled herself up and started walking. It was shocking and amazing, my heart just filled when I saw her finally decide to do it all by herself. Now, she hasn't slowed down. It's a lot of fun though chasing her all over the house and seeing her discovering more and more.

We have started letting her play more by herself and explore her room without us hovering over her. This picture shows just a little bit of what the room looks like afterwards, there are clothes and toys everywhere! And a true fascination of hers are her diapers (unused of course!). She will carry them all over the house.And we are continually grateful for my Mom and Dad, they watch Lilly a few times a week so that I can go to school - it's truly a blessing to have them close and it's fun to see my parents interact with our daughter and Lilly gets really excited when she sees them, and for some reason, especially my Dad.

Here's a picture I took for one of my classes at school. Now that the first year is coming to a close, we are reminiscing about what the past few years have brought us and the blessings we have received. Our sweet little Pumpkin is going to be a year old in only a few short weeks. I don't know about anyone else, but does it feel like time goes by too fast? We are trying to enjoy every second with her.

10 Months Old

It's hard to believe that in 2 months, Lilly will be a year old! She has changed so much over the past month. She is trying to stand on her own and can walk while holding on to something or someone. She hasn't quite ventured yet to walk on her own, but we can tell it won't be long. She has definitely mastered saying "mama" and "dada." Lilly is everywhere, it doesn't matter what's in her way, because she'll just climb over it, no matter how high! It's fun seeing her discovering new things. Can't wait to see what the next month brings!