Rolling, rolling, rolling. Keep them babies rolling...

Lily is a rollin'!!! Yesterday afternoon, much to her dismay, we were playing "tummy time" in her bedroom with the new singing monkey from her Great, Great, Great (yes, three greats) Uncle Ray and Aunt Betty. And to my surprise (well, not really, she has been trying for a while now) Lillian finally rolled over from her tummy to her back.

I am confident that this great feat was achieved due to her extreme dislike of being on her stomach...but hey, we'll take it anyway we can get it.

Way to go Lily!!

A Little Something to Make You Smile...

Lily's meeting her milestones!

Last Wednesday, Lillian was sitting in her bouncer on top of the dining room table while her mommy, daddy, brother, and grandmom were all eating dinner. Apparently she was SO entertained by the little plastic hippo, lion, and monkey that dangle in front of her that she let out with her first big belly laugh. She certainly caught us all off guard, and the minute she let out that cute chuckle, we quickly perked up from our dinner plates in amazement. What a perfect moment!

Yesterday morning I had Lily in her bouncer again (her favorite place to relax when I have an "adult chore" to take care of), when all of a sudden I heard the rattling of her purple hippo. I knew in an instant that the only way the hippo can rattle is if one shakes it. So, with a quick swoop of my phone I scurried over to my little over achiever and snapped a photo of her first "reach and grasp" of an object moment.

Big Changes at the Shapiro Ranch

Yes indeedy! Due to Lillian's extreme case of colic, her pediatrician has requested that I cut both dairy and gluten out of my diet. Seriously? As if just getting food into my stomach isn't hard enough with the small amounts of time I have to do it in already...now I have to actually watch what I eat? If I want a less colicky baby, absolutely. And there is no way in Hades that I am going to pass up this word from the wise. So, as of a few weeks ago I have been dairy free. And as of two days ago, I have been gluten free.
My first shopping trip (which consisted mostly of foods to support my new diet) took me about an hour and a half, and cost me $102.47. At that price, I would typically have my shopping cart stocked full, even over flowing. Not so true for a shopping trip that excludes dairy and gluten. Did you know that a box of gluten free macaroni and cheese costs almost $4.50?? Kraft mac and cheese is what, .97?? (and no, I didn't purchase it) That is a picture of my cart at the time of checkout...amazing, right?

And here is a picture of my first "attempt at a colicky free day" meal - gluten free cereal with soy milk. There's nothing quite like the taste of sweetened cardboard and watery milk...no worries, I will get used to it! My new mantra while eating my not so exciting new diet is, "For the baby, tear free, for the baby, tear free..." I do have to admit, there is something sort of exciting in the challenge of healthy eating, my family members just might be joining me shortly on this journey!

2 Months

down...only one more until the colic disappears, or so I'm told. But hey, who's counting?? Certainly not her sleep deprived mommy and daddy! My how the time sure is flying. And although it seems like one long day and night since she was born, I can hardly believe that she is two months old today. While Lily has been smiling for quite some time now, her smiles are becoming more frequent and purposeful. She loves to hold conversations and lets out her little oohs and aaahs, and squeals of delight. Lillian can focus on objects and faces now, and she can even recognize her mommy and daddy's voices. On many occasions you can even watch her follow us across the room with her eyes (and a slight turn of the head) as we walk away from her. She is able to play on her stomach and lift her head at a 90 degree angle (big stuff for a two month old!). Other accomplishments this month: Lillian is no longer sleeping in her newborn napper (bassinet) in our bedroom. She is however, still in our bedroom (I swear she will be in her own room by three months), but she now sleeps in her pack n play. This has been a pretty big transition for her seeing as she has gone from a snugly little nest to a flat surface. We've had several sleepless nights in the transition, and unfortunately, we know this is just the beginning! In addition, Lily graduated from her newborn car seat inserts to the "big girl" car sear, as I like to call it. I found myself holding back a tear or two as I realized that the newborn phase is a passing chapter in Lily's life book. I have also been packing up her newborn clothes, as our little jellybean does not fit into them anymore. Hello 0-3 month old clothes! *sniff, sniff* We will find out tomorrow how much weight she has packed on since her last visit to see Dr. Cannizzaro.

A tightly curled up baby Lily...

...and an all stretched out one! I think she was showing off for the camera here, "Look how big I am now!"

Click the play arrow (you will have to pause the music at the bottom of the page first) to hear a super special message to Lillian on her "two month birthday"...this was left on my voicemail from her Grandmom Macsay.

Bok, Bok...thank you Easter Bunny!

Happy 1st Easter Lillian Grace! You looked so darn cute and snugly in your bunny pajamas that day, you never made it into your Easter dress! I suppose that will be our photo shoot for this weekend. :) We spent Easter as we traditionally do, over at New Smyrna Beach with Daddy's side of the family. This year Papa even joined us seeing as Grandma was out in California with Uncle Matt and his family. The day was packed full of food, an Easter egg hunt, and silly bunny faces!

Here's the rose between two thorns, errr, I mean the boys in her life.

Can you guess what happened in this photo? I removed the plug, otherwise known as her suckie. Immediately and without hesitation, the dramatic cries began to flow. I wonder where she gets that from?

Our little bunny just about slept through her entire 1st Easter...and consequently, she didn't sleep a wink that night.

Grandmom and Papa, sharing an awake moment with our little Princess.

Pop receives a tender finger hold from his great-granddaughter.

The best Easter gift...ever!

Winnie the Pooh (A blast from the past)

That's me wearing the "Winnie the Pooh family heirloom jammies", and my lovely mom sporting the Onalaska t-shirt. Yes, that is my brother, Matt, passionately sucking his thumb and holding my hand like any good big brother does (Canyon, lucky for you, you're too old for this!) when his little sister looks just as snugly at that little yellow bear made of fluff.
...and here is Lily sporting those SAME Winnie the Pooh jammies! However, she was probably much older than I was in this picture as she is just about busting out of them. Lily was unable to sleep comfortably in them, so we changed into a much larger option of nightgowns once the picture was taken.

I couldn't resist sharing this one! (I really think she liked them)

QUICK, the baby's sleeping...

My time these days has become less and less available. Lillian has decided to throw herself into full blown colic mode and requires our attention just about 22/7 (haha). While she is currently snoozing in her car seat (we just returned home from a car ride to put her to sleep) I thought I'd hop on here and give a quick update seeing as it's been over a weeks since my last post.

Lillian goes to see Dr. Cannizzaro on Thursday for her two month check up. I'm sure she has been packing on the pounds as she continues to eat like a horse!

Lillian and I spent four days at her Grandma and Papa's house while our home was "under construction". We had some plumbing leaks that the association took care of while we were gone. Here Lily is resting comfortably in "Papa's easy chair".

Lily and her mommy just 8 weeks after she was born!

And my all time favorite (I'm beginning to notice a trend, all of my favorite pictures include Lily and her daddy)...Lillian and Dad...sharing a heart melting smile!