Spitting up

Lylah is spitting up a lot these days.  The daycare even puts a bib on her as soon as we take her there!  She wears the bib all day, and they take it off when she leaves.  We were giving her medicine for it a lot, but it doesn't seem to have as much effect anymore.  I called the doctor two days ago to see if he could up the dosage.  I got a call back from one of his nurses.  She left a message saying that increasing the dosage would not be possible, and that we should make an appointment to come in for a visit instead.

I called today and scheduled an appointment for Friday.  I really hope we can get this stuff under control!

We still really like the daycare to which we take her!  Shannon noticed a daycare close to her school one day, and began watching some of the workers with the children while they were outside.  She noticed that the workers were standing around talking with each other and not paying any attention to the children playing.  When I pulled up to our daycare this morning, there were several workers outside actively following children around, talking with them, instructing them!  It was very cool!  I know it's a little thing.  But it's still really good to know that they put emphasis on relationships and healthy child care.

So tonight, Lylah was lying on her side while sleeping.  Shannon snapped a few pictures!

Finally, I want to post a Youtube video we came across.  Neither of the girls in the video are Lylah, and they are not related to us at all.  But the video is pretty cool, and I think it will put a smile on your face when you watch it!!!Sp

Whew, first day back with students

Lylah woke up at 4:45 this morning.  I felt every bit of 4:45.  In fact, last night after getting up for the restroom, I didn't dare to check my phone.  I thought, "Surely it's about 4:30 and I have to wake up soon."  I never did check that clock.  It could have been midnight.  Who knows?!?!

The 4:45 thing was tough.  I stayed in bed for about another 5 or 6 minutes, well, until Shannon started complaining!  When I got her, we hung out all morning until it was time to take her to daycare.  Shannon gave her the acid reflux medicine, and we were off.

I am so glad we got the child safety buckle - the one that beeps when I walk too far away from her.  I feel so much better when I walk into the school and I know that she is protected and safe.  

School was really good for both Shannon and me today.  For some reason, when we got home, we both noticed a real crash in energy.  We have determined that it's just our body being shocked back into the school routine because:
1. We have to be back on our feet all day, when in the summer we did a lot more sitting.
    We also walk quite a bit further.  Our choir room is generally further away from the front of the building.  I think I went back and forth about 6 times today.  It adds up, we think.

2. We have to be 'on' with the students.  We use much more energy watching students, interacting with them, and just generally having to be in the 'on' mode

3. I drink a lot of coffee, therefore I crash when the caffeine wears off.

I will say that I am able to keep going, I think in part because with Lylah, there is no stopping.  We must keep swimming with her because she doesn't shut off just because we are tired.  So Shannon and I give breaks to each other and take turns a lot.

Lylah is taking a nap right now, but it is 6:55 pm., so she will be getting up soon.  As soon as she gets up, Shannon will bathe her and put her back to bed.  :-/  Hopefully, Lylah will sleep until 5:00 tomorrow.  Doubtful.

MG

Cliche Love post

Tonight, I was just thinking about how having Lylah in my arms as I am putting her to sleep is a very rewarding experience for me!  She is just so beautiful, and many times keeps her arms up near my shoulders as her head rests just below my chin.  That time is amazing.  Now I know why people used to describe having a child was an experience you really can't explain.  There is a tight bond and a love like I have never felt before.  Cliche, I know.  :-)

Today we took Lylah running errands.  Today is our final day to ourselves before seeing our students tomorrow.  Shannon and I are both anxious, anticipatory, and excited about tomorrow.  I am sure Lylah will wake me up at the normal morning hour, 5:00.  I know they will be brewing coffee at my school at 6:45 a.m.  I will definitely be there.

Lylah was mostly good during the errands; however, she spit up a ton today.  We didn't give her the medicine for spit up earlier in the day, so it was rough.  We went by the new Michaels store first.  We got some materials to cover a lamp shade for my room.  Then we went to office depot.  Lylah and Shannon stayed in the car while I ran in.  The line to the register was extended halfway to the back of the store.  It was obviously going to be a long wait.  Luckily, Shannon had a print job at the print center, so I was able to get into that area.  There was only one customer in front of me!  So I got Shannon's posters, and checked out within minutes!  I was in and out of that store in about 10 minutes.  I am pretty sure most of those people were probably in line for about 20 minutes.

Then we went to Kroger, which was also crowded.  We decided to put Ly in the baby bjorn carrier thing.  I carried Lylah around the store.  I ended up bouncing her to sleep.

We got home and unpacked everything, and Lylah was still spitting up a lot, and hungry.  We went ahead and gave her the medicine, which helped!  We tried to put her in her crib for a nap.  She cried for about 45 minutes, and loud.  Finally, we went to get her.  About 30 minutes later, Shannon was able to rock her to sleep.  She slept about 30 minutes, but it was then time for her bath.  I bathed her (she was not happy), and she fell asleep very fast in my arms.  I was able to put her into her crib very shortly after.

This is an old picture, but I felt it best represented how awesome she is when she sleeps.  Just look at her!

MG

Back at it

Hello everyone!  I know I haven't updated in a couple of days.  It has been a little bit crazy around here lately.  All last week, Shannon and I had meetings at school to get ready for students tomorrow.  In addition to that, my school just acquired brand new risers for our choir kids.  Putting them together was a big task.  There was some real confusion in the beginning when the company was delivering them to my school.  First, they delivered late.  Second, they dropped everything off in the cafeteria.  This meant 24 large chunks of risers (lifted by 2 people), and about 40 large boxes.  Plus 3 even bigger boxes for chairs.  I spent the better part of Thursday and Friday just putting those up.  Then Saturday, I went back up to school to get the classroom in order.  I think I am finally ready.

Shannon is also stressed out a little bit this week.  School always stresses her out (it does us all, I believe), but she also had a family friend pass away.  The young woman died of Leukemia, and only found out about a month ago she had it.  She was only 23.  From what it sounded like to me, her body had complications with the treatment.  Shannon's sister was especially close with her.  She was supposed to be a bridesmaid in Cori's wedding.  I know that Shannon is also worried about Cori.

On top of it all, is our little angel!  She is becoming a little bit more of a handful, as she is starting to pick up items and throw them down.  She is getting stronger!!!!!  Yesterday, Shannon and Lylah came with me to school.  The other choir director at my school brought her little 3 month old!  Lylah enjoyed being near the new baby!  The thing that impressed us the most was when Lylah grabbed the side of the girl's carseat and began to pull herself to a standing position.  That was new!

Lylah enjoys walking with a little bit of guidance.  It turns out that  my mom isn't going to buy us the walker I talked about last time I wrote.  She did more research, and so did we, and found out that the walkers discourage walking on their own bit.  We will need a convertible car seat soon thought!  Within the next few months, Lylah will grow out of her baby seat.  :-)

Lylah is currently right next to me and a little fussy.  I will see if I can snap a pic.

Well, I better go.  She is getting hungry now.  

MG

1000 Views on Lylah's blog!  I am very excited about this!  Thank you for all of your support!

Love,
Lylah, Matthew, Shannon

Lylah bug surprised mommy today

I went to pick up Lylah at about 5:!5, and called Shannon to let her know.  Shannon was still up at school working (because she hasn't had much time in her classroom).  I took Lylah up there, where she got to visit with several of Shannon's co workers.  Her Director of Instruction seemed to bond very well with Lylah.  Lylah even was giving her kisses!  I have never seen Lylah do that with a stranger.

Before I picked Lylah up from daycare, I went by Starbucks and got a javachip frappacino.  I think I got chocolate on my beard and below my eye before I went into the daycare.  I am pretty confident that I looked like a fool with chocolate all over my face.  No one said anything, and they didn't look at me any stranger than they normally do.  But about 10 minutes after I left the daycare, I looked in the mirror and found the chocolate on me.  I am not sure if it happened post daycare, but I assume not.

Lylah didn't eat very quickly tonight.  She kept wanting to look at her feet.  Lylah keeps getting more and more curious by the day.  She is at a stage now where she will pick something up and drop it almost immediately.  We are constantly putting things back in their place.

Finally, I noticed that our blog had 70 views yesterday!  That is the most views we have had on any one day!  We are almost at 1000 views!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MG

Lylah's happy gram and a present from Nana!

Lylah got a happy gram today from Primrose!  It says "Lylah is doing well for her first full week!  We are so proud of how well she sits up and interacts with her friends."  - Ms. Davina, Younger infants

Lylah likes music time everyday too!  Shannon says to her, 'you better.'  I suppose because we like music so much.

Here is a picture of Shannon and Lylah after reading the daily report:

Also, Nana sent us an email last night and told us that she bought Lylah a walker so that she can move around a little bit.  I think Lylah will really love it!  

Nana Skype!

Today, Lylah Skype'd with Nana!  Nana doesn't know I took this picture, but I am sure she will find out very soon!  :-)  (Love you mom!).  Lylah was in good spirits during their skype session!  It's nice to see Nana a lot!  Papa also came in and said hi and noticed that Lylah was sitting very tall and being a good girl!

Lylah and Nana talked quite a bit!  Nana wanted to see Lylah smile and got to see that a few times!  I made Lylah laugh by tickling her a little bit.  Lylah did a few good laughs, then tried to give me a kiss.   Her kiss is still very simple.  She still just opens her mouth and touches your face with her open mouth.  Lylah grabbed my nose a few times too.  I kept my eyeball away from her fingernail this time though.

Nana reported that her dog, Tex, may have torn a ligament in his leg.  Ouch!  Lyalh felt bad for Nana and Tex.  Papa just found out he will soon be having a grand baby boy!  He is very excited!  This will be the first boy in his family line!  Congrats Papa!  We know you are very excited!

Today was another in service day with other teachers only.  The rest of the week is like this as well!  The kids start showing up on August 27.  Wish Shannon and me luck!  We're gonna need it!!  Hehe.

Also, Nana and Papa donated $50 to Lylah's smartypig.com college fund!  Thank you Nana and Papa!

MG

Early Morning

Lylah woke us up at 3:00 this morning.  She didn't really go back to sleep.  The big difference now is that we have so much time before we have to go to school.  In the past, we would generally wake up about 6:45 and just throw on some clothes, climb into our cars, and go to work.  No more are the days we can just drag out of bed.

Lylah normally wakes us up at 5:00.  We can shower, play with Lylah, and generally get ready.  I now have time to relax, eat breakfast, and take my time.  Even then, we had to wait a few extra minutes to leave the house today because I can't take Ly up to daycare any earlier than 6:45.  Shannon will take most of the time for her shower, makeup and generally getting ready.

When I picked her up at 4:30 today, she fell right asleep in the car and when I got home, I put her in her crib where she slept until about 6:40.

Daycare reported that Lylah is spitting up a lot more than other kids.  We already are giving her Enfamil A.R. (designed for babies with acid reflux).  I had acid reflux as a baby, and later as an adult.  I had to have an invasive surgery on my stomach to help keep my acid reflux at bay!  Lylah has some medicine, but we didn't think she needed it so much anymore.  I think we will go back to giving it to her daily.

When I went to put Lylah to bed today, she only ate 6 ounces.  Normally she eats 8.  She seemed very distracted tonight.  I hope she sleeps at least until 5:00 tomorrow, otherwise it's going to be another long day!

MG

Sleepy bug...

It's on now...

Well, time to get our game faces back on!  It's school time again.  This time of year we are always feeling anxious and focused.  We are asking ourselves daily what types of things we are going to do in the first few days of school to make sure the school year really starts off right.  And every year, we hope it will be another good school year built upon experiences we have already had.

It's also really time for  Lylah to attend daycare consistently.  When we took her to daycare last week, it was sort of a transition.  It was a trial run.  We were able to stay home with her Thursday and Friday because it was still summer break.  Now that we have school, we certainly are going to have to communicate and figure out who will be taking off and when in the future, when Lylah gets ill.

We are going to have to get back into the old routine starting tomorrow, and that is never much fun.  We have to only slightly adjust our sleep schedule because Lylah wakes us up early normally anyhow, so by the end of the day, we are pretty tired.

This year, I will have to be a little more diligent about washing my hands.  Last year, I wasn't bad at it, but it wasn't a huge focus.  Sure, we want to build up Lylah's immune system some, but I'd rather her not be sick all of the time (or us for that matter).

Today was a pretty good last day with Ly before school starts.  She seemed to feel better than yesterday, but we can tell she's still not quite 100% yet.  She did not smile at us much today.  Normally, she is smiling throughout the day.

She is getting stronger and holding herself up near tables and medium height stable objects.  She likes to stand a lot.  Grandma Mylander sent Lylah quite a few toys and Lylah has been playing away for a few days!  Lylah especially likes the little cell phone and the blocks!  I think it's so nice and thoughtful when we receive things like that for Lylah that we didn't even ask for!  Also, Grandma Mylander said that her computer wasn't working correctly at her school during parents night, and because Lylah is her screen background, all of the parents got to see a real closeup of Lylah (on a projector perhaps).  So, she says that Lylah is now famous!  We told Lylah that, and of course she enjoyed it!  Lylah responded with a grin and some arm flapping, so that was good.

My smartypig account should update tomorrow with the new amount in Lylah's college fund!  By tomorrow or Tuesday, it should show $110!

Wish us luck with the new school year, and for Lylah's comfort at her daycare for the rest of the year!

MG

I spoke too soon

We thought Lylah's cold was over when we went to the doctor yesterday.  He gave her the 6 month vaccinations and the okay for them.  We were told to monitor her for fever and such.  We didn't have to do much monitoring.  It became very apparent at 12:30 a.m. last night when Lylah woke up sniffling, having trouble breathing, and crying.  From 12:30 until 5:00 she would maybe sleep in 15 to 20 minute naps, but wake up again for 30 minutes and just cry and sniffle/gasp.  I got worried when I started to see red splotches and her feet turned a bit reddish/purple.

At 5:30 this morning, I called the pediatrician on call with our doctors practice.  It was odd, and I have never called anyone 'on call' before.  She had probably been sleeping and was sort of tired and a little out of it when talking with me.  After a little bit though, she became clear, and I was able to get some answers.  She basically said that we needed to go in and see our doctor today.  Luckily, our pediatrician works Saturdays from 8:00 am - 12 pm.

Before we took Lylah up there, she was still having a lot of trouble sleeping and was still miserable.  We ended up loading her in the car at 6:00 to see if the drive would calm her.  We left the house and went by Starbucks.  After that, we went by Chick-fil-a to grab a bite to eat.  About this time, Lylah was getting visibly tired.  I got on the freeway at about 6:30 and drove on the freeway for about an hour (just back and forth, turning around every few miles) just to keep moving, and keep the car running.

When we got to the doctor, he looked her over and determined it was likely a sinus infection.  He wasn't real worried about it, but we were glad we took her up. Here is a picture of Lylah when she was feeling tired and sick at the doctor:

Of course our doctor was glad to see her and help us out!  It's great having a doctor like him.  When we got home, I wrote and sent a hand written letter thanking him for accepting us first thing in the morning, and at a moments notice.

Our doctor then ordered x-rays for her chest just to be on the safe side.  He did not suspect that there was anything in her chest, but again, he did not want to take the chance.  We took Lylah down to the x-ray and that process only took a half hour.  We left the medical center around 8:45.  We grabbed a few things from Walgreens, and headed to our music meeting.  We had a meeting scheduled at a school very close to our homem from 9-12.  We had to take Lylah, but we were dressed in sweats and did not look professional.  We didn't take time to change clothes or anything, so we showed up pretty sloppy.  Luckily, not too many other people were well dressed.  It was quite casual.

After we gave Lylah motrin and asprin, she seemed to be feeling much better.  She was quiet for most of our meeting, and seemed to slowly recover throughout today.  I guess we will take this a day at a time now, considering we thought we had this thing knocked out yesterday.

6 months shots, and a cut on my eye

So, Lylah's cold is definitely gone, but today was interesting.  We went to the doctor today for Lylah's 6 month checkup and vaccinations!  Our pediatrician told us that Lylah is very strong and about 2 months advanced (because she bears weight easily when standing, and holds onto tables/playthings that are tall and can stand).  We were pretty excited to hear that.

When she got her shots, she cried of course.  Her leg even bled pretty bad during the 2nd shot.  But as soon as it was over, she sucked it up and the tears stopped!  Her sleep schedule was a little off, perhaps because of the shots, or maybe because we just got off on her naps today.

Before we went to the doctor today, Lylah swung her arm back while I was holding her and hit me in the eyeball.  It felt scratched and I thought I would ask the doctor about it.  I'm glad I did (and my doctor was too) because it turns out to be corneal abrasion (a cut of the eyeball).  He said he could see it sliced straight down right in the middle, where my pupil is.  He was surprised he could see it because normally he can't see those with his instruments.  He prescribed me an antibiotic so that it doesn't get infected.  Then he recommended I get with an optometrist on Monday to make absolute sure it has healed.  He was confident that it would heal by Monday, but wanted me to go to someone with better expertise to be on the safe side.

My doctor and Lylah's doctor is the same!  Dr. Glenn Davis has been great for both of us!  He is certified in pediatrics (got that first), and general practice.  It's kind of nice, and I feel he is more my family doctor than I have ever felt with a doctor.  I trust him with my family!  It's a good feeling.

Daycare Germs

It only took 3 days to kick in!  We expected that the experience of a new daycare would make Lylah sick, we just didn't know it would be so soon!  on Wednesday, we picked Lylah up and she seemed very normal!  She even stayed up and played until her bath time, with little fussing.  Then at about 3 a.m. Thursday morning, we awoke to her crying and gasping with stuff in her nose.  Shannon got up with her at that time, and Lylah was up for about an hour.  Her temperature ran about 99.6.

After Shannon finally got her back to sleep, Lylah woke up again a little bit later.  She was stuffy and pretty upset over it all.  We played with toys for a little bit, and ate.  She had quite an appetite.  She seemed to eat her bottle in record time.  We were very glad she was eating.

Her temperature got as high as 101.1.  We just took the day easy, and let her sleep a lot.  We called the daycare and let them know she would not be in.  She went the whole day feeling sick, but she would play a little with her toys here and there!  She's quite a trooper.

I woke up Friday morning (today), and Lylah has no apparent stuffiness!!! She seems like her normal self.  She wiped that bug out in 24 hours!  She did seem extra hungry this morning, but her normal feeding isn't until 7, so I decided to give her a solid food snack.  She ate most of it.

So, I am looking forward to today being much better (fingers crossed it doesn't come back).  Lylah is supposed to be fever free for 24 hours before she can go back to daycare, so she won't be back until Monday.  It's ok, really because we have a doctor appointment today for her 6 month checkup and vaccinations.  And we will mention the cold to the doctor as well, though, I would imagine it will be kind of a moot conversation.

MG

2nd day of 'school'

When we picked Lylah up today, we got much better news of her eating!  She slept a little longer at her nap times.  And when we picked her up today, she seemed content.  On the way home, she fell asleep (it was about 4:45).  Shannon put her in her crib about 5:00, and Lylah was so tired, she just slept right up until her bath time.  I woke her up for about 15 minutes and she was groggy and fussy.  She took her bath with the same demeanor, and I got her ready for bed.  She ate her food and quickly fell asleep.  I wish I could have seen her more today, though.  I often look at her now in awe.  She's really just amazing.

MG

Lylah's first day of "School" (Daycare)

Hello all,
This is the first minute I have really gotten to sit down today to write on our blog.  We had a busy day, and Lylah started daycare.  Here's how everything went down today...

At 3:00, Lylah woke up.. . .really woke up.  Her eyes were really open and she was ready to play, or eat, or something - but it sure wasn't sleep.  So, I rocked her for a little while.  Finally, I made a bottle for her to eat, because last night during bedtime, she did not finish her full bottle.

Exhausted at 3:45, I stammered back to bed with her in arms.  I know I shouldn't get used to having her lying there with me in the mornings (I think she is already expecting that to happen now).  For the past few weeks, if she wakes up before 7 AM and I want to go back to sleep, I just go back to bed, put her on my chest, and tuck the sheets and blanket under my body to create a snug space for her.  I really enjoy our morning nap time together, but I know I have to break that habit. . .and soon.

So, she woke up about 5:30 after squirming for 30 minutes.  At 5:30, I changed her and Shannon and I got her ready for school.  Time really flew by, and before we knew it, it was time to leave!

We left at 6:40 and got Ly there by about 7:00.  We took pictures with Lylah before school.

This is Lylah at the house on the calendar Shannon made showing Lylah's first day of school.

At the daycare center...

We spoke with the staff that is to be taking care of her (super nice, and very thorough).  Shannon is very happy with them, as she places a lot of energy on communication, efficiency, and knowledge.  Once we left, Shannon cried a bit.

We were at meetings for school from 7:30-11:15
We ate lunch
And we went to the daycare to check on her
We went back to our meetings from 12:30-3:30




We then went to Target so that Lylah could have her last feeding at the daycare.  We picked her up at about 4:45.  She had obviously been crying a bit (her eyes we teary and red).  They told us that her sleep was not very good during her naps (but we expected that- and they told us that may happen because of the new lights, sounds, routine, etc.)

Apparently she had a little trouble with her eating today too, but nothing to be concerned about.  This is her looking a little freaked out after getting back home.  By then, she had recomposed herself and we had a very normal evening with her!

Everything else tonight went especially smooth!  Shannon put her to bed and she was asleep within about 10 minutes!

Whew. . . that is all!

Lylahs outfit of the day

Lylah showed a lot of interest in her closet this morning. We went over in front of it, and she grabbed at 2 outfits. The first one she liked was blue with flowers. She grabbed at that one a few times. I took it out to put on her, but it was too big. So I hung that back up, and she started going for the outfit she now has on. She seemed to really like it. She grabbed it about 3 times, and didn't really grab any other clothes. It's almost like she really decided.

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Almost 500 page views!

*500 page views:  4:45 P.M., 8/11/12

Hey guys!  Thanks for coming too see Lylah growing up every day!  We now have 498 views on her blog!  It's exciting to see so many of you interested in her and our family!  It would be nice to know who is viewing her blog so often.  Please feel free to leave a comment and say hi to Lylah!  I know that she will enjoy reading your response!

Lylah's having a pretty normal day.  Macie dog is licking her face a lot when we have our backs turned.  We know Macie's breath is very bad, so we try to keep it to a very minimum.  I am surprised that Nara the dog has not taken to Lylah more.  In Lylah's first few months, Nara was very protective.  Now Macie seems to be the one who likes Lylah's attention.

Macie on left, Nara on right.

We take Lylah to daycare in 2 days.  Monday starts our first daycare drop off.  We are going to try to drop her off around 6:45 this week, because that will become her normal drop off time.  It won't be real easy, because it is still summer, but it has to be done!

Love,

Matt, Shannon, Lylah 

A needy day and some new stuff

Lylah was very needy today.  She screamed most of the day.  Her screams are so high pitched and loud!  We think that she may be beginning to teethe.  She is chewing on things much more often and what we might think of as being tired or bored may be a little bit of pain from teething, though, we don't really know.  She did nap at her normal times though, which was good!  Update: 10:30 P.M.  Shannon came out of Lylahs room after checking on her.  She then came out of Lylah's room and motioned for me to come in.  After coming in, Shannon pointed out Lylah without saying a word.  Little Lylah was sleeping with her legs up under her and her butt in the air!!!!  :-)

This evening before bed, she cried quite a lot.  She cried from about 7:30-8:30 or maybe a bit later.  We are still sleep training her and  most nights have been great!  Occasionally, we have nights like tonight that are tough to deal with.

I stopped by babies-r-us to look at some formula.  They sell what we are looking for (a box with 2 refills) for $36.  I figured I could get a better deal online.  But after searching, the prices were very simlar.  I ended up buying it for about $32 per box.  But when shipping was added, it was about 33.50 anyhow.  We ordered 4 boxes tonight because at 8 ounces per feeding (4 feedings a day for 32 total ounces), we go through the formula more quickly.  Here's a picture of what we get.

Also, while I was online, I bought about 4 pajama one-sies.  She has grown out of her smallest ones, and she has some that don't fit her quite yet.  So we had to get 6-9 month one-sies.  Here is a picture of one of the ones we picked for her tonight.

Little Me Baby-Girls Newborn Cupcake Schiffli Footie and Hat, Mint Green, 9 Months 

Finally, we decided to be as safe as possible with Lylah.  Being a new dad, I  have not been very good at checking my back seat every time I run into a store, and it's beginning to freak me out.  Being without a baby for so many years, I have just been used to popping out of my car and going.  I still am not very used to having her back there, especially when she is quiet.  And with the hot summer sun in Texas, I get a real streak of anxiety now every time I get in my car on a hot day!  So I decided to buy the Child Minder Smart Clip system.  We tested it the other day.  It's a clip that goes in the car seat.  It sets itself every time you clip it together.  If you ever get more than 20 feet away from the vehicle, and alarm on your key ring will go off, and will not shut off unless you get back near the vehicle!  It was only about $70 after shipping, but I feel it is a MUST HAVE for new dads in the Houston heat.  

I swear I don't get paid for product pushing.  Haha, these are all just parts of our little lives that I want to share with all of you!!!

MG

Smartypig.com update

Wow!  We are on our way to getting Lylah's college fund started!  Her fund started at $25, and is now up to $85.  This has come from both Shannon and me.  Also, Smartypig.com provided an extra $10 toward the fund just for a referral bonus.  Basically, because I 'referred' Shannon to smartypig.com, Lylah received an extra $10!!! That's a pretty good deal!

Smartypig.com is a site where you can save toward any goal!   You just make a goal, sign up your bank account, and the money is removed every month automatically!  Then, you can track the progress of your goal in percentages and/or dollars!

If you are thinking about joining smartypig.com for any reason, please contact me first at mattgreen8@gmail.com so that I can set up a referral and Lylah will receive the $10 referral bonus!

Thanks!!!!

MG

We talked to Nana and grandpa today!

Lylah had an appointment with Nana this morning at 7:30 on Skype!  After I got my coffee and the computer ready, Lylah sat up patiently waiting for Nana on the other end.  We waited for about 3 minutes on the computer, but I had to call her before she was online.  Lylah must have sat up for a good 5 minutes just waiting for Nana!  I was very proud of her sitting up ability!  She was so patient.  Right now, I am writing this post right beside her and she is very enthralled by me typing.  She is just staring away with her soccer ball close by.

She was very happy to see Nana and grandpa!  She gave them a few smiles and they were very impressed by her curiosity to them and the computer.  They even brought their dog, Tex, along to see her too!  Tex was staring at the screen and Lylah seemed to be looking at him as well.  Tex looked very happy, considering he had a claw/nail surgery yesterday (he was de-clawed - I didn't know they did that to dogs).  Tex started to get restless after a while, so grandpa had to go take care of him.

After Nana and Lylah talked in Lylah's room for a while (as not to wake Shannon), Nana wanted to see Lylah in her little play bouncer.  I took Lylah in the living room and put  her in her bouncer.  Ly seemed to relax a little more, talked with Nana a little bit, and gave a few extra smiles!  Nana really loves talking to Lylah, and Lylah loves talking to Nana too!  She definitely recognizes Nana a lot easier now that we have Skyped so frequently.  Skype is awesome!

Here's a couple of pictures of Lylah before our walk yesterday.  The sunglasses were given from Grandma Mylander!

lylahs distraction

This morning, Lylah was very distracted during her morning feeding. She wanted to make friends with the ducks on her feets!

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Solid foods

Lylah has started solid foods.  We started about two weeks ago with a little bit of  rice cereal mixed in with formula and water.  That was messy and sticky.  The last time I went to the store I picked up some peas, sweet potatoes, and carrots for her.  She tried the mashed peas first.  She liked them!  She kept grabbing the spoon and making a real mess.  That was messy and sticky.  Today, we tried sweet potato.  I think she liked it, but less than peas.  She seemed more interested in the spoon than the food itself.

She is becoming more and more curious it seems by the hour.  Lately she will really reach for things that she notices us using quite a bit.  She is especially focused on our phones and remote controls.  She likes to just put her mouth on our phones when she gets a hold of them.  We take the batteries out of the remote control when she feels like pushing buttons.

With Shannon being a soccer fan, we all had to watch the women's USA soccer game.  It was a great game.  Lylah was fairly well behaved during it, but reverted to screaming quite a bit near the end.  We would like to think that she was just as excited about the game as we were watching it!

Tonight, when I put her to bed, she did a really great job!  Most nights we have to rock her for about 15 minutes until she seems tired enough to put into her crib.  And normally, if we put her down and her eyes open, she will cry for quite a while.  I was very surprised tonight when I rocked her to almost sleep, and put her in her crib.  Her eyes were open when I put her in, but I went ahead, told her good night and that I loved her.  Then I put the blanket over her and left the room.  To my astonishment, she did not cry even once!  She did skip her final nap for the day, so maybe she was more tired than it looked.

Also, she has been waking up at 5:45 and not going back to sleep.  I know during the school year she will be getting up earlier, but for goodness sake, it's still summer.

Keeping Lylah busy and thanks to our friends and family

Lately, the name of the game has been to keep Lylah busy.  She is starting to get used to playing with the same bouncer and the same floor toys.  She seems especially interested now in things with buttons (remote control, phones, etc.)  If we don't keep Ly busy right now, she uses her scream to let us know that she is not very satisfied.

The timing for this is good, in my opinion.  Just a couple more weeks of being home all of the time, and then she will begin her new daycare!  The first day she will attend daycare is Monday, August 13.  We have a music meeting that day.   We will have the rest of that week of taking Ly to her new school, while Shannon and I mentally and physically prepare for the new year.

I am looking forward to the new year! Our choir room has new carpet, and our school added on another full size music room for any of us to use (band, choir, orchestra).  The band at Hamilton was growing so large, the teachers had to use the choir room a period per day for a class.  This meant that the flute class was always blowing away during our conference period.  It's what had to happen, but I will enjoy the silent time our new conference period should have this upcoming year.  Other great changes are happening as well.  Unfortunately, our principal has moved to a better position, so we will be in for some transition with our new leadership.

All included, having Lylah around is a little different, but with all things - including her, life is looking good for all of us right now!

I am not sure things would be as good right now without all of the help from friends and family along the way!  I have to thank my parents for the big stuff and taking us shopping while they were in town, Shannon's parents, Sue, my school faculty and some students, Shannon's choir girls gave us a lot of little toys and clothes!  And all of our friends that threw us a party or sent us various items for Lylah.  We really are very lucky to have such loving people around us!!  We have diapers from our baby showers and such, that I think we may have had to buy one package for Lylah, and that is because we were out of town!  In all honesty, it was a very scary moment when this summer began and all the visitors left our home, and all of the parties were over, and all of the packages had arrived.  Those things had come and gone, and then we were all by ourselves!  But we know we aren't really ever alone if we needed something, and we still get a lot of love and skype-ing!

We are happy, but we knew we would have to go back to school someday  :-)





Lylah's first few minutes in the world!