Team USA

Sun 7/27 - Mom dressed my in pink carnival ruffles dress for church; unfortunately, I was so good that no one else got to see it as I stayed in my car seat sleeping the whole time. We went afterwards to lunch at Las Palapas, then Dad had to work all day on some crazy project. So, Mom and I took the opportunity to hang out by the pool, eating watermelon.









































The next day, I hung out during the day with Mom (in my tiara)and spent the evening with Grandma Patty & Grandaddy Bo and their friends, Lloyd & Wilma Kimberlin. Later in the week, Mom dressed me up in leggings; can you say Flashdance and that Lily's a maniac, maniac....." Also, Mom's friend from high school, Alecia, came to see me and really loved on me a whole lot. Dad came home a bit earlier than normal; he has had a long few days and he fell asleep on the couch while we were watching a movie. We went to Community Group that night and then came home and went to bed.
































I got to spend a lot of the time later in the week at Grammy's house. My cousins, Cody, Cara, and Camilla, were here and as Aunt Rachel calls it, we had some FFF, forced family fun. Camilla is only 2 weeks older than me, although we originally had the same due date. Mom tried to get us together for pictures, and we both screamed the first day but cooperated with our matching shirts the second day. On Friday morning, I got to go to breakfast with Mom & Dad and I stole the show with our waitress. On Friday night, everyone was at Grammy's house for dinner and then Mom & Dad went out swimming. A bit later, Grammy took me over to the window and I had this sad face and then had a meltdown, so it was time for mom to get out and take me home. Too much fun for two days.














































Last Saturday, Dad did some lawn work while I hung out with Mom in the morning. After Dad finished, he had some things to do on the computer, while Mom had to do some things outside of the house. Normally, what this would mean would be that when he has things to do, I don't cooperate. But, he put me down for a nap around 12:45, and he had to wake me up 2 1/2 hours later for me to eat. I wanted him to get things done. That evening, Mom & Dad had an evening out so it was back down to Tobin Hill for time with Grandma Patty and Granddad Bo. Then on Sunday, we had a lazy day at home, Dad took a long nap and then went to the gym for a run. Then, we stayed home that evening and watched the Cardinals game. I went to bed so I missed out on the design TV Super Bowl, with the finale of Design Star on HGTV.





This past Monday, Mom spent most of Monday playing dress up with me; check out all the cute outfits that I wore between 9:40 AM and 10:10 AM. When you see how great these outfits and how really really really incredibly good looking I am in them, can you blame my Mom? On Tuesday, Mom had her first full day at the store today; I spent the whole day with Grammy. She took me up to Bless Your Heart in the afternoon and then back to my house for the remainder of my day. Dad was home a bit later than normal, but he read to me from the Star Wars chronology book about the beginning of the Old Republic and how the Jedi got started; I will look forward to continuing through that reading.......not.

Wednesday, I spent the day with Mom, we went to the gym and I spent some time in the Kids Zone. We headed to Community Group that night, and I was a bit fussy but ultimately fell asleep. Everyone was shocked when I showed up because Mom had actually let me leave the house without a bow. Yesterday was a busy day for me, as Mom was back at Bless Your Heart for part of the morning. I spent the morning with Grammy over at my house. Mom picked me up and then we went to see Hannah and her mom, Brittany. I took a bit of a nap over there but still had time to do a fashion show with Hannah in the matching princess outfits that Mom bought for us. I went with Mom and Grammy that evening over to Cherie's house for a Southern Living party; Dad was glad to sit that one out. Mom and I wore matching leopard-print outfits. I don't mind saying that we looked really good.

Today, 8-8-08, the Olympics begin. Mom dressed me up in Americana and I've been singing Lee Greenwood's 'Proud to be an American' all day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RssIN3ustUw

We are having all the family over tonight for an Opening Ceremonies party and to see if Chairman Mao Tse-tung will be lighting the Olympic torch.

Three Months Old

I started my week with some exercise on Monday morning with mom's friend Robi and my friend Rix. After the walk, I was just sitting there smiling at Rix and he would come crawling over at me. I spent some time at home in the afternoon with Mom (she made me have tummy time--which I don't like--so Dad wouldn't get on to her) and then Dad came by and I hung out with him a bit while Mom was out at Weight Watchers and the grocery store. Tuesday was a busy day but an important day as I turned 3 months (time has flown). I headed out with Mom to meet Dad and his friends Lyndsey & Marina for lunch at Panera. They were one of the first EY work visitors to come see me and so I was quite glad to see them again. After lunch, we stopped by Grammy's house for a few minutes, and then we went to do a weight check. I tipped the scales at 14 pounds, 7 ounces. Later that day, Dad got out the tape measure and checked me in at 24.5 inches. Based on one of the Internet sites out there, I am in the 84th percentile for weight and 76th percentile for height (I was at 90th percentile in both at 2 months). So, slowing down my growth a bit, but still very healthy. Later that afternoon, I went with Grammy and Pepar to go get Aunt Rachel from the airport after her big birthday week in NYC (also, she was 'so Hamptons' as well, with a visit to Long Island). We stopped by and had dinner at On the Border after we left the airport, and then I came home and went to bed.

(With this being my three-month birthday, it was also time to lightsaber measure me: the one on the left is me last month, right is this week)

Wednesday was not a good day for me. I was excited to have the day to visit with Aunt Susan and her mom, Aunt Diane. Mom dressed me up all in pink (shocking, I know). I had just seen Susan a couple of weeks ago when Mom got her hair cut, and now Mom and Grammy were heading up there to visit Susan as she just had knee surgery and would be out of commission for a few weeks. Diane was all nervous while we were there because the big hurricane (Dolly) had just rustled through her home in the Valley. But, although it was a fun day, I was having a fussy fussy day. I did not take one good nap all day, so Mom let me skip Community Group, and Dad came home and we all hung out together and I got back on schedule a little bit. Thursday, Mom took it easy with me and we stayed home most of the day. Grammy came by to visit for a few minutes. Dad was home for another dinner with us, but when I got home I was in the midst of watching Baby Einstein (I already love those things), and even though there was about 30 minutes where Dad sat there and was talking with me, I was too drawn to the TV (not a good sign, Mom says, because that is how Dad is when she is trying to talk to him) to even look at him. I just love it when Mom lets me sleep on the ottoman and watch TV before bed (or really any time of the day). After dinner, Dad gave me a bath and then it was off the dreamland.

Yesterday, I did not get to see Dad at all. Mom took me and ran for the Mexican border - although it was to stop in Laredo and visit Courtney & Avery Davis. Avery was born June 20, and mom and Courtney are good friends, and now Avery and I will be friends. However, we will have to wait until the next visit to commence our bond of friendship. When we got to Laredo, I had slept in the car the whole time and it was time to eat, so even though Avery was awake then, I was busy eating and then Avery went down for a nap so we didn't get to hang out together. Then, I went for a nap while she was awake, and vice versa for the rest of the day. Finally, they just threw me in the crib while Avery was sleeping so we could at least get a picture of us together (see below); thankfully, I am a bit more coordinated than I was the last time they laid me next to a baby and I didn't kick with my legs or swing with my arms and cause the other baby to start crying. We headed home and Dad was hanging out with the Community Group at night, but I had too much activity for the day, so I just went home with mom and had to go to bed. Dad came home a bit later.

This morning, I woke up happy and ready for a big day. Unfortunately, Dad had a huge project come up at work, so even though this was a bit of a fussy week for me and Mom could have used the moral support, Dad had to go in today. Mom actually had to wake me up today I was sleeping so well. I was awake as Dad was coming home from the gym, and I finished me breakfast and then sat with Mom & Dad while they had their french toast breakfast. Dad left us to head into work, so I spent a couple of hours at home with Mom, but then Mom had to go to the gym and run some errands so I hung out all day with Grammy and Pepar. I was so good over there, sleeping for like 3 hours. Grammy read some books to me, and then I played some poker online with Pepar. I've already got a pretty good poker face. Dad picked me up as he was headed home from work and then we went to Ernst & Young Family Day. It was real fun. I got to enjoy Dad's victory on the Kinetisoro team in the volleyball tournament. To this victors went the spoils of a troophy about twice the size of me. I got to be held the entire time (I never get that long in mama's arms - both mama and I love it).

By the way, I hoped you enjoy the pictures on the blog of me in my Cardinals outfit. Dad has since updated that post and removed any reference to the Cards; there is still a cut picture of us in our Cards gear but no discussion on how good they are doing. Since we were bragging about how surprised we were at their progress, they have had a terrible week, swept by Milwaukee for four straight games, including three games in which the bullpen lost the game for them, then a blowout loss versus the Mets last night. And tonight, there are up 4-0 after first inning, up 8-5 in the middle of the 6th and then 8-7 entering the bottom of the ninth and let the Mets tie-out and I'm sure they'll be winning it shortly. So, I guess it was good that they dressed me in the Cards' gear last weekend, while they were still in the race, so at least I got to wear the outfit once when it still mattered. But, Dad didn't expect anything this year from them, so it is one more time wearing the Cards gear than we thought we'd get.

Mom's conspiracy

You will have to wait until the end of this post to find out what this title is all about, but suffice to say, Lily had a good week. The week started off last Sunday (7/13) with the grand opening of the new building at Journey Fellowship. So, as they liked to say, we celebrated our first Sunday morning in the new worship center by not being in the worship center as 'The Church has left the building.' Katy had to spend some time finishing up her work on the decorating team in the morning, so I took Lily with me as we headed out with the Community Group to Live Oak Park to clean up and hand out water bottles. Lily stayed mostly asleep in her stroller while we walked down by the lakeside to get trash picked up and say hello to some of the people enjoying the park on a Sunday morning. It was quite warm as the morning dragged on and so Lily and I stopped at the pavillion for her to take her bottle and while there, we met another family from the church, with a little 2-year-old girl named Belle. That would be the first Lily or Belle that Lily has met. After we finished at the park, we headed to lunch at Longhorn Cafe--and shock upon shock--Lily slept through the proceedings. We are getting too spoiled with her good behavior in public. We did some napping in the afternoon a bit and then it was back to church for the grand opening service at the church. Lily got to meet some friends from the main campus and then we had dinner together with Brockman grandparents at Sea Island - where Katy and I went on our first date.

The first part of the week was nothing too exciting. I had an extremely busy week ahead of me and so was not able to be at home on Monday night while Katy went out to Weight Watchers. However, I did get called to pick up Lily from Pei Wei as the bottle Katy had packed did not smell so good so I had to come to the rescue. Although it was bad enough that I was having to work at 7 pm, it is nice that even on a busy week, I am able to have the flexibility when things like that happen, that I can pick up my work and take it with me (although there wasn't much productive that I did with it once I left the office). Tuesday, Lily went with Katy to the gym in the morning; she is already becoming a hit in the kids area there (probably because of the wild outfits Katy puts her in; see this pink ensemble below). Tuesday was also a big day because it was one of the first times Norman did not run for the hills when Lily was placed near him (although I'm pretty sure he didn't appreciate being kicked by her).

Unfortunately for me, this week did turn bad as I had to be at work quite early on Tuesday (leaving the house before 7 so Lily was not awake) and only got home in time to see her being toweled off after a bath and then put in bed. So, I did go in a bit later on Wednesday so I could give her the first bottle of the day. Wednesday was a big day for Lily because it was Grandma Patty's birthday. So, Katy had prepared a big day for her to give her the gifts, Grandpa Bo and Uncle Andy came over, along with some of Mom's friends and they had dessert, opened presents, and had a good ole time. I hated to have missed the day but we got to celebrate later in the week, although without Lily.

On Friday, Lily's friend Hannah (Katy and Brittany were pregnant at the same time) came over to visit. That evening, Lily stayed with Grammy and Pepar, while Katy and I headed out with Mom to celebrate her birthday again - this time at Melting Pot. The fondue was probably not the best choice for Andy. And my placement at the table was not the best as I got water spilled on my lap (ironic because we had just watched that scene from the field trip on 'Billy Madison' where Adam Sandler says: "Of course I peed my pants, everybody my age pees their pants. It's the coolest! You ain't cool unless you pee your pants." Then the old lady says: "If peeing your pants is cool consider me Miles Davis. And I love Billy's response: "That was the grossest thing I've ever heard in my life!"). We enjoyed our time out there--made the food even better given that we had been on a diet for the past 2 months..

Lily let us sleep in on Saturday until 8 (wow, life has changed when sleeping in is until 8). But, sometimes you worry that kids have this sixth sense, where when they know you might want/need to sleep, they don't let you. And when you have to be out at a certain time, they are overtired and sleep too much. But, anyway, Lily was perfectly content over night and slept in; we had time to make breakfast and then let her get her good morning nap in. Then, we did a run at the gym around noon, while Lily hung out in the nursery. I still can't get why Katy is dressing Lily up (see pics below) to go hang out with a bunch of hooligan toddlers in the kids play area, but that is why I am not in charge of dressing her. When I do have to dress her, my responsibility is not to pick out her clothes but to clothe Lily in what has been picked out for her. With the running, I was a bit tired on Saturday and got an afternoon nap in. Katy and I splurged on the food again, ordering in Papa John's (one thing that is pretty neat about Weight Watchers in being able to eat more when you exercise; some diets exercise is a mandatory part of the diet. With Weight Watchers, when you exercise, it basically gives you the license to eat more that day or in this case, have a splurge meal).

Sunday, Lily just slept and slept (like 11 hours of sleep overnight). We finally had to wake her up so we wouldn't be late to church. She wore her faith on her chest, literally, wearing her bling-cross shirt that she had worn in her pictures. We were a bit late because of having to wait to wake her and then us being late on our own. We had an early lunch at home, but Lily was a bit fussy early afternoon. Then, it came time for Lily and her mom to conspire against me. We were watching a movie, and then it came time for Lily to eat. So, Katy just fed Lily downstairs. Katy has gotten on me for a while now, by saying that I sneeze way too loudly. Well, anyway, while Lily is eating, I let out a prety loud sneeze. Well, anyway, Lily gets startled, she stops feeding, and then starts crying for about a minute. I am not sure if Katy was more excited that Lily reacted that way or worried at what was wrong with her, but either way, Katy feels like she has won a victory, while I wonder if maybe Katy has silently been telling Lily some of those things she doesn't care for about me and Lily had heard of this one so much, that she reacted quite negatively to it (hahaha).

Aunt Rachel's Birthday

Today was Aunt Rachel's birthday celebration (her actual 30th birthday is on Monday but she will be on her way to New York). We got to start our day by going over to Grammy & Pepar's house for breakfast. There were some high-quality pictures of Aunt Fancy on the door and then we had breakfast tacos together. Then, we opened presents and got to see a fashion show. Mom and Rachel had to head up to Journey Fellowship to help and put the final touches on the design for the new worship area. I spent the afternoon with Grammy while Dad did some work around the house. Then, we came back home and Dad and I took a nap together (he on the couch, me in my swing) before heading off to dinner at El Chapparal (dressed in the title that Mom once won: homecoming queen). I pretty much slept through dinner and then now we are home and about to go to bed.

This week has been quite exciting. Monday, I got to show off for dad and let him see how good I am. I was a bit fussy throughout the day but I generally was able to lay down and take a nap for at least a little while when I was supposed to. Dad and I started reading through the book of Exodus and hearing about the story of Moses. He also made me watch his favorite movie of all time, Empire Strikes Back. I saw Yoda in action for the first time and also got to see some really good space romance dialogue (or not, being a George Lucas film). Here is the link to me watching: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0opGyJMsqM Mom had to go to Weight Watchers on Monday night, and Dad and I took her over there, and then he took me down to see Brockman grandparents and I spent the evening with them while Mom & Dad went to see Wall-E; they got to see a bunch of cartoon previews for movies I might one day own on video.

Tuesday, Dad was off work yet again, and we went up to New Braunfels to see Susan and Karen and Mom got a haircut; Dad was there to show me off and take care of me while Mom was busy; they sure did love having me up there. When I was about 4 weeks old, Mom had a haircut and she didn't want to have to worry about me up there, so she let me stay with Grammy and when she got up there, boy, did she get in trouble for not brining me alone. So, she won't make that mistake again, and it was good that Dad was there to watch me. We spent some time at the Outlet Mall in San Marcos after that, and then we came home. The last few days, I have got to see some rain for really the first time in my life. It rained for about 30 minutes a day for about a week, and while that does not seem like much, it does intrigue me as I have not known rain before with the weather here being so dry lately.

Dad was back to work on Wednesday, and I went with Mom to Spectrum and played (or slept) in the nursery while she ran. We did some errands to get ready for Aunt Rachel's and Grandma Patty's birthdays next week. We headed over to Community Group and then I came home thereafter. Thursday, Grandma Patty came over for most of the day while Mom and Grammy went shopping for Aunt Rachel; Grammy stayed over late in the afternoon so Mom could do some things on her own (Dad had to stay at work late). Friday, I was a bit fussy and did not want to settle down and take a good nap. But, I was good later in the day as Mom had a shower for Sylvia and her soon-to-be-born baby boy, and Dad didn't have to see my fussy. He dressed me in the below pink & brown attire for bed, telling me that this color scheme is what Mom and him had at their wedding.

(Note from Dad): A couple of other things from Lily's week. First, she started to suck her thumb this week (see below). Not sure what that means, besides the potential for future orthodontic bills. But, we normally lay her with her head to the right in her bed, so we found her a few times like this when she awoke--sucking that left thumb. Once we put her to the left in bed, and we awoke her with the right thumb in her mouth. Thought this thumb-sucking might tell us if we had a right-handed little girl or a southpaw (aka. left-handed), but I guess not.

Second, although we can't hold this against her, Lily did start to develop some particularities when it came to feeding this week. We had read somewhere that it is a good practice not to warm the bottle when you give it to a baby because they get used to it being that way and then you have to always do it that way for them. So, we have never really done it (we even had a bottle warmer that has been used just 2-3 times). Lily had never complained and seemed ok with cold bottles, so we were all happy. Well, lately she has been rejecting or struggling with drinking a cold bottle. A feeding that would normally be 10-15 minutes has been 20-30 minutes if the bottle is too cold. So, we have had to take it out and let it warm up a bit before giving it to her. I can't blame her for now wanting it too cold, but we were all proud of ourselves for the way we had trained her to not be too particular; I guess she really is going to decide for herself how she wants certain things: just like we would expect of a princess.

Here is another video to enjoy, this one of Lily waking up from her nap and showing some signs of hunger: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEsDao5WC-E

First Independence Day

Well, we have been a bit busy over the last few weeks and we need to catch up with everyone on what is going on for me. Since Father's Day, Dad has been back to work, but the last few days have been nice as he has had an extended Fourth of July weekend, being at home since Wednesday and not going back until this Wednesday.





Father's Day week, Mom got a chance to meet up again with all the girls from Mom's prayer group. Mrs. Jenny, Elizabeth, and Sylvia all live here in San Antonio, along with my good friend Wimberley (Elizabeth's daughter). They also started off in their group with Mrs. Sarah, but she now lives in Seattle. Sarah sent me some really cute clothes that I love, and now I finally got to meet her.


Later in the week, we made a trip up to Dallas. Mom goes to Dallas a couple of times a year to buy stuff for Bless Your Heart. We decided to go ahead and let me make the trip this time, which was a bit easier with Dad being able to come along. When we got to Dallas on Friday, we dropped off Mom to shop and then Dad and I headed up to visit with Mari, one of Dad's classmates in high school. Mari had a baby girl just 4 weeks after I was born, so I wanted to go and meet my friend Mackenzie and have some girl time. I think Dad enjoyed seeing everyone up there, and we also got to see Mackenzie's older brother, Ryan. He is very well behaved (at least he was in front of me) and has a lot of energy and likes to show off for the camera. I spent Friday night with Grammy while Mom & Dad and Aunt Rachel went out to eat. Then, on Saturday, I actually got to walk around Market with everyone. Actually, I just sat in the car seat and slept for most of the day while Dad did some reading for work. That afternoon, we went to see another of Dad's friends, Marissa and her husband James. They too have a baby (Andrew) who is older than me, at 5 months.











We spent a little bit of time on Sunday morning doing more shopping; this time, I definitely slept through the shopping experience (like Dad probably wanted to do). Then, we headed home, with yet another detour. This time, it was I who was victorious for having stopped. We made a stop at Aunt Emily's house in Austin. She had gone back to the Janie & Jack store in Austin for the fall clothing clearance. Dad had given her a strict budget on what she could spend, and she gave Dad quite a thorough accounting for her purchases, but she sure did good. We saw a fashion show with the clothes on her beaver friend, and if they look that good on the beaver, can you even imagine how cute they will look on me.














On June 23, it was time for me to go back to the doctor. Boo. And this was a dramatic visit as it was time for the first set of shots. Dad wasn't there, but I made it through ok. However, the visit was not all bad, and I got weighed and measured again, coming in at 23 3/4 inches and 13 pounds & 2 ounces. That puts me in the 90th percentile. Dad tells me that I need to stay at the 90th percentile grade when I start school, so I can get a 4.0. Mom says that will be good so that it will help me get into Texas A&M for college.

We had a pretty uneventful rest of the week. The following Saturday, June 28, we went in to get professional pictures done with Robert Townsend, who also works out at Bracken Village. He ended up producing the wedding pictures for Mom & Dad, and did a good job with me. I was really good for my first photo shoot, lasting about an hour before all of the flashing and changing of clothes got me too upset.

Here is a link to those photos if you want to see how cute I was (just click on 'Brockman Family'):

http://www.myprophotosonline.com/mpp/?studio=351

The next day was a big day in my life. We had our baby blessing at church. I was especially excited as I got to share the big day with my friend Hannah. Hannah's mom and my mom were both pregnant at the same time, even being a part of the same bible study (Beth Moore's 'Believing God') around the time that both of them found out they were pregnant. This day was great because both sets of grandparents were there, Uncle Andy, Aunt Rachel, and all of Mom's prayer group friends came over with their husbands, and we just had a great time. My favorite bible verse thus far (which also hangs in my room) was read: "The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing" (Zephaniah 3:17). I also got to share the day with Grandpa Bo as he was introduced as an elder for the Oak Hills Church.














Last week, I had a couple of days at home with Mom, although on Tuesday, I got to go with Mom and have lunch with Dad and the KCI team (Hilary & Erin) at Pei Wei. Dad spent the day at home with us on Wednesday and Thursday. On Wednesday, I spent part of the morning with Grammy as Mom & Dad headed out to see our picture proofs. They said it was especially hard to decide which version of cuteness to get of me. On Thursday, I spent all day at Grammy's house getting ready for the big Fourth of July parade; well, I just slept most of the day asleep and everyone else worked. Friday was my first Fourth of July. Bless Your Heart had a float, with a glorious arch atop of it, which looks even cuter with me up there. The parade started at 9:30, and Mom had to be there before 7:30, so Dad took me around 8:45. I got to hang out in the hot sun for a couple of hours (what fun!) before heading back home (I think Dad used me as an excuse to get home). That afternoon, we had both sets of grandparents over, Uncle Roy, and Gabe & Adelle (Grandpa Bo & Grandma Patty's friends from California) with their two boys. They actually kept their hands off me enough to let me have time to get a nap in. That evening, we didn't do fireworks, but I think next year I'll get to check them out. Saturday, we spent the morning around the house; I got to go spend some time in the Kids Club at Spectrum while Mom & Dad ran (this time, they treated me a bit more nicely than the first time, as I actually could sleep). That afternoon, I went over to Wimberley's house for Elizabeth's birthday (BBQ dinner and a nice homemade strawberry cake from Mom & Dad). Yesterday, we had the Community Group over after church for leftovers. I spent a couple of hours in the afternoon with Grammy while Dad went to the gym.

(Note from Dad):

One thing we do want to share is how well Lily has been sleeping. During the timeline of this entry, Lily has started to sleep through the night. After first, we felt as if we were doing something wrong when we woke up and realized she had not waken up, but she was fine with it. So, for about two weeks, she was going down between 10-11 pm and sleeping until 6-7:30 am. And this weekend, we started to also drop the late night feeding, so last night, she went down after a bath, around 9:30 pm, and she did not wake up until 8:30 am. We know that it may not always continue this way, or child #2 may not be the same, but we will certainly take it as we are able to. It is funny that on Sunday, we were all ready to go to church around 8:10 (church starts at 9 and we are 10 minutes away), and Katy and I were telling ourselves that this is quite unusual (if we weren't on a diet, it would have been a perfect day for a pre-church stop at Shipley's Donuts). So, we got there early (for like the third straight week), and we realized that us getting to church on time has coincided with Lily sleeping through the night. The lesson here: When Lily sleeps well, Mom & Dad sleep well (although Dad has been sleeping fine all along, hahaha.....).

First Father's Day

Lily had a great time with Dad around for the past two weeks. I was back at work today and while it was hard to go back, I do feel a whole lot more comfortable with this little one and I think she is getting to be a bit further along with developing into a routine. I am grateful for this time because I developed a greater understanding of what her hour-to-hour activities are, so I can appreciate it better when I talk to Katy at work and she tells me what is going on. I even got to begin to train Lily in the Star Wars story by reading to her (check out her attention to the photo). Just last Friday afternoon, Lily would not fall asleep for her nap. I stayed in the room with her to let her know I was around. She finally seemed to settle into dreamland, and it had made me tired, so I just pulled a pillow out and laid down on the floor in her room. It took me a bit to fall asleep, but of course, right as I drifted off, Lily awoke herself and would not be comforted, so no nap for Dad.

A week ago Saturday, we had another shower for Lily from my work friends. It was such an incredible gesture that was totally unnecessary, but we enjoyed it so much. I have really developed some great relationships over the years with the people I work with, and just like I was so glad to have gotten to share some of my other life events with them (e.g. about 10-15 were at our wedding), I was glad to share this with them. We were quite embarassed, though, when we were at home around 1:15 or so, thinking the event was at 2:00, and we get a call asking where we are at. We hadn't taken the time to read the updated announcement that the time was moved up to 12:30. After all the work they had put in, and we are late to our own event. Everyone, of course, was so cool about it, and didn't make us feel bad at all, but we just hated to have done that with all the time & energy they put into it. Lily didn't get much past the front door before she started to get passed around. When it came time for gifts, it was also time for Lily to eat. Lily's grandmothers were both there and were thinking one of them would be feeding her, but when Mrs. Amber was asked if she wanted to give Lily her bottle, I think it made her more than a little excited. Everyone was so sweet & generous with the gifts (Lily even got this Star Wars Princess and we even got some things from people who couldn't even make it, so again, we are just overwhelmed at all the love & support we are getting as we go through this new phase of life. So much easier to do it this way.

Last Sunday & Monday we had a couple of days at home, just enjoying our time together. On Tuesday & Wednesday, Lily got to take her first road trip with Grandma & Grandpa Brockman to College Station. My Aunt Shanna is there as well as Grandaddy, so Lily got another time to complete a fourth generation. She did so good on the road. She basically slept the whole time, waking up just outside of Bastrop and making it all the way to Caldwell before she had to be tended to. In Caldwell, she got her first stop at the Golden Arches (McDonalds), though she didn't get to play on the playland yet. We got to College Station and spent some time with Grandaddy. He just loved seeing her, and Virginia as well. Later that afternoon, we headed over to the Cashion's to see Joy (former EY colleague) and her boys (Cole & Connor). We were quite impressed with Cole's knowledge of the Force, as he was able to rightly remind us that when his Darth Vader action figure's helmet is on, he is Darth Vader, and when it is off, he is Anakin. Hopefully, when Lily is older and becomes a Padawan learner, she can be equally trained in the ways of the Force, like her father before her. (FYI-check out this video from YouTube of a little girl telling the Star Wars story; this will be Lily one day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpAn_7ION3w Those boys are very active but very well behaved. They seem to enjoy each other and definitely keep Joy's hands full. We had dinner that night at Aunt Shanna's, and Lily got more play time. We were a bit worried at her activity in the evening, and she seemed a bit active. This was her first night away from home, so having to sleep in a Pack&Play, we didn't know how she'd handle it. But, while it took some time to settle her down, she did fall asleep and slept from about 9 pm until 8:30 am, with two quick feedings mixed in there. Cannot complain at all about her. Lily got to play her first hand of 42, and then after some time to get ready, we made a quick stop so the class of 2030 graduate could see her future alma mater. We headed home from there; Lily is such a great traveller. On the way home, she basically slept the whole way, waking up on her own just before we stopped to feed her.

Later in the week, Lily and I enjoyed a couple of lazy days at home. My friend, Preeya (former EY colleague) dropped by for a visit and to help out while I was home alone with Lily. Saturday, Lily got to enjoy time with the grandparents (both sets) as Mom & Dad headed to the movies (Indiana Jones) and shopping (but shopping for Lily, that is, at Babies 'R Us). Sunday was Lily's and mine first Father's Day (Lily's mom made Lily and I wear matching yellow outfits). It was fun to have Uncle Andy back in town as well. Lily did reach a neat milestone over the weekend, with being able to sit up on her own, while leaning against the arm rest in her glider chair.

Lily's video montage

Some videos of Lily for you to enjoy:

Tummy time at 32 days old:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHTgk5cGKw4

Play time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slBz30c3AvI

Bath time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_1cWwXcWQo

Lily sleeps:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyQGON5qYg0

Lily awakens:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpFmPV74gRk

Cry time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt0xalg5qFo

And not to be forgotten, Norman plays with his gifts from Lily's shower:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr5Mq_zE6_w