18 Months

Height: 32 1/2 inches
Weight: 25 lbs 7 oz.
Head: 18 cm
Cuteness Factor: Off the charts!

*She is waiting for Daddy to come home in this picture. She usually starts heading over to the window periodically as soon as she gets up from a nap, just looking for Daddy. It is the cutest stinkin' thing!

Do You Know What This Is?

I have always felt like I showed up late to the party. The having kids party that is. No, I am not of AMA (advanced maternal age - which is 35! sheesh! I'm not even 30 yet!) It's just all my friends had kids before me. And then once I was finally pregnant, thinking I would finally fit into the "mom club", I realized my friends were debating exactly how cute the yellow Wiggle was and whether or not Hannah Montana was an appropriate character for a kindergartener's backpack. Don't get me wrong, my friends are awesome and truly the best, but I was still behind. Even when I went to my first MOPS meeting, I had the youngest only child. I might always be a little behind. But the other night - well the other night made it all worth it.


Do you know what this is? This is generosity at it's finest. Alternately, it could be called Lily's Wardrobe for the next year, if not longer. It is what happens when all your friends have kids older than your own. This is the booty I walked away with after a steering meeting for MOPS. My super generous friends Justine and Molly loaded me up with bags of their daughter's outgrown clothes. Lily has a complete, and I mean COMPLETE, wardrobe for the next year. Jeans, shirts, stretchy pants in every color, as well as a couple dresses, tons of shoes, and pajamas. I also have short sleeved shirts and tanks, shorts and sun dresses, and sandals for next summer. Everything is in the right size and almost everything is in immaculate shape. I can't believe how lucky I am.
Check out her new Christmas dress:

I even received the long sleeve version of my absolute favorite tee that I found at a thrift store, which she has sadly outgrown:

Here are a couple swim suits:

A nice coat:

This is in addition to all the clothes I already have for Lily. My mom scored a ton of adorable outfits at a garage sale earlier this summer, which I didn't think to photograph at the time and am not about to take off hangers now. I have been handed down random pieces here and there. I even have a couple brand new items from my baby shower. Some people bought things in way bigger sizes, so she will have some brand new items as well. As if she cares.
My kid is seriously going to be the best dressed kid around, and at almost no cost to me! How lucky are we?!?!?

PS - If you click on any of the pictures, particularly the first one, it will enlarge it and you can truly marvel at all the swag. Please ignore the pile of books on my nightstand, the wall that needs to be touched up, and general disarray of my bedroom!

Am I Insane???

I just registered to do the Naperville Thanksgiving Day 5K Turkey Trot. 5K! That's 3.1 miles. To run. At least in theory. With just about two and a half months to train, I am fairly certain I won't be running the entire thing. But it gives me a goal to work for. Something to motivate me to go to the gym every day I am able and - here's the kicker - put maximum effort into my work out. I am actually pretty excited about it. The last and only other race I have ever run was the Brookfield Zoo Run Run when I was in sixth grade. I did it with my dad. I ran the whole thing. I was also in cross country at the time. Hopefully I won't die. I really like Thanksgiving dinner and would hate to miss it!

A Day at the Beach

Sunday was Chickie's first trip to the beach. Despite the fact that I am still finding sand everywhere, it was an awesome trip. Thanks to Matt's boss who graciously invited us to spend the day at his beach house in Indiana. All I can say is wow! Lake Michigan looks like the ocean, but without the fear of being eaten by a shark. And okay, if you look up or down the lakeshore, you may see a nuclear power plant or a steel plant, but looking straight out is ah-mazing. The weather was a little on the cooler side (perfect by my standards, but the water didn't feel as refreshing!)but Lily had a blast. She didn't even mind the sand that had worked its way into every nook and cranny of her chubby little legs. And she seemed to think it tasted mighty fine as well. I am so going to be spending every weekend at the beach next summer! And I might just move there. Because I always forget how much I love the beach until I am sitting on it, staring out at a massive body of water. Makes me feel so small, yet so calm.

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Dear Poor Neglected Little Blog:

I am so sorry I haven't been very attentive. You see, it was summer and we were out doing fun things. True, we did fun things that could have been blogged about, but doing is more fun than blogging. Sorry, but it is the truth. I hope you understand. Chickie is also full into toddlerhood and I can't stop laughing at her funny antics long enough to blog. I know what you are thinking - again perfect fodder for blog posts. You are right. And I have been up to my eyeballs in MOPS stuff. And since this is a family friendly blog, it is best I not share the expletives that run through my head after working on it. But I think we are good to go now. My stress level has come back down into only a moderately high range. It was off the charts two days ago. So I think I am back. Please forgive me for my neglect. I promise to try really hard not to let it happen again!

Regards,
Kelly