Wrapping up an amazing year...

Hi everyone,

I cannot believe I am writing this, but Lila is going to be 1 year old in about a week! Our "miracle baby" continues to amaze and amuse us everyday. She has definitely developed a personality and compensates for her tiny size with her very BIG voice! She loves to scream at Brody every time he takes something from her or does something to her when we are not watching. Lila is on the move all the time - a very squirmy baby who does not like to be held still unless you are brushing her hair. She is crawling all over the place and is cruising along furniture. Lila is a very nebby little girl and is into everything, and everything she is into goes into her mouth! She is not walking yet and we are getting physical therapy every other week to work on some toe-curling she has been doing while standing. The physical therapist was just here and we are going to start taping her feet to prevent her from curling her toes and rolling her feet outward which affects the quality of her balance and stance while she is upright.

Lila and Brody both had ear tubes placed in early April, Lila because of her chronic congestion and fluid in her ears, and Brody because of recurrent ear infections. Lila continues to be a congested mess and the ENT agrees that she is probably going to need her adenoids taken out in the near future. He would like to wait until about 18 months at least, so we will see.

Other than the constant cold and runny nose, Lila is doing amazingly well. She has shown us no issues with her gut, transitioned easily to table foods and whole milk, and is tolerating everything very well. She is a very independent little girl and only wants to feed herself, which is fine by me because she feeds herself a lot! We can't wait to watch her dig into her smash cake next week!

The blog posts have become farther and fewer between each post and I think this will be my last one. I am going to have the blog printed in a book and give it to Lila for her birthday. Obviously, it will mean nothing to her right now, but I want her to know what an eventful journey she had into this world and how many people loved and cared for her before she even knew them. Thank you again to everyone for all your love and support over the past year and a half. We love you all!

And no post would be complete without some pictures of Brody and Lila, so here are a bunch from the past few months.

We took the kids on the incline during Tom's lunch break. Brody was "not a little bit nervous" according to him!

Brody at the Children's International festival with Steely McBeam right before Steely stole his hat!

Brody being Brody - he was very concerned about the rocket balloons we were shooting off

With Grandfather - thinking he is hysterical because he was copying him

The obsession with the helmet continues - this is how I found him during a nap one afternoon...

Wearing one of his many pairs of "cool dudes"

His "scary face" (I actually think he looks pretty scary in this picture between the gash in his forehead and the face!)

Again, thinking he is hysterical - Brody is the funniest person he knows...

Loving on Lila

Now for some Lila pictures:
The "9 month chair picture" (I take a picture of the kids each month in a chair we have in our living room)
"10 month chair picture" that Brody had to join

"11 month chair picture"

I think she has the "car gene"

We're teaching her young - already driving a Porsche!

At the "beach" - a.k.a. "sand volleyball pit"

Easter morning with her basket

Thank you again from all of us, especially our beautiful baby girl...