The Santa Experience

Last night we decided it was time to take Lilah to see Santa Claus. She had a brief encounter with him last year (in which she wore a reindeer costume) but given that she was only a few months old she approached the whole Santa situation with a very laissez-faire attitude. This year was a completely different story.

We got to the mall around 5:15 or so but unbeknownst to us Santa was on a cookie break until 5:30pm. Since the line was already to the front door of the Gap we decided that we would grab a spot and just wait it out. (Turns out that is easier said then done when you have a one year old) 35 or so minutes later and lots of chasing Lilah as she ran to explore the mall surroundings; it was finally her turn to come face to face with the jolly bearded man in the red suit.

How did she take it? You be the judge!

Mommy's Little Fashion Statement

The other day Lilah and I decided to go through some of her old clothes in order to pass them on to Finley. Here is what happened when Lilah decided to take it upon herself to get dressed ... (not in the picture are a pair of fuzzy pink boots she has on her feet)

Just a few Pics

Hair Scare

It is no secret that Lilah's hair is getting really long (especially her bangs). Since Ryan and I still aren't to the point where we are ready for her to get her first haircut we have taken to giving her pony tails on the top of her head. She usually doesn't keep them in long but yeseterday she kept it in the entire day. This is what happened when we took it out!!!

Pictures from Lilah's First Birthday

Lilah's 1!!

What a crazy week!
It has been a while since we have updated the blog, mainly because there has been no time whatsoever! Between planning Lilah’s first birthday, work, getting the wedding in order and a trip to Council Bluffs to visit Finley I feel like we haven’t had a chance to sit back and relax.

Lilah’s first birthday part was a success and I think she had a good time! We held the party at Pearson Park and grilled hamburgers and hotdogs. She spent most of the afternoon just walking around and observing everything and everyone, swinging and devouring her first birthday cake. We will have pictures to post soon but I have honestly never seen anything like it! She LOVED the frosting on the cake and managed to get it everywhere… considering that it was red and black frosting it was a disaster when it came time to try and clean her off. She had so much fun that she actually took an afternoon nap- sleeping for two hours (unheard of on a weekend). Her actual birthday was Sunday so we met Grandma Julie, Grandpa Loyed, Uncle Ry and Frances at the Drake Diner for breakfast and then went and played with Grandma Cece and Pop.

On Tuesday we went to Council Bluffs to see her brand new cousin Finley. She did a good job with the baby and didn’t get upset when Ryan and I held her. Congrats to Tiffany, Chris and Levi!!!! She is absolutely beautiful!!!

Lost Phone

Just a quick note... I lost my cell phone at the fair this past weekend. I called Verizon and had it disconnected until I get my replacement just in case someone tried to make any calls on it. If you are trying to RSVP to Lilah's party please just email me at shanmarie611@gmail.com or call Ryan :)

Thanks!!!

Break on Through...

It is now official. Lilah can walk without having to hold onto furniture. While her steps have the slightest bit of wobble behind them, there is nothing like seeing her proud little face when she realizes what she has accomplished. In the past few days I have heard numerous ramblings about how your life as a parent changes once your baby starts walking. I have a feeling that our days of semi relaxation are over.

One of the cutest things about watching Lilah is that she gets sooo excited about being able to walk that she forgets to actually take steps and ends up marching in place. Here is a video that Ryan took last night documenting her mobility. The only downside to walking???? She no longer wants to dance. (She used to dance anytime she heard music).

Just Pictures

Lilah's babysitter had the day off yesterday so she got to spend a few hours playing with Aunt Jenny. Lilah seemed to enjoy herself as she got to spend the day eating Cheerios, playing in her Jeep and taking naps. Here are a few pictures to document their adventures:

For those of you who had any doubts... Lilah's orneriness shines through.

Lilah trying to climb on her car. Lately she tries to climb on everything.

Falling doesn't seem to bother her.

Taking a quick break for some apple juice.

Funny... she NEVER takes naps for mom and dad.

Lookin unusually calm in her jeep...

Hehehhehehe... thats our girl :)

This is one of my favorites. Apparently she went through three outfits yesterday due to diaper mishaps.

Lilah and her Cheerios...

Lazy days...

It was a pretty calm weekend in the Hopper/Hedges household. Both Ryan and I have been battling a dreadful cold virus- just when one of us starts to think we escaped its nasty reigns the other starts sniffling and sneezing again and so the cycle repeats itself. We did take Lilah to see her first 4th of July fireworks on Friday (which was really July 9 but who is keeping track) and while she loved playing with her soccer ball and watching all the people, she really wasn’t too impressed with the actual firework show. The rest of the weekend was spent hanging out at home and catching up on Season Three of True Blood on our newly installed free cable!!!

Lilah will be turning one next month (I can’t believe it!!!) so the process of planning her first birthday party is in the works. Since we often call Lilah ladybug we decided it would be the perfect theme to kick off her jump into toddlerhood. We will be sending out invitations soon!!!!

Daddy and Lilah before the fireworks started!

Holding up her hand for a high five! Notice the puff stuck to her chin :)

Sitting in her chair on the patio!

I really don't think she could be any cuter!

Weekend Away

Ryan and I went to Kansas City for a Royals game this weekend so Lilah spent Saturday and Sunday with Grandma Julie and Grandpa Loyed. She was so excited to play with her toys at grandmas that she wouldn’t even give mom and dad a hug and kiss goodbye and although it nearly broke my heart, I do appreciate that she feels comfortable being with left with other people. She kept busy with swimming in her giant crab pool and listening to music at the arts festival, playing with Uncle Ry and Frances and visiting Great Grandma Stratton. Here are some pictures to document her adventures:

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Yesterday Lilah got to celebrate Daddy’s birthday for the very first time. She started the day off with a bang, waking up early in order to hang flashy Happy Birthday signs from the ceilings and walls of our dining room. She tried to patiently await Ryan’s exit from the bedroom to see her lovely handiwork but patience is not a virtue that our daughter possesses and she ended up crawling into the bedroom to get him before he could come out. She was very excited to give Daddy her gift, a set of Stars Wars pancake molds and a subscription to Draft magazine. After the morning excitement it was time to head to the babysitters house.


The evening brought about more celebrations with a trip to Café di Scala. Lilah had her first bites of the famous homemade cavatelli and red sauce, bites in which she enjoyed almost a little to much for a nine month old. She also got to try a bit of our dessert… something tells me our ladybug is going to be a foodie at a very young age!!! We were both so proud of how well behaved she was, despite being up almost an hour and half past her normal bedtime. Once again I forgot to take pictures (I really need to work on that)but a great time was had by all. Happy Birthday Ryan!!

Who Needs Sleep Anyway?

So about a week ago I thought it would be a fun idea to enter Lilah into a contest through Parents Magazine. I received an email yesterday saying that Lilah now has a chance to become a weekly favorite but we need your votes to do it (everyone who is entered has the same chance). She is currently number 972 for the week so pass on the following link to everyone you know and lets see if we can get her vote count up! If she were to win the contest she would be able to have a shot to be on the cover of American Baby magazine… pretty awesome!!!

Get your friends and family to vote too! Just forward this email to them or share the link. http://photos.parents.com/category/vote/photo/305293
(For some reason, the link I posted yesterday takes you to someone else’s kid… let me know if this one does as well)

Anyway… this past weekend marked the first in a series of weekends in which our family is incredibly busy. With Lilah’s first wedding (Congrats Katie and Todd), her first trip to the bowling alley, a trip to a bbq festival in Valley Junction and her first sleepover, Lilah was in a constant state of new experiences. She was, as always, perfectly behaved although in her usual manner refused to take naps all weekend. She managed to catch a few minutes of shut eye in the moments spent driving to and from all the festivities but refused to allow herself to sleep too much. In typical Lilah fashion every minute spent sleeping was a chance of missing out on the excitement around her.

I didn't really take any pictures of her this weekend but my aunt Jenny took this picture a few weeks ago at her housewarming bbq. It is one of my all time favorite Lilah pics:



I also thought I would share the result of what happens when mommy is in the kitchen, daddy is outside grilling and Lilah sees an object on the table within her reach:

Parents Photo Faves

Parents Photo Faves
Tell everyone you know to vote for lilah. I will blog more about it tomorrow as I am typing on the keyboard on my phone.

Rebel Yell

Once upon a time in small Midwestern city there lived a man, a woman and a baby. The baby was of the most beautiful variety and quickly captured the hearts of everyone around her. It was a seemingly peaceful existence, and folks would often comment on the good nature of the happy child. But then one day the baby turned 8 1/2 months old and realized she had a voice. And what was once a peaceful home became ripe with the yells, cries and general musings of a little girl we shall call Lilah.

Aw yes, it has happened. Lilah has discovered how to yell and practices any chance she gets, no matter the occasion. Whether it be when we dress her in the mornings or go for a ride in the car, chances are her little voice will be yelling away. I am often left in awe of how such a tiny little person can be so full of noise, personality and spark and am curious to know if this is just a mere glimpse into the future personality of our darling daughter. While it does tend to, at times, get rather noisy in our home, I must admit I love hearing her voice and can’t wait until the day when real words will come out. (So far she does say mama and dada!!)

One thing that really makes her yell…. Grass. Whether it’s the strange texture on her feet when she is used to playing on carpet or if the grass is poky, I guess I won’t ever know. I have been told that this is a common thing with babies…. I am guessing she will soon outgrow it. In the meantime here is a picture to commemorate her experience:




Here is a pic of Lilah doing one of her favorite things: capturing Finn. (Who really could care less for the interaction).

Steady as she goes...

Each day some sort of activity takes place to remind us that Lilah is quickly becoming less of a baby and more of a little girl. The latest example?? She can now pull herself up to a standing position using whatever furniture happens to be around although she usually prefers the bookcase. (We must bolt that to the wall, I have a deep seeded fear that it will topple over). She has discovered that once she is standing even the tiniest of steps will allow her to reach the first shelf and she has taken to standing on the bottom shelf while trying to pull books off of the next one up. She has also realized that the baby gate is a useful ally in fulfilling her quest to stand and she will often pull herself up to watch whatever activity happens to surface in the kitchen (usually Finn eating or us cooking). As of yet there haven’t been any occasions in which she has stood without needing to hold onto something but I have a feeling the day will be here soon!

She likes to show off her vocal skills.

Digging through records. Only eight months old and has already begun to develop a taste for vinyl.

The Zoo

Last Sunday we decided to take advantage of a seemingly gorgeous day and took Lilah on her first trip to the zoo. The day started off with a nice breakfast at Jethros (yes I did find a vegetarian item on the menu), some coffee and then off to the zoo we went. While Lilah is still a bit small to actually enjoy all the animals she was fascinated by the giraffes... the baby goats caught her eye as well. We didn't stay long, it turns out we were fooled by the bright blue skies and as we were nearing the end of our outing the thunder started rumbling. We made it to the car just in time to dodge the rain drops.

It's not everyday you get to have
your picture taken in an egg.

Taking a break on the bench.

Lilah and Daddy

This has nothing to do with the zoo.. it just makes me smile.