Mia and You-a + one

Sign in an elevator of at Kohls

2011-10-14T20:19:00.001-05:00

She cracks me up

2010-11-10T20:40:00.001-06:00

Lilia was busy telling me a story in the car today. She was going on and on about how we will do this and that, and if I'm good and I listen I'll get a star... etc. etc. When suddenly she says:

"Mom, Momma, Mommy!

And when your belly cracks I will have to take the baby out and take care of her, ok?"

I seriously don't know where she gets her info. But if only it were that easy....

Penny and Cows

2010-11-02T19:41:00.000-05:00

Lilia received a DVD for Christmas that she just loves.
She calls it "Penny and Cows".

In reality, it is "Penny and Pals".

Today she wanted to dance so I put the DVD in.
She turned to me and said:
"Mom, I love Penny and Cows.....
but, there's no cows in it."

Where's the poop?

2010-09-16T07:52:00.004-05:00

Yesterday morning I was changing Lilia's diaper and clothes for the day and she decides she's gonna help put on her shirt. Well, short story long, naturally the shirt gets twisted and fanagled as she puts her arms in and her left arm hole is all goofy. Lilia has really started to assert her authority in matters and didn't want help with the process. So I go on with my task of getting her diaper changed while she takes care of her shirt. When I look up and see the shirt is all messed up, I say "oh poop" knowing full well getting Lils to redo the shirt is going to be more of a challenge than actually getting the shirt untwisted. But to my surprise Lilia just says "Dad did you say poop?" and lets me begin fixing the problem. I say "yeah Daddy said 'poop'." To which little Miss Literal says "where's the poop?" and I reply "Oh, that was just a figure of speech. There's no poop." "Can I see the poop?" says she. I fix the shirt and finish up the pants and Lilia stop rolling around the bed for a second and looks at me seriously and say "Dad are you teasing me?"

She's growing up far too fast.

Pesto

2010-08-28T21:08:00.000-05:00

The other day I was at the Park with Lilia. We were enjoying the beautiful weather while visiting the pond where the ducks, turtles and fish live. The ducks were sunning themselves next to the fence that day so we were able to get up close and personal with them. Suddenly Lilia points to the ground and says "Mommy, is that Pesto?"

She was pointing at a green pile of duck pooh. And yes, it looked an awful lot like pesto!

Just like Us

2010-04-15T19:49:00.001-05:00

Lilia and I were playing in her kitchen tonight. We were identifying her fake fruit when she picked up the peach and said:

"They got butts! Just like us!!"

one more

2010-03-22T14:45:00.001-05:00

Lilia just informed me that Parfait is not pronounced "parfait" It's "part of your face"

Oh the laughs

2010-03-22T14:14:00.002-05:00

I'm so blessed. Every day I get to enjoy this little girl. And every day she makes me laugh.

Today went something like this:
Lilia had just woke up from her nap and I was carrying her out of her room. I had showered and hadn't had a chance to dry my hair. She touched my hair and said "Mommy, your hair is wet."
Me: "Yep, I had to shower"
Lilia: "You showered?"
Me: "yep, I was stinky poo"
Lilia: "Did you poop?"
At which point I was laughing so hard I could no longer speak.

Meet Paul Bart

2010-03-01T15:58:00.001-06:00

Waitasecond...That's a Little People you say. Ahhh, yes, but have you seen "Paul Bart: Mall Cop"?
If not, check out the resemblance:

Uncanny, isn't it? The funniest part of this story is that Lilia calls her toy "Paul Bart" and he is her go to guy. She gets upset if she can't find him, and she plays with him and her other favorite Little People toy "Mommy" almost daily.
Nate and I started calling this toy "Paul Bart" as a joke. But then Lilia picked up on it. She doesn't call him Paul for short either. It's ALWAYS "Paul Bart".

Below: Lilia, "Paul Bart", and "Mommy"

I'm glad I'm not squimish

2010-02-15T15:04:00.003-06:00

If i was, I'd never make it as a parent. All those bodily fluids... ewww

Here's a few Lilia moments for you:

Me:"Peeeuuu! Lilia are you poopy?"
Lilia: "No Mommy, I'm just working on poopy"
-----------------
Lilia comes running into my office holding out her finger "Look Mommy!"
I take a peek, and she's proudly holding a giant booger for me to view. So at that moment do you congratulate her? Give her a high five?
....Nate handed her a kleenix. Appropriate yes, story worthy?

Lilia Language

2009-12-12T20:36:00.003-06:00

Lilia likes to talk. Non.Stop.
Most people who meet her can't believe she's only going to be two years old. Partially because of how tall she is, but most also comment on how fluently she talks, and that she talks non stop.

Being first time parents we don't know any different and are still surprised to hear peoples positive comments about her speech.

But what most people don't realize is that to Lilia some sentences are just one word. For example: she's been saying "Where'd it go?" for a very long time. But she says it very fast, yet very clear, but to her it seems to be one word: "whereditgo?"
She loves to hide toys, or play hide and seek and then say "whereditgo?"

Like many kids, she also loves bath time. Lilia will ask to "take a bath?" but she never puts the "to" in front of the sentence. Often, when we are in the spare bathroom she will point at the tub and say "take a bath?" . To which I always reply. "Yep, tonight honey, you can take a bath after dinner" I always assumed her question was simple, she wanted to take a bath. I never guessed she may have been calling the bath by a name she'd given it. Then tonight, after I pulled the drain on the bath water, she decided to stay in the tub until all the water had drained. At that point she suddenly turned to me looking all confused and said "Where'd take a bath go?, Mommy, Mommy! Where'd take a bath go!?

Our first snow!

2009-12-10T21:21:00.005-06:00

We had our First significant snow on Monday. Lilia was so excited when she woke up to see snow. Right away she wanted outside. It was all we could do to finish breakfast first.

You Know, Buddy

2009-11-25T08:24:00.002-06:00

You all may remember Buddy?

Lilia remembers him and he's almost part of our family now. We were saying prayers the other night and Lilia said "God Bless Buddy!". Normally she mentions family members, sometimes Bosco and Rio and even Mickey and friends. This was the first blessing for Buddy.

Then, yesterday as we were walking to our car Lilia says "Buddy's sticker!" I was so baffled, and then she said "Lil-la have it". I told her I didn't understand and she pointed to a car next to ours that had a decal of a lady bug on it and said "Buddy's car, sticker, Lil-la have it".

Full of laughs

2009-11-10T13:28:00.002-06:00

Today Nate turned on a new workout song (dance music) for me to hear and Lilia went crazy dancing. She danced for about an 45 minutes and was still begging for more! Here's a peak at her jamming.

2009-10-25T08:18:00.012-05:00

We finally had a break in the clouds and from the rain yesterday afternoon. So after Lilias nap we decided to take her out in the wagon on a walk.

We had to bundle up as it was still only 40 out

She started out in the wagon...well, sort of..

And then she hopped out and decided she should pull "I do it"

Then we stopped to examine a pile of leaves

Then it was time to just run

Now Daddy needed help, so Lilia tried pushing

And finally, a rest in the wagon

Wait! How'd I get in here?

You must know Buddy?

2009-10-18T20:10:00.003-05:00

Something you all should know, Buddy is your neighbor and friend.

You see Lilia has somehow learned this in her young years. It started at a young age, she would see a toy or something on the sidewalk that she wanted to play with. I would say, "No honey, that's somebodies toy. We can't play with it." Or A car she thought was ours, "No honey, that's somebodies car, but not our car.".....

In the past few months, Lilia has turned "somebody" into "Buddy". If she sees a toy, or a bike she will say "Buddy's bike?"... "Buddy's Car?"....

I think we all know Buddy, and he must be very wealthy.

Just Lilia on the go

2009-10-12T08:20:00.001-05:00

Just being Lilia

2009-09-30T17:43:00.001-05:00

Lilia helps with breakfast

2009-09-25T08:08:00.000-05:00

Character

2009-08-04T11:08:00.001-05:00

Lilia loves to sing anywhere, anytime, all the time

2009-07-15T13:56:00.000-05:00

Blog soon changing

2009-07-13T11:05:00.006-05:00

I know I don't post here very often, but even so I will have to change the title of our blog soon. Nate has officially put in his notice and will be done with the Mamma Mia tour on July 26th. It's been 2 and a half wonderfully long years on the road, and we have some amazing memories to show for it!

In the meantime Lilia and I have been spending some quality time in North Dakota with family. I have plenty to post about that, but wanted to put up this quick video first.

I took care of a good friends horses and animals this weekend while they were away. They have some beautiful Paint and Miniature horses. Lilia came out with me 4 out of the 5 times I went to do chores and we spent time loving up the new miniature horse foals. She was very nervous around them and put on her nervous ears (puts her hands over her ears) the entire time we were out there. But by the last day she wanted in the pen with them, even though her hands never left her ears. The foals were so curious about her they could hardly stand it. Below is a clip from that day. I have to add that after we left, and about every hour she asks about the "neighs" and wants "more, more!" ;)

See more pix of Bearmans Horses and Lilia in my Picassa Albums

She's got it

2009-05-23T19:51:00.002-05:00

Lilia can jump almost as high as her Daddy already!!
Photo taken at Grand Canyon April, 2009

If your on Facebook, checkout Nates jumping photo album.

Bubbles

2009-04-17T16:15:00.000-05:00

Let's hear it for the piggies

2009-04-16T23:56:00.001-05:00

Hot Dog!

2009-03-06T22:08:00.000-06:00

Remember a few weeks ago how Lilia was learning to dance holding on to the couch. Now she's teaching herself to dance without the assistance of the couch and she's added spinning to the mix.
Her favorite is the Hot Dog Dance they do at the end of Mickeys Clubhouse. We even downloaded the MP3 as she asks for it throughout the day so she can "Da":

Two of a Kind

2009-02-11T22:11:00.004-06:00

We recently weaned Lilia to a bottle before naps in the daytime, but still nurse at night and in the mornings. It's become her new favorite thing. She calls it her "bahbah". She loves her bottle so much that I had started to feel sad and that she might prefer it to nursing. Especially when she started asking for her "bahbah" in the mornings when we get up, before we nurse. In the past she always did her sign for "milk" which meant she wanted to nurse.

So yesterday we were playing the body part game.
It went something like this:

Lilia pointing: "I?"
Me: Yes, that's my eye- good Lilia!

Lilia pointing: "O?"
Me: Yes, my nose

Lilia pointing: "T?"
Me: Yep, those are my Teeth

Lilia pointing: "Bahbah?"
Me: *giggle, giggle* Yes Lilia, those are Mommies...bottles.

She really does still love me! Er, or.. them... heh

Remember to Dance

2009-02-11T22:09:00.002-06:00

Lilias dancing is progressing. This was her a couple of weeks ago when we were staying in Ft. Lauderdale:

More of Lilia communicating

2009-01-29T22:09:00.001-06:00

photo tag - i'm it!

2009-01-24T20:46:00.002-06:00

The rules are simple...
1. Go to the 4th folder in your computer where you store your pictures.
2. Pick the 4th picture in that folder.
3. Explain the picture.
4.Tag 4 people to do the same.

This photo above was taken this fall the week of November 10, 2008 in Louisville, KY at the Hard Rock Cafe. Nate, Lilia and I were having a nice family meal after being apart for a few weeks while Nate continued on the tour and Lilia and I stayed at home in Chicago. You can see here how happy these two were to be reunited.

Now I tag Lisa, La Rêveuse, Deuce, and LeNae Grandma

Communication is key

2009-01-18T21:56:00.002-06:00

(The photo is of Lilia signing her version of "more" after she devoured a PB & J sandwich and wanting more)
Kids amaze me. Even more amazing is how our little baby is becoming a little girl.

We’ve been trying to teach sign language since she was about 4 months old. The first sign she picked up was milk, followed closely by the sign for more. Since then she’s picked up several others like: drink, eat, sleep, up, down, drink, all done, book, please, open, and most recently yogurt. In addition to signs she’s been learning to speak words like Dada, Mom, Decker, Baypee (baby), Babow (Bosco), Hi, Bubbles, Buh Bye, cheese, lots of animal noises, Gi Doww (Get Down), peez (please) and I love you (her attempt at this is adorable but impossible to write) and many others I’m sure I’m forgetting. I know this isn’t rocket science. But as first time parents everything she does amazes us.

Earlier today she spoke the word tree. It came out as “tee” but she said it as she was pointing to the tree above our car. She was anxious to look at it and feel the leaves every time we’d go to the car, so I was tickled when she said tree after only just telling her what it was the day before. She picked up Baypee (baby) after a little girl in the Doctors office called Lilia a baby . She came home and later that day walked around saying it all day long. Thought you might enjoy this video:

What's in the bag

2009-01-17T14:52:00.001-06:00

Let's play Ball

2009-01-17T11:09:00.000-06:00

Fun in the Sun

2009-01-16T20:45:00.001-06:00

At the beach in Naples, Florida. Lilia loved her first time in the sand.

Everyone loves Cheese

2009-01-16T19:27:00.000-06:00

Family = Fun

2009-01-11T21:00:00.001-06:00

Lilia having fun with her cousins, Isaac and Lauryn at Christmas. This is her version of jumping

Roar

2008-12-16T21:55:00.000-06:00

Does she think she's a bear?

She thinks she's a cat

2008-12-15T21:53:00.000-06:00

Lilia trying to get into the cats basket....

First words

2008-12-14T21:56:00.003-06:00

Lilia is speaking fluently these days. Well, that is in her own mind. She talks all the time. We have made out a few distinct words:
Dadda and Daddy, Duck, Mom, ho ho ho, and this one she said a week ago:
"DECKER!" That's the name of my sisters cat, and she couldn't get enough of him. Now every orange animal she sees is "DECKER!"

Lilias first steps

2008-12-14T21:52:00.000-06:00

This happened on 11.30.2008!

The rules have changed

2008-11-16T19:41:00.001-06:00

and this is how you play basketball according to Lilia (the tub was the basket to begin with)

Get up, stand up!

2008-11-09T09:11:00.003-06:00

Lilia has started to balance and stand on her own! (see how proud she is?)
Video Below:

Watch carefully

2008-11-08T21:22:00.001-06:00

Lilia is learning sign language. This is her first attempt at this sign. It needs perfecting, but she did it! She also signs "milk"

(11.7.2008, at 10 months old)

Lilias personal trainer

2008-11-08T08:06:00.001-06:00

This guy does all the work, vacuumes, entertains, and exercises the little one

Ready for pictures

2008-11-01T08:21:00.000-05:00

Lilia started to do this face all on her own

Bananas

2008-10-31T22:12:00.003-05:00

This is what happens when you spend too much time at home, alone, without other people to talk too...for a week....

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T06:00:00.000-05:00

Daddy time

2008-10-28T20:48:00.002-05:00

10.19.2008

Lilias point of view

2008-10-24T21:28:00.001-05:00

We were tagged. I asked Lilia to fill this one out.
So here are her answers:

Trios: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions and 3 random facts:

Joys
1. Playing Peek A Boo
2. When Daddy comes home and plays with me or hugs me
3. Exploring anything new

Fears
1. Some loud noises
2. When Mommy walks out of the room and I see her go I think she won’t return
3. That if I don’t get fed right when I’m hungry I might starve

Goals
1. Walking on my own
2. Teaching these people my language. I speak fluently, they just can’t understand me
3. Getting my entire family, including these two fuzzy people Mommy calls BoscoRioMeow, together in one place permanently.

Current Obsessions
1. Investigating everything
2. Walking along furniture or with Mommy or Daddys help
3. Anything with lights and sound

Random Facts
1. My butt is ticklish. Right below my butt between my thigh and cheek. Mommy likes to tuck my blanket in and then I squirm because it tickles!
2. I like to go into the pose “downward dog” and hang out like that
3. When I hear sounds I try to repeat them. I often match their pitch (like sirens, dogs, and random beeps on the computer)

I tag whoever is reading right now

The Countdown

2008-10-19T21:04:00.004-05:00

It's unavoidable. It's coming. It's almost here.
Nate is continuing on tour while Lilia and I stay home in Chicago and he flies out on Tuesday. We did lots and lots of thinking, and came to the conclusion that this was best all around. Lilia does great on the road. She proved it again this week while we joined Nate in Peoria, IL, just a short jog from Chicago. But the travel in between towns is what gets to both her and I. With this particular tour traveling is a weekly thing. Plus the travel days will be getting longer as the miles stretch further and further between each city.
Also, this way Nate will be able to fly with the cast, and not have to make those long drives either. Plus, Nate will get to keep his job (in this economy it's a must) and we'll still get to see each other when he comes home for a visit in a few weeks over a Monday/Tuesday travel day, and when we fly out to spend a few weeks with him in November.

Still, we are going to miss him. Terribly. Not only will I miss my best friend and husband, but we'll miss the moments like these:

Lilia reading

2008-10-19T17:15:00.000-05:00

Now you can Jam

2008-10-18T21:20:00.001-05:00

I think you should be able to see the Jam Session with Lilia now?

I stupidly had that video set to private on youtube. So I could see it, but no one else could. Doh!

This is how Lilia does it

2008-10-18T21:14:00.001-05:00

She has discovered....the mirror!

(sorry it's so dark, it was shot in the hotel at night)

The joy of doing laundry

2008-10-16T10:55:00.000-05:00

Lilia teaching me how to find joy in doing the laundry

Jam session with Lilia

2008-10-15T19:22:00.001-05:00

Walk this way

2008-10-09T20:58:00.000-05:00

The Great Escape

2008-10-09T08:20:00.000-05:00

Lilia escapes down the hallway:

Mmmmm!

2008-10-08T21:50:00.001-05:00

'Cause I like too

2008-10-05T13:22:00.002-05:00

Lilia figured out if she does this:

It make me laugh.

So now she does it all the time. Nothing wrong with that, I love to laugh!

Lilias New Hat

2008-10-04T19:53:00.001-05:00

Good Fun

2008-10-01T20:28:00.001-05:00

The other day I was at a "gently" used Childrens store and came across an almost new Leap Frog Table for $11! What a steal. After cleaning it up we set it on the floor for Lilia to play with and this was her reaction:

It’s true what they say

2008-09-23T19:54:00.004-05:00

Kids must assimilate information during the night. Last night Lilia was awake at 3 am. After calming her down she went back to sleep in her crib. I tiptoed out of the room and made a pit stop in the bathroom. Before I could make it back to my bedroom I heard her up again. She sounded like she was just babbling. I went to take a peek at her. She saw me walk in so I quickly dove into the queen bed we have next to her crib and closed my eyes (this room will double as our guest room, but is also convenient for those crazy nights when she is teething or sick and just won’t sleep unless I snuggle with her). I must have been convincing as she didn’t beg for me or cry. Instead she laid back down like she wanted to sleep. I was so tired I dozed off and then woke up to hear her babbling some more. I peeked at her and she was playing in her crib and pretty soon she was sitting up clapping! Why is this so exciting? Because we have spent the last few weeks trying to teach her to clap and she just hadn’t picked it up yet. Then, here she was, suddenly practicing in her crib. Needless to say it was one of the cutest things and it was all I could do not to fly out of bed and cheer her on!

Today she was applauding almost everything we did. I guess I now understand why Nate likes to perform. It’s nice to feel appreciated with applause.

Girls just want to have fun

2008-09-11T22:05:00.001-05:00

Lilia discovered that she likes the feeling of shaking her head. And apparently she also enjoys a messy face (click on the photo to see the video):

From Lilia Ann 8 mo + 3 weeks

What you laughing at Mom?

2008-09-06T19:08:00.000-05:00

Lilia tried Pasta the other night.

Food, Glorious Food

2008-09-05T20:46:00.000-05:00

Lilia decided it was time to try feeding herself

Just 121 days, 4 hours, and 50 minutes...

2008-08-26T19:05:00.005-05:00

Until she's a one year old!

It seems like yesterday when she was just a tiny helpless little baby in my arms. Now she's creeping (almost a crawl) along, and since the right top tooth just broke the surface she has 4 little teeth to eat her solid foods with.
She's 8 months old.
That's just 4 months till her first birthday people! That also means just 4 months till Christmas, have you started shopping?

Shoe love

2008-08-25T18:07:00.000-05:00

Johnson Look-alike Meter

2008-08-24T18:39:00.001-05:00

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Descendants - Family pedigree

Lilia also loves playing with tupperware

2008-08-23T15:24:00.000-05:00

Who knew plastic bags were so funny?

2008-08-23T13:22:00.002-05:00

Lilias big splash

2008-08-18T21:26:00.003-05:00

Lilia tried out the swimming pool today for the first time and LOVED it!
(pic and video below)

Peek A Boo

2008-08-17T07:47:00.002-05:00

Lilia LOVES to play with blankets and loves Peek A Boo.
(this video was taken last week 8.7.8):

Inching along

2008-08-16T14:05:00.001-05:00

Lil Miss Lilia is making progress in her attempts to start crawling:

She rolls, she bumps...she

2008-07-27T09:05:00.000-05:00

Stands?

Look what Lilia is trying to do:

Picnics

2008-07-26T08:00:00.001-05:00

I've always loved picnics. These days they have new meaning.

Since we travel the country in our Ford Explorer we don't have room for all the toys, and/or other useful things that many parents use while raising their children. Especially not a high chair. Sometimes we are just lucky to have a small kitchenette and a table in our hotel room (if that table isn't being used as a desk that is). So Lilia and I have started our own morning ritual. We enjoy a bowl of oatmeal together. That's not such an odd ritual you say? Well, we sit on the floor and eat our oatmeal every morning. Picnic style on her blanket and/or my yoga mat. It's actually kind of nice. She can play with her toys in between bites, and I can stretch out and relax with her. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I agree, and it's even more special now that I can share it with her.

Here's a video of her the other morning. She loves her oatmeal and has never refused it. But this morning she was discovering how her tongue worked:

7 months old today!

2008-07-25T10:54:00.003-05:00

Lilia turns 7 months old today!
She's been busy practicing to get ready to crawl. Here's a video clip of how strong she's getting:

Look, baby push ups!

2008-07-16T15:25:00.000-05:00

A Little Princess

2008-07-10T21:22:00.007-05:00

Lilia and I had fun the other day when I decided to take photos of her at 6 months in her "Princess Dress". Here's a photo journal of our afternoon:

If you'd like to see most of the photos we took check out our Picassa album and be sure to comment on which one is your personal favorite.

A Family Tree

2008-07-10T09:33:00.002-05:00

Nate and I were recently send a few baby photos of ourselves so for fun I created this photo family tree:

Beep beep, here she comes

2008-07-06T19:55:00.009-05:00

Nate and I had our first dinner date alone in almost 6 months tonight. We are in Washington DC this week and Grandma and Grandpa Johnson are visiting and volunteered to babysit.

During their stay we have done may fun things together as a family, including celebrating the Fourth of July. Nate and I also managed to get out to a movie one night, a walk around the city alone one afternoon, and tonight was dinner. Nothing fancy, but we had a great time and it was just what we needed after 6 months without any time to ourselves (Thanks again!!).

The icing on the cake was when I returned after dinner this evening. Lilia was still up and had just had her own dinner which consisted of milk, oatmeal and green beans. Mmmm.... tasty?

I plopped down to play with her on the floor and put her on her tummy. Suddenly she quickly rolled across her gym mat 3 times. I was shocked! Prior to tonight the most she could do was roll over once and lay still. Out of curiosity I drug out my yoga mat and put her on one end. She proceeded to roll across the mat several more times, squealing in glee.

She’s mobile! It’s time to baby proof the sharp corners and put up the hazards.
My question… what did they put in that oatmeal??

Here's a video:

Second Video:

Happy Fourth of July!!

2008-07-04T08:00:00.001-05:00

Anyone have the time?

2008-06-25T20:36:00.001-05:00

I let Lilia play with my watch yesterday. But I think she's confused on how you wear a watch...
(she slipped this on, we didn't touch it)

Funny Face

2008-06-22T15:55:00.002-05:00

Lilia was having fun making faces today

Destined to have Cheeks

2008-06-22T15:46:00.003-05:00

By the looks of these photos our little girl was meant to have those cheeks! (pic on left is her Daddy, Nate, Pic on Right is my sister. I didn't have access to a baby photo of myself right now)

Ponderings

2008-06-15T19:25:00.004-05:00

Why do babies love things they shouldn't have. Especially plastic bags, or paper? Lilia is really into plastic bags and tissue paper right now. As well as magazine pages and anything that will rip when she tugs on it. Last week when visiting her Grandparents in Minot, ND she was given an empty Tostitoes bag. (supervised of course). You would have thought she'd been given her own pony! She was so excited she shook and began breathing rapidly!! The same thing happened this week when I gave her some rolled up Tissue paper I pulled out of a new pair of shoes I'd bought. It was so darn cute I kept the tissue paper to entertain her with when nothing else is working.

Now if only those shoes would have fit.....

*A second pondering I had today- why do Reeses Peanut Butter Eggs taste soooo much better than regular Reeses PB cups? I've even come to almost dislike regular Reeses cups, but the Eggs are so good I hoard them and eat them throughout the year. I just finished my second to last one. What a sad day.

Do I look like I like to eat?

2008-06-05T09:20:00.002-05:00

Lilia had her first bites of solid food! She had rice cereal "with bananas" and she seemed to LOVE it! She didn't spit it out, and grabbed at the spoon and bowl for more. Here's a little video of it. (you may have to turn your head some, the video person made the mistake I do all the time by turning the camera on it's side to fit us both in the lens, hehehe!)

Guess what I did today?

2008-06-02T14:20:00.001-05:00

Check out what Lilia did for the first time today!

Lilia "talking"

2008-05-11T23:41:00.001-05:00

Lilia has been testing out her vocal chords lately:

Oh how fast they grow

2008-05-10T15:09:00.004-05:00

Seems like just yesterday she could hardly even hold her head up, and now today, at 4 months old, she's doing this:

Let's celebrate

2008-05-10T12:08:00.004-05:00

I was sent this the other day and thought it was worthy of a post:

Before I was a Mom

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom -

I had never been puked on.

Pooped on.

Chewed on.

Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom

I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.

Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom

I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put him down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never k new I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -

I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom -

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache,

the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Happy Mother's Day !

It’s happening…

2008-04-30T23:55:00.002-05:00

She’s starting to notice things around her and reach for them…

p.s. Yes, that’s a GIANT plastic bowl for my salad. We stay in hotels and rarely have bowls other than those for cereal. And, well, I like my salads, and I like ‘em supersized!

Words you never want to hear

2008-04-22T20:48:00.006-05:00

Post by: Dee

He’s sick, and had to be put in the Hospital….
That was the phone call I received when our cat, Bosco, had to be taken to the vet yesterday.

Bosco is a big lovable grey and white ball of hair. He and Rio, or female cat, were our first “babies”. They are our family. Any animal person knows that the term “pet” doesn’t cover it. They are more than that, they are family.

Last year when I joined Nate on the Mamma Mia tour, our whole family came. That included myself, and Bosco and Rio. The cats did awesome, and became road warriors like the rest of us. It was wonderful having our whole family together.

Then Lilia came along (yay!), and decisions had to be made. We knew there was no way to travel with a baby and two cats. But Nate’s job required travel, and without his job we didn’t have health insurance or his income. Both necessities.

The difficult decision was made to continue on the road, but find someone to take care of our beloved kits. (my lingo for furry kids). We toyed with the idea of having someone stay in our home and also take on the job of being cat parents. But I would only trust certain people to do that, and they weren’t available.

Then, to my relief, my parents agreed to be temporary guardians for our kits. I cannot tell you what a generous gift and blessing this was! Not only are my parents animal people, but Bosco and Rio consider them their second home. We’ve stayed with them often, and the cats Love, LOve, LOVE it there! They get to romp around the house, and watch their birds, go outside in their amazing backyard, and spend quality time in my parents laps or stealing their chairs.

There’s no question in my mind that the cats are happy there. I know they miss us, and not a night goes by that I don’t say a prayer for them and will them to know how much I miss them and love them… but I know they are happy, loved and well taken care of.

(Yes, I agree - it’s not fair that I had a baby and then left them to go on tour with my husband. It’s not fair to them at all. But I was between a rock and a hard place and a decision one way or the other had to be made. We chose to stay afloat and have income and insurance, and part of our family together. But, we eagerly await being reunited with the kits.)

Fast forward to now and Bosco gets sick..again. Yes, you see he’s had this problem previously and they warned me it could reoccur. It's like this - his plumping was backed up. Yep, he was impacted. As silly as that sounds it’s very dangerous for a cat. Thanks to very observant guardians they saw he wasn’t well and took him to the vet right away. Still, the call wasn’t an easy one to get. I felt even more guilt for not being there, and that he wasn’t well. Top that off with the fact that Rio seemed to miss him while he was in the hospital and I was a mess.

The good news came today when I found out Bosco was ok. He’s back at home with my parents and Rio and he’s almost his old self. He'll have to be on medicine, and may have to switch to some other food but at least he was already begging for food even though he’d just ate. Ata boy Bosco. Hang in there buddy, I’ll be home to visit you soon. I miss you both more than words or tears could ever relay.

Thanks for taking care of my babies Mom and Dad. I owe you much more than I can ever repay.

Vancouver, Before Christ (BC)

2008-04-16T12:58:00.011-05:00

A. Chicago
B. Appleton
C. Detroit
D. Kalamazoo
E. Omaha

F. Fresno
G. Seattle
H. Spokane
I. Vancouver

Post by: Nate

It appears that I've let my blogging duties go to the wayside again. I'm quite possibly the worst blogger ever or at least a high ranking candidate on that list.

Okay, let me recap since we last heard from our intrepid hero when he re-joined the tour in Appleton, WI. The first day back in Appleton I had a quick brush-up with the assistant dance captain and then I was shot out of the canon and back into the show. My first week back was good, it felt great to be back on stage. After the closing the Sunday night performance, I drove back to Chicago and slept in my own bed for 2 nights before heading off to Detroit the following Tuesday. The Mia played Detroit for 2 weeks during that time I stayed with my buddy Derek and his wife Aili in Riverview. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone in our cast that "loved" playing Detroit but staying with Derek and Aili was great; definitely a highlight of my tour life. I was able to spend quality time with Derek having a few beers and showing him how to play darts.

After Detroit was Kalamazoo, MI where we saw a changeover of principle cast members; 9 to be specific. The week was full of rehearsals and put-ins and more winter weather. At the end of the week we said our "goodbyes" to old friends leaving the cast and the next week in Omaha we said our collective "hellos" to all our new friends starting. But the icing on the cake was when the girls, DeeAnn and Lilia, joined the tour with me in Omaha. What a relief to finally all be back together again. We stayed at a nice Residence Inn in Omaha and started to get acclimated to tour with baby on board. Like any parent will tell you, it's always a chore with a new baby but touring with a little one isn't much different. We have our Pack-n-Play for Lilia and many other items that make her life on the road comfortable. It's a good thing we own an SUV otherwise, Dee would be hell-bent on already having a minivan. Getting everything into our Explorer is a little like playing Tetris but it all fits and we've made this far without too many bumps along the way. Speaking of new parents, we have some fellow Chicago friends that recently joined the tour with a new baby as well. It's been very helpful sharing the transitions of parenthood and touring with a baby with them.

Following Omaha we had a long trek to Fresno, CA. Dee and Lilia flew with the company, while I caravanned with a friend 1,600 plus miles from Omaha to Fresno. The first day we drove from Nebraska to Beaver, UT driving through Denver, CO and the beautiful Rockies. After 18 hours and over 1000 miles later, we ended our day in Beaver and found a Comfort Inn that fit our budget. The next day we forged our way to Fresno via Las Vegas with a far too short stop at the Cheesecake Factory at Caesar Palace Forum Shops where my sister and her family met us for lunch including a surprise visit from my mother who had found a cheap ticket to Vegas the week before. We had a nice lunch and for good luck we dropped a few bucks in a slot machine in the casino. We rolled into Fresno around 8pm that evening. Dee and Lilia were waiting with open arms. It was nice to be greeted with such big smiles. Our week in Fresno was uneventful: a few rehearsals and nice warm weather.

Seattle was the next stop along the way. Again Dee and Lilia took the company flight while I caravanned with a friend. 16 hours later, we were all reunited. We had a great week in Seattle with visits to Pike Place Market and the Lululemon store. Seattle was great. I would have liked a least another week there. Someday we'll have to go back visit it again.

Next on the schedule was Spokane, WA. The four-hour drive through the mountains from Seattle was nice. We rolled into the Spokane Valley area around 5pm and got settled in for the week. I can't say that I ever need to revisit Spokane.

This brings us to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Mia parked there for 2 weeks. We shared a high-rise apartment with some friends and enjoyed our time in the city. On our Monday off we drove up to Whistler and enjoyed the beautiful, scenic Sea to Sky Highway drive. Vancouver is crazy busy with construction preparing for the 2010 Winter Olympics. All-in-all, we enjoyed our time there but were excited to get back to the US.

We're being invaded...

2008-04-13T23:48:00.001-05:00

by alien babies- eeeek!

Babies = ...

2008-04-13T23:38:00.004-05:00

I always thought that babies = cute and fuzzy feelings.

Then today we took off Lilias sox and found this:

Cute, Fuzzy.... Feet!!

Sevens not enough

2008-04-12T23:54:00.005-05:00

Seven Weird Things About Me.
(posted by Dee)

1. I like Peanut Butter in nearly everything. I eat it in oatmeal, on my apples, on my bananas, mixed with yogurt, and/or cool whip, on pancakes, or bacon, I'll put it in the bottom of an ice cream cone, melt it and then add the ice cream, it's good on brownies, or mix up a batch of Bisquick muffins with PB, and mixed nuts, It's great on Banana Bread too. Oh, and it has to be JIF peanut butter. Trader Joes is pretty good, but JIF is da best! I was mortified when we arrived in Canada and I found out they didn't carry JIF. I had to buy some crappy brand before I finally found it at a Walmart here. Then I had to by a HUGE jar to make sure I had enough to get me through the two weeks we'd be here.

2. I have to put my toilet paper on so that the loose end is coming towards you. It drives me crazy when it goes the other way.

3. I used to eat my pudding mixed with cool whip and then in an ice cream cone with either Peanut Butter in the bottom, or dry hot cocoa mix.

4. I like my cereals mixed together, 2 different kinds are good, 3 or more is better. I also used to also eat my cereal with a fork.

5. I ran around on my hands and knees and acted like a horse until I was about 16 years old. I plan on doing it again when Lilias old enough and wants me to be her horsie....

6. Long, long ago, in a galaxy far far away... I co-wrote a song about passing gas and it was sung to the tune of "We're Not Gonna Take It " by Twisted Sister. You'll have to tune in for a future post on what the words were. (La Rêveuse that was for you).

7. When I blow my nose, I sound like a fog horn. It tends to scare my brother-in-law.

Ok now I get to tag someone else - Jen at Allen Fieldhouse and LeNae Grandma your it!

Gotchya!

2008-04-11T01:02:00.003-05:00

Tag! I'm it....and If you're reading this, YOU'RE IT!! (posted by Dee)

Two names you go by:
1. Dee
2. DeeAnn

Two things you are wearing right now:
1. black yoga pants
2. Workout Tank (heading to the gym next!)

Two of your favorite things to do:
1. My Artwork (sculpting/painting)
2. Exercise

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. To be snuggling with my cats in my own bed
2. To be visiting with friends and family that I miss (in person)

Two favorite pets you have had or have now?
1. Bosco
2. Rio

Two people who will fill this out:
1. Ronica
2. Lisa

Two things you ate last night:
1. Peanut Butter
2. Apple

Two things you ate today:
1. oatmeal
2. Peanut Butter

Two people you last talked to:
1. Nate
2. Bethany

Two things you're doing tomorrow:
1. Laundry
2. Starting to pack to travel to our next city (Sacramento, CA)

The longest car rides I've been on:
1. San Francisco to Houston
2. Chicago to North Dakota

Two favorite holidays:
1. Christmas
2. Fourth of July

Two favorite vacations:
1. Florida
2. Cancun

Two Favorite Drinks:
1. Hot Cocoa
2. Chocolate Martini

Birthday:
July 16

Now copy, paste and blog it. I look forward to it!

It's all worth it

2008-03-29T22:32:00.002-05:00

When your tired, and your trying for the eleventh time in a day to get your little one to go to sleep. Finally, she stops whining...looks up at you, smiles and closes her eyes.... You wait, she looks so content. But wait, she opens her eyes just a smidge...checks to see if your still there, smiles again and drifts off to sleep.

Is there anything better than that?

We grow weeds

2008-03-29T22:19:00.005-05:00

Or at least that's how fast Lilia is growing. She's really been changing lately. Not only putting on the pounds, but getting stronger. She now holds her head steadily, and during "tummy time" she holds it very upright. She can sit up by herself when surrounded by pillows, and if you lean her against something she tries to use her abs to sit herself up, grunting the whole time.

She's also full of all sorts of noises, and last night and this morning kept us up while she seemed to be trying out her singing voice.

Who says weeds are all bad?

Sunshine

2008-03-20T17:05:00.004-05:00

Post by: Dee

I’ve always been a sucker for sunshine. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, if the sun is shining I’m in a much better mood. Much like a cat, I will seek it out and stand or sit in it for a moment just to feel it’s glow which brightens my spirit.

Until I became a mother I didn’t realize how the sun could shine even on the gloomiest of days. It’s changed my outlook on life. While I was pregnant people gave me negative warnings like: “your life will never be the same again” and “you’ll never have a moment of peace or quiet” or “you’ll never sleep again”.

They were right....
My. Life. Has. changed.

Sure, I lack sleep, but it’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever staying up all hours of the night for. As for peace and quiet. There’s nothing more magical than the sound of my little girls voice, whether she’s laughing, crying, gurgling, or hollering. She’s here, she’s alive, she’s healthy. And she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever experienced.

My little sunshine not only warms my heart she illuminates my world.