Mia and You-a + one: Introducing Lilia Ann Johnson

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years from Chicago. It's been awhile since the blog has been updated and it's far overdue. I've been meaning to post news for months but it seems like every time I start to write something, I can't figure out where to begin with so much to share. Well, I guess it's just best to start from today and fill-in the gaps as I go.

First and foremost, I'd like to introduce y'all to the newest member of our family:

Name:	Lilia Ann Johnson
Birthday:	Tuesday, December 25^th 2007 at 9:47pm
Weight:	7 lbs, 4 oz
Length:	21 ½ inches
Location:	Evanston Northwestern Hospital (ENH), Evanston, IL

Dee and I returned to Chicago from the road in mid-November to prepare the way for Lulu to arrive. For those of you unfamiliar with the name Lulu, Lulu was the "en vitro" nickname we used for Lilia before she was born. Many of our friends still call her that and most likely will for years to come. Both Dee and I think it's cute and don't mind in the least.

We spent time readying her room and the rest of our house putting the futon, a chair and countless books and other miscellaneous items into storage making way for baby clothes, a crib, a travel system, swings, stuffed animals and many, many other wonderful gifts from friends and family members. All of which have been extremely useful thus far.

This past summer, the end of the pre-Lilia era, we were on the road with Mamma Mia. We had an amazing time seeing the sights. We spent time in Madison, Minneapolis, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Portland, Salt Lake City, Costa Mesa, Las Vegas, Tempe, San Diego, San Francisco, Houston, San Antonio and Kansas City. All of which you can view pictures online at our online photo galleries:

http://picasaweb.google.com/nathanalanjohnson

Soon after Lilia arrived, Dee's parent, Ron and JoAnn Kjelshus (a.k.a. the Kjs) visited us from North Dakota. They've been very helpful with this new adventure and transition into parenthood. Ron has also been extremely useful around the house hanging shelves and repairing and painting walls. Our place looks and smells like new again. JoAnn has passed along great motherly advice and techniques. I don't know how we could have made this transition without them.

Ron keeps telling me how it's not cold here in Chicago. I guess I've become acclimated to Chicago weather and disagree with him. It's cold enough for me. I'm ready for spring!

For more pictures of Lilia, checkout our online photos galleries:

I hope everyone has a wonderful, productive and fruitful 2008.