The Year of Lillian

Once upon a time I met the love of my life and got married. Then came the time to think about starting a family. When I was younger, I always thought I wanted to have a dozen kids. As an adult, my dreams evolved and I began to picture myself with 2 sweet little girls.

3 disorders, 2 surgeries, a year of forced menopause (yeah, ask me about THAT sometime), countless negative pregnancy tests, an ocean of tears, and years of feeling inadequate later - I accepted my fate. Being a mother just wasn't in the cards for me. So I resolved to be an amazing wife and an amazing aunt.

Then on December 27th, 2009, right after family Christmas dinner, I received the surprise of my life. God was sending another precious baby to earth - and this one would be mine.

On September 17, 2010, at 7:45 pm EST, Lillian Eve Tyson was born.
(the 1st of my, hopefully one day, 2 girls)

And we met.....

I am as in love with her now as I was then.

And I have been forever changed by her existence.

She is a constant blessing. A smile from her can turn the worst day into a great one. She is happy 95% of the time, always playful, very curious, and incredibly sweet. She truly is sugar and spice.

Currently one of her favorite activities is to look at picture of animals with Papa on his laptop, but the best part is that she will kiss each one on the screen. It's incredibly adorable. She also loves to walk around outside. She will touch every plant she finds and if she has a flower she wants you to smell it for her. She points at everything she finds interesting. The first thing she does every morning probably is point at something. She feels the need to show everyone around her everything she sees - she will even put her hand on your cheek and try to turn your head if you don't pay attention fast enough!

She has grown so much in the last year.

Here's a look back:

Bringing her home.

Just 1 week old.

1 month.

2 months.

3 months.

4 months.

5 months.

6 months - half way there!

7 months.

8 months.

9 months.

10 months.

11 months.

12 months.

This past month has been crazy for us. A week after Lily recovered from HFMD, she came down with some kind of virus that was accompanied by a head-to-toe rash. She has never really been sick before we moved here, but I guess that’s what happens when you go from a home daycare that has 3 kids, to a full preschool. She loved going back to preschool after being out for a week. And I love that about her. She is so curious and independent. Since I can’t be a stay-at-home mom, I’m glad I’ve found the perfect place for her to be during the day. I am so happy with the preschool she attends, and that they even do preschool for her age. This is their mission statement:

McGregor Early Learning Academy’s mission is to spiritually uplift our children and teachers in a Godly, loving and secure environment. This is accomplished by providing quality care, Christian education, developmentally-appropriate activities and by modeling God’s love through our actions, words, and lifestyle.

She has a Bible lesson every day, and she is being taught colors and shapes, and different concepts. There is only so much she can grasp at this age, but I love how proactive teaching these things this young is. She can already point out most of the items hanging on the walls and brings home art every week. She loves her teacher, and her teacher taught her how to blow kisses to me each morning when I drop her off - which is pretty much the most adorable thing I've ever seen. She gets sent home with a daily report - here are some excerpts from recently:
8/30 - "Everyone seems to know Lily around here. Didn't know we had a celebrity! Lily is such a happy loving girl."
9/1 - "Like always, very happy and playful.Lily likes stuffed animals so much. She hugs them so tight. Lily is the sweetest girl."
9/2 - "Lily continues to amaze us with her cheerful disposition and charm. She looked so pretty today - like a little princess."

I'm sure you can imagine how fun it is for a mother to know that her opinion of her daughter is shared by others :)

As far as other development - she is RUNNING now. She loves chasing and being chased. She especially loves getting into things she isn't allowed to. She knows when I am coming to take something from her that she shouldn't have - she gives me an innocent look and holds it up to me as if to say "I was just getting this for you - you're welcome."

She has always loved swimming and has never been afraid of the water, but she is really getting too brave now. She wants to walk right off steps into the deep water and try to swim right out of my arms. She is so happy in the pool - she smiles and giggles constantly.

She is waving hello and goodbye, and saying "hi" and "bye". She can also say Momma, Dada, Nana, and Papa. Sometimes we can get her to repeat certain things, but she didn't seem incredibly interested in talking until this past week. Now she is jabbering almost constantly, so we will see what words she starts picking up now.

She will officially be a year old tomorrow, and since I have a full day planned, I am posting this blog today.
Birthday pics and blog to follow shortly.