Grandpa's Birthday

Today (Saturday), the whole Mavros side of the family made the relatively long trip down state to be with Lily and celebrate Grandpa Nick's XXth birthday. A great time was had by all. Lily awoke around 8:30am with a smile, and her pleasant disposition continued throughout the day. After a quick trip to see her Aunt Molly and Uncle Patrick at about 9:00am, she returned home for a brief sponge bath and baby lotion lube in preparation of her visitors' arrival. By noon, Grandma and Grandpa were pulling in the driveway, and Uncle Mike and Aunt Dana were not long after. At 12:15pm, the whole group was assembled and marveling at Lily's new tricks. Much coaxing ultimately resulted in a few broad smiles from the baby and even more from the lookers-on. Having made 12:45pm reservations for lunch at FlatTop Grill, Katie and I soon ushered the group toward the door. There, Lily's happy-go-lucky mood continued. It was a brand new dining experience for both Mike and the birthday boy, and I am pleased to report that both enjoyed seconds...in fact, we all made two trips through the line before we left. Unfortunately, a nasty winter storm of freezing rain and strong winds developed during our time in the restaurant, and it caused the family to depart in a slightly quicker manner than they might have otherwise. Still, we returned to the house and enjoyed brownies and ice cream in honor of Grandpa Nick prior to everyone hitting the road. All in all, it was a great day, filled with the usual teasing, laughing, and loving that defines a Mavros family function. Hopefully, Lily will soon be making her first trip to Elgin to see her Grandparents' house and perhaps meet more of her extended family.

P.S. Lily presented Grandpa with his birthday gift--a digital picture frame that receives pictures through a WiFi connection--at FlatTop Grill, and by all acounts it was a great success. Now Grandpa and Grandma can stay current with Lilian's latest and greatest without even having to consult the blog (though they'll miss these wonderfully entertaining posts).

Lots of Visitors and Pictures

As you can see, Lily has enjoyed many visitors in recent days. From family to friends, adults to children, our little one has done her best to entertain an array of interested parties. And these are just a few of the many, many pictures that have been taken of our little girl. In fact, if it seems that she rarely has her eyes open, we think it's because she knows that as soon as she does she'll be met with camera flashes. It is difficult to know what other events to write about, as Lily has yet to learn how to do much other than cry, eat, poop, and occasionally sleep. However, Katie claims to have been smiled at by Lily on more than one occasion, and we are indeed still amazed at how strong the baby is. Not only can LG hold her head up, but she routinely pushes away her dad's hands during attempted outfit changes, and she bats away potential kisses when not in the mood. When lying on her mom or dad's chest, she loves to crawl, and Katie and I expect to be chasing her around before we know it! For anyone who is still checking the blog, thank you for sticking with us during this recent lull in Lily news, and we plan to keep adding new info...and promise to be better at doing so on a regular basis.

All the little working parts

I thought I better give everyone a quick update before the little one wakes up from her nap. Daddy went back to work this week so Mommy and Lily and the dogs are on our own and doing pretty well. Thankfully, Grandma and Dad have come by to check on their girls and make sure we are taken care of. Grandma brings coffee in the morning and dad comes home over lunch. Lily is settling in to a bit of a routine, if you can call it that, and mom and dad are trying to adapt. The last couple of nights she has slept for 3 to 4 hours in between feedings, which has been wonderful. It sad that one can get so excited about getting 3 hours in a row of sleep. We both feel so refreshed if we get more than 1 1/2 in row! Speaking of feedings, she is eating really well and gaining weight like crazy. Last Monday she was 7lbs. 9 oz and yesterday she was 8 lbs. 3 oz. We think she is going to be a chunker! The Doc gave her a clean bill of health adding that she was surprisingly strong as he held in superman position and she held her neck up the whole time. He also was quick to return her as she has quite the pipes on her as well. The bump on her head and the yellow skin are now completely gone. Another tribute to her super powers as the doctor did not expect that large bump to resolve itself for several weeks! We are so very proud of our little one. She is going to be crawling, walking, and playing soccer in no time!

Pick a Peck of Pics