Fun Pics

Ready for 80 degree weather!

Wild woman!
Can't wait to get outside and play

PROM NIGHT

These are old, but I couldn't resist. We encounter messes like this on almost a daily basis.

Pink or Blue

Baby #2 is looking great and healthy. We went in for my 18-week sono last week and got to see the little one moving around. Everything was in working order, and I am still on target for my due date in September. My belly is definitely starting to protrude, and my belly button has popped out. I would say that at 20 weeks with Lily I was definitely not this much out there. I am feeling good and my appetite has strongly increased. Baby is kicking all the time, much like his/her sister did, and Jeff was able to feel some little kicks a few weeks ago.


This past weekend we purchased a trailer to attach to the back of Jeff's bike so the family could enjoy some bike rides in this nice weather. Lily seemed to enjoy the ride and even fell asleep.

Lily is really starting to seem like a toddler these days. She "talks" non-stop and seems to learn something new everyday. She has a lot of personality and really enjoys hamming it up for everyone. She loves to listen to music and dance, can't wait to dip anything (mostly her hands) in ketchup, and loves doing anything that might wear her parents out. She goes down for bed so well now and typically sleeps through night and wakes up happy as can be. We are so lucky to have such an easy going kid. Hopefully, the introduction of the new little one won't change her good natured behavior too much :)


Oh, yeah, by the way did I mention we are having another girl?

Fun at the Park

Baby news

So far this second pregnancy has been a breeze (knock on wood) compared to the morning sickness I experienced with Lily. However, my 15th week started off a little rocky with a bad case of the flu. I came down with the flu early Wednesday morning and could not hold anything, not even water, down until around 8:00 p.m. that night. I was quarantined to my room and thankfully, Lily and Jeff were able to stay healthy. Unfortunately, my mom, dad and brother came down with it the next day. I had my monthly check-up with Dr. Thorton on Thursday morning, and they were able to find little baby's strong heartbeat right away. I was not feeling so strong, however, and everyone in the office was very nice and sympathetic to my illness. They were a little concerned b/c I had lost a good amount of weight since the last visit, but I hadn't eaten in 24 hours either. Thankfully, I was able to handle liquids and some rice and toast on Thursday. I am very confident I will be able to make that weight up and then some very soon!

Papou and Grandma Mavros came to visit us two weekends ago before their trip to Hilton Head. Lily had a ball playing with them all afternoon. She danced for Grandma and giggled for Papou. She was go-go-go the whole time they were here, as she wanted to make sure they saw all her toys and tricks. I am pretty sure Lily passed out for the night at about 6:00 p.m. She had so much fun and really enjoyed, as always, their visit!

Easter was pretty low key for us since Grandma and Papou were in Hilton Head and the rest of us were recovering from the flu. We went over to Mimi and Papa's for some BCC fried chicken and mashed potatoes. The food was great, and Lily had fun playing with her Easter presents from her basket. I think we all had fun playing with Lily's Easter basket stuff. The Easter bunny was very generous to us, as well. He must have heard that Mimi and Papa are putting in a pool because we were given some fun pool noodles and towels for the summer. Yes, you read correctly...Papa has granted Mimi her long time wish to have her very own pool. The construction is well underway, and as soon as we have two 70 degree days, the liner will be installed and it will be ready for some splish-splashing fun. We can't wait! Lily has her menagerie of bathing suits ready to go.

I am into my third week of my new job and really enjoying it. It has been really fun to learn a new business. All the people I work with are funny and laid back, which is also very nice. I have already been doing some insurance quoting on my own, as well as putting together comparison sheets for some of the current clients. I think I will fit in well here and continue to enjoy my experience. It has been so nice to come home at night (and stay home for the night) and be home on the weekends. I think Jeff and Lily appreciate my new schedule, too.

Will you go to Prom with my cute uncle?

Lily made her visit to CCHS yesterday and on very important business. She helped her uncle Patrick ask a girl to Prom. Luckily, both Patrick and Lily's charm won her over and she accepted.
Lily and her Chili Cheese Face. More pics of this to come!

Cold Season

Well, I had a very uneventful week off as Lily and the rest of us were not feeling well. Lily, along with an ear infection, had a nose that was running like a faucet and a very congested cough. Jeff and I both came down with similar symptoms on Tuesday and are still hanging on to some of them today. This has just been a really nasty cold, and on top of us having it, we passed it along to the grandparents as well. We all sounded and felt terrible this weekend. Mimi made soup on Friday and Sunday that helped warm us up a little, and Lily enjoyed it too. This week we let Lily take over trying to feed herself with a spoon...well, Lily decided that she was going to take over feeding herself with a spoon. She loved feeding herself soup and mashed up crackers. She also tried out some Jello. The mess that followed was even more fun for her. Oh, how she loved running her fingers through the mess on her mat. She splished and splashed and rubbed food everywhere she could. Her head, her ears, her neck, her belly, and her legs. It was quite a sight to see. By far the best mess she made this weekend was when Jeff made us some of our favorite chili-cheese dip to eat while we watched some basketball. Chili cheese dip is made with a block of cream cheese, a can of chili on top of that, and then shreddeed cheese on top of that. We usually add some other things here and there, but you get the gist. Anyway, Lily of course woke up from her nap just as we were about to dive into our favorite snack...and of course she was not going to miss out on any of that action. We tried to hand her pieces of tortilla chip while we dipped and ate. She made it clear, however, that she planned to dip like Mommy and Daddy. When she persisted, we decided to make her a little dish of dip that was not quite so hot to the touch. Oh how she LOVED it!!! She closed her eyes as she sucked the dip off the chip and made her trademark mmmm noise. Well, the small dish didn't last long because Mommy and Daddy weren't eating from the small dish. So she went for the big dip. The choas that ensued from there was hilarious. She was just covered in chili cheese and loving every second of it. At one point she gave up on the chips altogether and just dug in with her little messy hand. Very appetizing! We were glad she enjoyed it as much as we do.

Lots of News!!!

We have been a busy family these past few weeks. I promise that soon we will have more time to keep everyone updated on a more frequent basis. First on the list of updates would be that this week is my last week working at the Coliseum. While I have really enjoyed my job, I am ready to do something that requires a little less time and energy. I am so excited to have more quality time at home with my family and a healthier lifestyle all around. I will begin working at Benefit Planning Associates in two weeks. I am really looking forward to working with all the nice people there and coming home at a normal time and not working on the weekends. I know Jeff and Lily are excited about it as well.

Lily is still doing great. She entertains us all day and night with her cute and hilarious personality. She can't help but to stop what she is doing and dance any time music starts to play. She either sits on her knees and bounces, or, if she is standing up, she shakes her booty up and down. Even though she loves to dance, she still has no desire to walk. I am pretty sure if she wanted to she could probably do it by herself, but she finds it much easier and quicker to get where she needs to go by crawling. In addition to dancing, one of her other favorite things to do is eat. Any time we are eating she is right up next to us fighting with the dogs for the best spot to get a taste of what we have. She is getting really good at boxing Buster out. She likes pretty much anything we give her. She definitely is going to be into the salty treats like her mother. Right now she is into trying dips and condiments. She had her first taste of ketchup this week and loved it. She made an "mmm" noise while she savored the moment. She also tried some guacamole this weekend and enjoyed that as well. She sucked it off a tortilla chip and then discarded the chip to the dogs while waiting for her next sample. Our little piglet has also become quite the ham. Whenever she has an audience she does not hesitate to put on a show. Her favorite ditty involves crawling across the sectional and throwing herself into the cushions and making an exasperated "uh" noise as she hits the cushions. Then she gets up, crawls some more, screams a little, and lays flat on her back, pretending to be exhausted. After a few laughs she pops back up and is right back at it. She really is quite the character!

In addition to always being busy with work, I have fallen behind on updates due to the fact that I haven't been feeling the greatest. This is because I am due with our second child in September! I am really starting to feel better and actually have had a much easier time than I did with Lily...so far. We had our second doctor's appointment this past Thursday, and we were able to hear the baby's heartbeat and it was perfect. We will get to find out the gender in 2 months, and we can't wait! It will be hard to love another one as much as we love Lily, but I know there is room in our hearts for this one :)

Sweet Bedtime

Right before Lily's first birthday we decided it was time that Lily sleep in her wonderful crib. We have been able to establish crib sleeping routines before, but somehow she has always ended up back in our bed. Don't get me wrong, we loved having her sleep with us, and waking up to her in the morning is so much fun, but with her getting bigger, Mommy and Daddy and baby were not getting the best sleep they could get anymore. So Jeff decided it was time to start fresh and work on getting her back in the crib. As many of you know, Mommy was not a fan of letting her cry herself to sleep. Thankfully, Daddy is a very patient person and was willing to work with our little sweet baby. After a few short nights, the trips to her room in the night went from three to two to one and now none. In the morning when she wakes up, she calls for her dada to come and get her. It is the cutest thing to hear her little voice over the monitor. It makes our hearts melt. Even more than that, we love nighttime before she goes to bed. We all sit on the couch together while she has her ba-ba. When she finishes, she usually crawls up my chest and puts her head on my shoulder and gives me a kiss. After a few snuggles, I pass her over to her dad who snuggles her as he carries her up to bed. Watching that little face on his shoulder as he goes up the stairs makes me get all choked up inside. She is so sweet and cuddly at night. Right before her birthday she started giving us kisses, too. It is so cute! She puckers her lips and makes a "mmmm" sound as she leans in. I love it! Sometimes she will even grab your face and pull it into hers, and then she kisses you and laughs. Getting her little kisses when I wake up in the morning or get home from work is the highlight of my day.

365 Daze

Wow, that went fast. Well, most of it did. Lily is one year old! Last Monday the 21st our baby girl hit a big milestone...she has been with us for 365 days. She is beginning to complain about her crow's feet and graying hair, but we keep telling her that she looks as radiant as the day she was born. Actually, fortunately for all involved, she is much cuter than the day she was born (it's evident that Mom isn't writing this post today, huh?). To celebrate the anniversary of the Bears winning the divisional playoff last year...and Lily's birth...we partied hard twice last week. On Sunday the 20th we met with the Mavros side of the family in Elgin and enjoyed cupcakes and ice cream in honor of Lily turning one. She received awesome gifts from her Aunt Dana (jungle train and animal book), her Uncle Mike (six-sided block puzzle and wind-up jumping frog), and her grandparents (wooden cow pictured below, jeans, and a darling, handmade sweater from Grandma). In related toy news, I am pleased to announce that just this past weekend Lily began walking around the house with the walking lion toy that Grandma and Grandpa gave Lily for Christmas. While it may look funny in ten years if she's still using the plastic lion for support, we are happy with the steps she's taking (pun intended) toward walking right now. Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa! And thanks, Mavros family, for throwing a great party...and loving Lily as much as you have for the past year. She loves you too, and we couldn't have made it this far without you!

The second party of the week was then on Monday night, the 21st. The O'Rourke side of the family, complete with Great Grandma Dorkie and family friend Chris Cushing, came over to our house for pizza, cake, and lots of toys. As you can see from the picture of our window seat full of gifts, Lily was spoiled rotten for the second time in two days. From cute outfits (Mimi's specialty) to an actual baby-sized La-Z-boy style chair from her Aunt Molly, Lily cleaned up in the gifts department. Aunt Molly is known as one of the premier gift-givers in the Great Lakes region, and she did not disappoint for Lily's first birthday. Despite Lily falling asleep in the middle of the party (we think her tummy was hurting from all the pizza she wolfed down), everyone had a fine time celebrating her big day. We thank all of the O'Rourkes and Chris for attending Lily's party and being such a big part of her life. She generally goes happily to others, and we believe much of that has to do with the exposure she gets to so many different people who help us by watching her regularly. In closing, we're sorry it has taken us so long to put something up here on the blog, but it's the result of Katie working lots of nights and weekends and Jeff being too lazy to get off the couch. Regardless, it's a formula that seems to be working because we couldn't love our child any more than we do, and we know so many of you love her too. What a great first year! Who's ready for the second?...

Ice cream cake...yummy.

You can find one of these at www.toddley-toddler.org/sit~toile

Mommy helps Lily eat her birthday cupcake at Grandma Judy's house.

Cool toy, Grandma! Dah-doo (thank you)!

"Did you see my birthday squirrels?"

You think these are enough?

This WAS pizza...but you had to look fast to see it.

Settling in and Doodlebopping

This past Friday, we took Lily to the Coliseum to see characters from one of her favorite morning shows, the Doodlebops. Jeff and I really do not enjoy watching this show, but it really was an enjoyable concert, and I got to meet them all in person. I have to say I was a little star struck seeing the real Doodlebops. I was surprised to see that they were really the same people as on the show! I can't believe I was actually a little excited to see DeeDee Doodle get off the elevator. We watched the show up in a suite with some of my other co-workers and their kids. Lily was by far the most entertained. She danced, shouted, and pointed. She loved it!

Other than that, we haven't had anything else too exciting going on. We are just trying to get settled in our new house. This past Saturday our sectional was delivered, which has made getting settled a whole lot more comfortable. It is so big and cozy. We spent Saturday and Sunday trying to find and claim our favorite spots. Around the house, Jeff has a few more little projects that he wants to do, but nothing too major.

Lily is approaching her 1st Birthday fast! This last month she has changed and learned so much.
She has added a few more words to her list, including: cheese, doggie, hi, pretty, Mama, ball, baby, Daddy, Mimi, Papa, Papoo, Pat, and our favorite, thank you. For the most part, she uses "thank you" in the correct context. She can now make it up the stairs in under a minute and has taught herself how to go down on her belly and get down off the couch the same way. She still loves the movie Meet the Robinsons, and we have not found another movie that will hold her attention as well. In the last few days she has graduated from formula to whole milk, and we are working on weening her from nursing as well. She still wakes up every morning and yells for her dad, but now she thankfully has days when she wants her mama, too.

Very Merry Christmas

Sorry we are so behind on the blogs! I will try to catch everyone up from here.

Lily had a very, very merry first Christmas. On Christmas Eve we went to the O'Rourke's for Christmas Eve dinner with all the extended family. Lily had so much fun entertaining all of her older cousins. On Christmas morning we went back to Mimi and Papa's to open gifts. Lily was overjoyed with each package that she opened. It was the cutest thing to see her little face light up each time she was given a gift. From there we went up to Elgin to see Grandpa and Grandma, Uncle Moks, and Aunt Dana. Once again, Lily had so much fun opening her gifts. Aunt Dana gave her a "band in a box" that keeps her occupied for minutes at a time. As you can see from the picture, Grandpa and Grandma gave Lily a walk around her new lion toy. She isn't walking yet, but the lion is helping! After gifts and playing we went to cousin Elaine's for the Mavros family Christmas. Lily had so much fun playing with her great-aunts and uncles and cousins.

Overall, we had a really great time with all of our family. It was so nice to visit with everyone and be with them on Christmas! Lily thanks all of you for her great presents. She really and truly has enjoyed playing with all of them!

All the cousins

all cousins including the moms

Pure Excitement over one of her presents!

Baby It's Cold Outside

All Bundled Up!

Here is Lil waiting for her daddy to pull the car around after the last PrairieThunder Hockey game. The team photographer snapped this shot when I set her down so I could get my coat and hat on too.

I love her in her winter get-up!

1201 on 12/01

This past Saturday, 12/01, we made the slow and icy move over to our new house. Thankfully, we had plenty of wonderful friends on hand to make the transition a little less slippery. The weatherman predicted that we would have an ice storm starting around 9:oo a.m., and of course we had planned to have our friends arrive at that same time. So we got up and got the U-haul at 7:00 a.m. and tried to start getting as much done as possible before the ice hit. Lily and the boys were dropped off at Mimi and Papa's house at 7:00 so that they would not have to be part of the chaos. Just like the weather man predicted, the ice started exactly at 9:00 a.m. Everyone went into full gear and worked so hard to get everything out of the house and into the garage as fast and safely as possible. Uncle Patrick went and salted both houses, making the load in and load out areas a little smoother, however the road between the two houses was another story. The salt trucks were not as fast as Patrick and our little U-haul almost got stuck going up the hill on Vernon Street several times. Luckily, there were no major injuries from the move or the ice, only sore and tired men and ladies. Thank you so much to all you boys (and sister) that helped us. We definitely would not have been able to do it without you!

We are now completely out of 1110 and over to 1201. On Sunday, Jeff and I went to Fell to do some last minute cleaning before handing over the keys. I had no idea how emotional it would be for me leave that house. As I was scrubbing the bathroom floor I started to well up thinking about all the wonderful memories we have made in that house. Our first date, our wedding, bringing home our little baby. Even that bathroom was very sentimental to me. I found out I was pregnant while standing in that bathroom and I figured out I was in labor while standing in that bathroom. So I had a little cry while scrubbing that bathroom floor for the last time. We are so proud of that house and all the work we have done to it. It will always have a special place in our hearts as it wasn't just our first house, it was our first home. I am looking forward to making many new memories in our new house as we watch our family grow. I know that soon we will love it as much as we have loved 1110...and soon 1201 will feel just like home.

before and after pictures coming soon!

Thankful Indeed

This is perhaps the easiest post to publish since Lily was born. This submission is simply, in the spirit of the season, an outlet for us to be thankful for everything we have. While we too often focus on the things--and they're always things--we don't yet have, this time of year is special because of the way it forces us to turn our attention toward the good in our lives and just how incredibly fortunate we are to live how we do.

First we'd like to say thank you to our parents. Both the local and Chicago-based set are exceptionally loving and generous, and we couldn't be happier for Lily to have such caring grandparents. Some days it's hard to tell if we or they love the little one more. Thanks, P's, for all you do for us. Please know that we appreciate everything and love you very much!

Secondly, a big thank you goes to our siblings. Like our parents, they have loved Lily as if she were their own child, and we feel very fortunate to have brothers and sisters (and those in-law) who we consider friends as well as relatives.

Next, we are blessed with genuine friends who support us each and every day. If you're reading this blog, you're almost certainly someone we value greatly (or you're some computer hacker attempting to steal our identity online). Seriously, thank you for being part of our lives. The number and diversity of those who check this blog fairly regularly is indicative, at least to us, of the quality of people around whom we've surrounded ourselves, and it makes us feel good.

At the risk of sounding a bit too sappy, we wanted to write something to just say thanks this time of year. And we are obviously thankful for the health and welfare of our little family too. We hope you all had a great Thanksgiving, and we look forward to seeing you all soon on Valentine Drive!

Snuggling Time

Waking up with Lily is one of the best things in the whole world. She is so cute and funny when she first gets up in the morning. Anywhere between 3:30 a.m.-5:30 a.m. we hear our little booger stir and bring her in to sleep the rest of the morning with us. When she finally decides to get us up for the day, she first rolls around with her eyes closed and babbles a little and then sits up so she can whack her dad on his back and wake him up. She always gets him up first. If he is already up and out of bed, she crawls on top of me so she can look out the bedroom door to see if he is done showering in the bathroom. She yells for him and waits for his response. Usually, the bathroom door swings open and his face lights up and then she giggles. Then we turn on the Disney channel to watch her favorite morning shows. Her arms flap up and down once she sees Mickey's face on the screen. Such a silly happy child.

Meet the Robinsons

Sweater and hat, lovingly made by Jo Porter

Lily is quite the character these days and is getting into everything. She is always on the move, and it is hard to slow her down. Nothing keeps her attention for long and because she is not much of a napper, entertaining her all day can become exhausting. Luckily, we have found something that will keep our wild woman seemingly sedated for a few minutes. She absolutely loves the Disney movie Meet the Robinsons. We have owned the movie for about two weeks, and she still loves it day and night. Today I really needed to get some work done so I thought I would try out Finding Nemo instead, and she didn't even take a second glance. The minute I put Meet the Robinsons on, she didn't move a single inch for about 15 minutes. Thank you, Disney!

Other Lily developments would include the emergence of four teeth, crawling at the speed of light, pulling up on everything, laughing when other people laugh, and being strong as an ox. She loves to eat Cheerios by the Lily handfuls. She talks all day long. She tells stories and says "uh-oh" every chance she gets. PrairieThunder hockey games have become her new favorite pastime. Every time the Zamboni comes out, she goes crazy and gives it her beauty queen wave. Jeff and I couldn't be happier that she enjoys the games so much. Jeff gets to see the games, and I get to see my baby while I am at work.

Over the past couple weekends we have been packing up our house here and there in preparation for the big move right after Thanksgiving. We close on our new house November 26th and will move all our big furniture the following weekend. We purchased all the paint this past Sunday, which Jeff will be throwing up on the walls before we move. Thankfully, his dad has generously volunteered to come down and help him paint that week. We are so excited to get in there! I can't wait for everyone to see it too!