Lily's 11 month update and photos!

Lily turns 11 months old next week! I know if I don't make this post right now, I'll never do it. So you're getting it a week early :)

Lily is now crawling, pulling to standing, and cruising like a pro. She has 2 bottom teeth, and the best cheesy-grin. She's not sleeping very well again. I think she's going through another crazy growth spurt and teething at the same time, yuck. But let me tell you, this girl never stops! We love her so much, and she wears us out every single day :) We couldn't ask for a more wonderful daughter.

Amanda Gibbs did another photo shoot for us at 10 months old. We absolutely loved how they turned out, and hope you do too!

 

We're so excited for Lily to be a big sister. The older she gets, the more we realize how much she needs siblings! Todd and I just aren't entertaining enough ;) That, and she is our social butterfly and absolutely loves other kids.

 

Having a newborn with an 18 month old will definitely have its challenges, but we'll make it through and love our two babies even more!

~Baby Parris #2~

Yep, it's true. Lily's going to be a big sister! SUPRISE! Ok, here's the story.

As April's General Conference approached, Todd and I felt that we should have some questions in mind. We do this before conference begins, then listen for and feel the answers during the talks, music, prayers, etc. Well, one of our questions was, "When are we supposed to have another baby?"

As we listened to conference and talked about the logistics of having another child (finishing school, saving up enough money, where to live, how old Lily will be, etc), we decided that it would be best to wait until next year to start trying for another baby. We were happy with our decision, and went on with our lives.

Well, two weeks later, I start feeling kind of off. I get super tired, I feel queasy once in a while, and broke out worse than usual. I just thought, "Oh, Lily's not nursing as much any more, so my body's just adjusting hormone levels and going back to pre-baby mode." I shrugged off the symptoms and tried to keep my mind off of my stomach.

Well, more and more things start happening. So, on April 22, I decided to just take a test. I had one at home anyways (my body had played "pregnancy" tricks on me before), and figured, why not just take it? It would be negative anyways, right? Wrong. I knew it was positive even before I looked at the result.

There's me, alone in the bathroom, in complete shock. My initial reaction was, well, just that - shock! Once that died down a little, I felt excited, anxious, nervous, happy, and frazzled all at the same time. Todd got home from work and all I could say was, "Todd, come sit on the bed with me...I need to talk to you." I tood the pregnancy test out of my hoody pocket and handed it to him. He got this huge suprised grin on his face and could hardly talk. He was so suprised, but so excited! We decided, since we live with my mom and little sister, that it would be best to tell them that night as well. Once the initial "hit by a brick wall" wore off, they've expressed nothing but support and excitement for us.

So, now what? When's my due date? Will I be able to finish school before baby is born? How am I going to take care of my very active Lily while pregnant, let alone after the baby comes? etc. etc. etc.

Well, I had my first appointment on May 16th and I'm due...

Christmas Day!

Lily and Baby #2 will be 18 months apart, and I'm working hard to get school done by December. We feel so blessed to have another baby on the way, and are enjoying this new journey! I'm feeling SO much better, have more energy, and am only queasy once in a while. Woohoo!

All in all, life is good.