8 months:1st tooth and now crawling

Lilly cut her 1st tooth at 8 months and now she is crawling!
She is every where. She loves to go and we are not prepared for that. The house isn't even child proof yet. Where in the world did the time go? She will be 9 months 12/24!! WOW!
She crawls for a bit then does the army crawl. It's so funny to see her get serious and go. Daddy will be child proofing the house this weekend for sure!

We visit Santa Sunday. I hope she isn't afraid of him and we can get one good picture with her on Santa's lap. We've looked forward to this for years and now is the time. Is this for us ?? Haa.. yes, right now it is. When she gets older, then it will be for her :)

Will post pics soon..
More to come...

6 month pics

I know I've been so behind updating my blog. We've been so busy with our active one. Here are a few 6 mth pics
Our lil Minnie Mouse

Go Dawgs

Look how sweet

Is this good Mom?

Hi Everyone

Almost 6 Months old!

It's been awhile since my last blog! Lilly's been trying all kinds of food and so far so good...She loves it! Rice cereal first, she was such a ham and decided to blow bubbles while she was eating and it goes everywhere. I laugh, not good so she keeps doing it. Haa!! She got the hang of it and does great! Sweet Potatoes, Apple Sauce, Green Beans and Banana's. She's not too sure on the banana's, but we will keep trying later. She is growing so fast, wants to drink out of a cup.

Lilly also rolls over. She did the stomach to back at 17 wks and the back to stomach at 22 wks. Now she is our little 'Roly Poly' She rolls everywhere. You put her down in one spot, turn your back and she is all the way across the room. haa! She gets around and heads towards Annie and Lucy. Wants to pull their tail and gets so excited that she can get them. They are patient with her and Love her! Makes Mommy happy :)

She will be 6 mths Friday and well I'm not going to be a good Mommy that day. We have a Dr appt to get shots :( I wasn't thinking when I made the appt. We spread the shots out, so I know it won't be that bad, but still. I need to do better :)

Here are some pictures of Lilly trying out food for the first time.. enjoy

Here we go

I like it!

I'm so sleepy, such hard work.

More to come...

No longer a Newborn

Today I realized that my baby girl is getting so big. When you pick her up, she no longer bends her legs up to her chest :( So sad. I loved when she did that! Now she is all legs and wants to stand up, roll over and tries to sit up by herself. She weighs 14 pounds and is in stage 2 diapers! Time is really flying by fast! We are enjoying her so much and she makes us laugh. She is so silly and is just truly a happy baby! We are so blessed and Thank God for her every day!
She's been sleeping through the night since 4 wks! Mommy and Daddy love that, as we love to sleep too. haa! Last night was 12 hrs!! Yup.. 12!
The Dr gave us the go ahead to start giving her cereal, vegs and fruit! This should be fun and oh so messy! Haa.. will post pics when we decide to take that exciting plunge ;)

More to Come...

3 Month Photo Shoot

Lilly had her 3 month pictures done and can you say... So stinkin cute!! It's so hard to choose!

The photographer "Tate" did an amazing job! She saved us! The photographer we used for her 1 month pics stood us up and never called! So a friend of mine directed me to Lasseter pics and they were able to meet with us the next day! We were so excited. Here are a few pictures of Lilly. Enjoy!

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1 Year Ago Today

Can we say "WOW" Our God is a mighty God! It's been 1 Year today... we were headed to the Czech Republic Praying for a miracle. Now we have this amazing 3 month old baby girl in our lives. It's been a true roller coaster ride getting to this point. Looking back I thought we would never get here. But we are.. enjoying every minute of our Lilly. She makes us laugh all the time. She is such a true blessing and our little miracle!

We've also helped so many couples who have gone through what we have and it feels great to spread that little bit of hope. It's a passion and I really do think God took us down this road to experience these hard times. We have realized that He has always been in control!

So.. what now? We will take in one day at a time and watch Lilly grow every day. Discovering new things, learning each other, having fun and taking in the moment.

God is so good!

More to come...

Lilly is 3 months old!

I can't believe that Lilly is already 3 months old! Time sure does fly by. She is so independant and wants to stand up and she holds her head up on her own. She is getting so big!She is such an easy going baby, it made it easy when I started back work. She goes to her Nana's Monday and Friday and then to Ms Martha's Wednesday - Thursday. She gets spoiled during the day. She smiles so big and crinkles her little nose. I've tried several times to take a picture of her when she smiles but I never can get it quick enough! She is getting her 3 month pics soon and I know we can catch her smiling then :)

Russ had a great Father's Day! I went on snapfish and created a Father's Day card with Lilly's pictures and Annie and Lucy. Also made him a desk calendar with all their pics on there. He really liked his gift.

Lilly's been sucking on her fist, she loves doing that. Her little thumb is so small its hard to find so she sucks on her thumb and finger. Goes to town making all kinds of noises, its really funny.

We had our 2nd date night since Lilly's been here. I treasure these times that I use to take for granted. We decided to do date night at least once a month. It's very important and I don't want to lose sight of our marriage and how special Russ is to me. We don't mind taking Lilly with us, she is good and just goes along with whatever we want. Hopefully it will stay that way :)

More to come...

1st Day back at work!

Well I went back to work and it was the hardest thing I could have done. It felt that way :) I know it will get better in time. I just didn't want to leave her. We had our own schedule and did our own thing. She is in good hands though. Very blessed to have her Nana watch her 2 days and then a friend from our church to watch her the other 3 days. God is good!

She is getting so big and cooing all the time and smiling all over herself. It's so cute. I've tried to get pictures of her doing it, but she stops and looks at the camera or turn her head :) haa.. silly girl. She still sleeps through the night which is amazing! Put her to bed around 9:30 and I wake her to nurse before I go to work. She goes right back down until her daddy gets her ready for her sitter. She wakes up smiling, which makes it hard to leave.

She is almost 12 wks! I can't believe how time flies! She will be walking before we know it!
Will post pics soon

A dear of friend of ours just found out today that they are having a girl!! YAY. She also went to Czech to do treatments. They are blessed just like we were! We are so happy for them and can not wait to share their journey

More to come...

Lilly's First Trip

4 Generations (Great Grandma, Mamaw (my mom), Me and Lilly)

Great Grandma and Lilly. (Lilly is talking to her)

Ready for bed (Daddy fixed her hair) Haa

Tummy Time (Wasn't too sure about that)

We went to Tennessee for Memorial Day to visit my Mamaw, Lilly's Great Grandma.

She was such a good traveler. We had to stop one time to let her stretch out and eat. She was a trooper. Everyone loved her and just couldn't get over how big she is. She is almost 10 lbs!!

Above are a few pics of her first trip :) I was so happy that my Mamaw could meet her. That's been my prayer for 7 yrs that my Mamaw could meet my baby. And well... she did. God is so Good!!!

More to come...

2 Month's Old

Mother's Day & Baby Dedication

It's been awhile since I've last blogged. We are just enjoying this precious little miracle of ours.

I had my first real Mother's Day and that same day we had Baby Dedication. We gave Lilly to God and promised to Him that we will raise her in a Christian home.

See her cute little dress. I looked everywhere and finally found something.

Lilly weighs 9.12 pounds. She is almost out of Newborn diapers :( She is getting so big and full of life. She makes us laugh all the time. She is so strong willed and I think she will be crawling soon. She wants to do things herself. She sleeps great during the night. 8 hrs last night. We were so excited :) I hope she keeps that up.

I had to take her to the dr today. She's been having crust behind her ears and it seemed like it hurt her when I tried cleaning them with water. She has eczema :( The dr gave me some cortisone cream. Have to apply that to the dry spots twice a day for 7 days. It should get better soon.

We are going to TN this wknd to visit my Mamaw. Lilly's Great Grandmother. I am so excited for my Mamaw to meet Lilly. It's been a prayer of mine for 6 yrs that my Mamaw will live long enough to meet my son or daughter and now we finally have that opportunity. :) We will be taking lots of pictures.

More to come...

1 Month Check Up

Lilly did great and is growing so fast. She now weighs 7.14 and the dr laughed and said she is finally on the percentile chart :) YAY!

She is sleeping very well through the night. 7 hrs last night. I woke up to make sure she is still breathing. We will move her to her room this weekend. It will be so hard, but it's time.

Lilly is being dedicated this Sunday and on Mother's Day. What a special moment this will be. My parents are coming in and all our family will be there with us to share this excited time. We finally found a dress. It was hard to locate a newborn dress. But we found the perfect one.
I'll post pics after dedication :)

More to come.. need to feed my baby. She is growing so fast

1 month Old Today

I am 1 Month Old Today!!

1 Month Picture

Wow.. I can't believe Lilly is already 1 mth old. Time really flies when you are having fun. She is really a blessing from God! Russ and I have been so blessed. She is a happy baby. She actually slept 5 hrs last night. Yes, after breast feeding : ) Makes Momma happy. She woke up, ate and went back to sleep. Maybe she was tired after her 1 mth photo shoot, but we will say she was happy after eating at the buffet :)

She loves her swing and bouncy seat. It's relaxing to her and she will swing all day if we let her. But we can't seem to keep our hands off of her. She is such a great cuddle bug and gives great sugars. She is truly amazing.
Lucy and Lilly being lazy

My 3 girls (Lucy Lu, Lilly and Annie Sue)

We took Lilly to Church last Sunday (4/18) On Daddy's birthday. She was such a good little girl. Sat still through Church and then decided to pass some gas during communion. Haa!! Oh well, it happens. We were proud.

My 1st Sunday Dress and going to Church

She goes for her 1 mth check up on the 29th. Daddy and I decided to spread her shots out. Instead of 18 mths, more like 3 yrs. 2 shots a month. It just seems like too many shots going in that little body of hers. The Dr is ok with our decision. We just have to make sure we stay on that schedule.

I need to go snuggle my baby

More to come...

Lilly's 1 week check up

Lilly had her 1 wk check up. She did great! Gained 5 oz, the weight she lost when leaving the hospital. Dr Sankaran said she was doing great and looked really healthy. Her jaundice is starting to go away, which is great. She will go back for her 1 month check up in April.

She is starting to get a little personality. Very strong and independent. Not sure if that's a good thing or not.. haa :) We are really enjoying her and love her so much. God has blessed us truly.

Easter is this Sunday. I would love to go to Church, but am afraid of all the germs. She is 9 days old and not ready to get out in the world yet.

Here are some pictures of our lil' Lilly...

More to come...

Lillyan Hope Tidwell is here!!

I really think Lilly wanted to make her grand entrance into this world early. I lost my mucous plug Saturday, March 20th. I started getting contractions about 15 minutes apart. Dr Schilling told me to time them and if it gets 4-5 min apart then I would need to go in. Thank goodness that didn't happen. We were still on schedule to be induced March 24th.

Russ and I arrived at the hospital at 5:45am March 24th. We could not wait to get this going.

Dr Schilling was there delivering a baby that morning. He said, I will go home and take a shower and then come back and see where we are with you. The nurses got me all ready, gown, ivs, etc..

Started the pitocin at 8:30 am. We were well on our way. Contractions started coming closer and closer. Around 11:30 I stood up to go to the bathroom and there was a constant drizzle. I told the nurses and they had to do a test to see if it came out positive. Sure enough my amniotic fluid was leaking. Dr Schilling was getting excited and so were we. About 30 minutes later I felt this little pop and my water broke. Schilling said, well it looks like we will have a baby by 9:00 pm tonight. YAY!! He was thinking I would need a c-section because my uterus is tilted. But he told Russ, there goes plan B.. we will do this tonight. They bumped up the pitocin and the contractions were 1-2 minutes apart. It was nothing I've ever felt. My blood pressure went up so they gave me something to relax me during the contractions. Half a dose is all I wanted. It helped a little, but the pain was so bad. Schilling checked me and I was dilated to a 4. We went ahead and opted for the epidural. It worked really fast and I could no longer feel anything.

Once my body was relaxed I started progressing realy fast. Lilly was not liking it and her heart rate dropped to 90. The nurses could not read her signs nor my contractions. They had to do a vaginal reading to get a more accurate reading. They dropped the pitocin way down to get Lilly to relax and then turned it off. She finally got her heart rate up. Russ and I were so scared and just looked at each other the whole time. Schilling came in around 7:30 to check on me and wanted to know what was going on. He was able to watch what was going on at home and monitor me that way. I told him that they turned the pitocin off and then an hr later turned it back on to a 1. Schilling got fired up and said I didn't tell them to do that.He checked me and said that I was complete. Next thing I heard was him storming out and getting on to the nurses for not checking me. He said we have no idea how long she's been ready to push. He came back in and said we are Having a Baby!! let's get this moving :) Nurses prepped me to start pushing, had to have an oxygen mask to make sure I was getting enough oxygen and giving the oxygen to Lilly. I did 5 big pushes (3 sets each time). They placed a mirror where I could see her come out. The nurse said "your baby has dark hair" I lost it and started crying, it was becoming real!

Schilling came in and finished up and told me one big push.. and then here came Lilly. She was so sweet and so calm. He placed her on my chest where I could look at her.

It was all a dream. Our family came in and just ooh'd and aah'd over her. She was just so content and so alert.

What an amazing Gift From GOD!!! He truly out did Himself :) This is one miracle we are in love with!

Lilly latched on to my breast really well. She loves to nurse and that makes mommy happy :)

More to come...

March 24th

Well it looks like I will be induced March 24th. We have to be at the hospital at 5:30 am! Yikes! We will have to make sure things are packed etc.. the night before. That's really early. I can't eat anything after midnight :( I know I will be too nervous to think about eating or drinking.
Please pray that the process will be smooth and Lilly won't be too stubborn. We are getting anxious and ready for this little girl's arrival
My blood pressure is doing good, able to keep it down. Thank you Lord!

I have 2 more showers before the 24th. Busy.. Busy. My mom and dad are coming in for the shower. I am really excited. I need her help this weekend to get me organized. It gets overwhelming not knowing where to put things. Then they will be back down after she is born and staying for a couple weeks.

Our life is about to change really soon.. for the best! :)

More to come...

5 Weeks Left

Had a great OB and Specialist appointment. I've been able to keep my blood pressure at a great level. My OB mentioned that we might induce at 38 weeks and the Specialist agreed. Lilly is weighing in at 3.13 pounds. The specialist told me that we more than likely will have a small baby due to my blood disorder.. her meaning of small: 6.5-7.0 pounds. haaa.. That's what I'm use to seeing. My family has small babies. So that will be okay. That's normal :)

My friend Elisha came over last night and helped me decorate Lilly's wall. We hung up letters spelling out her name - "Lillyan" over her bed and over the changing table we did wording that says "Such a Big Miracle for such a small Girl" Russ picked that out.. it's starting to all come together.
Walls are green
Lady Bugs/Green/Pink

Today I had my Church Friends shower. Received some great gifts and had fun with friends.

I still can't believe it's almost time to meet this little girl. What a miracle for sure :)

More to come...

Snow! Snow! Snow!

We have 5 inches of beautiful snow! I left work an hour early to come home to Annie Sue and a bad bladder infection. This is her 3rd since December. Poor girl, I know she was in pain. Russ and I took her to the vet, in the bad snow to get her meds and an injection. It wasn't a pleasant drive, we saw several cars in the ditch on the way there. I sure hope she gets to feeling better. The vet said that she may have stones in her bladder. So that means an ultrasound and surgery to get them removed. Not cheap! We went for the meds this go around and hope that it's just a fluke that she had 3 infections in a couple of months.

I had a great dr app Thursday! I've gained a total of 17 pounds and my blood pressure was 108/78! The best EVER! Thank you very much. Cutting back on CFA and salt really helped! So they said to keep up the good work. They want me to gain 30 pounds, but I would rather not. Lilly is so healthy and she passed again! I saw her yawning and she loves to suck on her fist. It was so sweet. Next week we get to do the measurements and see how much she weighs. I'm guessing she weighs 4 pounds now. We have 8 wks left, that is 56 days... that is if I go full term.

I have a prenatal massage tomorrow, I really do hope the roads are clear. I need this massage, they do a wonderful job. I feel so much better when they are done.

Lilly's room is almost done! Will post pics soon
More to come...

Thanking God for His Blessings

Lilly is weighing in at a healthy 3 pounds :) she is such a happy baby. My bld pressure at the specialist was 144/86! Dr did not seem too concerned as I have no swelling nor protein in my urine. She okayed me to work another week. I am 31 wks now! I still can't believe it.
Her room is painted, furniture put together, carpets cleaned and some clothes washed.
I have my 2nd shower on 2/20. Can't wait!

Today I saw my OB! Bld pressure was 128/74! How awesome is that!! God is Good!! I hope it's here to stay. We've changed our eating habbits. No more Chick-fil-A for awhile! That really hurts my feelings. I could eat CFA every day. CFA sandwich has over 1300 mg of sodium and the grill has over 1200 mg of sodium. Who would have thought that?? Not me! I don't have myself to just think about anymore! I'm now a momma and have my little girl to think about :)
Dr was pleased with the bld pressure and my weight. I've lost a couple pounds from my last appt. Gained only 18 pounds! Pretty good I might add :)

This pregnancy has really been a true blessing! Thank you God for such an amazing pregnancy and such an awesome husband who is there for anything I need. I really Love this Man :)

More to come...

Blood Pressure Hike

My OB app didn't go as well as we had hoped. I've been seeing spots and my fingers have been numb. My blood pressure was elevated to 136/96!! YIKES. So Schilling ordered blood work which will test my platelets and would let them know what is going on.

I was told to come back 1/20 (the day after my bday) to get the results, etc...

Wednesday blood pressure was 136/86 (a little better) blood work results came back normal, no protein in urine.. thank goodness. Schilling decided to put me on house arrest until Friday. He wanted me to relax and see if my blood pressure would get back down to normal. He told me that due to my auto immune disease that he was very shocked that I've been doing so well..up until now. I have an 80% chance to get Toxemia. If the blood pressure does not go down, then he mentioned maybe taking Lilly at 32 wks. HOLY COW!! That is 3 wks from now.

I told my work and thanks to my wonderful co-workers.. they put together an amazing shower for me. Russ drove me to work Friday for the shower and then off to my dr app with the specialist. Everyone at work came together and we were well taken care of. Our stroller/car seat combo was there all put together, diapers, tub, clothes, gift cards, essentials to get us through the 1st month or so, etc... It was amazing. Here are a few pictures :)
Pretty Diaper Cake

Me eating the yummy food
Our Stoller and Car Seat Combo

All the great presents

After the shower, off to my app. We had to wait around a bit, they were very busy. Went back and left a urine sample.. and might I add... I can't stand when women go before you and leave their sample right in the middle of the tray. There is no room for you to leave your cup. So I decided to move the cup over and the door slammed on my arm.. and there it all went. Thank goodness it was mine and I didn't spill it all :) haaa.. I had to hurry up and clean up the mess. Yuck! Blood pressure machine here I come... 155/96!! WHAT? How in the world. The ultra sound tech told me to go lay down, let's look at your baby girl and that will help relax you. Lilly has to do a bio-physical every week now. They want to make sure she is growing and maturing like she needs to. Tested her muscle mass, her practice breathing (saw it go up and down) and a few other things. She passed with flying colors.. A ++ Go Lilly!! She will be an A student ;)

After the ultra sound and getting amazing pictures (saw her chubby cheeks) the nurse brought the blood pressure machine to me and did it on my right arm. 144/84. A little better, but still elevated. Yeagley wasn't too worried about the blood pressure because I didn't have protein in my urine. She suggested that I work from home or work part time. My work doesn't give us the option to do that.. or might I add.. MY BOSS! So that was out of the question.

She said she wanted me to work 1 wk at a time and come back Friday to see where I'm at. If it's still bad, then I'm done. Home/bed rest here I come. We are praying that Lilly can remain in her warm home for awhile and I won't have to deliver early. God is in control and has been in control the whole time.

Russ bought me a prenatal massage from Schilling Medical Spa. Might I add.. AMAZING!! It was perfect and I was so relaxed. I could do this every week :) haaa

Please keep us in your prayers, we know God is in control

More to come...

Now entering the 3rd trimester :)

I'm now in my 3rd trimester. I never imagined I could say that :) My prenatal app are weekly and my obgyn app are bi-weekly. Count down begins!

I passed my 27 wk glucose test! Thank you Lord! My levels were 125 and you need to be under 150. I was happy to hear those words. The past couple of days I felt like I've been kicked in my stomach. I'm so sore and it's hard to move around. I woke myself up groaning when I was turning over in bed. The pain has moved to my inner thighs. I looked up what it could be.
Googled Pelvic Pain during pregnancy. This is what I found.. and might I add.. there is really nothing to fix it :(
"Symphysis pubic dysfuntion" or SPD. Relaxation of the ligaments that normally keep the two side of the pelvic bone tightly bound together at the joint in the pubic area. It causes a world of hurt getting out of the car, turning in bed or sitting too long. It will become sore to the touch and travels down to the inner thighs. You can use a pelvic support belt (my friend is letting me borrow) and if the pain gets too bad then your Dr can prescribe pain relievers.
Sometimes its hard to walk :)
Not complaining here because I've had one amazing pregnancy. God's been in control the whole time. But I really could do without the servere pain. It's hard to move around, which is not good. I am Thankful and will keep that in mind :)

I go to the obgyn on the 18th for a normal check up and will discuss the pain I've been having. Maybe he can suggest something that will ease the discomfort.

More to come...

Baby Girl is getting so big!

We had a great dr appt today. My blood pressure was great! Lilly's heart beat was 145 and she weighs 2.8 pounds! I can't believe how big she is. Dr Yeagley said she was above average, which mean excellent. And the Best News!! My placenta Previa moved!! She can see the whole cervix! I was thanking God all the way home. We got some amazing pictures. She is such the little poser :) Her nose is so sweet and her hands are near her face :)

Here are a few pictures

Hands near face
27 wk profile

Re-verifying that It's A Girl!

I go back on January 22 and will start going weekly. We have 12 more weeks! Dr Yeagley said that I need to eat a great meal or a big snack before each appt. They will be watching her movements and making sure she responds normal. They have to rate her an 8 or above. If she doesn't move like she should, then they will send me to the hospital to get a more detailed ultrasounds. They have to do this because of my auto immune disease. Dr Yeagley said the disease causes slow birth growth and high blood pressure. She was very pleased with the outcome. Said I was doing great and she is above average. Happy words!!

Tomorrow I have to do another Glucose Test! I did one in the 1st trimester (passed) and now another one in the 2nd/3rd trimester! I am not looking forward to it. It makes me sick and gives me the biggest headache. Please pray that I pass this 1 hour test!

God surely has blessed Russ and me! He is an awesome God!

More to come...

New Update!

It's been awhile and I apologize. We had computer issues since 12/19, had to get our computer sent out for repair. Do you know how hard it was to not have access to your computer? But we finally have it back and it's working better than ever :)

My last perinatologist apointment went well. My blood pressure was up a little, but Dr Yeagley was not worried about it. She told me it was because of my long haul to get here. Lilly weighs 1.5 pounds and is so active. She kicks and dances all the time. It's good to feel her move. I watch my belly at night and I can see my belly jump. Russ was able to feel her, finally. He thought it would be harder because of my reaction sometimes. But I laughed and told him to press down and concentrate. She kicked for her daddy and Russ just smiled. It makes it real to know that there is life growing inside of me :)
I went to my OBGYN on the 21st. Heard her heart tone, they measured my belly and took my blood pressure, which went back down to normal. Thank you Lord! When I go back it will be every 2 wks now.

Christmas was great, although I was really sick. Had a very bad cold that led to a sinus infection and laryngitis. We spent the last year by ourselves and started dreaming about what Christmas will be like from years to come. Lilly will be 9 months next year. It will be very special! We get to send out Christmas Cards of her and will add Annie and Lucy in there too. Can't leave them out. Haa! It was a relaxing time, but always goes by too fast.

I can't believe its already 2010!! I go to the perinatologist tomorrow. They will look and see if my placenta moved any, hoping it has. From there they will decide if I have to come weekly. I have 12 more weeks, so it won't be too bad.

We have our baby furniture. Let me tell you!! NO ONE warned us that we have to put together every single piece. I mean every piece. Build the drawers, the sides, etc... you name it. It's been a challenge for sure. But we are almost done and Russ has done an awesome job. We have the convertible crib, changer/dresser and the chest. It's very pretty, coffee color.
We are doing her room in lady bugs. Found really cute bedding that is pink/green/and lady bugs. I asked my dad to build her a toy box. Mom said that he's been brain storming and is almost done. He loves to do things like that. He will paint it red with black dots, will look like a little lady bug. It will be special :)
We still need to pick out the paint color, we both like green. My friend said she will draw and paint on the walls for me. It's a project I would like to get done this month! We can do it.

I will write more tomorrow after my appointment.
More to come...