Happenings

It's been awhile, but we're still here!  We've been busy, and here are some of the latest happenings around our house:

Leslie rolled over from back to tummy!  This is typically a 5-6 month developmental milestone, so she's ahead of the curve.  She did it first on Tuesday, the 24th (and early birthday present for Daddy!).  I got a video of her the next day (even though it looks like she had a little help from one of the sides of the playmat, she can fully go from back to tummy without assistance and has done so several times now):

Speaking of Daddy's birthday, here are a few photos of the birthday boy and his adorable children:

We had a bit of snow a week or so ago.  When I went out to shovel the patio and deck, much to my surprise, Daniel wanted to help.  This is big for him.  Until now, he wanted nothing to do with snow.  Perhaps you remember this photo?  

2 years ago, almost to the day

Then this happened!

In fact, he wanted to stay outside while I was very ready to head inside.  The forecast calls for some accumulating snow this weekend, so maybe Daniel will get to play outside in the snow.  He even asked to build a snowman!  

In other news, Daniel continues to show Leslie his passion for laundry.  Here's a cute video of him explaining laundry to her:

Daniel also enjoys playing hide-and-seek now.  Here's a cute picture of Daniel hiding:

And one last one, our sweet, sleeping Leslie.  She is good at sleeping during the day, but we're struggling with nighttime wakings.  It's a good thing she's so sweet!

Leslie 4-Month Update

Leslie turned four-months on Friday!  While we remembered the happy occasion, we decided to wait until today to blog about it since she went for her well-baby visit today.

She's growing well!  She came in weighing 13 lbs., 4.5 oz (39th percentile) and 24" (37th percentile) with a head circumference of 16 inches (38th percentile).  She received several immunizations (shots), and there were a lot of tears.  Poor baby.  She bounced back quickly though.

We found out she doesn't actually have a tooth coming in like we thought she did.  It's just a small collection of dead cells that are white (nothing to worry about), so we'll keep watching for her first "official" tooth to come.

We will introduce solid foods in the next month or two.  Recent pediatric recommendations say you can start feeding your baby any solid food first - it doesn't have to be rice cereal.  So we'll have to start brainstorming on what we'll introduce first!

If you follow the blog, you've seen what a happy baby Leslie is.  When we make a noise or talk to her, she gives us the biggest smile, especially Daniel.  She loves her big brother!

She still wakes 1-2 times a night (usually just once) to eat.  Then it's right back to sleep.  That makes it so much easier on this mama.

We love watching this little lady grow.  We all adore her and love how interactive she is now!

Valentine's Visit

Grandpa and Grandma joined us for Valentine's Day this year.  It was great!  Bobby and I got a date night out of it, and I know Daniel (and Leslie) loved all the extra attention.  They did lots and lots of playing together, made a trip to the laundromat (thanks again to Trixie), got donuts, and did even more laundry here.  I'd say that's a successful weekend at the Gilliam household.  

Here are a few pictures of our funny little Valentines (and their grandparents):

Thanks for the Valentine's dress, Aunt Denise and Uncle Tim!

Aunt Carrie Visit

This past weekend, Aunt Carrie came down to visit.  We started Saturday out with a surprise trip to get some delicious doughnuts.  After that, we decided to go to Nebraska Furniture Mart.  Or, as Daniel calls it, The Braska Furniture Mart.  We took advantage of Aunt Carrie and had her keep an eye on Daniel while Amy and I spent some time looking for new bedroom sets.  We didn't end up getting anything, but Daniel had the time of his life.  They had 5 rows of washers and dryers, and even had a washer and dryer plugged in and running.

He was in Heaven.  Leslie wasn't quite as enthusiastic, but was still very content for the whole shopping trip.  Afterwards, we went to the nearby T-Rex Cafe for some dinosaur themed fun and lunch.

Waiting for lunch!

The rest of the weekend was fun, but uneventful.  Daniel had a blast playing with Aunt Carrie and Leslie was a happy baby, as always.  We were sad to say good-bye yesterday but are looking forward to seeing her again soon!

And here are a few pictures of our cute kids.  

Leslie loves her big brother; he can always make her smile and laugh!

A few days ago, Leslie started jabbering much more.  She's become quite the chatterbox, squealing and screaming constantly.  It's very funny.  I caught a bit of it on video, although it doesn't really do her new-found voice justice.

And finally, Mommy sneezed last night which made Leslie really crack up.  She got a few more good belly laughs out of her once I started recording.

Family Updates

It was a crazy week for us.  Daniel ran a fever for four days and then developed a runny nose.  Poor kiddo.  He actually asked to nap and cuddle.  While it was a tough week listening to all the whining that accompanies a sick three-year-old, I did love the extra cuddles.  He missed school all last week, so I'm really hoping he's well enough for school in the morning.

His upper lip is dried out from all the Kleenex wiping... poor thing.

Amazingly enough, Leslie hasn't been ill (knock on wood).  Daniel loves to kiss, touch, and cuddle Leslie, so we have no idea how she didn't get sick, but we are thankful!

Daniel is starting to perk up now, so he's back to his ornery self!  In this video, he throws some coins up, and Leslie finds it hilarious.  I love how those two interact!

Here are a few more photos:

Such a happy and beautiful girl!

Playing together

Leslie mastering tummy time!