Planes, Trains and Automobiles!

Well, I once again flew solo with Lucy. I will never- I repeat- NEVER do that again (at least not at this young infant stage).  She is too old to sleep the whole time like our first flight, but too young to have any sort of stability in her posture.  Imagine being in line to have the TSA look through your stuff.  Now, follow along as you picture doing all of this while holding a wobbly/tired/cranky 3 month old.  I had to figure out how to fold up her stroller and stuff it through the x-ray machine on the conveyor belt, while also switching Lucy from her car seat to my arms and putting her car seat, my carry-on, and her diaper bag through the machine as well. This was while impatient people were behind me declaring "well, we definitely picked the WRONG line to wait in."  I had to hold her while taking my shoes off, taking my bag of liquids out (including her bottles for them to test since they were over the 3 oz. limit) while she cried and squirmed the whole time.  And TSA is telling me I need to hurry.  RUDE.  Next, we were on the plane and I could not, for the life of me, buckle up my seat belt! You need 2 hands for that and she can't sit up yet, so I couldn't just let go of her because she'd topple over; therefore, I didn't have a free hand.  Then, she didn't want to drink her bottle during take off (AFTER we had sat on the tarmac for a whole hour because maintenance had to fix the plane- and she wasn't happy about that either) because it wasn't warm enough for her liking.  So she screamed (not just cried, but SCREAMED) for a good 25 minutes until we were at the altitude where flight attendants would get me hot water to heat up her milk (they were SO unhelpful and rude to me).  Well, we had a couple of bumps and the cup of very hot water tipped over and spilled ALL over the man next to me who got very angry at me (remember, Lucy is still screaming this whole time).  Finally, just to top it off, she poops.  Not just a little poop- but an EXPLOSION.  So I have a shrieking infant in my lap, an angry man mopping up his seat and rolling his eyes next to me, and a smelly, leaking diaper in my hands.  Now, have you ever tried to use an airplane bathroom while there is an infant on your lap? Well, while I was in the bathroom changing her, all of the sudden my bladder seemed to fill up very rapidly.  So I held her while I went, then had to lay her down on the tiny tilted changing table to wash my hands.  Oh my gosh, it was all just a NIGHTMARE!  The whole day went on like this.  Everything wrong that could have happened to us, did (and, likewise,  on the way back to Denver we also got stuck at the airport during a delay and ended up sitting alone at our gate from noon to 8:15 pm- after going through Airport Security yet again).  It's EXHAUSTING! But the highlight of this post, is that we finally got to see Heidi, Bret and her boys!  Shawn and I were able to go to Orange County and not spend a dime while we were there!  It was so perfect.  All of our meals were paid for, our hotel suite, even checking our luggage on the plane was expensed!  While we were there, Heidi took us to the beach to boogie board, to a Beatles cover concert, and we had some quality family time.  No bills to look at.  Just a little pick-me-up during the usual grind of life.  It was seriously fabulous.  All the stress at the airport was worth it!  WELL worth it.  It was a get-away that Shawn and I really needed.  We had date night and forgot about all the stresses back home.  It was just perfect.  So even though Lucy hated the airplane, hated the train that takes you from gate to gate in the airport, and hated being stuck in her car-seat the many times we got in Heidi's car, it was the "in-between stuff" that mattered.  And that "in-between stuff" was truly wonderful.  Thank you so much, Kelly family, for ALL you did for us to make our trip to much fun and so memorable.  I am so glad we were able to see each other and to have you meet Lucy.  I'm sad it wasn't for as much time as I would have liked, but it was truly unforgettable!

The Boys Loved their new Cousin!

Family Pic!

LuLu and Heidi-Ho!

The oldest cousin, and the youngest cousin (for now!) And Jayden is SOOO sweet to Lucy <3

Beautiful Laguna Beach

Just Another Day in Paradise :)

Spenc and I catching some waves!

Brother and Sister

Brother and Sister!

"All You Need is Love"

Beatles Concert in the Park

Spencer turned her song on "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and she got SO happy!

Heading to the beach

Aunt Heidi loves her Lucy and Lucy loves her back :)

I love these two.  Such special people.

I LOVE California!

Good night Lucy Lu!

 

 

Going Through Changes

So, Shawn had a big change recently (well, big to us).  He got his braces off! And I must say, he certainly does look haaaaandsome! :) Here is a current picture of him.  He's on the left:

Hahaha, just kidding....Ok, here is a real picture of his new smile:

He looks so good, doesn't he?  We waited 18 long months for those pearly whites to be uncovered and he is proud of the results!  Another change, Lucy, once again, had another "birthday" so to speak.  She turned 3 months old! And in baby books, that means she is no longer considered a "Newborn" but is now an "Infant." It's bittersweet.  I love watching her grow, but I also want her to stay brand new!  Her development amazes me all the time and it is SO much fun watching her learn new things each day.  Plus, she is pretty funny now too.  She loves the sound of her voice and will coo, scream and squeal all day long.  It's adorable.  Her newest thing is her blanket.  She can't sleep without one (sometimes 2!) and she presses them against her face for comfort.  She is also a drooling machine!  It shocks me how so much drool can come out of such a small mouth and create such a mess!  But she sure is fun and so sweet.

Happy Three Month Old Birthday my Baby Doll!

She does good on her tummy, but she HATES it the whole time!

Loves her floaty.  She is going to be a water baby.  She already loves the pool.

Loves to watch Mom cook

Likes to swing in her mini hammock.  The joys of Summer :)

I personally haven't really had any changes.  I'm seriously considering cutting my hair, but I still don't know if I can commit to it yet- I've been growing it for YEARS now.  I'll keep you posted if I do!  If a good Groupon for a hair cut comes my way, I might just have to take advantage!  Being new in Colorado, I still haven't found a new hair salon, a new pediatrician, a new family doctor, etc....I should probably get on that!  I have, however, found us some pretty good dentists- the perks of having Shawn run a Dental office :)

Speaking of work, here are some pictures of us at a "Staff Appreciation" party.  We had a lot of fun.  It's fun having Shawn and Dan work for the same company because we will get to see each other at all the staff events! I love spending time with the Howards :)

well, until next time....bon voyage!

 XOXO, 

The Gilleys

Pictures for the far-away loved ones!

Not much is happening here in Colorado that is ground-breaking or super exciting to blog about.  But we are happy and Lucy is growing like a weed!  It's so crazy how quickly she plumped up.  She's outgrowing her 0-3 month clothing sizes and that makes me so sad.  I keep telling Shawn that I'm sad about it, but he doesn't get it.  You know how Men are....He just says "Well, aren't babies supposed to grow?"  Whatever.  Meanwhile, I'm switching out her sizes in her closet and am excited for the new clothes she gets to wear :)
Anyway, here are some pictures of my little lady for you loved ones that aren't here! Enjoy!
**You can click on the pictures to enlarge them :) **

She is the cutest thing I've ever seen!

So happy, almost all the time!

Her very first time getting in the water!

She liked it! We waited til the Doctor said it was ok, and we had so much fun!

Getting chunky buns! :)

Getting good at shaking her rattle

She takes up our whole bed....and how could we ever say no?

Loves her Bumbo so she can watch TV.  It's her own little recliner :)
(Ignore the mess in the background.  It was a crazy day!)

Summer Baby!

Saying good-bye to Coley and Russell :(

Cutest little hands ever .