My new FAVORITE Lily pic

This is how excited she gets about going to Stroller Strides. :}

Cheeser

Seriously?! Could she get ANY cuter??? Or is it just me?

No turkey bone for me, thanks!!

We went to Valpo to spend Mothers' Day with Nana Great, Grandpa Chuck, Mimi, Mimi Char, and the newly engaged Uncle James and Auntie Ali (congrats guys!). Lily asserted her individuality by flatly refusing to partake in the Adams family tradition of gnawing on a turkey thighbone tied to a string at Strongbow. She wanted NOTHING to do with it! She was, however, more than happy to eat her other meals in the red high chair that has been at Nana and Grandpa's house for 3 generations.

Trip to the Zoo

We took Lily to the Lincoln Park Zoo a couple of weekends ago with the somewhat elevated expectations of first-time parents. She was still a leeetle bit too little to get it; she definitely saw the polar bear when it swam straight toward her in the underwater viewing area (and FREAKED out), but otherwise she was pretty unimpressed. Near the end of the afternoon, we finally found something exciting: the flamingos were bright, noisy, and cool enough to hold her attention for a few minutes! I think we'll try the zoo again in a couple of months...I've heard the Atlanta aquarium has a whale shark. :)

Cool new shades

Mimi bought Lily these sunglasses, they look so cute on her I can hardly stand it! She was really good at keeping them on until she discovered that they are also fun to chew on. :}

Waving for the camera

"Drum Set"

While Mommy, Daddy, and Mimi were all sick, it sometimes got a little bit difficult to entertain Miss Lily at the house, so we had to get pretty creative. We made her a "drum set" out of salad bowls, complete with bass, snare, bongos, and cymbal. She was pretty excited about it.

Mommy showed her how to make music with the "drumsticks,"

but Lily wanted to figure it out on her own (Duke helped).

She got the hang of it all by herself, and it was some high quality homemade entertainment for a while.

until...

All done! Next, please!!

First trip to the pool!

A few hours before the crazy illness struck the Mangerson/Braun households, we were enjoying Lily's first trip to the UIC pool. It was a little bit chilly, but she had fun with Auntie Julia and she splashed and floated in her little baby boat. The anal-retentive lifeguard would not let us take any pictures while she was in the pool (against privacy policy, idk?), but hopefully there will be many future pool trips this summer because she really had fun.

Stroller Strides

During the week, Mommy and Lily's favorite thing to do together is go to Stroller Strides, our exercise class. Mommy likes it because she gets a good workout and gets to chat with other mommies, and Lily likes it because she gets to play with all of her friends at the end of every class. She loooooves the other babies, and she definitely makes friends much easier than I do! Here she is with Caden (6 months), Dylan (9 months), Ben (4 months), and Abby (5 months). They have all been going to class since they were 6 weeks old, and it's amazing to see how quickly they are growing up!

Sick, sick, and more SICK!

Sorry for the delay in postings everyone, we have had a rough week in the Mangerson family. First Daddy got a nasssty summer cold, then Mommy ended up in the hospital with the worst upset tummy EVER, and now our sweet Mimi (who came down to help) is sick too! Please say a prayer that everyone will get better, and ESPECIALLY pray that I don't get it!!!

- Love, Lily

PS: Don't I look cute with shampoo in my hair?

Action shots in the swing

Lily looks so tiny in the baby swing at the playground; she hardly fills it up, but it is sooooo exciting when Mommy or Daddy pushes her. And she always wants to go higher, such a little thrill-seeker already. :)